35.car racing

Three days later,

Chen Xin drove Xiao Wan to the auto repair shop owned by Ye Chen. The shop spanned over 300 square meters and had a luxurious and impressive exterior, with an array of tools, and six workshops dedicated to car repairs. However, what was peculiar was that there weren't many customers coming in for repairs, and the square in front of the shop appeared unusually quiet and empty.

It wasn't because the prices were too high for most people to afford; rather, the shop, though advertised as an auto repair service, was primarily focused on tuning and modifying sports cars.

In fact, the Ye family's business had no ties to automobiles initially. But after Ye Chen came to the U.S. to do business and developed a passion for street racing, he became fascinated with tuning sports cars to make them faster. At first, he had visited different shops for small modifications, but this didn't guarantee quality, and the process took too long. Eventually, Ye Chen decided to open his own repair shop, hiring many skilled workers to handle the modifications for his racing team.

After competing against Nathan Brown's racing team a few times, both had won and lost some races, and Ye Chen's reputation grew in the street racing circle. More and more people came to his shop for modifications. Initially, Ye Chen's parents opposed this business venture, as no one in the family had experience in it. However, after just a year, the repair shop made millions of dollars in profits, and his parents stopped opposing his hobby.

Today, Chen Xin had brought Xiao Wan here to modify his Koenigsegg. While the car's current performance could easily beat most supercars, Nathan Brown, a racing enthusiast, had modified his Aston Martin to exceptional levels. To win, Chen Xin also needed to upgrade his car.

"This is Ye Chen's shop? Looks pretty average," Xiao Wan complained as soon as they got out of the car. "Xiao Gui, let's go somewhere else for the modifications. I'm worried he's going to make your car slower instead."

Before Chen Xin could reply, Ye Chen walked out of the shop, hearing Xiao Wan's remarks. Annoyed, he yelled, "What's this nonsense? Do you know my shop is ranked in the top ten in the U.S.? People are crying to get in here for modifications, and they can't even get a spot!"

Xiao Wan rolled her eyes at him. "I think they want to beat you. They probably cried when they saw how many people were ahead of them in line."

"You woman, can't you say something nice?!" Ye Chen was furious. "It was you who insisted that Xiao Gui compete with Nathan. I'm helping you out, and you can't even say thank you?"

Xiao Wan snorted, "Well, let's see if you can get Xiao Gui's car done well first. Then maybe I'll thank you."

"You! Fine, you wait! I'll show you my skills today!" Ye Chen turned around, snapped his fingers, and summoned his best modification team. Pointing at Chen Xin's Koenigsegg, he said, "This car right here. You all know how Nathan modified his car, right? If you can make this car faster than Nathan's, I'll give you triple the bonus by the end of the month!"

The team immediately surrounded Chen Xin and began discussing. Professional terms flew around, and Xiao Wan, feeling dizzy from the jargon, grabbed a bottle of iced soda from Chen Xin's car and walked into the shop to look at the parts for sale.

As the weather grew hotter, Xiao Wan's outfit became more revealing. Today, she wore a black spaghetti strap top with a white, tight-fitting mini skirt. Her slim and delicate waist was exposed between the top and skirt. As she walked past the technicians with a graceful posture, all the men's attention was immediately drawn to her.

One technician couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, staring at her swaying hips and swallowing.

Ye Chen immediately exploded in rage, slamming the hood of the Koenigsegg and shouting, "What are you looking at?! That's my buddy's girlfriend! Keep your eyes to yourself! If I catch you sneaking glances, I'll have you all kicked out!"

The technicians, still in awe of this business-savvy boss, reluctantly shifted their gaze but couldn't help congratulating Chen Xin. "Your girlfriend is beautiful, man. I envy you!"

"Yeah, yeah! Oh my God, if I had a girlfriend like hers, I'd die for her!"

Though Chen Xin didn't like them ogling his girlfriend, he understood their feelings. After all, he was willing to do anything for Xiao Wan, even risk his life. That's why he had decided to modify his car and participate in the dangerous street races.

Here, Chen Xin was discussing with the workers how to modify the vehicles, while on the other side, Ye Chen had angrily chased into the shop to stand beside Xiao Wan. He gave her a glare from head to toe, angrily saying, "Lin Xiao Wan, could you die if you wore a bit more fabric?"

Xiao Wan took a sip of soda and rolled her eyes at him. "None of your business. I've noticed you've been getting more controlling lately."

"I just can't stand seeing you out there flaunting yourself every day!"

