Hank Chu took the phone, washed his face first, then found a hairstylist on the first floor of the mall to tidy up his hair. Afterwards, he followed Queenie Tong's guidance to pick out clothes.
Evan Lin used Hank's phone to make a few calls.
The first call was to Lily Zhong, asking her to contact the bank and arrange for a sum of money to be sent out. The courier would contact this number when ready.
The second call was to Leon Zheng. Leon was momentarily stunned when he received Evan's call, thinking Evan might be angry about the incident at the airport where his subordinates had provoked Lily Zhong.
But before Leon could speak, Evan simply asked if he could get in touch with the major shareholders of NewAir Airlines.
NewAir Airlines' headquarters is in Oceanport.
Leon Zheng waited until Evan finished speaking, then immediately began making arrangements without a word of protest.
After making several calls, Evan put away the phone and walked over to Hank.
After Hank had tidied himself up, he looked completely refreshed.
Especially after changing into the all-black suit and leather shoes Queenie Tong had picked for him, he instantly shed his student awkwardness and gained the steadiness and maturity unique to an adult.
"Not bad! I never realized you could be almost half as handsome as me," Evan said, standing in front of Hank and clicking his tongue in admiration.
Evan stood before Hank, genuinely impressed.
"I originally wanted to dress him a bit more trendy, but after asking what you guys are doing today, I decided it should be more formal," Queenie Tong explained on the video call.
Queenie, still on video, saw Evan arrive and immediately started talking more: "Girls at this age value sincerity, but even more, they care about a sense of security."
"If you don't like this outfit, you can always pick another," she added.
Hank himself definitely wasn't going to tell Queenie what he was up to. With his thin skin, he probably couldn't say it out loud.
It was actually Will Han who eagerly spilled everything, adding plenty of embellishments.
He was dazzled by Queenie's beauty and just couldn't stop talking.
Men always want to show off in front of women—it's like a male peacock seeing a female peacock and instantly wanting to fan his feathers.
Unfortunately, Will's enthusiasm was destined to get him nowhere.
"I think this outfit is great," Evan praised, giving Hank a pat on the shoulder. "Good taste."
"Of course it is," Queenie replied, proudly showing off a little, clearly pleased with Evan's compliment. "Can you keep the video on later? I want to watch."
"Me too!" Yvette Locke popped her head into the frame beside Queenie, looking on eagerly.
Working in the office was nowhere near as fun or relaxing as going out to play.
Yvette herself didn't really like this kind of work, but her strength was that she was obedient—whatever you asked her to do, she'd do it without complaint.
"Alright, Will Han can hold the phone for you guys later," Evan agreed.
He nodded and looked at Will. "No problem, right?"
"No problem at all! Mission absolutely guaranteed!" Will replied enthusiastically.
Will Han agreed excitedly, almost instantly.
He already felt dizzy from seeing Queenie, and now Yvette was there too.
Two beauties!
Will's sense of happiness exploded instantly.
"Isn't this... a bit weird? I just feel kind of awkward," Hank said, standing in front of Evan, his expression still a little embarrassed.
He was fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable.
"Remember, today you're going to see the girl you like—and not just her, but your rival in love too," Evan said seriously, looking at Hank.
"That means you definitely need to dress up for the occasion."
"And me—I'm your childhood friend, your buddy, your brother," Evan said.
"I won't ask whether that girl is 'worth' your feelings or any of that nonsense. If you like her, if you think it's right, then go for it. I'll back you up, I'll be your support. If you end up choosing wrong, if you cry, drink, or feel heartbroken, I'll still be right by your side."
"Today, my only reason for coming with you is to clear away every clown blocking your path. If it's a car, I'll smash its wheels; if it's a mountain, I'll split it in half for you."
Evan's gaze was steady as he looked at Hank. "Don't feel awkward, don't feel embarrassed. Life passes in the blink of an eye—there aren't that many people who will wait for you to hesitate."
"Got it?"
Evan asked, making sure Hank understood.
Hank clenched his fists, feeling a surge of emotion he couldn't quite describe.
"Thank you!" he said, voice heavy with feeling.
"Don't even mention it. It's getting late—let's go."
Evan, Hank, and the others headed out the door.
"Are we still taking a taxi?" Will Han asked, holding the phone and filming Evan and Hank walking ahead.
The mall wasn't far from North Hill Aviation University—just a street away.
"Let's walk. I need to steady my nerves," Hank said, taking a deep breath. He was still incredibly nervous.
"Alright, let's walk," Evan agreed without any rush, nodding in response.
As Will filmed Evan and Hank, his gaze kept drifting behind them.
Not far behind, a pitch-black Rolls-Royce was slowly following their steps.
The car was moving extremely slowly—almost at a crawl.
The slow pace made it easy to associate the car with something like a turtle.
At first, Will was a bit scared, worried the car might be full of guys sent by Ryan Wu and his crew. He imagined that when they reached a street corner, the doors would suddenly open and fifty or sixty thugs would jump out, throw sacks over their heads, and drag them off for a beating.
But thinking it over, Will figured real street thugs usually drove vans, not a Rolls-Royce like this.
He was still lost in wild thoughts when, before he knew it, they'd reached the gates of North Hill Aviation University.
"Sorry, you're not students here, so you can't come in," a security guard came out of the booth and tried to stop Evan and Hank, his tone friendly but firm.
But when the guard got a closer look at Hank's face, his expression changed immediately—he recognized him and spoke with open contempt: "It's you! I knew it!"
"Last time you tried to get in wearing those shabby sports clothes? Who do you think you are?"
"Don't think you can come here and act like a big shot just because you put on a cheap suit. Get lost!"
The guard shouted angrily at Hank.
Actually, all the guards at the gate had been specifically instructed to keep Hank out.
In their eyes, Hank was just a classic 'toad wanting to eat swan meat.'
"Move aside, don't block the big shot behind you!" The guard, quick-eyed, spotted the pitch-black Rolls-Royce behind them.
The car radiated prestige and luxury, visually stunning. That ride cost millions!