Evan Lin sat in the living room, munching on an apple while watching TV.
Upstairs, under Lucy Lu’s tactical guidance, Lynn Chen cycled through ten different dresses before finally settling on one.
Just as Lynn finished changing, she was about to head downstairs when Lucy grabbed her by the wrist and firmly sat her down at the vanity.
“Mom, isn’t this a bit much? It’s just dinner.”
Lynn looked worried, watching as Lucy swiftly pulled out a whole arsenal of brow pencils, lipsticks, and blushes. She couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless.
“Dinner? Forget dinner—food you can skip, but this battle you can’t. If you really like Evan, then sit tight. I’ll curl your hair in a bit. No matter if those two girls are friends or rivals, you need to be at your absolute best.”
Lucy looked dead serious: “Some wars have only winners and losers—no consolation prizes. Back when Evan lived at our place, you wasted your ‘close proximity’ advantage. Now it’s their turn. If you don’t fight for him, you might regret it when he’s someone else’s man!”
Listening to her mom, Lynn actually started getting nervous. She obediently sat at the vanity, letting Lucy fuss with her hair.
When it came to makeup, Lucy was the real expert—skilled, precise, and totally focused as she started with the eyeliner and worked her way down the list.
Downstairs, Evan glanced at the clock.
“Six ten…”
Evan sighed. He’d known waiting for a girl could take a while, but he hadn’t expected changing clothes alone to eat up over forty minutes—and she still wasn’t done.
“Guess I should call Stella and Irene and give them a heads-up.”
They’d originally set the reservation for six thirty, but at this rate, they might not make it.
When Evan called Stella and Irene to explain, his first call didn’t go through, but the second did. Hearing him say they’d be a bit late, both girls sounded more happy than annoyed—which left Evan a little confused.
By the time he hung up, most of the movie on TV had played, and finally footsteps echoed from upstairs.
Upstairs, Lynn Chen descended gracefully in a dark blue off-shoulder, waist-hugging ruffled princess dress. She wore low-heeled white sneakers, her head bowed slightly. With light makeup and softly curled black hair, her features looked almost painted—her usual girl-next-door sweetness now tinged with an understated, elegant charm.
The soft pink tint on her lips made her look even more alluring.
Dressed up like this, Lynn didn’t dare glance at Evan, who was sitting on the sofa—her heart fluttered with nerves and a touch of unease.
“Evan, did you wait long?”
Lucy followed behind Lynn, grinning at Evan.
“Not really.”
Evan stood up and glanced at Lynn. “Ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
Lynn took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She lifted her head, mustered her courage, and looked right at Evan.
But when she met Evan’s clear, steady gaze, she couldn’t help feeling a little let down.
She’d hoped dressing up like this would stir something in Evan, at least a different kind of reaction.
Evan and Lynn headed out together.
They hadn’t been gone long when Lucy, humming to herself, plopped down on the sofa and started watching TV.
Soon after, Charles Chen came home in high spirits.
He walked in looking pleased, but when he saw the empty dinner table, he stopped short. “Hey, is Lynn not back from school yet? And what about dinner?”
“Eat, eat, eat. That’s all you think about.”
Lucy turned around on the sofa, smiling at Charles. “Evan invited Lynn out for dinner tonight.”
“Really?!” Charles’s face lit up at Lucy’s words.
“Why would I lie? I just helped Lynn change and get all dressed up before sending her out. They left not long ago.” Lucy rolled her eyes at him.
“That’s great! I was worried Evan might have some complaints about our family, especially after what happened with Linda Guan dragging President Yu and the military to mess things up last time.”
Charles looked a bit embarrassed as he remembered. “Luckily, Major Hugh Hu saw things clearly. After he called last time, my company’s project sped right up.”
“All the paperwork went through smoothly, stamps and all. Saved us a ton of time. If there’s a chance, we should really thank Evan for helping us get Major Hu’s support.”
Seeing Charles so happy, Lucy couldn’t help but smile too. She sighed, “Honestly, Evan’s done so much for our family.”
“Now Lynn really likes Evan. Even though they’re both seniors, right at a crossroads in life, I still support Lynn giving it a shot. Otherwise, someone else might snatch Evan up tomorrow. Don’t you think?”
“What do I think? I think it’s great—I totally support it.” Charles nodded enthusiastically, with no intention of objecting.
Evan and Lynn walked side by side. Lynn’s princess dress made her stand out, both in looks and in presence.
People couldn’t help but stare as she passed.
“Where are we eating?”
Lynn kept walking, waiting for Evan to speak. The silence between them grew, making her anxious. Finally, she turned to Evan and asked quietly.
“Riversouth Garden Bistro. Stella and Irene booked the table.”
Evan wasn’t picky about food. Riversouth Garden Bistro was well-known in Capitalview, with several branches around town.
It was Stella’s idea to eat there. Capitalview TV was planning a new food show, and she’d scouted the place for research. The Jiangnan-style dishes were authentic and delicious, so she’d invited everyone to try it.
“Oh.”
Lynn kept her head down and replied softly.
“Order whatever you want when we get there. Don’t be shy.”
Evan glanced at Lynn, then added, “Eat plenty. If you’re still hungry when you get home, Auntie Lu might blame me for starving you.”