Chapter 172 Evan, I Just Fell Down

Chapter 172 Evan, I Just Fell Down

Claire was completely panicking. She grabbed Nicholas's arm and asked, "Nicholas, you'll help me, right? You'll help me deal with Harper."

Nicholas hesitated. After the academic exchange, his entire opinion of Harper had changed, so now he was uncertain.

Claire didn't notice Nicholas's hesitation. She continued, "Nicholas, you've always said I'm the one who deserves Evan, that I'm your sister-in-law. But look at Harper—she's clearly trying to seduce Evan. I can't let her get away with it. Please, help me?"

The scales in his heart finally tipped toward Claire. Nicholas asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to..." Claire had formed a plan in her mind.

Evan and Harper hadn't gone far when Harper quickly grabbed Evan's arm to treat his wound.

Before Evan could voice the questions on his mind, Ben's people found them. "There you two are! We've been looking everywhere. Evan, what happened to your arm? How'd you get hurt?"

Evan replied casually, "Just tripped earlier and scraped it. It's nothing serious. Since we're already here, let's keep having fun."

The injuries on Evan's body were indeed just scrapes. When he said he'd fallen, no one questioned it. Everyone's spirits were still high. The group had barely started walking again when Claire caught up.

She immediately positioned herself beside Evan—a territorial move everyone could read instantly. Ben spoke up, "And this is...? Evan, why don't you introduce us?"

Evan didn't push Claire away, letting her hold onto his arm. "This is my girlfriend, Claire."

Claire wore a polite, gentle smile as she greeted everyone. Then she asked, "Evan, can I join you all?"

"Of course! The more the merrier. Welcome," a senior student said on behalf of the group.

Afterward, everyone continued exploring the valley and trying out various activities.

During this time, the group noticed that without anyone deliberately creating opportunities, Claire and Evan were practically glued to each other the entire time.

Everyone remembered the previous day's discussion about how well-matched Evan and Harper seemed, how perfect they'd be as a couple—only to discover Evan already had a girlfriend.

The group deliberately kept some distance from Claire and Evan so they could discuss what was really on their minds.

One scholar looked at the pair ahead and shook his head. "I think Evan's girlfriend doesn't measure up to Harper. Not just in looks—her whole presence doesn't compare. Does anyone know what she does?"

Ben knew a bit about this. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I remember Evan mentioning his girlfriend's a ballet dancer. He's always going on about how gentle, considerate, and kind she is, but honestly? Something about her feels fake to me."

"You're not wrong. I get the same vibe," another senior nodded in agreement.

Others chimed in with similar observations. The consensus was clear—Claire's gentle demeanor didn't seem genuine.

The group was also unanimous in their opinion that Claire didn't compare to Harper. They couldn't understand what Evan saw in her.

During this discussion, no one excluded Harper, but she didn't join in either. She felt that since she and Evan were divorced, whoever he dated had nothing to do with her. There was no need to concern herself with it.

As darkness fell and to avoid any unknown dangers, everyone returned to camp.

That's when an awkward situation arose—Claire had arrived empty-handed, bringing nothing with her, and Evan didn't particularly want her staying the night.

Actually, there was another route into the valley that was accessible by car—otherwise this place wouldn't be so popular. Harper's group had taken a different path coming in.

Claire had actually driven here, which was why she'd arrived so quickly. Her physical condition wasn't suited for long treks.

But Claire wanted to stay. She was currently making her case to Evan. "Evan, please let me stay. You're here tonight anyway, so you can definitely protect me. I've heard the night here is beautiful. I want to see it too."

Evan shook out a jacket and draped it over Claire's shoulders, saying gently, "It's not appropriate for you to stay out here at night. You could encounter anything in the wilderness. What if you get bitten by bugs or something? That could be dangerous. Go back to the hotel and come join us again tomorrow."

Claire refused to agree. She simply clung to Evan's arm and acted coy. "Evan~ They have permanent camping tents here. I'm sure they're kept very clean inside, and it won't be that unlucky to get bitten by bugs. Please let me stay?"

Seeing the hope and pleading in Claire's eyes, Evan ultimately couldn't bring himself to be harsh. "Fine, you can stay tonight. Go reserve a camping tent first."

"Evan, you're the best to me." Claire's face instantly lit up with a smile.

After that, Claire went to book a camping tent.

After everyone freshened up in their tents, they gathered for dinner. The local specialty featured many of the surrounding flowers incorporated into the dishes—apparently they were edible.

Perhaps because of Claire's presence, conversation during dinner became somewhat constrained. The atmosphere wasn't as relaxed as before.

After dinner, it was still early. Supposedly the most beautiful nighttime views here came much later.

Everyone had done quite a bit of walking that day, so they chose to rest in their tents first and come out to view the night scenery later.

Harper had barely lain down when her phone rang. However, the signal at her location wasn't great, and the voice on the other end kept cutting in and out.

Harper took her phone and stepped out of the tent, walking toward an area with better reception.

The voice on the phone had just become clearer when she heard a rush of air behind her. Before Harper could turn around, something struck the back of her head hard. Her entire body went limp and collapsed, her phone falling to the ground...

At the same time, Claire called Evan. "Evan, I just fell... my stomach hurts so much... I think I'm bleeding... come quick..."

The words jolted Evan. He immediately rushed out of his tent and ran toward Claire's.

Before he even reached her, he saw Claire lying on the ground. A dark stain of blood had already appeared on her pants...