Rachel Liu frowned slightly as she listened to the man beside her. Thinking of Evan Lin, now far away in Capitalview City, she couldn't help but feel a bit worried.
The man beside her was Jason Zuo, Simon Zuo's cousin from the Zuo family. He'd met Rachel Liu before, but they weren't close.
After Simon Zuo died and Drake Huang was killed at the Zuo family, the clan fell into ruin—and Jason fled far away.
Now, thanks to Master Morgan Yang, the Zuo family was back in business, and Jason had returned to Seacrest to ride the wave.
Today, after Rachel Liu finished the Hundred-School Joint Exam and was about to head home, she unexpectedly ran into Jason Zuo waiting at the gate.
"Shouldn't you be saying all this to him in person?"
Rachel Liu shot Jason Zuo a cold look.
"He’s already hiding out in Jinnan, so I won’t bother bullying him. Anyway, we’ll see him on February 14," Jason said smugly. "When the time comes, Master Morgan will stomp him like a dog!"
"If he’s got guts, let him show up in front of me right now! I’d point at his nose and curse him out—I bet he wouldn’t dare lay a finger on me! And listen, Rachel, I’m not afraid to tell you: the whole family’s decided, if that Master Lin doesn’t show, we’ll go to his house and camp out! I don’t believe he’ll never go home again!"
The more Jason talked, the more excited and proud he looked.
But before he could finish, Rachel suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She stared blankly into the distance, a trace of shock in her eyes.
"Rachel, what’s wrong? Why’d you go quiet?" Jason asked, puzzled. He followed her gaze and saw a thin young man standing not far away.
The boy had a backpack on, his figure looking a bit frail as he stood in the night. Because of the angle, his face couldn’t be seen clearly.
"Is that one of your friends? Or someone crushing on you?" Jason asked, glancing over.
While Jason was still talking, he saw the boy pick up his phone and make a call.
He spoke a couple of words, then hung up.
The phone was an old Nokia—its age obvious even from a distance.
"No... I don’t know him," Rachel shook her head, a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
She wasn’t sure if the person standing there was Evan Lin or not.
Right now, Master Morgan Yang had the whole Seacrest region on edge. If Evan Lin really showed up here, it’d be incredibly dangerous.
Rachel still couldn’t forget the scene at the Jared Qian Auction—the moment Evan killed River City’s richest man and Elder Gordon Jin of Medicine King Valley with his mysterious skills.
"Oh, then just ignore him. He looks like some random worker. People like that—you’re better off keeping your distance," Jason sneered, glancing over.
Just as he spoke, Rachel saw the boy put away his phone and tilt his head slightly, as if looking up at Minghai’s night sky.
The next moment—
A roar of engines sounded from the end of the road.
The noise was powerful and shook everyone to the core.
"Let’s go," Rachel said.
Rachel didn’t want to linger here. The more she looked at the boy standing there, the more she felt he was Evan Lin.
If Jason found out that Master Lin from Seacrest was in Minghai right now, Master Morgan might rush over to kill him tomorrow—and that was the last thing Rachel wanted.
But before Rachel could react, she suddenly felt the roar of a car right behind them, much closer than before.
The sound kept getting closer, like a wild beast charging straight at them.
Rachel felt a sense of dread rising inside. She widened her eyes and glanced to the side.
At that exact moment, she heard a sharp bang—then saw a pitch-black Land Rover rush past, its iron front smashing into Jason Zuo. In an instant, the boy who’d been standing right next to Rachel was sent flying, nothing but a dark blur across the night.
The Land Rover’s violent passage whipped Rachel’s long black hair into the air, her locks flying wildly in the night as her stunned eyes stared ahead.
Screech—
The Land Rover screeched to a halt, its tires sparking against the pavement.
Then, the Land Rover stopped cleanly right in front of the boy who’d just tilted his head.
"Of all the things you shouldn’t have done, coming to Minghai tops the list. If I’d given you more time, would you have made it all the way to Whitewood County?"
Evan Lin spoke in a flat tone, giving a wry laugh at himself.
He’d thought that giving Joy Zheng the Harmony Jade Pendant, with its defensive formation, plus having Thomas Liu and the others in Whitewood County, would be enough to guarantee her safety.
But now, it was clear there were still gaps in the defense.
If Jason Zuo could make it to Minghai, who’s to say he couldn’t reach Whitewood County too?
Joy Zheng was Evan Lin’s bottom line.
Anyone who crossed it would be erased—no exceptions.
"Young Master!"
The Land Rover’s passenger door swung open—Big Tank jumped out, while the driver, reeking of alcohol, climbed out from behind the wheel.
The driver was thin and sharp-looking, with a shrewd face. The moment he saw Evan Lin, he looked thrilled.
"Clean up the mess. I don’t want any extra trouble."
Evan spoke coolly, then glanced over at Rachel, who was still frozen in shock. From a distance, he asked, "Has your family ever told anyone where I’m from?"