"Does it matter if you can't stand it? As long as Chen Xiaoguai is okay with it," Xiao Wan glared at him, kicking him. "Go away, I can't stop myself from wanting to hit you when I see you."

Ye Chen retorted angrily, "This is my shop. If anyone's leaving, it's you!"

"I won't leave! If you can, kick me out!" Xiao Wan stepped forward, lifting her chin and glaring at him.

Ye Chen's attention, however, couldn't help but focus on her two little bunny-like breasts, accentuated by her black spaghetti strap. His heart sank, and he quickly turned and walked out, muttering, "Fine, I won't leave. As if I'd want to stay with you!"

Xiao Wan, staring at his back, felt something odd. This guy usually wasn't so quick to back down. She couldn't help but chase after him and call out, "Ye Chen, stop!"

"What now?" Ye Chen glanced at her in panic.

Xiao Wan tapped her high heel on the ground, saying, "I think your attitude was strange just now. Don't tell me you're…"

Don't tell me what? Did this woman notice something? Damn it, I've been trying so hard to control myself! Ye Chen raged inside.

Then, Xiao Wan mischievously blinked at him and smiled, saying, "You're not holding it in, are you? You must be in a hurry to go to the bathroom, right? I've been meaning to tell you, indulging too much is bad for a man's body, you should hold back."

"…Indulge? You're the one who's indulging!" Ye Chen cursed angrily and stomped out of the shop.

Just at that moment, Chen Xin and the workers had finished discussing the modifications. Turning around, he saw his good friend, furious, and shook his head helplessly. He walked into the shop, hugged Xiao Wan from behind, and whispered in her ear, "What did you do to make Ye Chen so mad?"

"Who bullied him? You know it's always him starting things," Xiao Wan hummed, holding his hand. "So, are the modifications all set?"

"Yeah. We'll start now, should be done the day after tomorrow." Chen Xin rubbed his chin against her neck. It was hot, and Xiao Wan had a thin layer of sweat on her skin. She laughed and tried to move away, "Stop rubbing, it smells bad because of the sweat."

"It doesn't smell bad, I think it smells great," Chen Xin lingered, rubbing his face against her skin.

Xiao Wan gradually quieted down. Looking at the various car parts in the shop, she softly asked, "Xiao Guai, do you think I'm being too selfish?"

"Selfish? How?" Chen Xin asked.

"Well… You've never raced before, but I'm forcing you to race with Nathan. Don't you think I'm doing it just to piss him off, without caring about your safety?"

Chen Xin hugged her even tighter. "I don't think so. On the contrary, I'm glad you want me to race him. Xiao Wan, I want you to know that no matter how great your ex-boyfriends were, I, Chen Xin, will always do better. That way, you won't want to leave me, right?"

Xiao Wan turned to look at him, touched, and kissed his chin while standing on tiptoe. "Once you beat him, how about we sleep together?"

Chen Xin laughed, "You're always thinking about that… Fine, I promise you."

Xiao Wan happily said, "Then let's do it here! I'm going to mess up Ye Chen's shop, roll around on the floor with you, break all these expensive parts, and drive him crazy! Hahaha!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Chen, who was standing at the door of the shop, shouted angrily, "Chen Xin! Get your trouble-making girlfriend out of my shop!"

In the evening, Chen Xin took Xiao Wan to invite Ye Chen for dinner at a nearby restaurant.

As usual, Xiao Wan ordered a huge spread of food and, like a queen, commanded Chen Xin to feed her this and that. Before long, her small face was stuffed with food, and she couldn't help but happily sit in her chair, shaking her head.

Sitting across from her, Ye Chen couldn't help but criticize as he watched her chew, "The way you eat, you look like a squirrel. I'm just short of giving you a tail so you can climb a tree."

With her mouth full, Xiao Wan couldn't speak, so she picked up her phone and typed a message for him to read. It clearly said, "None of your business!"

Ye Chen helplessly looked at his good friend, "Chen Xin, you don't even discipline her! Aren't you worried she'll stuff herself to death? After the fifty lobsters she ate last time, I can't even look at lobsters without feeling nauseous."

Chen Xin's solution was to gently wipe Xiao Wan's mouth with a wet wipe. "She won't, Xiao Wan just has a big appetite, but she knows her limits. Don't you think she looks cute when she eats?"

Ye Chen shuddered. "I think it's terrifying! Be careful one day when there's no food at home, she'll just swallow you whole out of hunger."

