A little past five, as the school bell rang to signal the end of classes, Evan Lin walked out the gate, hailed a taxi, and gave the driver the address for Jinnan Manor.
The taxi driver looked a little suspicious when he heard the destination. He turned to size Evan up, sneaking a few glances.
"Hey bro, are you heading to Jinnan Manor to work as a temp?"
The taxi driver asked curiously.
"Temp worker?" Evan was a bit confused by that.
"Yeah, it's super busy over there today. I heard there's a huge crowd, so the Su family specially hired a bunch of temp workers for security." The driver nodded as he spoke.
"No, I'm just going to meet someone. Got a little business to take care of."
Evan Lin shook his head.
"Oh." Hearing Evan's answer, the driver didn't ask any more questions.
At first, Evan was a bit puzzled by what the driver said. After all, the Su family was one of the top clans in Jinnan—no way they'd be stuck hiring temp workers just for security.
But when the car turned onto Jinnan South Road, Evan quickly understood what was going on. The street, usually wide open and clear, was now jam-packed with gleaming luxury cars, bumper to bumper.
There weren’t that many people, but the sheer number of cars was outrageous. City management officers and police stood along the roadside, keeping an eye on the vehicles and making sure everything stayed orderly.
Evan even spotted a few college-aged students helping direct traffic. Looking further ahead, he could see a grand high-rise building.
Surrounded by a sea of luxury cars, Evan’s taxi stuck out like a sore thumb.
"Bro, the traffic up ahead is a nightmare. How about you get out here? Jinnan Manor isn’t far now, and if I drive any further, I might not be able to get out at all." The driver glanced nervously at Evan, his voice a little shaky. He was sweating as he gripped the steering wheel.
Honestly, he just didn’t have the nerve to drive any further. Every car around was worth hundreds of thousands, and if his taxi so much as scratched one, he’d never be able to pay for it.
"Sure."
Evan nodded, paid the fare, and got out.
If he’d stayed in the car and waited for the traffic to clear, who knows how long it would’ve taken.
Walking down the road toward Jinnan Manor, he passed rows of luxury cars, each with all kinds of people sitting inside.
There were glamorous, overdressed socialites, pretty young women in trendy outfits playing on their phones, and even more men in sharp, custom-tailored suits radiating confidence.
Evan walked on, glancing at the endless line of luxury cars with a calm look in his eyes.
A lot of people waiting in their cars were getting impatient. Occasionally, someone would glance out the window at the boy strolling down the sidewalk, but most just gave Evan a quick look and didn’t think twice about him.
A few girls, though, caught sight of Evan’s profile and couldn’t help but look at him curiously.
Compared to how he looked back in Brightsea City, Evan was even fairer now, his posture straighter, and there was a subtle pride about him—something that made him stand out from the crowd.
"The Su family, huh? No wonder. This is pretty impressive."
Evan reached the end of the road, where a sign for Jinnan Manor hung overhead. The building in front of him was truly spectacular—a five-meter-tall rockery with fountains, and behind it, a uniquely designed villa surrounded by rows of phoenix trees. There was even a helicopter landing pad off to the side!
This was right in the heart of Capitalview City. Only the Su family could pull off something like this.
At the Su family’s gate, luxury cars were guided one by one into the parking lot, each parked perfectly in place. Security guards stood at the entrance, batons at their waists and walkie-talkies in hand, coordinating with each other.
Evan walked toward the entrance, but hadn’t gone far before a stern-looking man in a suit—like a steward—strode angrily over to him.
"What’s your deal? Where’s your work permit?"
The man glared at Evan, eyes full of anger.
"You talking to me?" Evan frowned slightly and glanced at him.
"Who else would I be talking to? You students are so unreliable! Take this! If you don’t have it, you’ll get kicked out once you’re inside!"
Without waiting for Evan’s response, the man shoved a work permit into his hand.
Before Evan could say anything, the man stomped off toward another boy about Evan’s age.
Evan glanced at the work permit in his hand. It said ‘Security Staff’—clearly the guy had mixed things up. Thinking about it, almost nobody was entering through the front gate; everyone parked and was led in from the lot.
No wonder that man got confused.
Evan shook his head, and with a casual twist of his fingers, the temp work permit burned to ash and vanished.
With his hands behind his back, Evan walked toward the Su family’s Jinnan Manor.
Inside Jinnan Manor, in one of the rooms, Victor Su’s face was dark and unsettled. Molly Su stood behind him, while Second Brother Su looked anxious in front.
"Dad, the Lin family should be arriving soon." Second Brother Su checked the time, looking hesitant.
"Let them arrive. Does the Su family really need to worry about a few extra mouths at the table?" Victor Su said coldly.
"Ever since Nathan Lin became a Southriver Sword disciple, the Lin family has been determined to come here and force a marriage. Word is, Nathan’s been in closed-door training for days just for this, even skipping the Moore family’s tournament. That guy’s always been arrogant, and Lin Yuhai is a real schemer. Now that the Lin family has the Southriver Sword Sect backing them, they’re here for a result today." Second Brother Su was clearly unhappy.
By ‘result,’ they meant forcing the Su family to marry Molly Su to Nathan Lin. If that happened, the Su family would be at a disadvantage—and might even get swallowed up by the Lin family.
"They think with the Southriver Sword Sect behind them, they can do whatever they want! This is outrageous!" Victor Su slammed the table.
"Molly, you still haven’t been able to reach that master?" Victor Su turned to Molly Su, sighing, his whole demeanor suddenly defeated.
"Not yet." Molly Su shook her head. "Maybe he’s just forgotten."
Since their last meeting at White Dragon Mountain Resort, Victor Su had tried to contact Evan Lin, but never got a response.
Recently, the Moore family had a major incident—rumor was, it was the work of Master Lin from Seacrest Province. Even so, Victor Su still couldn’t track down the elusive Master Lin.
"A man like that always does as he pleases. When he cured me, it was a huge favor. He only promised to heal your illness within a year—he never said he’d help with anything else."
Victor Su sighed as he said this, a look of nostalgia and regret on his face.