“Not high, they’re all amateurs,” Xiao Bingwen said softly. This was precisely why no one expected problems to arise here. “There are nine people – Charles likes the number nine. Just need to complete the full run.”
Xu Nanjing found three skilled drivers, one being his most trusted Little Guo. Xiao Bingwen had people watching the other two, except for Little Guo whom Xu Nanjing trusted most.
Though Charles and Xu Nanjing called each other brothers, sealing a business deal wasn’t easy. Otherwise, Xu Nanjing wouldn’t have invested so much in building the racing track.
The importance of accompanying Charles went without saying. Even Xu Nanjing was tense – after spending so much to raise standards, they were still short one person at the final moment.
And it had to be on the crucial number “nine.”
Bai Lian closed the app on her phone and casually flexed her wrist. “I can do it.”
Xiao Bingwen was considering the possibility of finding a substitute to complete the full lap when he heard Bai Lian’s words. “What?”
He looked Bai Lian up and down. Compared to Jiang Fuli, Bai Lian was undoubtedly more reserved. The loose white shirt she wore gave her a mysterious artistic air.
So when Bai Lian made her statement, Xiao Bingwen didn’t even associate her with motorcycles.
Inside the room.
Jiang Fuli wore a casual white jacket today, his cold demeanor more apparent than ever. He only looked at Bai Lian, his lips pressed together: “No.”
Xu Nanjing was also startled by Bai Lian’s words: “Little Sister Bai Lian? This is a motorcycle!”
Not many dared to participate in tonight’s race, which was why Xu Nanjing was in such a difficult position.
He had already planned to use that incomplete substitute runner.
Though not a professional race, the motorcycle Xu Nanjing prepared for today had a 1000cc engine, just not reaching the top speed of professional racing bikes.
It was already dangerous.
Let alone Jiang Fuli, even Xu Nanjing wouldn’t let Bai Lian ride. Besides, she didn’t look like someone who could ride motorcycles.
Bai Lian nodded, “I know, I can ride.”
The timing wasn’t right, but when Bai Lian said she could ride motorcycles, Xu Nanjing was extremely surprised. “I’ll take you to ride another time. Today’s not a joke.”
Moreover, Xu Nanjing didn’t dare look back at Jiang Fuli beside him. He felt the cold aura practically radiating from Young Master Jiang.
Real racing was a knight’s game – they weren’t afraid of death.
Xu Nanjing was a true car enthusiast and knew the dangers involved.
“Weren’t you looking for someone familiar with this mountain road?” Bai Lian looked at the track outside, making a rough estimate. “This road – I’ve run it no less than a hundred times. I could run it with my eyes closed.”
Jiang Fuli’s expression was very serious. “When did you run it?”
“I ran it a lot at first,” Bai Lian knew who among them could really make decisions. “Now I’m mostly studying. I’ll be careful – it’s been a while since I last ran it anyway.”
“After all,” Bai Lian withdrew her gaze, her dark eyes turning to Jiang Fuli, her voice almost imperceptible: “…I value my life now.”
Jiang Fuli stood before her. Because Xu Nanjing liked motorcycles, he knew something about them.
As an outsider, all he felt was danger – one mistake at that speed would be irreversible.
He stared at Bai Lian steadily. “Be careful.”
Xu Nanjing had thought Jiang Fuli would be the strongest opponent to Bai Lian, but unexpectedly, Jiang Fuli turned out to be the most indulgent.
“Nanjing,” Xiao Bingwen watched Bai Lian go change clothes and get her helmet, very uneasy, “Will it really be okay?”
Xu Nanjing pulled out a cigarette, his gaze on Jiang Fuli in front. The usual relaxed air about him was notably absent. “Don’t know.”
If Bai Lian hadn’t mentioned it herself today, he would never have known she could ride motorcycles.
Downstairs.
Starting line.
7:25.
Xu Nanjing went downstairs to receive Charles. Charles was a foreigner with chestnut hair and dark brown eyes. Xu Nanjing spoke fluently with him in English, “Sorry, we had some issues with our people, they’ll be here soon.”
Charles held a champagne glass, squinting at Xu Nanjing for a moment. “Alright.”
Xu Nanjing observed Charles’s expression, his heart sinking slightly. Clearly someone had already told Charles about this matter.
Eight motorcycles in front – orange, fire red, ice blue…
A person stood beside each motorcycle.
In the cheering crowd, someone wearing a bucket hat pressed their earpiece and lowered their head. “They didn’t use a substitute.”
On the other end of the earpiece, in Jiangjiang.
A middle-aged man put his phone on speaker. Xu Jueming played with a bird in a cage, and after hearing the report from the phone, said meaningfully, “What a shame. Mr. Charles is bound to be disappointed.”
“Mr. Charles won’t be the only one disappointed.” The middle-aged man hung up.
“Indeed,” Xu Jueming smiled slightly. “My respected father plans to announce his next heir at his birthday banquet. Wonder what he’ll think tomorrow.”
The old Master Xu could live a few more years. He’d passed over Xu Jueming and Xu Jueling, only favoring Xu Nanjing.
The middle-aged man lowered his head. “Second Master, I can have my son return…”
“Don’t worry,” Xu Jueming took down the birdcage and glanced at him. “You won’t miss out on the benefits. Tomorrow, pack up and go to the product department.”
He walked back along the corridor while playing with the bird.
