When the Star-Chart Remnant was delivered to Evan Chu's VIP box by a maid, and after the maid left, a graceful figure squeezed her way inside.
"You? What are you doing here?"
The moment Evan Chu saw Lena Lin walk in, he instantly felt a headache coming on. This troublesome woman was exactly the type he tried to avoid at all costs.
"What, I'm not allowed in here? Aren't you stingy!"
Lena Lin wrinkled her little nose and snorted coldly. Meanwhile, Marcus Lin, who had been watching the situation closely, slapped his thigh and cursed, Damn, what did I just see? This... this... He couldn't believe it at all—Lena Lin, that tiger girl, was actually acting cute with Evan Chu!
Oh my god, I must be seeing things.
At this moment, Marcus Lin genuinely thought Heaven was playing a prank on him. How could something so unbelievable actually be happening?
Back in his own box, Evan Chu was just as confused. In the end, he could only say helplessly, "We just fought not long ago, Miss Lin. Do you really think we're that close already?"
"Aren't we?"
Lena Lin looked even more surprised than Evan Chu, asking as if it were only natural.
Evan Chu was speechless, his face stiff. "Honestly, I don't want any entanglements with the Savage Brotherhood right now—no drama, no trouble, just keep things clean."
"Aiya, fine, whatever! I get exactly what you're thinking. Who would've guessed a big man like you could be so wishy-washy? No problem, no problem—just say the word and I'll gallop right into your Dragon-Chen Legion!"
"Miss Lin! Why would you say that?"
Evan's face changed—had his identity been exposed?
"Evan Chu, Throne Chu! At this point, there's no point hiding it. I may not know you personally, but those two by your side—and the one from before—have been famous in the Star-River Dominion for centuries already."
Their names might not be thunderous, but with all the campaigns Dragon-Chen Legion has fought these past years, anyone with a bit of strength in this star-region knows about them. With those two as clues, wasn't it obvious who you really are?
As commander, I know I'm drop-dead gorgeous, and it's perfectly natural you'd be smitten with me. After all, we're a classic pair—heroic man, beautiful woman, the stuff of legends! So just be bold and confess already, I promise I won't reject you!"
Evan stared at Lena Lin, jaw slack. This tiger girl was getting more and more ridiculous—his mouth hung open wide enough to stuff a chicken egg in. Holy crap! What is she even saying? Me, Throne Chu, interested in her? Unless I've completely lost my mind!
"Wait! Commander Lin... are you misunderstanding something here?"
Evan felt like his whole world was spinning. Was this tiger girl just a bit slow in the head, or was she really this bold? Has she ever heard of restraint? Does she even know what it means?!
"Misunderstand what? You helped me teach those old geezers from the Owens Family a lesson, and you even bought the Star-Chart Remnant for me—ten thousand Starstones! If you didn't like me, would you really spend that kind of money on me?"
Lena Lin was all smiles—she was convinced everything Evan did was just to win her favor.
And right now, Evan felt completely dizzy. What did I do? Seriously, what did I do to make this self-absorbed tiger girl think like this? Can I take it all back?
"Uh... Lord Throne, cough cough! You two chat, I'll step out for a bit!"
"Don't go, stay right here!" Evan shot Nathan Yates a look—he needed a witness for this mess. If word got out to Roxanne Lin or Yvonne Xuan, he'd never clear his name, not even if he jumped into the Celestial River!
"Throne..."
"Don't say anything. I haven't figured this out myself yet!"
"Huh? You still don't get it? Tell me, what's confusing you—I'll explain." Lena Lin plopped herself down right next to Evan, full of smug confidence.
Her proud curves stood out, her battle armor gleamed, her waist, collarbone, and every enticing little feature were on full display. Even though Lena Lin had a boyish personality, she still had that natural feminine allure.
Right now, all Lena had to do was twist her body a little, and that fiery, feminine beauty would be enough to make most men lose control.
But Evan had zero interest in that right now. All he wanted was to clear up this mess—if things got out of hand, he'd be in big trouble!
"Commander Lin, I think you've really misunderstood..."
"Misunderstood what! I've spelled it all out, and you're still hemming and hawing! For a legion Throne, you're awfully shy. Fine, I won't push you—maybe this is your first time, huh? How about this: just give me the Star-Chart Remnant, and I'll accept it as a token. That way, we'll get along better from now on, right?"
Get along better? Seriously? Are you kidding me?!
Evan felt his head splitting. If she'd just come to make friends and wanted to borrow the remnant for a look, he wouldn't be stingy—he'd let her see it for a bit. But now that she's talking about relationship tokens? Forget it! Even if he didn't want the Star-Chart Remnant himself, he'd rather throw it out than hand it over as a love token!
If that happened, things would get seriously out of control...
"Commander Lin, you're way overthinking this. I really think you should calm down a bit."
"Calm down? Evan Chu, what do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is, it's all in your head. I never had any of those feelings you mentioned. As for teaching the Owens Family a lesson, I have nothing to do with them.
I bought the Star-Chart Remnant just for my own research—it has nothing to do with all that nonsense you're talking about. And please, Commander Lin, have some self-respect. I, Evan Chu, am a married man."
Boom!
As soon as Evan finished, Lena Lin's mind exploded.
Two lines echoed in Lena's mind, swirling and refusing to fade: Commander Lin, you're overthinking! Commander Lin, show some self-respect—I'm a man with a family!
At that moment, Lena Lin was mortified—she really had overthought things. Was she crazy? What was wrong with her...
Lena Lin fumed, itching to grab her spear and go on a rampage, but she looked around—who was there to fight? And anyway, this was Star-Treasure Pavilion, not some back alley.
She'd made a mistake, now she had to swallow the bitter fruit herself—who else could she blame? She'd brought this embarrassment on herself!
She might have a boyish personality, but even a tomboy knows what it means to want to crawl into a hole and disappear.
"Lord Throne, Commander Lin, I'll go check on the auction results." Nathan Yates saw the situation and quickly made his escape.
Just then, the box door swung open again—Desmond Mansfield barged right in.
Evan looked at Lena Lin, who was still sitting there, face flushed and eyes darting around. He didn't know what to say—he just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
"I hit it off with Evan Chu, Throne Chu, at first sight, and I admire him to no end! I demand we become sworn brothers!"
"What?!"
Desmond Mansfield's mouth twitched, and Evan Chu froze up too. What in the world was going on here...