Byron Yang's two math periods were full of passion and energy, firing up the whole classroom and making the atmosphere especially enthusiastic.
After class, he deliberately called Evan Lin out of the classroom and, in the quiet corner of the hallway where no one was around, smiled warmly and asked about Evan's life in Capitalview City.
"Evan, there are actually a few fun spots here in Capitalview City I know about—like hiking up Eastcloud Mountain, or grabbing some good food on Scholar's Street. If you ever want to get out and clear your head, those are great choices too."
Byron Yang smiled warmly.
Byron Yang's face was full of concern.
He's finally figured things out now.
This Evan Lin is simply not a student you can judge by common sense.
The only thing that gives Byron Yang headaches is Evan's habit of vanishing—he's always worried Evan might miss an exam.
No exams means no scores, and no scores means no ranking.
And ranking at Capitalview First High School really matters. Plus, Byron is honestly a bit afraid Evan might run into trouble outside—if that happened, he'd probably blame himself for it.
"Got it. Thanks for caring, teacher."
The next two periods were Chinese class. Unlike the other teachers, who now looked at Evan Lin with eager faces, the Chinese teacher was much colder.
"Also, lately, the students in all three Experimental Classes at Capitalview First High are absolutely fired up. You really lit a fire under them—even the whole school is more motivated than ever. The principal wanted to formally praise you last time, but couldn't find you, so let me pass on the compliment instead."
The Chinese teacher felt there was something wrong with this student.
Evan paused for a moment at Byron's words, then quickly understood what he meant.
It was probably because of what he said at the results discussion meeting that day.
On one hand, those so-called academic geniuses in the three Experimental Classes suddenly felt a huge threat—after all, those classes represent the very top students at Capitalview First High.
Which suited Evan Lin just fine—being left alone was a relief.
Not far away, Eric Yu noticed Lynn Chen's glance and felt a stab of jealousy, but the memory of being humiliated at Easy Breeze Restaurant made him shrink like a mouse before a cat; he didn’t dare show dissatisfaction.
On the podium, Henry Wang finally finished his problem, took a sip of tea, and dismissed class, inviting students to visit his office if they still didn’t understand.
What teenager hasn't dreamed of being worshipped by their classmates and showing off in front of the prettiest girls?
The next two periods were Chinese class.
Compared to the other teachers, who now looked at Evan Lin with eager faces, the Chinese teacher was much colder.
Henry Wang was practically spitting as he lectured, clearly pumped up—last time, Evan Lin really fired him up.
Not that his grades were bad—it's just that after months at school and countless big and small exams,
who would've thought this kid took at least some of the math, science, and English tests, but never once sat for a single Chinese exam?
He'd skipped out on every Chinese exam for several months in a row, which left the Chinese teacher feeling a bit heartbroken. Eventually, he just stopped bothering with Evan Lin—during class, he pretended not to see him, and even skipped Evan when it came to reciting passages.
Which suited Evan Lin just fine.
After school, Evan Lin left the Class 12 classroom, hands in his pockets, and headed straight upstairs.
Irene Xu's flight hadn't returned yet, so Evan Lin planned to check with Lynn Chen first—just in case she didn't want to go out to eat with Irene and Stella Huang, which could get awkward.
He reached the hallway outside Class 2.
But after she saw Evan Lin enter the third level of the Miracle Hand Sect, she was dragged away by River Liu and didn't see what happened next.
Class 2 was still in math class—the teacher was running overtime.
Mr. Wang Xiu was practically spitting as he lectured, clearly pumped up—last time, Evan Lin really fired him up.
Another Experimental Class next door finished early.
Wearing her school uniform and looking as cool and aloof as ever, Ivy Liang walked out of the classroom, head down and lost in thought.
She'd barely taken a few steps when she suddenly stopped, snapped her head up, and glanced sideways at the boy standing in the hallway, his face unreadable.
"You?"
Ivy Liang opened her mouth, eyes widening in surprise when she saw Evan Lin, and stared blankly for a moment.
The last time she ran into Evan Lin inside the Miracle Hand Sect, Ivy Liang was already baffled, but everything that happened after that completely shattered the impression she had of him.
Now, the only word she could think of to describe him was 'terrifying.'
But after she saw Evan Lin enter the third level of the Miracle Hand Sect, she was dragged away by Leo Liu and didn't see what happened next.
"Lynn, it looks like Evan Lin is here waiting for Ivy Liang. But isn't Ivy close with River Liu from Peiying High School? Why would she be talking to Evan here?"
She didn't like Evan Lin much, but she definitely didn't want anything bad to actually happen to him—they were classmates, after all.
She never expected to run into Evan Lin here again.
"You need something?"
Evan Lin glanced at Ivy Liang.
Leo Liu's cousin was probably still scrubbing toilets somewhere.
Not far away, Eric Yu noticed Lynn Chen's gaze and felt annoyed. But when he saw Evan Lin, he froze—like a mouse seeing a cat. Last time at Easy Breeze Restaurant, his family really suffered.
Henry Wang finally finished the math problem and took a sip of tea.
The moment Ivy Liang stepped out, she instantly drew the attention of a bunch of boys in Class 2.
Soon, even more students noticed Evan Lin standing in the hallway.
Inside, a girl nudged Lynn Chen, gesturing toward the window and teasing, "Evan looks like he's here waiting for Ivy Liang, not you. Wouldn’t it be nice to have such a talented, arrogant boyfriend who only treats you well?"
Lynn’s pen trembled; she stole a quick, sideways glance out the window. At first she felt a little secret joy that Evan had come, but spotting Ivy standing in front of him, apparently chatting, she immediately felt a pang of loss and annoyance.
Forcing herself to act indifferent, she muttered, "Whoever he’s waiting for has nothing to do with me," and tried to focus on her notes.
Lynn Chen felt a bit irritable, took a deep breath, and forced herself not to look out the window again.
Across the room, Eric Yu noticed Lynn’s quick glance toward Evan and felt a stab of jealousy, but the memory of being humiliated at Easy Breeze Restaurant made him shrink like a mouse before a cat; he didn’t dare show dissatisfaction.
On the podium, Henry Wang finally finished his problem, took a sip of tea, and dismissed class, inviting students to visit his office if they still didn’t understand.
Walking out with his materials, Henry Wang looked up and met Evan’s gaze head-on in the hallway.
His expression changed slightly; he snorted and quickly looked away, not daring to hold eye contact, revealing the lingering fear and awe Evan has planted in teachers and elites alike.
The bell rang, and the crowd’s attention gathered on Evan Lin, underscoring how his mere presence now electrified Capitalview First High’s already unprecedentedly high study atmosphere.
Mr. Wang Xiu announced the end of class and headed out, carrying his lesson materials.
He looked ahead and saw Evan Lin peering into the Class 2 classroom.
Their eyes met in midair. Mr. Wang's expression shifted—he snorted and quickly looked away, not daring to meet Evan's gaze.