"Martin Ma! Over here!"
Someone at the table called out.
Martin Ma heard his name, glanced over, and jogged toward them with his usual honest grin. "Sorry, I'm late."
"Hey, no worries. We just got here too. Besides, you’re basically a local celebrity now—Whitewood County’s only student to snag a prize at the Provincial Math Olympiad. That’s a huge honor."
"Even my mom’s heard about it. Teachers from all sorts of schools are talking about you in their group chats. Martin, you’re seriously blowing up!"
Several students at the table kept chiming in, all eyes on Martin Ma.
Martin didn’t come from a wealthy family, but thanks to his hard work, he got into Whitewood County No. 1 High School and took home a Math Olympiad prize. In a place where grades are everything, he was naturally the center of attention.
"It’s nothing, really."
Martin had just sat down when his eyes landed on Evan Lin sitting nearby. He froze for a second, surprised.
Evan glanced at him, nodded, and went back to drinking with Ken Feng and Hank Chu.
"So you placed in the Math Olympiad? Not bad. I only got a national third prize a few years back," Raymond Rong said with a lazy smile from the other side.
"National third prize in the Olympiad?"
The words drew shocked looks from several people.
Everyone knew provincial and national awards weren’t the same—the national ones were way tougher. In all these years, Whitewood County had never had anyone win a national prize.
To the group, Raymond Rong was now officially a study god.
"Raymond’s taking the college entrance exam this year, and unless something crazy happens, he’ll get into Oceanport University. He’s always been top of his class," Mandy Yu chimed in, unable to hide her pride.
"Mandy’s grades are great too. And you’re Ken Feng, right? I heard from Mandy that you’re pretty smart. So, senior year’s coming up—got any universities in mind?"
Raymond shifted his gaze to Ken. "I think Huaqing National University and Beijing University are both solid picks. Jingnan’s not bad either. Or, if you’re like me, you could just settle for Oceanport University."
Raymond sounded casual, but every school he named was a top-tier university with sky-high scores—and everyone knew Ken Feng’s grades weren’t anywhere close. He was basically slapping Ken in the face with every word.
Ken flushed. "I... I haven’t decided yet."
"Haha, Ken, didn’t your dad make some money? Just have him buy you an admission spot!" someone snickered at Ken Feng.
"Yeah, I heard if you donate a library, you might get in without even taking the exam." another chimed in.
"I doubt it. Ken’s dad made some cash, but donating a whole library? No way. He’s not like Mandy’s boyfriend—driving a BMW and loaded with cash," the short, dark-skinned girl said.
Ken took all the teasing but couldn’t get a word out. He just sat there, feeling humiliated.
Raymond Rong smirked, while Mandy Yu shot him a glare. "Enough, Raymond. Cut it out."
But her tone didn’t really sound angry. Then Mandy turned to Ken, apologetic: "Sorry, Ken. Raymond’s just blunt—he means well, really."
Ken opened his mouth, looking dejected, but before he could speak, Evan Lin spun his glass and glanced at Mandy: "Your boyfriend’s not blunt—he’s got a septic tank for a brain."
"Only third prize in the National Olympiad, and he’s already showing off with a little BMW? Who gave you the guts?"
Evan tapped the table, his tone cool as he looked over.
As soon as Evan spoke, Mandy froze, and Raymond Rong’s eyes went wide in disbelief.
The other No. 2 classmates stared at Evan like he’d lost his mind.
"Hey, Evan, what’s that supposed to mean? It’s a reunion—can’t we just eat and be happy? You’re way out of line," a boy stood up.
"If you don’t want to eat, just leave! You’re not welcome here. Mandy barely gets to come back!" a girl next to Raymond said, frowning.
"Saying someone only got third prize at the National Olympiad? Who do you think you are, Evan? Your grades have always sucked," the short, dark-skinned girl sneered. "Maybe look in the mirror before you trash someone else."
Before she could finish, Martin Ma couldn’t help but speak up: "Uh... Evan and I took the Olympiad together. I got third prize; he got first."
"And I heard from the teachers that Evan’s solution was so good, a bunch of teachers from River City put it in the newest Olympiad problem set. The chief editor of that book is Professor Gordon Gu from Huaqing National University."
Martin finished, still buzzing from the excitement.
It was like dropping a bomb in the middle of the table.
"Evan, you got first prize in the Olympiad!" Hank Chu and Ken Feng stared at Evan, stunned.
"Was it really that hard? I finished the exam in an hour," Evan replied, tapping the table, looking completely unfazed.
The Whitewood No. 2 crowd stared at Martin Ma, their faces full of shock and doubt.
Raymond Rong frowned, shooting Evan Lin a cold look. "So you’re smart. What’s your point?"
"Yeah, but Mandy’s boyfriend drives a BMW. What about you, Evan? You walked here, didn’t you?" the short, dark-skinned girl quipped, and the whole table burst out laughing.
Everyone knew Evan’s family wasn’t well-off. In this world where money talks, being poor meant you were always a step below.
Raymond Rong joined in, teasing, "Oops, sorry—I didn’t know you were so poor. Did I hurt your pride?"
Evan Lin glanced around at all the complicated looks, shook his head, and just sat there, pulling out his phone to make a call.
"There’s a BMW illegally parked outside Whitewood Grand Restaurant. You’ve got ten minutes to deal with it."
Evan hung up, fiddling with his old phone, and looked at Raymond Rong. "Since you’re so rich, maybe you should buy a few more BMWs."
"What’s that supposed to mean?" Raymond’s face darkened. "You think you can scare me? Who do you think you are?"
"Evan, are you out of your mind?" Mandy Yu was annoyed. "Ken, aren’t you his friend? Why aren’t you saying anything?"
Ken Feng glanced at Evan, then fell silent, not bothering to explain.
Ken didn’t know what Evan was up to, but he remembered Evan once had Liu Tangguo personally thank him—so whatever Evan said was probably true.
"Wow, Evan, how long has it been? You’re really good at acting now. Isn’t your mom just a regular teacher? What’s the point of showing off with a phone call? You gonna have her students move the car?"
The boy had barely finished laughing when a plate smashed right into his face.
He crashed to the floor, blood streaming down his face.
The whole room froze. A bunch of guys jumped up, glaring at Evan Lin.
Just then, May Wang hurried in. She was supposed to be at work, but the keys for the two Mooncrest Manor villas Evan bought were ready, so she’d asked her manager for time off to deliver them.
May spotted Evan right away. Without noticing the weird tension, she rushed over to him.
Meanwhile—
Big Tank was eating at the Whitewood County guesthouse when his phone rang. He rounded up his crew, jumped into six black Mercedes, and raced toward the restaurant.
He’d spent the last few days handling project business in Whitewood, even bringing in extra guys from Brightsea, but hadn’t had a chance to see Evan—so he’d been pretty frustrated.
Now that Evan had called, Big Tank didn’t waste a second—he was in the car and on his way.
Six black Mercedes tore down the county roads, roaring like wild beasts.