HUN Chapter 91: Arc'teryx Brand Ambassador

Lin Yu'an's learning speed was astonishing, quickly mastering the techniques Earl taught him and forming his own shooting style.

At the end of the final training session, Earl handed Lin Yu'an a heavy rectangular plastic case containing a high-magnification sniper rifle scope with adjustable mount!

Earl said flatly, "That old guy Hopes doesn't like drilling holes in his artwork, but you need this."

"I already had him reserve the mounting interface. Figure out the calibration yourself. Consider this my graduation gift to you."

"It's a real shame you're not American. Your talent is exceptional! Otherwise I would definitely recommend you for the Marines."

"Fortunately your ambition lies in the wilderness. Remember, don't waste your talent. You're a natural-born sniper!"

Lin Yu'an looked at the scope in his hands, then at Earl's weathered face. The last person who had appreciated him like this was Principal Li, and he couldn't help feeling somewhat melancholy.

He didn't say thank you to Earl, but simply hugged him and nodded heavily.

A few days after getting the Winchester M70, Lin Yu'An’and Bilibili's operations team carefully edited the Texas ranch hunting footage into a twenty-minute video titled "Return to Civilization! Wild Boar Hunting in Texas!"

This episode formed a sharp contrast with the previous extreme survival at Chilko Lake.

The footage no longer showed loneliness and struggle, but was filled with Texas sunshine, cowboy spirit, brave hunting dogs, and the passion of team hunting.

Lin Yu'an's professional technical exchanges with the old hunters, and finally sitting around the campfire with everyone enjoying grilled pork ribs and ice-cold beer, all showcased the lifestyle that viewers yearned for.

Especially the Arc'teryx hard shell jacket he wore throughout, which demonstrated excellent performance in Texas's changeable environment, whether facing morning dew or brush scrapes.

That iconic Arc'teryx fossil logo appeared particularly prominent under high-definition cameras.

Once published, the video exploded on Bilibili again.

Views broke thirty million within just one day, with bullet comments and the comment section filled with fans' fervent adoration.

[Holy shit! Brother An is so handsome! That gear, that compound bow, cooler than Hawkeye!]

[This is living! Hunting dogs, grilled meat, beer! Makes my blood boil watching it!]

[Brother An's Arc'teryx outfit is so stylish! Already ordered the same! Even though I'm just walking my dog in the park downstairs, I can't lose in terms of aura!]

[Newbie question! Are compound bows really suitable for wilderness hunting? Won't they break easily?]

[Am I the only one who noticed Brother An said he was raised by a Vietnam War veteran?]

[I noticed too! So Principal Li was a veteran who went to war! As expected! You can unconditionally trust Chinese soldiers!]

The amazing popularity of this video and the image Lin Yu'an projected immediately caught Arc'teryx brand headquarters' high attention.

For a top outdoor brand like Arc'teryx, they weren't looking for just traffic celebrities as spokespersons or partners.

They needed someone with impeccable outdoor professionalism and an image that highly aligned with the brand spirit.

A week later, Bilibili operations director Old Cat called via video, his voice filled with barely contained excitement.

"Brother An! Huge news! Arc'teryx's Canadian headquarters has officially sent you a brand endorsement collaboration invitation through our Bilibili business channels!"

"They're very satisfied with the image and temperament you've shown, and your influence in the wilderness outdoor community has shown them tremendous commercial potential!"

Lin Yu'an asked calmly, "What are their collaboration intentions?"

"It's not very clear yet, but their only requirement is that you'll need to wear their sponsored outdoor equipment for any future outdoor filming."

"Sounds reasonable, but I need to speak directly with their person in charge. There are many details I need to confirm."

"Okay, I'll arrange a meeting."

Soon after, a high-level online meeting began promptly.

On one end of the video was Lin Yu'an, sitting calmly in his apartment's study.

On the other end was Arc'teryx Canada's core marketing team.

Leading the brand side was a brand director named Catherine Walker, who appeared to be about forty years old.

After simple, professional opening remarks, Catherine spoke first, her voice clear and powerful, full of confidence.

"Mr. Hermann, please allow me to represent Arc'teryx in expressing our highest admiration for the exceptional abilities and resilient spirit you demonstrated in 'Alone.'"

"Your 'ranch hunting' was spectacular!"

"Especially the footage of you pursuing wild boar while wearing the Alpha SV jacket perfectly interpreted our brand philosophy: pursuing peak performance in harsh environments!"

