Howard Huang's confusion only lasted for a moment.
Victor Qin had been pacing in place, but soon, his gaze landed on Old Man Liu, who was walking over with his hands behind his back.
Victor Qin, who had seemed calm just moments before, suddenly lit up with excitement and quickly strode toward Old Man Liu.
"Teacher Liu! Sir!"
Victor Qin hurried over and stood in front of Old Man Liu, his face brimming with joy.
"Oh, it's you." Old Man Liu nodded slightly when he saw Victor Qin, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Victor, didn't you say you were transferring to Yanjing? Why are you still at First High?"
"Aw, Teacher, don't tease me. With my skills, I'm just muddling along here in River City. If I went to Yanjing, I'd be out of a job!" Victor Qin replied with a sincere smile. "I heard last night you were coming, so I waited at the school gate early this morning just to welcome you. I just stepped away to the restroom for a bit, and missed your car—good thing I still caught you! If the students found out you'd come to my school and I didn't greet you, I'd never live it down."
Victor Qin's friendly smile stunned several First High students passing by—they were so surprised, they dropped their water bottles.
"Whoa, the cold-faced killer, Mr. Qin, can actually smile like that? This is news!" one passing First High boy looked at Victor Qin and couldn't help blurting out.
"Who's that old guy? Mr. Qin usually dares to go toe-to-toe with the principal! Why's he suddenly being so respectful to a team coach from a lower city?" The boy next to him looked baffled.
He knew that the school would be hosting the City High-School Math Olympiad soon, but as a First High student, he was always proud and never paid any attention to those from lower cities. Some even ignored visiting teachers outright.
Top students from First High routinely outperformed even some math teachers from smaller cities.
And among First High's math teachers, Victor Qin was the real boss—his status was almost untouchable.
"What are those two students mumbling about!" Victor Qin heard the two boys whispering, frowned, and shot them a sharp look. He called out in a low voice.
The two boys bolted immediately, not daring to linger for even a second—terrified Victor Qin would remember their faces.
"Sorry about that, Teacher Liu. Sorry you had to see that." Victor Qin said awkwardly. Old Man Liu just nodded, "It's fine."
"Teacher Liu, I didn't know Mr. Qin was your student!" Howard Huang, who had been quietly listening nearby, seized the moment and hurried over.
Victor Qin glanced at Howard Huang and lifted his chin slightly. "Of course. Teacher Liu personally taught me math back in the day. Without him, I would've never made it into the math department, let alone achieved anything."
"But you are...?" Victor Qin looked Howard Huang up and down and asked.
"I'm Howard Huang, a math teacher at First High." Howard quickly stepped forward and extended his hand to Victor Qin.
Victor Qin shook hands simply. "First High, not bad."
Although Victor Qin said 'not bad,' anyone could tell he was just being polite.
Howard Huang felt a bit awkward, while Sisi Shao and her group were secretly upset to see their math teacher act like this.
First High always crushed No. 2 High academically, so why was their teacher suddenly so respectful to a No. 2 High teacher?
It all came down to seniority, but for Sisi Shao and her friends, seniority didn't matter nearly as much as actual ability.
"If you're teaching at First High, your math skills must be pretty solid. I hope your students do well in this competition." Victor Qin said politely.
"Of course, thank you."
Victor Qin then looked at Evan Lin and the others. When he saw Rachel Liu, his eyes showed approval. He said, "You guys are all my juniors now. Do your best—don't embarrass No. 2 High."
"Teacher, should I take you to the hotel?" Victor Qin asked Old Man Liu. Old Man Liu nodded, and the group left the school. After settling in at the hotel, Victor Qin gave a few reminders and left.
Each boy got his own room. Evan Lin returned to his room, rested briefly, then opened the door to head out.
With a full day and a half before the competition, Evan Lin wanted to use the time to hunt for some rare medicinal herbs in River City.
As soon as Evan stepped out of his room, he unexpectedly ran into Rachel Liu, who was also heading out. Rachel was surprised to see him and frowned slightly, "Aren't you going to rest in your room for a bit?"
"I want to take a walk. By the way, do you know River City well?" Evan Lin asked, curious.
Rachel hesitated, then nodded.
"Do you know if there's an antiques market around here, or any old, long-established herbal pharmacies?" Evan wondered aloud, thinking that what he needed probably couldn't be found in a regular pharmacy.
If there was an antiques market, he might get lucky and find something good. Besides, Evan still had fifteen million in cash—he wasn't exactly broke.
"For antiques, there's a place called Clear Creek Street. They probably have old herbal shops too. But why are you asking? Do you actually know antiques?" Rachel gave Evan a strange look.
Rachel realized she understood Evan less and less. He was supposed to be here for the Math Olympiad, yet now he wanted to visit an antiques market?
Besides, places like that weren't where someone like Evan Lin should be going, right?
"Just want to look around, thanks." Evan nodded to Rachel, then walked out quickly, hailed a cab on the street, gave the address, and the taxi driver sped off.
Rachel stood in front of the hotel, watching Evan's taxi disappear before turning and heading toward a nearby street, where a BMW X7 was parked.
As Rachel approached, the BMW X7's door opened, and the driver got out to open the door for her.
Once Rachel was seated, the driver returned to the front, started the car, and drove off.
Sitting in the back seat, Rachel couldn't help but picture Evan Lin in her mind, making her frown slightly.