Xiao Wan immediately extended her hand, growling like a wolf, "I'll eat you first!"

Ye Chen glared at her and turned to Chen Xin, saying, "By the way, I've set up the time with Nathan. It's this Saturday at 7 PM. Are you good with that?"

Chen Xin nodded, "No problem."

Ye Chen tapped the table and said, "It's your first time in this kind of race, and I'm a bit worried. How about I go with you two? That way, if something happens, I can keep an eye on things."

"Sure," Chen Xin agreed, but Xiao Wan, holding a crab, smashed it against Ye Chen, scolding, "Bad luck! Take your words back! If something happens to my Xiao Guai, I'll rip you apart like I'm tearing this crab leg!"

Ye Chen sighed, "I don't want anything to happen to him! I just want to make sure everyone's safe, okay? You, woman, don't understand racing, so stop butting in."

Xiao Wan suddenly lifted the half-crab in her hand, forcefully ripped off a leg, and started munching on it, staring at Ye Chen while chewing "crunch, crunch."

Ye Chen couldn't help but shiver, looking for help from Chen Xin, "Hey, she's threatening me, right? Tell me I'm not imagining it! Are you even my good friend? Can you control her?"

A few days later, on Saturday night. Chen Xin, driving his modified Koenigsegg, took Xiao Wan to the racing location where he had arranged to meet Nathan.

Unlike professional racing competitions with dedicated tracks, street races are all about random locations, random dangers, and challenges, relying on skill to win. So the racing locations are always different. This time, the race was on a usually low-traffic ring road, and since Nathan's family was wealthy, they easily shut down the road for the race.

On the way, Chen Xin casually asked Xiao Wan, "Have you watched Nathan race against others before?"

Xiao Wan, sitting in the passenger seat with her legs crossed, painting her toenails, answered, "I've seen him race before. But I wasn't really interested. I usually just sit in a café nearby and wait for him to finish. Once, I even saw him race against Ye Chen, but at that time, I didn't know it was Ye Chen in that Bugatti."

"I see," Chen Xin said. "How about you rest in a café today while I race? I'll come find you when I'm done."

Xiao Wan turned to look at him, "What, are you afraid you'll lose to Nathan?"

"Of course not," Chen Xin laughed. "I'm afraid the race will be too intense and scare you."

"Am I that scared? I've watched Alien 163 times! A little street race won't scare me," Xiao Wan leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Besides, my beloved Xiao Guai is racing. I'm definitely staying by his side. Oh, by the way, how about I be the starter for you three during the race? I've wanted to do that role for a long time!"

Chen Xin turned his head and kissed her cheek, softly saying, "Okay."

A moment later, the two of them arrived at the circular highway. Before they even got out of the car, a group of men and women of various types gathered around Chen Xin's Koenigsegg. These people were all street racing enthusiasts, and they began discussing the car.

"Koenigsegg is indeed a great car, but this guy looks like a novice. He definitely won't be able to handle it well. I still support Nathan."

"I also support Nathan. He and Ye Chen are both legendary figures in this circle. Why does he have to race with this rookie?"

"You don't know? It's for a woman! I heard Nathan's girlfriend was stolen by this guy."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wan couldn't help but lean out of the car, coldly saying to them, "Stolen my foot! Nathan was the one cheating, and now he's blaming it on someone else? If you dare say anything bad about my boyfriend, I'll make you crawl home today!"

Since many of those were Nathan's fans, some of them recognized Xiao Wan. They immediately stepped back, no longer daring to speak.

At that moment, the crowd in front automatically parted. It was Nathan and Ye Chen walking toward them.

Chen Xin and Xiao Wan both got out of the car and stood still, calmly waiting for the two to approach.

Nathan, dressed in a black shirt and pants, walked with a presence that seemed to belong to a beast. His broad, muscular chest and arms made him look less like a racer and more like someone ready for a fight. Beside him, Ye Chen didn't have the same imposing physique as Nathan, but his tall frame and commanding presence still stood out. He held a cigarette between his lips, hands in his jeans pockets, eyes narrowed slightly as he walked forward. His cold expression was partially hidden by the smoke he exhaled.

As for Chen Xin? He wore a casual beige long-sleeve T-shirt paired with loose white pants, looking almost like a university professor with his gentle demeanor. But upon closer inspection, one would notice that his calmness made him resemble a leopard about to pounce on its prey, giving a false sense of harmlessness before he suddenly attacked.

