Evan Lin stepped forward with every word he spoke, each syllable ringing out like a temple bell, pounding in Linda Guan's chest and draining her face of color.
When Evan was just half a meter away, he suddenly stopped. Linda Guan couldn't bear the mounting pressure any longer—her legs buckled, and she was forced to kneel on the floor.
She trembled all over, biting her lip hard, and looked up at the boy standing in front of her. At this moment, to her, Evan seemed as towering and unshakable as a mountain, crushing any thought of resistance.
But deep down, all Linda Guan felt was humiliation.
She was a member of the Oceanport Guan family, sent here on Xuan Ling's orders for what she thought was a trivial errand—to discipline a weak, harmless kid. She never imagined things would end up like this.
Especially after Evan's last few words, Linda sensed an absurd, domineering aura from him—a cold arrogance that seemed to look down on the whole world, burning itself into her mind.
"You're still not leaving? Planning to have my people help you out the window?"
Major Hugh Hu folded his hands behind his back and looked at Linda Guan, his tone growing increasingly impatient.
Right now, he'd rather worship Evan Lin—just seeing the benefits Colonel Su got from Evan was enough to make anyone jealous.
Evan Lin had trained five elite soldiers in just one week, and the Blade squad could now beat Tiger Fang. That kind of result was unthinkable before.
Now that Colonel Su is heading to Beijing, the Blade squad—First Blade through Fifth Blade—have all become members of the Tiger Reserve Unit. Their futures are limitless. And with Colonel Su back, he might be entering the fast track, which would make the Su family's position in Jinnan even stronger.
Major Hugh Hu was genuinely happy for Colonel Su. The Su and Hu families had always gotten along, and now Hugh Hu was hoping he could invite that legendary instructor to train his own troops too.
Linda Guan struggled to her feet, not daring to meet Evan Lin's eyes. She staggered over to the window, glanced down, and hesitated.
Below, the street was packed with cars and pedestrians. Plenty of people were already gawking at Easy Breeze Restaurant—especially after Hugh Hu rappelled down the safety rope. Now, with Linda Guan standing at the window, even more eyes turned her way.
Under all those staring eyes, Linda Guan bit her lip so hard it almost bled, burning with fury. She shot Evan a venomous glare, then grabbed the safety rope and started climbing down.
The crowd below erupted, their chatter swelling like a tidal wave and drowning Linda Guan in humiliation.
"So, Instructor Lin—is this good enough for you?"
Major Hugh Hu stood at the window, watching Linda Guan land safely. Only then did he finally relax; at least nothing truly disastrous had happened.
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Evan Lin nodded. As for Major Hugh Hu, Evan's impression of him was neither good nor bad.
"Here's the thing—if you ever have time, could you help train my troops? The soldiers you trained for Colonel Su last time made me seriously jealous."
Major Hugh Hu grinned, unable to hide his admiration. "Colonel Su's had it rough all these years, especially with his old man getting weaker. If you hadn't shown up, who knows how much longer he'd be stuck in his current position."
"Also, I have a son—could you take him as your disciple?"
Major Hugh Hu smiled, his eyes full of hope.
Training soldiers and taking a disciple are two completely different things. If his son could really become Evan's disciple, the whole Hu family might rise with him.
"I'll think about the troop training when I have time, but as for taking a disciple—forget it."
Evan's blunt refusal left Major Hugh Hu a little disappointed, but he nodded. "Then I'll wait for you to have time. Just let me know, and I'll send someone to pick you up."
Major Hugh Hu showed Evan the utmost respect, exchanged a few more words, then finally led his people downstairs and left Easy Breeze Restaurant.
As soon as Major Hugh Hu left, Charles Chen and Lucy Lu—who'd just been sent to another room—hurried over.
"Xiao Yi, what on earth happened here? How do you even know Major Hu?" Lucy Lu rushed in, saw Evan standing perfectly fine, and immediately asked, her face full of worry.
"My master treated Victor Su's illness once. That's how we met," Evan replied offhandedly.
Of course, he couldn't tell Lucy Lu that he'd trained elite soldiers for Colonel Su in the Jinnan Military District—and sent the original Tiger Special Forces instructor to the hospital with a single punch, making a name for himself in one move.
If he really said all that, whether Lucy believed it or not was one thing; but if she told Joy Zheng, who knows what kind of trouble that would stir up.
Besides, Joy Zheng and the others were just ordinary people. Even if Evan told them the whole truth, they probably couldn't believe or understand it. Sometimes, less is more.
"Oh, I see." Lucy Lu believed it a little more and finally relaxed.
"That makes sense! Ha, I always said Evan would do great things one day! And your old Chinese doctor master—he's practically a legend! If you ever get the chance, you have to introduce us! I want to thank him in person!" Charles Chen was in a great mood now that the project was secured. All that was left was to make it a success and win Wansheng Properties' first big battle in Jinnan.
"I'll let him know when he has time. It's been ages since I've seen him myself," Evan nodded, agreeing.
Suddenly, urgent footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Mom! Dad! Are you okay?"
Lynn Chen, panting, appeared at the doorway and looked inside.
Just moments ago, Lynn Chen had seen Linda Guan and Battalion Commander Hu rappelling down from the window, then watched a squad of soldiers come and go. She thought something terrible had happened.
"Nothing happened to us. We're fine, don't worry."
Charles Chen smiled.
Lynn Chen finally relaxed. She glanced at Evan Lin, wanting to say something but holding back.
Before she could speak, Eric Yu—who had come in behind her—spoke up: "See, Linyan? I told you your parents would be fine."
"Sister Linda and Battalion Commander Hu rappelling down the window? They probably just did it for fun. People like them always have quirky hobbies."
Eric Yu shot Evan Lin a smug look. "Evan, when are you transferring schools? If you need a ride, just ask—I'll arrange a car for you."
"By the way, where are my parents? I haven't seen them."
Eric Yu glanced around, confused.
"Your parents have already been kicked out. Now, you can leave too."