The country bumpkin youth was directly thrown out by Evan Lin and did not come back in.
The train slowly started up, and Claire Li could hear the sound of the wheels rubbing against the rails by her ear.
It was so quiet in the compartment that you could hear a pin drop.
"You..."
Claire Li looked at the calm-faced boy sitting across from her, reading a magazine, and finally couldn't help but speak.
"What's up?"
Evan Lin flipped through his magazine, heard her voice, and replied blandly.
Seeing that this boy didn't even glance at her, Claire Li felt a bit complicated. If it were just a chance meeting, she probably wouldn't have paid much attention to Evan Lin.
But just now, hadn't he played the hero and saved the beauty?
Thinking about it, Claire Li felt some strange emotions stirring inside.
"Thanks for earlier." Claire Li muttered softly, her eyes falling on the boy as she studied him closely.
From the side, the boy looked pretty fair-skinned, and seemed young, but compared to the campus princes lining up to chase after Claire Li, he was just as good as any of them.
"Mm."
Evan Lin just answered with a faint hum and couldn't be bothered to say anything more.
Claire Li was left speechless for a moment. Usually, people tried to chat her up, but now she was the one trying to start a conversation—and this guy seemed to have zero interest in her.
It almost felt like an insult to her looks.
Seeing the boy beside her really didn't seem interested at all, Claire Li's feelings shifted from gratitude to a bit of annoyance.
Not long after, the door was yanked open by Victor Wen, who'd finally recovered. He had a huge lump on his forehead, making him look ridiculously comical.
"Yuran, I'm here to protect you!"
Victor Wen opened the door, thinking the boy who came in after him was a creep too, but when he looked inside, nothing had happened at all.
But Victor Wen noticed Claire Li's slightly furrowed brows and instantly felt a chill in his heart. He turned to Evan Lin, who was reading his magazine with a cold expression, and quickly put on a smile. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, hurriedly stepping forward: "Hey, bro, want a smoke? Thanks to you just now, you saved my Yuran. I, Victor Wen, owe you! If you ever need anything, just look for me—I owe you a favor!"
Victor Wen patted his chest sincerely and quickly offered the cigarettes.
He wasn't stupid—just now, that country kid had knocked out all three of them with a few punches, and this new boy in the compartment had kicked that bumpkin out the door with barely any effort. Clearly, this guy was way stronger than the last one.
Evan Lin looked up and glanced at him coolly. "No need."
Claire Li frowned at Victor Wen's behavior. "Victor Wen, no smoking on the train. Put those away! And get out now!"
"Uh... Yuran, look, the two upper bunks are still empty, right? How about I move here tonight and squeeze in?" Victor Wen looked at Claire Li, his swollen face full of sycophantic smiles.
But when he saw Claire Li's pretty face turn cold, he immediately backed out: "If you need anything, call me! I'm just in the next compartment!"
Once Victor Wen left, Claire Li finally felt relieved. But before she could turn to look at Evan Lin, the door was yanked open again with a whoosh.
Victor Wen poked his head in from outside, looked at Claire Li, and said, "Oh yeah, Jiang Yao and the others said they'll meet us at Capitalview Station. When we get there, we can go out for late-night snacks together, right?"
After saying that, Victor Wen turned to Evan Lin and grinned, "Bro, you can join us too. I'll introduce you to some pretty girls."
"Get lost!"
Claire Li saw Victor Wen still trying to add another line, got furious, and grabbed a box of biscuits to throw at him.
Victor Wen quickly ducked his head and shut the door.
As soon as the door closed, Victor Wen's fawning smile vanished. He put on a serious face, with the two buddies who'd just been beaten standing next to him.
"Wen-ge, what's the situation?"
The two had been standing farther away, but when Victor Wen came out, they rushed over. They didn't dare look into the soft-sleeper compartment, afraid Claire Li would spot them.
"Nothing for now. The woman I've got my eye on won't be messed with by anyone else. If anything does happen, I'll kill that kid myself!"
Victor Wen looked ruthless, then glanced through the glass on the compartment door at Evan Lin, who was still reading his magazine, and said coldly, "When we get to Capitalview, find that country bumpkin for me. I want to cripple him myself for daring to hit me!"
"And as for this guy, when we get to Capitalview, I'll dig into his background. He'd better behave and stay away from Claire Li, or else he can't blame me for being harsh!"
With that, Victor Wen snorted coldly and went back to his own compartment with his two buddies.
Victor Wen's family had some influence in Capitalview, and he himself was a minor campus celebrity. As for Claire Li, she was the department beauty at their school, with plenty of admirers.
To get close to Claire Li, Victor Wen often sabotaged others behind the scenes. He'd finally managed to grab a hero-saves-the-beauty chance, only to have it snatched away by someone else.
Even though he was seriously annoyed, he kept his attitude low so Claire Li wouldn't see him as some arrogant rich kid abusing his power.
"Wolves can walk a thousand miles and still eat meat; dogs can walk a thousand miles and still eat shit."
As Victor Wen and his friends finished their whispered plotting and left, Evan Lin glanced at the door and muttered the proverb.
Victor Wen's petty schemes didn't bother Evan Lin at all. As long as Victor kept his head down and didn't provoke him, Evan would just treat him like a fart—nothing worth worrying about.
"Are you going to Capitalview for school?"
Claire Li looked at Evan Lin and asked.
"You could call it school."
Evan Lin nodded, closed his magazine, and shut his eyes, saying nothing more.
The train sped along. Later that night, Claire Li went out and bought two boxed meals, giving one to Evan Lin. He didn't refuse, but honestly, the train food tasted pretty awful.
"The train is about to arrive at the next stop, Capitalview Station. Passengers who need to get off, please take your belongings with you to avoid loss."
At 2 a.m., the carriage broadcast sounded.
Evan Lin slowly opened his eyes and looked out the train window into the pitch-black night.
They'd finally arrived.