"Why are you all staring at me?"
Selina Wu glanced at the Wu family and the group around her, suddenly feeling a bit lost.
Just a moment ago, she was worried about Evan Lin’s safety, but now it seems that dealing with this formation isn’t much of a problem for him.
"Uh... Selina."
Leon Lu was the first to speak, rubbing his hands together: "You and Master Lin from Seacrest seem pretty familiar, right?"
He grinned, his smile carrying a hint of deeper meaning.
Leon Lu had taken a hit earlier today, but right now he couldn’t care less about his injuries. At this moment, he looked just like a sly fox.
"I guess so."
Selina Wu frowned. Her relationship with Evan Lin was not too close, not too distant—somewhere in between.
And in the past, Selina had even asked Evan Lin to pretend to be her boyfriend.
Thinking back now, Selina realized that when she had Evan Lin act as her boyfriend, he probably just treated it like a game.
After all, someone as strong as Master Lin from Seacrest pretending to be a girl’s boyfriend—if word got out, people would definitely laugh.
"That’s good enough."
Leon Lu chuckled, "I think this guy is really strong."
"Yeah, strong. Super strong."
Martin Wu nodded along, "Honestly, I don’t really know what to say about this."
"So, little sis, how about, when you get the chance, you help us ask this Evan Lin—Master Lin from Seacrest—whether he’s willing to take disciples?"
Martin Wu smacked his lips, getting more hyped the more he thought about it: "He’s way stronger than the Tiger guys, and Nightstar’s got nothing on him. Who knows, maybe he’s even at Moonshade’s level!"
"If he could give me just a little guidance, my strength would definitely improve a lot!"
At this point, Martin Wu couldn’t help but feel fired up—and a little annoyed too.
"Having such a top-tier expert right by my side, how did I never notice before?"
"If I’d realized earlier, I wouldn’t have even needed to join Tiger."
After Martin Wu finished, Leon Lu quickly picked up the thread: "Actually, back on Guanchao Island, after this guy took care of those two from the Young Tiger Rankings all by himself, I should’ve guessed he was a super expert."
"But I never expected he’d be way stronger than I imagined—so strong it’s honestly beyond reason."
"Nightstar invited him to be an instructor and he still refused. If he’s willing to teach us, wouldn’t that mean we’d have an instructor even stronger than Nightstar’s?"
Leon Lu was rubbing his hands together, looking just like a merchant who’d spotted a pile of cash.
Behind him, a bunch of people who were close to Allen Ju couldn’t help but blurt out their thoughts, too.
Right now, this whole group looked like they just wanted to kneel and worship Evan Lin on the spot.
How strong do you have to be to completely ignore Nightstar and take on their strongest formation head-on, all by yourself?
Before, they’d all supported Allen Ju at the Yannan Conference, which basically meant they were standing on Evan Lin’s side.
Now, a lot of them couldn’t help but feel relieved—thankful they hadn’t made the stupid mistake of picking the wrong side back then.
"Why don’t you guys ask him yourselves?"
Selina Wu raised an eyebrow. "And even if I ask, it’s not like my words will necessarily work."
Selina Wu never liked getting tangled up in too many favors with Evan Lin. She’d always been a free-spirited girl, ever since she was little.
Back in school, she would stand up for bullied kids, but once she’d helped, she rarely bothered to keep in touch with them afterward.
In other words, Selina just really liked the way things were—being on her own.
Over the years, she’d met plenty of outstanding guys, and even more had tried to chase after her.
But Selina Wu was always Selina Wu. She’d never really dated anyone, always a proud single by choice.
She used to think this would never change, that no guy would ever make her really care or want to stay.
If it ever got to that point, she’d lose all her freedom—and that just wouldn’t be cool at all.
Until that day on the basketball court in Whitewood County, when she met the boy standing outside the court, tossing the ball into the hoop with his back turned.
Until that time in the Whitewood County internet café, when that boy—who seemed uninterested in everything—totally crushed her in a game.
Later, after leaving Whitewood, she headed to Jinnan.
Selina once thought she and that kid would never cross paths again in their lives.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, they were from two different worlds.
A talented boy from a small county, no rich family, no powerful background—even if he had great grades and was super smart, even if his life was smooth, he’d need ten, twenty, maybe thirty years just to climb a few steps up.
