TL: Hua
Xie Yu just ruffled his hair once and then let go, giving a concise command: “Wipe.”
Shen Ci held down the blanket and set aside his wet shirt. He wiped the water off his body and watched as Xie Yu turned the air conditioning knob, creating a warm airflow that instantly warmed up the inside of the car.
After all that, Xie Yu turned the steering wheel right, and the Bentley cut a beautiful arc through the rain, its two rows of matrix headlights turning on as it pulled onto the main road.
Shen Ci sat wrapped in the blanket in the passenger seat, silent, occasionally glancing at Xie Yu from the corner of his eye before quickly looking away, lost in thought.
Xie Yu: “Not going to ask where we’re going?”
Shen Ci: “Where are we going?”
Xie Yu said, “We were originally going racing, but now we need to go buy you some clothes first.”
He looked critically at the shirt Shen Ci had taken off, scoffed, and said, “Taking out this kind of cheap street vendor trash will make me lose face.”
The system required him to make Shen Ci feel embarrassed. Based on Xie Yu’s experience, good students like Shen Ci are generally proud and have high self-esteem. It was evident from the meticulous detail of his clothes, which were laundered until they were faded, that even in poverty, Shen Ci tried his best to maintain his outward appearance and couldn’t stand others exposing his shortcomings. By directly pointing it out, Xie Yu was sure he would be embarrassed.
Physical action was out of the question, so he could only speak a little more rudely to maintain the persona.
Shen Ci indeed turned his head to glance at him, his expression unreadable, and he said nothing.
Xie Yu didn’t expect him to speak up either. He drove into the underground parking lot of a mall, braked to a stop, pulled out the car key, got out, and said, “With you looking so wretched, don’t bother getting out. Just tell me your measurements.”
Shen Ci looked up and slowly recited three numbers.
Xie Yu rolled the numbers around on his tongue, subtly glancing at Shen Ci’s waistline, and thought, “Is it really that thin?”
Although he’d seen it on the first day, Xie Yu prided himself on being a gentleman and had looked away after a quick glance. Now, hearing the exact numbers, he couldn’t help but click his tongue: “As expected of a web novel protagonist, his figure is really quite standard.”
He got out and went upstairs to take a look at the brand that the original owner often bought. The original owner was wealthy and never looked at prices when choosing clothes, so Xie Yu didn’t either. He scanned the store, pointed out all the suitable items, and ended up with over a dozen. He snapped his fingers, telling the sales assistant to package them and send them to the parking lot to be placed on the back seat.
He sat back in the driver’s seat and gestured with his chin towards Shen Ci: “Pick one and change into it.”
Shen Ci reached for them. The boxes in the back were uniformly hot-stamped with black and gold, padded with velvet, and wrapped in release paper. He pulled out a shirt with a pointed collar and straight sleeves. The lines were tight and the stitching was perfect. It was an old European gentleman’s style, and a touch immediately revealed it was made of excellent material.
Shen Ci looked at Xie Yu: “For me?”
Xie Yu scoffed, “Do you think I will charge money from you? Can you afford it?”
He started the car, annoyed: “Fasten up, we’re going to be late.”
Shen Ci buckled his seatbelt and turned to look at Xie Yu. Young Master Xie’s handsome eyebrows and eyes were framed by the pouring rain, looking quite stern. With the click of the seatbelt locking, Xie Yu turned the steering wheel, and the Bentley accelerated, rushing into the rain.
—
The racetrack was located in the suburbs of Jiangcheng, about a 40-minute drive from A University, close to a scenic area. There was also a thousand-acre golf course nearby. The rich had fenced off large tracts of land in this highly valuable area, clearing away the native vegetation and replacing it with various precious flowers and trees, calling it “eco-friendly and all-natural” for entertainment and leisure.
By the time Xie Yu arrived, the rain had lessened, with only a few lingering drizzles. He parked the car, and from a distance, he saw someone standing by the entrance.
He Zhiyuan, with a cigarette in his mouth, was laughing with a female companion. Seeing Xie Yu, he waved and pulled a cigarette from his pocket, offering it: “Young Master Xie, you’re quite late. Want a smoke?”
Xie Yu pushed his hand away: “My health hasn’t been good lately; I quit.”
The original owner liked to smoke, but the system had brought him over directly when the contract was signed, so this was Xie Yu’s own body, and he didn’t have that habit.
