"Just so-so."
Evan Lin replied blandly.
Rachel Liu smiled slightly and turned to look out the window. "Back when I was home, I used to like sitting alone on the little platform outside the AC unit, just zoning out and watching the world. Sometimes it would rain, and you could see all the raindrops hanging in the air and falling in strings."
"It felt like there was a curtain of water right in front of me."
After she finished, Rachel waited, but when Evan didn't reply, a faint disappointment crossed her face.
Meanwhile, over in the main hall, a group of people were gathered around a guy on a set of sofas, treating him like the star of the show.
Simon Zuo sat in the middle, holding a glass of red wine.
The seats were arranged in three layers.
Simon Zuo and a bunch of rich, well-dressed guys and pretty girls in their twenties sat in the innermost circle. Vincent Wen, Chen Liangong, Sheng Quyao, and a few students from River City First High took the second row, while Sisi Shao and the others were on the outermost edge.
"Brother Zuo, I heard you ran into some excitement at the Jared Qian Auction?" A woman in her twenties, dressed in a tight leather jacket, asked coquettishly. Her figure was stunning, drawing heated looks from all the guys nearby.
Sisi Shao and her group looked a little uncomfortable sitting there.
The aura around Simon Zuo and his friends was just too overwhelming.
"Yeah, some clueless kid tried to challenge Drake Huang and almost got beaten to death." Simon Zuo sounded calm as he spoke.
In reality, just thinking about that day still made Simon Zuo feel stifled inside.
He'd originally planned to get closer to Rachel Liu, but out of nowhere, Evan Lin showed up and slapped him down hard, totally ruining his plans.
Even now, just remembering it made Simon's face burn with embarrassment.
"Challenged Drake Huang?" The woman sounded surprised.
"Yeah, I heard about that too, but apparently Drake Huang held back, so that kid got to walk away in one piece," another young man nodded.
"But hey, if you went to the Jared Qian Auction and got into the VIP section, Simon, did you bid on anything fun?" another guy teased.
Simon Zuo shook his head. "I had my eye on something, but after bidding over ten million, I spaced out and forgot to raise my paddle. Someone else snatched it up. Still regret it now, sigh."
Over ten million!
When Simon Zuo casually dropped that number, Sisi Shao and her friends exchanged glances, all seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
"Ten million is nothing. Bro, your mansion in Los Angeles must be worth over ten million dollars, right?" Vincent Wen chuckled, glancing at Sheng Quyao sitting beside him as he spoke.
Sheng Quyao just focused on her snacks, her expression unchanged, making Vincent Wen sigh inwardly.
Then Vincent Wen looked over at Sisi Shao and her group.
The girls' eyes lit up at that, and their gazes toward Simon Zuo grew more heated.
The guys, on the other hand, just looked more and more uncomfortable, like they were sitting on pins and needles.
Vincent Wen noticed all this and sneered inwardly.
He'd just found out that Evan Lin was basically a country kid dragged out of some backwater county under Brightsea City.
How could a guy like that ever catch Sheng Quyao's eye?
He'd even thought of Evan as his potential rival before. Thinking back now, it was just laughable.
Vincent Wen shook his head slightly.
Simon Zuo sipped his wine, glancing coolly over at Sisi Shao and her friends. His gaze lingered on Sisi and Lydia Liao for a moment, wondering if he should pick one of them to take to the hotel for some fun later.
Just then, Simon Zuo's eyes suddenly landed on a familiar figure by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Luran?"
Simon Zuo wasn't sure at first, but he jumped up, eyes brightening, and walked straight over.
"Bro, where are you going?"
Vincent Wen was stunned when Simon Zuo suddenly stood up.
Everyone had come here tonight to welcome Simon Zuo, so naturally, all eyes were on him.
As soon as Simon Zuo got up, everyone instantly looked in the same direction.
"Rachel Liu? And Evan Lin too?"
When Sisi Shao and her friends looked over, they spotted Rachel Liu and Evan Lin standing there.
Everyone was a bit stunned.
Owen Ou's expression was odd. "Didn't Evan Lin say he wasn't coming? Why'd he sneak in after all?"
"Maybe he came with Rachel Liu?" Allen Zeng guessed.
"I bet he just tagged along, shameless as ever!" Thomas Zhao sneered, then stood up. "Let's go check it out!"
He looked excited. Compared to the rich kids of River City, Thomas Zhao always felt like a total country bumpkin here.
He'd been feeling stifled for a while now, so seeing Evan Lin, he instantly wanted to go mock him and blow off some steam.
After Thomas Zhao spoke, Owen Ou and the others immediately got up too.
"Evan Lin?" Vincent Wen heard the commotion and saw Sheng Quyao, who'd been quietly eating snacks, suddenly look up, her eyes sparkling as she turned to look.
So that's Evan Lin?
Seeing Sheng Quyao react like that, Vincent Wen sneered inwardly.
When Vincent Wen first met Evan Lin, he hadn't figured out his background yet, so he didn't make a move.
But after hearing Sisi Shao's group talk, Vincent Wen had finally figured Evan Lin out. Now was the perfect chance to put him in his place!
Thinking this, Vincent Wen smiled. "Quyao, come on, let's go see what's up."
At that, everyone stood up and headed en masse toward Evan Lin and Rachel Liu.
Rachel Liu sensed the shift in mood. She turned and saw Simon Zuo striding over, and froze for a moment.
"Luran, it really is you!"
Simon Zuo beamed at Rachel Liu. "I called you because I wanted you to come hang out. You said you were busy, but I didn't expect you'd sneak in. Were you planning to surprise me?"
"No, I didn't know you were here. I was just meeting a teacher, and came up to have a look." Rachel Liu shook her head, her tone calm.
Simon Zuo didn't mind. He stepped forward, and only then did he notice Evan Lin standing beside Rachel Liu.
When Simon Zuo saw Evan Lin, his expression changed slightly, face flushing and heart racing. He clenched his fist, but quickly hid his emotional turmoil.