American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 246 Lin Yu'an Makes a Name for Himself! (5K views, requesting monthly votes at the beginning of the month!)
December 28, 10:15 AM, local time in Wiseman.

Alaska, Wiseman, Lin Yu-an's cabin

The weak sunlight streaming through the double-glazed windows cast warm dappled patterns on the wooden floor. In Alaska's winter, the days are short and precious.

Lin Yu'an was awakened by a continuous buzzing sound, like the fluttering of bees.

He slowly opened his eyes, his consciousness still somewhat hazy. The large bed beside him was empty; only the faint warmth and fragrance of two pillows remained on their side.

Arya and Emily were already up. He sat up and picked up the space gray iPhone X, which was charging and had a slightly worn screen, from the bedside table.

The moment the screen lit up, countless notifications, missed calls, and WeChat messages flooded in like a burst dam, causing noticeable lag and frame drops on this once-flagship model.

The top notification bar was completely filled with messages, one after another, scrolling down frantically.

Lin Yu'an frowned, a bad feeling rising in her heart. Could there be something wrong with the video? Was it being throttled? Or was it being maliciously reported?
Amidst the clutter of notifications, a striking red "99+" icon stands out prominently on WeChat's green logo.

Upon opening the message, I found that the vast majority of missed voice calls and unread messages came from the same person, Lao Mao.

Lin Yu'an put on a thick wool coat, went barefoot, and tiptoed out of the bedroom.

A warm atmosphere filled the living room, and the fire in the fireplace had been rekindled, crackling loudly.

At the open bar counter in the kitchen, Arya was humming a song as she poured prepared pancake batter into a frying pan. The golden batter sizzled in the hot oil, and the aroma of coffee filled the entire cabin.

On the thick carpet in front of the fireplace, Emily was gently keeping company with her two 11-month-old babies.

The daughter, Olivia, was struggling to stand up, holding onto the edge of the coffee table, making shaky "ya ya" sounds.

Ethan, the son, crawled clumsily across the carpet, trying to catch a ray of mischievous sunlight.

This peaceful and heartwarming scene calmed Lin Yu'an's anxiety, which had been heightened by the phone malfunction.

He didn't disturb them, but quietly walked to the huge oak desk in the study area, connected his laptop to the internet, and called Old Cat back via WeChat voice message.

The call was answered almost instantly, as if the old cat was guarding the phone, waiting tirelessly for his reply.

"Brother An! My dear brother! You're finally awake! If you hadn't woken up, I would have bought a plane ticket to Alaska!"

Old Cat's voice came through the headphones, so loud that it sounded more like a roar than a speech, filled with barely suppressed ecstasy and extreme excitement.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

As Lin Yu'an spoke, he opened the YouTube backend page. "I checked it before going to bed, and it seems to have broken ten million. The data is growing a bit too fast."

The old cat was silent for a second on the other end, then burst into a roar ten times more ferocious than before, its voice filled with extreme shock and disbelief:

"Ten million?! Uncle! My own brother! You...you fucking knew Justin Bieber a long time ago?!"

"What?" Lin Yu'an was stunned.

"Holy crap! I remember now, no wonder! No wonder you insisted on using that eight-hundred-year-old song 'Recovery' when we were editing!"

"I was saying you had really unique taste. Turns out, it was all for this collaboration!" Old Cat's voice held a wild joy at discovering a shocking secret!
"My God! Brother An! You kept this a secret for so long! Why didn't you say you had this nuclear-level relationship sooner!"

"If you had said so earlier, would those bastards have dared to withhold a single penny of your resources? I would have slapped this right in their faces!"

Old Cat's voice was hoarse with excitement: "That was the data before Bieber personally drove traffic to you! Now we need to add another 70 or 80 million! No, it might be close to 100 million!"

"Over 200 million viewers flooded in! Do you understand what that means?! Your YouTube channel already has over 1.5 million subscribers!"

Lin Yu'an pulled himself together from his chaotic thoughts, glanced at the terrifying data loading on his laptop screen, and explained calmly into his headphones:
"Old Cat, I don't know him."

"Huh? Really?" Old Cat's tone was full of suspicion. "Then this... this is too much of a coincidence! Even world-class idol dramas wouldn't dare to write something like this!"

"Really, I'm not lying to you." Lin Yu'an didn't say anything more. Faced with such tremendous success, any explanation seemed pale. What Old Cat thought was no longer important.

He was stunned when he saw the data loaded in the YouTube backend.

Total views: 81475831
Eighty-one million?!
Subscribers: 1512488
One million five hundred thousand?!

He slept for less than seven hours, and the number of views on YouTube increased nearly sevenfold from the already astounding twelve million!
His number of fans skyrocketed from a mere 100,000 before the video was released to 15 times overnight, directly crossing the "million-dollar gold medal" threshold that countless creators dream of!
Estimated revenue: US$285165.44.