He Zhiyuan scrutinized him: “That’s strange. With your height and long legs, you don’t look like you’re in poor health at all.”
Xie Yu said, “It’s an internal issue; you can’t tell from the outside.” He glanced behind He Zhiyuan, changing the subject, “Who’s this pretty lady? Not going to introduce me?”
He Zhiyuan pushed the girl behind him forward and introduced her: “Oh, this is Lin Yin, my girlfriend. She plays the flute at the Conservatory of Music. Please take good care of her.”
The girl, with bright eyes and light makeup, greeted him shyly.
Xie Yu nodded in acknowledgment, considering them introduced, and said politely, “Of course I’ll take good care of Zhiyuan’s girlfriend.”
Lin Yin offered a polite smile, and after the greeting, she wisely stepped back, leaving space for the two men.
Although she was introduced as his girlfriend, she was merely a temporary companion. He Zhiyuan was indiscriminate with partners and always brought a companion when going out. Moreover, his tastes were fickle; a while ago, he favored mature men and women from the entertainment industry, preferring “femme fatales.” Later, he dated streamers, preferring youthful types. Recently, he felt these were too unchallenging and had changed his preferences, starting to dabble with intellectual, scholarly types, which is why he was now with a “good girl” from the Conservatory of Music.
If one were to discuss scholarly demeanor among those present, Lin Yin wouldn’t be the first; it would have to be Shen Ci from A University.
Although He Zhiyuan was holding Lin Yin, he tilted his head and stared straight behind Xie Yu: “And this person? Young Master Xie, aren’t you going to introduce us?”
In the book, this character wasn’t a proper person, so Xie Yu had no intention of introducing Shen Ci to him. He casually changed the subject: “Just an insignificant person, good-looking, so I brought him along for fun… Why are we standing at the entrance? Aren’t we going in?”
He Zhiyuan exclaimed, “We’re waiting for Zhou Yang! That kid just bought a limited edition motorcycle and insisted on riding it here.”
Among the rich playboys, there were also cliques. Xie Yu, He Zhiyuan, and Zhou Yang were all notorious playboys in Jiangcheng, forming a small group of like-minded individuals.
A moment later, the roar of a motorcycle echoed from the road in the distance. A figure in a helmet and black assault jacket sped down the main road, then drifted to a stop in front of them.
Xie Yu had also ridden motorcycles, but his was mid-priced; while not cheap, there was still a significant gap between it and what true second-generation rich kids owned. Zhou Yang’s was a modified flagship model of an Augusta, with a retro single round headlight and a streamlined body, and it was painted in deep red lacquer, making it showy and beautiful.
Zhou Yang took off his helmet and dismounted. Seeing Xie Yu looking at his bike, he smiled: “Just got it. Cool, right?”
Xie Yu genuinely said, “Very cool. Let me ride it sometime.”
Zhou Yang: “No problem.”
He didn’t bring a companion, so he pulled Xie Yu and He Zhiyuan inside.
This was a standard racetrack venue, with grandstands built on all four sides, divided into sections A, B, C, and D. This was an amateur event organized internally by the rich second-generation, so there were only a handful of spectators in the stands.
Xie Yu looked around and asked, “Where are we sitting?”
Hearing this, He Zhiyuan gave him a strange look: “You’re sitting? The race is about to start. Aren’t you going to get in the car?”
Xie Yu paused.
His tone was subtle: “I’m getting in the car?”
He Zhiyuan walked directly towards the track, stating as a matter of course, “Of course you’re getting in the car… Are you tired and need to rest? You can go to the racers’ lounge for a bit, but the last round is almost over, so you need to be quick.”
Xie Yu’s expression stiffened as he repeated, “…Racer?”
He maintained a stoic expression, his face as unyielding as Mount Tai, while internally he frantically called out to the system, “Holy crap, system, the original owner is a racer? I thought I was here to watch the race!”
The system’s sleepy voice came: “I told you the original owner is a thrill-seeking rich kid. What’s the point of watching a race when you can participate yourself?”
Xie Yu: “…”
He nearly lost his composure: “Bro, you know you need a license to drive a race car, right? You know that to participate in a race, you need to go through training with the Automobile Sports Federation and pass an exam, right?”
The system was perplexed: “I know. The original owner has a license.”
