The teenager stood in the lobby with a backpack, glancing around. His clothes weren't cheap knock-offs, but they weren't any kind of brand name either. Still, the way he stood there—clean and sharp—was a world apart from Lewis Lu's travel-worn, scruffy look.
"If it weren't for him just now, I would've had no idea what to do. Hey, May, can you lend me some money first? I need to pay him back for the cab fare."
Lewis Lu suddenly remembered about the taxi fare.
He felt a little awkward about hitching a ride. Even though Evan Lin said he didn't need to pay him back, Lewis still wanted to return the money.
"Pay him back? Pfft, how much does a taxi even cost? Is it really worth paying back?"
Hearing Lewis Lu's words, the girl covered her mouth and laughed.
Her words made Lewis feel even more embarrassed.
"You followed us all the way here just for cab money, didn't you? Man, bro, you really are something." Victor Xu snickered at that moment.
In his eyes, Evan Lin had probably come here just to collect the cab fare from Lewis Lu. That meant he must be some broke loser, and with that thought, Victor Xu and the girl looked at Evan with a bit more contempt.
"Thank you so much! Is a hundred yuan enough?"
May Xia heard this, and immediately pulled a hundred-yuan bill from her pocket, handing it to Evan Lin. She blinked at him with a sweet smile, full of gratitude, her voice soft and cute as ever.
"No need."
Evan Lin shook his head, frowned slightly, and glanced at her, a hint of indifference flashing in his eyes.
"That's kind of embarrassing." May Xia stuck out her tongue and gave a little laugh.
She happened to be turned slightly to the side, and Brian Guang caught sight of her profile, which made his jealousy toward Lewis Lu burn even hotter.
"Since he doesn't want it, let's all go eat together. We're hungry anyway—watching the Moore family's tournament was so intense, I barely ate lunch." Brian Guang stepped forward and looked at Evan Lin. "You should come too, bro. Don't worry about being polite."
"You're friends with Lewis, and Lewis is May's boyfriend, so that makes you a friend of Brian Guang too."
Brian Guang laughed heartily as he extended the invitation.
"Moore family tournament?"
Evan Lin perked up a bit at that, clearly interested.
Evan Lin's goal this time was to reclaim the sword from the Moore family. As for the so-called tournament, it seemed to have drawn quite a crowd.
"Of course, Brian Guang is from the Grant family in Jinnan. His family has a disciple in the Southriver Sword Sect. Do you even know the Grant family? Or what the Southriver Sword Sect is? That's the kind of people you'll never get close to in your whole life!" Victor Xu snorted coldly from the side.
"Brian almost joined the Southriver Sword Sect back then, but he didn't want to live a boring life, so he turned it down!" the girl added, looking proud of Brian Guang.
In reality, Brian Guang did want to join the Southriver Sword Sect, but it takes more than family connections—you need real talent. He spent a whole month trying to earn a Southriver Sword, but couldn't do it, so he lost his chance to join.
But in front of outsiders, Brian always liked to brag that he turned down the Sword Sect himself, instead of them rejecting him. That way, he could save face.
"The Moore family tournament is really just to find a strong husband for their heiress, Melissa Mu, and to give the family a powerful backer. Honestly, you might not believe it, but the tournament looks open to all, yet the winner will definitely be from the Southriver Sword Sect. Everyone else is just there for practice."
Brian Guang put on a knowing look. "Besides, that sword was always the Southriver Sword Sect's. The Moore family is just keeping it for now!"
After saying that, Brian glanced at May Xia and saw her admiring expression, which made him feel even better.
"You didn't come to Zhide just to watch the excitement?" Brian Guang turned to Evan Lin and asked.
"I'm here to take back the sword the Moore family owes me," Evan Lin replied calmly.
Brian Guang was stunned for a moment, then shook his head slightly, choosing not to respond. But the look in his eyes said it all.
Clearly, he didn't believe Evan's words and thought he was just making things up.
"You think you can just ask the Moore family for their sword? Do you even know which way their front gate faces?" Victor Xu sneered at Evan.
"No idea," Evan replied indifferently.
"Alright, alright, we're all hungry. Let's just go eat." The girl cut in, then shot Evan a disdainful look. "And you, brag less and eat more."
After saying that, she grabbed May Xia by the arm and gave Lewis Lu a sideways glance. "May, I didn't know what was so special about your boyfriend before, but now I get it—he's really good at making friends."
Her comment made Victor Xu and Brian Guang share a knowing smile.
Lewis Lu stood off to the side, his face burning with embarrassment.
"Let's go. I've already booked a table at Talent Hall Restaurant—it's not good to be late." Brian Guang and Victor Xu led the way, while the girl dragged May Xia along so she couldn't walk with Lewis Lu.
"Keep up, you two."
May Xia glanced back at Lewis Lu and Evan Lin, reminding them to follow.
Lewis Lu and Evan Lin fell behind, Lewis carrying his black backpack and looking completely dejected.
"Sorry, bro, I dragged you into this embarrassment with me."
Lewis Lu looked at Evan Lin apologetically and spoke in a low voice.
Seeing Evan Lin remain silent, Lewis couldn't help but scratch his head and gaze forlornly at May Xia's back as she walked ahead.
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm good enough for her. She could definitely find someone better."
Lewis Lu let out a sigh.
Just from Brian Guang's words earlier, Lewis knew he was nowhere near the same league.
Status, wealth, experience—the gap was just too wide to overcome.
"Mm."
Evan Lin replied softly. Seeing Lewis Lu and May Xia's situation, he was suddenly reminded of Rachel Liu.
Back then, she was the campus goddess of Minghai High, admired by everyone.