The Hollywood Tycoon

At noon.

His slightly haggard wife, Sarah, returned home. Seeing her, Bear immediately poured her a glass of water.

Taking stock of their assets.

"Bear, I just personally handed the two months of overdue rent to our landlady, Mrs. Bellon. She said that as long as we promise to pay the subsequent rent, we can continue to lease this house."

Sarah’s tone shifted as she gave a bitter smile. "However, I still turned her down. After all, given our current financial situation, we can no longer afford to live in a house like this."

Powerless...

Bear gritted his teeth and said, "I’ll follow your lead!"

In his heart, Bear wanted to say "let’s keep renting here" more than once, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. They were almost out of money!

A man has to learn when to bow his head...

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

"Oh, right. Did the University of London Press agree to publish Facing Up?" Sarah suddenly asked.

"No!" Bear gritted his teeth.

"It’s okay! I believe in you. Facing Up will definitely be published," Sarah comforted Bear.

Will it really be published?

Really?

In 2001, Bear’s adventure of summiting Everest, Facing Up, was successfully published!

But how many people could understand the hardships involved?

Bear and Sarah worked odd jobs constantly, and only after being rejected by nearly twenty publishers was Facing Up finally published.

"Alright, let’s not talk about that for now. I’ll go make dinner. You should rest for a bit, or maybe watch some TV." Sarah gave Bear a quick kiss and hurried into the kitchen.

Bear was also very tired from revising his book, so he turned on the television.

The image that appeared was a midday news program on the ITV Television Station.

"To all our viewers watching at home,"

"we have a breaking news bulletin!"

"The renowned American billionaire, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Mr. Kyle Page, arrived safely in London at 9:00 AM today on his personal private jet. Mr. Miller, Chairman of the ITV Broadcasting Company, personally met him at the airport."

"Shortly thereafter, Mr. Kyle Page and Mr. Miller signed a series of new-phase cooperation agreements at the ITV Broadcasting Building."

"ITV Broadcasting Company is one of Britain’s largest television media groups, and Golden Dawn Entertainment Group has also risen rapidly in recent years to become a media force in America that cannot be ignored. This collaboration between the two media companies will surely deepen their partnership and provide audiences in America, Britain, and across the World with better and higher-quality film and television programs."

The Kyle appearing on the TV screen was so young and full of confidence... everything about him made the lonely Bear feel a sense of envy.

Man, Bear was already 26 years old this year.

In contrast, what about Kyle?

Kyle, who was only 23 this year, was already a World-renowned super-billionaire. The number of industries he owned and the depth of his net worth surpassed countless people.

"Sigh..."

"Why am I thinking about this?"

"I’m struggling just to support my family. A billionaire is too far out of reach for me!"

Bear laughed at himself.

Knock, knock, knock...

Just then, someone knocked on the door of Bear and Sarah’s home.

"Hello, is this the home of Mr. Bear Grylls?" a man’s voice came from outside the door.

"Who is it?"

Bear was a bit curious about who it could be, but he stood up and opened the door.

The door opened!

Before Bear’s eyes stood two men and one woman, all dressed in well-tailored suits and professional attire, making it obvious at a glance that they were high-level social elites.

"You are...?" Bear asked, puzzled.

The leading man smiled and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Alexander Povich Sanali Sergey. Of course, you can just call me Alexander. I’m from America, and I serve as the Director of the President’s Office and chief assistant to the Chairman of the Golden Dawn Entertainment Group."

That’s right, the visitor was none other than Kyle’s confidant—Alexander!

Golden Dawn Entertainment Group?

Hearing this, Bear was startled and blurted out, "So it’s you! I just saw the news about you all on TV, and I saw you in the broadcast as well."

Alexander nodded and smiled.

Soon, everyone entered the house.

The man and woman who came with Alexander were both from Golden Dawn Entertainment.

Baye Rondo, 42, serves as the vice president of the Golden Dawn Entertainment (UK) branch;

Katherine Tracy, 37, serves as the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Golden Dawn Publishing (UK) branch;

Without a doubt, both were Kyle’s subordinates holding senior management positions in the UK branches... "My God..."

"You’re inviting me to participate in a show?"

"And a television adventure show centered around me?!"

Bear was so excited he was beyond words; it even felt absurd, like an unreal dream. His wife, Sarah, now had no heart to continue making lunch.

"It is you, Mr. Bear Grylls. You don’t need to doubt that."

Alexander said solemnly, "As far as I know, starting from the second half of 1999, you’ve had the idea of crossing the Atlantic solo. However, due to practical pressures and other reasons, you haven’t dared to try until now. So, I’m asking you now: are you willing to try?"

Try what?

A solo crossing of the Atlantic!

Furthermore, using only a kayak, unassisted, carrying only a small amount of food and water, crossing over 5,000 KM across the North Atlantic—a journey that would take at least three to four months.

This was definitely a monumental challenge!

A challenge that no one had ever been able to complete until now!

"No! That’s far too dangerous, oh my God..."

Before Bear could speak, Sarah shook her head vigorously in refusal.

However... Bear felt his blood boiling at that moment. He had restless genes in his bones. Since childhood, when his father used to take him mountain climbing, he had yearned for such challenges and such a life.

Crossing desolate deserts;

Traversing glaciers frozen for millions of years;

Venturing deep into primeval forests teeming with tigers, leopards, wolves, snakes, and insects;

One man, one flask of water, one knife, challenging nature time and time again—wasn’t this exactly the kind of life Bear yearned for?!

The solo North Atlantic crossing completely ignited Bear’s restless spirit!

"I can do it, I have confidence!" Ignoring Sarah’s objections, Bear was desperate to take on this challenge.

Challenging the ocean and conquering the sea was Bear’s dream.

At the same time, this challenge would provide Bear with a massive monetary reward. If completed, the reward would be even greater, enough to allow his family to live a much better life.

One million pounds!

Upon completing the solo Atlantic crossing from Britain to America, he would receive one million pounds issued by Golden Dawn Entertainment and the ITV Broadcasting Company.

Golden Dawn Entertainment and the ITV Broadcasting Company would jointly film the challenge. The accompanying film crew would not provide Bear with even a shred of assistance, unless, of course, Bear chose to abandon the challenge.

A distance of over 5,000 KM across the ocean, with disasters like wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, as well as the immense psychological pressure of drifting at sea for long periods, were ever-present. All of this was a monumental challenge to a person’s physical and mental state!

"Mr. Bear Grylls, you don’t need to rush your answer."

Alexander said understandingly, "You can discuss it further with your wife. Furthermore, the relevant legal agreements and contracts will also take time to prepare."

...That evening.

In a hotel suite somewhere in London, Alexander gave Kyle a brief report on the matter regarding Bear.

"I see. I trust your handling of this!"

Kyle thought for a moment and said, "I’ll leave this matter to you."

Alexander nodded; he understood the importance Kyle placed on this matter.

Although Kyle’s main purpose for visiting London this time was to deepen the cooperation with the ITV Broadcasting Company, he definitely placed significant importance on the matter with Bear.

Securing Bear was equivalent to securing the future man vs. wild show.

man vs. wild was a show beloved by audiences worldwide, with incredibly high ratings!

Furthermore, Kyle needed a heavy hitter to expand into overseas television markets in various countries and regions, and man vs. wild was that ultimate move.