Catherine didn't rush to discuss collaboration details, but first gave Lin Yu'an the highest recognition.

"We also learned that you turned off donations during your first Bilibili livestream. You value long-term reputation over short-term monetization."

"This aligns perfectly with our Arc'teryx business philosophy of never engaging in massive advertising bombardment, but relying on product excellence and serving our core user community well."

These words surprised Lin Yu'an somewhat. He hadn't expected such thorough background research.

Catherine continued, "So what we want to discuss today isn't simple product promotion, but long-term brand ambassador cooperation."

Lin Yu'an nodded, indicating for her to continue.

Catherine brought up an elegant PPT, "Our preliminary cooperation proposal is a one-year brand ambassador contract with endorsement fees of five hundred thousand dollars."

"Beyond that, and what we consider more important: comprehensive equipment support."

She switched to the next page, displaying images of Arc'teryx's entire line of top-tier equipment.

"From the moment you become our ambassador, you'll receive our latest products each quarter."

The product technical consultant interjected, "We hope you can become our 'ultimate tester.'"

"You'll conduct first-hand user testing of our products in the harshest environments."

"The data from your feedback, compared with our laboratory data, will be the most valuable information for improving and developing our next-generation products."

These words completely won over Lin Yu'an.

This was no longer a simple "client" and "contractor" relationship, but a mutually beneficial partnership.

He pondered for a moment, then raised his core concern, "Ms. Catherine, I'm honored to receive such a generous collaboration invitation."

"But I'd like to know what specific obligations I need to undertake in this cooperation? For example, how many hard advertisements do I need to shoot for the brand annually? How much product exposure and spoken promotion needs to be in videos?"

This was the most sensitive part of any commercial collaboration.

Catherine smiled and gave An’answer that surprised him again.

"Mr. Hermann, we have almost no 'hard' obligation requirements for you. We don't need you to specifically shoot any commercial advertisements for us, nor do we need any awkward spoken promotions in your videos."

"Our only requirement is that you continue being yourself in 'Life Below Zero' and your Bilibili video creation."

"Continue wearing our equipment while climbing, hunting, building, and exploring."

"Each authentic use is the best showcase of our products! Your footage is our best advertisement!"

"Of course, we might need to use some of your portraits or video clips at certain promotional moments for our official social media or brand brochures, but all of this will be clearly defined in the contract."

Hearing this, Lin Yu'an had basically agreed in his heart.

"I have one more principle. I won't engage in any exaggerated or false promotion in my content. I'll only subjectively evaluate products based on my most authentic user experience."

"If I find certain equipment has flaws in specific environments, I'll honestly point them out."

Catherine said, "Mr. Hermann, that's exactly what we most hope to hear! We need your most authentic, professional feedback, whether positive or negative."

At this point, all core concepts between both parties had reached high alignment.

Lin Yu'an's tone also became relaxed, "Then, Ms. Catherine, I agree in principle to this collaboration. Next, professional legal personnel can handle the details."

"Of course, Mr. Hermann. Here's to a pleasant cooperation."

The entire contract confirmation process, though tedious, was exceptionally smooth.

About two days later, a final contract that fully protected both parties' interests was finalized.

That evening, with lawyers witnessing throughout, Lin Yu'An’and Catherine in Vancouver signed this electronic contract through an encrypted online signing system.

When the screen displayed "Signing Successful," Lin Yu'an's first top-tier commercial endorsement deal was settled.

He officially became an Arc'teryx brand ambassador!

Just three days after signing, several boxes bearing the Arc'teryx fossil logo were delivered to Lin Yu'an's apartment building.

"Oh my goodness, darling! Did they... send you an entire specialty store?"

Aliya looked at the boxes filling half the living room and covered her mouth in surprise.

Lin Yu'an also shook his head with a smile as he opened all the boxes.

The latest Alpha SV and Beta SV hard shell jackets in his preferred understated black and military green colors.

Several pairs of Gore-Tex hiking and mountaineering boots with different functions, and extreme cold environment down jackets and cotton jackets using the most advanced filling technology.

Plus various materials for base layers, mid-layers, gloves, hats, backpacks... each piece represented one of today's highest outdoor equipment standards.

The Arc'teryx endorsement contract was settled.

At this moment, nothing was more important than peacefully accompanying Aliya while waiting for the birth of their twin babies.

[NEXT CHAPTER]