Irene Xu hadn't even had time to put on her pajamas yet. She had just finished washing her face and was applying a facial mask in front of the mirror, humming a song.
Hearing the door open and seeing Evan Lin walk out, Irene was momentarily startled, staring at him for a good while as her eyes swept him up and down repeatedly.
"Are you Evan Lin?" Irene asked, a bit uncertain.
"Who else would I be?" Evan replied, finding her random question a little speechless.
Irene quickly snapped out of it, walked over in a few steps, circled Evan, and gave him another thorough look. Her eyes were full of admiration: "Not bad! This outfit is absolutely perfect. I almost didn't recognize you at first glance—you're way too handsome now."
Irene spoke from the heart, clicking her tongue in amazement. Even with her flight attendant's refined taste, Evan's aura right now outshone plenty of first-class heirs and male celebrities she's seen.
Especially that naturally cool, slightly aloof vibe Evan gave off—it was truly rare.
"Are you going on a date today?" Irene circled him again, eyeing him up and down.
"Not really, just got something to take care of."
Selina Shi had pretty much forced him to go out tonight. Evan still didn't know what exactly she wanted, but calling it a date was probably stretching it.
"That's honestly a shame. Hey, if you're free, you should come hang out with me—guaranteed you'll meet loads of amazing girls. Who knows, you might even find one you like!" Irene Xu chuckled.
But as she said it, a weird feeling flickered through her heart.
Evan Lin might've been younger than her, but Irene always felt a sense of safety around him—especially when he was close. The feeling was so strong, she almost wanted to just lean in for a hug.
Of course, that urge got crushed by her rational side almost instantly.
"Nah, I'm good. Not interested," Evan shook his head, gave Irene a quick goodbye, and slung his backpack over his shoulder as he headed out.
Irene watched Evan close the door behind him, sighing a little. She stared at the spot for a while, lost in thought, before snapping back to reality—her cheeks suddenly felt hot.
She slapped her own face and muttered, "What the heck are you thinking, girl!"
Shaking off the weird mood, Irene hummed a tune and started getting ready with her makeup.
Evan headed for school, drawing glances from all sorts of girls along the way. It wasn't just students—even busy female office workers couldn't help but stare.
Those women in their sharp business outfits were totally captivated by Evan's sudden appearance. No question, Selina Shi's taste was seriously top-tier.
Some even took it further—a self-proclaimed talent scout lady ran up and tried to sign Evan with her entertainment company. He shot her down cold, and she actually looked a little disappointed.
All that sudden attention was honestly a headache. Evan never wanted to be the center of the crowd, but today he was basically shining like a spotlight.
"Guess that old saying about clothes making the man is spot on," Evan joked to himself.
Back in his past life, Evan was just another face in the crowd. Now he was starting to get what celebrities felt, dodging fans and all.
He reached the school gate in no time.
Right then, Lynn Chen stepped out of her car, head down and nose buried in a pocket-sized English vocab book. She was reciting words as she walked, but at the gate she looked up out of habit—and froze when she saw Evan standing there. For a second, she was totally spaced out.
Evan just nodded at her and strolled into the school without a word.
Lynn shook her head, trying to calm herself down and focus on her vocab book. But no matter how hard she forced herself, she couldn't quiet the flutter in her chest—her mind kept replaying that glimpse of Evan.
Honestly, 'shocked' barely covered it. Evan was always a little handsome, but never to this level.
That one look made Lynn's heart skip a beat. Suddenly, even her vocab book couldn't hold her interest—she shoved it back into her pocket after a few distracted glances.
All day long, Evan sat at his desk, getting stared at from every angle. Some girls even came back for a second look, dragging their best friends with them.
Selina Shi probably never expected the outfit she picked for Evan to cause such an uproar.
After school, Evan heard a car horn as he was leaving the gate.
Selina Shi poked her head out the window of her pink Beetle, waved at Evan, and gave him a once-over, eyes full of approval.
Evan hopped into the passenger seat.
"So, what do you think? My taste is pretty solid, right? Did you get hit on by a bunch of girls today?" Selina was wearing almost the same outfit as Evan—if you didn't know better, you'd swear it was a couple's set. She glanced at Evan, eyes narrowed and playful.
"Not bad," Evan slouched in his seat, looking completely laid-back.
"Here, put these on." Selina grabbed a pair of sunglasses from the backseat and tossed them to Evan. "Wear them—they'll boost your vibe. And don't embarrass me when we get there."
Selina paused, her tone turning serious for a second. "And seriously, don't start any fights. If things get messy, it'll be a pain to clean up."
She looked a little troubled as she told Evan to buckle up, then hit the gas and sped off.
"There's plenty to do where we're going. Just have fun—doesn't matter if you're good at it or not. No need to stress," Selina said.
"Also, since I bought you clothes and brought you out, you better play your part well."
She shot Evan a sideways glance. "You get what I'm saying?"
"Nope," Evan replied bluntly, shaking his head.
"Pretend to be my boyfriend and shut those people up. It's easy. If you don't know what to say, just keep quiet. Anyway, you don't talk much, right?"
Selina drove on, sounding totally unfazed.
She was always quick to act, doing whatever she felt like. At Peiying High, Selina didn't have many close friends. She usually relied on Allen Ju and Warren Wu to run interference, but with both of them gone, she just dragged Evan out instead.
"Oh, and by the way, a couple of those people don't get along with Allen Ju. Word is, he's been singing your praises lately, so now they're starting to dislike you too."
Selina spoke casually, but there was a rare hint of mischief in her voice.