As Xu Zhi ran downstairs, she casually asked Cai Yingying, “Don’t you think there are a lot of mosquitoes here?”
Cai Yingying, without breaking her stride, glanced at Xu Zhi with a doubtful expression. “No, I don’t see any mosquitoes.”
Is that so?
Outside, the atmosphere was bustling. By now, the race had reached a fever pitch. A large crowd surrounded the track, with the low, heavy rumble of motorcycles growing louder and louder, echoing across the circuit. Feng Jin was wedged in the crowd, frantically taking photos. Turning to see the two girls coming down, he squeezed out and said, “The team captain says anyone can race. I’m thinking of giving it a try. Want to join?”
Xu Zhi agreed. Five thousand yuan was at stake; only a fool would pass up the opportunity.
“You’ve got guts,” Feng Jin said, increasingly admiring this girl of few words but bold actions. Just as he finished speaking, Chen Luzhou walked up from behind. Feng Jin greeted him casually, “Hey, idol, want to give it a shot? Ever raced before?”
Chen Luzhou, hands in his pockets, looked at the bustling racetrack. He walked over to Xu Zhi’s side without a sideways glance and replied coolly, “Never tried it. Not racing.”
Xu Zhi turned to look at him. She wasn’t particularly tall, but she was far from short. She had just measured her height during the pre-college entrance exam physical: 163 cm. However, she felt the measuring device wasn’t very accurate. Her classmates all said they underestimated their height by two centimeters. She remembered measuring almost 165 cm during the New Year.
But standing next to Chen Luzhou, she still felt intimidated. Looking up, she barely reached his chin. She could see his clean, lean jawline.
The buzzing in her ear started again. Xu Zhi wondered why the mosquitoes were so persistent. She asked, “Are you full?”
Chen Luzhou looked down at her. “Mm-hmm.”
“I barely saw you eat anything.”
“Wasn’t very hungry.”
Chen Luzhou was quite cautious about his well-being. He might appear aloof and unapproachable, but once you got to know him, you’d realize he always steered clear of dangerous activities. Forget about racing; he had never even ridden a roller coaster at an amusement park. But seeing the determination in Xu Zhi’s eyes and her barely concealed excitement, he knew he couldn’t dissuade her and didn’t waste his breath trying.
Someone tapped his shoulder.
Chen Luzhou turned around to see Yan Letong, who was covering his phone, apparently needing a favor. Chen Luzhou, hands still in his pockets, leaned back slightly and offered his ear.
Yan Letong spoke earnestly, looking flustered, “Chen Ge, can you help me out? My sister’s here, but I can’t get away right now. Could you go to the bus stop and pick her up?”
Chen Luzhou instinctively glanced down at the back of Xu Zhi’s head, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to go. After all, to her, you’re not as important as five thousand yuan. So whether you watch her race or not doesn’t matter. Chen Luzhou nodded and said, “Give her my number. Tell your sister to call me when she arrives.”
Yan Letong looked relieved and thanked him profusely. He spoke into the phone, “Stay where you are. I’m sending one of my teammates to pick you up.”
The person on the other end seemed to ask how they would recognize each other. Yan Letong looked at Chen Luzhou and joked, “Just look for the most handsome guy and go with him.”
Chen Luzhou knew Yan Letong’s sister was quite young. Playing the role of a good older brother, he lightly kicked Yan Letong while still looking at the back of Xu Zhi’s head. He chided jokingly, “Is that how you look after a kid?”
Yan Letong dropped his playful expression and glanced at Chen Luzhou before speaking into the phone, “Alright, I’m just kidding. He’s wearing black clothes and a baseball cap. He’s handsome. His name is Chen Luzhou. Make sure to confirm his name first.”
After Yan Letong left, it took only a few minutes for Chen Luzhou to receive a call from his sister. He hung up, put his phone back in his pocket, and prepared to go pick her up. After taking a few steps, he thought for a moment, turned back, and tapped Xu Zhi’s head with his index finger. He grumbled, “Have fun, but be careful.”
“Okay,” Xu Zhi nodded.
