"Victor Zhou!"
Mia Chen shouted at Victor Zhou, her brows tightly furrowed. "If Evan Lin hadn't stepped in just now, I would've gotten slapped!"
"How can you say something like that right now!"
Mia Chen shouted at him.
Victor Zhou stiffened his neck, refusing to back down. "So do you think he was helping us or hurting us?"
"Wasn't that girl just now your senior? Do you really think your senior would actually hit you?"
"If you ask me, the most likely thing is, your senior just wanted to scare you a bit. She wouldn't actually do anything! But because this guy showed up, everything got messed up!"
"And now, great—she really hates us now, and who knows what she'll do next. If anything happens, it'll be all of us who suffer!"
Victor Zhou spoke with absolute certainty, his face full of indignation. "And him!"
He pointed at Evan Lin. "When he got on the ferry, he said he had a friend waiting for him here!"
"But up to now, have you seen his friend?"
"No!"
"That means he's a liar!"
"He's deceiving us. He doesn't have any friends here at all! He came here just to drag us down with him!"
Victor Zhou grew more agitated as he spoke.
Mia Chen's roommates all looked uncomfortable.
"You!" Mia Chen hadn't expected Victor Zhou to say such things at this moment.
She clenched her small fists, feeling a sense of injustice for Evan Lin.
But Victor Zhou's words left her mind in a mess.
In the lobby.
"Thirty-seventh floor."
"Alright, I'll come find you in a bit. No need for you to come over."
Evan hung up the phone.
Mia Chen and the others watched Evan make his call, each with a different expression.
Victor Zhou snickered, "Wow, I just grilled you about your 'friend,' and boom, your friend calls? What are the odds? And they're at Emperor International, which is even more baller than this Crown Hotel?"
"That's gotta be the sketchiest coincidence ever."
"Come on, you're just flexing. You don't have anyone waiting for you here. You're all about saving face, and now we're stuck in your mess!"
"It's always about your ego! You couldn't care less if we get wrecked! You—"
Victor Zhou was about to keep ranting.
A crisp slap echoed through the lobby.
Evan didn't even bother turning around—he just backhanded Victor, sending him flying across the floor like a ragdoll.
Thud.
Victor hit the ground hard, clutching his face and wailing like he'd been run over by a truck.
"Victor!"
"Hey, what's your deal, hitting people like that!"
"Did he hit a nerve? Is that why you're so triggered now?"
The other guys were getting salty about Evan always hogging the spotlight.
They scrambled to help Victor up, and when they saw his face—dang, it looked like he'd swallowed a basketball. Everyone was shook.
"I've got something to take care of."
"See you around."
Evan ignored Victor and the others, nodded to Mia Chen after finishing, then turned and left.
He came here for a reason.
It was all about the Ancient Martial Clans' gathering.
He wanted to see the rumored treasure brought out of the Mysterious Ruin by one of the clans.
"Be careful!"
Mia called out to Evan as he walked away.
But Evan didn't look back.
Her gaze was complicated, and she sighed quietly to herself.
Emily Yi whispered, "Honestly, I bet he does have a friend here. He's just dipping out so we don't get dragged into his drama."
Another girl said, "He threw hands with Cindy Hong for Mia's sake—no way Cindy's letting that go. He's probably worried she'll roll up with backup, or maybe Ryan Ren will bring his goons. And yeah, he doesn't want us caught in the crossfire."
Bottom line, Evan Lin was basically a trouble magnet in their eyes now.
"Not wanting to drag us in? Please, he's just scared, that's why he's bailing."
One of the guys helping Victor muttered, "We came here to chill, and now look at us."
"After all this drama, we're basically hotel prisoners. Guess we just have to wait for Ethan Lu to rescue us and take us out for some fun."
Hearing the boys complain, Emily Yi and the other girls stayed silent.
Only after Evan left did the hotel staff finally dare to approach and help treat Victor's injuries.
Leaving Seahaven Crown Hotel behind, Evan headed straight for Emperor International Hotel, Seahaven.
From the outside, Emperor International Hotel looked right next to Crown Hotel.
But actually, they were separated by an artificial river about twenty meters wide, with a dragon-shaped bridge spanning it.
Evan walked across the bridge, watching the people around him and sensing their auras.
"There were still some ordinary people at Crown Hotel, but once you cross the bridge into Emperor International's territory, ninety-nine percent of the people here have already cultivated Inner Force."
"Even the parking lot security guards have Inner Force—that's pretty wild."
As Evan pondered all this, he'd already arrived at the entrance of Emperor International Hotel, Seahaven.
Just as he was about to walk inside—
"You! Stop right there!"
A shouted voice exploded from the side.
But Evan didn't look back.
Her gaze was complicated, and she sighed quietly to herself.
Emily Yi whispered, "I bet he really does have a friend here. He's probably leaving so he doesn't drag us into his mess."
Another girl chimed in, "He made a move against Cindy Hong for Mia's sake—no way Cindy's going to let that slide. I bet he's worried she'll come after him, or maybe that Ryan Ren will bring people to mess with him too. And yeah, probably doesn't want to get us caught up in it."
Bottom line, Evan Lin was now a magnet for trouble as far as they were concerned.
"What do you mean, not wanting to drag us in? He's just scared, that's why he's running off."
One of the guys helping Victor grumbled, "We were supposed to be having a fun trip, now look where we are."
"After all this drama, we probably can't even leave the hotel! Guess we'll just have to hope Ethan Lu comes back soon and takes us out."
Hearing the boys complain, Emily Yi and the other girls stayed silent.
Only after Evan left did the hotel staff finally dare to approach and help treat Victor's injuries.
Leaving Seahaven Crown Hotel behind, Evan headed straight for Emperor International Hotel, Seahaven.
From the outside, Emperor International Hotel looked right next to Crown Hotel.
But actually, they were separated by an artificial river about twenty meters wide, with a dragon-shaped bridge spanning it.
Evan walked across the bridge, watching the people around him and sensing their auras.
"There were still some ordinary people at Crown Hotel, but once you cross the bridge into Emperor International's territory, ninety-nine percent of the people here have already cultivated Inner Force."
"Even the parking lot security guards have Inner Force—that's pretty wild."
As Evan pondered all this, he'd already arrived at the entrance of Emperor International Hotel, Seahaven.
Just as he was about to walk inside—
"You! Stop right there!"
A shouted voice exploded from the side.