"What nonsense are you guys spouting!"
Yvonne Zhu's pretty face darkened as she listened to Victor and Henry Zhu, her fists clenched in anger. "Nothing happened between me and him!" she snapped.
As Yvonne spoke, she felt uneasy inside and even stole a glance at Evan Lin, only to see him looking calm and indifferent, which made her feel a strange sense of disappointment.
If something really had happened, that wouldn't be so bad after all.
Yvonne was startled by this sudden thought.
But someone like Evan Lin—skilled yet never arrogant, with no gossip or scandals to his name—really did give Yvonne an incredible sense of security.
Looking across all of Seacrest and Jinnan, the number of girls wanting to get close to Evan Lin must be as countless as fish in the river. After all, he's not only Master Lin from Seacrest, but also the legendary Lin Jiuxuan—a mysterious figure with the power to lead a whole clan to the top.
Yet only in front of Evan did Yvonne ever feel timid, her confidence and composure slipping away.
"Nothing happened?"
Henry Zhu glanced at Evan Lin and let out a laugh. "I'm honestly curious—what does Yvonne even see in you? What makes you worthy?"
"At best you're easy on the eyes, and you were only rescued from the Zheng family because Yvonne barged in. You look pretty unfamiliar too—guess you're just some country kid from out of town."
Henry Zhu snorted with laughter.
Victor Zhu also gave Evan Lin a once-over. They'd gotten up early and waited here just to catch a glimpse of him.
They didn't care at all what Yvonne had whispered to Old Master Zhu last night. Everyone knew he doted on her, so when she had Bryce Gu drive straight into the Zheng Estate to snatch someone, no matter the reason, the old man wouldn't punish her much.
"Yvonne, I never would've guessed your taste could be this bad," Henry Zhu shook his head. "Weren't you supposed to go to Jinnan and find Selina?"
"But now Selina's stuck at the Southriver Sword Sect, and instead of worrying about her, you rushed back to Oceanport all flustered just for this guy."
Victor Zhu sighed theatrically.
"Hey, why aren't you saying anything? If you managed to fool our Yvonne, you must be pretty slick with words, right? Come on, say something for your big bro. Don't chicken out."
Victor Zhu reached out with a smile, about to pat Evan Lin on the face.
But before his hand could reach Evan, Evan—who had been standing still—suddenly lashed out with a swift kick, slamming Victor right in the stomach.
Victor Zhu's grin froze on his face, and his outstretched hand never even got a chance to pull back—Evan's kick sent him flying, tumbling through the air for ages before he finally hit the ground, clutching his stomach and grimacing in pain.
"Bro!" Henry shouted, face twisted in shock, but now wasn't the time to freak out—he scrambled over to help Victor up.
Victor Zhu struggled up, spitting in Evan's direction. "Damn, that kick was savage. My guts are killing me!"
Henry grumbled, "Man, what kind of hick thinks he's hot stuff? Even claims he called the Sect Master of the Southriver Sword Sect? If he's so badass, why'd the Zhengs lock him up and pound him?"
Before Henry could finish, his vision went dark—a sneaker slammed right into his face, launching him backward to crash beside Victor.
Victor glared, while Henry clutched his nose and groaned, "He talks big, but his kicks are insane. If I wasn't caught off guard, I'd have put him in the dirt!"
The two who'd been strutting around just seconds ago were now rolling on the ground, one clutching his face, the other his stomach, both groaning like wounded dogs.
Evan had held back just enough not to knock them out cold—he wanted them to savor every bit of that pain.
Yvonne was stunned watching Evan move. Her mind blanked for a second.
Evan asked, "So, what's up with your little sister?"
Yvonne snapped back to reality. "My sister went to the Southriver Sword Sect a while ago, hoping to get in by bonding with one of their swords, but then something happened—she's been stuck on the mountain ever since, not allowed to leave."
I even went up there to try and get her out, but no matter how much I argued, the sect disciples wouldn't let her down or tell me what happened.
Just thinking about it made Yvonne sigh, her face full of worry.
After Evan's rampage at the Southriver Sword Sect—slaying their founder and ordering Sect Master Dominic Ding to guard that faceless statue at the peak—it's no wonder Dominic locked down the whole mountain and trapped all the disciples inside.
Evan remembered the bunch of rich kids from Oceanport who'd tagged along to the Thousand-Sword Burial Ground that day.
"What's her name?" Evan asked.
"Selina Zhu," Yvonne replied.
Victor's face darkened. "Tonight's the Phoenix Mountain High-Speed Challenge, right? Gavin Guan's hosting."
Henry nodded. "Gavin got wrecked and sent to the hospital a while back, but now he's out and throwing a huge race party."
Victor grinned. "There are so many dudes chasing after Yvonne. We'll round them all up—he can't say no to a friends' hangout."
Victor let out a cold laugh.
Henry's eyes sparkled. "So we just find a chance to ram him off the road, right?"
Victor rolled his eyes and smacked Henry on the head. "Are you brain-dead?"
Just call him Yvonne's boyfriend tonight.
Trust me, there'll be plenty of guys itching to crash into him. We won't even have to lift a finger.