Refusing Clearwater!
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire playground—from freshmen to seniors—erupted. Countless exclamations rang out, and now every student looked at Evan Lin with pure reverence in their eyes.
What kind of confidence does it take to openly and grandly turn down an invitation from Clearwater University?
For years, every top student has treated getting into Clearwater as their goal, but Evan Lin is actually giving up a chance that’s right in front of him!
Clearwater has always been the one to reject others—never has anyone rejected Clearwater first!
Byron Yang was stunned, and Lynn Chen—whose feelings had long been tangled and hard to read—grew dim-eyed when she heard Evan’s words.
"Is it because I want to apply to Beijing University, so you just went ahead and turned down Clearwater’s guaranteed admission?"
"So in the end, I’m still someone you really dislike."
Lynn Chen muttered to herself in a low voice, her heart feeling as if it had been squeezed—an aching pain flashing through.
"Refusing... Clearwater..." Ivy Liang was still in a daze, feeling more and more that Evan Lin was like a mountain she could only look up to.
"This news is seriously explosive... Oh my god..." Stella Huang, who had been standing nearby taking notes and preparing her draft for the whole rally, could only give a wry smile.
If Evan had simply become Capitalview First High’s student representative, after today’s coverage, his name would just become known to more people in Capitalview.
But once he publicly refused Clearwater, the impact multiplied dramatically—like a geometric explosion!
It’s likely to spark a whole wave of discussion, maybe even ripple all the way to Clearwater University itself!
Stella felt conflicted—excited by the news value, but also regretting that Evan might be giving up a great future by turning Clearwater down.
"Refusing Clearwater! I..."
Principal Damon Deng, who had been smiling, nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard Evan’s words. If Victor Su and Colonel Su hadn’t been sitting right beside him, he probably would have rushed up to the podium to try and talk Evan down and give him a stern lecture.
A guaranteed spot at Clearwater isn’t just Evan Lin’s personal honor—it’s a matter of school reputation.
Every year, about 150 students from Jinnan get into Clearwater, and Capitalview First High claims twenty percent or even more of those slots.
No matter what, every student who makes it from Capitalview First High to Clearwater is a major asset for the school’s publicity. Evan’s words didn’t just cost them a slot—it put the school in an awkward spot with Clearwater’s admissions office.
Principal Deng glanced worriedly at Victor Su, but to his surprise, Victor Su didn’t seem the least bit upset by Evan’s public rejection of Clearwater. Instead, he suddenly stood up and started clapping in front of everyone.
Colonel Su followed suit, applauding enthusiastically.
With the two of them leading, Principal Deng had no choice but to stand and clap as well. Soon, the applause swept across the entire playground like a tidal wave.
Countless students at Capitalview First High would probably never forget this moment, nor the day Evan Lin—the legendary transfer student—made his mark.
The news that Evan Lin, the transfer student, was chosen as school representative and publicly refused Clearwater’s guaranteed admission quickly began to spread. Even the full transcript of his speech was already circulating on school websites, Tieba, and BBS forums.
Before the feature news report aired, Stella Huang specifically consulted Evan about whether to cut anything.
She worried that the news might bring Evan a ton of pressure, so she hesitated. But since Evan truly didn’t care, Stella ended up airing the story completely unedited.
Afterward, Principal Deng was very unhappy and asked Byron Yang to talk to Evan and try to change his mind. After all, choosing a university is a huge life decision, and Principal Deng didn’t want the school to lose a Clearwater slot or see Evan regret it later.
But Byron Yang’s talk with Evan was useless, and in the end, both Byron and Principal Deng had to accept reality.
As for Eric Yu, after making a total fool of himself at the rally, he lost all face and immediately took several days off from school.
That night, the Capitalview First High mobilization rally was broadcast on Capitalview TV.
Lucy Lu was originally delighted to see Evan Lin appear on television, but by the end, she could only sigh.
"Evan really isn’t ordinary... He just turned down a guaranteed spot at Clearwater University like it was nothing?"
Charles Chen, munching on an apple, looked a little helpless. He glanced at Lucy and asked curiously, "With Evan’s grades, he could get into Clearwater just by testing. But do you think he’s giving it up because he wants to go to Beijing University with Lynn Chen?"
"If that’s the case, then it’s actually a good thing."
Not knowing the real story, Charles just smiled cheerfully at the thought.
But Lucy just sat in silence for a long time. Then she got up from the couch, took her phone, and went to the bathroom to call Joy Zheng.
Elsewhere, at the Wu family, who had always kept an eye on Evan, Old Master Wu watched the entire rally broadcast in silence from his grand armchair. When it ended, he closed his eyes and said nothing.
Martin Wu and the others around him didn’t dare make a sound.
They knew the identity and power of Master Lin from Seacrest, but they never expected his academic talent to be this monstrous—it was genuinely shocking.
"Over the years, I’ve seen countless powerful experts die foolish deaths. But now, it seems this Master Lin from Seacrest is both wise and brave?"
Old Master Wu sighed, "Youth has its own wildness."
Martin Wu and the others didn’t dare make a sound.
Grades and a guaranteed spot at Clearwater mean nothing to the Wu family, but when it comes to Evan Lin, it only makes him seem even more formidable.
A powerful expert with average intelligence can be manipulated with schemes, but a powerful expert with a monstrous IQ becomes exponentially more dangerous.
In a hotel somewhere in Capitalview, a girl wrapped in a bath towel happened to catch the news on TV. When she saw Evan Lin’s face appear on the screen, her eyes flickered with uncertainty, as if she couldn’t quite believe the person on TV was the same Evan Lin from Whitewood County she once knew.