Chapter 14: The Beginning of the Snow Ridge Bear Wind

"Old Zhao, Old Zhao, sigh, he always ends up drinking like this." Watching Old Zhao drift off to sleep again, Logger Vick covered him with the overcoat lying nearby.

Su He, who had been listening to the stories on the side, couldn't help but sigh, "That was truly gripping."

"Let's go, Su He. It's time for us to pick up the vehicle."

"I'm coming." Just as they were about to leave, Su He noticed a middle-aged man in a purple padded jacket and glasses heading toward Old Zhao. He picked up a drawing from Old Zhao’s hand and examined it carefully.

"That must be the villain. He looks decent enough, but he only ever does bad things."

"Su He, what are you doing? Hurry up and follow," Vick urged, looking at the stunned Su He.

"Oh, coming, coming."

At that moment, the middle-aged man walked out of the house. "Bear Ridge, I've returned."

Before long, Su He and Vick arrived at the car dealership. "This must be the place the police mentioned."

Once inside, Vick’s eyes were instantly drawn to an off-road vehicle.

"Wow, oh my, Su He, come look at this! Isn't the craftsmanship on the front a bit too exquisite?" He then looked at the chassis. "The chassis is solid, too." Finally, he went to the back of the car. "Look at this rear, it's really high-class."

"Wow, such a huge display screen, how convenient!"

Watching the excited Vick, Su He wanted to offer a reminder. "Brother Vick, I don't think Boss Li is kind enough to give you such a nice car. It’s probably something else."

"Impossible, it’s definitely this car. Your brother Vick’s intuition is never wrong." Just then, a salesperson hurried over to assist them.

"Hello, sir, welcome to our shop. You have a great eye; this is our latest model of off-road vehicle. If you take it now, you get a free year of maintenance."

"Don't just think about it, act! With this SUV, even a snowstorm would be a piece of cake."

Vick, playing the part of a big spender, waved his hand generously. "Alright, I'll take this one."

"Wonderful, wonderful! Thank you for your patronage. Since it’s a promotional period, after the discount, it’s about 688,000."

"What? Didn't Boss Li say he would compensate me? Why do I have to pay?"

"Oh, you mean Boss Li? Then your vehicle is over there." The salesperson led the duo to a dusty corner, pulled off a giant, tattered cloth, and revealed a dilapidated bus.

"There you go, that's your vehicle. By the way, please take the keys."

On the road, Su He couldn't help but laugh. "Brother Vick, I told you, there's no way Boss Li is that kind. Haven't you gotten used to it after all these years?"

Vick, watching a cow cart pass them, sighed helplessly. "Little He, stop mocking your brother. Who knew he’d still be up to no good even after going to jail?"

Just then, the car shuddered, belched a cloud of black smoke, and came to a halt. "Seriously? This piece of junk broke down after only going a few steps. Little He, come down and help me."

"Coming." After some repairs, they were back on the road.

Once back inside, Su He and Vick noticed several strangers loading luggage onto the bus. Among them, the middle-aged man in the purple jacket was holding a camera, constantly snapping photos of the surroundings.

"It's the Southern profiteer, along with the monkey and Er Gou. Is the plot for *Snow Ridge Bear Wind* finally beginning?"

Vick, meanwhile, shouted, "Hey, who are you people? Why are you boarding my bus?"

The Southern profiteer suddenly noticed Su He, pointed a finger, and said, "Wow, how beautiful! It's you! Come, come, give me a smile." He aimed his camera at Su He.

"Hey, do you realize I'm a man? Have you ever met a man described as 'beautiful'?"

"I have now, haven't I?"

Vick spoke up again. "Hey, who exactly are you? Why are you getting on my bus? This isn't a public transit vehicle, get off immediately!"

The Southern profiteer understood Vick's meaning and pulled a stack of bills from his pocket. "Oh my, I wonder if this little bit of money is enough for a ride?"

Vick instantly began to drool. "Enough, that's plenty! Where would the wealthy sir like to go?"

"Bear Ridge."

"No problem, I'll get you there in no time!" With that, he drove the bus racing toward Bear Ridge.

Su He asked the Southern profiteer, "May I ask what you are going to Bear Ridge for?"

"We? We're going to catch the legendary Great White Bear."

Su He chuckled softly. "That's just a legend. There’s no such thing as a Great White Bear."

"Not so, not so. Legends are never born from nothing. If there is a legend, there must be a way to find it."

"Heh! That may be true, but what doesn't belong to someone will never belong to them. Every life has its own path and can never be held in the hands of others. If there is no hope, don't waste your efforts; that will only lead to your own downfall."

"Hey, why are you being so cryptic? What do you mean?" Er Gou couldn't help but roll up his sleeves, ready to press Su He for an answer.

"Nothing special, I meant exactly what I said."

"Sigh, my friend, do you know something? Would you like to share it with me?" The Southern profiteer suddenly sensed something.

"Me? I'm just an ordinary person. What could I possibly know?" Su He closed his eyes and rested.

The Southern profiteer smiled strangely and pulled the monkey aside. "When there's time, give him some money and see if you can pry something out of his mouth. He might just know something."

"Yes, boss."

Soon, the sun set.

In the forest, the little animals were arguing as they emerged from Bear's house. "Everyone, calm down. I'll find a way to deal with what's left."

"Then hurry up and find it! How is this little bit supposed to be enough for everyone?"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"And another thing, Bear, if you keep protecting her, you're going to get everyone in trouble sooner or later," Gigi complained.

"Ah, yes, yes, I will keep an eye on her."

"Bear Two, you can run from today, but you can't run from tomorrow."

"Take care, everyone," Bear sighed.

Hiding behind a tree, Bear Two lowered his head in guilt.

That night, Bear looked at the honey jar, which had only a little bit left, and shook his head helplessly. Hearing movement behind him, he looked up.

"Bear Two."

The tiptoeing Bear Two was startled. "Ah, oh, Bear."

"Bear Two, I want to talk to you about what happened this morning."

"I know what that means," they both said in unison.

"Oh, that's great. You go first."

Bear lowered his head in shame. "Bear, it's all my fault. I lost everyone's food. I thought I had secured the sled, and then I suddenly saw a white bear in the forest, so I started running back."

"Wait, a white bear? Is it the one you've been muttering about?"