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Shen Yue was so amused he almost laughed out loud. The first time in his life he voluntarily admitted defeat, and all he got in return was a contemptuous middle finger?

Was she messing with him?

Was this payback for his earlier taunt?

The more he thought about it, the more intrigued he became. His normally calm heart rippled with an unfamiliar excitement.

Shen Yue took off his oversized glasses and casually hooked them onto his bike. Then he called out loudly, “Hey!”

Yu Sheng turned back, her voice laced with irritation. “What?”

Hearing the slight impatience in her tone, Shen Yue almost laughed. He had always thought of himself as wild and arrogant—everyone around him used those words to describe him. But today, he met someone even wilder, even more fearless.

He wondered which family she was from.

Even as a member of the Shen family, he wouldn’t dare act recklessly in a market like this.

Yet she, relying on her driving skills, seemed intent on showing off in front of a professional racer like him. Darting left and right, avoiding pedestrians—it was breathtaking to watch.

But from what he had just witnessed, Shen Yue could tell this woman had real skills.

Was that why she was so fearless?

But even seasoned drivers make mistakes!

Even he, a professional racer, wouldn’t take risks like that.

Shen Yue couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, what’s your name?”

Yu Sheng’s response was to rev up her bike and speed away.

Shen Yue was caught off guard, completely unprepared for such a reaction. He could only watch as she disappeared from sight.

When she was finally out of view, he burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha!”

The more he laughed, the more entertained he felt. People around him shot him strange looks, but he didn’t care.

The great Second Young Master of the Shen family—asking a girl’s name for the first time in his life—got completely ignored?

At first, he didn’t even realize he had been rejected.

It wasn’t until she rode off without hesitation that it hit him.

He clicked his tongue. Even if she didn’t say it, he could still find out who she was.

Then he recalled that middle finger—slender, pale, almost elegant. Shen Yue froze.

That hand, and that gesture, looked strangely familiar.

He thought for three seconds before it clicked—Autumn Mountain a few days ago!

Back then, a female driver had raced against Xiao San and completely crushed her, leaving her sulking for minutes.

And when she left, didn’t she also flip her middle finger?

The exact same gesture.

Could they be the same person?

The more Shen Yue thought about it, the more convinced he became.

There was no way he had met two women with the same habit of flipping people off, both of whom happened to be exceptional racers.

And most importantly, that middle finger—it looked too familiar.

It had to be the same person.

If he remembered correctly, that woman’s name was Yu Wei?

Back then, Shen Yue hadn’t paid much attention to her.

Even though Xiao San had shown great interest in her, Shen Yue hadn’t.

But after today’s encounter—

After seeing her up close—

He realized just how much power was hidden within that slender body.

She was like fire.

Burning, unrestrained, unapologetic.

In this heatwave of a summer, she made him sweat—and he loved it.

Before, he hadn’t been curious about Yu Wei at all.

But now, he was dying to see the face beneath that helmet.

Would she be as bold and radiant as flames?

As innocent and delicate as a lily?

Or as cold and aloof as ice?

Then he thought about Xiao San, who seemed completely smitten with her. Shen Yue raised an eyebrow.

Xiao San had already declared he wanted to pursue Yu Wei.

But when it came to chasing a woman—

Whoever won in the end depended on their own abilities.

—

After leaving the area, Yu Sheng gradually slowed down.

The intense race had drained quite a bit of her energy.

She thought—maybe she could create an “accidental” encounter.

An encounter with Shen Yao.

As for that ash-gray guy from before—he was already forgotten.

Right now, Yu Sheng felt a little thirsty. Fortunately, she had some cash on her. She spotted a convenience store by the roadside, parked her bike, removed her helmet, and walked inside.

The store’s strong air conditioning cooled her overheated blood.

She grabbed a bottle of mineral water, paid, and stepped out.

But the moment she reached the entrance, she ran into a familiar situation.

Once again, she was surrounded by thugs.

Yu Sheng now realized that the last group of thugs might not have been sent by Yu Wei after all. They were probably just drawn in by her looks.

She wasn’t particularly panicked.

For one, this was a crowded area—unlike the last time at the mall, where it had been just her and three thugs.

For another, she always carried pepper spray. After what happened at the mall, she had become more cautious. Her looks in this life were too striking, and she had to be mindful of her safety. So ever since then, she never left home without protection.

Though she found it strange that Yu Li never assigned her bodyguards, while Yu Wei had one—her driver, a military-trained young man with an unassuming but deadly punch.

Today, Yu Wei had been chauffeured out, meaning Yu Sheng had gone out alone. She hadn’t minded at the time—after all, she had gone out to race, and no one following her meant more freedom.

