After Madam Han and Ryan Ren left, the atmosphere in the living room instantly became a bit awkward.
It was Lucy Lu who first broke the awkward silence. Looking at Evan Lin, she said, "Evan, since the holiday starts tomorrow, why not just stay here tonight? That way you don't have to rush back."
"I've already tidied up your room, and there are pajamas and clothes ready for you too."
After Lucy finished speaking, Charles Chen nodded repeatedly beside her. "That's right, that's right. You can also discuss study issues with Lillian. You're pretty good at math, aren't you? You've even won awards—maybe you can help tutor Lillian a bit."
"Who wants his tutoring? I don't need it—my grades are just fine!"
Lillian couldn't help but talk back. She still felt wronged—at school, everyone treated her with respect, but Evan Lin kept provoking her again and again, never giving her any face.
"I might have something to do tonight. Uncle Chen, Auntie Lu, if you run into any trouble, you can call me."
After saying that, Evan Lin stood up directly.
"Call you? What good would calling you do? Do you really think people will give you face?" Lillian glared at Evan Lin.
Even though Evan Lin had talked with Old Man Su before, in Lillian's eyes that was just an elder showing appreciation to a junior. Evan Lin was hardly anyone special to Old Man Su—there was no reason for him to give Evan any real face.
"Lillian!"
Lucy Lu was a bit displeased and called out to her.
Lillian slammed her chopsticks down and went upstairs.
Watching Lillian's retreating figure, Charles Chen shook his head. "This child..."
Lucy Lu then looked at Evan Lin again. "Evan, is there some misunderstanding between you and Lillian? Or did you really find a girlfriend at school?"
As she asked, Charles Chen also looked at Evan Lin and, after thinking for a moment, said, "Kids your age—if you really want to date, it's not impossible, just remember to keep it appropriate."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Before Charles could finish, Lucy Lu shot him a glare, and he immediately shut up, shoveling a few bites of food to block his mouth.
"There's nothing going on, Auntie Lu. I'll head out first."
Evan Lin shook his head, getting ready to leave.
"Let me drive you then?"
Lucy Lu followed him out and grabbed a jacket.
Lucy Lu drove, with Evan Lin in the passenger seat. As the car left the complex, Lillian stood at the second-floor window of the villa, watching the car drive off, her delicate brows furrowed tightly.
"Evan Lin, what's so special about you! Chatting and laughing with all those girls—you jerk!"
Only when the car disappeared from view did Lillian yank the curtains shut, choosing not to see him off.
In the car, Lucy Lu stayed silent, occasionally glancing at Evan Lin in the passenger seat. Evan had no intention of speaking either.
It wasn't until Lucy Lu had driven Evan Lin to the entrance of his apartment complex that she found a quiet spot to park. Just as she was about to speak, Evan had already opened the door and stepped out.
"Auntie Lu, drive safe on your way back."
Hearing Evan Lin's words, Lucy Lu opened her mouth, but realizing he didn't want to hear any more emotional talk, she could only sigh. "I know. You should rest early too. If you need any help, just call me anytime."
After saying that, Lucy Lu hit the gas and drove away.
Evan Lin returned to his rented apartment. As soon as he opened the door, a soft, teasing voice sounded in his ear.
"Oh, you're back!"
Evan Lin turned his head and saw Stella Huang in the living room, looking helpless on the sofa. Beside her, Irene Xu, her brows arched in a smile, walked over to Evan, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to sit down.
"What are you doing?"
Evan Lin frowned slightly. Irene Xu was good-looking and had a great figure—anyone else would call her a beauty. But Evan had no interest in her at all.
"So here's the thing: Stella said you're really strong, that you can fight a bunch of people all by yourself, right?" Irene Xu grinned mischievously, her face full of playful intent.
Before Evan Lin could say anything, Stella Huang quickly explained, "Here's the thing—during National Day I have to go home, and Irene has plans to go out, but she's worried about safety. So we wanted to ask if you have time..."
As Stella Huang spoke, she felt a bit uneasy and regretful.
For the past few days, Irene Xu had been bringing up Evan Lin, subtly probing about him. After confirming several times that Evan was good with his fists, Irene finally decided to find a way to drag him along.
Originally, Irene Xu planned to bring Stella Huang with her, but since Stella had to go home, she didn't have time.
"No."
Evan Lin answered crisply. Irene Xu wasn't discouraged; she immediately pressed both hands on Evan's shoulders, putting on a pitiful face. "Evan, little brother, I heard from Stella you're a warm-hearted guy. You're not just going to let your roommate walk into possible danger, are you?"
"If something really happened to me, Stella would be sad. You don't want to see Stella upset, do you?"
Irene Xu blinked her eyes, instantly looking teary-eyed.
Hearing this, Stella Huang was stunned, then reached out and kicked Irene Xu on the butt, her face flushing. "What are you even saying!"
Stella Huang was a bit anxious, worried that Evan Lin might misunderstand.
To Stella, Evan Lin was just a pale, clean-cut high-schooler. He might look cold, but at least he was decent-looking.
"I haven't even decided what I'm doing for the holiday, but I'm definitely not interested in going out with you. Maybe you should find someone else?" Evan Lin said, feeling a headache coming on.
If it were a guy, Evan Lin could just swat him away like a fly. But when it came to women, he didn't want to get physical, and he wasn't in the mood to argue either.
Irene Xu wanted to say more, but Stella Huang apologized to Evan Lin. "Irene, he's a senior now—there's less than a year until college entrance exams. Don't mess with his studies."
"I see, but I can't find anyone else on short notice." Irene Xu looked distressed. "And then there's Wade Wei—he wants to take me stone-cutting, and says I might get to see a Law Seed. I mean, is he crazy? What's a Law Seed anyway? I've never even heard of it!"
Law Seed?
Evan Lin, who was about to head to his room, paused in thought when he heard this.