Leo Liu took Evan Lin's number and gave him a few extra words of advice.
Watching Evan Lin's completely unconcerned attitude toward Gavin Guan, Leo Liu could only sigh, feeling a bit helpless.
Originally, Leo Liu wanted to invite Evan Lin and the others out for a meal, but Evan declined. Leo didn't insist, and after saying goodbye, he quickly got into his car—apparently heading to the hospital to check on Gavin Guan.
No matter what, Leo Liu still had to keep up appearances in Oceanport City's circles. On the other hand, he also hoped to help Evan Lin sound out Gavin Guan's intentions.
"How did the talk go?" Selina Shi and Irene Xu walked over from not far away.
When Selina looked at Evan Lin, her eyes narrowed with a hint of amusement and curiosity.
Irene Xu, standing to the side, looked a bit embarrassed.
While they chatted aside, Irene Xu accidentally let slip that she was sharing an apartment with Evan Lin. However, after hearing that Selina Shi and Evan were just ordinary friends, Irene's mood inexplicably improved.
"Not bad. Let's head back."
Evan Lin nodded.
Selina Shi drove her Beetle, Evan Lin sat in the front passenger seat, and Irene Xu was in the back.
On the way down the mountain, Selina hummed a song, clearly in a good mood.
Irene Xu stayed silent the whole ride.
Evan Lin gazed out the window at the speeding scenery, feeling calm.
After coming down the mountain, Selina drove Evan and Irene to a restaurant specializing in Anhui cuisine for dinner, then dropped them off afterward.
When the car stopped at the apartment complex, it was already past ten at night.
Irene Xu sensibly got out first and headed upstairs, leaving just Evan and Selina in the car.
Selina glanced out the window and waited until Irene had walked off before lazily asking, "How did you meet Leo Liu? The Oxhorn Village he mentioned—is that on Jinnan Mountain?"
Selina looked at Evan, her eyes full of curiosity.
Selina knew a little about the Liu family, but not much. However, she'd heard of Oxhorn Village on Jinnan Mountain.
He ran into trouble with yin energy in Oxhorn Village, and I saved his life—that’s how we met," Evan Lin answered simply.
"Yin energy?" Selina Wu frowned. She didn’t really believe in supernatural things, but instead of arguing, she nodded and changed the topic: "The Quincy Qiu who gave you his card today is a famous gambler from Macau. He’s interested in your gambling skills, but even if you need money, I hope you won’t get involved with him."
"He’s not a decent person. You’d be better off not dealing with him at all."
Selina Wu spoke seriously, her tone stern: "Anyone who gets mixed up with gambling rarely comes to a good end."
"I’m not interested in gambling or him," Evan Lin replied, not taking it to heart.
"Also, after I get home tonight, I’ll check on Gavin Guan’s condition. You made quite a splash today, but your methods were a bit harsh," Selina Wu sighed.
Her original plan was to bring Evan Lin along so Gavin Guan would back off, but things had spun out of control.
Hopefully Gavin Guan only suffered minor injuries. If he’s really hurt badly, it’ll be a hassle.
Evan Lin got out of the car, and Selina Wu quickly drove away.
When Evan Lin got upstairs and returned home, Irene Xu had already washed up and gone to bed.
Only Stella Huang was still working hard on her draft in the living room.
"Such a coincidence, Irene just got back too. Have you eaten yet?" Stella Huang asked, a little surprised when she saw Evan Lin come in.
A few minutes earlier, Irene Xu had hurried home, washed up quickly, and gone straight to her room. Not long after, Evan Lin arrived, which Stella Huang found a bit odd.
"I already ate," Evan Lin replied.
Evan Lin nodded and went to his own room.
The next morning, Evan Lin changed into a simple T-shirt and jeans and went to school, as usual, alone.
At school, Henry Wang and Ben Lu were furious with Evan Lin, but with the principal backing him, there was nothing they could do.
Lynn Chen buried herself in her studies and her grades soared, while Eric Yu also worked hard every day. At noon, he always tried to stick close to Lynn, so many people thought they were a couple.
Ivy Liang kept a cold face all day. When she saw Evan Lin in the hallway, she ignored him completely, but what annoyed her most was how Evan kept crushing Leo Chao, which left Leo in a gloomy mood lately.
Wendy Wen started organizing the literary club’s competitions and collecting material for the next teacher-student assembly. She was swamped.
For the past few days, Evan Lin spent his days at school and his nights getting picked up by Blade to go to the barracks, where he coached Frank Xu and the others.
Most of the time, they just practiced their punches while Evan Lin stood by, sometimes not saying a word all night.
Thanks to the effects of the Human Pill, Frank Xu and the others barely felt tired—even after running a hundred laps, they were still full of energy, which made them respect Evan Lin even more.
Rumors spread in the barracks about the strange changes in Knife-Edge Company—some said the three of them seemed possessed, running at least two hundred laps a day like madmen.
Meanwhile, Flying Eagle Company’s confidence and strength soared with Tiger Fang joining them. They were also training hard for the upcoming team exercises and solo competitions.
In just a few days, Evan Lin hadn’t received any calls or texts from Selina Wu—she’d disappeared without a trace. Gavin Guan hadn’t caused any trouble either.
During this time, Eldest Brother Su personally supervised the training, satisfied with Blade and the others’ progress and looking forward to the exercises.
"Master Lin, how about I request an official position for you? What do you think?" Eldest Brother Su asked cautiously as Evan Lin stood beside him.
An official position meant a real military rank—something many people would kill for. Even Eldest Brother Su would have to pull strings to get it approved.
"No need for now. Your military district doesn’t have anyone who impresses me. A place like this isn’t worth my name," Evan Lin said calmly, his tone arrogant.
Eldest Brother Su didn’t dare argue—he just shook his head and smiled wryly.
After all, Master Lin was no ordinary man—he was used to this.
Soon, the day of the military team exercises finally arrived.
(End of chapter)