Charles Chen and Lucy Lu exchanged glances for a long moment. The last time, Lynn Chen had finally worked up the courage to talk things through with Evan Lin, but whether she actually managed to say it, or what the result was if she did, neither Charles nor Lucy knew.
But ever since that day, Lynn rarely brought up Evan at home anymore. Even just a glimpse of her attitude was enough to tell.
Charles and Lucy had always believed Lynn should make her own decisions, never interfering directly. But as soon as Lucy mentioned it, they both immediately thought of this possibility.
"Should we ask Lynn about it?" Charles said hesitantly.
"Better wait and see for now," Lucy decided after a long pause, opting to observe a bit longer.
By the time Evan got home, it was already past two in the afternoon. After showering and fielding calls from Joy Zheng and Lucy Lu, it was half past four, so he couldn’t be bothered to run over to school.
The apartment was empty, and the Three Maiden Spirits inside the Soul-Sacrifice Beauty Scroll were still badly injured, quietly recuperating.
Evan went to the living room, turned on the TV, and lounged on the sofa, flipping through a few channels—a rare moment of leisure.
Back in Whitewood, every night after Evan finished school, Joy Zheng only let him watch TV until nine o’clock. By nine-thirty, she made sure he went to bed.
That old Panda-brand color TV at home was Evan’s only childhood joy. Later, the neighbor Dong bought a red-and-white game console, and Evan often snuck over to play games there.
Thinking about it, all those old memories felt like they happened centuries ago—even if you didn’t count the Immortal Martial Continent, it’s been nearly ten years now.
He couldn’t help feeling a bit wistful.
Around seven in the evening, Evan was about to head out to find something to eat.
Just then, the door swung open.
Stella Huang walked in wearing her office-lady outfit and red-framed glasses. At first, she was startled to see a man on the sofa, but when she realized it was Evan, she let out a breath, steadied herself, and looked at him with joy all over her face.
"You’re finally back! I haven’t seen you in so long. I really thought something happened to you—me and Irene were worried sick!"
Stella changed her shoes and smiled at Evan. Her previously tired expression now looked much more lively.
"Yeah, I just got back today. I was about to go eat—want to come with?"
Evan nodded.
Stella happened to be hungry too, so she didn’t bother putting on airs. She told Evan to wait a moment, went to her room to change into something more casual, and then headed out with him.
"You have no idea. Ever since you went to Youth Voyage Bar with me, you’ve become a total celebrity at our school. Tons of girls want your contact info—and quite a few of them are really pretty older sisters."
Stella winked mischievously at Evan, grinning: "A bunch of them are dreaming of a noona romance. You know how cougars love fresh meat! If you’re interested, should I give them your number?"
Inside the elevator, Stella asked her question, her eyes sparkling as she glanced at Evan beside her.
Since the elevator wasn’t very big, Stella and Evan stood close together. As an intern reporter, Stella was always more observant than most.
Right now, Stella clearly noticed that Evan seemed even taller and more upright than before. The muscles on his arms looked more defined, almost like a work of art, and there was a subtle masculine aura about him that made her heart flutter.
"Not interested."
Evan replied coolly.
Instead of getting upset, Stella actually looked relieved.
She suddenly regretted asking that question—if he’d actually agreed, she really would’ve had to give out his number, and that wasn’t something she wanted to see.
That was definitely not the outcome she wanted.
"By the way, you’re a senior now—haven’t you missed a ton of classes? Isn’t Capitalview First High School super strict about attendance?"
"You’ve been gone so long—did you at least get a leave of absence?"
Stella quickly changed the subject, her heart pounding.
Luckily, the elevator soon reached the ground floor. As the doors opened, the night breeze swept in, instantly clearing Stella’s head.
"Worst case, they’ll expel me. It’s not a big deal."
Evan shook his head, unconcerned. If it came to that, he could just register for the college entrance exam himself. He already had all the high school courses down cold—taking the test would be a mere formality.
"You’re awfully chill about it," Stella said, rolling her eyes.
"That guy who kept pestering you—Leo Li, right? Is he still bothering you?" Evan asked.
"A bit, but it’s better than before. He just joined Su International Group, so his future’s looking bright. Plenty of girls are after him now. Give it some time and he’ll probably stop bothering me." Stella didn’t mind—so long as Leo didn’t disrupt her daily life, he could do whatever he wanted.
Once outside, the two found a nearby restaurant and ordered a few dishes.
Stella ate with dainty, ladylike manners, savoring each bite. Evan, on the other hand, was much more rugged and straightforward—he’d wait for Stella to finish, then calmly polish off every last dish without batting an eye.
His eating speed was so impressive that the other diners couldn’t help but order more food, boosting the restaurant’s business.
Even Stella, who’d only planned to nibble a little, got swept up by Evan’s enthusiasm. She ended up eating three bowls of rice before she finally stopped.
After dinner, Stella insisted on paying. Outside the restaurant, her stomach was so stuffed that she dragged Evan along the gravel path outside the apartment complex to help her walk it off.
"It’s all your fault! If I keep eating with you, I’ll gain ten pounds in a month!" Stella grumbled, rubbing her stomach. She shot Evan a look—he’d eaten way more than she had, but his stomach didn’t show it at all, which amazed her.
"Oh, by the way, that article I wanted to write about you? It didn’t get published. The news department boss had it rewritten as a feature on Eric Yu from Capitalview First High."
Stella looked apologetic as she glanced at Evan, her face anxious like a little girl who’d done something wrong.