Evan Lin kept his head down, eating, still debating whether to leave early.
Trouble between women is always the worst—neither side can be scolded or hit. It's nothing like dealing with men, where you can just talk it out, and if that fails, throw punches until the issue's settled.
Irene Xu had the upper hand and pressed her advantage, but Lynn Chen wasn’t willing to back down and fought right back. Still, she was much younger than Irene, and by now, she was starting to lose ground.
The waiter brought dish after dish to the table, but didn’t dare linger. Their voices soon became the center of attention at the entire Riversouth Garden Bistro.
Undercurrents rippled across the table.
After about ten minutes, the battle between Irene and Lynn finally eased up. Irene took a sip of water, cleared her throat, and glanced at Lynn, who was sitting across from her, breathing hard and looking a little worn out. There was a hint of smugness in Irene’s eyes.
“Hey, where’s Stella? Wasn’t she just sitting next to me?”
Only then did Irene realize Stella Huang had slipped away at some point. She froze for a moment.
“She went to the restroom.”
Evan Lin let out a sigh.
“Perfect, I need to go too.”
Irene Xu chuckled, stood up, and shot Evan a flirtatious look right in front of Lynn Chen before walking off, showing off her figure as she went.
Now only Evan Lin and Lynn Chen were left at the table.
Evan kept eating, while Lynn puffed out her cheeks, poked at her food with her chopsticks, and tried to recover her energy.
“Your roommate’s pretty good-looking.”
Lynn glared at Evan, clearly annoyed.
“Yeah.”
Evan nodded, not bothering to deny it.
“And she’s got a great figure. Do you peek at her in the shower all the time?”
Lynn’s voice was dripping with jealousy.
Especially Irene Xu’s striking figure—it really left a deep impression on Lynn Chen, who felt like a scrawny bean sprout by comparison.
“Like things could ever be that easy.”
Evan Lin shook his head, grabbed another piece of braised pork, and popped it into his mouth—tender and delicious.
Lynn buried her head and said nothing, gulped down a big glass of water to soothe her throat—she’d just talked herself hoarse. But her chest still felt tight, and she was clearly in a bad mood.
“What’s your problem? Let go of her, you pig! If you don’t, I’ll call for help!”
A commotion broke out not far away.
Lynn turned to look and saw Irene Xu angrily grabbing Stella Huang’s wrist, while shoving a man in a suit and tie—obviously a business type—who was standing in front of them.
“Who are you? What business do you have with me and Stella?”
The guy in the suit took his time looking Irene Xu up and down, his eyes lingering with obvious desire. Then he quickly turned and smiled brightly at Stella Huang.
“Stella, what a surprise! I even asked Lana Yu and Melissa Xu to invite you out for dinner, but they said you turned them down. Who’d have thought I’d run into you here!”
“You look really great tonight, and my company’s HR director is in a private room inside. Why not come in and meet him? If he’s in a good mood, maybe he’ll hire your whole dorm at Su International Group.”
Leo Li beamed at Stella Huang, his gaze burning.
Stella Huang’s face darkened in anger. “Leo Li! I have zero interest in your company! Let go of me!”
“No interest? How could you not be interested? Su International Group is the top foreign trade company in Capitalview City—starting salary’s over ten thousand a month. A reporter only makes peanuts.” Leo Li sneered.
Last time at Youth Voyage Bar, Leo Li lost face thanks to Evan Lin, who Stella Huang brought along. After that, Leo barely contacted Stella and focused on climbing the ladder at Su International Group.
A few days ago, Leo Li found out at school that Stella Huang’s roommates, Lana Yu and Melissa Xu, also wanted to join Su International Group. Their resumes and interviews passed, but Leo blocked them at the HR director stage.
He planned to use their applications as gifts for the HR director, hoping to curry favor.
Lana Yu and Melissa Xu aren’t as pretty or elegant as Stella Huang, but they’re both from the art school, so they look decent. Right now, the two of them are sitting inside.
Leo Li was hoping to use Lana and Melissa to lure Stella out, but it hadn’t worked until now.
“Stella already said she’s not interested in your company! Why are you still pestering her? I’ll call the police if you don’t let go!” Irene Xu struggled to pry Leo Li’s hand off, but couldn’t manage it right away.
“What are you doing? She already said she’s not interested in your company, and you still won’t let go. That’s not okay!”
Lynn, who had been eating, saw the commotion, jumped up, and ran over. She glared at Leo Li: “Just because you’re wearing a suit and tie doesn’t make you impressive. There are plenty of people out there stronger than you. What you’re doing is no different from a street thug!”
“You look human, but you act like a dog.”
Lynn pressed her attack, glaring at Leo Li with undisguised contempt.
She hated nothing more than bullies who threw their weight around.
“Another beauty, huh? What a day. How about you all join us for dinner? Little beauty, don’t tell me you’ve never heard of Su International Group in Capitalview. I’m telling you, give me a few years there and I’ll be way more impressive than most people. Or do you want to hit me instead?”
Leo Li sneered, his eyes full of greed.
He hadn’t expected two beauties to pop up out of nowhere.
Irene Xu’s fiery attitude and Lynn Chen’s youthful student vibe both hit men hard.
“Why all the noise, Little Li? Are you eating or not? Director Cai is getting impatient inside.”
Just then, the door of a private room opened and a fat man poked his head out.
“Fat Bro, I’m coming! I just ran into some old classmates—this is Stella Huang, and her two friends. Since they’re here, I thought I’d invite them in for dinner.” Leo Li turned and grinned.
The man called Fat Bro glanced around and, seeing Lynn Chen, Irene Xu, and Stella Huang standing beside Leo Li, his eyes lit up.
He nodded, his eyes full of sleaze. “Come on in, order whatever you want—don’t worry about the price.”
“Student girls like you should eat more, it’s good for your bodies. Come on in.”
Fat Bro grinned widely and started toward the door to greet them himself.
“That ugly grin—how dare you even smile like that? You look just like a pig. It’s disgusting.”
Lynn shot Fat Bro a glare, her disgust plain as day.