$280,000.

Upon seeing this number, Lin Yu'an's breathing paused slightly. For an ordinary person, this might be a huge sum of money that could change their destiny.

But for him, the amount of money itself was far from enough to make him lose his composure. What truly shocked him was the terrifying ability to monetize traffic that this number represented.

In just one night, a single video generated value far exceeding the total value of his content creation over the past few years. This was no longer content creation; it was like printing money.

Lin Yu'an sat quietly at his desk, the light from the screen illuminating his face, which had quickly shifted from extreme shock to calm analysis.

Old Cat's tone carried a hint of reverence, a reverence for the sheer volume of online traffic. "Brother An? Brother An, are you still there?"

Lin Yu'an took a deep breath, regaining a sense of reality. "I saw it. This video has gone viral."

"It's more than just a hit! Brother An, you've ascended to godhood! Those bastards are probably kicking themselves right now! Exclusive contract? Now they're begging you to release the video!"

"Oh, right, speaking of this," Old Cat's tone suddenly became somewhat subtle, seemingly carrying a hint of triumphant satisfaction.

"In the few hours you were asleep, our new VP called an online meeting for the entire department overnight. That guy's attitude completely changed!"

"At the meeting, he first highly praised your video as a rare and high-quality piece of content. Then, in front of everyone, he announced that he was willing to renew your exclusive contract with the utmost sincerity, at the original price, or even with a 20% increase on top of the original price!"

"Of course, he also made some demands, requiring you to guarantee two updates per month, two live streams per month, and not to disable the tipping function."

"The corresponding support is S+ level resources, helping you to open up various business channels..."

Lin Yu'an interrupted him before he could finish speaking: "Old Cat, I understand what you mean, but I refuse."

Old Cat on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then burst into uncontrollable laughter: "Hahahaha! I knew it! I knew you would say that!"

"I wanted to say that to him right then and there! Now you regret it? What were you thinking before!"

Old Cat immediately switched to professional mode, "Brother An, listen to me, this is very important! Your inbox, private messages, and every place that can contact you will be flooded with messages."

"Media, brands, MCNs, all sorts of shady characters... Remember, whatever you do, don't reply to anyone! Not a single one! Remain silent!"

“I understand,” Lin Yu’an replied.

He certainly understood that overnight, he had transformed from a content creator who needed platforms and brands into a top-tier influencer. The balance of power had shifted dramatically.

Old Cat continued, "We need a plan! A meticulous plan! You're not thinking about which company to sign with now, but about how to maximize our profits!"

"Brother An, you now possess what every creator dreams of! Absolute power!"

“We can set up our own studio, we can do reverse customization collaborations, we can…” Old Cat’s voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement, as if he could already see mountains of gold and silver.

The unconscious use of "we" in his words caused Lin Yu'an's eyes to flicker almost imperceptibly.

Less than twelve hours ago, Lao Mao's tone on the phone was full of apology and helplessness, lamenting Bilibili and Arc'teryx's "abandonment".

Back then, he was a Bilibili employee who stood up for a friend. Now, he's a partner who saw a huge business opportunity and subconsciously tied himself to it.

Lin Yu'an didn't blame him. The world is a bustling place, and everything boils down to self-interest. Even the old cat is no exception. He just realized more clearly than ever before that when the magnitude of self-interest undergoes a qualitative change, all the hidden possibilities in human nature will be unleashed.

"Old Cat, calm down first," Lin Yu'an interrupted him again.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable power, bringing the endless chatter on the other end of the phone to an abrupt halt.

“We should have plans, but not now. You’re right, but for me, nothing has changed right now.”

"What?" Old Cat was stunned, his tone full of disbelief. "Brother An, this... how can you say this hasn't changed? The world has changed!"

Lin Yu-an's voice was calm and composed: "I will still make videos at my own pace to record my life. As for business matters... I'll just leave it to fate."

His gaze passed over the screen and landed on the boundless snowfield outside the window, a relaxed yet meaningful smile appearing on his face.

The words "whatever happens, happens?" were like a bucket of ice water poured over the old cat's burning heart.

He could almost picture Lin Yu'an looking so nonchalant at that moment. In his eyes, this was utter disregard for immense wealth and a waste of resources.

"My brother! How can we just leave it to fate!" Old Cat's tone became anxious, and his previous excitement was quickly replaced by a kind of frustrated anxiety.

"Brother An, listen to me, internet traffic is time-sensitive! Popularity comes and goes quickly! Now is the best time, the whole world's eyes are on you!"

"We must seize this window of opportunity and convert traffic into tangible benefits and influence!"

