"Alright, I’ve never been to that lake you mentioned. Shall we go tomorrow? Are we running there or what?"
Evan Lin played his game, absentmindedly asking Ken who sat beside him.
The fan overhead whirred loudly. Inside the internet café, people occasionally shouted with excitement, the sound of keyboards and mouse clicks echoing all around.
On such a sweltering summer day, time seemed to drift by lazily, free from conflict or schoolwork—Evan felt completely at ease.
"No way we’re walking there—it’s pretty far. Isn’t Whitewood County building a tourist resort over there? The lake’s right next to it."
Ken chuckled slyly.
Hank Chu, sitting nearby, curled his lip and looked at Ken with a hint of disdain.
He glanced over at Evan and said, "Evan, you think Ken wants to go there out of the goodness of his heart? That resort—Ken’s dad is the one developing it. Soon Ken’s going to be a real rich second-generation heir, you know."
"Once he’s rolling in cash, we’ll just mooch off him for food and drinks every day."
As soon as Hank finished, Ken grinned. "You’re exaggerating. My dad still owes the bank a ton. But seriously, Hank, most bros hype each other up, work hard together, and make money side by side. How come with you, it’s all about waiting for me to get rich so you can freeload? That’s a dangerous mindset, man."
"What, you won’t let me dream or won’t let me eat?" Hank shot Ken a cheeky look.
"Alright, alright, you can eat and dream all you want. We grew up together, right? If my dad makes it big, there’s no way I’ll eat meat and make you gnaw bones!" Ken thumped his chest, making a solemn promise. Dressed in his little suit, he really did look the part of a second-gen heir.
Evan sat listening to their bickering, shaking his head slightly. He couldn’t help but feel these two lived life to the fullest. In the past, Evan had been the most down-and-out of the trio, but neither Hank nor Ken had ever treated him any differently.
If Ken or Hank ever ran into trouble, Evan wouldn’t hesitate to help them out.
After finishing their games at the internet café and agreeing on a time for tomorrow, Evan headed home.
When Evan got home, Joy Zheng still hadn’t returned.
During that time at home, there was basically no news from Medicine King Valley. Instead, Big Tank called several times to report updates.
Every time, Big Tank sounded especially excited, but Evan didn’t care in the slightest how much turf he managed to consolidate.
Big Tank did mention that Imperial Grand had clashed with his side a few times, but Victor Yu always chose to back down decisively, clearly proud of it.
Victor Yu thought it was because Evan had left Dong Zi and Shawn Shi behind as muscle, but he didn’t realize that the real reason was Imperial Grand’s true boss, Damon Wang, secretly giving the orders.
The name of Evan ‘Nine-Mysteries’ Lin had become legendary across the three cities of Seacrest Prefecture—like a dragon among men. But after days of silence, people gradually began to forget.
Some speculated that Evan was hiding from Medicine King Valley’s wrath. After all, he’d taken out two of their elders and crippled another—definitely making himself their mortal enemy.
Evan couldn’t care less about any of that right now. He just wanted to enjoy a rare moment of peace.
That evening, May Wang called Evan to update him on the progress of the property transfer. Soon, he’d be able to pick up the keys and property certificates.
Evan wasn’t in any rush. He’d bought two villas, each with plenty of space and rooms. He wondered if he should invite neighbor Helen Cai to move in with his mom—just so Joy wouldn’t be alone.
Otherwise, Joy would probably feel a bit lonely living in such a big place by herself.
Just as he was thinking about it, Joy Zheng came home, pushing her battered bicycle and looking exhausted.
"Evan, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll make dinner now."
Seeing Evan at home, Joy smiled.
"No need, Mom. Let’s eat out tonight."
Joy originally disagreed, but she couldn’t win against Evan’s insistence. In the end, they ate dinner out.
While they ate, Joy asked about the ten-thousand-yuan phone.
After all, ten thousand yuan wasn’t exactly pocket change.
Evan thought for a moment, then came clean—it was paid for out of his lottery winnings. He hinted that the prize was actually pretty substantial.
Joy smiled and tapped Evan’s forehead. She said that even with a big windfall, he had to spend carefully; just because he won once didn’t mean he could slack off. The key was to keep studying hard. She didn’t ask exactly how much he’d won—probably not wanting to micromanage him.
Hearing this put Evan at ease. If that’s how she felt, he could just say the house came from lottery winnings too—easy and convenient.
After dinner, they went home.
The next morning, Evan got up early for his run, bought breakfast, and when he got home, found Ken waiting at the door.
Ken was still wearing his little suit. Hank was waiting too, and when he saw Evan, he waved enthusiastically.
"No way! I just went to your house to look for you—your mom said you went running this morning. I didn’t believe it, but damn, you actually did get up and run!"
When Evan jogged over, Ken looked genuinely impressed.
"Alright, alright, I’m heading home to shower and change."
Evan shook his head, said a quick goodbye to Ken and Hank, then went home, showered, changed, and headed out again.
"So, how are we getting there?"
Evan munched on a meat bun and asked Ken and Hank.
"First, we’ll stop by my place and grab the bikes. My dad just bought a few fixies last week—originally for family workouts, but my parents never use them."
Evan and Hank followed Ken to his house, which was a small two-story detached home in Phoenix Blossom Estates—a bit further out, and not nearly as fancy as Evan’s Mooncrest Manor.
When the three arrived, Ken’s parents weren’t home. Ken grabbed the bikes and, for good measure, produced three ridiculously oversized sunglasses, handing one to Evan and one to Hank. He called them their ‘pai tou’—their stylish look for the outing.