Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The young man was named Zhong Zixing, about the same age as Jiang Yicen. His clothes were stained with motor oil, and as he drew closer, one could smell the grease on him.

Jiang Yicen figured he must be a young man who had a deep passion for cars.

Zhong Zixing was not particularly tall; in fact, he was a head shorter than Jiang Yicen and quite thin. When he saw Jiang Yicen's strikingly handsome face, he froze—he'd never seen anyone that good-looking.

Even the Second Young Master Jiang who had just rejected him, who was somewhat handsome himself, seemed like an ugly monster by comparison, given his horrible personality.

Zhong Zixing, embarrassed at being caught crying so pitifully, stammered, "H-Hello."

He had never been called "comrade" before, and he straightened up without thinking.

Jiang Yicen offered the water again. "How about a drink first? Your lips are bleeding."

Zhong Zixing licked his lips. He had bitten them hard earlier to keep from crying out loud, tasting the metallic tang of blood—he really was bleeding.

Zhong Zixing quickly thanked him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Jiang Yicen replied.

Zhong Zixing had a bit of a baby face.

It was the first time he had met such an approachable rich person, one who didn't mind the smell of motor oil on him. For a moment, he didn't know what to do.

Jiang Yicen pointed to a vacant temporary rest area ahead. "Let's sit over there for a while."

The two walked over and sat down.

Zhong Zixing didn't know what to say. His humiliation had been witnessed.

He gave a bitter smile. "You saw all that, didn't you?"

Jiang Yicen nodded. "I only heard a little bit, but it wasn't your fault. Jiang Yifeng just doesn't keep his word."

Alarms started going off in Zhong Zixing's head. "You know Jiang Yifeng?"

Jiang Yicen noticed his reaction and nodded in acknowledgment. "He's, well, my second brother."

Zhong Zixing didn't know much about that circle of rich kids. He only knew that Jiang Yifeng had an older brother.

He couldn't see any connection between Jiang Yicen and Jiang Yifeng—they didn't look alike, and their personalities were completely different.

Still, Zhong Zixing became wary. "I never heard he had a younger brother. I don't really know the family, sorry."

"I've been living overseas until now, so it's not surprising you haven't heard. We're not a celebrity family after all," Jiang Yicen explained. "You mentioned you started a racing team?"

Zhong Zixing sensed no ill intent from Jiang Yicen, and the mention of his team lit up his eyes. "Yes, some friends and I formed a team. They're all talented and ambitious young people. Most importantly, we're all working together toward the same goal—we want to win the French Grand Prix championship."

Jiang Yicen remembered that Nan Shuyi had also won championships, but since they got together, he hadn't brought up racing much. Coupled with what Zhou Yi had told him today about Nan Shuyi being seriously injured in the past and probably racing less often now, Jiang Yicen understood.

"What kind of championship is it? I don't know much about racing," he asked.

Like Zhong Zixing, Jiang Yicen had seen young people full of pure passion, willing to give everything for a cause—even their lives. He was touched by such patriotic fervor.

Zhong Zixing told Jiang Yicen that they had developed their own car, a domestic performance vehicle, but they were just an obscure domestic car manufacturer. Now, because they had run out of money, they could barely afford to put food on the table. The car had been developed by him and his father. He studied auto repair, and his father was the owner of an off-road vehicle factory and had spent his whole life researching off-road vehicles. But everyone favored foreign off-road vehicles and looked down on domestic ones. He wanted to win a championship with his team and make a name for their brand on the international stage. He wanted to prove that domestic cars were no worse than foreign ones!

Jiang Yicen asked, "What's the name of your car brand?"