…
Girls weren’t uncommon on the motorcycle racing circuit, especially in recent years as more people have become interested in this circle. Many renowned professional racers are women. China even has a women’s racing team, although there isn’t a separate women’s competition category. Many female racers compete directly with the men’s group. Some female racers have achieved results no less impressive than their male counterparts.
This particular racing club was just an amateur team in a third or fourth-tier small city. Few of its members had participated in professional competitions. A female photographer had taken a turn earlier. When Xu Zhi took to the track, the atmosphere was even more charged than before. The entire venue erupted in whistles and cheers, not because she was a girl, but because she was exceptionally beautiful. Everyone assumed she was just there for fun and enthusiastically cheered her on.
What they didn’t know was that Xu Zhi had a godfather who was a racing driver. Fu Yuqing had been a professional motorcycle racer in his early years, winning a room full of trophies. Xu Zhi had played with bikes with him on Mingling Mountain since she was little. If it weren’t for Old Xu thinking it was too dangerous, Fu Yuqing would have thrown Xu Zhi into race team training long ago. Her mental fortitude was perfect for a competitive racer. But Old Xu disagreed, thinking girls should do simpler work. Plus, Xu Zhi herself seemed uninterested, so Fu Yuqing gave up. Later, Fu Yuqing realized that Xu Zhi didn’t have a natural talent for racing; rather, she was observant and quick to grasp technical skills. She was a bit fickle, knowing a little about everything but mastering nothing.
Fu Yuqing said she might be out of her depth among professional racers, but in an amateur team, she would more than hold her own. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare claim he had trained her. Moreover, when Xu Zhi was learning editing from the editing master in the afternoon, she watched some video materials. This team from the neighboring city was just an amateur racing club. Everyone had their day jobs, and racing was just a hobby. Hardly anyone had seriously participated in professional leagues, let alone won any rankings.
Xu Zhi didn’t pay much attention to the well-meaning, malicious, or curious gazes. She was always focused on results.
However, after she had put on her racing suit, helmet, knee pads, and other gear, the team captain dropped a bombshell. Seeing how familiar she seemed with putting on the protective gear, he thought she must be a racing enthusiast. So, to be safe, the captain warned her: “Hey, beautiful, let me make this clear. While the race is open to everyone, we explicitly state that prize money is only given to team members. So even if you win, we won’t be able to give you the money.”
This disclaimer came just in time. Otherwise, Xu Zhi would have floored the accelerator and raced as her life depended on it for that money. Chen Luzhou’s camera fee was all tied up in it.
Feng Jin, standing nearby, explained with a smile, “It’s okay, Captain. We’re just here to have fun. It’s about participation, right?”
The captain inexplicably sighed in relief, saying that was fine then.
However, Xu Zhi immediately started taking off her helmet and knee pads without a word: “In that case, I won’t race.”
Feng Jin blinked in shock: “…”
The captain also blinked in astonishment: “…”
When Chen Luzhou arrived at the bus stop, he realized that Yan Letong’s sister wasn’t as young as he thought. Come to think of it, Yan Letong was quite the sister complex. He always talked about his sister on the team, saying they sometimes even slept in the same room. Chen Luzhou had assumed she was only seven or eight years old. Otherwise, how could he not keep his distance from the girl at the bus stop wearing a JK uniform, with twin ponytails, almost as tall as the bus stop sign?
“Yan Lelin?” Chen Luzhou ambled over, confirming her name as he approached.
“Yes, that’s me!” Yan Lelin jumped down from the curb at the bus stop, her twin ponytails bouncing. “Wow, brother, you are handsome.”
Yan Lelin’s face was full of mischief. Her personality was as outgoing and lively as Yan Letong’s, but even more exaggerated. She was the epitome of someone who relied on her looks to get away with things. Not even two minutes into their meeting, probably before she could even clearly see what color clothes he was wearing, she pointed at the ice cream shop across from the bus stop and brazenly said, “Brother, can you buy this pretty little sister an ice cream?”
Hearing just these words, Chen Luzhou didn’t think it was too much. After all, being narcissistic is a kind of illness. But when this girl directly linked arms with him and leaned her head close, he felt a bit repulsed.
