Evan Lin was in his room, getting ready to take a nap.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
"Evan, are you there?"
Outside, Old Man Liu's voice came through.
Evan walked over and opened the door. Old Man Liu stood outside, dressed in a neat Zhongshan suit. Even though he was getting on in years, he still looked full of energy.
"Hello, Teacher."
Evan nodded slightly to Old Man Liu. To be honest, Old Man Liu had always been a teacher worth respecting, both in character and in how he handled things.
He'd taught for so many years, never once accepting gifts from students' parents, and he'd even tutored students for free, never taking a single extra lesson fee.
"Good, you're here. I was worried you'd gone out."
Seeing Evan, Old Man Liu nodded and continued, "Later tonight, I want to take you and Rachel Liu to meet someone. Are you free?"
"Yeah, I’m free."
"Alright, I’ll come find you later then."
After saying that, Old Man Liu left, but before he went, he reminded Evan a few times to watch what he ate and not to upset his stomach before the competition.
After seeing Old Man Liu off, Evan lay down in his room for a while.
Not long after, the phone rang.
Evan glanced at the caller ID and was surprised—it was Lynn Chen?
"Hello." Evan answered, his tone flat and emotionless.
"Evan? Are you really in the City Math Olympiad? Are you in River City right now?" Lynn Chen fired off several questions, sounding completely incredulous.
Before this, Evan had only mentioned the River City Math Olympiad to Lucy Lu, who probably told Joy Zheng.
As for Lynn Chen, it was obviously Sisi Shao who told her.
"Yeah, what's up?" Evan yawned, clearly bored.
He didn’t really have anything to do right now, so it was rare for him to feel this relaxed.
"I heard from Sisi that she ran into you in River City. Why are you in the Math Olympiad?" Lynn Chen asked, full of confusion.
She still couldn’t quite believe Evan was actually competing in the Math Olympiad.
"The school held a selection for the Math Olympiad, and I scored pretty high, so I got picked." Evan answered honestly.
"You scored high? Who’d believe that! Did you cheat or something?"
Lynn Chen was about to say more when she heard a series of beeps—Evan had hung up. Her face instantly changed.
"He actually hung up on me!"
In her room, Lynn Chen, wearing a pink camisole, looked totally shocked.
"I told you, he got picked for the Math Olympiad and you still don’t believe it. Plus, I heard Old Man Liu personally proctored his test. The exam was super hard and the rules were strict—there’s no way anyone could cheat."
On the other side, Yolanda Fang lay sprawled on Lynn Chen’s bed in a black dress, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"No way! He used to be terrible at school, but lately it’s like he’s been hit by lightning or something. I swear, he’s a completely different person now—nothing like the Evan I used to know." Lynn Chen kept dialing his number, but every time he hung up right away, quick and cold.
That just made Lynn Chen grind her teeth in frustration. Finally, she flopped onto the bed, looking a little down.
"Is it just that he used to circle around you all the time, and now that he doesn’t care as much, you feel kind of thrown off?" Yolanda Fang turned her head to look at Lynn Chen.
"Of course not!" Lynn Chen panicked and shook her head.
Back then, Evan was just some country bumpkin—how could a little princess like Lynn Chen ever care about him?
But honestly, the way Evan’s attitude toward her had changed really did throw Lynn Chen off.
"That’s just how it is—what’s so hard to admit?" Yolanda Fang rolled her eyes, stretched out her limbs, and showed off her curves.
"I’m actually curious, what kind of guy was Evan before? All I know is he confessed to Rachel Liu and the whole school laughed at him. Before that, I don’t really know much."
As she spoke, Yolanda Fang propped up her head, looking at Lynn Chen with a face full of questions.
Ethan Yi had gone to Yanjing to play soccer. At first, Yolanda Fang thought she’d be upset, but in reality, she found she didn’t really care about Ethan leaving.
Maybe it was because Ethan Yi’s attitude after losing the last game was just so disappointing?
Yolanda wasn’t sure. Ethan even called her, but she just hung up on him without a second thought.
Lately, Yolanda Fang found herself more and more curious about Evan, wanting to know what kind of guy he really was.
He always seemed so laid-back, like nothing ever bothered him. Even things that should have made him mad, he just brushed off.
Compared to those guys who’d lose it over a few insults and want to go after someone’s whole family, his attitude was on a whole different level.
People always say that being quick to anger isn’t a virtue.
After getting to know Evan, Yolanda realized that both Ethan Yi and Liam Li were just way too immature.
"When he first came to my house, he wore old T-shirts and was super shy. For the first few days, just talking to him would make him blush."
"He wasn’t a smooth talker back then, but he was hardworking—always willing to go grocery shopping with my mom. And he was kind, too." Lynn Chen tossed her phone aside and swung her legs, remembering the first time she met Evan.
"Kind?" Yolanda Fang echoed curiously.
"Yeah, he’s pretty kind. His mom didn’t give him much allowance, but I saw him a few times buying sausages at the corner store to feed the stray cats and dogs in the park."
"But he’s also got a lot of pride. My mom offered to buy him clothes and shoes a bunch of times, but he always turned her down."
Thinking back, Lynn Chen realized she’d never noticed before, but somehow, Evan—who always seemed so unimportant—had quietly become a huge part of her life.
And only now did Lynn Chen realize that whether he was feeding stray animals or refusing Lucy Lu’s kindness, even when Evan was at his weakest and most invisible, he always showed up with warmth.
He never complained about life’s unfairness, never looked for comfort or understanding from others. He just lived the best he could, keeping his dignity.
Even as Evan grew stronger, he never became arrogant or harsh.
Compared to that, Lynn Chen realized that all those guys at school—like Liam Li, who relied on family money and power to mock others or even get physical—were just so much less.
Had she... done something wrong?
Lynn Chen stared blankly, her heart tightening.