Boonie Bears: Another World Fantasy

Rows of police cars were parked in front of the Sunset Building, showing no sign of moving. The flashing red and blue police lights, reflecting the gradually setting sun, conveyed a tense and solemn atmosphere.

"Tell them to move aside." Sitting in the car, An Han pointed expressionlessly out the window at the reporters surrounding the car and said coldly.

Carl sighed helplessly, honking the horn as he said, "Easier said than done, Miss. They seem determined to get a clear explanation from us regarding the Purple Star incident." He was clearly implying something else entirely. An Han's robbery that night was the direct cause of the current situation, and that was a fact that could not be changed.

An Han frowned, a shadow falling over her beautiful face. She was utterly fed up with these persistent reporters.

Just then, a young policeman came to the car window, gently knocked on the glass, and signaled Carl to roll down the window.

"Excuse me." A series of noisy sounds came from the walkie-talkie in the police officer's hand. Then, he raised his hand and pointed to the main entrance of the magnificent building not far away, and said in a serious tone, "Please wait a moment. We are currently carrying out an operation, please cooperate and understand."

Carl glanced at the crowded people not far away and asked, "Officer, what exactly happened?"

"Sigh, they're all here to cause trouble and protest. There are just too many people. They're all here for this Purple Star thing..." Before the policeman could finish speaking, he hurriedly walked to another car parked on the side of the road to continue his work.

"Purple Star? Is that the super expensive anti-cancer drug on the market?" Peng Fei, sitting in the passenger seat, was intently fiddling with the Rubik's Cube he'd brought back from the orphanage. Then, as if he were already used to it, he casually guessed, "Probably one of those people who had adverse reactions or other problems after taking it." With that, he continued turning the Rubik's Cube, making a series of crisp clicking sounds.

An Han remained silent, silently considering her options. She knew that the situation had become incredibly complex, and with her current resources, even with samples in hand, it would be difficult to analyze the specific components of the Purple Star. To delve deeper into its mysteries, she would undoubtedly need more advanced equipment and a professional research team.

As her thoughts drifted, she couldn't help but recall that night when she first ventured into this perilous situation. The Sunset Group manager, his face covered in bruises, had confided in her then: "Purple Star's production line is located at V Group headquarters."

V Group?

The name struck An Han like a boulder thrown into a still lake, creating ripples. An Han's heart tightened, and she immediately turned to Karl, asking, "So, who is currently in control of the V Group?"

"It should still be that genius Mr. Wei, but it seems he hasn't appeared in the public eye for quite some time." He then switched the car's electronic screen to the relevant page and continued, "However, as far as I know, he also has a younger sister named Tian Mengting, who is currently mainly responsible for the company's behind-the-scenes operations."

“Tian Mengting?” Peng Fei couldn’t help but murmur the familiar name. “Xiao Han, she was my classmate in high school!” However, before he could finish speaking, An Han kicked the passenger seat hard.

“Really? What a coincidence.” An Han replied expressionlessly, warning Peng Fei not to bring up the past at a time like this. She glanced out the car window and saw angry people crowding outside the makeshift iron fence, holding up signs protesting against Zi Xing. To her surprise, several fanatical children were also there, holding blurry printed photos and joining the crowd in their commotion. The subject of those photos was none other than An Han's silhouette, flashing briefly in the night lightning when she transformed into a “fallen angel.”

Seeing this, An Han was overwhelmed with a complex mix of emotions. She never imagined that her first attempt at such an activity would be photographed. A flood of feelings washed over her, leaving her unsure how to face the reality before her.

Carl noticed An Han's unnatural expression through the rearview mirror.

After a difficult process of traffic control, the road ahead finally became clear again, and the previously congested traffic gradually became smoother. When the vehicles arrived at the main entrance of the Sunset Building, the outside world became noisy and chaotic once more.

"It seems they've been waiting for you, Miss." The butler's words carried an undeniable air of authority, while also hinting at the true intentions of those people.

Faced with this situation, An Han got out of the car without hesitation.

As the car door slowly opened, a wave of heat mixed with various smells rushed out.

"You're killing people! Purple Star is poison! It's harmful!" The furious roar was like a surging wave, threatening to shatter all the windows of the building. Standing behind the police line, An Han stared at the agitated and clamoring crowd.

A huge poster in the distance caught the eye, detailing the horrific consequences of many who had taken the drug "Purple Star": some bled profusely from all seven orifices, their lives hanging by a thread; others suffered the agonizing torment of a slow death… The shocking images sent chills down the spines of those who saw them.

