"Brother Lin, let me kowtow to you—just treat me like a fart and let me go!"
Barry Shen trembled all over, kneeling nervously. When Leon Lu finished speaking, Barry banged his head three times in quick succession right in front of Evan Lin.
His forehead slammed into the ground with a loud bang, leaving a streak of blood. Combined with his terrified howling, the spectacle instantly drew the attention of everyone nearby.
The other second-gens behind Barry copied him, all kowtowing crisply to Evan Lin and admitting fault.
They didn't really do anything—could you just let it go?
Gloria Rong looked at Evan Lin, hesitating: "If you still feel upset, you can beat them up again, or if you have any requests, just say so."
Yeah, yeah! Whatever you need to cool off, just say the word!
Barry Shen nodded frantically, repeating his offer.
He was genuinely terrified.
What scared him most was Leon Lu mentioning Ju Xing'an's name just now.
If Evan Lin were just Ju Xing'an's friend, Barry Shen would only need to kneel—he believed Ju, though rumored to fiercely protect his own, was still low-key and wouldn't destroy the Shen family over a friend.
But Leon Lu's next words made Barry Shen truly panic.
Ju Xing'an owes Evan Lin a huge favor.
If that favor ever gets cashed in, the Shen family might really be finished.
Now Barry Shen was full of regret, so much so his liver hurt—he wished he could slap himself for being so mouthy.
Why did he have to run his mouth and provoke such a bigshot?
Get lost.
Evan Lin shook his head, not interested in arguing with them.
As soon as Evan spoke, Barry Shen and his crew felt like they'd been pardoned, thanked him profusely, and bolted—only to freeze after a few steps.
The power was out downstairs, elevators wouldn't work, and even if they wanted to leave, they couldn't—so they could only stand around looking miserable.
Illustrious Gate staff were already mobilizing, setting up ladders from above to evacuate everyone inside.
That pillar of fire that shot skyward had caused quite a stir, but luckily Illustrious Gate had enough clout and resources—they just brushed it off as a “fire incident” to cover things up.
Leon Lu and the others found a quieter spot downstairs to wait.
"So, when did you get here? Does Ju Xing'an know you're in town?"
Leon Lu asked curiously. He really wanted to know more about Evan Lin, and seeing how Ju Xing'an treated Evan earlier made Leon like him even more.
"Only been here a few days. No need to bother contacting him."
Hearing Evan’s reply, Leon nodded, glancing at Gloria Rong standing nearby. Judging by her attitude, she clearly already knew Evan had arrived in Beijing, but never mentioned it.
Thinking it over, Leon understood why Gloria kept quiet.
In Beijing, right under the imperial city, Ju Xing'an’s influence was no joke—their circle’s threshold was sky-high. But from the way Ju kept bringing up Evan Lin, it was obvious Ju was dead set on treating Evan as a real friend.
That kind of friendship was pure, and at least right now, Leon figured Evan Lin didn’t really have the credentials to help Ju Xing'an out.
Everyone outside their circle called Ju Xing'an 'Young Master Ju,' but within the Ju family, there were still two other heirs in line for the next family head.
But no matter what, if Ju Xing'an knew Evan Lin was here, he'd definitely come looking for him—even if he was super busy right now.
The main thing was, Gloria Rong really didn’t want Evan Lin to realize just how much power Ju Xing'an had—otherwise, she was worried Evan might cause even more trouble.
"How long are you planning to stay?"
Thinking of this, Leon Lu nodded. "Oh right, let me give you my number. If you run into any trouble, just call me."
"I can't handle the big stuff in Beijing, but if it's something small, I've got you covered."
Leon pulled out a pen and paper, scribbled down his number, and handed it to Evan Lin.
After Evan took it, Leon handed over the pen and paper again, grinning. "Give me your number too, just in case I need your help one day."
"I even tried to get your number from Ju Xing'an before, but that guy actually refused to give it to me—so stingy!"
Leon sighed, and Gloria Rong, standing to the side, sighed too. In the darkness, it was impossible to tell what expression she was making.
The other second-gens hanging out with Leon Lu stayed quiet, not trying to cozy up to Evan Lin. Instead, they were a little surprised by how openly Leon was showing his support.
"Could be a while, could be short—I haven't decided when I'm leaving yet."
Evan Lin scribbled down his number and handed it back, then sat down in a chair.
Leon Lu pulled out some cigarettes, passed them around, lit up, and blew out a puff of smoke. He coughed and said, "Yeah, if you have time, just call me. We can all hang out together."
"But in a few days, I’ll have to take my assessment, so if we’re going to hang out, it’s gotta be soon."
"Assessment?"
Evan Lin perked up, a little curious.
He got Nightstar’s assessment qualification—if he passes, he’ll officially join Nightstar and become one of them.
Gloria Rong finally spoke up, leaning back in her chair. Her voice was calm, and you couldn’t really tell what she was thinking.
"Of course! I’m about to be a Nightstar guy! Who knows, maybe someday I’ll make it into Moonshade!"
Leon Lu snickered, and one of the other second-gens who hadn’t spoken in a while grinned, "Once you get into Nightstar, you gotta help your bros out—see if there are any cute girls in there, maybe hook us up."
"If I could marry a Nightstar girl, I’d finally get to live off her at home!"
The second-gens joked around, clearly a bit jealous of Leon Lu.
Even in their eyes, getting into Nightstar was a huge honor.
And Moonshade above Nightstar? That was glory on top of glory.
Nightstar wasn’t just an honor—it was real power, enough to turn them into major players in ten or twenty years.
It was capital for success and growth, but so much more than just capital.
"Just say the word."
Leon Lu laughed and turned to Evan Lin. "Hey, you interested?"
"If you want, I can ask around—see if you can join the Nightstar assessment?"
"With your strength, you’d have no problem. You could get into Nightstar, start from the bottom, and I guarantee, in a few years, you’ll stand out there!"
Leon Lu promised confidently, and Gloria Rong was stunned, instinctively turning to look at Evan Lin.