He took a deep breath, trying to make his tone sound more professional and persuasive:
"Think about it, a brand of Arc'teryx's caliber would definitely be vying to offer you a new contract now, and the terms would be ten times better than before!"

"And Bilibili, they'd definitely pay any price to keep you here! Not to mention all those car, watch, and even real estate advertisers who'll pounce on you as soon as they smell you!"

"Brother An, this isn't about money, it's about securing your position! It's a crucial step in establishing your industry standing for the next few years!"

Old Cat became more and more excited as he spoke, but gradually he fell silent.

Because he didn't respond, agree, or refute through the earpiece. It was a silence that carried a penetrating edge.

Old Cat wasn't stupid; he instantly sensed a subtle sense of alienation from the silence.

He realized that his long-winded business plan might have been too much and too hasty.

His heart tightened, and his burning passion quickly cooled, replaced by a sense of frustration and unease at having failed to seize the opportunity.

Lin Yu'an finally spoke, giving the other party a way out: "Old Cat, I understand what you mean, and I know you're doing this for my own good."

"But this is a huge matter, so big that we both need time to calm down. You're right, there's a window of opportunity for things to heat up, but a good plan is more important than a hasty decision."

"...Okay, I understand." Old Cat's voice was filled with indescribable emotions. If he had always sided with Lin Yu'an before, would the outcome today have been different?

"Once I've sorted things out here, we can have a proper talk about the future," Lin Yu'an added at the end.

"Okay! You go keep your sister-in-law company first! I'll wait for your call!"

Lin Yu'an hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and sighed softly. Of course, he didn't really want to leave everything to fate.

Justin Bieber.

That name had just exploded in Lin Yu'an's mind like a thunderbolt. Instantly, all the illogical data found the most incredible explanation.

Old Cat's misunderstanding left him feeling both amused and exasperated. But he couldn't explain, nor did he need to.

He certainly doesn't know Justin Bieber.

The reason I insisted on using "Recovery" is because it was a song I heard by chance after losing Arya in my previous life.

He had listened to that melody on repeat in his mind countless times, praying that everything could be "restored".

Even after his rebirth, a trace of fear still lingered deep within him. He wasn't sure if he had truly been reborn, fearing that it was all just a dream that felt too real.

I'm afraid I'll suddenly wake up at some point and see the cold ceiling and flashing machines in the ICU.

I participated in the wilderness solo living competition for the prize money, but also to calm myself down after the shock of rebirth.

Fortunately, it wasn't until he actually arrived in Alaska and felt the real tremors and cold winds that he realized the extent of his suffering after months of special training there.

In every struggle and creation with nature, his once fearful heart finally found complete stability.

He was convinced that he had truly been reborn and was gradually beginning to master the power of the "empty skill cheat" that had accompanied him.

The only regret is that he accidentally killed the motorcyclist, because he didn't fully control the power boost from his cheat ability at the time.

But in a way, it was his death that brought Emily, one of the most important people in his life, into his life.

Now, the instant he realized he had absolute power, a clear idea took shape in his mind.

He needs to wait until January 1, 2022, the end date of his contract with Bilibili and his Arc'teryx brand ambassador contract.

Furthermore, Lao Mao's words just now further solidified his idea that all subsequent business operations should not be entrusted to any third party for the sake of convenience.

The camaraderie among temporary colleagues is too easily corrupted once it becomes deeply intertwined with interests worth hundreds of millions.

His sudden surge of fame and commercial value is like an unexplored gold mine.

What he needs is an absolutely reliable exploration team leader with completely aligned interests, not a gold prospector who just happens to be near a mine and wants to join in.

A name clearly surfaced in his mind—Sheng Risheng.

His childhood friend, a shrewd, reliable, and absolutely trustworthy brother who has been working in the domestic e-sports gaming companion industry for many years.

Most importantly, he is the son-in-law of Liede Village, so he is not short of money and has plenty of time to do things. This year, I even saw him posting on his WeChat Moments about learning to row a dragon boat.

Lin Yu'an's lips curled up slightly. It was time to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Sheng Risheng about establishing an MCN company in China.

He suppressed all his thoughts for the moment and turned off his laptop.

Lin Yu'an walked downstairs, his face looking rather pale due to his emotional turmoil.

Emily was the first to notice his pale face and asked, "Honey, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with the video?"

Arya, who was setting out the plates, also came over, holding Ethan's baby bottle in her hand.

Lin Yu'an didn't say anything, but silently took out her phone, opened Bieber's post, and handed it to them.

The two women came closer, and when they saw the familiar golden V logo on the screen, Lin Yu'an's profile under the aurora, and the sincere and casual text, they were both stunned.

“Oh my God…” Emily instinctively covered her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Having grown up in Western culture, the name Justin Bieber was like a legendary figure to her.

And now, this symbol is talking about her husband!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)