After finishing the call.
Evan Lin stepped out of his room just as Grandmaster You pushed a meal cart up the hall.
With so much going on in Hong Kong, going out to eat really isn't the best idea right now.
At the dining table.
Evan told Grandmaster You and Ian You to follow him back inland; after that, he planned to station them by Lily Zhong's side.
Neither Grandmaster You nor Ian You had any objections to this arrangement.
Now that Serena Tong was away and Queenie Tong's work as her agent had wrapped up, Queenie suggested going to Harborview City with Yvette Locke so they'd be closer to Evan and have more chances to see him.
But after thinking it over, Evan still decided to have them stay by Lily Zhong's side.
Ideally, they'd even get involved in running Angel Epoch.
Of course, the final choice was still left up to the two of them.
"I could work on operations and publicity for Angel Epoch if I join up."
Queenie thought for a moment, then looked at Evan: "That counts as helping you out, right?"
These days she's more and more worried she isn't useful, and if things keep on like this, she'll probably have fewer chances to stay by Evan's side.
"Yeah. Also, I'll teach you a breathing technique later—you can practice it whenever you have free time, just treat it like a game."
Evan figured he should find something for Queenie to do.
He happened to have a cultivation art he'd dug up from an ancient secret realm: the Red Dust Carefree Art.
This art is extremely difficult to practice—most people can't even get started.
But the upside is, even if you can't get anywhere with it, just mastering the basic breathing patterns can calm your mind and keep you steady.
That part is perfect for Queenie, now that she's lost her old goals.
As for how far she'll get with the Red Dust Carefree Art, Evan isn't holding out any hope.
Honestly, if you master the Red Dust Carefree Art, there's even a shot at earning the title of Carefree Immortal Lord.
But that's way too far-fetched and unrealistic.
"So if I practice it, does that mean I could actually get super strong?"
Queenie's eyes lit up.
"It's possible, yeah. You can look forward to it, but don't get too obsessed."
Seeing Evan nod, Queenie immediately perked up, way more interested than before.
Grandmaster You heard this and couldn't help itching to try it himself.
Evan seemed to catch his thought and looked at him with a half-smile: "You can learn it if you want, but this art is pretty ruthless—if you want to practice it, you'll have to scrap all your current cultivation and start from zero."
Besides, even if you do practice, there's no guarantee you'll get anywhere with it.
Hearing that, Grandmaster You immediately shook his head—no way was he up for that.
Ian You also gave up on the idea.
They're not stupid—sure, the art sounds pretty amazing, especially since Evan's the one offering it, but scrapping all their cultivation? No way they'd go for that.
Besides, Grandmaster You is already over fifty. Starting from scratch? He might never get back to his current level, even if he spent the rest of his life trying.
After dinner, Evan taught Queenie the Red Dust Carefree Art.
The art was 2,500 characters long; it took Queenie over four hours to memorize it all.
She could remember it, sure—she knew every character on its own, but string them all together and she had no clue what it meant.
"Cultivation depends on fate and talent. You can't force it."
Evan showed her the basic breathing pattern, then let her figure it out herself.
At most, Evan would give pointers—hand-holding her through cultivation just wasn't realistic.
Early the next morning.
The Hong Kong Li family patriarch personally arranged a car for Evan, and even bought his plane ticket.
They headed straight for the airport.
Along the way, the Li patriarch kept asking Evan to send someone over to guide their work as soon as possible once he got back inland.
He was desperate to tie the whole Li family to Master Lin from Seacrest.
After seeing Evan's power firsthand, the Li family had zero thoughts of resisting. With Grandmaster Victor Zhou out of the picture and only Grandmaster You left among Hong Kong's three great masters, they weren't about to put up a fight.
And Grandmaster You was now utterly loyal, sticking right by Evan's side.
Basically, there were no more masters left in Hong Kong—if there was anyone at all, it was just Master Lin from Seacrest.
"I'll send someone over soon. You guys better know what to do—and what not to do."
Evan left that warning with the Li family, then boarded the plane with Yvette Locke and the others.
The plane was headed for Oceanport.
Oceanport International Airport.
A woman in a black dress stood in the departure hall.
She was tall, beautiful, and carried herself with an effortless poise.
Ever since she arrived, she'd been catching glances from all around.
She stood there quietly, watching the exit, her gaze soft and gentle.
"Hi, mind if we get to know each other?"
Nearby, a handsome man was walking out with a group of flight attendants.
He was surrounded by beautiful women.
But the moment he stepped out, he was instantly drawn to the woman standing there.
That strange attraction made him decide, right then and there, to walk over, put on his best sunny, approachable smile, and introduce himself.
"Sorry."
Shuiyu Zhong glanced at him and shook her head.
She rejected him, clean and decisive.
"I'm the captain of a Nova Airlines passenger jet, flying back and forth between China and abroad. If possible, I'd love to get your contact info."
The man wouldn't give up, still wearing his sunny smile: "I really think we have fate. By the way, my name's Chen Wu—and you're the first woman who's ever made my heart skip at first sight."
He spoke plainly and directly.
He didn't show the slightest hint of annoyance at Shuiyu Zhong's rejection.
The flight attendants standing nearby all turned to look at Shuiyu Zhong. They didn't say a word, but the hostility in their eyes was obvious.
Airline captain.
To outsiders, that's a pretty prestigious job.
Not to mention, Chen Wu was handsome—and made good money, too.
The flight attendants had all been eyeing Captain Chen for a while; some of them had even started actively pursuing him.
But Chen Wu never showed any interest.
Now, right in front of them, Chen Wu was telling another woman he'd fallen for her at first sight.
That really frustrated them.
"Sorry, I'm not interested—and I'm waiting for someone."
Shuiyu Zhong smiled, her attitude unchanged.
"Waiting for your boyfriend?"
Chen Wu raised his eyebrows, his self-assured smile widening: "I hope you'll seriously consider switching boyfriends."
"Trust me—I can make you happy. If you agree to ditch your boyfriend today, it'll be the best decision you ever make."