Xiao Wan looked at the three men for a few seconds, then stepped forward, picking up her Bottega Veneta woven bag and smashing it onto Ye Chen's head.

"Shit!" Ye Chen quickly dodged, glaring at Xiao Wan, "Why do you hit me as soon as we meet? Are you crazy?"

"You're the one who's crazy!" Xiao Wan placed her hands on her hips and scolded, "Today is the match where my current boyfriend beats my scumbag ex, and you're here to make trouble. Go back home and rub your feet!"

"I've said I'm here to watch Chen Xin. Don't you want him to be safe?" Ye Chen said helplessly.

Xiao Wan hesitated for a moment, then leaned over and whispered to him, "Hey! Since you're Chen Xin's good buddy, why don't you secretly take out Nathan during the race? That way, Xiao Guai will definitely win!"

"That won't work. We're all upright men. If we race, we'll do it fairly." Ye Chen disagreed.

Xiao Wan glared at him, "With that attitude, are you really planning to race seriously with them?"

"Of course, why not?" Ye Chen said proudly. "Maybe this time, I'll even win. I've often beaten Nathan in the past, and Chen Xin is a rookie, so he definitely won't catch up to me—ahhh! Damn! Let go! Let go!"

Xiao Wan had dug her sharp high heel into Ye Chen's foot, twisting it around a few times. She grabbed his collar and threatened, "Ye Chen, listen up. If you dare beat Chen Xiao Guai today, I'll pluck every hair off your body! Not just the top, but the bottom too!"

Ye Chen flinched and quickly backed away from the fierce woman. On the other side, after a few seconds of silent staring, Chen Xin and Nathan finally broke the silence.

Nathan extended his hand toward Chen Xin and said, "Hello, I'm Nathan Brown. We met at Gu's birthday party last time."

Chen Xin immediately extended his hand, shaking it with a calm smile. "Yes, I remember. It's nice to see you again. I'm Chen Xin."

After exchanging those pleasantries, the two of them fell silent again. However, their hands didn't part but instead subtly tested each other's grip, trying to determine who would prevail in this silent competition of strength.

Nathan remained calm, while Chen Xin smiled. The surrounding crowd couldn't help but feel tense, as it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand from their expressions. Were they going to fight?

Before this silent struggle could reach its conclusion, Xiao Wan rushed over and interrupted. She angrily pushed Nathan aside, shouting, "What's wrong with you? Stay away from my man!"

Nathan, distracted by her, loosened his grip, and Chen Xin, not wanting to take advantage of the situation, also released his hand. Xiao Wan quickly leaned down to check on him. "Are you okay? Is it serious?"

Chen Xin moved his hand in front of Xiao Wan and smiled gently. "It's fine. Didn't I tell you I practice martial arts? But I have to admit, he does have some strength. It's been a long time since I met someone who could grip my hand like that."

"It's good, it's good." Xiao Wan let out a relieved breath and kissed his cheek. "Don't do that next time, okay? I'll worry."

"Okay."

Meanwhile, Ye Chen, tired of watching the couple being affectionate, turned his attention to Nathan and suddenly noticed that the hand Nathan had used to shake was now hidden under his sleeve, slightly trembling. He walked over and asked, "Hey, man, are you okay?"

Nathan forced a smile and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Don't waste time. Let's start the race."

"Alright." Ye Chen nodded, then turned to give some instructions to the people around. The fans of the race, who had gathered to watch, immediately moved to stand along the racetrack.

Chen Xin, Nathan, and Ye Chen lined up their cars at the starting line, with the Koenigsegg, Bugatti, and Aston Martin—the top supercars in the world—facing off, making the fans cheer enthusiastically. The scene was as lively as a festival.

Since this was Chen Xin's first time participating in such a race, a few technicians walked over to explain the rules to him. Xiao Wan stood in the middle of the track, ready to act as the starting official for the race.

However, just as the technicians were explaining the rules to Chen Xin, there was suddenly a commotion from the crowd.

Everyone turned to look at the source of the noise. Xiao Wan curiously stuck her head out to see what was happening and saw a black Pagani making its way through the crowd toward them.

She walked over and knocked on Ye Chen's car window, asking, "Hey, did you call a fourth person to race?"

"No, I didn't." Ye Chen turned around, surprised, "Damn, whose Pagani is that? Looks pretty nice."

Just as he finished speaking, the black supercar stopped next to the three other supercars, and the person inside stepped out. As soon as Xiao Wan saw his face, she couldn't help but gasp.

"Leng Qing?"