"It's called Twin Stars. My dad named it. He said he hopes I'll carry on his factory," Zhong Zixing said, then his mood darkened. "But I haven't been able to help at all. I heard from a friend that Second Young Master Jiang was very generous and liked cars, so I thought I'd approach him. He promised before, but then suddenly backed out. Not that I can blame others—after all, it's asking someone to invest millions with possibly no return, just pouring money down the drain. But I heard they can blow millions just on drinks in one night…"

Jiang Yicen knew that rich young masters lived extravagantly. Dropping millions in a single night was normal for them, but in the eyes of ordinary people, that money could save lives or even revive an industry. He couldn't judge how others lived—it depended entirely on individual choices. Some young masters used that money to make more, create jobs, and develop new industries. Not all of them were like that.

If he were still the Sixth Young Master of the Jiang family, he wouldn't hesitate to give Zhong Zixing the money to support him. But he didn't have much money now.

The money from the Jiang family belonged to "Jiang Yicen," and that was his own principle—he couldn't touch it. His wages were almost spent.

Nan Anru had given him quite a bit of allowance, which he could use.

Suddenly, an idea came to him.

"How much sponsorship did Jiang Yifeng promise you?" Jiang Yicen asked.

Zhong Zixing smiled bitterly. "It was supposed to be two million, but you saw what happened. Now there's nothing."

"Is your factory far from here? Can you take me to see it?" Jiang Yicen asked.

Zhong Zixing, no longer thinking about the sponsorship, relaxed his attitude. "Sure! My friends are at the factory today too. Do you want to test-drive an off-road vehicle?"

"I don't drive much, but I'd like to have my own off-road car," Jiang Yicen said. He thought about traveling across the country's beautiful landscapes someday.

He returned to his private room and told Zhou Yi he wanted to leave early.

Zhou Yi had promised Nan Shuyi to see Jiang Yicen home safely today, so he couldn't let him go alone. Besides, the race was just so-so—he didn't mind missing it.

"Where are you going? I'll take you," Zhou Yi offered.

Jiang Yicen knew Zhou Yi was also a rich young master, likely not short on money. "Brother Yi, I just met someone from a racing team. I want to check out their factory."

Zhou Yi didn't care what factory it was—he had to follow. If it turned out to be a scam and Jiang Yicen got tricked, Nan Shuyi, that freak, would either be furious or beat him to death.

As soon as he heard "newly formed team," Zhou Yi felt it sounded like a scam. "A new team? I'll go with you."

Jiang Yicen agreed. "Sure."

Other friends noticed Zhou Yi leaving and asked if they were going to do something else, curiosity piqued.

"Just going to check out a car factory. There's a new team. You guys want to come?" Zhou Yi asked.

Cheng Chen was also curious about what a new team looked like. They occasionally did some racing themselves, and Nan Shuyi had even formed a team. Today, he was intrigued by why Zhou Yi was going to see another new team at a factory.

"I'm coming too. Been sitting all afternoon; my back hurts," Cheng Chen said.

Zhou Yi looked at Jiang Yicen, since it was his plan.

Jiang Yicen didn't mind. "Sure, the more the merrier."

He was also a bit worried about going alone. He had only just met Zhong Zixing and felt some sympathy for him. Having more people with him put him at ease.

So when Zhong Zixing waited for Jiang Yicen, there were several people behind him.

Jiang Yicen explained to Zhong Zixing, "These are my friends. They're coming too, if that's okay?"

Zhong Zixing recognized Zhou Yi's face; he remembered him being part of a different group of wealthy young masters—more mysterious than Jiang Yifeng's group, and seemingly better people.

"Sure, of course."

·

The group then moved to a new location, led by Zhong Zixing, and drove an hour and a half to reach the Twin Stars Auto Factory.

This area was already deep in the suburbs, surrounded by factories, with farmland nearby and mountains in the distance.

The inside and outside of the factory presented two completely different landscapes.

Outside was a tranquil rural farm life, while inside, workers were busily assembling cars, with all kinds of equipment available, making it a fully equipped auto factory.

Jiang Yicen didn't understand, but Zhou Yi and Cheng Chen nodded frequently.

Zhou Yi: "Not bad at all."

Cheng Chen: "Which model is your new car?"

Zhong Zixing introduced to Jiang Yicen: "Although we are a domestic brand, we still have our audience, and we have our own 4S stores. But recently, we've been working on a new car, and the research and development costs are too high, leaving us somewhat unable to make ends meet."

