God Of Racing

"Bro, what's going on? Why are all those sports cars that haven't moved a bit since the beginning suddenly heading down the mountain?"

"Why are you asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? But…" The guy looked at the group of cars with envy plastered across his face. "If only I could own one of them…"

"Buddy, I don't mean to rain on your parade, but you? Forget it. I'd wager the cheapest one among them is worth no less than RMR 2 million."

"Ah… who are those people?" His eyes were practically burning with jealousy.

"…Why are you asking me?!" The response came in a flustered tone—it was the same reply someone had just given moments earlier.

The instant they rounded the bend, dozens of sports cars came into full view of Zhuifeng. His heart leaped with excitement. Overjoyed, he honked the horn and floored the gas pedal, sending his car hurtling forward. With a screech, the brakes were slammed, and the car came to a halt—just five centimeters away from Liu Tang's BMW. A shrill scream from the girl beside him followed immediately.

"…555555555 (T_T)… Boss, you're finally here! I thought you'd abandoned us!"

As soon as Zhuifeng stepped out of the car, the only female member of the group ran crying into his arms. To call her a woman would be a bit of a stretch—she was more like a girl, since none of them were particularly old. The eldest were probably Liu Tang, Blondie, and Shorty.

"Silly girl, how could I ever abandon you guys?" Zhuifeng, feeling awkward, gently patted her back and spoke softly, "I didn't have a choice, okay? I'm still a student. I had to go through military training as a freshman, and during the summer, I worked jobs to save for tuition. I just didn't have time."

"…Hey, Wind God, who's she?" Yaoyao looked up and spotted the girl standing by the car, her curiosity piqued.

"She's…" Zhuifeng froze. Wait a minute—I actually don't even know her name! Awkward…

"Is she your girlfriend?" Yaoyao's voice trembled slightly, her nose inexplicably stinging.

"No, no, no." Zhuifeng hurriedly shook his head. "She's just a classmate. She had something to take care of, so I gave her a ride. Oh, Liu Tang, can you find someone to take her up the mountain? She's in a hurry."

The fact that Zhuifeng had his arm around Yaoyao made it clear that their relationship wasn't ordinary. Feeling a twinge of jealousy and an inexplicable surge of nerves, the girl by the car suddenly strode forward. Out of nowhere, she wrapped her arms around Zhuifeng as well. Before Zhuifeng could fully process what was happening, she planted a solid kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you for giving me a ride," she whispered, her face as red as an apple, before quickly hopping into a car that had just pulled up.

"Whoa…" Everyone was stunned. Sure, scenes like this were common in foreign films, but seeing it happen in real life? That was rare.

The collective uproar jolted Zhuifeng back to his senses. His face turned bright red. "Don't get the wrong idea—I really have nothing to do with her. We're just classmates!"

"Then why'd she kiss you?" Yaoyao's eyes brimmed with tears, ready to spill.

"I… I don't know. But I swear, I don't even know her name! How could I possibly have anything to do with her?"

"Really?" Yaoyao looked at him, half-doubtful.

"I swear… uh…"

Heaven help him—what was this situation?! Was this what they call "lucky encounters" in those novels? Staring into Yaoyao's trembling eyes, mere centimeters from his own, Zhuifeng felt his emotional resilience completely crumble.

The entire group fell silent again, unsure of how to react. They could only exchange wide-eyed stares, each gaze conveying a single thought: Am I dreaming?

"Boss, you're being way too harsh here! The rest of us are all single as can be, and you're out here with not one, but two girls? How greedy! Being your brother feels meaningless now. Ugh, forget it. Just look at you—a classic case of ditching your bros for romance. Hey, wake up already!"

Zhuifeng was mortified. As he silently met Yaoyao's gaze, his face burned hotter than ever. "Maji, you're dead meat!" Oh no—if this guy saw what happened, tomorrow the entire school would hear about it!

Zhuifeng advanced toward Maji with a dark expression, but Maji, unfazed, stood his ground with a smirk, showing no intention of running. Zhuifeng was dumbfounded—what was this guy playing at?

As the two stared each other down, Yaoyao suddenly broke into a fit of giggles. "What are you guys doing? Aren't you tired of this?"

"I…" Zhuifeng nervously glanced back at Yaoyao, but the words got stuck in his throat. His silence made Maji burst out laughing.

"Boss, it's not like you suffered here! Why the long face?"

"Maji…" Zhuifeng roared toward the sky, glaring daggers at him.

"Now that's more like it! That's the kind of charisma the great Wind God should have."

Zhuifeng finally caught on. "Heh, so you're mad I didn't tell you my identity, huh? How is that my fault? It's not like you ever asked. What, am I supposed to walk up to everyone I meet and say, 'Hi, I'm the Wind God'? People would think I'm crazy!"

Maji grumbled inwardly. So I'm supposed to walk up to random people and ask if they're the Wind God? Yeah, right.

Seeing Maji sulking, Zhuifeng felt a little guilty. After all, Maji was now a friend. Walking over, he apologized, "Sorry, man. It's not that I didn't want to tell you. Even if I did say I was the Wind God, would you have believed me? But hey, now you know."

"Alright, fine. I was just a bit annoyed, really. Honestly, I should feel honored—turns out the legendary Wind God is not only my classmate but also my roommate. That's pretty awesome. Heh, I forgive you."

