Under the night sky of Oceanport, the city streets blazed with lights.
Inside the Lincoln, Evan Lin gazed out the window at the bustling crowds, feeling a hint of unfamiliarity and loneliness.
When leaving the Zheng Estate, Evan had already left the Three Maiden Spirits behind to guard Joy Zheng, ensuring she wouldn’t suffer any harm.
In the car, Bryce Gu was driving up front. Yvonne Zhu pulled a compact medical kit from under her seat, took out bandages and hemostatic supplies, and looked at Evan Lin. “Let me wrap you up first. Uncle Gu is heading to the hospital—we’ll be there in about five minutes.”
Yvonne Zhu spoke softly, her gaze on Evan Lin, feeling inexplicably flustered—and even a little sad, for reasons she couldn’t name.
“No need for the hospital. I’m fine now.”
Evan Lin shook his head and turned his wrist over. Only then did Yvonne Zhu notice that the wound on his wrist had already scabbed over—he was healing incredibly fast.
“Then I’ll arrange a place for you to stay first.”
Yvonne Zhu nodded, not insisting any further.
Others might not know Evan Lin’s true identity, but Yvonne Zhu was perfectly clear.
He was Master Lin from Seacrest, who defeated Mo Yang, and also Evan ‘Nine Mysteries’ Lin, the sword-breaking prodigy of the Mu Family Estate—two identities, each enough to make others look up to him in awe.
Before this, Yvonne Zhu also thought that with Evan Lin’s strength, nothing in the world could possibly hurt him. With his extraordinary talent, just his name alone would be enough to make countless families scramble to win him over.
But after just stepping into the Zheng Estate and seeing Evan Lin’s blood-soaked hand and the table stained red, Yvonne Zhu realized for the first time that strength alone couldn’t solve everything.
She even felt a sudden pang of sympathy—for the seemingly invincible Master Lin, who still had moments of helplessness.
The car was silent as it drove on, and half an hour later, they finally arrived at the Zhu compound.
Once at the Zhu family’s courtyard, Bryce Gu drove the car into the garage. Yvonne Zhu got out and led Evan Lin to a room that had already been cleaned and prepared.
Compared to the Zheng Estate, the Zhu family’s décor and style were obviously far more luxurious and glamorous.
“Just stay here for now. I’ll have someone bring you some food in a bit. If you need anything else, you can call me directly.”
Yvonne Zhu left her phone number.
“Mm, thanks.”
Evan Lin nodded. After Yvonne Zhu left, he took out his phone, glanced at it, and sent a text to Joy Zheng to let her know he was safe.
“Maybe tonight I went a little overboard, but at least now Mom doesn’t have to put up with any more hassle.”
“That Zheng family was never really my home anyway.”
Standing by the window, Evan Lin gazed out at the night sky, his mood growing ever calmer.
Having just lost a lot of blood, Evan activated the Grand Dao Foundation Art while also taking a Nourishing Spirit Pill to recover.
As for what comes next, Evan couldn’t be bothered to think too much about it.
If the Zheng family kept breaking the rules and refused to change, Evan wouldn’t mind subduing the whole clan and turning Leon Zheng and the rest into puppets. At least then, Joy Zheng wouldn’t have to feel hurt, and he could give her a truly ‘warm’ Zheng family.
But unless it came to that, Evan didn’t want to go so far—otherwise, it’d feel like he was lying to her.
Yvonne Zhu left Evan Lin’s room, glanced at the doorway, and hurried off.
She crossed the hallway and went downstairs. After only a few steps, she saw Bryce Gu waiting for her.
Bryce Gu saw Yvonne Zhu approaching and nodded slightly. “Old Master Zhu is in the main hall.”
“Guess I’m about to get yelled at again.” Yvonne Zhu gave a wry smile and sighed.
“This time, it’s worth it.” Bryce Gu lowered his voice, glancing up at the window of Evan Lin’s room. “Crashing the Zheng Estate and earning even a little goodwill from Master Lin is the best deal we could ask for.”
“If we hadn’t gotten the news in time, we might never have had a chance to meet Master Lin from Seacrest.”
A beaming smile spread across Bryce Gu’s face. After chatting with Yvonne Zhu, the two headed toward the Zhu family’s main hall.
By now, the Zhu family’s main hall was already filled with people.
Seated in the place of honor was Old Master Zhu, eyes half-closed. The others, young and old, clustered into their own little factions, each group keeping its distance from the rest.
As Yvonne Zhu stepped inside, several people immediately turned to look at her.
“Yvonne, you drove straight into the Zheng Estate just now? Impressive! I never realized you were so daring.”
A young man about Yvonne Zhu’s age watched her enter, a smile on his face.
“You made quite a scene—word’s already spread everywhere. Impressive. Are you just relying on Old Master Zhu’s favoritism to act out? And I heard you brought a guy out of the Zheng Estate? Incredible! Our Yvonne Zhu is even snatching people now?”
Another person clicked his tongue in amazement.
The Zhu family was always known for its sharp intelligence in the Pu Hai region. Otherwise, Yvonne Zhu wouldn’t have arrived at the Zheng Estate at just the right moment.
As soon as Yvonne Zhu had Bryce Gu rush out with the car, news of her whereabouts had already spread throughout the Zhu family.
The ones speaking now were Yvonne Zhu’s eldest and second brothers. Old Master Zhu had four sons; Yvonne’s father was the third, but he and her mother died in a car accident years ago.
That’s why Old Master Zhu doted on Yvonne Zhu, assigning Bryce Gu to protect her all these years. But inside the Zhu family, open and hidden struggles for power and wealth were constant.
With so little support, Yvonne was often ostracized, and this time, her brothers were just looking for an excuse to pick on her.
“I don’t have to report everything I do to you.”
Yvonne Zhu’s pretty face darkened as she glared at her brothers, her words icy.
“Of course you don’t have to report to us, but don’t forget, you drove a Zhu family car, with our license plate. When you crashed into the Zheng Estate, people won’t just blame you—they’ll say the whole Zhu family is bullying others!”
One of the men smirked, "Soon enough, everyone will know our Zhu family has a reckless Yvonne Zhu—never satisfied with any man introduced to her, and now running off to snatch a man from someone else’s home."
“When this gets out, whose reputation will be ruined—yours, or the Zhu family’s?”
His face hardened, refusing to back down.
“That’s enough!”
Seated above, Old Master Zhu finally spoke. He frowned at Yvonne Zhu, his voice stern: “Weren’t you supposed to go to Jingnan to look for Shiqing? Why, after coming back, did you get mixed up with the Zheng family?”
“You hit Faye Zheng at the train station, then barged into the Zheng Estate.”
“Yvonne, I need you to give me a reason.”
“A reason for what you did.”
Old Master Zhu looked at Yvonne Zhu, his voice slow and deliberate.