Chapter 126: A Chance Encounter on the Road

The shrill sound of a phone ringtone shattered the tranquil atmosphere. Su Wanwan fished her phone out of her pocket and answered it.

"Wanwan, I'm going to practice driving tonight. Do you want to come along?" Xia Kelan's excited voice came through the receiver.

It was so close that Fu Liangmu could hear every word. Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow, silently asking him. A warmth flickered in Fu Liangmu's heart; though inwardly pleased, his face betrayed no emotion.

"If you want to go, then go. Don't ask me."

Su Wanwan gave a soft "Oh" and said to Xia Kelan, "I'll come pick you up later."

"Great!"

After hanging up, Su Wanwan looked down at the hand around her waist.

"Can I let go now?" Fu Liangmu reluctantly released his grip.

"Are you coming with me?" Su Wanwan asked.

Fu Liangmu shook his head gently. "No, Xie Cheng asked me to handle something tonight. Besides, I need to keep an eye on Fu Jinghan."

"Alright."

Su Wanwan walked over to the wardrobe, grabbed some clothes, and slipped into the bathroom. When she emerged, she found that Fu Liangmu had already left the room.

Downstairs, she discovered he had been called into the kitchen to help the old lady.

Su Wanwan lazily sprawled on the sofa, playing with her phone, listening to the old lady's furious mutterings from the kitchen. She couldn't help but smile softly. For some reason, the atmosphere here gave her a strange sense of peace.

Just as the meal was ready, Xia Kelan arrived, escorted by Uncle Zhang, the butler.

"Wow, what a mansion!" she exclaimed, sniffing the air and glancing toward the dining room. "Looks like I timed this perfectly! Right when dinner's ready?"

"I haven't eaten yet, can I join you?"

Su Wanwan nodded.

As they entered the dining room, Xia Kelan enthusiastically greeted Fu Liangmu and the old lady. Fu Liangmu was about to sit down when Xia Kelan beat him to it, settling next to Su Wanwan. A subtle tension filled the air. Xia Kelan, oblivious, pointed to the opposite side of the table.

"Sit down! I'm the friendly type, don't be so formal!"

Fu Liangmu had no choice but to sit across from Su Wanwan. When the old lady picked up her chopsticks, Xia Kelan followed suit, eyeing the peculiar-looking dishes with some hesitation.

"Is your chef's hand shaky? These dishes are so dark..."

Su Wanwan cleared her throat, her expression unchanging. "The taste is still good, try it."

Xia Kelan skeptically picked up a piece of egg and immediately spat it out. "Yuck! It's way too sweet! What's with this strange flavor?"

"Wanwan, I know many chefs, want me to recommend a few?" She completely ignored the increasingly dark expression on Fu Liangmu's face.

"No need. I think it's fine, there's room for improvement," Su Wanwan said, taking a bite.

Perhaps she had become accustomed to Fu Liangmu's strange dishes, as she didn't find it as unpleasant as expected.

After dinner, Xia Kelan, still hungry, ordered takeout and grabbed Su Wanwan, ready to leave.

"Wait." Fu Liangmu picked up a canvas bag and handed it to Su Wanwan.

"It's got hot water, snacks, some cakes, a coat, and an umbrella."

Xia Kelan sighed dramatically. "Big Brother, we're just going to practice driving for a few hours, it's not like we're going on a picnic."

"Besides, the sun hasn't even set yet, it's not going to rain."

Xia Kelan pulled out her phone and refreshed the weather forecast to show Fu Liangmu.

"See? It's cloudy tonight."

Fu Liangmu ignored her and insisted on putting the bag in Su Wanwan's hand.

Xia Kelan quickly dragged Su Wanwan away.

"Is your 'queen' a bit off? If it's not working, she should go to the hospital and get it checked out. Don't delay treatment."

"A man being considerate isn't about acting like a weather station. Where does he get the confidence?"

Xia Kelan wasn't fond of Fu Liangmu. After all, this guy had always been hostile toward her and had been glaring at her for no reason earlier at the dinner table.

Su Wanwan tuned out the complaints, scrolling through her phone.

"Hey, hey, hey, are you even listening?"

Su Wanwan let the words enter through one ear and out the other, smoothly changing the topic. "Where are we practicing driving?"

"Route 2," Xia Kelan said, slamming on the brakes and pulling over to the side.

Three minutes later, the delivery man handed her the food through the window.

"Wanwan, can you move the car?"

"I'll eat a bit first, I didn't get enough at your place."

Su Wanwan lazily switched seats with her. Although her foot hadn't fully healed, it didn't stop her from driving.

By the time Xia Kelan finished eating, Su Wanwan had parked at the entrance to Route 2.

"Hey, someone's already practicing driving. Wanwan, are you going to join me, or are you waiting on the side?"

"I'll wait for you."

"Alright, I'll leave the car with you and rent a racing car from the side."

After saying that, Xia Kelan parked her car in the lot. Su Wanwan sat in the car, silently watching as Xia Kelan drove onto the track.

"Sir, are you here to practice too? How about a race? The loser buys milk tea. What do you think?"

Xia Kelan turned to the car beside her, locking eyes with a pair of calm, deep eyes. Her heart skipped a beat.

Oh my God, this guy is too handsome!

A mature, composed aura surrounded him, giving off a sense of reliability and security, as if nothing could go wrong as long as he was around.

Li Beimo nodded calmly, his voice low and steady. "Sure."

Xia Kelan's hand on the steering wheel trembled slightly with excitement as she slammed her foot on the gas, and the car zoomed ahead.

The two racing cars sped down the track, neck and neck, evenly matched.

Li Beimo hadn't expected this sweet-looking girl to have such explosive speed. She didn't fall behind at all and even kept close.

Li Beimo narrowed his eyes, subtly increasing his speed, trying to overtake Xia Kelan on the upcoming bend.

The sharp screech of the brakes echoed as Li Beimo flew off the track.

Su Wanwan silently observed the entire process and couldn't help but nod approvingly.

"That overtaking speed was clean and decisive. There's no hesitation at all. If it had been any other way, it would've been hard to say who would win."

Xia Kelan got out of the car, irritated, and pulled off her helmet, her voice frazzled.

"Just one step away!"

If Su Wanwan had been driving, she would have wiped the floor with Li Beimo!

"Fair's fair. I'll go buy milk tea. You guys wait here."

Li Beimo furrowed his brow in confusion. "We?"

Xia Kelan waved her hand vaguely at the car.

"My friend's over there. I'll call her down, you can chat. I'll be back soon with the milk tea!"

After finishing, Xia Kelan left.

Li Beimo gave a soft hum but showed no interest in greeting Su Wanwan.

For someone like him, a stranger they might never meet again, there was no need to waste words.

Xia Kelan hurriedly dragged Su Wanwan out of the car.

Su Wanwan glanced around, noticing there were no chairs.

"You left the car with me, where am I supposed to sit?"

Her foot wasn't strong enough to stand for long periods.

Xia Kelan, after all the running back and forth, had been gone for at least twenty minutes.

Without hesitation, Xia Kelan pointed to Li Beimo's car.

"Sit in his!"