He spoke sincerely. Anyone with a bit of cunning would have boasted about their factory to the skies.

Jiang Yicen had met many people, and in business, everyone has their own little schemes; no one would reveal their weaknesses to others. Zhong Zixing didn't seem like a businessman but rather like someone who was focused purely on technology—very down-to-earth.

When Zhong Zixing introduced his products, there was a hint of pride in his whole demeanor.

He led everyone on a tour of the auto factory, and in the middle of it, they ran into his father, Zhong Sheng. Compared to Zhong Zixing, his father was even more taciturn; he didn't even want to join them and just let his son show Jiang Yicen and the others around.

Father Zhong: "There's tea upstairs. If you're tired after the tour, you can go up and rest."

As if saying this had drained all his energy, he disappeared from everyone's sight in the next second, like someone with social anxiety.

Zhong Zixing took everyone to the test track.

He proudly told Jiang Yicen, Zhou Yi, and the others: "The car being tested now is our new model. Our team wants to take it to compete abroad."

Zhou Yi and Cheng Chen, both knowledgeable about cars, could tell at a glance that this car was different from the off-road vehicles they had driven before.

They were car enthusiasts; they could tell whether an engine was good or bad just by the sound.

Cheng Chen watched the new car speed around the test track and was also eager to give it a try.

He said to Zhong Zixing, "Let me try it."

Zhong Zixing actually obliged. He used the walkie-talkie to have the test driver bring the car over and let Cheng Chen take a few laps.

Jiang Yicen didn't know how to judge whether a modern car was good or bad, but since Zhou Yi and Cheng Chen had good comments about the new product, he took many photos and videos of the car speeding around. He picked a video and sent it to Nan Shuyi.

At that moment, Nan Shuyi had just finished inspecting the second cosmetics lab and was not satisfied. He was currently checking the testing results of the Yutu lipstick; they had professional analysts, and below were the product analysis results.

Although he wasn't a chemistry major, he had been a top student back in the day and could still tell whether certain substances were good or bad.

The ingredient report the other party provided was exactly as Jiang Yicen had learned—safe enough for use by pregnant women.

He really wanted to know how Jiang Yicen had found out about this brand. Had he done some research before their marriage?

That didn't seem right, either. He himself hadn't known he would end up taking over a cosmetics company, so how could Jiang Yicen have known?

He speculated that maybe Jiang Yicen had done some part-time investigating on domestic cosmetics companies while abroad? Pure coincidence.

Regardless, Yutu indeed met the standards he needed. So far, only three products had been tested, but he could already talk to Yutu's boss about the patent matter.

This trip wasn't a total loss.

Assistant Tang asked Nan Shuyi: "Boss, should we still visit the other labs?"

Nan Shuyi: "No. Can we schedule a meeting with Yutu's boss today?"

Assistant Tang: "I think so. They are also looking for someone to take over Yutu."

While waiting for Assistant Tang to arrange the meeting with Yutu's boss, Nan Shuyi looked at his phone. He had pinned Jiang Yicen's WeChat, and the other party had sent a video.

"Little Antique: Brother Shuyi, we're at an auto factory called Twin Stars now. This is a new car. What do you think?"

Nan Shuyi didn't quite understand what he meant. He watched the video; the car's performance looked solid, and the driver seemed familiar—it was Cheng Chen.

"Nan Shuyi: Don't pick up their street racing habit."

"Little Antique: Okay. I met someone really impressive today, and I have an idea."

Nan Shuyi subconsciously opened his banking app. Whenever Little Antique had an idea, it usually meant spending money.

He braced himself and opened the data Jiang Yicen had sent. After reading it, he replied.

"Nan Shuyi: What new idea do you have? This data looks good."

Jiang Yicen had obtained the new car's performance specs and the team members' results from Zhong Zixing and sent it all to Nan Shuyi. He didn't understand much, but he knew Nan Shuyi would.

