"Lynn, this time Sister Serena is coming to Capitalview for a fan meeting. I already got tickets from her, so I’ll take you along. Seriously, I’m not bragging—Serena’s really nice. Who knows, maybe she’ll think you’re promising and help you get into the industry. If she shoots a new MV and invites you to cameo, you might just blow up!"
Eric Yu’s face was all smiles, absolutely beaming.
A bunch of girls were waiting at the school gate just to see him. The moment Eric Yu flashed his smile, a swarm of fangirls couldn’t help but crowd forward to chat him up.
Eric didn’t turn anyone away, acting friendly and approachable to everyone around.
Lynn Chen walked quietly beside him, nodding gently.
For the past month, Evan Lin had vanished without a trace, even missing the first senior-year monthly exam at Capitalview First High School. A student like that was practically unheard of.
The principal had even gone out of his way to ask Lynn Chen to try contacting Evan Lin, but got nowhere and had to give up.
Of course, most people guessed that Evan Lin was only good at math and totally hopeless in other subjects. They figured he skipped the exam because he was afraid of bombing it.
"Mm."
Listening to Eric Yu, Lynn Chen just nodded lightly, her face showing no joy or sorrow.
But then she suddenly noticed that Eric Yu’s smile froze on his face. His eyes went blank, like he’d just seen something unbelievable.
That made Lynn curious, so she followed his gaze in that direction.
Where she looked, Lynn saw Queenie Tong standing there. Queenie was strikingly beautiful—easily a match for Lynn herself—but her air of aristocratic poise was even more intimidating, making most people shrink away.
Now that Evan Lin had left, Queenie wiped her eyes. The fragile look she’d shown Evan vanished in an instant, and she was back to her usual proud young-lady demeanor.
"Queenie?"
Eric Yu’s face lit up with a big smile as he hurried over to greet her.
"You?"
Queenie turned at his voice and saw Eric Yu. She paused, then nodded coldly, her face frosty—a bare minimum greeting.
Clearly, Queenie wasn’t very interested in Eric Yu.
"Here, Lynn, let me introduce you—this is Serena’s little sister, Queenie!" Eric quickly made the introductions.
Hearing that, Lynn Chen reached out to greet her.
But Queenie just folded her arms and gave Lynn a brief glance, clearly not planning to shake hands. Instead, she looked at Eric Yu and said coldly, "Aren’t you an actor? Why are you back in class again?"
"Oh, oh, my dad insists I finish college. Says I need a degree no matter what." Eric scrambled to answer Queenie’s question.
Lynn’s hand was still hanging awkwardly in midair.
"Go to class, then. If you’ve got nothing else, just get going." Queenie nodded, basically telling them to leave.
A flicker of annoyance flashed in Eric Yu’s eyes, but he didn’t show it. He even held back the question he’d planned to ask about why Queenie was here.
"Guess I’ll head in, then." Eric said, realizing Queenie wouldn’t respond. He and Lynn walked into the school together.
The students who’d been following Eric, having heard who Queenie was, were all eager to talk to her. But her icy ‘keep away’ vibe made them shrink back, too intimidated to say a word.
Soon enough, everyone had filed into the school, leaving Queenie standing all alone at the gate, quietly waiting and not daring to move.
Evan Lin entered the school. The moment he walked into the classroom, the students around him stared in shock, then started whispering strangely.
When class started, Byron Yang walked in with his teaching materials. He was just about to begin when he spotted Evan Lin sitting in the back—his face froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered and started the lesson.
After the lesson, Byron called Evan out alone—not to the office, but to the end of the corridor by the corner.
"Did something happen at home these days?" Byron asked Evan, choosing his words carefully.
If it were any other student, skipping class for a month without leave and missing the first senior-year monthly exam, Byron would’ve chewed them out without mercy.
But Evan Lin was different.
After everything that had happened, even Byron had to admit he respected Evan as a student. As for scolding him, Byron knew better than to try.
"Nope, I just went out for a walk."
Evan shook his head.
That blunt answer left Byron speechless for a while. He’d expected Evan to at least make up an excuse and give them both an easy out.
Byron looked at Evan for a long moment before finally nodding. "You missed the first monthly exam and skipped class for a whole month. Normally, that’d get you expelled. But since your case is special, the principal says as long as you settle down and study, just get through these last few months of senior year and it’ll be fine."
"Focus on your studies first—above all else."
Byron finished speaking, knowing Evan probably wouldn’t take it to heart, but he insisted on saying it anyway.
After that, Byron didn’t scold him any further—he just clasped his hands behind his back and headed off to the office.
"Evan Lin, right? Last time you were pretty impressive. So what’d you do this month—skip class just to avoid bombing the exam?"
Not far away, Wendy Wen happened to walk by. Seeing Evan, she snorted, lifting her chin in a haughty pose.
She’d done well on the exam this time, so she had plenty of confidence to say stuff like that.
"I was just worried that if I randomly took the test and got first place, you so-called top students would lose all motivation to try."
Evan glanced at her and replied coolly.
Wendy’s pretty face changed, a little angry. "Keep telling yourself that!"
"You know Lynn Chen, right? She’s from Minghai too, and she crushed the exam—top twenty in the whole grade! Plus, she’s super close with Eric Yu, the trending idol. Jealous much?"
Wendy snorted, arms folded, clearly hoping to see Evan embarrassed.
Just as she was talking, Lynn Chen happened to walk by—with Eric Yu right beside her, just as expected.