Lynn Chen sprang to her feet. After speaking, she grabbed her things and hurried out of the library.
She didn't pause for a second, walking quickly at first and then breaking into a jog, looking genuinely happy and excited.
"She left?"
Harvey Liu's eyes flickered as he watched Lynn Chen's departing figure. He still felt a vague, indescribable sense of annoyance inside.
Any girl who Harvey Liu asked for her number should feel honored, shouldn't she?
But this Lynn Chen actually just walked away without even looking back?
Harvey had thought she was just playing hard to get, but now it seemed like she really didn't care about him at all?
Harvey Liu clenched his fist lightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
"She really left," a girl said in surprise.
"Wasn't she supposed to take this chance to get Senior Harvey's number?" another girl, who thought like Harvey, was stunned.
"Wow, she's running so fast—did something good happen? Maybe a guy she likes invited her out?" someone guessed.
"Come on, who could possibly be as outstanding as Senior Harvey? I did hear Lynn Chen has some guy outside school she hangs out with, but honestly, whoever he is, he'd be crushed in a second next to Harvey Liu!"
A few girls whispered among themselves, all confused by Lynn Chen's choice.
In terms of looks, none of them thought any guy could beat Harvey Liu. And as a Beijing University student, Harvey's future was way ahead of any outsider.
"Whatever, now that she's gone, doesn't that mean we have a shot?"
One girl thought so and immediately went up to Harvey Liu to ask for his number, but Harvey just smiled, making it clear he had no intention of giving it.
He strode off, ignoring all the girls hoping to get his contact info, pushing through the crowd and leaving on his own.
Lynn Chen left the library, still clutching her phone in her hand.
Evan Lin asked if she was free, and of course her answer was yes.
As expected.
Just as Lynn Chen walked out, her phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Lynn found a slightly secluded spot, took a deep breath to steady herself, and then answered.
"Hello."
"I'm at your school gate. Want to grab a meal?"
Hearing Evan Lin's voice on the phone, Lynn Chen felt her heart leap with joy, but she worked hard to keep her voice steady: "Sure, I'll come out right now."
After hanging up, Lynn Chen quickly made her way toward the school gate.
Along the way, plenty of students—guys and girls—noticed Lynn heading out. She radiated energy, like she was wrapped in light.
Lynn was already beautiful, but now she seemed even more full of youthful spirit. After a few steps, she broke into a run.
Sunlight filtered through the branches, scattering across her as she passed, making people turn their heads to look.
She only stopped when she was nearly at the school gate.
"Deep breaths, deep breaths!"
Lynn muttered to herself, taking deep breaths in and out.
Ever since she said goodbye to Evan Lin after their last meal, Lynn hadn't seen him for days.
She'd tried calling, but his phone never went through, which made her worry about him.
Even though Lynn now understood that Evan was really strong and not easily hurt by anyone, she still couldn't help worrying.
No matter how much she tried, whenever she had free time, her mind would run wild—she feared Evan might get bullied or get into another fight, maybe even get hurt.
To keep from overthinking, Lynn always packed her schedule full, studying nonstop and spending all her time in the library. Only then could she stop herself from thinking about Evan.
Her longing for him was like a tidal wave, impossible to stop, completely overwhelming her.
Now that Evan had reappeared, Lynn stood dozens of meters from the school gate, breathing in and out, trying her best to calm herself down.
Otherwise, when she saw Evan, she might seem too eager, which wouldn’t be dignified at all—and Lynn was afraid it might annoy him.
Sometimes Lynn Chen felt like she was living in a different world—she used to look down on Evan, but now she worried about him looking down on her.
Maybe this is just how a girl goes from not liking someone to falling for them?
Lynn had never been in a relationship and didn't really understand it. When she talked with her dormmates, they sometimes said she was being too self-effacing.
But was she really?
Lynn didn't think so. She used to feel guilty toward Evan, so she worked hard to make up for it—studying, improving herself—just so one day she could stand beside him as an equal and talk to him on level ground.
The closer she got to the gate, the faster her heart pounded, her arms still hugging her books.
As she walked, she could already see the figure of a young man standing under the roadside trees at the school gate.
It had only been a few days, but to Lynn it felt like years.
"When did you get back?"
Lynn walked up to Evan and asked with a smile.
As she spoke, she couldn't help glancing at Evan—first his face, then his hands—making sure there were no injuries before finally relaxing inside.
At least Evan looked fine. Whether he'd hurt someone else, though, wasn't something Lynn cared about.
"I just got back today," Evan replied.
He glanced at her. "Auntie Lu called me and asked me to take you out for meals more often. I won't be here long, so I came to ask you out for dinner."
"Anything you're craving?"
Hearing this, Lynn's heart skipped a beat. Auntie Lu now called her every other day, wishing Lynn could stick to Evan like glue and be his little shadow.
Even Charles Chen and Auntie Lu now desperately hoped Evan would become their son-in-law. Back when Evan wasn't powerful yet, Auntie Lu already had this idea.
But at that time, Auntie Lu wasn't anxious. She trusted Evan's character, was happy to give him time to grow, and was more than willing to help match him with Lynn.
But things are different now. As Evan becomes more outstanding, Auntie Lu gets more worried that Lynn won't be able to keep up with him.
If Lynn didn't like Evan, Auntie Lu would sincerely wish him well and hope he finds someone better, never expecting anything from him.
But the main thing is—Lynn likes him.
So of course Auntie Lu is anxious to death about it.
"I know a new hotpot place nearby. Want to try hotpot?"