"Little Antique: I have a proposal for Nanyuan's classic drink line. I'm not satisfied with any of the approaches I've come up with. Now that I'm at Twin Stars, I'm thinking: could we put some funds toward sponsorship? Would that count as part of the promotion?"

"Nan Shuyi: Yes, it counts. Are you also planning to buy a car?"

He felt that Jiang Yicen wouldn't have sent a video for no reason. The kid was innocent in emotional matters but very clever in other aspects.

"Little Antique: I think this car suits you. You'd look incredibly handsome driving it."

Nan Shuyi thought to himself: Does he think just flattering me will make me buy a car?

But his hand didn't listen to his brain.

"Nan Shuyi: Then order two—one for you, one for me."

"Little Antique: Thanks, Brother Shuyi. You can just buy one. Can the money for the other be used as sponsorship?"

"Nan Shuyi: Nanyuan's sponsorship can contribute one million."

"Little Antique: We're still one million short."

"Nan Shuyi: Let Zhou Yi pay five hundred thousand, and Cheng Chen the other five hundred thousand. We can put each brand's logo on the car."

"Little Antique: Thanks, Brother Shuyi."

"Nan Shuyi: You sure know how to spend other people's money."

Jiang Yicen looked at the message and smiled.

"Little Antique: This is my promotion plan."

"Nan Shuyi: Approved, Consultant Jiang."

"Little Antique: Thank you, President Nan."

"Nan Shuyi: You're welcome, Consultant Jiang."

He thought to himself, "So I ended up spending money after all."

While Zhou Yi and Cheng Chen were test-driving the car with great enthusiasm, Jiang Yicen and Zhong Zixing stood together.

Jiang Yicen asked Zhong Zixing, "Zhong, can I ask a favor?"

Zhong Zixing liked Jiang Yicen quite a bit; his gentle demeanor was calming. He scratched his head and said with a bashful smile, "How can I help you?"

Jiang Yicen watched the off-road vehicle speed by. They were having fun, and there was still plenty of afternoon left. He said, "Could you teach me how to drive?"

Not being able to drive a modern car was a major problem for him, making it hard to get around.

Zhong Zixing was surprised; Jiang Yicen completely shattered his image of spoiled rich kids. "Sure, driving's easy. Later, get in the car and I'll show you how. But we don't need to go to the test track. I'll grab a car with a speed limiter. Just wait."

Jiang Yicen understood that the speed limit was for safety.

While waiting, he searched online for how to drive, memorized the steps, and then it was time for hands-on practice.

Zhong Zixing brought a speed-limited car.

Jiang Yicen got into the driver's seat.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yi, who had just finished testing the car, was coming out of the test track area. He was very satisfied with the car's performance.

As soon as he came out, he saw Jiang Yicen getting into a car on the regular test track. He quickly pulled out his phone and video-called Nan Shuyi.

Nan Shuyi: "What's up?"

Zhou Yi: "You've never seen Jiang Yicen drive, have you? He's about to test-drive. You gotta see this."

Nan Shuyi had indeed never seen Jiang Yicen drive, and he wasn't annoyed by Zhou Yi's sudden video call.

They waited for five minutes, but the car didn't move.

Zhou Yi: "What's going on? Is the car broken?"

Nan Shuyi: "Go check it out."

Zhou Yi walked over, thinking he had just thought the car was good. It wouldn't make him look foolish right away, would it?

However, as he approached, he and Nan Shuyi heard Jiang Yicen repeating every step Zhong Zixing had just mentioned.

"This is the gas pedal, this is the brake, this is drive, this is reverse, this is the handbrake, and this is the blinker, this is the windshield wiper..."

Zhou Yi: "Are you learning to drive?"

Jiang Yicen nodded: "Mm."

Jiang Yicen, interrupted, heard Nan Shuyi laughing from the phone.

But the next moment, Nan Shuyi spoke to him with uncharacteristic sternness: "Jiang Yicen, get out of the car. I'll teach you when we get back."