Evan Lin returned to the apartment.
Inside, Stella Huang was sitting at the desk, typing away at her computer, apparently revising an article.
She heard the door open, turned her head, and looked a little surprised to see Evan: "Hey, you're back today? You disappeared without a word again a few days ago—I thought something had happened!"
A few days ago, Stella had suddenly noticed Evan was gone, leaving her helpless for a while. She always felt that this guy had the vibe of a martial arts novel master—like a dragon, you only ever see the head, never the tail.
I just had some stuff to handle, so I left for a few days.
Evan closed the door and walked in.
Noticing the three big bags of clothes Evan was carrying, Stella eyed him curiously: "Who bought those?"
"Family."
Evan thought about it for a moment. That definition was actually pretty accurate.
Lucy Lu really did treat him like family, even when the old Evan had nothing going for him and was basically just a burden.
"That's actually pretty great. Oh, and I really have to thank you for last time—if it weren't for you, I never would've gotten to interview Serena Tong. This article is basically an exclusive! Only problem is, it seems to have dragged you into some tabloid gossip." Stella looked a little embarrassed.
Back at the Shangri-La, if she hadn't interviewed Serena Tong, she definitely would've been in trouble at the station. Thanks to Evan, she landed a first-hand exclusive, got a wave of praise, and now even the director is considering offering her a full-time position after graduation.
But the recent gossip pairing Serena Tong and Evan together left Stella feeling weird, even though the rumors never revealed Evan's real identity.
"It's nothing serious," Evan shook his head, not bothered at all.
Irene Xu wasn't home—obviously out flying again. Compared to other jobs, being a flight attendant might look glamorous, but all that constant travel is exhausting.
Back in his room, Evan took out Dustleave and examined it for a moment.
"That sword formation blocking Dustleave in the woods that day was pretty interesting."
"Too bad I don't have enough swords on hand, or I'd try setting up a formation myself just for fun."
Evan mused to himself.
Setting up a formation like that wouldn't need much spiritual qi. If he built one, he could use it to protect Joy Zheng's home—and then there'd be nothing left to worry about at home.
Just as he was thinking about it, Evan's phone rang. The caller ID showed: Lily Zhong.
Seeing her number, Evan set Dustleave aside and answered the call.
"Evan Lin?"
On the other end, Lily Zhong's voice sounded cautious and careful, like she was treading on eggshells.
"Hello, Teacher Zhong."
Hearing Lily's voice, Evan joked, his tone slipping back to the old classroom days at Brightsea No. 2 High.
"Still calling me Teacher Zhong? I've already resigned from Brightsea No. 2 High—I'm not your teacher anymore." Lily let out a breath, sounding much more relaxed.
Back when Evan rescued her from that forced marriage, Lily saw how Big Tank treated Evan with such respect—it left her feeling complicated.
She felt Evan wasn't the same person anymore, but had become a much stronger young man—not just in skill or status, but in a kind of mature steadiness.
Lily had wanted to call and thank Evan for a while, but worried that with his new status, she'd just be bothering him. Now, hearing his voice, she finally relaxed—he was still the same Evan.
"I'm not at Brightsea No. 2 High anymore either, but once a teacher, always a teacher." Evan smiled.
"So, how's your new job going? Are you getting used to it?"
Lily Zhong is now working with Big Tank in Minghai. It's a stable life with a good salary—already a big step up for her.
"It's great. The work is harder than before, but it feels way more promising. I don't know everything yet, but I'm working hard!"
Lily sounded confident. Talking about work, her voice was full of energy.
Evan asked about her life and about Old Man Zhong. These days, Old Man Zhong has no chance to gamble—Big Tank has him driven around to scrub toilets in different places, working hard and not daring to step out of line. It's his punishment.
Lily gave Evan a few words of advice before hanging up.
Right now, she was wearing a silk bathrobe—fresh out of the shower, her hair still damp and her skin glowing.
"No matter what, thank you, Evan Lin."
Holding her phone, Lily smiled softly at some thought.
She set her phone aside on the desk, stretched, and looked at the piles of financial reports and asset documents in front of her.
"Come on, Lily Zhong, you can do this! You have to fight for your own chance!"
She took a deep breath and buried herself in the documents—all reports on Big Tank's assets. Lately, Lily's been working hard to adapt, just wanting to help Evan manage things and earn him lots and lots of money.
Evan, completely unaware of this, hung up and did a bit of cultivation with the Grand Dao Foundation Art.
Over the past few days, the Grand Dao Foundation Art had helped Evan gather a little spiritual qi. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
The next day, Evan spent the whole day at school.
Lynn Chen didn't come to find him, and Wendy Wen was nowhere to be seen either. Instead, he ran into Ivy Liang on the road.
Ivy Liang saw Evan but didn't greet him. Last time at the Youth Road bar, Evan had really embarrassed Leo Liu.
Ivy liked Leo Liu, so naturally she had some complaints about Evan.
Around three in the afternoon, Evan got a text from Sam Su. It had a time and a place.
Jinnan Manor, 6 p.m.
Old Man Su's grand birthday banquet had finally arrived.
Lately, Jinnan has been full of turmoil.
First, Aiden Green and Master Greenwater were both killed; then Master Whitecloud emerged from seclusion and vanished again. The Lin family had a disciple successfully bond with a Southriver Sword, officially joining the Southriver Sword Sect. Finally, there was the Moore family storm—rumor had it some expert showed up, broke two Misty Rain Swords, and even defeated Drake Yu. The whole region was buzzing!