Several days after the soccer field incident, the fallout still hadn’t settled. School forums and group chats across multiple campuses were blowing up.
Ethan Yi’s long-hyped soccer visit ended with him getting beaten on the field, and now students from all over were hearing Evan Lin’s name.
Lynn Chen’s mind was a mess—she’d been distracted in class for days. At first, she worried the school might punish Evan Lin, but when both the principal and the discipline director stayed silent, she gradually relaxed. Still, whenever she ran into Evan at school, she kept her face frosty as ever.
At Capitalview First High School, Evan Lin’s name was in a league of its own.
Finally, it was time for the Peiying High School Arts Gala. Early that morning, Ryan Ren—dressed to impress—was already waiting outside Lynn Chen’s door, just as they’d arranged. He even had Madam Han drive them to school.
“Lynn, you have to come tonight! Our school’s arts gala is top notch every year, and the programs are great. I’ll introduce you to some of my friends too.” Ryan Ren bragged in the car, looking proud. “By the way, I heard Evan Lin beat up Ethan Yi a few days ago? Do you know what everyone at our school is saying about it?”
“That Evan Lin is basically a violent maniac! People like him—better keep your distance. Who knows when he’ll drag you down with him?”
Ryan Ren grinned, watching the absent-minded Lynn Chen, secretly plotting how to give her a romantic confession ceremony that night.
He’d been preparing for days, even recruiting a bunch of buddies for help. Everyone said girls loved romance, and Ryan figured his only mistake was not spending enough time with Lynn. As long as he put in the effort, winning her over should be easy, right?
“Remember, I’ll pick you up after school this afternoon!”
Ryan Ren watched Lynn Chen head toward the school, shouting loudly after her.
...
Evan Lin arrived at the classroom. As he walked in from the school gate, everyone he passed greeted him with a smile. Lower-grade girls and students from other classes whispered among themselves, all secretly fascinated by the now-legendary Evan Lin. He found it pretty amusing.
These past few days, Evan’s desk had even received a few rare anonymous love letters. He just tossed them all straight into the trash, making his deskmate Jason Liu green with envy.
On the way upstairs, Evan ran into Wendy Wen. She was holding her DV camcorder, hunting for a theme for her next school paper. When she saw Evan, she acted like she hadn’t noticed him at all and walked right past.
But when Evan didn’t even glance at her and just brushed past, heading upstairs, Wendy finally spun around, fuming as she glared at his back. For the school’s arts goddess to be ignored like that? She’d never been snubbed so hard in her life.
Evan had just taken his seat in the classroom when Jason Liu, backpack slung over his shoulder and looking troubled, walked in. The moment he saw Evan, his eyes lit up and he hurried over, grabbing Evan’s hand with an earnest look.
"Evan bro, are you free tonight?"
"Something up?" Evan glanced at him.
"So, you know Sharon Shen, right? The girl who watched the soccer match with us last time? She invited me to Peiying High’s arts gala tonight. She said we could watch together, but honestly, I’m kinda nervous about going alone. So I was hoping you’d come with me, yeah?" Jason grinned sheepishly.
"After the last match, I heard you basically beat up all her classmates. Now they want to see you—aren’t you worried you might not make it back?" Evan looked at Jason, half amused.
After the match, Jason had punched the Peiying kid who pointed at his forehead, and word spread fast—people said he hit pretty hard. But since it was Capitalview First High’s turf, when Luke Lu and that boy tried to get payback, they ended up getting jumped by a bunch of Capitalview students.
"I’m not scared," Jason shook his head, then sighed. "Honestly, I know there might be trouble, but Sharon said Luke’s group just wants to talk things out and clear up any misunderstandings. Plus, she specifically asked me to bring you."
"If you’ve got other stuff going on, you don’t have to come. It’s totally fine."
Seeing Evan hadn’t answered yet, Jason hurried to add,
"No worries, I’ve got time."
...
Peiying High is a bit of a trek from Capitalview First High. Since it’s a private ‘noble school,’ the facilities and buildings are way fancier, with more extravagant architecture and a grander vibe overall.
Tonight is Peiying High’s National Day Arts Gala. Unlike other schools, Peiying throws this event every year around this time—partly to welcome the new freshmen, and partly to give the seniors a chance to relax.
"Evan bro, does this outfit look okay on me?"
At the gate of Peiying High, Jason looked a little tense. Evan kept it simple—just a hoodie and jeans, totally relaxed.
Jason, on the other hand, was obviously way more nervous. That afternoon, he’d even skipped class to drag Evan to the mall, picking out a full Versace-style outfit and getting his hair done by a stylist. The whole look made him seem like a rich kid for the first time.
It was only now that Evan realized Jason, who usually kept a low profile, actually came from a pretty decent family—at least he wasn’t short on cash.
"Not bad. Way better than before—at least ten times cooler," Evan said with a grin, nodding approvingly.
Jason finally let out a relieved breath, pumped himself up, and walked into Peiying High with Evan.
Not long after Evan and Jason entered Peiying, a BMW rolled up to the gate. Out stepped Ryan Ren in full eveningwear, looking like a model. He rushed to open the rear door.
Out came Lynn Chen, her face calm and cool. She wore a pale blue pleated skirt and white canvas shoes, and for a moment, Ryan’s heart skipped a beat—he felt like the luckiest guy alive.
"Ryan, remember to take good care of Lillian! Otherwise, when you get home, I’ll skin you alive!" Madam Han’s voice rang out from the car.
Inside the car, Madam Han yelled at Ryan as he stepped out.
Lynn Chen got out, lifted her chin slightly, and glanced at the massive, marble-arched gate of Peiying High.
Quite a few Peiying students nearby stared at Lynn, stunned by her looks.
Ryan, meanwhile, was over the moon. He’d wanted to take Lynn’s hand, but she dodged him with practiced ease, leaving him just a bit frustrated.