After dinner, Haiyang Sheng left with Claire Sheng, asking for Evan Lin's number and giving him another round of praise before departing.
On the ride home, Charles Chen was in high spirits, constantly praising Evan for growing up and finally making something of himself. Lucy Lu chimed in with agreement from the side.
Evan's face remained calm. Next to him, Lynn Chen glared at him, wanting to say something, but Evan didn't even bother to look her way, which made Lynn grind her teeth in frustration.
Once home, Evan showered and returned to his room.
He sat cross-legged on his bed and activated the Grand Dao Qi-Refining Art. After completing a full cycle, he slowly opened his eyes.
“I crippled Tyson Liu today. Their family probably won’t let this go. Looks like I’ll need to pay the Liu household a visit soon.” Evan narrowed his eyes, his gaze growing cold.
Early the next morning, Evan finished his run and headed off to school.
At breakfast, Lynn Chen didn’t even look Evan’s way once.
Today was Monday—a special day for Brightsea No. 2 High.
Because the Summer Cup at Brightsea No. 2 High was about to kick off.
As Brightsea No. 2 High’s annual soccer tournament for over a decade, the school once produced the legendary player Gavin Gu. This is the only event where No. 2 High can hold its head high in front of No. 1 High.
From early morning, the whole school was buzzing with talk about this year’s Summer Cup.
“It’s Summer Cup season again. The teams look pretty strong this year, huh?” A group of boys chatted as they walked toward the school gate.
“Class 3 were the champs last year. That Ethan Yi is a beast—he basically carried the whole team by himself. This year might just be his solo show again.” One of the boys spoke with admiration, clearly nostalgic about last year’s Summer Cup.
“No kidding. I heard Ethan Yi already made the provincial team, and a lot of people say he could be the next Gavin Gu—maybe even make the national team someday.” Another boy chimed in.
Evan walked toward the school, listening to the students’ chatter along the way, his expression calm as ever.
“Evan!”
Behind him, Mia Chen called out, backpack slung over her shoulder as she spotted Evan.
“Our class is up against Class 3 today. Are you ready? If anyone from our class gets hurt, you’ll need to be ready to sub in at any moment.” Mia looked at Evan, reminding him seriously.
This match was a big deal for Class 7. Last year, Class 7 did terribly, which left their homeroom teacher, Mr. Zheng, in a foul mood.
This time, their luck was even worse. Right from the start, their very first match was against Class 3.
With Ethan Yi on their side, Class 3 was a powerhouse—everyone already considered them the champions.
To make matters worse, Class 7’s sports committee member, Victor Feng, had mysteriously gotten injured and was still in the hospital.
Mia could only hope her class would lose gracefully—winning wasn’t even on her mind.
“Those losers aren’t worthy of playing soccer with me. I’ll play the second half—alone.” Evan glanced at Mia, his tone indifferent.
Mia’s face darkened. “Evan! The match is today—can’t you put your attitude aside for once? This is about our whole class’s honor! Last week you made that bet with Darren Zhao and the others—fine, but do you really mean to go out there alone?”
Mia was so angry at Evan’s attitude that her face turned red.
“Of course. I’m enough on my own.”
“You!”
Mia bit her lip, pointing her pale finger at Evan, about to say something more—but Evan had already turned and walked off, leaving her with nothing but his back. Furious, Mia stomped her foot. “Idiot! If you really go out there alone, not only will our class become the school’s laughingstock, but Mr. Zheng definitely won’t let you off!”
Evan didn’t look back. As he headed upstairs, he ran into Lily Zhong at the stairwell corner.
Today, Lily wore a light blue dress, her hair in a ponytail, white canvas shoes on her feet, and a small stretch of fair calf showing—fresh and striking.
Ever since that incident at Imperial Grand, when Lily pressed Evan’s hand to her chest and he rejected her, she’d been deeply unsettled for two days straight.
She kept feeling she’d made a mistake—treating Evan like Jack Zhang and those men who only wanted her body.
Seeing Evan in his new outfit, looking sharp and energetic, Lily was momentarily stunned. Before she could say anything, Evan walked past her with a calm face.
They brushed past each other.
No hesitation, no lingering at all.
Lily’s heart suddenly trembled, a wave of grievance rising within her.
Evan had just stepped into the classroom when Darren Zhao and his crew looked over, smirking. “Oh, Evan, I thought you’d be too scared to show up today.”
“It’s Summer Cup kickoff today, and our class is up against Class 3—with Ethan Yi. Evan, do you remember what you said last week?” one of the boys sneered at him.
“Probably doesn’t remember. Everyone knows Evan’s memory sucks—no wonder his grades are trash. And after provoking Tyson and Trevor Liu, he still dares to come to school? Guy must have a death wish.” Another boy lounged in his chair, chiming in.
Bang.
Evan dropped his backpack onto the desk, glanced at Darren and the others, and spoke slowly: “You losers play the first half. Second half, I go in alone.”
“And if you keep yapping in front of me, I’ll cripple you too.”
As he finished, Evan’s eyes flashed coldly. Darren and his crew shuddered, startled, feeling as if they’d fallen into an ice cave.
“So what if he’s good at fighting? All he does is talk big. Just wait till the match this afternoon—let’s see how hard he embarrasses himself.” One boy muttered, shrinking back and finally shutting up.
Darren snorted. He wanted to mock Evan some more, but thought better of it—if Evan got pissed and refused to play, it’d be a loss for everyone.
“Just wait for the match to start. Let’s see what you say then.” Darren thought to himself, already relishing the idea of Evan making a fool of himself in front of everyone.
Mia walked into the classroom, shot Evan a glare, and huffed as she passed him.
“A guy who only cares about showing off but doesn’t have the skills—so shallow.”
“Evan, you’ve always been this kind of person, haven’t you?”
“I misjudged you before.” Mia thought to herself, shaking her head slightly. “Forget it. We’re destined to be a joke. I just hope our class doesn’t lose too badly.”
Thinking about having to face Ethan Yi and Class 3, Mia’s headache only got worse.
As class monitor, if they lost too badly, Mia would feel the pressure, and her mood soured.
Just then, the classroom broadcast crackled to life.
“Attention, students: please gather on the playground in ten minutes. The annual Summer Cup pep rally is about to begin.”