Chapter 4: Racing

Chapter 4: Racing

Xie Yu only ruffled his hair once before letting go, giving a concise command: "Dry off."

Shen Ci held onto the blanket, his wet shirt set aside, and wiped the water off his body. He watched as Xie Yu turned the air conditioning knob, and warm air flooded in, instantly heating up the car.

After finishing this, Xie Yu turned the steering wheel to the right, and the Bentley drew a beautiful arc in the rain. The LED headlights lit up as they turned onto the main road.

Shen Ci sat wrapped in the blanket in the passenger seat, silent, occasionally glancing at Xie Yu with the corner of his eye before quickly looking away, deep in thought.

Xie Yu: "Aren’t you going to ask where we’re going?"

Shen Ci: "Where are we going?"

Xie Yu said, "We were supposed to go racing, but now we need to buy you some clothes first."

He glanced disdainfully at the shirt Shen Ci had taken off and sneered, "This cheap streetwear would only embarrass me if I took you out in it."

The system demanded that Shen Ci feel humiliated. Based on Xie Yu’s experience, Shen Ci, being a top student, was proud and had high self-esteem. From the meticulous details of his clothes, washed to the point of fading, it was clear that even in poverty, Shen Ci tried his best to maintain his outward appearance. He couldn’t stand others pointing out his shortcomings, so Xie Yu directly exposed him, certain that he would feel humiliated.

He couldn’t act out physically, so he had to be harsh with his words to maintain his character.

Sure enough, Shen Ci turned to look at him, his expression unreadable, and remained silent.

Xie Yu didn’t expect him to speak. He drove into the underground parking lot of the mall, stopped the car with a brake, pulled out the key, and got out. "You’re too disheveled to come down. Just give me your sizes."

Shen Ci looked up and slowly reported three numbers.

Xie Yu mulled over the numbers on his tongue, glanced unnaturally at Shen Ci’s waistline, and thought, "It’s really that slim."

Although he had seen it on the first day, Xie Yu prided himself on being a gentleman and had only glanced before looking away. Now, hearing the exact numbers, he couldn’t help but marvel: "As expected of a po novel protagonist, his figure is impeccable."

He went upstairs to the brands the original owner often bought. The original owner was wealthy and never looked at prices when picking clothes, so Xie Yu didn’t either. He scanned the store, picking out about a dozen decent-looking items, snapped his fingers, and had the clerk pack them up and send them to the parking lot, placing them in the back seat.

He got back into the driver’s seat and nodded toward Shen Ci: "Pick one and change into it."

Shen Ci reached for the boxes in the back. They were all uniformly black and gold, lined with velvet and wrapped in protective paper. He pulled out a shirt with a pointed collar, straight sleeves, and tight, strong seams—a classic European gentleman’s style. Just by feeling it, he could tell it was made of high-quality material.

Shen Ci looked at Xie Yu: "You’re giving this to me?"

Xie Yu sneered, "You think I’d make you buy it? You couldn’t afford it anyway."

He started the car, dissatisfied, "Fasten your seatbelt. We’re going to be late."

Shen Ci buckled up and turned to look at Xie Yu. The young master’s handsome features stood out against the pouring rain, looking stern. With a click as the seatbelt locked, Xie Yu turned the steering wheel, and the Bentley accelerated into the rain.

*

The racetrack was situated in the suburbs of Jiangcheng, about a 40-minute drive from A University, near a scenic area. Nearby, there was also a thousand-acre golf course. The wealthy had claimed large plots of land in this prime location, clearing the native vegetation and planting various expensive species, all under the guise of "natural and pristine," for leisure and entertainment.

By the time Xie Yu arrived, the rain had eased to just a few lingering drops. He parked the car and saw someone standing at the entrance from a distance.

He Zhiyuan, with a cigarette in his mouth and an arm around a female companion, was laughing. Seeing Xie Yu, he waved and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, offering it: "Young Master Xie, you’re late. Care for a smoke?"

Xie Yu pushed him away, "I’ve been feeling under the weather lately, so I quit."