This level of using her looks to get her way was even worse than his own. Chen Luzhou was glad he didn’t have a sister. If he encountered such a cunning girl, they’d probably spend all day scheming about each other’s money. It was better to have a simple-minded, wealthy brother like Chen Xingqi.
Chen Luzhou lifted his arm, not letting her touch him. He frowned and looked down at her impatiently.
Usually, he probably wouldn’t bother saying much, just tersely stating that her brother only asked him to pick her up. But today, Yan Lelin had caught him in a mood where he felt like imparting some wisdom. After all, educating others is a virtue.
Chen Luzhou couldn’t hide his mischievous nature, smoothly transitioning into giving her a lesson on the art of “using beauty to get one’s way” or “using handsomeness to get one’s way.” “I’m not trying to discourage you, but you’re just average-looking. Your technique is poor. At least size up your target. If they’re better-looking than you, don’t say things like that. It’s embarrassing to hear. For example, me.”
…
Back at the racetrack, the competition seemed far from over. The roar of engines still hadn’t subsided. Lu Yang even revved his engine provocatively, like a beast long parched for rain giving one last roar before devouring its prey. Then he cast a challenging look at Xu Zhi beside him.
Off the track, Yan Letong had just finished racing. Still holding his helmet and dripping with sweat, he hurriedly came over and asked Cai Yingying and Feng Jin, “What’s going on? How did she end up butting heads with Toothpaste Lu?”
Toothpaste Lu was Lu Yang, the fussy racer who had offended all the photographers. Chen Luzhou had spent the whole afternoon helping him reshoot scenes.
But Feng Jin was more interested in the nickname. “Toothpaste? Is he small and soft?”
Yan Letong glanced at him, and they shared a knowing, somewhat vulgar smile between men. “No, it’s because his bowel movements are like toothpaste. You can only squeeze out a little at a time.”
Feng Jin: “…”
Cai Yingying: “… That’s disgusting, you guys.”
Yan Letong got back to the point, “What exactly happened?”
Cai Yingying gritted her teeth: “He’s just foul-mouthed and full of himself!”
Xu Zhi hadn’t planned on racing in the first place. When they went to the bathroom, they happened to overhear this guy bragging to his teammates at the entrance of the public toilet. The venue only had outdoor toilets with poor soundproofing, and if you got close enough, you could even hear the splashing sounds of his defecation.
He was saying that Xu Zhi was just trying to hook up with rich guys and that everyone understood girls’ little tricks. She was just trying to show off in front of the guy she liked, but who knew Chen Luzhou would be so unsupportive and go help Yan Letong pick up his sister instead? All that talk about racing for five thousand yuan was just an excuse because she failed to hook up a rich guy. Besides, for good-looking, wealthy guys like Chen Luzhou, there were countless girls like her in his social circle. And those few photos he took, were they even any good? He thought drone operators were supposed to be impressive, but Chen Luzhou acted like touching his equipment would kill him, yet still sucked up to him calling him “bro.” Isn’t that ridiculous?
Even Feng Jin was angry after hearing this. He wanted to rush in and argue with him, but Xu Zhi held him back. The three of them patiently and neatly blocked the entrance to the public toilet.
Lu Yang and his teammate pulled up their pants and came out, not expecting to have been overheard. They decided to brazen it out, asking, “What’s your problem? Want to fight?”
Feng Jin originally wanted to reason with them, but Lu Yang showed no intention of apologizing and even provoked them repeatedly. Just as Feng Jin was about to throw a punch at this idiot’s face, Xu Zhi stopped him again and said quite politely, “Brother, let’s race.”
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow disdainfully, “You?”
Xu Zhi nodded, “One race. If I lose, I don’t want much.”
Lu Yang grinned sleazily, “What do you want? Don’t tell me you want a kiss?”
Feng Jin’s fist clenched again. Cai Yingying, seeing his yellow teeth, felt nauseated by the foul smell.
Xu Zhi blinked, her face calm as she politely declined: “No need to be so courteous. Just give me the five thousand yuan.”
Her ability to deflect with ease left Toothpaste Lu momentarily speechless.
Betting money!