After he left, someone carefully asked the middle-aged man, “Manager Guo, won’t this offend Young Master Three…”
Everyone knew Xu Nanjing’s influence was strong now.
If not for motorcycles, Guo Huai might not even have had a chance to meet Xu Nanjing.
“Young Master Three?” The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes. “Guo Huai has followed him for eight years, and what has he gotten besides being a racer? I’ve worked at the Xu family for so many years, getting demoted instead of promoted. Even if we don’t offend him, someone like him wouldn’t care about us anyway. Might as well go all in.”
This was an opportunity he’d waited eight years for.
“Besides…” The middle-aged man’s face broke into a smile: “After today… Young Master Three will have to lower his head in the Xu family. Whether this Xu family belongs to Second Master or Young Master Three is still unknown.”
He seemed to see his future fortune.
7:27.
First floor.
Jiang Fuli had also come down, watching the big screen. From this angle, they could only follow the camera footage.
Beside him, Xiao Bingwen still felt like he was dreaming. He hesitantly said to Xu Nanjing, “Can she really do it?”
While keeping an eye on Charles, Xu Nanjing shook his head. “Don’t know. Charles already knows.”
“What?” Xiao Bingwen pressed his lips together, realizing his voice was too loud. He lowered it, “Then is there no hope for today?”
“99% chance,” Xu Nanjing said casually, looking at the track.
The remaining 1% depended on Bai Lian.
“Brother Jiang,” Xu Nanjing asked Jiang Fuli, “You’ve never seen her race either?”
Jiang Fuli’s expression wasn’t good, he just nodded slightly.
Now Xu Nanjing was worried too.
The roar of an engine sounded as a black motorcycle came out of the garage. The rider wore a black and white motorcycle suit and black helmet. The suit wasn’t very tight. She leaned slightly forward, her legs casually bracing against the fuel tank.
She suddenly stopped at the starting point.
Xu Nanjing was startled – she looked like someone who really knew how to lean into curves and race.
Being the last to appear, the camera gave her a close-up.
She still wore her helmet, legs loosely touching the ground, upper body relaxedly leaning forward. Though her posture was relaxed, it somehow held power.
The camera lingered on her beautiful dark eyes—
“Am I seeing things?”
“A female rider?”
“Who is she, have you heard of her?”
“…”
Seeing a female rider in this setting for the first time, the audience buzzed with discussion.
Xu Nanjing was internally tense, but smiled at Charles, “This is my sister, she just started learning recently.”
“Your sister?” Charles was surprised, finally giving Xu Nanjing some reaction. He could tell Bai Lian wasn’t a novice, nor someone Xu Nanjing found last minute to appease him: “That’s so cool!”
“She might not perform well,” Xu Nanjing observed Charles’s expression, finally smiling, “Please don’t mind.”
Bai Lian watched the red flag drop, gripped the front brake, pressed the suspension, engaged the clutch and gear, increasing RPM.
“3, 2, 1—”
As the light came on, she immediately hit the throttle!
Her speed wasn’t actually fast. The red motorcycle squeezed into the curve first, while the white motorcycle accelerated to cut between second and third place.
The commentator’s voice was excited, “We see the black bike currently in fourth, very stable. The yellow bike has completely blocked her line!”
“The battle for first and second is heating up, we see the white bike about to overtake!”
The starting curve wasn’t large. Bai Lian maintained a steady, conventional speed.
Until the first left turn came. When Bai Lian usually ran this road, she always took the middle line because at night there might be cars on this mountain road, and this line offered good visibility.
It was the same now. At the left turn, Bai Lian’s dark eyes focused. She leaned forward, reducing wind resistance. Her left hand pushed slightly forward, and the bike instantly tilted left, forming an angle with the ground!
Having studied physics, Bai Lian naturally understood.
With enough speed, she could lean even lower into this turn.
The camera switched to her just then. At high speed, her bike almost had a phantom effect – you couldn’t see her clearly, only knew that the angle between the bike and ground was very small. Her clothes nearly touched the ground through this section.
The crowd kept gasping in surprise.
The entire track had fifteen turns.
The process took less than twenty minutes. Bai Lian was too familiar with this road – as she said, she could run it with her eyes closed.
“Quick, look at the black bike, last two turns, is she going to overtake third place?” The commentator was passionately excited!
The final two turns.
A left turn followed by a right – this was the largest and most difficult section of the track.
Poor control would result in falling or sliding out. The three riders ahead all tried to control their speed with point braking. Only Bai Lian maintained her speed, her heel against the mudguard, adjusting her posture to control the bike’s center of gravity.
The black motorcycle moved like an agile warhorse under her control, tilting, leaning into curves, leaving trails of sparks along the outer track!
“Look, she passed one ahead!”
“Let’s see if she can hold third place!”
Final lap, the cameras all focused on her.
With the sharp sound of tires cutting across the ground, the red bike stopped at the finish line. Right after, the black bike leaned into the turn, overtaking the yellow bike that was originally in second place. With a “screech,” she stopped at the finish line.
On the big screen, the heated battle had left everyone no attention for those behind.
Everyone only saw the black bike stop beside the red one. The rider in black and white racing suit sat on the bike, one hand casually resting on the cool-toned front, the other removing her helmet, long legs bracing against the ground.
Her black hair was half-tied back with a hair tie. White light slanted down, wind-blown strands of hair slightly messy, bathed in a pale yellow glow. Her cool eyes glanced inadvertently at the camera, wild yet casual.
It was that untamed spirit carved into her bones.
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