The original owner liked to smoke, but when the system brought him over, it was Xie Yu’s own body, and he didn’t have this habit.

He Zhiyuan looked him up and down, "That’s rare. You look tall and strong, not like someone who’s sick."

Xie Yu said, "It’s an internal problem. You can’t see it from the outside." He glanced behind He Zhiyuan and changed the subject, "Who’s this lovely lady? Aren’t you going to introduce her?"

He Zhiyuan pushed the girl behind him forward and introduced, "Oh, Lin Yin, my girlfriend. She plays the flute at the music college. Look out for her."

The girl, with bright eyes and a light makeup, greeted him shyly.

Xie Yu nodded in acknowledgment, said casually, "Since she's Zhiyuan's girlfriend, naturally, I'll look out for her."

Lin Yin smiled along, and after the greetings, she tactfully stepped back, leaving the space for the two men.

Though he called her his girlfriend, she was actually a temporary companion. He Zhiyuan didn't discriminate based on gender, always had someone in tow whenever he went out to play. Moreover, his preferences changed often. He had once been fond of mature men and women from the entertainment industry, preferring those with fiery red lips. Later, he had also dated streamers, preferring the young and lively. Recently, he found these too unchallenging and changed his focus, starting to date cultured intellectuals, so he began seeing this well-behaved girl from the music college.

When it came to intellectual presence, the first wasn't Lin Yin, but Shen Ci from University A.

Although He Zhiyuan was arm in arm with Lin Yin, he looked over Xie Yu's shoulder, "Aren’t you going to introduce us, Young Master Xie?"

In the book, this He was not a decent person, and Xie Yu had no intention of introducing Shen Ci to him, brushing it off casually, "Just someone I brought along. She’s good-looking, so I brought her along for fun... Why are we standing at the entrance? Aren’t we going in?"

He Zhiyuan sighed, "We’re waiting for Zhou Yang to show up. He just got his hands on a limited-edition bike and insisted on riding it here."

The playboys had their own clique. Xie Yu, He Zhiyuan, and Zhou Yang were all infamous playboys in Jiangcheng, forming a small group of like-minded individuals.

After a while, a motorcycle roared in the distance, and a figure wearing a helmet and a black windbreaker rushed down the main road, then pulled off a drift in front of them and stopped the bike.

Xie Yu had also ridden motorcycles, but his was mid-range. Although not cheap, it paled in comparison to the real rich kids. Zhou Yang's was a modified flagship model of MV Agusta, with a retro single round headlight, a streamlined body, painted in deep red, bold and beautiful.

Zhou Yang took off his helmet and got off the bike, seeing Xie Yu looking at his bike, he smiled, "Just picked it up. Pretty cool, huh?"

Xie Yu sincerely said, "Cool. Let me take it for a spin later."

Zhou Yang: "Sure."

He didn't bring a companion, pulling Xie Yu and He Zhiyuan inside.

It was a typical racing venue, with stands on all four sides of the field, divided into sections A, B, C, and D. This was considered an internal event organized by the rich second generation, with very few spectators in the stands.

Xie Yu looked around and asked, "Where are we sitting?"

Hearing this, He Zhiyuan looked at him strangely, "You’re not getting in the car? The race is about to start, aren’t you going to the car?"

Xie Yu paused.

He said in a subtle tone, "I’m going to the car?"

He Zhiyuan walked straight towards the track, taking it for granted, "Of course, to the car... Feeling tired? Need a break? Then you can sit in the driver's lounge for a while, but the last race is almost over, you need to be quick."

Xie Yu's expression stiffened, repeating, "...Driver?"

He kept a straight face, internally frantically calling the system, "Damn it, system, the original owner is a racer? I'm not here to watch the race?"

The system's drowsy voice came, "I told you, the original owner was a thrill-seeking rich kid. Watching races is no fun, of course, you have to do it yourself."

Xie Yu: "..."

He almost couldn't hold back his expression, "Bro, do you know that driving a race car requires a license? Do you know that to participate in a race, you need to pass the training of the Automobile Sports Federation and complete the exam?"

The system inexplicably said, "I know, the original owner has a license."