Feng Jin exclaimed, “Are you crazy? How can you bet money? Racing for money is illegal!”
“Is it illegal?” Xu Zhi said, thinking for a moment before suggesting, “Then how about letting him kiss you instead?”
Feng Jin sighed, “…Then you go to jail.”
Xu Zhi sighed too, “It’s fine. If I win, I have a way to make the captain give us the prize money.”
“Are you sure you can win?” Feng Jin asked.
“I’ll give it a try. I’m annoyed with him. If I do win, I’m willing to spend a hundred yuan to buy all the river snail rice noodles from the food street for you guys. I’ll keep the rest for personal use.” Xu Zhi even discussed the distribution of the prize money with Feng Jin right in front of Lu Yang, without any attempt to hide it.
Lu Yang didn’t hear a word. His gaze was lustfully scanning Xu Zhi up and down. This girl was beautiful and clean, with fair and delicate skin. Her long legs were slender, straight, and proportionate. She was as fresh as a white rose carefully nurtured, with dewdrops full and sparkling, exuding an air of purity.
“You want to race me?” Lu Yang looked at Xu Zhi, his heart burning with desire.
There was a large poplar tree at the entrance of the ice cream shop, standing tall and bare. Chen Luzhou, holding a can of iced cola, leaned against the glass door of the shop with one hand in his pocket, looking at the prematurely aging poplar tree. It seemed quite out of season. How did it end up bare so soon?
Life is full of unexpected turns. For instance, he couldn’t understand why Xu Zhi was so stubborn. It’s not like he didn’t have five thousand yuan.
On second thought, he actually might not have it now. There might be only a thousand yuan left in his bank account.
Damn.
Chen Luzhou looked back and saw that Yan Lelin was still at the counter choosing her ice cream. He had only given her a hundred yuan, telling her to buy a Häagen-Dazs and whatever else she wanted with the remainder.
Yan Lelin finally chose a strawberry sundae. Along with his cola, there were eight yuan left after the purchase. She handed the change and the Häagen-Dazs to Chen Luzhou. This brother was truly unique. It was the first time someone had treated her to ice cream, buying an eighty-yuan Häagen-Dazs for himself and an eight-yuan sundae for her. Rich yet stingy.
When Chen Luzhou brought Yan Lelin back, the roar of engines on the racetrack had intensified, even more fervent and heavy than when he left. It was like a long-dormant beast letting out a roar after years of hibernation, echoing endlessly above the racing circuit.
As soon as Yan Lelin entered, she was captivated by the heated atmosphere. She stamped her feet excitedly, “Wow, there’s even a female racer! So cool, that sister.”
Before they could react, the track fell eerily quiet, then suddenly erupted with an unexpected gunshot.
Two heavy Yamaha bikes set off simultaneously, shooting out from the starting line like arrows released from a bow. The crowd on the track immediately became excited, with cheers building up layer upon layer, rolling through the clouds.
Chen Luzhou looked around but couldn’t find Cai Yingying and Feng Jin. Even Yan Letong had disappeared. He grabbed someone nearby and asked, “Why are they still racing? Which round is this?”
“Your friend was going to give up when she heard there was no prize money, but somehow she ended up in a showdown with Toothpaste Lu. It’s just started, the first round,” the person replied.
Chen Luzhou glanced at the track. The two bikes were neck and neck, with Xu Zhi not far behind. Just as he was about to ask what Lu Yang had done, Yan Letong approached from behind with a serious expression. Ignoring his sister, he spoke to Chen Luzhou with a solemn face:
“Chen Ge, I need to explain this to you.”
**
Feng Jin and Cai Yingying were at the closest position to the track. They had gone from being terrified at the start to now being incredibly excited, cheering their hearts out, their voices filled with anger towards Lu Yang. However, when the starting gun fired, both Cai Yingying and Feng Jin covered their eyes tightly, too scared to look at the track. One said, “Cai Yingying, open your eyes and see if Xu Zhi has started. Can she ride? Has the bike moved?”
