"He..."
Lynn Chen paused, a little stunned by the question. "There's really nothing much to say about him..."
This was the kind of question Lynn could mull over in private, but saying it out loud in front of everyone? That was seriously embarrassing.
"How is that 'nothing much to say'?"
A girl grinned and said, "Eric Yu was basically a celebrity back in high school. He chased you and still didn't get anywhere, but you ended up liking someone else instead."
"So he must be pretty special, huh? Is he hotter than Eric Yu, or is his family loaded?"
She leaned in, curious.
She didn't even bother to check if Eric Yu was getting annoyed.
Tony Tao nodded, "Yeah, I'm curious too. Eric said you and that guy are still doing long-distance?"
"Eric had the home-field advantage all that time and still lost. The guy you like—is he some big-shot young master or something?"
Tony Tao asked, his tone equal parts curious and probing.
Since Tony was born and raised in Beijing, he never really cared about ordinary rich kids—but he still kept an eye out for any real heavy hitters.
If Lynn's crush actually turned out to be someone with real power—even someone Tony couldn't mess with—he'd just drop all interest in her, no hesitation.
But honestly, that was pretty unlikely.
"He’s definitely not some big-shot young master."
Before Lynn could answer, Nana jumped in—maybe showing off because there were so many cute guys at the table. "Lynn told me before, that boy's just super smart, looks alright, but he's definitely not rich."
She glanced at Lynn. "Back in high school, he even stayed at Lynn’s house for a bit. Plus, his mom and Lynn’s mom are pretty tight."
Nana was about to keep going, but Lynn kicked her under the table, making her realize she’d said way too much.
Nana shot Lynn a puppy-dog look, gave a sheepish grin, and shut up.
All this was stuff Lynn had told them when they were out walking around campus.
A few days ago, Nana spotted Evan Lin and gave him a good, long look.
Evan looked decent, but Nana was all about the idol types—he just wasn’t her style.
She didn’t see any of that big-family young master vibe in him either.
But back at Socrates Bar, when Evan lost his temper and threw a punch, Nana definitely felt he was a little different.
At least he wasn’t scared of trouble—and he could really throw down.
Other than that, she didn’t know much about him.
"So, sounds like you caught feelings for him after spending time together?"
Tony Tao grinned and gave Eric Yu’s arm a friendly slap. "Guess you didn’t lose out after all, huh?"
Eric Yu laughed, "Come on, Tony, I can’t compete with that guy. Sure, my family’s got a bit more cash, but he’s the campus troublemaker. No way I can match him."
Eric Yu chuckled, "No matter how wild he gets, he’s still not as badass as you, Tony. But that guy can really fight—he’s beaten me up more than once."
Talking about it made Eric Yu a little uncomfortable.
"Eh, no big deal. Lots of guys can fight. If I ever meet him, I could hook him up with my friends as a bodyguard—he could pull in tens of thousands a month."
Tony Tao switched gears, flashing Lynn Chen a smile. "You can pass that along to your friend—tell him to come to Beijing. Honestly, after college, he might not even make that much."
"Plus, if he comes to Beijing, you two can hang out more, right?"
After Tony finished, the vibe at the table got kind of weird.
Lynn Chen shook her head. "He wouldn’t go for that—and honestly, most people couldn’t just hire him."
Her words were honest, but her face went cold as she shot Tony Tao a look full of annoyance.
Tony Tao made it pretty clear he saw Evan Lin as some street-fighting punk.
Hire him as a bodyguard? Seriously?
Never mind if Evan Lin, a Rivercrest State grad, would even take a gig like that—just based on his personality, Lynn really doubted Tony could ever get him to agree.
"That’s where you’re wrong—what do you mean nobody could hire him?"
A guy nearby laughed and shook his head. "You probably don’t know Tony Tao’s connections. His friends in Beijing are all big names."
"Just last time, Ma Hui—the Traceline Media Group princeling—invited Tony Tao to dinner. You know Traceline Media Group, right? That listed film company worth billions."
He sounded so sure. Tony Tao just smiled, leaning back in his chair, watching Lynn Chen with interest.
"Your friend’s just a college student—even if he graduated from Huaqing University, the best he could hope for is a million yuan a year."
Another guy tapped the table, looking at Lynn Chen. "But your friend isn’t even in Beijing, and he doesn’t go to Huaqing. When he graduates, he’ll probably pull in just a few thousand a month."
"Seriously, I’m not exaggerating—this is just how things are. You’ll get it once you graduate."
He didn’t outright trash Evan Lin—he just threw out numbers.
"Are you looking down on Tony Tao?"
A girl squinted at Lynn Chen, "Why don’t you call your friend right now and ask if he’d be into this opportunity?"
"Tony Tao’s circle is way out of your friend’s league!"
Her words made the vibe at the table instantly awkward.
Tony Tao didn’t bother to smooth things over—he just sat there, smiling at Lynn Chen.
He needed someone to hype up his status—momentum builds, step by step.
Otherwise, how could he push Lynn Chen to give in later?
"Why not give him a call?"
Eric Yu turned to Lynn Chen and grinned. "It’s not a big deal—Tony Tao means well, anyway."
"Why not call Evan Lin now, let Tony Tao talk to him—who knows, maybe something will happen, right?"
After all, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance for him. Better than graduating and ending up as a security guard, right?