Chapter Eighty-Eight: Street Racing

It was already past ten at night. After a long, exhausting day, Han Ning was in excellent spirits, yet she was also beginning to feel a little weary. Coupled with everything that had just happened, she had no more desire to keep playing.

“Hey,” Han Ning said softly after some thought, still driving.

“What is it?” Yang Jiekai replied lazily, a cigarette in his mouth, leaning back in his seat.

“About earlier... thank you.”

“For what? For helping you fight?” Yang Jiekai said indifferently. “It’s nothing. You’re my wife. If somebody bullies you, of course I have to step in.”

“That’s not what I meant...”

Han Ning gathered her thoughts before saying, “Thank you for bringing me out to have fun today. I was very happy.”

“A small thing. It’s only right,” Yang Jiekai said with a wave of his hand. “Oh, and I’ve got a suggestion for you too.”

“What suggestion?”

“Don’t keep calling me hey, hey, hey. It sounds awkward. Just call me by my name, or Jiekai if you like.”

Han Ning opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing.

After driving for a while, Han Ning’s phone suddenly rang. After answering with a frown, she said to Yang Jiekai, “You go back first. I’ve got something to deal with.”

Yang Jiekai asked, “What is it? It’s already this late.”

Han Ning frowned. “It’s that little troublemaker Weiwei again. She’s caused more trouble outside.”

“In that case, I’d better go take a look. Given her temperament, it would be strange if she didn’t make trouble.”

The car turned around and sped toward a mountain to the south of Anhai City. Along the way, Han Ning told Yang Jiekai what had happened.

It turned out that Han Wei had been racing cars with someone and had run into a real expert. She had lost several rounds in a row and had even been detained there, so she had hurriedly called Han Ning for reinforcements.

After hearing the whole story, Yang Jiekai almost laughed out loud. So that wild girl Han Wei had times when she was at a loss too. He had thought she was truly fearless.

When the car reached the mountainside, they saw seven or eight luxury cars parked there, and Han Wei was arguing with a group of youths whose hair had been dyed in all manner of gaudy colors.

“Who said I lost? Best of five, and this is only the second round!”

“Miss, you were already left behind by more than half a lap just now. Is there any point in going on?”

After seeing Han Ning, Han Wei was like someone who had spotted a lifesaving rope, and she hurried over for help. “Sis, hurry and save me. Help me beat these bastards.”

Han Ning frowned. “How many times have I told you? Street racing is dangerous. If you lose, then lose. Pay whatever you owe and come home at once.”

“This isn’t about money.”

A man with green-dyed hair walked over and said to Han Ning, “We agreed on this earlier. If I lose, I’ll strip naked and run through the streets. If she loses, she has to book a room with me and let me do whatever I want. We can’t go back on our word.”

As he spoke, more than a dozen youths with equally trendy, outlandish hairstyles crowded around, laughing. It looked as though, if they refused to admit defeat tonight, they had no intention of letting Han Wei and the others leave the mountain safely.

“You actually agreed to a bet like that? Is there something wrong with your head?”

Han Ning was utterly speechless. Han Wei had grown up abroad and was far more open-minded than most people in the country, but she had never expected things to get this outrageous.

“I didn’t want it to be like this either!” Han Wei said, looking utterly casual. “You know how good my driving is. I never expected to meet a real expert today. Sis, help me this once!”

“No second time.”

Han Ning frowned and looked at the green-haired youth. “I’ll race you.”

The green-haired youth sized Han Ning up from head to toe, nearly drooling in the process. “Fine. But if you lose again, you’ll have to honor the bet.”

With a roar, the engines started.

At the signal of a provocatively dressed woman, the two cars shot forward almost simultaneously, like arrows loosed from a bow, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Yang Jiekai watched from the side and clicked his tongue in admiration. There was an old saying: when an expert makes a move, you know at once whether he has any skill. Just from the starting motion alone, Yang Jiekai could tell that Han Ning, who normally never drove fast, was still a true master behind the wheel.

“Go, Sis!”

Han Wei shouted encouragement while briefly explaining the rules of the race to Yang Jiekai. This was a mountain road; one run counted as one round, best of five. She had already lost two rounds.

“You have that much confidence in your sister?” Yang Jiekai asked.

Han Wei nodded with certainty. “Of course. Don’t be fooled by how cautiously my sister drives in ordinary circumstances. Once she’s on the track, she’s different. Someone once said that if my sister ever stopped doing business, she could absolutely become an outstanding top-tier racer.”

“What about that green-haired guy? What’s his background?” Yang Jiekai asked.

“No idea. First time I’ve seen him. I heard he’s some rich young master from Nanjin, and he brought a bunch of people here to cause trouble today.”

About ten minutes later, the two cars came racing back, one after the other.

But the instant Han Wei saw the scene, her face went deathly pale.

Although the green-haired youth’s car was only ahead of Han Ning’s by a couple of car lengths, they were already on a straightaway. It was almost certain that this round was lost.

