Chapter 4: Behave Yourself…

Thump… Thump…

The sound of a heartbeat exploded in that instant, spreading limitlessly…

An inexplicable heat even rose within.

“Ah!!!”

Ji Shuyi, her heart racing, stunned and dazed, snapped back to reality as Jiang Cheng floored the accelerator, pushing the car to its limit.

The race had already begun. The moment she regained her senses, darkness filled her vision. The inertia of the high-speed turn threw her body against the car door, nearly hitting her head.

He was driving incredibly fast. A series of drifts and sharp turns were too much to handle. Ji Shuyi had never experienced such speed and was on the verge of tears.

“Jiang Cheng, slow down!”

“Can’t slow down.”

“Ugh… ease off… the gas pedal…”

“Can’t ease off.”

…

By the end of the first lap, Ji Shuyi was not only scared witless but also nearly lost her voice from screaming. She had drunk a few sips of alcohol at the bar earlier, and with this guy’s driving, she was now dizzy and nauseous.

Another sharp turn. Ji Shuyi shouted with red-rimmed eyes, “Jiang Cheng! Stop the car, I can’t take it anymore…”

Ugh… she felt like throwing up!

However, Jiang Cheng didn’t let up on the accelerator for even a second, spinning the steering wheel rapidly. He spat out two words without any sympathy: “Bear it.”

Ji Shuyi was infuriated. Completely disregarding the fact that they were currently on a dangerous, high-speed racetrack, she directly started punching Jiang Cheng.

“Ji Shuyi, behave yourself!” Jiang Cheng, with quick reflexes, swiftly freed a hand to pin her down, his tone slightly cold, even containing a hint of impatience.

The next second, just as Ji Shuyi was about to retort, she suddenly felt the car swerve violently to the right as if it had derailed for a moment. Then, after a crisp collision sound, the car returned to its trajectory. The intense shaking and impact in such a short time intensified Ji Shuyi’s nausea. She couldn’t help but gag a few times, feeling so sick that she didn’t even care to ask what had happened.

It turned out that an opponent’s car had maliciously tried to rear-end them. Jiang Cheng, noticing this, had quickly steered hard to avoid the collision, but the side of the car scraped against the roadside railing. In that instant, the opponent seized the opportunity to overtake them.

As Jiang Cheng angrily turned his head to look out the window, he saw the opponent’s car speed past. The opponent rolled down the window for a brief second and flashed a middle finger at him with a triumphant and arrogant expression.

That single gesture detonated Jiang Cheng’s anger. He cursed coldly, “Cao!” (“Fuck!”)

Sure enough, this little American bastard wasn’t going to play fair. He was resorting to dirty tricks in the final half-lap. Fortunately, Jiang Cheng was prepared. At the next turn, he once again executed a dazzling and ruthlessly unstoppable maneuver, leaving his opponent behind.

As the race entered its final stretch, Jiang Cheng stopped wasting time with his opponent and took an overwhelming lead. But just as he was about to cross the finish line, the opponent once again made an illegal move, even attempting to force him into crashing against the mountainside, resulting in a wrecked car and injuries.

In a split second, Jiang Cheng acted swiftly and nimbly, successfully avoiding the opponent’s dirty trick and crossing the finish line first.

As soon as the car came to a stop, the young men and women waiting at the finish line excitedly cheered, shouting and singing to liven the mood.

“He won, he won! I knew he would win! So handsome, so cool!”

“He’s devastatingly handsome. With those driving skills and that face, oh my god, my health bar is empty!” (xuè cáo yǐ kōng) is a popular slang term meaning someone is so attractive they’re drained.)

“Seriously, even as a guy, I’m almost in love. He really pulled off the ‘forced’ coolness, I’m completely won over!”

…

Amidst the noisy and excited shouts, Jiang Cheng, having stopped the car, headed straight for Chen Xingyi, who was holding a steel pipe. His face was chillingly cold, the sharp glint in his eyes making people instinctively fearful. Without saying a word, he snatched the steel pipe from Chen Xingyi’s hand, his anger blazing and unstoppable, and strode towards the opponent’s vehicle.

Jiang Cheng’s features were somewhat European, with deep-set double eyelids and a profound, sharp gaze. When he was expressionless, he exuded a coldness that made people afraid to look him in the eye. Now, filled with rage and carrying a steel pipe, walking through the vast night, he resembled a soul-reaping Asura, making people shiver with fear. The previously noisy and lively scene instantly became eerily silent. Everyone unanimously held their breath, nervously watching the young man with the steel pipe in the darkness. The only sound was the grating noise of the steel pipe dragging on the ground, adding to the eerie atmosphere of the night. With each step Jiang Cheng took, everyone’s heart jumped into their throat, thinking a ‘bloody’ incident was about to occur, but at that moment, a soft, gentle voice suddenly broke through.

“Jiang Cheng.”

It was Ji Shuyi, dizzy and extremely unwell, staggering out of the car. She happened to see Jiang Cheng walking past and immediately grabbed his arm, leaning uncontrollably onto him, her head spinning. She mumbled, “My head is so dizzy.”

The tense and strange atmosphere eased slightly. Some people were about to express their envy when they saw Jiang Cheng, his actions interrupted, impatiently trying to push the girl away, uttering without a hint of tenderness, “Get off.”

But Ji Shuyi was truly dizzy and unwell, unable to even stand properly. Since she only knew him there, her mind muddled, she grabbed Jiang Cheng’s arm like a lifeline, refusing to let go. Her stomach was churning, and she felt like throwing up. Her whole world was spinning, and only by holding onto the person beside her could she vaguely stay upright.

“Don’t lean on me.” Seeing the girl still leaning against him, Jiang Cheng’s face hardened. He saw the little American bastard parking his car and was eager to go over and teach him a lesson. He scolded Ji Shuyi again impatiently, “Ji Shuyi, I told you to get off, didn’t you hear me!”

Ji Shuyi seemed to have lost her sense of hearing; her only sensations were dizziness, and the person beside her was her only support. Not only did she not get off, but she also hugged him tighter.

“Cao!” Jiang Cheng cursed under his breath, helpless. “You’re such a pain!” Looking down and seeing that the person in his arms was indeed looking weak, he didn’t want to waste any more time arguing. He simply picked her up with one arm and continued striding towards the little bastard, dragging the steel pipe behind him.

Being lifted up, Ji Shuyi was like a drowning person finally rescued and brought ashore, obediently resting on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, letting him lead her away from the dizzying depths.

“Whoa!!! What is this scene?” Chen Xingyi, following closely behind, was utterly astonished. “The little wild rabbit he mentioned on the phone? Where’s the ‘wild’ part? She’s so docile.”

The onlookers were even more stunned by this scene, their previous tension and unease turning into gossip and envy.

Under the night sky, the cool and arrogant black-clad young man was holding a girl in a baseball jacket with one arm, dragging a steel pipe with the other, striding forward in the darkness. The scene was a blend of strength and tenderness, beauty and bloodshed.

“What do you want to do?” Kyle, the American, walked to the front of his car, looking at Jiang Cheng’s somewhat murderous aura. His gaze first went to the girl in his arms, then to the steel pipe on the ground. He said uneasily in broken Chinese, “I accept my loss. I will return the car to you. I will take you to get the car now.”