Evan Lin had been planning to step in—the crowd in the third row had mostly retreated by now.
Sharon Shen and the others looked at Jason Liu like he was a complete idiot. None of the teachers or school leaders sitting in the front row dared to step in.
Most Peiying students came from families with some background; if trouble broke out, their parents would just handle it themselves.
A group of guys from the fifth row surged forward, all glaring at Jason Liu with looks of pure contempt.
"Jason Liu, you'd better get lost now! Otherwise, you'll be spending next month flat on your back in the hospital!" Sharon Shen shouted at him.
Luke Lu snorted from the side, "Doesn't know when to quit."
Lynn Chen's expression kept shifting. She was about to run down from the stage, sensing the crisis below, but Ryan Ren grabbed her wrist.
"Lynn, don't go down there—you might get hurt by accident!"
Ryan Ren glanced at Evan Lin sitting there, then at Jason Liu, and grinned viciously. "Take him out! Whatever happens, I'll take the blame!"
He shouted, and instantly the students swarmed toward Evan Lin in the third row. Jason Liu still clutched his folding baton, and when he saw the mob charging, he raised it and charged right back.
Jason Liu fought with ruthless determination, swinging his folding baton like he didn’t care if he lived or died. The students kicked him hard, but he seemed not to feel any pain at all—just kept swinging, holding his ground against the mob.
Evan Lin sat calmly in his seat. Whenever someone rushed up to him, he’d just flick them away with one hand.
"Why haven’t they called me yet? What’s going on out there?"
Backstage, Selina Shi finished her last chip, yawned, took off her cap, and started walking toward the stage in her floor-length pink dress.
She could hear the chaos outside—shouts and noise drifting in. From Ryan Chen and Hugh Hu’s angle, they could see Jason Liu fighting desperately in the crowd, but Evan Lin’s face was hidden in the shadows, so they couldn’t make him out.
"There’s some trouble outside. Ryan Ren’s confession flopped, and now they’re fighting—probably over a love rival," Ryan Chen guessed.
Hugh Hu checked the time, glanced at Selina Shi’s frown, and immediately strode over to shout at the host, "Hey! Announce the next act!"
The host froze, stunned by Hugh Hu’s shout.
Selina Shi grabbed a mic and strode straight onto the stage. She walked right up to Ryan Ren and, without hesitation, kicked him aside.
"Get out of the way. What’s the point of confessing for no reason? You’re just wasting my time."
Selina Shi frowned, glanced at the chaos below the stage, and said directly, "Start the music! I’m dedicating ‘Explosive Temper’ to everyone tonight!"
The moment Selina stepped onstage, she instantly pulled the crowd’s attention away from the brawl below.
All the stage lights snapped into a single beam, focusing on Selina Shi in her floor-length pink dress.
Selina stood there, looking carefree and radiant, mic in hand, not caring at all about the chaos below. It was clear she’d seen scenes like this so many times that it didn’t even faze her.
"Selina Shi, huh? This is actually her first time singing on stage. The student council’s invited her so many times before, but she always turned them down."
"No wonder even Hugh Hu doesn’t dare mess with her—she’s got an insane aura."
Down below, the students stared in awe—Selina Shi in a pink gown was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.
Jason Liu had taken countless punches by now, his face bruised and swollen, but he didn’t make a sound—just kept swinging his baton.
Evan Lin sat back, perfectly at ease. When he saw Selina Shi step onto the stage, he looked a little surprised.
The music began to play.
Ryan Chen and Hugh Hu rushed onto the stage to dance backup for Selina, not caring at all how ridiculous they looked.
Selina Shi picked up the mic, her voice lazy and free, echoing through the entire hall.
‘You expect me to go mad, yet want me to live on as a lonely shadow.’
‘You want me cold and distant, yet also playful and shameless.’
‘You ask me for sunshine, yet want me alluring but never unsteady.’
‘You play with my tears and laughter, yet treat my heart as withered wood.’
...
Selina’s voice floated through the hall, and she seemed like a bird utterly free—untouched by the dust of the world.
Halfway through the song, the whole auditorium was spellbound.
Even the students who’d just been fighting couldn’t help but stop and stare at Selina, now bathed in stage lights.
She was beautiful to begin with—bold, free-spirited, and at Peiying High, with Warren Wu guarding her, no boy had ever managed to get close.
Tonight, Selina Shi’s rare performance and look made her the center of attention. Luke Lu glanced over and saw Evan Lin watching Selina intently, then sneered, "Kid, don’t bother staring—someone like you is worlds apart from our school’s goddess Selina."
"There are enough guys chasing after Selina to stretch from the front gate to the back, but not one has succeeded—none even dare take the first step. You, a nobody from Capitalview First High, think you can snag a goddess?" someone else scoffed at Evan Lin.
"To Selina, you’re just a country bumpkin. You’d better stop staring, or Hugh Hu and Ryan Chen will get mad and throw you out of Peiying High!"
Evan Lin heard all their chatter and replied calmly, "Then let Hugh Hu and Ryan Chen say it to my face."
"If she’s your swan, then I’m the dragon soaring above the clouds. Frogs at the bottom of a well have no right to talk so big."
Evan Lin gave a cold laugh and flicked his arm. Suddenly, Luke Lu and the others felt a strange gust of wind hit their faces and collapsed to the ground instantly.
Hugh Hu and Ryan Chen, still dancing onstage, finally noticed Evan Lin sitting off to the side. When they saw his face, both felt a chill run down their spines.
Selina Shi was still singing, but when her gaze swept over to Evan Lin, sitting there calmly, she was momentarily stunned—then her expression turned oddly complicated.
When the song ended, everyone was still lost in Selina Shi’s voice, but instead of leaving the stage, she leapt off in her pink dress and headed straight toward the seats.