Chapter 13: Too Close
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Cheng Xiyue thought he heard it wrongly.
Make some money? The only way to make money in Xiaosong Hill was to be part of the race.
“You’re joining the race?”
Ning Li nodded.
Cheng Xiyue noticed her slender and petite body. His lips twitched helplessly for a bit before he clicked his tongue.
“Little Ning Li, Xiaosong Hill is dangerous. Are you sure you want to go there?”
Even though both males and females were allowed to participate, there were rarely any girls there—especially an underaged one.
He looked at Lu Huaiyu.
Given Lu Huaiyu’s character, he would never allow her to go do something this dangerous. It was like toying with her own life.
Surprisingly, Lu Huaiyu’s answer defied his expectations.
“You need money?”
Ning Li counted in her head for a moment and said, “Yeah, I have some debts to clear.”
Cheng Xiyue was confused. He knew Ning Li’s background because he had done some research before this.
Previously, she lived together with her grandmother in Lincheng’s old slums. It was true that she had a tough life before this.
It was not surprising if she had some debts to pay off, but Xiaosong Hill?
The prize money for winning the race started from 500,000, and the price would go up from time to time. Just how much money did she need to pay off her debts?
Lu Huaiyu leaned against the seat, his eyes as abysmal as always. No one knew what was going on in his mind.
Ji Shu smiled and said with a raised brow, “Brother Xiyue, this might be news to you, but it’s not Ning Li’s first time. She’s usually busy, so it’s actually difficult to get her up there.”
After what happened a year ago, she said she would never race again. For some reason, she suddenly decided to join the race this time around.
If not for her surprising decision, Ji Shu would not have driven his bike all the way to the school just to pick her up.
Cheng Xiyue’s face twitched helplessly.
Ji Shu made it sound like the girl was a pro in racing.
She came from a bitter background, so how would she have gotten herself involved in such a dangerous act?
“Little Ning Li, are you sure you like doing this?”
Ning Li explained, “I used to work in an auto repair shop. The owner liked to race, so I followed him and picked up an interest in it as well. I’ve done it a few times now.”
Cheng Xiyue was rendered speechless.
He did not know whether he should sympathize with her for coming out to work at such a young age to support her family or be surprised that she was quite talented in this.
Ji Shu got excited about the topic. “The funny thing is, we met each other when I sent my bike for maintenance at her place back there—”
Honk!
Before he could finish, the car took a sharp turn and loud honks entered their ears.
Bright headlights welcomed them and almost blinded their eyes for a moment.
Ji Shu looked out the window.
“We’re here.” Cheng Xiyue stopped the car.
Ji Shu was the first to jump out.
The place was a large empty space with a dozen expensive cars lined up neatly together.
A group of young men and women were mingling with each other in beautiful suits and dresses. It was lively.
After Ji Shu came out, a young man with red hair and a leather jacket came over while sneering, “Hey, look at this. Isn’t it Master Ji Shu? What’s wrong? Got so nervous that you can’t even drive? What’s with the driver?”
Ji Shu stretched his body and his shoulders. He looked at the arrogant man.
“Jiang Fan, open your damn eyes and look at whose car it is.”
The man took a better look at the car. It was a Bentley Mulsanne, a super expensive car.
However, the cars at Xiaosong Hill all belonged to the young and wealthy people of Yunzhou and the neighboring states, so this Bentley Cheng Xiyue drove was not the highlight at all.
However, when the man saw the license plate, his gaze froze. It somehow looked familiar.
It was then Ning Li came out from the car, and her presence silenced the lively crowd.
The girl was either 17 or 18 years old. She wore a white shirt coupled with black jeans and sports shoes. Her semi-long black hair was tied into a ponytail.
Her skin was as fair as porcelain, and her eyes were as clear as water. However, they were still dazzling.
She looked clean and astonishing.
Jiang Fan was in awe.
The girl was beautiful. Every feature of hers was outstanding, especially her cool presence. It was rare to see it on a girl.
It was just a glance, but it made the man’s heart itch.
“I thought Master Ji Shu always came alone. What’s with the company today? Something went wrong with your mind?”
“Ji Shu, the girl is still in high school, right? You’re the man!”
“No wonder you don’t like the girls we introduced you to. You’ve gotten yourself the best there is! Hey, introduce her to us!”
Ji Shu went up and kicked the guys who tried to get close.
“Calm your balls down, you bastards! She’s my youngest cousin, and if you guys lose to her later, don’t come crying!”
The crowd was astonished.
“What? The girl is here to race?”
Jiang Fan laughed. He pushed away the woman with heavy makeup and dressed in a revealing outfit.
“Hey, girl, it’s not fun joining the race. Why don’t you get into my car instead? I’ll give you ten grand for a single lap. What do you say?”
The woman with the revealing outfit glared at Ning Li fiercely.
Cheng Xiyue, who was still in the car, had a feeling that the atmosphere would turn sour.
Ning Li finally spared a glance at Jiang Fan, but it was filled with sympathy. Her gaze had an indescribable arrogance to it.
“That’s all you can offer?”
Ji Shu laughed out loud while Jiang Fan was embarrassed on the spot.
“You little bitch!”
Right before he could get close to Ning Li, the other two men came down from the car.
One of them looked familiar, and Jiang Fan recognized him.
“Cheng Xiyue?!”
Jiang Fan was shocked.
The Cheng family had an unrivaled status in Yunzhou, and Yunzhou was not even their main base. Cheng Xiyue’s family mostly operated in the capital, and Jiang Fan could not afford to get on their bad side.
All the wealthy young men who came for the race came from powerful backgrounds, but none of them could rival the Cheng family.
Why would Cheng Xiyue be here?
Cheng Xiyue leaned on his car, not even sparing a glance at Jiang Fan.
“Little Ning Li, if someone is trying to bully you, just tell me.”
His words silenced everyone there.
Jiang Fan forced a smile on his face.
“Master Cheng, she’s… with you?”
Cheng Xiyue dared not answer the question.
Lu Huaiyu took a step forward. He came out from the spot shrouded in shadows, and when the light shone over his body, it made his tall and fit physique stand out.
Black clean-cut hair, dark and deep eyes, tall nose, and a perfect sharp jawline. It was as though God had spent effort in carving his face. He looked cold, as though he was an angel beyond a mortal’s reach.
His appearance silenced the crowd even more.
Lu Huaiyu walked closer to Ning Li and then looked at Jiang Fan.
“What’s the highest prize money for tonight?”
Jiang Fan was a regular in Xiaosong Hill. He was known to be generous, and he actually hosted many of the races.
However, he got frightened by Lu Huaiyu’s presence. When asked, he instinctively answered, “One… One million.”
Lu Huaiyu nodded.
“Race with her. If you win, you get five million. What do you say?”
Jiang Fan widened his eyes. A short silence later, the crowd cheered loudly.
The prize money had gone up! Just one word from the man and the prize money went up to five million!
Exciting!
Jiang Fan’s temples were twitching.
How could he lose to a girl? If he won, he would get five million!
“I’m in!”
Ning Li frowned and looked at Lu Huaiyu.
‘What’s wrong with this guy? Why is he putting his foot into this?’
“If I lose, I don’t have that much money to give you back.”
Lu Huaiyu looked at her. He bent over so that they were eye to eye and looked at her.
His abysmal peach blossom eyes looked like they had the galaxy in them. They were lethally attractive.
He was so close that she could smell the cedar fragrance on him.
He opened his thin lips and said lazily, “Hurry up with the race. You have to go back to finish your homework.”