He pushed open the door.
Evan Lin swept his calm gaze across the room.
Last time he came, the center of the first-floor hall was still an auction stage, but now it had been turned into a raised platform.
The platform rose slightly above the ground, with steps leading up on all sides.
The first-floor hall was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.
Even the seats on the second floor were crammed full.
In several VIP rooms on the third floor, important guests sat in silence.
As the elderly usher led Evan Lin and his group inside, people had already begun to notice them.
"Evan Lin!"
Rachel Liu, who had looked a bit distracted, suddenly spotted Evan at the entrance and blurted out in shock.
"Huh?"
The elderly man sitting nearby heard Rachel Liu's voice and gently opened his eyes.
"Luran, don't speak."
Julia Du, sitting beside her, was startled by Rachel's words. She quickly reached out and tugged Rachel's hand.
But it was already too late.
The two women who had just been chatting heard Rachel Liu's words, turned their heads toward the entrance, and started teasing: "Oh, Evan Lin? Is he the classmate who fought Drake Huang here last time? Which one is he? Luran, point him out for me."
"Yeah, I want to see what kind of student he is. So young and already causing trouble instead of studying—fighting Drake Huang? He really doesn’t know his place. If any family had a kid like that, their parents would worry themselves sick." The other woman chimed in, face full of sarcasm.
Both women were Liu family daughters-in-law. Unlike Julia Du, they were born into minor noble families and had much better backgrounds than her.
Plus, Edward Liu—Rachel's father—might have 'dragon' in his name, but in business he was only upper-middle at best, and as a man, he couldn’t really get involved in these family squabbles.
So Julia Du often had to swallow her pride. Hearing the two women now, her face turned slightly awkward. After a moment’s thought, she said, "Luran and him just go to the same school, not even real classmates."
Back when Julia Du saw Evan Lin getting close to Damon Wang, she was hoping to use Evan to get in with Damon. But after more than a month, everyone knew Damon had angered Medicine King Valley—he could barely protect himself now.
Now all Julia wanted was for Rachel Liu to cut ties with Evan Lin as soon as possible.
"Hmm, being able to fight Drake Huang to a draw at his age—even if Drake was badly injured at the time—is still impressive. It seems Luran’s schoolmate has some skills." When the Liu family patriarch spoke, the two women immediately fell silent.
"But even if he could fight an injured Drake Huang to a draw, his future isn’t guaranteed. The Li family has returned, and Aiden Li personally came to discuss the old engagement contract with me. Now that Luran is grown, it’s time to put that marriage on the agenda."
The Liu family patriarch spoke slowly.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone’s eyes turned to Rachel Liu.
The two women’s eyes flashed with envy. "That’s right, Luran. Caleb Li from the Li family is quite the catch. If you marry into the Li family, you’ll never have to worry about your future."
"Too bad I didn’t have a daughter, sigh."
Hearing these words, Julia Du couldn’t help but feel proud, but she didn’t notice Rachel Liu’s sudden look of disappointment.
......
"Summer Mu, get familiar with all the companies here. Once you graduate, you’ll gradually take over the Summer Group. This time, pay attention to everyone around you—they’re all people you’ll have to deal with in the future."
"Some are good, some are bad, but most are just businessmen. Businessmen eat others to grow themselves."
"If you can’t see a person clearly the first time, look again. If you still can’t see, keep watching. Life is long—don’t rush. Once you’re running the Summer Group, I’ll finally be able to rest."
Sawyer Summer spoke slowly, his tone gentle after surviving his recent ordeal.
Summer Mu nodded quietly. Compared to a month ago, he was clearly much steadier now.
After listening to Sawyer Summer, Summer Mu glanced toward the entrance and noticed Evan Lin walking in. He froze for a moment. Sawyer Summer saw him too, and after a brief pause, smiled. "I didn’t expect him to come. Last time, thanks to your friend, I survived. Otherwise, I might not be here now."
"After the competition, invite him to dinner."
......
Evan Lin entered with four companions.
Shawn Shi and Dong Zi walked beside him. As soon as they entered and saw the scene, their expressions changed slightly. After all these years in River City, they’d never been to such a high-end place.
Feeling the stares around them, Shawn Shi and Dong Zi quickly straightened up.
Behind them, Jill Jing was being carried on Gavin Duan’s shoulder.
Gavin Duan’s nearly two-meter-tall frame was like a mountain—he became the center of attention as soon as he entered.
"Is he competing too?" Someone looked at Gavin Duan, face full of suspicion.
"He might be. He’s huge—sure, that masked guy is tall, but this one could be a real match. Maybe he’s here just for the masked man." someone speculated.
Lately, a masked fighter had appeared in River City’s boxing tournament.
Not only was he huge, but he had skin like bronze and bones like iron—unafraid of knives or guns, downright terrifying.
Last time, he even boasted that he was the strongest Vajra—just looking for someone who could beat him!
Such bold words immediately stirred up a storm.
In River City, the only previous Vajra was Huang Longji, the city’s top fighter, who had just broken into the Vajra realm. Sadly, he was killed right after—tragic and heartbreaking.
Now, seeing Gavin Duan walk in, everyone started speculating.
"So many people," Jill Jing said, clutching her cola and looking around in wonder.
"This way, Mr. Lin." The elderly man glanced at the Li family’s section, then, after a nod from Aiden Li, led Evan Lin and his group to a private booth in the first-floor hall.
There were eight booths in total, each a different size.
As Evan Lin’s group headed into their booth, everyone immediately understood.
"So they really are here to compete!"
"Looks like we’re in for a good show today. I wonder if that masked man can wipe out the whole field again!"