London, UK.
A residential building in the Corina community.
This was not an affluent area, but rather an ordinary middle-class neighborhood.
"Sarah, don't worry, I will definitely give you a good life. This is my promise."
At home, Bear Grylls, only 23 years old, made a heartfelt promise to his newlywed wife.
"I believe you!" Sarah had great faith in her husband.
However, a faint trace of melancholy flickered in the young Bear's resolute eyes.
Family!
Having just gotten married, he was already deeply feeling the pressure that came with a family.
"But what I love most isn't a peaceful life; it's an exhilarating adventurous life—challenging myself again and again!"
Bear mused in his heart.
From 1994 to 1997, he served in the British 21st SAS Regiment and passed the British special forces selection, becoming an elite soldier. He excelled in unarmed combat, desert and cold-weather operations, and had advantages in survival skills, medicine, parachuting, signaling, evasive driving, climbing, and explosives that many ordinary people could not match.
In 1997, he was discharged due to injury.
In 1998, at the age of just 24, he successfully climbed Mount Everest and reached its summit, becoming the youngest man in the world to reach the Everest summit.
In 2006, he collaborated with the American Discovery Channel to film the show "Man vs. Wild."
Bear, with minimal equipment, ventured into some of the world's most remote areas, demonstrating how to survive. He visited places including the Costa Rican jungle, the Utah desert, the Pacific islands, the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the Alps… all sorts of insects;
All sorts of plants;
Snakes, insects, rodents, and ants—all were his prey.
"Crunchy, tastes like chicken!"
"Its fat energy is 3 to 6 times that of beef!"
Anything he could see,
Even animals carrying deadly toxins, could only become his food, especially when he bit into insects, causing a burst of green fluid that sent shivers down many people's spines. This earned him the nickname "the man at the top of the food chain."
In short, he was a man who refused to be bound by a mundane life; he loved adventure and challenges!
However… sometimes he had to face the harsh reality!
Survival required money.
"Life is never smooth sailing!" —Pushkin (Russian).
To this day, Bear still didn't have a stable job. His livelihood, just enough to get by, came from writing and selling books about his numerous adventure experiences, such as climbing Everest.
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"Mr. Bear Grylls, it's Mrs. Veron, your landlady!"
The voice from outside immediately made Bear and Sarah, inside the house, tense up.
"Bear, we're two months behind on rent. She must be here to collect," Sarah worried.
"Don't worry, I've got this," Bear said, comforting her.
A true man dares to face all hardships, but… sometimes you have to learn to bow to reality!
Contradictory?
But, this was reality!
After Mrs. Veron came in, she sighed, "Bear, Sarah, I know you don't have much money, and you've only just gotten married, but you also need to know that my family needs to eat too. You haven't paid rent for two months, and have I ever pressured you? I'm here today because I truly have no other choice."
It could be said that the landlady's attitude was already very good.
If they had encountered a landlord with a bad attitude and terrible temper, let alone owing two months' rent, even if they were a few days late, they would be nagged incessantly, or even rudely kicked out, and their belongings would be unceremoniously thrown out.
"Mrs. Veron, you know, my book will be finished soon, and once it's published, I'll earn money, and then… well, Sarah and I will move out as soon as possible. Um, please give us three days. Also, I will definitely pay back the money I owe you, very soon!" Bear gritted his teeth.
A penny can stump a hero.
"Sigh~"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Veron sighed, "I don't want to pressure you, but this is reality. I know you're not well-off right now, and you don't have to rush to pay me back the rent. Um, just remember to pay it when you can."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Bear could only offer thanks at this moment.
Mrs. Veron couldn't continue to rent her house to him, and he couldn't resent her, after all, others also needed to survive…
The next day.
Bear's wife, Sarah, left home early to go to the nearest housing center to quickly find new, affordable housing.
They really didn't have much money left!
At the same time, although Bear and his wife were poor, they didn't want to continue owing Mrs. Veron rent. Therefore, while Sarah was looking for new housing today, she also had another mission: to sell her recently acquired wedding necklace.
In Sarah's words: "Mrs. Veron has been very kind to us. She needs the money, and we can't keep owing her two months' rent, even if we're moving out of her house."
Bear was relieved by Sarah's generosity, but at the same time, he resented himself.
A man who couldn't support his family—was he still a man?!
"Adventure?"
"Bullshit!"
"I love adventure, I love challenges, I love crossing scorching deserts, trekking through millions of years of untouched glaciers, enjoying skydiving, and even more, paddling a kayak across the ocean…"
"But what's the point of all this?"
"It can't put food on the table!"
Evidently, the burden of life and the pressure of family made Bear, whose adventurous and restless heart yearned for challenges, seriously consider settling down.
Ding ding ding~
Just then, the phone in the room rang.
—Moza Bach.
He was an editor at the University of London Press.
"Bear, I have to tell you some news. Your book, 'Facing,' about your Everest ascent, has been rejected by the chief editor," editor Moza Bach said in a low voice.
Boom!
This news, for Bear, who was already at a low point in his life, was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue, adding insult to injury.
"Mr. Bach, can you tell me what parts Chief Editor White was dissatisfied with in 'Facing'? Tell me, I'll revise it immediately!" Bear said anxiously, he couldn't give up this opportunity.
Silence~
After a long pause, editor Moza Bach finally said, "Bear, to be honest, I really like 'Facing,' and I especially love the adventurous experiences you described in the book, particularly your unyielding spirit, which made my blood boil again and again, but… you know, Chief Editor White doesn't favor it."
After speaking, editor Moza Bach hung up the phone immediately, regardless of Bear's reaction.
5 times!
This was the fifth rejection Bear had encountered!
The book "Facing," or rather, his autobiography about climbing Everest, had been completed back in March 2000. He had submitted it to various publishing houses five times, and the number of revisions he made exceeded twenty.
Exhausted…
Soon after, Kyle arrived in London from America.