"Hey, since you went to school with Ethan Yi, are you guys close? Was he a big shot back at your school?"
After Liam Liu walked off, a girl sidled up and checked Evan Lin out from head to toe.
"Does he even know you exist? If you ask for his autograph, will you actually get it? What if you go up and he doesn't recognize you—wouldn't that be awkward?" Sharon Shen chimed in, fanning the flames.
Evan Lin glanced at them coolly and said, "I'm not close with Ethan Yi, but first—if I ask him to sign, he wouldn't dare refuse. Second—I have zero obligation to get his autograph for you. Guys like him aren't even worth my attention."
The moment Evan finished, Sharon Shen and her friends burst out laughing.
"Wow, you sure know how to brag. You think Ethan Yi would sign just because you told him to? Who do you think you are, his dad or his brother?" the girl snorted.
A guy shook his head, looking down on Evan. "Buddy, let me give you some advice—drop the ridiculous pride. Even if you talk big, you're just a nobody from Class 12 at Capitalview First High. We're not idiots and we're not here to be played."
"Just be real, okay? Quit acting like you're somebody. As far as I know, once Ethan Yi finishes this match and keeps his grades up, he's guaranteed a spot training with the Chinese National Team. Do you even know who the current coach is? It's Coach Peter—the legendary 'madman' who built Crisbeal FC into a powerhouse." Luke Lu's face was full of reverence, like a pilgrim seeing the holy light.
"Coach Peter? That crazy foreigner? He tried to recommend me to Crisbeal FC, but I wasn't interested. Soccer might be thrilling for regular people, but for me, it's just too easy—no challenge at all." Evan looked indifferent, shaking his head.
As soon as Evan said that, Sharon Shen, Luke Lu, and the others froze—then burst out laughing.
"Some people really have no clue, huh? Do you know how many genius players worldwide want Coach Peter's recommendation to join Crisbeal FC? But to this day, nobody's ever heard of Coach Peter personally inviting anyone to Crisbeal."
"Getting Coach Peter to recommend you to Crisbeal FC? The odds are like Mars crashing into Earth!"
Everyone stared at Evan Lin like he was a total idiot.
Jason Liu came running over with six bottles of Coke, handing out drinks to everyone.
"Jason, your deskmate is something else—first he says Ethan Yi wouldn't dare refuse his autograph, then claims Coach Peter personally invited him to Crisbeal FC and he turned it down!" Sharon Shen glared at Evan Lin, clearly annoyed.
"He's full of it—talking so big, I'm surprised he doesn't throw his back out. Sharon, the people Jason Liu knows aren't much." Luke Lu snorted.
"Uh, everyone, have a drink. The match is about to start." Jason Liu tried to smooth things over, feeling bad for Evan Lin.
He knew the Peiying High School crowd had bad tempers and rough manners, but he hadn't expected them to be this infuriating.
Evan Lin took the Coke, had a sip, and scanned the field.
On the right side of the field, Liam Liu, Mason He, and the others in blue jerseys were warming up, all fired up and ready to go.
"Mason, you'll attack with me, everyone else focus on marking Ethan Yi. Losing isn't shameful—as long as we score, we'll save face for Capitalview!" Liam Liu encouraged Mason He on the field.
"Relax—even if Ethan Yi's amazing, he's still human. Every human has a weakness. I refuse to believe we can't score on them." Mason He grinned, then waved toward the stands.
In the Experimental Classes' section, Lynn Chen scanned the stands, distracted and frustrated when she couldn't spot the person she was looking for.
Seeing Lynn Chen's indifference only fueled Mason He's fighting spirit—he was itching to prove himself.
"What's so great about Evan Lin anyway?" Mason He gritted his teeth.
Mason He clenched his jaw. Suddenly, the packed stands erupted—everyone jumped up, roaring Ethan Yi's name like a tidal wave.
The atmosphere was like mountains collapsing and rivers bursting their banks.
Mason He and the others looked over; beside Evan Lin, Jason Liu and the rest also turned their heads to watch the far side of the field.
On the other side, the National Team Reserves in red jerseys took the field one after another, all tall and imposing—just looking at them, you could tell they were pros.
"Ethan Yi! Ethan Yi!" Sharon Shen shouted, spotting him in front.
Hearing Ethan Yi's name, Lynn Chen frowned and looked over. She had to admit, after training in Beijing, Ethan looked much healthier and more confident than he did in Brightsea City.
"This time, let's play hard. Since it's an away game, let's give them some face—5–0 will do." Ethan Yi said, his voice brimming with confidence.
His teammates nodded, faces full of swagger. In the last few matches, they'd crushed every opponent.
"See that? Do you even know which one is Ethan Yi? Weren't you bragging just now? Why not stand up and say hi—see if he recognizes you?" Luke Lu sneered at Evan Lin.
He'd better pray he doesn't provoke me, or I'll crush his self-esteem again." Evan Lin murmured, gaze fixed on Ethan Yi.