A chill voice drifted in from outside the classroom, sounding way too calm for the chaos brewing inside.
Mason He jolted like he'd been zapped. Instantly, everyone in the room whipped their heads to the door, only to see a skinny kid leaning against the railing, suitcase at his side, just watching them like he owned the place.
"It's you!"
Mason He stared at Evan Lin outside the classroom, jaw dropping. He clenched his fists until his knuckles popped, totally caught off guard.
Senior Year Class 32 and Capitalview First High Experimental Class 2 aren't on the same floor. To accommodate the Experimental Class students, the school put all three Capitalview First High Experimental Classes together on a separate level.
Normally, Senior Year Class 32 students wouldn't be dumb enough to wander up to the Capitalview First High Experimental Class 2 hallway for no reason. Seeing Evan Lin standing outside, Lynn Chen was a bit taken aback.
"Who the heck is that guy, talking to Minister He like he's hot stuff?" Some kid who'd never seen Evan before was super curious.
That's the transfer kid who got into it with Minister He at the school gate this afternoon—word is he knows Lynn Chen." Another student, who'd heard the gossip, jumped in.
Nobody ever thought the sweet, gorgeous Lynn Chen would get called out of class by some transfer from Senior Year Class 32. And judging by how chill they seemed, were they really just gonna dip together after school?
So, Evan turned back and waited outside the classroom for quite a while.
"A dude rocking cartoon pants wants to throw hands? Fine, let's see if your mug is tougher than my slap." Evan Lin's tone was ice cold, eyes locked on Mason He. The second he said it, everyone around went wide-eyed and snapped their heads toward Mason, waiting for the fallout.
Mason He was basically campus legend-level strong. That afternoon, everyone figured he'd just tweaked his back by accident—Evan Lin only got to step on his face because he lucked out.
Now, pretty much everyone was itching for Mason He to rush out and flatten that transfer kid, finally get his dignity back.
Mason He's face went from pale to pissed in seconds. He snapped, "You wanna fight me? Dream on! This is school—you're just a nobody. If we get kicked out, it's whatever for you, but I'm not throwing away my future over some loser like you!"
Mason sounded so sure of himself, but Evan Lin just snorted and shook his head. Then he shot a look at Lynn Chen, who was still zoning out, and frowned: "Lynn Chen, pack it up. We're outta here!"
The second Evan spoke, the whole classroom went dead silent.
Mason He's forehead veins popped, his eyes going sharp and cold. With his face all wrapped up in bandages, he looked like he was about to explode. He glared at Lynn Chen. Right then, every single person in Capitalview First High Experimental Class 2 was staring at Lynn, waiting to see what she'd do.
Since transferring in less than a month ago, Lynn Chen had a whole crowd of guys after her—some of them total campus legends. But all this time, she barely even looked at pipeline boys, always brushing them off or swerving their advances.
Nobody ever thought the sweet, gorgeous Lynn Chen would get called out of class by some transfer from Senior Year Class 12. And judging by how chill they seemed, were they really just gonna dip together after school?
"Alright, just a sec."
After a few seconds of blanking out, Lynn Chen's face went cool. She just grabbed her books, slung her bag, and walked right out. With everyone staring like they'd seen a ghost, she headed downstairs with Evan Lin, leaving a trail of chaos in her wake.
"Holy crap, is this for real?" a girl muttered, eyes wide, totally shook.
"How does that transfer kid just call Lynn Chen out like that?" one guy grumbled, totally salty and not buying what he'd just seen.
"Maybe they're just hometown friends—both from Brightsea, right? Hometown folks gotta stick together." someone guessed. But most people just stared at Mason He, still frozen, their eyes full of pity.
Not only did Mason He get his face stomped, now he had to swallow his pride. Like he said, if the transfer kid causes trouble and gets expelled, it's no big deal—everyone figures Evan Lin's the type to just scrape into some bottom-tier college after the exams.
But for top dogs like Mason He, it's a whole different story. His future's locked in, so why risk getting written up or kicked out over some rando?
Mason He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked, face stormy, eyes flickering with all kinds of emotions.
Evan Lin dragged his suitcase in front, Lynn Chen walked beside him with her bag.
From the classroom building to the gate, they got stared down by students all the way, whispers trailing in their wake.
It was now 9:40 p.m. The city was wrapped in darkness, distant streets buzzing with traffic and the glow of streetlights.
"What's your relationship with those girls from this afternoon?"
Outside, Lynn Chen kept her game face on and tossed out the question, kicking a rock as she talked. Engines roared, the wind whipped her bangs, and her nose scrunched up in the streetlight glow.
"Just passing acquaintances."
Evan Lin's answer made Lynn Chen roll her eyes. "If they're just randos, why would they come looking for you? And Ivy Liang? She's famous for freezing everyone out. How could you be just 'passing acquaintances'?"
Evan shot a sideways glance at Lynn Chen, who was hustling to keep up. Under the streetlights, she looked all puffed up, cheeks round, shooting daggers at him.
"Believe it or not."
Evan's deadpan reply made Lynn Chen grind her teeth in frustration. She shot him a glare and huffed, "If Yolanda Fang was here, she'd totally kick you for that answer."
Mentioning Yolanda Fang made Lynn Chen go quiet, her voice dropping as she drifted into thought, lips pressed tight.
After a moment, Lynn Chen turned to Evan Lin, who looked totally chill, and said, "Stop being so high-profile at school. Capitalview First High's rules are strict. If you keep stirring up drama, you could get booted."
Evan Lin just shrugged. "Not your problem, Lynn. Chill out."
Lynn Chen's face dropped. "Who said I care about you? I just don't want Auntie Zheng stressing out because of your mess!"
And another thing—why'd you stomp Mason He's face so hard this afternoon? You know that's basically assault, right? If he calls the cops, you're toast!