The other replied, “I’m not looking, I’m not looking. If you want to look, do it yourself. I’ve had a weak heart since childhood. I’m afraid I might faint. What if she loses? She won’t have to spend a night with that Toothpaste Lu, will she?” Feng Jin said, “Then Chen Luzhou and I will gather people. Don’t worry, Chen Luzhou knows a lot of people. We can take care of that Toothpaste Lu. He’s dreaming that he thinks Xu Zhi will accompany him. What a toad lusting after swan’s flesh!” Cai Yingying, eyes still closed, was moved to tears. “Wuwuwu, I’ll never call your photos deceiving again. Handsome Feng, you’re a good person.”
It was the editing master brother next to them who kindly reminded them, “You two really should open your eyes and look. Your friend is incredible.”
The two suddenly opened their eyes. On the track, the two bikes were very close. Both riders were fully covered, so they couldn’t tell which one was Xu Zhi. Hearing what the man said, they assumed the one in front was Xu Zhi and immediately started cheering excitedly, “Wow, she’s faster than Toothpaste!”
The brother said, “No, your friend is the one behind.”
Feng Jin: “…”
Cai Yingying: “…”
The brother explained: “What I meant was that her cornering technique is better than Lu Yang’s. She might not have adapted to the speed yet, so she hasn’t picked up the pace, but she enters the turns earlier than Lu Yang. Also, Lu Yang takes wide turns, while she takes tight ones. Don’t underestimate these cornering techniques. I’ve been filming at this club for so many days, and I’ve rarely seen anyone who doesn’t need to brake when cornering. She’s one of them. Look at Lu Yang, he habitually uses the rear brake when cornering. A big disadvantage of this is that it tends to make you take wider turns. It’s like running 800 meters – your friend is running on the inside lane while he’s on the outside. It’s a significant disadvantage. Watch, by the fifth turn, if Lu Yang still habitually uses the rear brake, your friend will overtake him.”
Cai Yingying, however, was thinking about how amazing Uncle Fu was. She had learned racing for a while when she was young, and Uncle Fu had taught her cornering hands-on. He had said that professional racers never brake when cornering. The turn is a watershed – if you can’t conquer the turn, there’s no point in practicing. She couldn’t do it, but Xu Zhi had indeed practiced cornering exceptionally well back then. Otherwise, Uncle Fu wouldn’t have wanted to send her for racing team training.
Chen Luzhou and Yan Letong stood in the outer circle, their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the two closely pursuing shadows on the racetrack. Yan Letong said with certainty: “Lu Yang is panicking. He’s also noticed that Xu Zhi’s cornering is smoother than his. He never thought there was any problem with his cornering, saying many top racers use rear braking. This time he’s probably really flustered.”
Chen Luzhou said: “He’s being caught up by Xu Zhi a bit at every turn, and now that she’s adopted, she’s starting to pick up speed on the straights. He’s probably trying to make a move at the fourth turn.”
Yan Letong, however, thought of something else: “I’ve realized Xu Zhi is quite clever. When she agreed to race, Lu Yang was still quite arrogant. Afraid of being accused of bullying a girl, he let her set any condition, like considering it her win if she finished within a certain number of seconds behind him. But Xu Zhi only asked for one thing – to race a long distance. She must have observed his habits earlier. If Lu Yang can’t swallow his pride, he’ll try not to use the brakes at the fourth turn.”
The result of this would be a crash.
It wasn’t that this maneuver was particularly difficult, but Lu Yang was too hasty. Trying to change one’s racing habits on the track is the most taboo thing for a racer.
So, everyone watched as Lu Yang unexpectedly crashed at the fourth turn. With a tremendous scraping force, he was thrown off by a huge inertia. The metal scraped against the ground with a sharp, piercing sound. In an instant, sparks flew everywhere on the ground—
Everyone anxiously looked to the other side.
On the track, the engine roar sounded like beating drums. In Xu Zhi’s eyes, the grass and trees seemed to stretch endlessly, swaying gracefully yet wildly in the wind. The world seemed to have been split apart, and she couldn’t hear any sound. The wind was strong, howling behind her. She barely had time to dodge as the other bike came crashing across. Fortunately, she was prepared. The two bikes collided violently on the track with a huge “bang!”