Yet just as the two cars were about to cross the finish line, for some unknown reason the green-haired youth’s car suddenly slipped a little, its speed dropping. In the end, it crossed the finish line at the same time as Han Ning’s car.

A draw.

Han Ning stepped out of the car and said to Han Wei, “I’m no match for him. I can’t keep racing. Let’s go home now.”

After that lap, Han Ning knew full well that she was absolutely not that green-haired youth’s opponent. If not for luck—if his car had not slipped slightly—she would have lost this round.

Racing was different from other sports. It might look as though one car was only a few meters ahead, but those few meters were like an impassable chasm.

At that moment, the green-haired youth and the others all closed in around them.

“What now? Thinking of leaving? That won’t be so easy.”

Han Ning looked at the green-haired youth. “We admit defeat. Name your price.”

“Hahaha...”

The youths beside him burst into laughter. The green-haired man laughed loudly as well. “I’m not short on money. We agreed earlier: if you lose, you obediently come with me to the hotel and keep me company for the night.”

“And if we insist on leaving?”

Just then, a faint voice drifted over from the side. Everyone turned toward it and saw a slightly lean man standing there, leisurely smoking a cigarette.

“That’s not up to you.” With a wave of his hand, the green-haired youth had his people surround Yang Jiekai.

“What a hassle.”

Yang Jiekai rolled his shoulders and was about to move. He had no fear of them at all, though that did not mean he liked fighting. It was just that sometimes, there was no choice.

“Jiekai!”

Han Ning suddenly called out to stop him. Having spent years in business, she could tell at a glance that these youths were no ordinary street punks. They must come from wealthy, powerful families. In the business world, one could not casually offend people like that; one careless misstep could easily bring a heavy blow upon her newly founded company, Purple Jade.

In business, the best course was to turn major issues into minor ones and minor ones into nothing at all. Whenever possible, one should avoid making enemies.

Yang Jiekai glanced at Han Ning and understood what she meant. After some thought, he said to the green-haired youth, “How about this? There are still two rounds left, but there’s no need to make such a fuss. Why don’t I add one more race against you?”

The green-haired youth arched an eyebrow. “All right. And how do you want to do this extra round?”

“We’ll take another lap. If you win, you can do whatever you like.”

“Fine. I like that. If you lose, then besides taking these two girls with me later, you’ll kneel and kowtow to me three times, and call me father.”

“And if I win?” Yang Jiekai asked.

The green-haired youth said confidently, “If you win, then what happened just now is wiped clean. I’ll kneel, kowtow to you, and call you father.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Yang Jiekai loosened his arms. Seeing the worried expressions on the faces of the two Han sisters, he smiled at them. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

“Jiekai!” Han Ning still could not relax. “Can you really do this?”

Yang Jiekai smiled and nodded. “No problem. I just need a little help from you.”

“Help?” Han Ning asked in confusion. “How?”

“In a moment, just sit in the passenger seat and watch me drive.”

“You know how to race cars?” Han Wei stared, eyes wide.

For a true racing expert, the passenger seat was absolutely not allowed to have a person in it, because it would affect control of the car. At high speeds, especially when taking sharp turns, the car’s balance was extremely sensitive. Even a difference of several pounds could matter. That was why the professional race cars seen on television all had no passenger seat.

“I have my reasons.”

He ignored Han Wei’s stunned expression and said directly to Han Ning, “Wife, get in the car.”

Seeing that Yang Jiekai intended to race with a passenger in the car, the green-haired youth and the others immediately burst into mocking laughter.

“Haha, so he’s a rookie!”

“I knew there was something off about this guy. Did the monkeys hire him just to be funny? Hahaha...”

Yang Jiekai paid them no mind. He told Han Ning to fasten her seat belt, and at the signal, the two cars immediately shot off.

The green-haired youth was driving a brand-new Porsche 911, while Yang Jiekai was in Han Wei’s Ferrari. Both were top-tier luxury cars, and as they flew along the mountain road, they were like bolts of lightning.

“Watch out, there’s a sharp turn ahead. Slow down!”

Han Ning had already driven a lap and knew the road well, so she urgently warned Yang Jiekai.

But Yang Jiekai showed no sign of slowing. As the car approached the bend, he suddenly slammed the accelerator.

“Slow down!”

Han Ning was so frightened her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. This was a mountain road. One mistake, and they would plunge off the cliff in a wrecked heap.

Screech—

Yang Jiekai floored the accelerator, then gently tugged the handbrake while simultaneously wrenching the steering wheel.

With a tremendous roar from the engine, the car swept through the curve with its tail sliding perilously close to the edge of the cliff. It was precisely on that turn that he left the green-haired youth’s car far behind.

Once they cleared the bend, Han Ning was still shaken, feeling as though she had just escaped death by a hair’s breadth.

Yang Jiekai, however, smiled and said, “Now you know why I wanted you in the passenger seat, don’t you?”