Xie Yu: “…”
He couldn’t help but curse: “The original owner f*cking has a license, but I f*cking don’t!”
Xie Yu’s family’s financial situation was average; his father indulged in all five vices (drinking, gambling, whoring, drug use, and stealing), despite his monthly salary being meager. He barely managed to raise Xie Yu to adulthood. Xie Yu’s financial situation only improved after he started working. He had never touched a race car ever, and his driver’s license was a C1, obtained two years ago. Any car on the track could easily reach speeds of 200 km/h or more, almost as fast as a high-speed train. If he were to actually drive it himself, he would probably crash off the track and die within minutes.
The system paused blankly for two seconds.
To an electronic life form, a race car was no different from a regular vehicle.
He Zhiyuan had already reached the entrance and turned to look at Xie Yu: “What’s wrong, Young Master Xie? You’re not coming down?”
At this point, if he didn’t go down, he risked breaking his persona.
Fortunately, this was an amateur event organized by rich second-generations, with few spectators and not very professional. While these wealthy scions sought thrills, they weren’t going to risk their lives, so the speeds weren’t excessively high.
Xie Yu walked down, hands in his pockets and a cold expression on his face. As he reached the barrier, the last few cars from the previous round sped past the finish line, almost blurring into afterimages. Their wheels spun rapidly, splashing large puddles on the asphalt, creating spray that landed on Xie Yu’s jacket from a distance.
Xie Yu’s face darkened.
Among the three, Xie Yu and He Zhiyuan were the racers, while Zhou Yang didn’t race. Now that the other two had left, he slumped in a spectator chair, idly looking down. He happened to catch Xie Yu’s expression and suddenly clicked his tongue, then looked at Shen Ci with sympathy: “You’re probably in for some bad luck.”
Shen Ci sat quietly, not responding, as if Zhou Yang were discussing an unrelated person. Lin Yin, however, was a little curious and asked, “Why?”
Zhou Yang pointed downwards: “Why else? Xie Yu’s not in a good mood. With his temper, every time he loses a race, he takes it out on someone. Last time, there was a small internet celebrity he brought to a race, and that very night, he was beaten so badly he was hospitalized. Later, he paid two million for a private settlement. Now that he has this expression even before the race starts, I reckon things won’t end well today.”
Lin Yin exclaimed.
She could be considered half a foot in the circle and knew about some of these dirty dealings. Among these second-generation heirs, Xie Yu was particularly bad-tempered and heavy-handed. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but secretly scrutinize Shen Ci, her expression showing a hint of sympathy.
On the track, Xie Yu had already gotten into the race car.
They were all amateur racers, not very professional. The race cars were all parked on a straight lane outside the main track. After driving 200 meters forward and making a curve, they could merge onto the main track.
He Zhiyuan put on his helmet and turned back: “Young Master Xie, are you ready? This time I’ll definitely be faster than you.”
Xie Yu: “…”
Just then, the starting gun fired.
He Zhiyuan gripped the steering wheel, and after the countdown ended, he took off like a shot, quickly merging onto the main track.
Xie Yu: “…”
He tentatively pressed the accelerator.
The race car sputtered twice, sliding forward two meters.
Xie Yu: “…”
The system kindly reminded, “Host, this won’t do. You’re breaking character.”
Xie Yu pressed again, and the race car continued to sputter, sliding another two meters.
…A million-dollar race car was somehow being driven like a toy car by him.
Zhou Yang looked at the starting lane, frowning: “Is there something wrong with Xie Yu’s race car?”
Why did it start twice but just wouldn’t get going?
Lin Yin gasped, couldn’t help but turn to look at Shen Ci, her sympathy growing even stronger.
At this moment, the fastest few cars on the track had already completed more than a lap, whizzing past Xie Yu, splashing water everywhere. Xie Yu remained in the starting lane, the wind roaring past his ears, the engines thundering. Race cars sped like lightning down the main track, almost turning into afterimages.
He couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
Xie Yu pulled out the key, grumbling as he got out of the car.
The system weakly said, “Host, your persona.”
Xie Yu’s forehead throbbed with veins: “Shut up, I’ll figure it out.”
He took off his helmet, then tossed the keys to a staff member, telling them to maintain the race car. Then, he walked directly through the lounge towards the spectator stands.
More precisely, he walked towards Shen Ci.
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Hmm… that’s a bit boring? I at least wanted to see him race… lol.