Eve Vaughn’s fair cheeks flushed bright red. When it came to shameless flirting and dirty jokes, she was never a match for him.

Seeing her pouting, Mason Lawson gave a resigned smile. He gently stroked her hair and said, "You only recently became an adult. It’s normal to find some things hard to accept. We’ll take it slow. There’s no rush."

Eve Vaughn blinked her dark eyes as she stared at him, nodding in a daze.

’But why, all of a sudden, do I feel so much pressure?’

Besides, she always felt like there was an unspoken understanding between her and Mason Lawson, a final barrier they hadn’t crossed. But she didn’t dare to be the one to break it, nor did she dare to ask about things too plainly.

’Maybe it’s because I’ve accepted so much of his help from the very beginning. I’ve already lost the right to refuse him.’

Later, an assistant delivered some clothes.

Eve Vaughn could clearly feel the knowing looks people were giving her.

’As if I were some kind of escort.’

A wave of shame washed over her.

She ran into the bathroom to change, then rushed out and said, "Mason, I’m going to head out."

"Aren’t you going to have breakfast?"

Mason Lawson said, "It’ll be here in about five minutes. I’ll give you a ride after you eat."

Eve Vaughn made an excuse, "No, it’s okay. I promised my roommate I’d eat with her at the cafeteria. There’s a subway station near here that goes straight to campus."

With that, she hurried toward the exit. In her haste, she nearly walked right into the glass door in the entryway.

Just then, Mason Lawson called out to her, "Eve Vaughn!"

Eve Vaughn stopped and turned to look back at him, a lost expression on her face.

Golden sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating his handsome features.

Mason Lawson said, enunciating each word, "The next time you’re in trouble, I want to be the first person you think of. And stop letting your imagination run wild. Just focus on school."

Eve Vaughn’s heart skipped a beat. She nodded. "I understand. Goodbye, Mason."

Mason Lawson watched her retreating figure, wondering if his words had sunk in.

As he thought about what Autumn Woods had been up to while he was away, Mason Lawson’s expression slowly turned grim.

He pulled out his phone and gave a stern command. "Neil Kane, I want you to send all the evidence of corruption and bribery by Autumn Woods’s brother, Angus Woods, to the Commission for Discipline Inspection. Send it as an anonymous tip. And remember—all of it."

This time, he had to put the Woods family in their place, lest they start thinking they owned all of Rivaster.

Mason Lawson never showed mercy to his enemies.

The reason he didn’t target Autumn Woods directly was, first, because her position as a medical professor—essentially just a doctor—didn’t offer many opportunities for graft or corruption. She was relatively clean.

Furthermore, the foundation of the Woods family’s power rested on the father of Angus and Autumn Woods.

But Mr. Woods was already retired and held no real power. Mason only had to pull out the weed that was Angus Woods, and the entire Woods family would immediately begin to wither.

...

The moment Eve Vaughn left the club, she quickly called Mia Kendall.

She asked with concern, "Mia, what time did you get home last night? You didn’t get into another fight with Eric, did you?"

The mere mention of last night’s events made Mia Kendall’s stomach churn with anger.

’But how could she tell her best friend that Eric had almost forced himself on her?’

After agonizing over it, Mia Kendall decided against it. She was too ashamed to say anything!

’It was like accidentally eating a piece of shit—how could I possibly talk about it?’ So she just said breezily, "Oh, it was fine. They were all asleep by the time I got back."

Eve Vaughn asked worriedly, "What about Eric? He didn’t give you any more trouble, did he?"

Mia Kendall ground her teeth. "With that scene last night? All those women, it was like a den of sirens. You think he actually came home?"

Eve Vaughn nodded. That made a lot of sense.

Mia Kendall changed the subject. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you. What happened with you and Mason Lawson after I left yesterday? He... he didn’t do anything to you, did he?"

Eve Vaughn’s palms began to sweat, and a blush crept onto her face. She was just as ashamed to talk about it.

So she had to lie. "He didn’t do anything. He just took me back to my dorm."

"Oh, good. That’s good."

Mia Kendall rambled on, "I was just so worried Eric’s friends would be perverted scumbags just like him. I’m glad you didn’t get hurt. It looks like Eric really is a special kind of freak. It can’t be easy to find another beast like him."

Eve Vaughn felt a little dejected. ’I kind of was taken advantage of last night,’ she thought, ’but not... all the way.’

’At least Mason didn’t ignore my wishes and force himself on me.’

Before hanging up, Eve Vaughn pleaded, "Mia, try not to get into any more fights with Eric for a while. Just lie low, okay? You saw what happened yesterday. If Mason hadn’t been there, we both could have ended up with broken legs. No matter how you slice it, Eric is in way deeper than we are."

Mia Kendall agreed reluctantly. "I know. Don’t worry about me. I won’t mess with him for a while."

Reassured that her best friend was safe, Eve Vaughn headed to class with her mind at ease.

...

As soon as he received Mason Lawson’s order, Neil Kane began submitting the evidence to the Commission for Discipline Inspection.

By that afternoon, the Commission had already launched its investigation.

At that very moment, Eve Vaughn was in class—Professor Woods’s class, to be specific.

She was concentrating with all her might, terrified that Professor Woods would use a class question to publicly settle a private score with her again.

But Professor Woods’s phone kept vibrating over and over during the lecture.

She silenced it the first time, but the calls just kept coming.

Eventually, Professor Woods had to pause the lecture. "My apologies, everyone. I need to take this call. Please do some independent reading for a few minutes."

Eve Vaughn didn’t think much of it, simply focusing on organizing the key points from the lecture in her notebook.

Just then, a small commotion rippled through the classroom. Students were pulling out their phones and murmuring about something.

Her roommate, Aria, nudged her as if she’d just discovered a massive scoop. "Evie, look at this! It’s the top trending topic on Weibo right now. The director of the Rivaster Health Bureau, Angus Woods, has been suspended pending investigation for corruption, bribery, and abuse of power. Isn’t he Professor Woods’s brother? I heard she comes from a prominent medical family, that they have powerful connections."