Hank Chu and Ken Feng heard Max Ma’s words, and their faces shifted, caught between worry and disbelief.
Unlike Brandon Yang, Max Ma wasn’t just some tough kid who ruled the school by throwing punches—he had his dad backing him up. If he really called the cops, Evan Lin could end up in a holding cell, no joke.
Watching Evan stride toward Max, Hank and Ken instantly tried to pull him back.
They both knew the saying—sometimes you gotta take a step back to avoid trouble. Especially in a place like Whitewood County, one word from Magistrate Ma and Evan could be locked up.
But before they could stop him, Evan was already standing right in front of Max Ma.
"So, what you just said—is that supposed to be a threat?" Evan asked, cool as ice.
Evan looked up at Max. He was shorter, skinnier, not as built, but when he spoke, Max’s face twitched.
Everyone was watching. Max had nowhere to back down. He puffed out his chest. "I’m just stating facts. Threat? Me, threatening you? Who do you think you are?"
Max snorted coldly.
Before the words even finished—
Smack!
Max Ma’s head whipped sideways, a burning pain flaring across his left cheek. For a second, he was too stunned to react.
“Dude, did you just hit him?!” one of the guys standing nearby blurted, his eyes wide. Evan’s sudden slap had everyone reeling.
"Evan!"
Seeing Evan throw a punch, Ken Feng and Hank Chu both jumped in shock.
Ivy Deng and Amelia Jiao shot to their feet, glaring at Evan, their brows furrowed. “What the hell are you doing?!” Ivy snapped.
Everyone knew Ivy Deng and Max Ma were close—one of those open secrets everyone pretended not to know.
She never expected that Evan, who’d just finished dealing with Brian Yang, would turn around and slap Max Ma over a single sentence.
“Why should I explain myself to you? Who do you think you are?” Evan shot back, his voice cool and dismissive.
Evan’s eyes were cold and proud, not even bothering to look at Ivy for long.
Just one look left Ivy standing there, totally thrown off. She never expected Evan to talk to her like that.
Just a few days ago, this same kid was helping his mom, Joy Zheng, push a busted old bike outside Ivy’s apartment—he looked like a scared, poor kid from a struggling family.
And now, just days later, Evan was standing in front of her, a whole different person.
Ivy clenched her teeth, silent, refusing to say another word.
Meanwhile, Max’s left cheek was flaming red. He slowly turned his head, glaring daggers at Evan. “You actually hit me!” he spat, his voice broken up, still in shock.
Each word was spaced out, like he couldn’t believe what just happened.
Smack!
Evan backhanded him again—careful not to knock Max flying, just enough to make him stagger and nearly fall.
"I hit you because I wanted to. Didn’t feel it the first time, or what? You keep asking if I dare—are you stupid or something?" Evan smirked, not even trying to hide his contempt.
Max’s once-handsome face was now totally swollen. He glared at Evan with pure hatred, yanking out his phone to call for backup.
Just then, a long tourist boat drifted across the lake—a typical sightseeing vessel with a little square table and a portable grill set up beside it.
There were four people on board.
Selina Shi lounged at the bow, sunglasses on, sunbathing with earbuds in. Her sporty outfit showed off her figure perfectly.
Next to her, Warren Wu and Allen Ju wore straw hats, each holding a fishing rod. There was a box of bait beside them.
“This is ridiculous. Two hours fishing and not even a fingerling! Are the fish in this lake magic or something?” Warren griped, grabbing a beer and taking a swig.
“Chill out. Fishing’s not as easy as you think—it’s all about patience,” Allen said calmly.
Jason Jiang sat nearby, holding a small rod. He didn’t really like fishing, but he didn’t dare bail on the group.
“Bro, you gotta learn to chill. If you can’t keep your cool, how are you gonna handle big stuff later?” Selina teased, swinging her feet and looking up at the blue sky, feeling totally at ease.
The sky was blue, the breeze was light—lying here like this just put Selina in a great mood.
Still, her mind kept drifting back to that guy from the internet café. He was a gaming beast, but cold as ice—like he had spikes all over. Even when Selina invited him to dinner, he totally blew her off.
That whole thing had Selina kinda annoyed these past few days.
“Banished out here, what big stuff can we even do? Gotta wait for Uncle Ju to cool off. But Allen, dude, fighting with your dad all the time is pointless,” Warren muttered, glancing at Allen.
Allen just kept his cool, not reacting at all to Warren’s words.
He stared at his fishing rod for a moment, then said, “It’s not about fighting. It’s about principle. I’m not giving up my future just to please my family.”
Allen’s voice was steady, making Warren feel even more frustrated.
Jason didn’t dare say a word. He knew these three were outsiders, sent here to chill for the summer.
On their first day, they’d moved straight into the county’s official guesthouse. Jason’s dad had warned him a million times to treat these three like royalty—whatever happened, they came first.
At first, Jason was kinda annoyed, but then he overheard his dad say Allen’s uncle was the new county Party secretary—he nearly broke out in a cold sweat. No way he’d slack off after that.
He’d suffered plenty trying to figure out their personalities, but lately, things had gotten easier.
Allen was the most mature and level-headed—classic rich kid, raised in a power family.
Warren and Selina, though, were way more outgoing.
Warren was all about eating big, drinking big, and standing up for the little guy. Selina, though, had this cool, heroic vibe.
Selina was nothing like the local girls—proud to the bone, but never a bully. If she saw a beggar, she’d just hand over her spare change without a second thought.
She was perfect, but felt a million miles away. Jason might be from a well-off family, but compared to these three, his family’s cash was nothing.
As Jason mulled this over, his gaze drifted toward the shore.
He was about to witness the chaos unfolding—Evan slapping Max Ma, Brian Yang’s defeat, and the whole local power scene getting flipped upside down.
The balance of face and fear in Whitewood was about to change, and Jason was right there to see it happen.