Zhuifeng couldn't help smirking. He doesn't know yet that my identity's already been exposed to the whole grade. Let's see how he enjoys his 'moment of glory' tomorrow. "Heh, you forgive me, but I haven't forgiven you yet!"

"Boss, don't be petty!"

"What do you think? …Hey, stop running!"

"Only a fool wouldn't run! Ahhh, save me! The Wind God is trying to kill me!" Dodging Zhuifeng's pursuit, Maji's eyes darted around. "Big Sis, don't just stand there laughing—help me!"

"You…" Yaoyao stomped her foot, glaring at the laughing crowd. "You deserve it! Zhuifeng, catch him and give him a good beating." But in her heart, there was a faint sweetness.

"This isn't fair! I'm gonna find two girlfriends someday—one to cheer me on and another to fight for me!"

Everyone broke into a cold sweat.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," Liu Tang interjected, shaking his head. "Don't forget why we're here. We've still got a clown to deal with up there."

Zhuifeng shot a resentful glare at the smug Maji in the distance but finally turned back. "He should be here soon, right?"

"Who?" Liu Tang blinked in confusion.

"Did you think I'd use this car to race that scumbag?"

Just as he finished speaking, the distinct roar of a high-performance engine echoed through the air. Zhuifeng turned to look, unsure if it was Gu Deping's car.

***

Elsewhere, Xu Nianran hurried over, sweating. "Xiao Jie, Li Ning, I finally found you! Xiao Jie, are you feeling better? Here, take this medicine."

"Nianran, thank you." Zhao Jie gave her a grateful but tired smile.

"Don't mention it," Nianran said casually, waving her hand. But as her eyes scanned the crowd, she suddenly gasped. "Wow, so many people came to see him!"

"Him?" Li Ning frowned, puzzled. "You don't mean you know the Wind God, do you?"

"Of course I do!" Nianran giggled. "In fact, you guys know him too."

Zhao Jie's body tensed. The medicine in her hand nearly slipped to the ground. "You… what did you just say?"

Xu Nianran looked at Zhao Jie strangely, not understanding her strong reaction. "Xiao Jie, you... What's wrong with her?" Seeing her suddenly become distracted, she turned to ask Li Ning instead.

Lovingly supporting her, Li Ning sighed, "Don't you know? Xiao Jie was separated from a childhood friend. But they had a promise that when they grew up, he would come to pick her up in a very fast car. Ever since she heard about Wind God in Chongqing, she's been dreaming that Wind God is the friend she lost touch with as a child. But now you say Wind God is someone we know, and among the people we know, there isn't anyone who could be her 'Brother Feng,' so..."

Xu Nianran felt a lump in her throat. "But surely Xiao Jie knows his name?"

Li Ning smiled bitterly, "That's why I sometimes think this might be too childish. Xiao Jie doesn't even know his name. She says back then she always just called him 'Brother Feng.'"

For some reason, Xu Nianran suddenly felt that Zhuifeng might indeed be the 'Brother Feng' Zhao Jie spoke of. This feeling was strange but very real. Looking at the suddenly lifeless Zhao Jie, Nianran felt a twinge in her heart. "Jie, don't be discouraged. Actually, he might really be your Brother Feng. His name does have the character 'Feng' in it."

Hearing this, a glimmer of light returned to Zhao Jie's eyes, though still dim. "Nianran, from what you're saying, he should be our classmate, right? But do we have any classmates with 'Feng' in their name?" It's worth noting that due to a series of coincidences, neither Zhuifeng nor Zhao Jie knew each other's names, and the few times they had met, neither had clearly seen the other's face. Perhaps this is what's called destiny, fating them to meet like this...

"Who says there isn't?" Nianran tossed her head casually. "Zhuifeng! It's just that he doesn't seem to be in our class. I guess that's why he's called Wind God, because his name is Zhuifeng."

Zhuifeng?! Zhao Jie's dim eyes gradually moistened...

***

Flashback

"Brother Feng, what's your name?"

"It's what comes after 'Feng.' You'll have to guess, hehe..."

***

Li Ning and Zhao Jie were close friends, so of course she had heard this story before. She was genuinely happy for Zhao Jie, but seeing her excited, flushed face, she quickly said, "Jie, take your medicine quickly. Your health..."

"Xiao Ning, I... I... Do you think he's really Brother Feng? How did I not notice?" Besides excitement, Zhao Jie couldn't think of anything else. Like a little girl, she tugged at Li Ning.

Li Ning looked at her now lively friend and smiled helplessly. "Take your medicine quickly, or you won't be able to see him later, hehe. Who would have thought our Chongqing University had such hidden talents? Not only is the music genius Ling Cheng our freshman classmate, but Wind God is too... Oh right, Nianran, you said we've all met Wind God before. When was that? I don't remember." A slight sense of foreboding suddenly rose in her heart.

Xu Nianran blinked mischievously. "No way, you even had close contact with him. Don't you remember? It was in the cafeteria... Uh, why are you looking at me like that?"

Xu Nianran looked at Zhao Jie curiously, puzzled by her extreme reaction. "Xiao Jie, what's wrong?" Seeing that Zhao Jie suddenly looked dazed and lifeless, Nianran turned to Li Ning instead, concerned.