This photo was the one taken of Evan Lin and Stella Huang walking out of the hotel.
It's the same photo, but now Evan Lin is being portrayed as some rich second-gen using money to buy a female celebrity.
It's obvious Serena Tong got set up by someone behind the scenes.
Someone like her, with the title of 'Ice-Cold Goddess' and a classical beauty straight out of a landscape painting, is the dream girl for countless fans.
And for this kind of persona, the last thing you want is any sort of scandal—especially about something as tacky as sleeping with a rich kid for money.
Lily Zhong glanced at Evan, then at the photo on the news, her eyes turning a bit weird: "That guy isn't you, is it? The more I look, the more it looks like you."
"That is me, but the woman next to me isn't Serena Tong, and the news is nonsense." Evan Lin shook his head, answering straightforwardly.
"That's settled then. When the Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill launches, we'll have her help break into the market."
Evan Lin stood up, checked the time, and said, "It's getting late. Get some rest. I have to head home early tomorrow morning."
Big Tank had arranged the hotel for Evan. Around six in the morning, Big Tank personally drove Evan from Minghai to Whitewood.
"Young Lord, both projects are going smoothly. The Whitewood Modern Plaza is already starting to take shape. Recently, lots of people have come to discuss cooperation, hoping to get their products in, and some even want to open stores. We just haven't finalized the rent yet."
Big Tank parked the car by the side of the road and walked a few slow laps around the unfinished plaza with Evan Lin.
Evan Lin's expression was calm as he looked at the construction site, the buildings and the plaza ahead. His eyes showed neither joy nor sorrow.
This was his small contribution to Whitewood County's development. No matter what, this was still the place Evan grew up. Even on the Immortal Martial Continent, it was common for one person's success to bring glory to their whole clan.
"Other than that, Secretary Thomas Liu and Magistrate Ma are both taking this project very seriously. They've already started drafting plans to rebuild the roads around the plaza, and they've marked out a demolition zone to expand outward step by step. The idea is to make this the new county center for Whitewood in the future."
Big Tank explained the project's progress to Evan, pride written all over his face.
Back in the day, all he did was run security for people, get into fights, and do grunt work. There was no hope, no future. If he got old, maybe he'd work as a security guard, but more likely he'd end up beaten and crippled, stuck in bed for the rest of his life.
Not far away.
A boy and a girl.
The boy had squinty eyes and wore a T-shirt with a giant skull printed on the front.
He wasn't tall or big, and he kept showing off the iPhone X in his hand.
"Chloe, my dad said our family plans to invest two million in this Whitewood Modern Plaza of yours, and we're going to open at least three stores. This whole deal is being led by Magistrate Ma, but honestly, I don't think Whitewood County has much potential. Small towns like yours just don't have a future."
As he spoke, the boy shot a smug look at Chloe Cheng walking beside him.
Ever since the last middle school reunion, when Chloe Cheng saw Evan Lin again—and then heard her parents had actually gone to apologize to Evan's mom, Joy Zheng—she'd been in a bad mood.
On top of that, Chloe's dad, Kevin Cheng, and her mom, Lisa Liu, never got over it. For a while, they were so upset they even got sick.
But when it came to Evan Lin and Joy Zheng, all they could do was swallow their anger.
They figured the only reason Joy Zheng and Evan Lin had any confidence was because of Lucy Lu, who they couldn't figure out at all.
Kevin Cheng had worked at the Water Conservancy Bureau his whole life, finally making it to section chief after all those years. Lisa Liu worked in the Finance Bureau, but her position wasn't high either.
Back then, their family had a pretty good life in Whitewood County—nothing fancy, but not bad either. But seeing Evan Lin and Joy Zheng, who they'd bullied before, suddenly turn things around thanks to outside help made them feel really bitter inside.
But all that's in the past now.
Kevin Cheng’s old college roommate now runs a big business in River City, pulling in about ten million a year.
This time, their son just finished his college entrance exams and came to Whitewood for a vacation. A few days ago, Magistrate Ma even met him personally, and Lisa Liu keeps pushing Chloe to hang out with him every day, hoping to build a better relationship.
"Yeah, Whitewood County is definitely on the small side. But once that resort opens up, it should bring in a lot of economic benefits. Still, it’ll never compare to a big city like River City."
Chloe Cheng smiled—a beautiful smile.
The boy next to her wasn’t really her type, but after just a few days together, he’d already bought her a new iPad—two or three thousand yuan, just like that. In Chloe’s eyes, that was pretty generous.
"Of course there’s no comparison."
Max Xu laughed smugly at Chloe’s words: "Even if you gave Whitewood County another fifty years, it still couldn’t catch up to River City. After all, River City is the provincial capital of Seacrest, while Whitewood is just some little county under a third-tier city like Minghai."
"By the way, how’d you do on the college entrance exam? Decided where you want to go yet? If you want, we could apply to the same school, and I’ll look out for you."
Max Xu chuckled: "Yesterday, after Uncle Cheng had drinks with my dad, he said he wants you to leave this little place. No matter what, you shouldn’t stay here—there’s no future."
"In a few days, you should come to River City with me. I’ll show you around and let you have some real fun!"
Max Xu grinned from ear to ear.
"Yeah, we can talk it over when it’s time to fill out college applications."
Chloe Cheng agreed, nodding her head.
The two kept walking and chatting. Max Xu was still thinking about where to go next for more fun, when suddenly Chloe stopped in her tracks.
She stood there, brows furrowed, staring ahead. She couldn’t help clenching her fists, her expression complicated and tinged with anger.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Max Xu was startled by Chloe’s reaction, his face blank for a moment.
He turned his head and saw two people walking slowly toward them.
Two men.
One was young, with a cold, distant look.
The other was very fat—even in a suit, it couldn’t hide his bulk, making him look a bit comical.