In one corner of the grand hall, small groups of well-dressed young men and women mingled, wine glasses in hand, chatting with each other.
Most of them looked seventeen or eighteen. The guys wore tailored suits, their hair slicked back and shiny, putting on airs like they’d been raised in the upper crust.
The girls wore long dresses and little heels, speaking with a delicate, ladylike charm. Every now and then, they’d flash sweet smiles and steal glances at Eric Yu, who was standing nearby, looking a bit down.
Eric Yu had a fit build, sunny good looks, and he was a movie star on top of that. His father, Quentin Yu, was president of the Capitalview Chamber of Commerce, and his mother, Helen Qi, was rumored to have plenty of clout too. In this kind of elite crowd, his status wasn’t the most outstanding, but it was definitely impressive enough to draw the interest of plenty of girls.
But tonight, Eric just stood there with his wine, looking bored and distracted.
"What’s up, Eric? You’ve been out of it since you got here. Something going on at home?" Kai Chen, decked out in a fitted Versace tailcoat, glanced at Eric’s sour face and asked curiously.
"Yeah, you’re a movie star—what could possibly get you down?" a girl nearby giggled, shooting Eric a flirty look.
She was pretty, but she still couldn’t catch Eric’s interest.
Hearing Kai’s question, Eric sighed. "Don’t even start, Kai. Aren’t you supposed to be the romance expert? Mind teaching your bro a few tricks? How do you win over a girl who’s just not into you—and already has someone in her heart?"
As soon as Eric said that, a few girls nearby froze in surprise. Was there really a girl out there that Eric Yu couldn’t handle?
"Ah, you came to the right guy! Let me tell you, when I chased after Selina, I just stuck to her like glue—never gave up!" Kai Chen said, getting all fired up.
Before he could finish, he got a kick from Selina Shi, who was standing behind him in a blue evening gown.
"Ouch!"
Kai Chen tumbled to the floor, yelping in pain.
"Keep running your mouth and I’ll really let you have it."
Selina Shi frowned, watching Kai scramble up off the ground, and felt a headache coming on.
Kai Chen was like a buzzing fly, always hovering around her, and she couldn’t seem to shake him off no matter what.
Getting kicked by Selina didn’t bother Kai at all; he just grinned like an idiot. Eric Yu and the others could only smile helplessly at the scene.
Selina was a little annoyed. She glanced around, totally uninterested in the party itself. If her brother Warren Wu hadn’t joined the Tiger Special Forces, she wouldn’t even have had to come tonight.
Just as Selina was thinking about finding somewhere quieter, she suddenly made a soft sound of surprise—she’d spotted a familiar figure on a nearby sofa.
"Hey?"
Selina Shi pushed through the crowd and walked over, stopping in front of the sofa and calling out.
Evan Lin looked up, saw Selina, and nodded in greeting.
"It really is you?" Selina took a good look at Evan’s face, then just sat down right next to him. "What are you doing here?"
She was genuinely curious about why Evan would show up at a place like this.
Evan had already surprised her too many times. Back in Whitewood County, she’d thought their farewell was for good—that they’d never cross paths again in this life.
But then, not long ago at the Peiying High School Arts Gala, Selina ran into Evan again—he’d crashed the party. And now, at Victor Su’s birthday banquet, here he was yet again.
It genuinely surprised Selina and she found it pretty amusing.
"Just handling some stuff. What about you—what brings you here?" Evan looked at Selina and asked.
"I’m just here for the fun of it." Selina shook her head, not bothering to explain further. "Allen Ju mentioned you last time he called. If you’ve got time, I’ll take you to hang out with him."
Selina’s words were light and casual. Evan didn’t care at all, but if anyone else had overheard, they’d be shocked.
After all, Allen Ju wasn’t exactly the friendly type in their circle—plenty of people wanted to get close to him, but couldn’t find a way. Yet Selina was happy to introduce Evan to him, enough to make anyone jealous.
They’d barely finished talking when Kai Chen, who’d been loudly joking with the others, realized Selina was gone. He looked around, and when he saw her sitting with a guy on the sofa, his face instantly soured.
He stomped over, clearly annoyed.
"Selina, who’s this guy? Doesn’t look like one of us."
Kai Chen held his wine glass, and Eric Yu and the others noticed something was up too. They all fell in behind him, strutting over toward Evan with swagger.
"Who is this guy, trying to hit on Selina? Never seen someone so bold before," one girl sneered.
"Why’s he in casual clothes? Doesn’t he know tonight’s Victor Su’s birthday, and you’re supposed to dress up?" another girl said, looking disgusted.
All the guys were in suits and dress shoes, but the kid on the sofa was in casual clothes—totally out of place.
Eric Yu was already in a bad mood. Yesterday, he’d dragged Quentin Yu and Lynn Chen along to the Chen family to invite her to the banquet, hoping to show off his connections.
But after Lynn dropped Evan off last night, she went straight upstairs and ignored him. Even at school, no matter how hard he tried, she wouldn’t agree to anything. That’s why he had to come alone tonight.
"Kai, that kid’s obviously some nobody who snuck in. Now he’s trying to hit on your girl—he needs to be taught a lesson," Eric Yu egged him on, hoping to vent his own frustration.
From Kai and Eric’s angle, they could only see Selina’s face—not the guy sitting next to her.
Kai didn’t hesitate. He strode right up to the front of the sofa and, without a word, reached out to grab the guy’s collar.