Yu Sheng glanced around and saw that the onlookers had no intention of helping. They merely gave her a look before hurrying away.

She frowned and called out, “Can someone help me?”

A young passerby glanced at her with pity but quickly shook his head and left, seemingly afraid of the thugs.

Yu Sheng realized she had no idea where she had ended up.

This place wasn’t as bustling as the city center—had she unknowingly ridden to the outskirts?

Could these thugs be the local gangsters?

If so, she wasn’t sure if her pepper spray would be enough.

She had never used it before, but there were six of them.

The thugs sneered at her call for help.

“Don’t waste your time. No one here can help you.”

“Yeah! Who’d dare?”

They all laughed.

Yu Sheng took a deep breath and decided to use the same trick.

“Do you know whose woman I am?”

One of the thugs smirked. “Oh? Who?”

Yu Sheng raised her voice. “I belong to Shen Yao!”

But the reaction she expected—fear and panic—never came. Instead, they laughed even louder.

“So what?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Shen Yao? Oh, Shen Yao—hahaha.”

Yu Sheng bit her lip. “Do you really know who Shen Yao is? If you dare to touch me, he will never let you go.”

This time, the thugs laughed even more wildly at her words. “Won’t let us go? Little girl, you’re too naive.”

“We just want to make a move on you. Who told you to look so damn good? To be honest, I’ve never seen a woman as beautiful as you. We walk the tightrope every day—getting caught is just a matter of time. We’ve been in this game for a long time, we’re not afraid of trouble, and we’re not afraid of death. If I can have a taste of you before I die, I’d say it’s worth it.”

At that moment, Yu Sheng realized she had kicked an iron plate!

She never expected to run into a group of desperados.

From their words, she could tell they had already committed crimes and were on the run.

So, they had long disregarded their own lives.

Just like the thug said, “Getting caught is just a matter of time.”

That meant Shen Yao’s name held no weight against them.

Yu Sheng forced herself to stay calm. If she panicked, things would only get worse, leaving no room for escape.

She could feel her palms beginning to sweat. Carefully, she reached into her bag and found the pepper spray.

Feeling the cool metal in her grip gave her a small sense of security.

If only she had brought a stun baton as well.

Her face was really too eye-catching, but at this moment, it only brought trouble. Even so, Yu Sheng still felt fortunate—at least she got to appreciate her own beauty every day!

Yu Sheng thought for a moment and said, “You may not care about yourselves, but don’t you care about your families? If you dare to do anything to me, he won’t let your families off either!”

The thugs laughed so hard their stomachs hurt. “Who the hell are you talking about? God? Is there really someone that powerful in this world?”

Another one chimed in with a sneer. “If Shen Yao was really that badass, why have I never heard of him?”

Hearing their words, Yu Sheng felt a chill in her heart.

So, there really were people who had never heard of Shen Yao.

But he’s a big shot, isn’t he?

How could there still be people who didn’t know his name?

At that moment, the thugs started closing in on her.

Their gazes were lecherous, their expressions filthy.

Just as Yu Sheng was about to pull out her pepper spray to resist or scream for help, before she could even react, the thugs were suddenly taken down one by one.

Within moments, they were all lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

Even as they lay there, they didn’t stop provoking, “F*ck your sister, do you even know who we are?”

“Where are you from? Give me your name!”

“Sh*t, you hit us this hard—what gang are you with?”

The thugs on the ground kept cursing, some even twitching in pain, yet still trying to act tough. But no one responded to their taunts.

Standing over them were two men dressed in black, looking like bodyguards.

Yu Sheng had a hunch and turned her head.

Not far away, standing in the shadows, was Shen Yao.

His expression was dark, his lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes held a storm brewing within them.

For some reason, Yu Sheng felt that Shen Yao was in a terrible mood.

Her instincts told her that now was not the time to provoke him.

Yu Sheng thought it might be best to leave quietly, but before she could reach her motorcycle, Shen Yao’s cold gaze swept over her. In the next second, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her toward his car.

Yu Sheng had no idea what he was planning.

He looked as if he was about to hit her.

Her heart pounded—not from fear, but from anger.

Had she completely misjudged Shen Yao?

Was he actually the type to hit women?

Even though she knew Demon Lover was a feel-good novel and the original male lead shouldn’t be a scumbag, the way Shen Yao looked right now was terrifying—like he was about to beat her up!

Yu Sheng thought he was going to shove her into the car, but he didn’t.

Instead, he pinned her against it, gripping her shoulders tightly.

She could feel his strength.

And—his slight trembling.

Trembling?

Yu Sheng looked up and saw the storm in his eyes.

Behind that storm, there was anger, pain, and regret…

“You… what’s wrong?” she asked, momentarily stunned