They couldn't understand Chen Meng's attitude toward Lin Yi.
But as long as they could prove that Lin Yi had no friends waiting for him there—if Chen Meng realized he really was deliberately staging a "coincidental" meeting—it would definitely make her dislike him.
"A girl."
Lin Yi glanced at Zhou Zheng, his tone casual as he spoke.
Chen Meng was slightly taken aback by that answer.
Zhou Zheng and the others were also stunned. They'd assumed that since Lin Yi was here for Chen Meng, he'd at least try to avoid suspicion.
But actually, this was even better for them.
Zhou Zheng snapped back to attention, his smile growing wider. "A girl, huh? For you to come all this way just to hang out with her, your relationship must be pretty special, right?"
"Don't tell me she's your girlfriend?"
With Zhou Zheng's question, the others all looked at Lin Yi with amused smiles.
With Chen Meng's proud personality, there's no way she'd keep getting tangled up with a guy who already has a girlfriend.
Chen Meng frowned slightly, but she could see through Victor Zhou and the others' intentions.
"She's not." Lin Yi shook his head, just as straightforward and decisive as before.
But Victor Zhou and the others didn't care anymore.
Lin Yi's denial and refusal didn't really matter anymore.
Just like Victor Zhou said.
Coming all the way out here just to see a female friend—
Who would believe there's nothing special between them?
"What a coincidence—we're actually here on business too," someone said.
A boy on the side laughed, "We're just here to have fun on Seahaven Island."
"Right, besides that, we also have friends waiting for us on Seahaven Island," the boy added.
His words carried a hint of smugness.
These guys just couldn't stand Lin Yi.
Lin Yi didn't bother wasting words with them.
Seeing Lin Yi stay silent, the boy seemed to want to keep pushing the issue.
"I heard Ethan Lu's family is based here on Seahaven Island. They're pretty influential. Before we came, he said once we're here, there's plenty of seafood, and not just that—the hotels are all booked for us, real sea-view rooms!"
The boy laughed, glancing at the others as he started chatting.
"Back in sophomore year, Ethan Lu was elected president of the Student Union. He must have real ability and talent." Emily Yi nodded.
She'd just been focused on Lin Yi, but when someone brought up Ethan Lu, all her attention instantly shifted.
As she spoke, her eyes were full of admiration: "When we started college, Ethan Lu even played piano at the freshman gala! I still remember it like it was yesterday!"
"Isn't that right? I've heard Ethan Lu's family business is pretty big, and outside school, he's got real clout." Another girl, Mia Chen's roommate, leaned forward excitedly. "You guys probably don't know this, but when the Outreach Department tried to get sponsorships for the freshman gala, most merchants wouldn't even talk to them. Ethan Lu went over, said a few words, and the merchant immediately handed over five hundred thousand!"
"Five hundred thousand! You could say the entire gala's sponsorship was settled with just a few words from Ethan Lu. He's pretty low-key at school, so only a few people in the Outreach Department actually know about this!"
Hearing that number, Lin Yi noticed that Victor Zhou, who had just been subtly trying to pressure him, now looked openly envious.
Victor Zhou's family wasn't anything special. Even though he worked hard at his studies, in this era, trying to catch up to people who were born with a silver spoon is basically impossible.
"Mimi, I even know a secret about Ethan Lu. Want to hear it?"
The girl suddenly turned to look at Mia Chen, who was lost in thought.
Mia Chen had been spaced out, but hearing her name snapped her back. "What?"
The girl smiled mysteriously at Mia Chen, then said, "Actually, Ethan Lu really likes you."
As soon as she said it—
Mia Chen was stunned, and Emily Yi blinked in surprise.
Victor Zhou's face suddenly turned ugly, and the other boys were just as stunned.
"Don't make things up. Ethan Lu and I barely know each other," Mia Chen protested.
"He's about to graduate, and we've hardly interacted. We barely talked at school."
"At most, we might've bumped into each other in the library."
She frowned.
"Look at how nervous you are," the girl sighed.
"Mimi, think about it—other girls would love for Ethan Lu to notice them, but you're the only one who's terrified of any connection with him."
"I don't know what you're thinking, honestly."
"But I'm telling you, this is something I heard straight from the Outreach Department. Cindy Hong knows about it—she's the department head, super pretty and has a great figure."
"She and Ethan Lu went to the same high school. She followed him to our university, and that's how the rumor started."
"Later, Cindy Hong confessed to Ethan Lu, but he rejected her. She kept pestering him, so he finally admitted to her face that he already had someone he liked—and that person was you."
The girl finished her story, ignoring Mia Chen's blank, dumbfounded face, and sighed, "Can't help it, you're just too good-looking."
"Hmm, I guess Ethan Lu also likes your unique personality. You don't care about money or looks, and that's probably why he fell for you."
She was just guessing.
Victor Zhou's face was already pale as a sheet.
"Don't talk nonsense. Mimi already said she's barely met Ethan Lu. How could he like her so easily?" Victor Zhou protested weakly.
Victor Zhou was still struggling to hold on.
When Lin Yi appeared, Victor could still keep up a bit of rivalry and fighting spirit.
That was because, in Victor's eyes, he and Lin Yi both came from Minghai City, so their backgrounds and families were probably similar.
But Ethan Lu was on a whole different level.
In the girls' gossip, Ethan Lu was basically a super rich second generation.
Victor Zhou instantly lost all confidence.
"Hey, I'm not making this up. Otherwise, why would Ethan Lu invite us to Seahaven Island?"
The girl shook her head. "There are so many people at school, but you never see Ethan Lu inviting just anyone, right?"
"He only invited us because of Mimi."
"If you ask me, Ethan Lu is definitely going to treat Mimi well this time—he's gearing up for a full-on pursuit!"