"Sunset Group should go bankrupt and close down! You dictatorial capitalists, get out of Shenzhen!!" The angry slogans resounded through the sky and echoed throughout the city.

"An Han, you murderer, your whole family should die!"

Faced with the unbridled insults and accusations from the crowd, An Han suppressed the shattering pain in her heart, burying her broken soul deep inside. Then, silently turning away, she slowly left this place of despair, surrounded and protected by a swarm of bodyguards.

What exactly did we do? Why did things turn out this way?

In the elevator leading to the conference room, An Han couldn't hide her dejected mood. With her back to Peng Fei, she said softly, "Peng Fei, come to my office and wait for me. I need to deal with this mess first... and also..."

“No, no, Xiaohan. Letting me succeed you as CEO is really not an option.” Peng Fei quickly waved his hand in refusal, already guessing what An Han was going to say. “Perhaps it’s not a big deal for you, but there are just too many controversies involved. You’ve already done me a huge favor by recruiting me to work here, and I absolutely cannot take another step forward.”

“But, Peng Fei… here, besides Karl, I can’t trust anyone else.” An Han suddenly turned around, her eyes filled with pleading, and looked at Peng Fei as she spoke.

“Yu Lian will definitely rack his brains to take back the remaining control of the group from me and completely exclude me... In this way, no one will be able to check him.”

"Chairman? What is he going to do?" Peng Fei was astonished, his brows furrowed. He could hardly imagine that Yu Lian, who was always so amiable, had such an ambitious side.

“This…” An Han hesitated, but swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She thought to herself that perhaps letting Peng Fei know too much about the truth at this moment would only put him in a difficult position.

As the elevator slowly slowed down and finally stopped on the fiftieth floor, the two people who had been talking non-stop tacitly stopped.

“Listen, Xiaohan, I know you yearn to bring positive changes to the group, but the current situation is turbulent. You need to stabilize the situation and gain a firm foothold first. You must know that you are legally recognized and have an indisputable right of succession. No one can shake your position.” After saying that, he gently reached out and pulled Anhan into his arms, leaving a kiss on her smooth forehead.

"Alright, this is the company... please don't let anyone see us..." An Han murmured softly, her face flushed with embarrassment, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. Despite saying this, she showed no intention of leaving his embrace, instead savoring the wonderful feeling of being held tightly in his arms.

"key--"

Their hands met, and Peng Fei stepped out of the elevator, pretending nothing had happened as he brushed past her.

Sunset Board of Directors held an emergency meeting. The current chairman, Yu Lian, sat solemnly at the head of the long oak table, while An Han, dressed in a formal suit, sat quietly at the other end. This was her first and perhaps last appearance at a board meeting in many years.

“I must point out that one of you here is not a board member,” a newly joined board member protested vehemently. “Even if this building belongs to her family estate, this is still highly inappropriate.”

Instantly, all eyes were drawn to the sole surviving descendant of the An family. At this moment, Xie Jingxing, one of the elders of the board, spoke. He was a dignified old gentleman with a full head of silver hair. He was known for his outspokenness and was deeply respected by everyone. An Han deeply admired him and had always called him "Uncle" since childhood.

“The An family founded this company,” Xie Jingxing retorted firmly. “Moreover, Miss An Han herself has been involved in its operation… As the former CEO, I think everyone should be more lenient with her.”

"Oh? Is that so, Mr. Xie?" The man interrupted Xie Jingxing rudely, a disdainful smile on his face. He slowly scanned everyone present, finally fixing his gaze on An Han, as if trying to see through her appearance to the depths of her heart.

"Tolerance doesn't mean indulgence. Everyone, I'd like to ask, who frequently sees Ms. An in the company?" His voice was laced with sarcasm and skepticism, plunging the entire conference room into a deathly silence.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, unsure how to answer the question. In truth, most of them had never actually met An Han, and their knowledge of her was limited to rumors and speculation.

An Han lowered her head subconsciously, not intending to make any excuses for this obvious fact.

At this moment, the man spoke again: "Look at those crazy people outside! They're all furious because of our project cooperation with the V Group. If we continue producing Purple Star, we'll probably have to break up tomorrow!"

“Mr. Cheng, why don’t you give a speech this time?” Yu Lian, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, staring straight at him with an unmistakable meaning in his eyes—hoping that he would know when to stop.

Seeing this, he realized he had gone a bit too far and could only sit back down in his seat, feeling rather embarrassed.

At this moment, Yu Lian coughed twice, then placed his hands on the conference table, drawing everyone's attention before slowly speaking: "Cheng Li's words are not without reason. Zi Xing's performance has indeed failed to meet our expectations. Not only that, it has even brought us considerable trouble, putting us in a predicament." His voice was deep and serious, echoing in the silent conference room.

