Evan Lin's expression was indifferent.
Rachel Liu frowned even deeper at his words.
"Rachel, it's time to go home. Help Linda up," Julia Du said, slightly displeased after hearing Evan's words.
To Julia Du, Evan Lin was simply too arrogant.
Rachel Liu helped Linda Zhao to her feet, and the group prepared to head downstairs, bypassing Evan Lin and Summer Mu.
"Just because he has a few tricks up his sleeve, he thinks he can act so arrogantly. He'll never amount to much," Julia Du thought to herself.
Julia Du mused inwardly: Evan Lin had impressed her when he fought Drake Huang and held his own, but just now, tossing Linda Zhao aside so carelessly made her feel some dissatisfaction again.
But just as Julia and her group were about to head downstairs, a middle-aged man, a chubby chef, and Warren Wu—whose face was still a bit embarrassed—walked toward them from the end of the hallway.
Julia Du was briefly stunned when she saw the newcomers. She glanced at the middle-aged man, surprise flashing in her eyes, then quickly stepped forward with a smile. "Damon, what brings you here?"
Although Damon Wang's empire was mostly based in Brightsea City, for certain reasons, the name Damon Wang commanded respect even in River City.
Julia Du was trying to figure out why Damon Wang had come. She remembered how the Liu family was always looking for ways to get closer to him, hoping to build a connection. Eventually, they'd managed to share a few meals, but Julia could always sense a distance between her and Damon.
Even when Damon Wang faced the Liu family patriarch, he showed no hint of nervousness or the deference expected of a junior. Strangely enough, the Liu patriarch didn't seem to mind.
This secretly shocked Julia. Normally, the Liu patriarch was an old-fashioned man who cared deeply about seniority and etiquette.
"You?" Damon Wang smiled faintly. Hearing Julia's words, he glanced at her, pondered for a moment, then nodded. "You're with the Liu family, right? I think we've had dinner before."
"That's right, Edward Liu is my husband." Julia was pleasantly surprised that Damon Wang recognized her so easily.
Edward Liu is the father of Rachel Liu and Megan Liu, and currently the general manager of one of the Liu Group's branch companies.
Although Julia was seen as the esteemed young mistress of the Liu family by outsiders, many of the other branches within the family looked down on her to some extent.
Her background was far below that of the Liu family, but in front of outsiders, Julia always maintained a graceful demeanor.
The only reason she ever got to dine with Damon Wang was because the whole extended family was present, and Damon only agreed out of respect for the Liu patriarch.
They'd only met once, and Julia barely had a chance to exchange a few words with Damon Wang during the banquet.
But Julia could never forget the day the Lewis Patriarch, after taking a sip of wine offered by Damon Wang, actually broke down in tears in front of the whole family. The old man had fought in wars against the Vietnamese and built the Liu Group from scratch—a man tough as nails all his life, yet he cried in front of the juniors.
Julia had never seen anything like it. Damon Wang, on the other hand, simply kept his calm smile throughout.
"I know a bit about Edward Liu—he's got some skills," Damon Wang nodded slightly.
Julia's heart trembled with excitement at his words, but before she could respond, Damon Wang simply walked right past her.
Warren Wu, still looking a little embarrassed, followed Damon Wang as they walked ahead.
"Little friend, do you remember me?" Damon Wang stopped in front of Evan Lin, smiling playfully as he looked at Evan holding the box.
"I remember. You stole my fish." Evan replied calmly, shrugging.
Julia and Linda Zhao both turned pale at Evan's words. They hadn't expected him to say something like that, afraid he might offend Damon Wang.
But what shocked Julia even more was that Damon Wang, after a brief pause, didn't get angry at all. Instead, he burst out laughing: "Well, what can I say? You were the only one who caught the fish king, and I've always had a weakness for good food. If you're still upset, how about I treat you to a fish banquet later?"
He was inviting Evan personally—to a fish banquet!
Those few simple words hit Julia like a thunderbolt. She whipped around and stared at Evan Lin, her eyes filled with more than just shock.
Even the Lewis Patriarch never had the honor of Damon Wang personally hosting a banquet for him!
"So, will you give me this honor?" Damon Wang asked, half smiling as he looked at Evan.
Rachel Liu could sense that something was off. She didn't know Damon Wang, but from Julia's reaction, she could tell this man was a big deal.
But why did he know Evan Lin?
Rachel Liu didn't understand.
"I'm not free," Evan Lin replied calmly. Julia felt her throat go dry, unsure how to respond. But Evan's next words sent a chill straight to her core.
"You're almost dead. Instead of inviting me to eat fish, you'd be better off figuring out how to get that divine medicine back. Judging by your condition, you've got at most seven days left." Evan glanced at Damon Wang.
"How can you talk like that!" Julia burst out. To say someone is dying in public—even if Damon Wang was well-mannered, he couldn't possibly be comfortable hearing that.
Julia was terrified that Evan's words would make Damon Wang hold a grudge against her too. If that happened, she'd have nowhere left to cry.
Damon Wang's expression shifted, his smile fading as he looked at Evan. "Didn't anyone teach you what should and shouldn't be said?"
"Little friend, speaking like this is a good way to invite unnecessary trouble."
Hearing Damon Wang's words, Julia and the others tensed up. It felt as if the temperature in the hallway had dropped several degrees.
"Just listen to what I say. If you don't like it, get lost." Evan Lin smiled, completely unfazed. "Besides, it's not your place to tell me what to do."
"Ha! I knew from the first time I saw you that you were different. Looks like my instincts were right." Damon Wang suddenly laughed and nodded at Evan. "Since you know about my situation, you must also know what I'm about to do. Interested in joining me?"