Looking at Yolanda Fang acting like this, Evan Lin was speechless.
Even Lynn Chen, standing nearby, was left stunned by Yolanda's sudden outburst.
A few boys passing by happened to hear Yolanda shout, and seeing such a curvy, pretty girl yelling like that, they were all thrown for a loop.
There were plenty of people walking by, both guys and girls.
Quite a few people glanced over, most of them giving Evan Lin looks of contempt.
How could anyone make such a pretty girl angry? That guy must be trash!
That was what most people were thinking.
Yolanda stared at Evan with a smug look, wiggling her little feet and showing off.
"Alright, the mall's up ahead. You two go pick out some shoes, get whatever you want—I'll pay," Evan said helplessly.
Yolanda flashed Evan a victory sign and, leaning on Lynn for support, hopped her way into the mall, all smiles.
Yolanda and Lynn were dressed nothing like typical Whitewood County students, and the sales staff at the mall could spot that right away. As soon as the girls walked in, someone greeted them with a friendly smile.
"Go ahead and pick whatever you like. Just call me when you're done," Evan said.
Of course, once the girls were inside, they got totally excited—faces lighting up as they scanned everything around them.
Who had time to care about Evan?
Watching them disappear into the mall, Evan patted his pocket and suddenly remembered—he’d given his bank card to Raymond Rong earlier.
Evan didn’t really care much about money, but he figured he should at least carry a little cash.
Thinking that, he called Big Tank, explained the situation, and Big Tank instantly started agreeing to everything.
"But, Boss, I’m not in Whitewood right now. I just got to Brightsea to handle some things. Uh, Master, should I have someone else bring you the cash? How much do you want? Would two million be enough?"
Big Tank sounded super cautious on the other end, terrified of upsetting Evan.
"Just five thousand will do."
Evan thought for a moment and said, "Just focus on doing your Whitewood projects properly. Try to cut back on shady stuff in the future."
Big Tank used to run protection rackets and get into fights—stuff that could blow up into real trouble. It was never exactly reliable.
But now, after merging several outfits, Big Tank had more chips in his hand than anyone else in Brightsea. He didn’t need to mess with that kind of stuff anymore.
"Got it, Master. I’m cleaning up the turf as fast as I can, switching over to legit business! I’m making all my old crew behave and earn money the honest way," Big Tank promised again and again.
He wasn’t stupid. These days, in Brightsea, there were only two real forces left—his side and Imperial Grand.
As for Imperial Grand, Victor Yu had reached out to him several times lately, making it clear he had no plans to stir up trouble. Besides, with Evan around, even if Imperial Grand wanted to cause problems, they couldn't.
That’s all the so-called underworld really is—people fighting over interests. Now that Big Tank had what he wanted, unless some outsider tried to muscle in, there wasn’t anything left to fight over.
After a few quick words, Big Tank got Evan's exact location, hung up, and then made another call.
It didn’t take long for the call to go through.
"Hello, is this Boss Niu?" The person on the other end sounded cheerful.
"Yes, Director Chen, right? This is Niu Dazhuang speaking," Big Tank replied cheerfully.
Director Chen was head of the Whitewood County Finance Bureau. After Big Tank finalized the investment deal with Thomas Liu, Magistrate Ma and Thomas Liu had assigned Director Chen as his main contact.
Whitewood County's finances had always been a mess—years of deficits and heavy losses.
This time, they’d finally landed an investment of over five hundred million. Director Chen was glowing with pride—and more importantly, it was a solid achievement. No matter how you looked at it, this was a win for everyone.
Hearing Big Tank call, Director Chen—who was in a meeting—quieted the room. "I know, I know. Boss Niu, is there something I can do for you?"
"Magistrate Ma and Secretary Liu both told me to cooperate fully with you. If you need anything, just say the word," Director Chen said. He was in his forties and had held the position for years.
With the economy struggling, the Finance Bureau was under pressure—every department wanted money, but where would it come from? Big Tank’s investment was a lifesaver, even if there was little chance of getting the money back.
There were plenty of twists and turns in these deals, and investing here took guts. That made Director Chen even more nervous talking to Big Tank—one wrong word and the boss might pull out, leaving him in trouble.
"It’s nothing major, just a small favor..." Big Tank hesitated.
He remembered that Evan didn’t want to draw too much attention in Whitewood.
Director Chen could sense Big Tank’s hesitation and quickly said, "If there’s anything you need, just say it. As long as it’s within the rules and I can help, you’ve got my word."
"Director Chen, I’ve got a friend shopping at Whitewood Mall who forgot to bring money. Could you send someone over with five thousand yuan? Try not to let anyone else know—I’ll pay you back later," Big Tank added, stressing the need for discretion.
"That’s all? No problem, I’ll send someone right away. By the way, what’s your friend’s name?" Director Chen laughed, relieved it was a simple request.
For little favors like this, Director Chen was happy to help—it was harmless and good for building relationships.
"His surname is Lin. I’ll send you his number. And please, keep it low-key," Big Tank reminded him again.
"Don’t worry, Boss Niu. I’ll handle it right away," Director Chen promised, nodding.
Soon after hanging up, he received a text message with Evan’s number.
Director Chen waved over a young man standing nearby. "Xiao Zhang, take five thousand yuan to Whitewood Mall. When you get there, call this number and hand over the cash—keep it discreet."