"However, this does not mean we should easily abandon it. You may all think carefully about this. Back then, during the devastating 'L' Sun crisis, the Sunset Group, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, was able to survive and turn the tide precisely because of this hard-won product." His sharp, eagle-like eyes, like two cold sword beams, mercilessly swept across the faces of everyone present.

"Rumors are rampant, accusing us and the V Group of plotting to use Zi Xing to commit murder, even attracting the attention of the police. But compared to these, Shenzhen is currently witnessing a booming development of various emerging enterprises, making market competition extremely fierce. As a long-established enterprise in Shenzhen that made its fortune in chemical products, is Sunset, a company that started out in Shenzhen, once again standing at a crossroads of fate?"

"Therefore, please make your decisions with utmost care, as the era of 'one dominant player and many strong contenders' is over. The group is about to face significant changes and transformations, which will inevitably come at a heavy price."

......

After the meeting ended, people left one after another, but An Han did not move an inch, as if she were isolated from the surrounding noise. She sat quietly in place, her gaze fixed on the picturesque sunset on the distant horizon, her eyes revealing a profound emotion that was hard to fathom.

Yu Lian, standing to the side, silently lit a cigarette, leaned against the table, and slowly exhaled smoke. His movements were somewhat languid, but his gaze remained fixed on An Han. A quiet yet oppressive atmosphere filled the space; neither of them spoke, seemingly waiting for the other to break the silence first.

Finally, Yu Lian couldn't help but cough softly, then said in a low and gentle tone, "This time it's my turn to ask you first, Hanhan, what have you been doing behind my back?" His voice didn't sound like an interrogation or reproach, but rather like he was expecting An Han to confess everything. However, facing Yu Lian's question, An Han remained silent, only slightly frowning and pursing her lips, as if she was thinking about how to answer the question.

As expected, he was fully aware of all of this.

"What does this prove? You should know very well that what I'm doing now is just a small-scale operation, and all those high-sounding reasons you give are nothing more than an attempt to cover up your dirty deeds of seeking profits by any means necessary."

"Hahaha, do you really think you're the only one who's figured out the truth? Hanhan, these are all old guys who've been with me for over a decade. They know exactly what I'm planning to do next." Yu Lian said casually, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. Amidst the swirling smoke, he revealed his true feelings without any reservations.

“If your father were still alive, he would have done the same thing as me. He would have spared no effort, even at any cost, to protect the interests of his family business,” Yu Lian continued.

“No, he absolutely wouldn’t!” An Han retorted firmly and resolutely, “He would never let the entire city fall into chaos just for his own selfish interests.”

As soon as she finished speaking, An Han stood up abruptly and pushed the chair in front of her away forcefully, clearly no longer wanting to argue with Yu Lian. However, at that moment, Yu Lian suddenly asked, "Then do you know why he adopted you?" It was as if he wanted to keep An Han there, or perhaps he simply wanted to reveal this secret.

In an instant, An Han froze as if struck by lightning, and time seemed to stand still. Her lips trembled slightly, but she couldn't utter a sound.

Yu Lian took a deep breath and slowly said, "At that time, your mother was seriously ill and had to undergo surgery to remove her uterus, thus losing her ability to have children. At that time, the group was in the process of changing leadership, and the power struggle was extremely fierce. Your father was worried that the group would fall into the hands of others, so he had no choice but to go to the orphanage and adopt a child with inheritance rights. So, that is why you came here."

Yu Lian's words were like a sharp sword, ruthlessly piercing An Han's long-held doubts and last shred of hope. She stood there blankly, her mind a jumble of emotions, leaving her bewildered and helpless.

The day finally arrived as expected. Although she had told herself countless times to be strong beforehand, when reality was truly before her, a pang of pain still welled up deep within her.

Yu Lian silently finished his cigarette and gently stubbed it out in the ashtray. His gaze remained fixed on the weathered girl in front of him.

"Although this reason does sound very irresponsible, and he seems to be deliberately hiding the truth from you..." Yu Lian's voice was low and tinged with helplessness.

An Han slightly raised her head, meeting Yu Lian's gaze. Her eyes revealed a mixture of despair and relief—despair at the shattering of her imagined family bond, and relief at the fact that her long-held obsession had finally been resolved.

“I know… I’ve always understood that he never truly loved me…” An Han’s tone was calm yet heartbreaking, but the sorrow within it surged like a tidal wave. Over the years, she had tried countless times to convince herself that the man she called Father had feelings for her, but now, all her illusions were ruthlessly shattered.

"I'm done--"