After stepping outside, Max Wang pulled Ernie aside and asked, "What happened with Evan Lan?"
Ernie asked, "Why do you ask? Did Lily say something?"
"She's been drinking alone, a lot," Max Wang said. "Then she started saying Evan Lan left her and stuff... Is it true?"
Ernie looked troubled. "Eldest Senior Brother, just let it go."
That expression, in Max Wang's eyes, was as good as confirmation.
"I can't believe he'd treat Lily like this!" Max Wang clenched his teeth in anger and punched a flower stand.
The flower stand had a potted plant on it, which wobbled from the impact.
"Honestly, I don't really know the details," Ernie said. "Everyone's keeping me in the dark. They won't tell me anything."
Ernie isn't a Spirit Medium, so there are things he's not supposed to know.
That's why he's the only one in the household who doesn't know Evan Lan has turned into a tree.
"Do you know where he went?"
Ernie shook his head. "When Lily was in Haicheng, she said he was in Dragon City. Now that she's here, she says he went abroad. No one actually knows where he is!"
"Back when he helped me escape from Fane Entertainment, I thought he was amazing! I felt so inferior around him! He was the kind of guy Lily could trust with her whole life," Max Wang said. "But now, I can't believe he'd hurt Lily like this! She just had a baby, and he abandons wife and child? How could anyone treat a girl like Lily that way?"
"Abandons wife and child?" Ernie asked, confused. "Is that what Lily said?"
"Lily was drunk, maybe she thought I was Evan Lan. She just kept crying and begging me not to leave her, to come back..." Max Wang said. "Unless Evan Lan cheated on her during her pregnancy, what else could it be?"
"But..." Ernie still felt something was off.
Just then, Ms. Crowe came outside.
She'd heard a noise outside earlier, so she hurriedly got dressed and came out to check on Evan Lan.
Tonight, Lily hadn't brought him inside. He'd been left out on the flower stand all evening.
Seeing someone coming, Max Wang didn't continue the conversation. He told Ernie to call him if anything happened, then said goodbye and left.
Before leaving, Max Wang cast a worried glance back at the house.
Later, Ernie suddenly realized something didn't add up.
If Evan Lan really had abandoned Lily, with her personality, why would she be so eager to move into Evan Lan's Ancestral Courtyard?
Plus, Evan Lan's closest aides—Ms. Crowe and Max Mo—were still sticking by her.
It just didn't make sense.
But Max Wang was already gone, and with other things happening, the thought just spun around Ernie's head and then faded away...
......
Ever since coming to Dragon City, Lily has gotten up early every morning to climb the mountain.
Partly to work out.
Partly to check for anything unusual.
In the past few days, she's already searched half of Dragon Mountain.
Even though she drank too much last night, her body clock still woke her up at five-thirty sharp.
She showered, changed into workout clothes, and headed out. Ms. Crowe saw her and asked, "Going up the mountain again?"
Lily nodded.
"Bring back a bucket of water while you're at it!" Ms. Crowe said.
"Water? What water?" Lily asked.
Ms. Crowe led her out to the courtyard, looked off toward the back, and pointed at the winding mountaintop. "There's a path that goes all the way in that direction."
"Yeah, I've been there," Lily said.