The surrounding air seemed to have solidified into ice. Amid the scorching heat of the blazing sun, an inexplicable chill crawled over every inch of the skin, as if capable of freezing all things in this world. Fu Liangmu's cold lips curled into a sanguine smile, while his slender, jade-like fingers tapped lightly twice on his knee. "Good, very good."
Su Wanwan felt a headache brewing. She pressed her temples with a helpless expression. "So, what should I do now..."
Before Fu Liangmu could speak, the tiger beside them burst out excitedly, "Goddess! You have to participate!"
"Everyone really wants to see you!"
Su Wanwan was momentarily stunned.
At that moment, two figures hurriedly approached. Xia Kelan, panting heavily, stopped in front of her, breathless.
"I came as soon as I heard the announcement on the loudspeaker."
Xie Cheng glanced at Fu Liangmu's somber face, silently pitying Fu Ziyang, and resolved to reluctantly help him "collect the body" for the sake of half a year's meals.
Xia Kelan took Su Wanwan's hand and moved a few steps aside.
"There seem to be quite a few of your fans here to watch the race today."
"Though I don't know when you signed up, since the die is cast, why not show off your skills?"
"If you pretend not to see it and refuse to join, it might get leaked online by some ill-intentioned people, and you could end up facing a barrage of criticism..."
Xia Kelan's phone vibrated twice. She quickly scrolled through it, her expression shifting slightly, then handed it to Su Wanwan.
"Look, it's only been ten minutes, and posts about you are already up, and quite popular..."
Su Wanwan glanced at it—an article titled "A Certain Celebrity Abandons Profession, Recklessly Jumping Between Industries." It basically accused Su Wanwan, a pianist, of showing up at the racetrack to compete.
[Why does someone living by the sea care so much?]
[Isn't this race open to all? If I were in West City, I'd join too!]
[Really? People have to criticize even this? Fame surely invites trouble.]
[...]
Su Wanwan sighed deeply.
"Forget it, I'll just run casually. My foot injury isn't healed yet. As long as I don't finish last, it's fine."
Xia Kelan nodded emphatically. She pulled Su Wanwan back and faced Fu Liangmu.
"Your Majesty, then I shall take your emperor away."
Fu Liangmu grunted deeply in acknowledgment. Watching their figures fade into the distance, Xie Cheng couldn't help but tease,
"I wonder what place Su Wanwan will get."
Fu Liangmu's half-smile swept over him,
"There's a project in the U.S. that needs my attention."
The sudden change of topic left Xie Cheng stunned.
"Then make some time to go."
"I'm busy with my wife. You go instead."
Xie Cheng crooked a smile,
"You say that as if your busy means I'm free. I've got my own women to chase, you know."
Fu Liangmu mused thoughtfully,
"Oh? But I think you're quite idle. Otherwise, you wouldn't have conspired with others to help Wanwan sign up."
The smile on Xie Cheng's face vanished visibly.
"You... you knew?"
"No, no, I didn't help at all. When I saw it, Fu Ziyang had already signed her up!"
Fu Liangmu leisurely replied,
"So it was Fu Ziyang."
Xie Cheng was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized,
"Damn, you tricked me?!"
Besides Fu Ziyang, there were others who could have gotten hold of Su Wanwan's ID, possibly Xia Kelan as well. Fu Liangmu was unsure. He picked up his phone and fiddled with it.
"Your flight is booked. Come back in half a month."
Xie Cheng's face turned ashen as he collapsed into a chair. Sure enough, mixing with that fool Fu Ziyang never brought good fortune.
At the racers' backstage gathering spot, over a dozen participants were stretching and chatting. When Xia Kelan and Su Wanwan arrived, all eyes immediately turned toward them.
"Didn't expect two such stunning beauties this year."
"So gorgeous, I almost don't want to overtake their cars, haha!"
A man with a name tag around his neck laughed loudly. His name was Zhang Liang, about twenty-four or twenty-five, somewhat handsome.
Su Wanwan and Xia Kelan ignored them completely, walking to their spots and wearing their badges.
Zhang Liang soon came over, patted Su Wanwan on the shoulder, and flirted with a wink.
Su Wanwan paused, then silently pulled a bottle of blue eye drops from her bag and handed it to him.
"Huh?" Zhang Liang was dumbfounded.
"You said your eyes hurt. This is the only bottle I have—here, take it."
Su Wanwan pressed the eye drops into his hand and pulled Xia Kelan toward a corner.
Zhang Liang clenched his fist but smiled mischievously and approached again.
"Hey beautiful, don't leave so quickly."
"This your first time competing? I've never seen you before. There are some tips I want to remind you of!"
Xia Kelan shifted her gaze,
"How many times have you been here?"
Zhang Liang nodded confidently, beating his chest,
"I've raced every year. This is my third."
"I asked all the racers; I'm the most experienced here. If you have any questions, just ask me!"
He leaned close to Su Wanwan,
"Little sister, during the race, I'll be sure to give way to you."
Su Wanwan stepped aside, keeping a courteous distance.
Xia Kelan directly stepped in front of Su Wanwan, looking at Zhang Liang with obvious disdain.
"Stay away from us."
Zhang Liang chuckled,
"Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad guy."
Xia Kelan stared at his lecherous grin.
"You might want to look in a mirror before saying that."
Just as Zhang Liang was about to speak, a deep voice cut from behind,
"Hey, whatever your name is, Liang, you're too noisy. Can you shut up?"
The man who had been chattering like a parrot instantly clamped his mouth shut, looking at Li Beimo with fear and reverence, then obediently sat aside.
Xia Kelan clicked her tongue,
"Truly, there's always someone to put others in their place."
Someone shouted excitedly, admiration in their voice,
"They're here! The bets have started! Oh my god, Racing God North has already been wagered ten million!"
Su Wanwan and Xia Kelan exchanged a glance and approached the screen.
On the electronic board appeared the names of the twenty participants, with their betting amounts visibly rising.
Li Beimo was leading by a wide margin, galloping far ahead.
Xia Kelan said to Su Wanwan,
"This is an official organized betting. Spectators place bets half an hour before the race starts."
"When Li Beimo showed up, everyone bet on him."
The amounts for the other eighteen were dismally low.
Su Wanwan's figure was barely visible, likely a small group of devoted fans showing some support—just enough to save face.
But at that moment—the numbers suddenly paused, then surged from five digits to eight.
From ten thousand to fifty million in an instant, far surpassing Li Beimo's total!