Jill Jing stood frozen in place, her small figure unmoving, eyes suddenly reddening.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Is that student about to cry?"
"Did that guy just say something he shouldn't have?"
Instantly, everyone's attention in the hall turned to Evan Lin.
"Is that Evan Lin?"
Yvonne Xie glanced over at that moment, frowning. Running into Evan Lin here was a surprise for her.
Still, although she thought the person looked a lot like Evan Lin, Yvonne wasn't sure, so she glanced at Martin Ma beside her.
Martin Ma nodded, "That's Evan Lin."
"Tch, that slacker actually came to the Olympiad?" Yvonne Xie sneered, curling her lip in disdain.
"Tsk tsk, I could tell during the exam—he left before it was even over. Guys like that must've gotten in through connections." Brandon Yang grabbed a piece of meat, popped it in his mouth, then glanced at the downcast Martin Ma and patted him on the shoulder. "What, didn't do well on the test?"
"No, it's... it's fine," Martin Ma jumped in surprise and shook his head.
"As long as you did well, that's what matters. Don't worry, I won't forget what I promised you." Brandon Yang grinned, then turned to Yvonne Xie. "So, what kind of person was Evan Lin before? He seems pretty popular now."
"Popular?" Yvonne Xie shook her head. "He was just a coward. His grades were bad in middle school, raised by his mom alone—she's just an elementary school teacher. After the high school entrance exam, who knows what connections he used to get into Brightsea No. 2 High."
Talking about this, a hint of jealousy flickered in Yvonne Xie's eyes.
She'd always looked down on Evan Lin. She thought for sure after the entrance exam he'd be sent straight to the worst vocational school, but somehow he ended up at Brightsea No. 2 High.
That left Yvonne feeling bitter ever since.
"I see." Brandon Yang grinned slyly, his gaze toward Evan Lin growing more interested.
Meanwhile, as everyone watched Jill Jing, she suddenly let go—her treasured giant bottle of cola dropped to the floor.
Then, without looking back, Jill turned and dashed out of the hall at full speed.
"What's going on?!"
Victor Qin and the River City First High School students were all stunned.
"Mr. Liu, Mr. Gu, excuse me for a moment." Victor Qin stood up from his seat and quickly ran out after her.
Evan Lin's eyes flickered as he looked out the window, sensing a familiar aura.
"Where are you going?" Rachel Liu, who was sitting next to Evan, asked as he suddenly stood up.
Evan didn't answer and walked straight out of the hall.
......
Jill Jing hurried down the stairs, her steps light but fast, almost flying.
When she pushed open the restaurant doors and looked to the side, she didn't see anyone.
Jill paused, then almost instinctively headed toward the dark alley nearby.
She shuffled forward, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.
"Jill! What's wrong?" Victor Qin was the first to catch up and saw Jill Jing trembling all over. He hurried over to her.
Seeing Jill's fragile figure, Victor Qin felt a sudden pang of sadness.
"What are you looking for? Your cousin? Maybe he had something to do and stepped away for a bit." Victor Qin looked around, not seeing Gavin Duan, who was usually always with Jill, and tried to comfort her.
Jill didn't answer. When she reached the mouth of the alley, she looked down and saw a little pink lunch box on the ground.
The food inside had spilled everywhere, and the chopsticks had fallen to the ground too.
Jill squatted down, picked up the pink lunch box, then looked into the alley, eyes full of confusion.
"Jill, don't run off like that." Victor Qin was getting a headache, but when he followed Jill's gaze into the alley, his expression suddenly changed. He quickly pulled Jill behind him, staring warily at a figure leaning against the wall.
The man was deathly pale, gaunt, with white hair and lifeless eyes. His clothes were in disarray, and he looked as if he might die at any moment.
He looked like a ghost.
"Who are you? Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll call the police!"
Victor Qin felt his hair stand on end at the sight of the man, but his sense of duty as a teacher kept him in front of Jill. He patted her hand, urging her to leave quickly.
"Ji—"
The man looked toward the mouth of the alley. The streetlight shone on Jill, casting a long shadow. He stretched out his withered hands, trying to speak, his voice hoarse and weak.
His eyes were full of desolation as he looked at Jill.
Jill stepped out from behind Victor Qin, ignoring his attempt to stop her, and walked slowly toward the man.
"It's dangerous!"
Victor Qin reached out to grab her, but missed.
Jill walked up to the man, squatted down, and looked at him—this ghostly figure—without a trace of fear.
Her eyes were red as she took out the little lunch box, picked up a clean piece of meat, and held it to the man's mouth. "Here, eat this," she murmured.
The man gave a bitter smile. "I... I can't eat anymore."
Jill bit her lip and shoved the meat into his mouth, tears streaming down her face.
Struggling to chew, the man coughed, looking at Jill with eyes full of affection. "From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself, Little Jill. Remember..."
Before he could finish, footsteps echoed from deeper in the alley.
"No wonder, no wonder. I was wondering how a boy who hasn't even finished growing could have so much nourishment. No wonder—turns out there's something special right here."
"Looks like I've struck gold this time! So what if the blood corpse is gone?"
A seductive voice rang out, tinged with a hint of madness.
"Jill! Run!"
At the sound of the voice, Gavin's eyes widened. Using all his strength, he shoved Jill toward the exit.
"Are you Gavin Duan?" Only now did Victor Qin realize, shocked, as he saw the woman in the alley.
The woman had a beautiful face, but her eyes were icy cold. Just one glance sent chills down his spine.
She walked out of the alley, moving slowly, and stuck out her pink tongue to lick the blood still smeared on her lips.
Jill glared at the woman, her face full of vigilance and hostility.
"Who would've thought I'd run into such a rare delicacy here! So nourishing! So nourishing!"
Lena Chu's gaze fell on Jill. Gavin Duan struggled to push Jill away, but couldn't.
Jill stood her ground, lifting her head to meet Lena Chu's gaze. Petite at just one fifty-five, she was delicate but unyielding.