"Hey, I'm Ryan Chen. I go to school in Jinnan—I'm both the academic rep and the class monitor, kind of like the student council president. Mind if we get to know each other?"
Ryan Chen pulled out a chair and sat down, taking off his headphones and subtly flashing the screen of his iPhone X.
This latest-model phone wasn’t cheap, and Ryan spoke with a hint of a smile on his face.
He’s always been full of confidence—his dad, Neil Kong, is a company CEO, and his mom, Sharon Chen, is a rich heiress. He’s never lacked money, grew up in a greenhouse, and whenever he meets a pretty girl, Ryan always takes the initiative.
Compared to that, Ryan thought Evan Lin looked downright shabby—no brand-name clothes anywhere, just average looks, and didn’t seem like much of a talker either.
As soon as Ryan sat down, he flashed a confident smile toward Yolanda Fang and Lynn Chen.
He completely ignored Evan Lin behind him. Ryan was sure he could get both Yolanda Fang and Lynn Chen’s contact info right in front of Evan—basically announcing his dominance over him.
The moment Ryan finished speaking—
Lynn Chen frowned, her face cold. "Not interested."
As the campus queen of River City First High, Lynn was used to guys trying to chat her up. What she couldn’t stand were those arrogant, full-of-themselves types like Ryan Chen.
Plenty of rich kids had tried to chase after Lynn Chen, but while she could be sharp-tongued with Evan Lin sometimes, she genuinely didn’t care about money. So when Ryan Chen made a point of showing off his iPhone X, Lynn had already written him off in her mind.
Ryan’s face stiffened. He forced down his annoyance and turned to look at Yolanda Fang.
Yolanda Fang saw Ryan glance her way and flashed a bright smile.
Ryan’s spirits lifted, thinking he might have a shot—until Yolanda opened her mouth: "Hey, didn’t your mom ever teach you not to butt in when other people are talking?"
"It’s bad enough you interrupted, but now you’re just barging right in? You think you’re handsome or something? Or is it that you just love to talk? See a pretty girl and have to hit on her, huh? What, you think you’re cash? Everybody’s supposed to like you? Why’s your face so big—looks like a pancake!"
"Why don’t you go give a speech at the People’s Congress instead? Seriously, forget being class monitor or academic rep—just run for office already."
Yolanda’s smile looked sweet and innocent—like a harmless little bunny—but her words came out in a rapid-fire barrage. In just a few sentences, she left Ryan completely stunned.
When he finally snapped out of it, Ryan’s face flushed red. He gave a forced, awkward smile: "Wow, you’re really something with words."
"What’s with the way you talk?"
Standing nearby, Ivy Zhang—who’d been annoyed ever since Ryan walked over to hit on Lynn and Yolanda—stepped forward and shot Yolanda a look full of disapproval. "Ryan was just trying to be friendly. No need to roast people like that."
"No manners at all!" Yolanda Wang immediately chimed in.
The two of them had walked over with Ryan Chen just now, and it was obvious he wasn’t interested in them.
Honestly, Ivy Zhang and Yolanda Wang had both been about ready to give up—no one likes throwing themselves at someone who’s cold as ice. But when they heard Ryan’s mom mention she’d had dinner with Sawyer Summer, that one sentence instantly boosted Ryan’s status in their eyes.
That’s why they were now racking their brains trying to curry favor with Ryan Chen again.
So seeing Ryan, who’d barely looked at them, go straight to hit on Lynn Chen and Yolanda Fang made them pretty annoyed. And when they saw Lynn and Yolanda actually turn him down flat, it just drove home that those two were way out of their league.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry—I’ve got no manners. Not only that, I’m not a good girl either. Keep running your mouth and I’ll beat you up, got it?" Yolanda Fang blinked innocently at Ivy Zhang and Yolanda Wang.
As she spoke, Yolanda even made a fist and stuck out her chest in a mock-challenging pose.
"You—"
Ivy Zhang and Yolanda Wang hadn’t expected Yolanda Fang to talk like that. Both of them flushed red with anger, but when it came down to actually fighting, neither of them had the guts.
"If you’re too scared to fight, then shut up already. Such well-mannered ladies—wow, I’m so intimidated." Yolanda rolled her eyes at them, making Lynn Chen secretly cheer inside.
On the other side, Evan Lin shook his head slightly as he listened to Yolanda Fang, almost feeling sorry for Ryan Chen, Ivy Zhang, and Yolanda Wang.
"What are you shaking your head for?"
Ryan was just looking for a way out, but when he turned and caught Evan Lin shaking his head, his face instantly darkened. He glared at Evan, eyes sharp.
The moment Ryan spoke, Ivy Zhang and Yolanda Wang instantly locked onto Evan Lin like they’d found a target to vent on.
"Were you just over there laughing at us?" Yolanda Wang frowned and snorted.
"What’s there to be so smug about? Compared to Ryan Chen, you’re just a total nobody. You know what a bottom-feeder is?" Ivy Zhang sneered.
None of them could win against Yolanda Fang, but seeing Evan Lin just sitting there, looking harmless, they all jumped in at once.
"Are you guys talking to me?" Evan Lin looked up, eyes narrowing as he glanced at the group.
Evan’s gaze lingered on Ivy Zhang and Yolanda Wang for a moment, then drifted lazily to Ryan Chen sitting in front of him.
"Of course. Who else would we be talking to?" Ryan nodded, his eyes a little cold.
He’d just been humiliated by Lynn Chen and Yolanda Fang, and couldn’t do anything to those two girls, so naturally Ryan decided to take it out on Evan Lin.
Guys this age love showing off in front of pretty girls by picking on other boys—it’s their way of proving how tough and impressive they are.
Ryan had always boosted his own image at school by stepping on other guys’ dignity in front of the girls. In his eyes, Evan Lin was just an ordinary, easy target—perfect for showing off.
Besides, Evan’s mom was just an elementary school teacher—nothing worth mentioning.
"Are you looking for trouble?" Evan Lin shook his head, his tone indifferent.
"Who are you calling out?" Ryan Chen’s face darkened, his brow furrowing.
"Looking for trouble? Who do you think you are, acting like Ryan’s the one asking for it?" Ivy Zhang snapped.
"Country bumpkin—no manners, can’t even talk right!" Yolanda Wang shot Evan a look full of disdain.
Evan sighed, looked at Ryan, then calmly stretched out his right hand, arm level and palm open. He stared at Ryan and said coolly, "Believe it or not, if I close my fist, you’ll be flying straight into that swimming pool over there."