"Hello, Mom."
Evan Lin stepped out of the room, found a quiet spot to sit down, and answered the call.
The call was from Evan's mother, Joy Zheng.
"Xiao Yi, how have things been at school lately? Nothing bad has happened, right?"
On the other end, Joy Zheng asked carefully, afraid of upsetting Evan.
Evan could hear the anxiety in his mother's voice and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
In his previous life, Evan had lived at Lynn Chen's house, where neither Lynn nor Charles Chen liked him. His grades weren't good, and coming from the county, most of his classmates looked down on him—even if they didn't say it out loud.
Back then, Evan's life was exhausting and he was always on edge. Every time he spoke to his mom on the phone, his attitude was bad, and he often yelled at her. Eventually, Joy Zheng became so cautious that she would think over every word before calling him.
Thinking of this, Evan felt a pang of guilt and smiled softly. "Mom, I'm fine. I'll be home soon—I really miss your red-braised pork."
"If you like red-braised pork, I'll make it for you when you get back. But Xiao Yi, if anything ever happens, don't keep it bottled up, okay? Promise you'll tell Mom."
"You're the most important person in the world to me now. If your grades aren't improving, don't stress out about it—your health always comes first. Try to get along with your classmates, and if you ever need money, just tell me. If you want to eat something while you're out, go ahead and eat it. Don't make yourself suffer." Joy Zheng rambled on, her voice full of concern.
Evan nodded and agreed, showing not the slightest impatience.
Some things, some people—you only realize how precious they are after you've lost them.
Even as the Nine Mysteries Immortal Lord on the Immortal Martial Continent, Evan often missed the days when his mother would nag him. Those dreamlike years slipped by, leaving only memories as fleeting as clouds he could never grasp.
"Don't worry, Mom. If anything happens, I'll definitely tell you." Evan smiled. "Oh, and when I get back this time, I have a surprise for you."
"A surprise from you? Just don't get into trouble. Taking care of yourself is the best surprise you could give me." Joy Zheng couldn't help laughing, her tone finally relaxing. But then she hesitated, "Just now, Aunt Lucy called me and said you didn't answer her call. Did something happen over there? Did you get into a fight?"
"Or is it Lynn again, treating you badly?"
"Xiao Yi, I've watched Lynn grow up. She's not a bad kid at heart. If she really made you unhappy, as a boy, you should try to be more tolerant with her." Joy Zheng said earnestly, pausing when Evan didn't reply.
"I know, Mom. There's no conflict. I probably just had my phone on silent and missed her call."
Hearing Evan's explanation, Joy Zheng finally relaxed. After a few more reminders, she hung up the phone.
Evan checked his phone and saw that he had a missed call from twenty minutes ago—not from Lucy Lu, but from Charles Chen.
Charles's number had always been saved in Evan's phone, but he'd never called before. After a moment's hesitation, Evan dialed Charles back.
"Uncle Charles, did you need something?" Evan asked.
"Oh, Evan! I just wanted to ask when you'll be coming home. We made crab tonight—lots of it!" Charles Chen sounded a bit nervous and uncertain over the phone.
"Probably tomorrow," Evan replied, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Tomorrow it is, then. I'll have Aunt Lucy set aside a few crabs for you to eat when you get back. Be careful out there, and remember to look after Lynn."
Charles Chen gave Evan a few more reminders before finally hanging up.
"Evan went out with Lynn and won't be back until tomorrow. Should we eat first?"
At Brightsea Garden Court, Charles Chen put away his phone and looked at Haiyang Sheng sitting across from him.
Haiyang Sheng's eyes dimmed slightly at the news, but he quickly nodded. "Come on, let's have a few drinks. I really owe you this time."
Haiyang Sheng smiled and poured Charles Chen a drink.
"Let me pour the drinks, President Sheng," Charles Chen said, getting up to take the bottle, but Haiyang Sheng waved him off.
"No, tonight I have to toast you myself. Really, Charles, I misjudged you before." Haiyang Sheng spoke earnestly, his eyes showing genuine apology.
"What is it, President Sheng? Can you tell me what's going on? You're making me nervous."
Charles Chen felt uneasy. Haiyang Sheng was acting far too friendly, almost as if he was trying to win favor, but Charles still couldn't figure out why.
Earlier, Haiyang Sheng had come in asking for Evan, played a few games of chess while waiting, and finally got anxious enough to have Charles call Evan when he still hadn't returned.
What was really going on here?
"So, you were all looking for Evan—was it because he made too much trouble last night? If that's the case, let me apologize for him first. He is just a kid, after all." Lucy Lu looked anxiously at Haiyang Sheng and Susan Pang.
Lucy Lu was worried that after what happened yesterday, Haiyang Sheng and Susan Pang had formed a bad impression of Evan. The atmosphere looked harmonious now, but maybe they were actually here to hold him accountable.
If that was really the case, Lucy thought she should call Evan and tell him to hide out somewhere for a while.
"Could it be that Shen He, Jason Liu, or Neil Ping's group got into trouble from drinking last night?"
Recently, the news has reported cases where people were pressured to drink at the table and ended up dying—those who pressured them were held responsible.
Thinking of this possibility, Lucy Lu's face went pale. What Evan did last night couldn't even be called 'persuading to drink'—it was straight-up forcing alcohol.
"No, you're overthinking it, Lucy," Susan Pang shook her head. "Actually, we should be thanking Evan's master."
"Evan's master?" Lucy Lu and Charles Chen exchanged glances, both stunned.
"That's right. We've figured everything out. Director Yun at the hospital said the prescription from Doctor Wu, whom Neil Ping brought in, was problematic. If Evan's master hadn't given me a new prescription, I might still be bedridden, getting worse by the day."
Haiyang Sheng sighed, "Charles, I really have to thank you. I've never liked Neil Ping much anyway, and after what he said last night, I think his position needs to be moved."
"A deputy GM can't keep opposing the general manager forever. I'm planning to report this to the board at headquarters. Once the vice GM seat is vacant, I think you'd be a great fit."
After saying this, Haiyang Sheng glanced at Charles Chen.
Charles was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He raised his glass, "President Sheng, let me toast you!"
With a gulp of white liquor, Charles felt more satisfied than ever before.
Thinking about what he'd said to Evan last night, Charles realized he should find time to talk to Evan alone.
That kid really does know how to do good things for me.
Thinking this, Charles felt a wave of happiness in his heart.