She couldn’t control her momentum and tumbled off the bike. Luckily, she had slowed down in advance, so there was some buffer. The protective suit completely shielded her from all scrapes. It wasn’t too bad, not very painful, so she immediately got up after falling to the ground.
For some reason, at that moment, Xu Zhi thought of Chen Luzhou’s words when he left, “Have fun, but be careful.” Then she instinctively looked towards the edge of the track. She felt Chen Luzhou might be watching. That natural, guilty reaction was very much like when she was a child and accidentally hurt herself while playing, instinctively looking for her parents’ reaction.
So, even though her knee was aching slightly, she pretended nothing was wrong and walked towards the edge of the track.
**
There was no point in racing again. Lu Yang had enough self-awareness to know that he would probably lose another race unless it was a short-distance one. He had that much integrity, so he admitted defeat completely and gave the prize money to Xu Zhi.
After the commotion dispersed, most people gradually left.
On the return journey, Cai Yingying and Feng Jin never imagined that this trip could be described as a full harvest. They excitedly discussed where to have a late-night snack and how satisfying it was to see Lu Yang, that bastard, finally admit defeat. The level of satisfaction was like eating an entire watermelon in one bite, with all their pores opening up and blood rushing from their brains down their bodies, stimulating every nerve.
Still excited, Feng Jin sat in the passenger seat and said, “I’ll give Chen Luzhou a call. He said he’d come to find us after shooting two more scenes. He seems to have booked our hotel for tonight. Is he planning to leave with us tomorrow?”
Cai Yingying glanced at the Häagen-Dazs in Xu Zhi’s hand. “When did you buy that?”
Xu Zhi responded with an “Oh”: “Yan Letong’s sister gave it to me. Said Chen Luzhou bought it, and told me to use it on the bruise on my forehead.”
Compared to the battered Lu Yang, Xu Zhi was in better shape. Apart from some pain in her knee, she only had a slight bruise on her forehead.
Cai Yingying belatedly said, “That handsome Chen is rich, using Häagen-Dazs for ice therapy. What treatment! Xu Zhi, I feel like you’ve been getting closer to Chen Luzhou lately.”
“Is that so? He seems to be close with everyone,” Xu Zhi said. “He also bought ice cream for Yan Letong’s sister.”
Feng Jin was a bit distracted listening to their conversation as he dialed the number. He didn’t realize the call had already connected, showing a connection time of about ten seconds. Just as he picked up, Chen Luzhou on the other end said, “Feng Jin, give the phone to her.”
Feng Jin didn’t know why he was so perceptive, instinctively feeling that “her” referred to Xu Zhi, not Cai Yingying.
Xu Zhi took the phone, and that somewhat annoying voice came through the speaker, sounding a bit unfamiliar, low, and deep, with an unexpectedly cold sensuality. But strangely, a weird current passed through Xu Zhi’s heart. “Yan Lelin’s ice cream was eight yuan, your Häagen-Dazs was eighty yuan. You tell me who I’m closer to?”
Xu Zhi didn’t expect Chen Luzhou to have heard. She looked at her reflection in the car window, trying to see the bruise on her forehead. It seemed to be bleeding a bit. Finding she couldn’t see clearly, she felt quite upset. If this had happened when she was younger, she could have cried for an entire day, probably needing Old Xu to comfort her for a long time. Even now, she was in a bad mood. She was quite concerned about her appearance and wondered if it would leave a scar. If it marred her looks, she would be quite bothered. So, absentmindedly and a bit sulkily, she replied to the phone, “Is it that simple and crude?”
“For us, isn’t money the best measure?” Chen Luzhou had just finished the last two shots and packed up his equipment. He took the unfinished cola from Yan Letong and sat down directly on the grass. He saw a colony of ants diligently digging a hole, which caught his interest. Holding the phone with one hand and casually supporting himself on the grass with the other, the fresh, light green grass brushed against his arm, making his fingerbones appear white and ascetic. His spontaneous words were quite cheeky, “For example, if I gave you five thousand yuan now to kiss me, you’d probably do it without hesitation, right?”
The response from the other end was even cheekier, “Sure, transfer it now, and I’ll tell the driver to turn around immediately.”