Ben Chen was wailing his head off over there.
Everyone's eyes were on the teenager walking straight toward Hugh Hu.
Hugh Hu saw Evan Lin heading his way and couldn't help but panic a little. His face turned slightly pale, and before Evan could say a word, Hugh had already taken a small step back and blurted, "What do you want? I haven't done anything lately."
The people nearby saw Peiying High's campus war king Hugh Hu looking so scared in front of Evan Lin, and their curiosity about the boy's identity grew even stronger.
"Nothing much, just want to ask you something."
Evan Lin shook his head and walked forward. The crowd instinctively parted to let him through.
Hugh Hu hesitated for a moment, then obediently followed along.
"What do you want to know?"
Once they reached a spot with no one else around, Hugh Hu finally asked, a little nervously.
"I'm looking for Selina Wu. Do you know where she is?"
Evan Lin glanced at Hugh Hu, his eyes calm.
Before coming here, Evan had called Selina Wu, but no one picked up. At this point, he wasn't sure if she was still in Jinnan or had already gone to Oceanport.
"She hasn't come to school for several days. I heard Old Master Wu got angry about something and made her stay home, not allowed to go out," Hugh Hu said, looking wary.
"Where does she live?"
Evan Lin gave him a look.
"Uh..." Hugh Hu was clearly hesitant.
Seeing Evan Lin still staring at him, Hugh Hu finally spoke up: "Her home is near the Jinnan Military District Veterans’ Convalescent Center, but ordinary people can't get in there."
"Why are you looking for her?"
Hugh Hu really couldn't figure Evan Lin out. Back at White Dragon Mountain, he'd suffered a huge loss at Evan's hands.
Later, after coming to Capitalview, Hugh Hu got humiliated again. Now he was full of respect and awe for Evan Lin. After all, Evan had earned everything by his own skill, not like those second-generation heirs who relied on family background.
"To solve some trouble."
Last time at Ridgecrest Peak, no matter how you look at it, Selina Wu stood up for Evan Lin.
Whether it's the Guan family or the Wu family, neither really matters to Evan Lin. But since Selina Wu got grounded because of it, Evan has to go and demand an explanation.
Hearing Evan say this, Hugh Hu stared at him for a while. After hesitating, he finally took a deep breath and nodded, "I'll take you there."
Hugh Hu only made up his mind after thinking it over for a long time. Compared to before, when he used to resent Evan Lin for stealing his spotlight, now Hugh Hu genuinely admired him from the bottom of his heart.
Having agreed, Hugh Hu even decided to skip his afternoon classes. After tossing his basketball to a classmate, he left with Evan Lin in front of everyone.
"Who is that guy?"
Watching Evan Lin's back, more and more people were filled with confusion.
No one had ever heard of anyone at Peiying High who could just say a few words and get Hugh Hu to leave with them. Even though Hugh Hu was a bit of a troublemaker, he always went to class on time and never dared skip—his dad set that rule for him.
Now Hugh Hu turned and left decisively, and with Ben Chen still wearing that twisted bat around his neck, the new kid who just showed up seemed even more mysterious.
"That guy looks kind of familiar. I think I've seen him somewhere before..."
Someone in the crowd frowned hard, deep in thought.
"Wait, I remember now! He's that outside-school kid who hung out with Selina Wu after the Peiying High School Arts Gala!"
Finally, someone realized and shouted out in surprise.
That one shout instantly caused an uproar all around.
That day, the kid from another school actually got Selina Wu to walk the whole campus with him after the gala, and it had already caused a huge stir inside Peiying High.
Now, months later, seeing him again made everyone admire him even more.
After leaving Peiying High, Evan Lin walked alongside Hugh Hu down the road.
"Old Master Wu from the Wu family is a real soldier. Back in the Jinnan Military District, he was pretty impressive, but he doesn't like socializing much. After retiring, he rarely shows up, but he's actually a good guy."
"But if you're just going to look for Selina Wu like this, the real problem is actually her parents."
Along the way, Hugh Hu patiently explained things to Evan Lin.
Ever since that night, Hugh Hu had completely given up on Selina Wu.
On one hand, he didn't have the courage to go head-to-head with Allen Ju or Warren Wu; on the other, Hugh Hu felt that Selina Wu really liked this Evan Lin kid. Competing with Evan was out of the question—he didn't have the guts or the confidence.
"What's up with her parents?"
Evan Lin looked at Hugh Hu, a bit puzzled.
Evan Lin hadn't known Selina Wu for long. Back in Whitewood, he just thought she was carefree and bold, but after coming to Jinnan, that feeling only grew stronger.
But Evan had never heard Selina Wu talk about her parents. He always assumed she just didn't like to flaunt her family background, but now, hearing Hugh Hu bring it up, he felt maybe things weren't so simple.
"It's not that they're bad, just really strict—especially when it comes to flashy young people," Hugh Hu said with an awkward smile. "Honestly, I'm pretty scared of them. As for you, well, good luck."
"And also, from what I've heard over the years, I think her parents want to arrange a marriage for Selina Wu with someone. I don't know who, but I overheard Allen Ju and Warren Wu talking about it once. Seems like Selina might actually be interested?"
At this point, Hugh Hu glanced nervously at Evan Lin's face, but seeing Evan's usual calm expression, he finally relaxed a little.
"It's all just hearsay, but one thing's for sure—over the years, tons of guys have chased after Selina Wu. Ben Chen and Kai Chen even fought over her. But as far as I know, she's never dated anyone or shown real interest in anybody."
While talking, Hugh Hu glanced at Evan Lin walking beside him. "Except for you."
"Except for me?" Evan Lin was taken aback.
"Yeah, because you're the first guy she ever walked around the whole school with. Do you have any idea how many people at Peiying High lost sleep over you that night?"
Hugh Hu sighed softly.