"Hey, that kid?"
Jason Jiang's gaze landed on the shore, where a crowd had gathered. He happened to catch the moment when Evan Lin backhanded Max Ma across the face.
Jiang Sihan recognized everyone on the shore, and was especially surprised to spot Jiang Xiaodie standing there.
Before he could say anything, Selina Shi—who had been sunbathing at the bow—spoke up in surprise.
Selina Shi sat up at the bow, looked toward Evan Lin, her eyes lighting up. She lifted her long leg and kicked Warren Wu, who was fishing listlessly: "Hey, hey, paddle us over there."
At that moment, Warren Wu and Allen Ju also saw what was happening over there.
Warren Wu saw more than a dozen punks lying on the ground, then noticed Evan Lin and his two friends standing there. His bored expression instantly brightened as he grinned, "Yo, not bad! Looks like we've got some excitement to join in."
Rubbing his hands together, Warren Wu grabbed the oar and started paddling toward the shore.
"Hey! Kid!"
Just as Max Ma pulled out his phone to make a call, they heard someone calling out from the shore.
Everyone turned to look.
"Jiang Sihan?"
Jiang Xiaodie was stunned to see Jiang Sihan—she hadn't expected him to be here too.
Meanwhile, when Max Ma saw Allen Ju and the others beside Jason Jiang, his already battered, swollen face turned even weirder. He gripped his phone tightly.
"Not bad! Haven't seen you in a few days, and you already beat up this many people?" Warren Wu grinned at Evan Lin, acting like they were old friends.
He glanced at Brandon Yang, who had just crawled up to the lakeside, then leapt from the boat to the shore. Looking at all the yellow-haired punks sprawled on the ground, he exclaimed in surprise, "Who would've thought you're not just a basketball ace and gaming god, but you're also a pro at beating people up?"
Allen Ju walked over, Jason Jiang by his side, while Selina Shi strode toward Evan Lin with her hands in her pockets.
As soon as Selina Shi appeared, several of the boys nearby were instantly transfixed. Her aura was even more vibrant than that of Ivy Deng and the other girls—especially her sharp, intelligent eyes, which darted around with curiosity, making it hard for anyone not to be captivated.
Ivy Deng and Jiang Xiaodie also noticed Selina Shi. Girls have a natural rivalry with other pretty girls; they quickly sized her up and silently compared themselves to her.
"I invited you to eat and you turned me down, but you came here to fight over girls instead?" Selina Shi said as she walked up to Evan Lin, never one to mince words.
"You guys know each other?" Ivy Deng was genuinely surprised.
The moment she saw Jason Jiang, she realized these three were exactly the ones Ivy had just described—those who always hovered around Jason like loyal attendants.
Jason’s family was loaded, and he was always a bit arrogant. If he was willing to play lackey for these three, their backgrounds must be pretty serious.
But for a girl like Selina Shi to actually invite Evan Lin to dinner—and then get turned down by him?
"Of course." Selina Shi nodded, then gave Evan Lin a sideways glance and rolled her eyes. "So, are these girls prettier than me, or what?"
"I just came with my friends, that's all."
Looking at Selina Shi in front of him, Evan Lin couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
"Are you badly hurt?" Allen Ju walked up to Max Ma, coolly eyeing his bruised, swollen face and asking in a calm, almost indifferent tone.
Max Ma saw Allen Ju, clenched his jaw, and didn’t make a sound. His hand still gripped his phone, but he hesitated to call anyone.
"You brought all these people and still lost to one guy. If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to call for backup. Or should I call my uncle instead and ask him why the magistrate’s son is hanging with a bunch of gangsters?" Allen said, his tone light but every word landing hard.
Max Ma’s face changed instantly, and he hurried to defend himself: "I don’t know those guys!"
"So you’re saying I’m slandering you?" Allen Ju raised an eyebrow.
Ken Feng and Hank Chu still had no idea who these three newcomers really were. They just watched in bewilderment as Allen Ju coolly forced Max Ma to lower his head.
Max Ma’s dad was the county magistrate!
And yet, in front of Allen Ju, Max Ma had no choice but to bow his head. Just what kind of background did these three have?
Yvonne Xie saw Max Ma hesitating with his phone and couldn’t hold back, shouting, "Max! You can’t just stand there while Brandon Yang gets his leg broken!"
"His leg’s broken?" Warren Wu turned and finally looked at Brandon Yang’s leg. Instead of being scared, he just clicked his tongue in amusement. "Looks to me like he twisted it himself. If you want to say Evan Lin did it, where’s your proof?"
"Or if you really want proof, I can give you some—just find someone who can actually knock me down!" Warren Wu laughed, cracking his knuckles. His fighting spirit was obvious.
Ken Feng and Hank Chu still had no clue what was happening. They just watched, dumbfounded, as Warren Wu’s words left Max Ma’s face looking even worse.
They didn’t know who these three really were, but seeing Warren Wu put Max Ma in his place made them realize these guys weren’t ordinary at all.