"He's not coming." Lynn Chen shot Yolanda Fang a look, then glanced irritably toward the second floor.
Upstairs, Evan Lin had just finished washing up and came downstairs. Seeing Yolanda, he nodded at her in greeting.
"Hey, are you planning to stay home and read today?"
Yolanda walked up to Evan, sized him up, and asked.
"No, just have a few things to take care of."
Evan shook his head.
"What could possibly be more important than hiking with your precious Miss Chen?" Yolanda teased, pulling Lynn Chen over and tilting her head at Evan.
"Hey!"
Lynn, hearing Yolanda's words, reached out and pinched her.
What do you mean, "your Miss Chen"!
Yolanda just giggled, didn't dodge at all, and instead pinched Lynn's butt right back, all while looking at Evan.
"I..."
Just as Evan was about to refuse again, Lucy Lu finished preparing breakfast, set the plates down, and said, "Xiao Yi, we already agreed yesterday. Go out and have fun with them. Don't just stay cooped up at home."
"That's settled then. Yolanda, you haven't eaten yet, right? Come eat first before heading out."
"Aunt Lucy, you're the best! I came here on an empty stomach just for your cooking." Yolanda cheered, dragging Lynn to the table.
Evan was helpless—since Lucy Lu had said so, he couldn't really refuse.
After breakfast, Lynn went upstairs to change clothes, with Yolanda following her. Yolanda also warned Evan not to sneak out while they were gone.
"Xiao Yi, don't take what your Uncle Chen said last night to heart."
With just Lucy Lu and Evan left in the living room, Lucy hesitated, then continued, "Your Uncle Chen's been in a bad mood lately, so..."
"I know, it's fine, Aunt Lucy." Evan smiled. "I know Uncle Chen means well. Sometimes I really do distract from the studying here."
"I'm glad you think that way—it puts my mind at ease," Lucy Lu sighed, then fished a few hundred yuan out of her pocket and stuffed it into Evan's hand before he could protest. "A boy should never go out without money. You're out having fun today, so buy whatever you want."
Evan nodded, not interested in arguing about money.
"Hey, let's get going!"
Upstairs, Lynn Chen, now changed, was being dragged down the stairs by Yolanda Fang.
Today, Lynn wore a plaid short-sleeved shirt and a sporty cap, her hair tied up—looking especially fresh and full of youthful energy.
"You kids be careful out there. Evan, make sure you look after Yolanda and Lynn, okay?"
Lucy Lu gave one last reminder. Evan responded, hands in his pockets, trailing after Yolanda and Lynn as they headed out.
Just as Evan and the girls left, Lucy Lu was tidying up the table when she suddenly saw Charles Chen rushing down from the second floor in a panic.
"What are you doing? Careful, don't trip!" Lucy Lu noticed the serious look on Charles's face and felt her heart skip a beat. "Did something happen again?"
"No idea. Manager Sheng said he'll be here in five minutes," Charles said, taking a deep breath and shaking his head to clear it.
The aftereffects of last night's drinks were strong—he'd slept straight through until now. Manager Sheng had just called, and Charles, still groggy, only caught the gist before he was jolted awake.
"Here? You mean he's coming here?" Lucy Lu was momentarily confused.
"He's almost at our house. Get ready—I'm going to wash up and change." With that, Charles hurried off to his room.
"Is he coming to settle accounts?" Lucy Lu felt a pang of anxiety and quickly finished tidying the table.
She had just finished when she heard a car pull into the yard outside.
"Lucy, did you just finish breakfast?"
Outside the door, Haiyang Sheng walked in carrying bags of gifts, with Susan Pang at his side.
Seeing Lucy Lu had just wiped the table, Susan Pang smiled warmly and asked a question.
"Yes, we just finished. Manager Sheng, Susan, you didn't have to come in person. If you needed anything, a phone call would have been enough. And what's all this?" Lucy glanced curiously at the items in Haiyang's hands.
"Oh, this is my prized tiger-bone wine—a mild medicinal spirit, good for the stomach. Charles drank a bit too much last night, so this will help him recover."
"And honestly, it's my fault—last night I barely drank with Charles. That's why I'm here so early today, to make it up to him. Lucy, make a few extra dishes for lunch; today, I plan to drink properly with Charles!" Haiyang Sheng laughed heartily.
Lucy Lu was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up with joy. "Of course! I'll go out now and buy some groceries. You and Charles can really enjoy yourselves at lunch."
She couldn't figure out exactly what had happened, but judging by Haiyang's mood, things were clearly moving in a good direction.
"Let Susan go with you. It's been ages since you two went shopping together, and it's still early—perfect time for a stroll."
"Susan's been cooped up in the hospital with me for days—she's practically stir-crazy."
Haiyang Sheng spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
Susan Pang stepped up, beaming as she linked arms with Lucy Lu. "Exactly! It's been way too long since we've gone out together. Lucy, let's take a walk before we hit the market."
"Sounds good. Is Qu Yao not coming today?"
"She's still asleep, so I left her at home."
Lucy Lu, arm in arm with Susan, headed out the door.
Haiyang Sheng washed up, changed clothes, and came downstairs—just in time to see Charles Chen waiting for him.
"Manager Sheng, what brings you here? Is something urgent?"
Charles was uneasy. Evan had stirred up trouble at the banquet last night, and now Haiyang had shown up first thing in the morning—was he here to call Charles to account?
Or maybe he'd already decided to fire him?
Charles's heart sank at the thought, his eyes full of worry.
Losing this job would mean losing a million-yuan salary.
"No, no, nothing serious! I just didn't get to drink with you last night. So I brought some tiger-bone wine—let's have a few glasses at lunch."
"By the way, that kid from last night—where is he?" Haiyang Sheng racked his brain, but couldn't recall Evan's name.
"You mean Evan Lin?"
Haiyang paused, face turning serious. "Manager Sheng, did Evan do something to upset you again?"
"No, no, I'm here to thank him! I owe both him and you an apology." Haiyang Sheng took Charles's hand, his expression sincere.
"Me? Evan? Apology?"
Charles was completely stunned.
"Yes, exactly. So, where is Evan Lin?" Haiyang nodded.
Haiyang was always a man who knew how to settle debts. After Lucy Lu had explained everything last night, he realized he'd wrongly blamed Charles—and seeing Evan forced to drink so much at the banquet made him feel guilty.
"I've never seen a kid with such guts and swagger. That boy's got a bright future ahead!" Haiyang laughed and clapped Charles on the shoulder.
Charles slapped his forehead, still a little confused, but hurried to lead Haiyang upstairs.
On the second floor, Charles knocked on Evan's bedroom door.
No answer.
"This is his room. He probably hasn't gotten up yet."
Charles had no idea Evan and the girls had already left. He knocked a few more times, but still got no response.
"Don't tell me... he's already moved out?"
Charles's heart skipped a beat at the thought, his face turning pale. Evan might be quiet, but his pride ran deep.
The thought made Charles want to slap himself.
"What's wrong?"
Haiyang Sheng glanced at Charles, then at the silent door, frowning slightly.
"It's nothing. He probably just hasn't gotten up yet—or maybe he's out for a run. That kid loves jogging," Charles lied, not daring to admit he'd tried to send Evan away.
"Oh, is that so? Running's great—no wonder he's so fit, able to hold his liquor like a champ. Come on, let's play a few rounds of chess. It's been ages since we played together." Haiyang threw an arm around Charles's shoulder and led him downstairs.
Charles silently prayed, full of regret—Evan Lin absolutely must not move out.