July. The sun blazed overhead.
At the Brightsea City bus station, a long-distance coach from River City pulled up and stopped by the curb.
Three people got off the bus.
Evan Lin stepped down, backpack slung over his shoulder, wearing a white baseball cap and both hands shoved in his pockets.
Behind him followed Shawn Shi and Dong Zi, both glancing around, taking in everything nearby.
By now, all the high schools in Brightsea City were on summer break.
Actually, Evan had missed the final exams at Brightsea No. 2 High this time around.
"Sir, where are we heading now?"
Shawn Shi followed behind Evan, grinning with a cheeky smile.
"First I'll find a place to settle you two in. Then I'll head home. You just stay put and wait."
Evan walked ahead, Shawn Shi and Dong Zi quickly catching up.
The street bustled with people and traffic.
Brightsea City's commercial street.
A girl in a floral dress held an ice cream in her hand. Beside her was a boy in a white athletic T-shirt.
The boy was about 1.8 meters tall, fair-skinned, and had a sunny look. His smile was eye-catching—one of those popular guys in any class.
"Mia Chen, let's go see a movie tonight? I heard there's a new American romance film that's pretty good."
The boy tilted his head, gazing at the girl beside him, eyes full of affection.
His tone was gentle, with a cheerful smile.
"Um, maybe not. I still have homework to do tonight," Mia Chen shook her head, the ice cream in her mouth tasting sweet.
"It's fine, it's already summer break. And you get such good grades—missing one night won't hurt your studies."
"And besides, your mom already knows you and I hang out together. If you want, if you ever run into any trouble with your studies, you can ask me. My grades are actually pretty solid," he said.
The boy gave a slight smile.
In his mind, whether it was personality, looks, or anything else, he could blow most guys out of the water.
At River City First High, he was one of those popular guys—maybe not quite at the level of the campus princes, but he never lacked admirers.
Coming from River City First High, facing students from smaller city schools always gave him a kind of sweet self-confidence.
This time, his mom had dragged him all the way to Brightsea City just to meet her old friend's daughter—Mia Chen.
From the way both families talked, it was basically a matchmaking setup. At first, he wasn’t into it—after all, there were plenty of pretty girls waiting for him back at First High. How good-looking could the girls in Brightsea City really be?
But after actually coming here and seeing Mia Chen for the first time, his heart skipped a beat.
Whether it was her looks, her figure, or that gentle, easy smile she sometimes showed, Mia Chen gave him a feeling he couldn’t quite put into words.
It was like his soft heart had been gently pressed, bringing a rush of uncontrollable joy.
These past few days, he’d been eating, drinking, and hanging out with Mia nonstop. He’d even tagged along when she met up with her classmates, and though he’d seen a few local guys giving him the evil eye, none of them felt like any real competition.
"Seriously, it’s fine. The movie’s not even that late—starts at seven, ends around nine-thirty. After that, I’ll walk you home, okay?"
He looked at Mia Chen, a smile on his face.
Mia Chen lowered her head slightly, a bit unsure.
Just then, three people walked by from the other end of the commercial street.
A teenage boy, followed by two guys who looked anything but proper.
The boy wore a backpack and a cap, his frame thin, his face calm and peaceful, his expression distant.
A light breeze brushed past as they walked shoulder to shoulder.
Splat.
Mia Chen’s hand gave a little shake, and her ice cream tumbled onto the stone pavement, scattering everywhere.
She suddenly looked up, her gaze cutting through the busy crowd, staring in a daze at the boy’s fading silhouette.
For a moment, she felt an urge to say something, but couldn’t find the words—her mind was left reeling.
"What’s wrong with you?"
The boy next to Mia was startled by her reaction. He followed her gaze, but all he saw were three backs turning down another street and disappearing at the far end.
"It’s nothing. I want to go home. Let’s skip the movie tonight."
Mia Chen shook her head, feeling a strange sense of loss.
Was that him?
Mia wondered in her heart, but quickly shook her head, driving the thought away.
Even if it was, so what?
It’s not like we have anything to do with each other anymore.
With a quiet sigh, Mia turned and hailed a cab by the street, ignoring the boy and getting in.
After Mia left, the boy’s smile faded, his brows furrowing in clear annoyance.
......
"Boss, that girl just now kept looking at you. Maybe she’s into you? She looked pretty cute to me!"
Shawn Shi glanced back and mumbled a few words, chuckling to himself.
"Mm."
Evan Lin replied with a faint sound.
Seeing Evan wasn’t in the mood for chatting, Shawn sensibly shut his mouth.
Evan took out his phone and dialed a number. Soon, someone picked up.
"Mom, I’ll probably come home tomorrow or the day after."
"Mm, I know. I’ll be careful."
"Okay."
Evan hung up, not even glancing at Shawn or Dong Zi beside him. He spoke calmly: "I keep you two around because I need someone to handle things here. Do well, and you’ll be rewarded. Mess up, and you’ll be punished."
"I keep things simple. You’ve followed me for days now—you should know how I operate."
Evan’s tone was cold and emotionless.
At his words, Shawn and Dong Zi straightened up and nodded quickly: "Of course! Whatever you need, as long as it’s something I, Shawn Shi, can do, I’ll give it my all! No questions asked!"
"That’s how it should be."
Evan nodded slightly, stepped on fallen leaves, and led them through several streets and intersections until finally stopping.
The whole street was run-down and half-ruined.
At the entrance, a few abandoned cars completely blocked the street.
Shattered glass littered both sides and shop doors had been smashed in everywhere.
All across the street, injured people were lying on the ground.
They still gripped steel pipes and long blades, every face burning with fighting spirit.
"What is this place..."
Seeing the scene before them, Shawn and Dong Zi’s expressions changed.
Inside the street, countless people turned to glare at the three who dared step in, their eyes cold and menacing.