Previously, Stella Huang planned to write a feature story on Evan Lin. If the report got published, it would basically guarantee Evan the Capitalview City Three-Good Student honor—a huge bonus for his college applications after the senior year exams.
But unexpectedly, after Stella finished the piece and submitted it to her supervisor, the higher-up suddenly changed his mind and told her not to handle it anymore.
The reason? Another reporter wrote about a more 'representative' figure—Eric Yu.
Ever since Eric Yu starred in 'Mysterious Detective,' he's gained real fame in the entertainment world. Compared to him, Evan Lin might've been commended by Chief Chen of the police bureau and won first prize at the math Olympiad, but in terms of social influence, Eric is leagues ahead.
"It's fine."
Evan Lin just shook his head. Winning that honor would've been nice—mainly to make Joy Zheng happy—but not getting it was no big deal.
Seeing Evan so calm, Stella thought he was just pretending and tried to comfort him a bit more.
"Oh, by the way—Serena Tong, the super popular actress from the 'Mysterious Detective' crew, is coming to Capitalview for a fan meet in a few days. Want to check it out? I'm heading there for interviews anyway." Stella suddenly remembered and glanced at Evan beside her.
Serena Tong's fame is at its peak. She's only in her twenties, but her looks and figure stand out even among other celebrities.
Especially her cold, aloof cop persona in the film—it left a deep impression. Tons of guys basically worship her as the ultimate ice-queen goddess.
But for ordinary people, getting close to Serena Tong is nearly impossible. This time, since Stella gets to attend as a reporter, she naturally thought of inviting Evan.
"Don't know her. No need to meet."
Hearing Evan's reply, Stella didn't push any further.
They went home. Irene Xu was away flying these days, so only Stella and Evan were at the apartment.
The next morning, Evan headed downstairs, tidied up a bit, and grabbed his backpack for school.
He hadn't even reached the school gate yet when he ran into a girl whose back looked oddly familiar.
"It really is you!"
Seeing Evan Lin heading toward the school, the girl hurried over to meet him.
She looked seventy or eighty percent like Serena Tong, dressed extra stylish and lively. Just standing by the street waiting had already drawn plenty of stares.
But Queenie Tong was long immune to all the looks from passersby—she barely reacted.
This time, Serena Tong was in Capitalview for a fan meet. Queenie hadn't planned to tag along, but then she heard a rumor about a student named Evan Lin who'd knocked down Ethan Yi and got away with it. That name stunned her.
Last time outside Medicine King Valley, Queenie didn't witness Evan's legendary destruction of the place, but just the pill he casually gave her had already massively improved Serena's illness.
Queenie had wanted to find Evan in person afterward. She got in touch with Lucy Lu and asked her to help, but Lucy said Evan had transferred schools, leaving Queenie disappointed.
This time, she came just to try her luck—and against all odds, she actually ran into him.
"It's you."
Evan Lin saw Queenie Tong, nodded, and remembered her.
After a quick greeting, Evan headed straight into the school.
Queenie froze for a second, then hurried after him.
A bunch of passing students saw this and immediately started gossiping.
When Evan was riding high a while ago, he suddenly vanished for over a month and skipped class, so his school reputation took a hit. But he was still instantly recognized.
What nobody expected was that Evan had just returned to school, and already a beautiful girl was trailing after him.
Absolutely wild.
A bunch of boys looked at Evan with pure envy and frustration. Especially seeing how he barely paid attention to the girl—they were heartbroken, saying he totally didn't know how to cherish a beauty.
"Master, Master, that pill you gave last time—I gave it to my sister, and she's doing way better now, but still so weak. She's in Capitalview right now, so could you please come with me and cure her for good? I'm begging you!"
Queenie Tong didn't have a trace of pride left. Her legs moved fast, her face full of anxious pleading, eyes lowered, every bit of her expression showing desperation.
"I already gave her a pill once. That was me being kind. Besides, your sister's health isn't really my problem. If she's sick, go see a doctor."
Evan Lin kept his hands in his pockets, not even glancing at Queenie beside him.
Queenie's eyes reddened, her voice catching: "My sister's been to so many hospitals, but none of the doctors can help. All the tests come back normal."
"Maybe you're the only one who can help. If you won't, then—then I'll kneel to you!"
Queenie's eyes burned with determination. Like she'd made some huge decision, she bit her lip and was about to kneel.
But this was right at the school gate, packed with people. A gorgeous girl kneeling to a teenage boy in public? Major loss of face, but she was willing to do it.
Queenie saw Evan staying silent and bent her knees to kneel—but just as she was about to touch the ground, an invisible force held her up, lifting her so she couldn't kneel.
Queenie blinked in surprise.
"When I have time, kneeling isn't necessary. Just stand here and wait for a whole day."
Evan's cool words echoed in her ears. By the time Queenie snapped out of it, he'd already vanished into the school gate.
Only Queenie heard those words clearly. To everyone else, she was just a pretty girl standing dazed by the gate, eyes red like she'd just cried. But after a moment, she actually smiled through her tears, looking almost radiant.
Then she quietly, obediently stood to the side, docile and patient.
Not long after, a commotion broke out among the girls at the school gate—they were all stretching their necks, peeking outside.
There, teen idol Eric Yu strolled in with his signature sunny smile, right beside the shy, head-lowered Lynn Chen.