"Should we go over there?" Kevin Cheng glanced at Evan Lin and the others, looking a bit frustrated.
"No idea." Lisa Liu, standing beside him, looked especially grim.
Earlier at the Whitewood County Party Committee Guesthouse, Lisa Liu had personally seen Evan Lin there, which had already left her in shock.
Originally, after Kevin Cheng and Lisa Liu got beaten up by Evan Lin, they wanted to go to the police station and file a report. But then, remembering what Manager Walter Wang said, they realized that if word got out, they'd probably just lose face, so they decided to swallow their pride and let it go.
Still, deep down, they’d cursed Evan Lin countless times. But yesterday, after Qiona Cheng came home and repeated what Zack Zhang said in the car, Lisa Liu recalled the scene at the guesthouse and suddenly felt that Evan Lin might be far less simple than he looked.
Back then, Lisa Liu still couldn’t bring herself to swallow her pride, and Kevin Cheng—well, he’s a grown man who just got beaten up by a teenage kid, and now he’s supposed to apologize to him?
But not long after, Director David Chen from the Finance Bureau called Lisa Liu directly, bluntly and decisively. That call scared her badly, and finally made up her mind.
After discussing it, the two of them decided to buy some gifts and apologize. Otherwise, if things really went the way Zack Zhang described, and Lisa Liu got called in by Director David Chen, it could be a disaster with no way to fix it.
On one side was their job, on the other was their pride. After weighing the two, Kevin Cheng and Lisa Liu chickened out.
At the station, Lucy Lu got off the bus carrying several big bags. Today, Lucy had deliberately dressed quite plainly.
Back in Brightsea City, Lucy Lu might not have dressed all that flashy, but everything she wore was still name-brand.
But now, Lucy was in simple, unbranded clothes—fresh and clean. If it weren’t for her unique presence, she’d look just like any other woman her age in the county.
This little detail didn’t escape Evan Lin’s eyes. It made him like Lucy Lu even more, since she clearly dressed this way just to make things feel more natural when standing next to Joy Zheng—so Joy wouldn’t feel out of place.
"Auntie Lu, let me carry those." Evan Lin walked over, smiling as he took the big bags out of Lucy Lu’s hands.
Lucy Lu had wanted to refuse at first; after all, it was a lot of stuff and pretty heavy.
Lynn Chen glanced at Evan Lin and said, "Mom, just let him do it. He’s strong, anyway."
"Exactly! Evan is super strong. Forget carrying bags—he could probably carry Lynn on his back and not even break a sweat!" Yolanda Fang nodded like a pecking chick.
As soon as she said that, Lynn Chen’s cheeks flushed and she shot Yolanda a fierce glare.
But Yolanda just kept grinning like nothing happened, totally unfazed.
"Honestly, you kid…"
Lucy Lu knew how Yolanda Fang was, so she just gave a helpless smile. But seeing Evan Lin carrying all those bags like it was nothing, she didn’t insist.
"It’s been ages! Oh, I missed you so much!" Lucy Lu spotted Joy Zheng standing there, broke into a smile, and—without a trace of awkwardness—reached out and hugged her tight.
Lucy Lu and Joy Zheng were about the same age, but at first glance, Lucy was clearly much better preserved—fewer wrinkles, darker hair, and just a brighter, more energetic vibe overall.
"It really has been a long time. You’re doing well, I hope? You look just the same as always," Joy Zheng said gently.
"Of course! You haven’t changed a bit either," Lucy Lu replied, linking arms with Joy like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Oh, every time we met before, you were always the one cooking for me. This time, it’s my turn to be chef! Let’s hit the supermarket and grab some groceries. I’m telling you, I’ve learned a bunch of new recipes!" Lucy Lu chattered away, her face full of excitement.
Joy Zheng just smiled warmly beside her.
Yolanda Fang watched Lucy Lu talking nonstop, eyes wide in amazement. She leaned over to Lynn Chen and whispered, "Lynn, did your mom take the wrong meds today or something?"
"She didn’t… Hey, you’re the one who’s off!" Lynn Chen shot back, then reached out and pinched Yolanda’s butt, making Yolanda wince and bare her teeth.
"Hey, hey, hey—seriously, I’ve never seen your mom like this before. I always thought she was nice but kind of a little cold, you know?" Yolanda said, looking surprised.
"Honestly, I’ve never seen this side of her either. But my mom and Aunt Joy are really close, so maybe she can only relax like this when she’s with Aunt Joy." Lynn Chen’s eyes looked a little strange.
"I get it now! It’s like me and you, right? See, if someone else slapped your butt like this—" Yolanda Fang gave Lynn a smack, earning a glare but looking all smug. "If I do it, you just glare at me, but if anyone else did it, you’d flip out. That means our bond is special!"
"No wonder you and Evan Lin always seem a little weird together." Yolanda switched topics, making Lynn Chen grind her teeth. She sneaked a glance at Evan up ahead, hauling all the bags, and let out a rare sigh of relief when he didn’t look back. Then she leaned in and warned Yolanda, "Don’t start making stuff up! Why do you keep saying there’s something weird with me and him? I think you’re the one who’s got something going on with him—you’ve mentioned his name to me like a million times this week!"
"Hmph! I’ll say what I want!" Yolanda shot back, looking totally shameless, leaving Lynn Chen helpless.
They’d only walked a few steps when Joy Zheng suddenly stopped, her smile turning a little awkward as she looked at the man and woman standing ahead, her expression growing complicated.
Lucy Lu immediately picked up on Joy Zheng’s change, turned to look at the couple in front of them. Judging by their clothes, they didn’t look poor at all—the woman was even wearing a gold chain and a diamond ring.
"And you are?" Lucy Lu asked warily, instinctively pulling Joy Zheng a little behind her.
"Oh, um, we’re Chloe Cheng’s parents." Lisa Liu and Kevin Cheng glanced at Lucy Lu, and the moment they saw her, they were startled.
After years of dealing with people, Lisa Liu and Kevin Cheng could read others pretty well—especially Lucy Lu’s aura and sharp, fearless gaze. It only made them more sure that Lucy Lu wasn’t just some ordinary person.
And when they saw Evan Lin carrying all those bags for her, they suddenly understood.
Maybe this woman was the real backer behind Evan Lin and Joy Zheng?