Ivy Liang, tall and slender, kept her usual cool and aloof style. As she spoke, her face remained expressionless, but a barely noticeable glimmer flashed in her eyes as she looked at Evan Lin.
Just as Ivy Liang was leaving the school gates, she happened to overhear Leo Liu getting roasted by Evan Lin, which made her feel rather displeased inside.
Ivy had originally felt a bit of goodwill toward Evan, but the more things happened, the more she thought his behavior was weirdly over-the-top.
Evan turned to look at her and said, "The path I'll walk from now on is one you can't even imagine. Besides, in some ways, I actually prefer hanging out with the so-called 'thugs' you mention."
Compared to you guys, they may lack manners, but at least they wear it on their faces.
Evan fired back with a few sharp words, not backing down at all.
"So you think you're so cultured? Is this how you talk to your classmates? And Ivy's a girl—guys are supposed to be polite to girls! I don't think you even have basic manners!" Leo seized the chance and jumped in.
After speaking, Leo glanced at the girls gathered around Evan and said, "You'd better stay away from him. He knows one of the famous local gangsters in Capitalview."
"Those gangsters will do anything for money. Wasn't there a news report about people using female students to make cash?"
Leo's voice was cold and harsh, but with his prestigious Peiying High badge and local fame, his words made the faces of the girls around Evan change.
The girls turned to look at Evan, noticing he hadn't bothered to defend himself the entire time, which made them hesitate.
"That must be it, right? Otherwise, why didn't he get punished yesterday when he clearly provoked the Director and Mr. Wang?" one girl whispered, her gaze uneasy.
"Yeah, when he first transferred here, he dared to fight right at the Teacher–Student Assembly and didn't care at all. He must have something backing him up," another girl guessed.
More girls remembered all the things Evan had done since transferring—fighting, skipping class, breaking rules. Anyone else would've been called in by the Director and expelled by now.
"Principal Damon Deng is known to be super fair. I heard he rushed out of his office yesterday to personally approve Evan's leave. There's no way a normal student could make the principal that nervous."
A petite girl muttered to herself, and the girls nearby became even more convinced by Leo's story.
One by one, the girls subtly edged away. Where Evan had been surrounded before, now a half-meter gap opened up around him—a little vacuum no one dared cross.
The more timid girls didn't even say a word—they just lowered their heads and slipped away, scared that Leo might be right and Evan would trick them into something shady.
Seeing this, Leo's lips curled up. He loved seeing Evan act like he didn't care about anyone, but after getting embarrassed by him so many times, Leo was already burning with anger inside.
"I don't think he's that kind of person," Wendy Wen, who'd been watching everything, suddenly spoke up.
When she said that, Wendy sounded a little hesitant. Seeing everyone suddenly treat Evan like he was some kind of plague, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Evan's face stayed calm, not bothering to argue. Ivy Liang frowned, sensing something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
"So, are you still coming to eat?" Evan glanced around and asked.
Just moments ago, the girls had been full of enthusiasm, but now none of them planned to say a word.
Seeing how quickly they all sided with Leo, Evan just shook his head.
Too many people just follow the crowd without thinking for themselves, so in the end, they blend into the masses and stay ordinary forever.
"You trying to get close to them so you can introduce them to your gangster buddies? Give it up! Nobody here is stupid enough to eat with you. If you want lunch, go eat alone," Leo said with a smug laugh.
Even as he said that, Leo couldn't help but edge half a step back, keeping a wary eye on Evan in case he suddenly got slapped again.
"If they won't eat, then you treat me."
From outside the crowd, a lazy, lively female voice rang out.
Hearing that, the girls all turned to look. Even Leo's smile froze for a second—he spun around, and when he saw who it was, his expression instantly changed.
"You?" Ivy Liang frowned at the newcomer.
Wendy Wen's eyes lit up. The girl who'd appeared outside the crowd radiated energy—totally different from most girls at Capitalview First High.
For an artsy girl like Wendy, the ones she admired most were lively, dazzling types—just like the girl in front of her, wearing a black hoodie, jeans, pale canvas shoes, a baseball cap, and messy black hair draped over her shoulders.
Evan glanced at her too, pausing for a moment.
"Selina, what are you doing here?" Leo was stunned to see Selina Shi.
At Peiying High, Selina Shi was in a league of her own. Compared to her, Leo was way out of his depth—they barely even nodded at each other, and he was nowhere near her social circle.
Remembering what Selina just said, Leo quickly tried to recover: "Selina, this guy's not exactly a decent person. You'd better not get too close to him."
"You hungry? Perfect, Ivy and I were about to eat—let's all go together," Leo suggested, trying to invite her along.
Leo wasn't about to get any funny ideas about Selina—just knowing her family connections was enough to scare him off.
Now that Selina was here and seemed to respect Evan, Leo couldn't help feeling jealous.
"No, no, no, I'm not much of a good person myself. How could I eat with you? I'd be afraid I'd end up selling you to some street punks, and they'd toss you into a male brothel, make you take clients, and I'd even get a cut. Wouldn't that be awkward?" Selina shook her head, her tone deadpan.
She paused, then added, "Or maybe I'd sell you to a gay bar instead—who knows? I'm not exactly straight-laced myself."