"That Ethan Yi sure is full of himself."
Ethan Yi’s string of remarks at the Capitalview airport hit the city news that very night, spreading like wildfire in every school’s QQ groups and forums.
When Mason He, Liam Liu, and their crew heard what Ethan Yi said, their faces darkened with annoyance. What made them even more uncomfortable was that the girls who usually cheered for them were now switching sides—many had started rooting for Ethan Yi instead.
The match between the two teams was set for the next afternoon.
When Lynn Chen heard Ethan Yi’s comments, she frowned, picked up her phone, and after a moment’s hesitation, sent a text to Yolanda Fang about Ethan Yi.
Back then, everyone knew about the thing between Yolanda Fang and Ethan Yi, but nothing ever actually happened between them in the end—leaving everyone scratching their heads.
Even though Lynn Chen knew Yolanda Fang probably had zero feelings left for Ethan Yi, she still couldn’t help wanting to mention it to her.
But after Lynn sent the text, there was no reply for a long time. In the past, Yolanda would text back instantly—her phone was always on 24/7—but this time, nothing.
Ever since Yolanda was taken to Oceanport by her mom, she’d vanished without a trace. Sometimes, seeing Yolanda’s grayed‑out avatar on QQ, Lynn would feel a little empty inside—like she was watching her best friend disappear, with no one left to talk to.
“Lynn, you have to come to the game tomorrow! I’ll show Ethan Yi that Capitalview First High’s team isn’t so easy to mess with! No matter how good they are, we’re going to steal a few goals from him!”
Mason He puffed out his chest, face full of pride and fighting spirit. His voice boomed with confidence, drawing cheers from the people around.
Lynn Chen glanced at him and nodded. "Good luck tomorrow."
After a bit of small talk, Mason felt a little dissatisfied deep down. He suspected Lynn Chen was still thinking about Evan Lin from Class 12.
In Mason He’s mind, neither that Evan Lin nor Peiying High’s Ren Qiang could compare to him. All he needed was to shine in this game—then, at the peak of his glory, he’d finally win Lynn Chen over!
What Mason didn’t know was that Lynn Chen, head down and pretending to read, was actually thinking about Evan Lin—who, if she remembered right, could play soccer too.
That afternoon, after settling in at their hotel, Ethan Yi and the whole team headed to Capitalview First High’s soccer field to get a feel for the pitch.
They came during class to avoid disturbing students, but some kids in PE class spotted Ethan Yi and his squad. While they were warming up and doing a bit of training, the students shot plenty of videos and posted them in group chats, sparking a wave of buzz.
In the videos, Ethan Yi moved with sharp, effortless grace, firing off several high‑quality shots—making the girls swoon even more.
“He doesn’t even look that great, so why’s everyone so obsessed with him?” Jason Liu muttered as he watched the video on his phone. He glanced at Evan Lin, thinking about asking him for an autograph—but in the end, he kept quiet.
The next day.
In the morning, the principal and other leaders of Capitalview First High gave Ethan Yi and his team a formal welcome.
That afternoon, the whole school got a half-day off for the match. The stadium was packed—not just with Capitalview First High students, but also kids from other schools, all craning their necks, waiting for Ethan Yi to arrive.
Evan Lin entered the school and headed back to his classroom. Nearly everyone had left, but at the desk next to his, Jason Liu sat there anxiously clutching his phone, clearly waiting for something.
"Aren’t you going out to watch the game?" Evan asked, curious. Earlier, Jason had wanted Ethan Yi’s autograph—now that the team hadn’t arrived yet, if he waited too long, he’d miss out on a good spot.
"Ah, you came at the perfect time. Um, could you come with me later? I might need your help getting an autograph..." Jason Liu looked at Evan Lin, hesitated for ages, and finally brought it up again.
Seeing Evan Lin frown, Jason immediately felt awkward and hurriedly added, "If it’s not possible, that’s fine too…"
"We’ll see how it goes."
Evan Lin wasn’t interested in Ethan Yi at all. Asking for an autograph depended on how you did it—if he had to beg, forget it. But if he could force Ethan Yi to sign under pressure, that might actually be fun.
Evan had never cared much for Ethan Yi—he always saw him as a nobody, too insignificant to even catch his eye.
Hearing Evan’s answer, Jason finally relaxed a little. Just as he was about to say something else, his phone suddenly rang.
When Jason Liu saw the number, his face lit up. He quickly answered, switching to a gentle tone: "You guys here? Where are you now?"
"At the school gate? Okay, I’ll be right there! Wait for me!" Jason hung up, grabbed Evan Lin, and hurried out toward the front gate of Capitalview First High.
A taxi pulled up in front of the school, and out stepped two boys and two girls, all about seventeen or eighteen.
They got out and stood at the gate. One boy frowned and said, "If Ethan Yi had picked Peiying High as his opponent, we’d have kicked him to pieces ages ago!"
"Too bad—Capitalview First High lucked out this time. But with their skills, they’ll probably embarrass themselves at home."
The boy had a slightly androgynous look, wore a black short-sleeved shirt, and chewed gum as he stared at the school gate, sneering. Then he glanced at the girl in the dress next to him and asked, "You said you got someone to reserve seats? Where is he?"
"I just called him—he should be here any minute." The girl, Sharon Shen, was a Peiying High student, lively in her pink sneakers.
"Isn’t his name Jason Liu? He’s Sharon’s childhood friend, right? Didn’t he give her a MacBook Pro before, and isn’t this iPhone X from him too?"
Another girl giggled, eyeing Sharon with a teasing look. "Sharon, does Jason Liu have a crush on you or what?"
"Don’t talk nonsense." Sharon shot her a look, cheeks flushing as she nervously glanced at the androgynous boy, worried he might get upset.