"It's nothing too serious, really. You know how Peiying High School is all about well-rounded education. With National Day coming up, they're holding a big arts evening—my Ryan will be performing a solo, Chopin's Nocturne in C minor. He told me he might get a little nervous on stage, but if Lynn is in the audience, he just feels so much calmer for some reason."
"So I was wondering, could your Lynn go to Peiying High School with Ryan for the event? It's just kids hanging out—nothing bad about a little interaction at their age. And you don't have to worry about safety at all."
Madam Ren was all smiles as she finished speaking, her gaze landing on Lucy Lu.
Lucy Lu hesitated a little, and Lynn Chen was momentarily stunned too. She turned to look at Ryan Ren, who grinned at her and said, "There'll be some great performances. It's just for one evening—it won't mess with your studies at all."
Lucy Lu looked a bit uncertain and glanced over at Lynn Chen beside her.
Lynn Chen frowned slightly—she'd been about to just refuse outright, but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Evan Lin lounging on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. She called out, "Hey, are you free that day or not?"
Hearing Lynn Chen ask that, Ryan Ren felt a wave of irritation and glared daggers at Evan Lin, his eyes full of hostility, like he wanted to eat him alive.
Madam Ren also turned to look at Evan Lin. She'd just tried to show off how Ryan's dad could get three department heads to show up, hoping this country bumpkin would back off—but apparently, it wasn't working at all?
"You too, young man—if you're free, you can come along. All of Ryan's classmates are great kids. Their parents either work in government or run their own companies, and they're all super well-traveled. Lots of them go abroad for vacations during the school breaks. You'd really benefit from hanging out with them and broadening your horizons."
Madam Ren kept smiling as she spoke, but anyone could tell her words were aimed right at Evan Lin, trying to make him feel out of place and force him to back down.
"Sorry, I don't have time to bother with something as trivial as your son's performance," Evan Lin said coolly, his unruffled tone making Madam Ren bristle inside.
Lynn Chen frowned slightly at Evan's attitude, clearly displeased. Ryan Ren's expression darkened as he retorted coldly, "I don't want someone like you at the arts evening anyway. I only need Lynn to go!"
Turning away from Evan, Ryan softened his expression and looked at Lynn Chen. "Lynn, if you have class that day, I can help you get leave from your homeroom teacher."
The atmosphere grew awkward. Lynn Chen was visibly uncomfortable and wanted to refuse.
Just then, the sound of a car stopping came from outside, and the front door opened as Charles Chen walked in, dressed in a suit and looking exhausted.
Seeing Charles Chen return, Madam Ren and her son quickly stood up to greet him.
"Welcome home, Charles," Madam Ren said, squinting with a polite smile.
"Good evening, Uncle Chen," Ryan Ren called out respectfully.
From where Charles Chen stood, he could only see Madam Ren, Ryan Ren, and, seated to the side, Lynn Chen and Lucy Lu. Evan Lin, who was turned away, remained out of sight.
Seeing the two stand to greet him, Charles Chen nodded slightly and smiled. "It's fine, it's fine."
His attitude toward Madam Ren and Ryan Ren was clearly perfunctory. In Madam Ren's eyes, even if Charles Chen was starting a real-estate company, it was just a modest venture. She had no idea that Wansheng Real Estate, the giant of Seacrest Province, was backing him.
"Dad, why are you so late?" Lynn Chen complained as Charles Chen walked in. Beside her, Lucy Lu also looked over at him.
"I had to do some networking. The company's just getting started, so there's a mountain of things to handle," Charles Chen said with a cheerful grin.
Before Madam Ren could interrupt, Charles Chen suddenly seemed to remember something, his face growing urgent. "By the way, where's Evan? Didn't you say he was here already? Man, that kid really is something! You won't believe it—just now, while I was driving, I got a call from Chairman Wang's son, and he was asking about Evan!"
After his evening business dinner, Charles Chen was driving home, thinking about company matters, when he suddenly got a call from Wansheng Wang. Nervously picking up, he was surprised to find it wasn't Wansheng Wang himself—it was his son, Keaton Wang!
Keaton Wang, the true young master of Wansheng Real Estate, didn't ask about the company at all. He just kept asking where Evan Lin was and what he was doing, and even said Summer Mu wanted to hang out with him too.
Summer Mu is the heir of Summer Group. When Charles Chen heard Keaton Wang say that Summer Mu wanted to see Evan Lin, he was so shocked he nearly crashed the car.
But in the end, he managed to steady himself, raced home, and burst through the door to urgently ask Lucy Lu about Evan's whereabouts.
"Chairman Wang's son? Which Chairman Wang is that?" Madam Ren asked.
Madam Ren watched Charles Chen's urgent demeanor with a hint of disdain—he seemed so flustered—but curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn't help but ask.
"Chairman Wang is Wansheng Wang of Wansheng Real Estate," Charles Chen replied offhandedly, glancing at her.
"Wansheng Real Estate... Wansheng Wang? Wansheng Wang! The real estate king of Seacrest Province, one of the top ten tycoons!" Madam Ren's confusion vanished instantly, her whole body stiffening in disbelief.
Seacrest Province borders Capitalview, and in the regional business world, Wansheng Wang's name is legendary. Even in Capitalview City, his wealth and power make him a dominant force.
Hearing Wansheng Wang's name, Madam Ren was visibly shaken. Compared to him, her own family was little more than penniless peasants.
"That's right, he's my boss," Charles Chen said, clearly annoyed by Madam Ren's overreaction. Without even looking at her, he turned to Lucy Lu, his face urgent. "Where's Evan? You have no idea, I almost had a heart attack after that call—the way Chairman Wang's son kept calling Evan 'Brother Lin'! He even said he wants to come visit, and Chairman Wang didn't object at all!"