He actually came back unharmed?
Seeing Evan Lin walk into the classroom, several students looked puzzled.
Logically speaking, after beating up Mr. Zheng and then, in front of the whole school, thrashing Darren Zhao and two others during such an important match as the Summer Cup, Evan Lin should've been dragged straight to the principal's office by Mr. Zheng and then sent packing by the teachers.
But apparently, Evan Lin seems to be in a pretty good mood?
Evan Lin returned to his seat and sat down, completely ignoring all the stares around him.
After a while, Mia Chen returned to the classroom, looking a bit downcast.
That test paper was a huge blow for Mia Chen, who’s always been proud of her math skills. She thought she was pretty good at math, but facing those questions for the first time, she felt powerless.
The exam was just too hard, and the logic was way too convoluted. By the end, Mia Chen hadn’t even finished the last two big problems.
Back in the classroom, Mia Chen instinctively glanced at the back row. Seeing Evan Lin sitting there, looking out the window without a care, made her frown.
That test was tough, but you still left early before the time was up—what a quitter!
Mia Chen honestly thought that kind of test would be a nightmare for Evan Lin, but she still couldn’t stand people who gave up without even trying.
Evan Lin didn’t care one bit about what Mia Chen thought.
The last two periods in the morning were Chinese. When Mr. Zheng came in, he didn’t even look at Evan Lin—his face was totally normal.
The students below all stared curiously at Mr. Zheng, waiting for him to suddenly tell Evan Lin to pack up and get out. But all morning, Mr. Zheng didn’t say a word. In fact, Evan Lin blatantly slept through the last class with his head on the desk, and Mr. Zheng just pretended not to see.
So all the students hoping to see Evan Lin embarrass himself ended up disappointed.
By now, Evan Lin’s name was famous all over Brightsea No. 2 High. He’d single-handedly crushed Ethan Yi’s Class 3 team on the soccer field and then brazenly beat up people in front of the whole school. In everyone’s eyes, Evan Lin was no longer that poor country kid who confessed to Lucy Lu and got knocked out by Buck Niu.
After school, Evan Lin headed downstairs and spotted Lily Zhong standing by the stairwell.
Lily Zhong was wearing a long dress today, looking tall and eye-catching. When she saw Evan Lin coming down, her expression grew complicated, like she wanted to say something. But before she could, Coach Peter, who’d been waiting nearby, strode over to Evan Lin.
“Hello, Evan,” Coach Peter said in clumsy Chinese, looking very serious.
“Hi.” Evan Lin glanced at Coach Peter, this foreigner, his eyes cool and uninterested.
"I hope you’ll reconsider. I truly believe your talent is enough to lead Crisbeal to an even greater future. You could be the greatest player in football history!" Coach Peter kept pace right beside Evan Lin, speaking faster and faster.
Evan Lin walked past Lily Zhong without missing a beat, his expression unchanged. Lily looked a little disappointed, watching Evan’s back with a hint of indescribable sadness in her eyes.
"Sorry, not interested," Evan Lin shook his head.
If this was Evan Lin from his previous life, he would’ve said yes to Coach Peter’s invitation in a heartbeat.
Getting an invitation from Coach Peter meant fame, money, and honor—exactly what Evan Lin wanted most in his past life. But now, none of that interests him at all.
Most of the students around looked at Coach Peter with curiosity. Seeing a foreigner at Brightsea No. 2 High was a rare sight.
"You don’t have to decide right now. Here—this is my number. Please take it." Coach Peter pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Evan Lin, who took it and glanced at it.
"I’m flying to Yanjing this afternoon. If you change your mind, you can find me anytime."
"As long as I’m coaching the national team, you can join the squad or Crisbeal whenever you want. I’m looking forward to seeing you—the future pope of football!" Coach Peter’s face flushed with excitement. Just imagining getting to witness the rise of a player destined for the history books was already a thrill.
For a guy like Coach Peter, who’s spent his whole life on the pitch, football means more than life itself—it’s his burning passion.
"Mm." Evan Lin nodded. He’d probably never call that number, but looking at Coach Peter’s excited face, he actually found the guy kind of endearing—at least he was more genuine than most people.
Coach Peter kept chattering away beside Evan Lin, following him all the way out of the school.
Not far away, a black Mercedes was parked. Victor Yu leaned against the car door, cigarette in hand. When he saw Evan Lin come out, he nodded at him.
"Got something to do. We’ll talk next time." Evan Lin said goodbye to Coach Peter, then headed for Victor Yu. Coach Peter sighed, a little disappointed he still hadn’t convinced Evan.
Watching Evan Lin leave, Coach Peter finally stepped aside and made a call—to Clinton Lewis.
"Hello, Principal. Have Ethan Yi get ready—he’s coming with me this afternoon."
After hanging up, Coach Peter honestly wasn’t interested in Ethan Yi anymore after meeting Evan Lin. But back in the principal’s office, Principal Clinton Lewis and Chief Qi had bombarded him with requests. Clinton Lewis even promised to personally help persuade Evan Lin to join Crisbeal whenever he got a chance. That’s the only reason Coach Peter reluctantly agreed to bring Ethan Yi to the national team’s tryouts, letting him train as a substitute.
Over in Class 3, Ethan Yi was in a lousy mood, looking totally out of it.
Ever since losing the game yesterday, Ethan Yi still couldn’t calm down. Evan Lin’s explosive power and game sense were just terrifying. Facing him felt like running into a mountain you could never climb.
"Ethan Yi, come out for a second!" After getting the principal’s orders, Mr. Zhang jogged into the classroom, knocked on the door, and called out to Ethan.
Ethan Yi stepped out of the classroom, looking pretty quiet.
"Hey, Coach Peter has agreed to let you join the national team. Head home, pack your stuff, and don’t miss your flight this afternoon—this is your chance." Mr. Zhang reached out and patted Ethan Yi’s shoulder.
"Really?" Ethan Yi was stunned, almost unable to believe it.
"Would your teacher lie to you?" Mr. Zhang laughed. "Go home and pack. Losing the game yesterday doesn’t matter—young guys need to lose a few times to grow up."
"Mm!"
Ethan Yi nodded hard, face full of excitement.
"Evan Lin! Just wait—once I’ve trained with the national team, let’s see how you compare!" Ethan Yi sneered to himself. "If Coach Peter didn’t pick you, he must’ve seen something wrong with your game. One day, we’ll meet on the field again, and I’ll stomp you into the turf myself!"
Ethan Yi hurried home.
What he didn’t know was, it was only because Evan Lin had coldly rejected Coach Peter’s relentless offers that this opportunity came his way.