They left the bar.
Evan, seriously, thanks for this. I swear I'll work my butt off and pay you back as soon as I can.
Hank Chu, leaning on Will Han for support, walked next to Evan Lin, looking at him with total sincerity. "I was making enough at my part-time jobs to cover the loan at first, but then they jacked up the interest out of nowhere. It got insane."
It's all just a hustle.
Talking about it, Hank's eyes were straight-up exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days.
Lately, the whole money thing had him living under crazy pressure, barely sleeping at all.
What really broke Hank was how the debt felt endless, like he'd never be able to pay it off.
The interest was climbing way faster than he could earn, and he just kept sinking deeper.
If Evan Lin hadn't stepped in, Hank probably would've been stuck with that debt forever.
It's all in the past now.
Evan Lin looked at Hank. "Do you get why I made you slap him?"
"Why?" Hank blinked, totally confused.
Honestly, Hank had no clue. To him, everything was already settled, and that slap felt like a pointless extra.
Besides, Brother Cannon isn't the type to hold a grudge. If that last slap made him change his mind, it could backfire and get messy.
"Because you were scared of him."
Evan Lin got serious. "Being kind isn't wrong, and letting stuff slide isn't wrong either. But being kind isn't the same as being weak, and tolerance isn't the same as backing down."
"If I hadn't totally shut them down just now, do you really think Brother Cannon and his crew would've gone easy on you? Would they have suddenly felt bad for you?"
Evan finished, and Hank froze for a second—then it hit him. He finally got what Evan was trying to do.
"Yeah, I get it now. Thanks, Evan."
Will Han, standing nearby, listened in, feeling pure envy.
He envied Hank for having such a good friend who would step up at a critical moment.
"That's the end of it. Brother Cannon won't dare mess with you again."
Lin Yi paused, then continued, "Now tell me what's really been going on lately. Why are you so short on money? Where's it all going?"
"I..." Hank hadn't had a chance to answer yet.
Will Han got excited, "It's that Julie Chu I told you about before."
"Julie Chu spends Hank's money nonstop! She tricked him into buying her the latest phone, and he even gives her living expenses!"
Will Han wanted to say more.
Lin Yi's gaze was already fixed on Hank.
From the looks of things, Lin Yi basically understood, but he preferred Hank to say it himself.
"She didn't trick me. I bought her the phone myself, and... the money, I spent it on her willingly."
Hank lowered his head a bit. "It's her birthday today, so I even bought her a gift."
"Do you like her?" Lin Yi showed no signs of anger, nor did he look at Hank like he was an idiot or hopeless.
That put Hank a little at ease.
"I guess I like her a bit."
Hank nodded.
Before, Hank admitted he liked Jiang Xiaodie, but that was only after Lin Yi and Feng Jian coaxed it out of him—it wasn't nearly as straightforward as today.
"Where is she now?"
Lin Yi thought for a moment. "If possible, let's meet her. Let me take a look."
"What are you planning?"
Hank instinctively felt nervous. With Lin Yi's skills, if he really got angry, Hank wouldn't be able to stop him.
Hank also had no idea what Lin Yi was thinking, or what attitude he'd take toward Julie Chu now.
"Nothing, just want to meet her."
Lin Yi thought for a moment. "Relax, I won't interfere with your choices or do anything."
"Besides, in my view, there's nothing in life that's 'worth it' or 'not worth it.' If you like someone, then they're worth liking. Plus, after so many years as friends, it's only natural to meet your girlfriend and share a meal, right?"
Lin Yi looked at Hank's wary expression and couldn't help feeling a bit helpless.
"Uh..."
Hank hesitated. "It's not that I don't want her to meet you, it's just... I'm not sure I can even get her to come out."
At this point, Hank felt embarrassed.
While they were talking...
A white BMW drove over from not far away and stopped by the roadside.
The car door and window rolled down, revealing a freckled girl's face.
"Hey, Hank, you're here. I was just looking for you."
The girl glanced at Hank by the roadside, her gaze sweeping over Lin Yi and Will Han without lingering.
But when she saw Hank looking a bit disheveled, a hint of disdain and contempt flashed in her eyes.
"Lily Yan, what do you want?" Hank was a little surprised when he saw the girl.
Lily Yan is Julie Chu's roommate. She's pretty enough to be a flight attendant—looks and figure at least 'qualified.'
Hank had met her a few times before, but Lily always acted cold toward him. This time, she was actually sitting in a car and striking up a conversation.
"Just letting you know—today's Julie Chu's birthday, so don't bother showing up and crashing the party."
Lily Yan sat in the back seat, looking at Hank. "You and her aren't from the same world."
"Even though Julie's situation isn't great right now, she's pretty, and that's her advantage. Sooner or later, she'll rise up and succeed."
"But you're different. You're just a student from a second-rate university. After graduation, how much can you even earn? You don't have any family background, and your future is basically set: just another ordinary person, making a few thousand yuan a month—that's your reality."
Lily Yan kept talking, watching Hank.
Seeing Hank's face grow uglier, Lily actually felt a strange sense of satisfaction inside.
She'd always found Hank annoying.
Hank wasn't ugly, and he played basketball pretty well, but reality was reality: no background, not a rich kid, and nothing particularly outstanding about him.
With those conditions, he thinks he deserves to stand beside Julie Chu?
It's pure wishful thinking, reaching a whole new level.
"I'm talking to you. Did you hear me, bro?"
In the driver's seat was a young man, who spoke casually while showing off a watch worth over a hundred thousand yuan on his wrist.
"Did Julie Chu ask you to say all this?"
They were waiting for Hank to respond, but instead, they heard a cool, clear voice from the roadside—a different young man speaking up.