Xie Yu: "..."

He couldn't help but curse, "The original owner has a damn license, but I don't have one!"

Xie Yu's family wasn't well-off. His father indulged in drinking, whoring, and gambling, and his monthly salary was meager. He just managed to scrape by raising Xie Yu, whose financial situation only improved after he started working. Xie Yu had never even sat in a racing car, and he only obtained his C1 driver's license two years ago. The cars on the track could hit over 200 km/h, rivaling bullet trains. If he tried to drive one, he’d probably crash and die in no time.

The system hesitated for two seconds.

To the system, a racing car was just like any other car.

He Zhiyuan had already reached the entrance and turned to look at Xie Yu: "What’s up, Young Master Xie? Come on down."

If he didn’t go down now, he’d blow his cover.

Fortunately, this was a rich kids’ amateur event. There weren’t many spectators, and it wasn’t very professional. They were in it for the thrills, but not enough to risk their lives, so the speeds weren’t too high.

Xie Yu, hands in his pockets and scowling, walked over to the guardrail. Just then, the last few cars of the previous round crossed the finish line, whizzing past like streaks of light. Their wheels kicked up huge sprays of water from the puddles, sending jets of water that splashed onto Xie Yu's jacket from a distance.

Xie Yu’s expression turned grim.

Among the three, Xie Yu and He Zhiyuan were racing drivers, while Zhou Yang didn’t race. Now that the other two had left, Zhou Yang sprawled lazily in the spectator seat, glancing down occasionally. When he noticed Xie Yu's expression, he clicked his tongue and then gave Shen Ci a sympathetic look: "You’re in for it."

Shen Ci sat quietly, not responding, as if Zhou Yang were talking about someone else. Lin Yin, however, couldn’t help but ask curiously: "Why?"

Zhou Yang pointed downward: "Why else? Xie Yu isn’t in good form. He’s got a temper, and whenever he loses, he takes it out on someone. Last time, he brought a small influencer to the race, and that night, he beat her so badly she ended up in the hospital. He paid two million to hush it up. Now, before the race even begins, he’s already pissed. I’m guessing today won’t end well."

Lin Yin gasped.

She was kind of in the loop and knew about these dirty secrets. Among the second generation, Xie Yu was known for his particularly bad temper and heavy-handedness. Hearing this, she shot Shen Ci a sympathetic look.

On the track, Xie Yu had already gotten into the racing car.

Since they were all amateurs, it wasn’t exactly professional. The cars were parked on a straight lane outside the main track. Driving 200 meters forward and making a turn would merge them into the main track.

He Zhiyuan put on his helmet and turned back: "Young Master Xie, are you ready? I’m gonna leave you in the dust this time."

Xie Yu: "..."

As he spoke, the starting gun fired.

He Zhiyuan gripped the steering wheel and, as the countdown ended, sped off like a streak, quickly merging into the main track.

Xie Yu: "..."

He tentatively pressed the accelerator.

The car coughed twice and lurched forward a couple of meters.

Xie Yu: "..."

The system kindly reminded him: "Su Zhu, this isn’t working. You’re blowing your cover."

Xie Yu pressed the accelerator again, and the car continued to sputter, sliding forward another two meters.

...A million-dollar racing car was being driven like a kiddie ride.

Zhou Yang frowned as he looked at the starting lane: "Why won’t it start?"

Lin Yin gasped and couldn’t help but turn to Shen Ci, her eyes filled with even more sympathy.

By now, the fastest cars had already completed more than a lap, zipping by like streaks of light, leaving afterimages in their wake. Xie Yu remained on the starting lane, the wind howling in his ears, the roar of engines exploding around him. The cars on the main track raced like lightning, almost leaving afterimages.

He couldn't help but swear.

Xie Yu yanked out the key and stepped out of the car, muttering curses.

The system piped up timidly, "Su Zhu, your character."

A vein pulsed on Xie Yu's forehead. "Shut up, I'll figure it out."

He took off his helmet and tossed the key to the staff for car maintenance, then made a beeline through the lounge to the spectator stands.

To be precise, he was heading toward Shen Ci.