Evan Lin stepped out of the elevator and, upon reaching his room door, saw Autumn Zheng standing there.
Autumn Zheng looked tired, her expression tinged with worry.
"They're all dead. Burned in the fire."
Autumn Zheng brought up that final burst of flames, her face complicated, eyes full of sighs: "That fire—was it you?"
Truthfully, Autumn Zheng already knew the answer before she asked.
Old Man Liu and Gordon Gu were brought back by Gong Yi, and Autumn Zheng followed up with a few extra questions.
She'd been left behind to check Evan Lin's math modeling competition results, so she hadn't gone with them. By the time Autumn got Old Man Liu and Gordon Gu settled in the hospital, she snapped out of it and rushed over.
But when she arrived, rows of fire trucks were already at the Shang villa.
The blaze was fierce, and many people died inside.
Mason Shang, Helena Meng, Maya Meng, Fourth Elder Rowe, Logan Rowe—all of them perished in the sea of fire.
As for the guests who weren't really involved, almost all of them escaped without a scratch.
Afterward, the authorities launched an investigation into the fire, but not a single person on the scene dared to say it had anything to do with Master Lin from Seacrest.
In fact, no one really understood how that final blaze started. Even if they wanted to connect it to Master Lin from Seacrest, it would be a stretch.
At the very least, there wasn't enough evidence to prove it.
After all, when the flames erupted, Evan Lin had already left the villa.
It's already been three days since the villa burned down.
These past few days, Autumn Zheng has been taking care of Old Man Liu and Gordon Gu while also reaching out to her contacts, watching for any moves from the Rowe and Shang families.
All this time, Autumn Zheng never asked about that fire.
"People who die such deaths deserve it. Don't let it weigh on your mind."
Evan Lin didn't deny it. He just shook his head, walked up, swiped his room card, and opened the door.
Autumn Zheng followed him inside and sat down on a chair. "I've been digging up news about those two families these past few days."
"The Shang family doesn't seem willing to let things go. As for the ancient-martial Rowe clan, for certain reasons they can't openly show up in Beijing, so that's one less thing to worry about."
Autumn Zheng boiled a kettle of hot water for Evan Lin, then looked at him again. "Also, the name 'Master Lin from Seacrest' is now totally famous."
"I've always worried you'd attract too much attention. Now it looks like things are getting troublesome."
As she said this, Autumn Zheng rubbed her temples.
There's just way too much going on.
With Master Lin from Seacrest's name blowing up, even those second-generation heirs who were at the villa are now trying to find ways to contact him.
A lot of people are trying to use Gong Yi, Old Man Liu, and Gordon Gu as entry points, and they've already reached out to Autumn Zheng several times.
But since the Shang and Rowe families are still pretty powerful in the Beijing area, their influence is hard to ignore.
That's why, even if some families want to befriend Master Lin from Seacrest, they have to weigh things carefully. Most are just watching the Shang and Rowe clans to see what they'll do.
If those two families don't plan on making any moves, everyone will naturally try to win Master Lin from Seacrest's friendship.
But if the Shang and Rowe clans get furious and send people to settle things with Evan Lin—if it's a fight to the death—then everyone else will just hide in the shadows and watch the drama unfold.
Hardly anyone would step in to help when things get tough. Most would only jump in once the coast is clear.
"There's nothing to worry about. If they really dare send people, I'll just wipe them all out."
Evan Lin stood by the window, glanced at the night stars outside, his gaze icy. "Once Old Man Liu gets better, send him out of Beijing."
Seeing how unfazed Evan Lin was, Autumn Zheng sat there for a while, then got up and left.
She didn't ask what Evan Lin had done tonight, because Autumn Zheng honestly didn't care about those things.
Her biggest worry was still what Azure Dragon said before leaving.
Now that Master Lin from Seacrest's name keeps getting bigger, if it ever catches the attention of that Lin family man, what kind of outcome will that bring?
The Orthodox Lin Clan might never allow someone like Evan Lin to exist, and even Joy Zheng back in Whitewood County could get dragged in.
What unsettled Autumn Zheng most these past few days was what she'd heard about someone in Beijing.
Surname Lin. Given name: Beixun.
Blake Lin.
He's from the Orthodox Lin Clan—Blake Lin.
This guy is basically the Orthodox Lin Clan's official representative in Beijing.
He's a force right out in the open. Usually, no one knows where Blake Lin hides, but he's the eyes of the Orthodox Lin Clan in Beijing.
If he ever notices Evan Lin...
Autumn Zheng couldn't even imagine it.
All she wants now is to leave as soon as possible. Her original plan was to leave right after things wrapped up three days ago, but she can't.
Because Gordon Gu is involved, and his whole family is in Beijing. She can't leave until she's sure they're completely safe.
"You must absolutely never run into him."
Autumn Zheng closed the door, her expression complicated. She glanced back at Evan Lin's door, sighed, and left.
Dusk deepened.
It was already late at night.
Even at this hour, Beijing wasn't as noisy or busy as during the day, but there were still plenty of people wandering around.
Commercial Street.
In front of a Michelin restaurant that had already closed for the night.
Deer Minghu stood at the door, hesitating for a long time, unsure whether to knock.
If he'd come during the day, he could pretend to be a customer, sneak a peek at Prince Lin, and if Prince Lin was in a good mood, maybe chat for a while.
But Prince Lin always goes to bed early and has a bad temper when he wakes up. He doesn't like being disturbed.
The reason Deer Minghu came now was because, last time he left, Prince Lin told him to come share anything interesting right away.
So here he was.
But he still hesitated.
Hesitating, unable to decide.
Luckily, just then, someone pulled the door open from inside.
"Come in. If you stand there any longer, I'll start thinking you're a thief."
Blake Lin, who opened the door, glanced at him, his tone flat.
"You came over now—got something you want to say?"
Blake Lin went into the restaurant, poured Deer Minghu a glass of warm water. Deer Minghu was flattered, took it with both hands, and followed him to sit on the sofa by the window.
Blake Lin reclined on the sofa, the spot bathed in moonlight.
Deer Minghu carefully considered his words.
"Today... there was someone named Evan Lin. He's really strong."