But unexpectedly, they met again in Jinnan.
And not only did they meet—he actually showed up at Selina’s school in Jinnan, stirring up trouble with a group that was hard to mess with.
Then Selina had him pretend to be her boyfriend, they ate together, and he helped her out of a jam.
Looking back at everything since then, Selina suddenly realized that Evan Lin—Master Lin from Seacrest—had somehow left a bold, unforgettable mark in her life and memories.
And she just couldn’t shake it off.
It was almost like it had taken root in her heart.
At first, Selina didn’t think much of it—just chalked it up to an illusion. After all, she still liked that carefree, unrestrained life.
With the Wu family backing her, she had plenty of time to see the world, wander the streets with her camera, hunt for dessert shops, and take beautiful photos.
But feeling the way Martin Wu and the others were looking at her, Selina suddenly realized that, somewhere along the way, she’d gotten a little too close to Evan Lin.
So close that everyone around them noticed.
"You just don’t get it," Martin Wu said.
Martin Wu chuckled, "If we ask, we’d feel embarrassed. We’ve all known each other for ages, so if he says no, it’d be awkward for everyone."
"Besides, we haven’t really talked to him much—just eaten and hung out together. Our relationship’s decent, but asking something like this is still tough."
"But you’re different."
Saying this, Martin Wu’s expression turned serious.
"How am I different?"
Selina raised an eyebrow, trying to act calm, but she couldn’t deny that her heart skipped a beat for a moment.
Even if it was just a little, it really did speed up.
She felt a strange mix of panic, hesitation, and maybe even a bit of expectation?
It was a complicated feeling she couldn’t quite put into words.
"At least I think, in his eyes, you’re someone special."
Martin Wu turned to look at Evan Lin, who was still charging forward inside the Spring Gate: "Maybe you don’t realize it, but I do."
"Back then, for his sake, you went to the Guan family in Oceanport to apologize. Because of that, he went to Oceanport too."
"You know Butcher Tu, right? He was the Guan family’s manager, a first-grade Vajra peak, an old eunuch left over from the previous dynasty—scary strong, with endless tricks."
At this, Martin Wu’s face grew solemn.
"What happened to Butcher Tu?"
Hearing Martin Wu’s words, Selina thought for a moment. She hadn’t spent long at the Guan family, and left soon after.
Honestly, the whole Guan family basically relied on that old eunuch, Butcher Tu.
But Selina hadn’t paid much attention to what happened to Butcher Tu. She just noticed that, in the days after, she never saw him again.
A lot of people in the Guan family did mention him, though.
"Wasn’t Butcher Tu still doing fine at the Guan family?"
Selina was puzzled, not sure why Martin Wu was bringing this up now.
As far as she knew, everything with the Guan family was already over.
Selina had no intention of going back to the Guan family.
"No, Butcher Tu’s gone for good."
Martin Wu shook his head.
"Gone for good?"
Selina was stunned, genuinely surprised by this news.
"Yeah, I only found out about it later."
Martin Wu nodded, "The Guan family sent Butcher Tu to pressure our Wu family—first to force you to apologize, second to make Grandpa Wu give in."
Later, Butcher Tu went to Minghai to witness the Mo Yang battle, then returned to Oceanport, and after that, he was gone.
Mentioning this, Martin Wu took a deep breath: "I wasn’t planning to tell you, but now I think it’s fine."
Butcher Tu’s body was found at the base of Racer Mountain in Oceanport. He was sent off for good right there.
From what I know, during that time, apart from witnessing the Mo Yang battle, Butcher Tu only had a grudge with Evan Lin.
And the reason for that grudge was you.
At this, Martin Wu glanced at the stunned Selina, sighing: "You think you went to the Guan family to protect Evan Lin?"
"That’s not how it really happened. After you went to the Guan family, not long after, Evan Lin—Master Lin from Seacrest—found out and went to Oceanport."
He went to Oceanport and helped send Butcher Tu off, which threw the whole Guan family into chaos.
He went to Oceanport alone—why do you think he did that?
Wasn’t it all for you?
With all that between you, who would believe you and him aren’t close?
That’s why I said, if you ask him, it might really work.
And I’m sure, in his heart, you’re not just anyone—you’re special.