"Who wants to see me?"
Evan Lin walked out the gate of the complex and stopped in front of Lynn Chen.
Lynn Chen, who had been lost in thought, was startled by Evan's words. She hurriedly stuffed her phone into her pocket and looked up at him. "I’m not really sure. My dad asked me to come find you."
As she spoke, Lynn couldn't help sneaking a few more glances at Evan standing so close.
Lately, Evan rarely showed up at school, and even when he did, Lynn usually didn’t get a chance to be this close to him.
Besides, Lynn spent nearly every day buried in textbooks, grinding through practice exams and pouring all her energy into studying for high scores.
Ever since Evan scored those insane top marks in two subjects on the last monthly exam, the pressure in Lynn’s heart had only gotten heavier.
If Charles Chen hadn’t begged her today, Lynn wouldn’t have agreed to call Evan, let alone run all the way to the entrance of his complex to meet him.
"Does Auntie Lu know?"
Evan asked curiously.
"My mom’s probably coming too, but she didn’t want me to tell you," Lynn shook her head. "I really don’t know who exactly wants to meet you."
"If you don’t want to go, it’s fine. It’s not like they’re some big shot or anything."
Lynn said this, then paused mid-sentence, her mind flashing to Victor Su—the Jinnan heavyweight who’d been so unusually friendly to Evan at White Dragon Manor. Compared to him, even her entrepreneur dad couldn’t measure up.
Even with the golden reputation of Charles Chen and Wansheng backing him, in Jinnan he still couldn’t catch Victor Su’s attention.
That thought made Lynn’s mood turn a little strange as she finished speaking.
Evan Lin now wasn’t the same as before—no matter how big the shot, he could face them calmly. His nerves were on a whole different level.
By comparison, Lynn felt like she was falling further and further behind.
Lynn’s mind spun with all sorts of thoughts. When Evan didn’t reply, she lowered her head, bit her lip, and nervously suggested, "If you don’t want to go, we could just grab dinner somewhere first. You haven’t eaten yet, have you?"
"Just had some soup, didn’t get to the actual meal yet," Evan shook his head.
"Soup? Who made it?" Lynn blinked in surprise.
"Roommate," Evan replied simply. "Let’s go. Where are your dad and the others? I’m honestly curious who wants to meet me."
When Evan mentioned "roommate," Lynn’s pretty face froze for a second. She felt a weird ache inside, a quiet sense of grievance she couldn’t put into words.
She wanted to glare at Evan, maybe even complain like before—say something about him always flirting with girls. But halfway through her glare, and just as the words rose to her lips, she saw the calm look in Evan’s eyes. Instantly, she deflated like a popped balloon and swallowed everything she wanted to say.
The reason she’d said all that earlier was because she secretly hoped Evan really wouldn’t go—so she could take him to dinner instead, maybe walk the snack street and ease the tension between them.
Lynn had a small hope in her heart, mixed with a bit of nervousness.
But all of that was shattered by Evan’s simple reply.
"It’s just nearby. I’ll take you."
Lynn nodded, her ears drooping a little.
She walked ahead to lead Evan, her eyes holding a vague loneliness she couldn’t explain.
Evan trailed half a step behind her, strolling along at his own pace, totally unhurried.
One after another, the two walked through the busy streets. Now and then, yellowed leaves drifted down from the treetops, blown onto the pavement by the wind.
Lynn stepped on the checkered stone tiles, pacing slowly and letting out a quiet sigh.
At the intersection, the light turned red.
People stopped at the crosswalk, waiting quietly.
Lynn’s mind was still a mess, looping over Evan and his roommate’s relationship.
Just then, a stray cat darted out from the roadside, trying to cross the street—right as a Buick came speeding by, not slowing down at all.
Seeing the cat in danger, Lynn’s heart jumped and her face changed. Without thinking, she dashed forward, arms outstretched to scoop the cat into her embrace.
The Buick got closer and closer. The driver barely had time to react, slamming the horn and stomping the brakes—but it was way too late, and the car was about to hit.
Cries of alarm erupted from the crowd.
Lynn finally managed to grab the stray cat, holding it close and bending over, eyes squeezed shut. Her heart pounded with fear, bracing for the impact of the oncoming car.
She trembled all over, hugging the stray cat tightly in her arms.
Am I going to die?
That’s what Lynn was thinking.
She thought of her parents, of Fang You, of her classmates back in Brightsea City, of the way she treated Evan back then. She even remembered years ago, when she was little, playing with a dirty-faced Evan in Joy Zheng’s old run-down house.
All those memories flashed through her mind in an instant.
If I died...
Mom and Dad would be heartbroken.
Fang You would be heartbroken.
Evan... would he be sad?
A strange loneliness welled up inside Lynn.
But the impact and pain she expected never came.
"How did he do that?!" someone gasped in the crowd.
"Did I see that right...? Holy crap..." someone muttered, disbelief all over their face.
The crowd buzzed with chatter.
Only then did Lynn dazedly open her eyes.
She turned to look where the car had come from.
The Buick was now parked three meters away. Two meters in front of it stood a teenage boy.
"It’s fine now. Get up—I’m hungry too."
Evan looked down at Lynn, who was still bent over protecting the cat. His face was calm as ever.
One of his hands rested on the car’s hood.
It looked like Evan had stopped the Buick with just one hand.
"I..."
Lynn wanted to say something more.
But Evan had already walked up and, with one motion, lifted her off the ground.
Lynn was startled, feeling like she’d been picked up like a box.
The stray cat in her arms meowed and took the chance to dart away.
Lynn was still in a daze, flustered and confused.
It wasn’t until Evan carried her across the street that, after a long moment, Lynn finally snapped out of it.
"Are you hurt?"
She looked at Evan, worry all over her face.
"Nope." Evan shook his head. "A car like that couldn’t hurt me at all."
"There you go bragging again. If the driver hadn’t braked in time, you..." Lynn started to protest, but stopped herself, looking at Evan. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally managed to squeeze out three words.
"Thank you."