Chapter 358 - 226: The Philosophical Jiang Rongmin (2)
Qiu Yunong’s outfit made her a stunning sight in the crowd.
She wore a black dress paired with nude stockings and Valentino high heels. Standing amidst the crowd with a serious expression, she looked both cool and commanding.
It wasn’t until she saw Lin Jiang that a smile broke across her face.
"So, my big-shot sponsor, is that 126-million-yuan car yours?"
"Yeah, I bought it at the car show a few days ago."
"I want you to take me for a spin."
"No problem. Anytime you want."
Lin Jiang glanced around the venue. "How are the arrangements for the livestream coming along? Is there anything you need my help with?"
"I can’t have my sponsor helping with everything. As long as we secure the win today, we’ll be fine."
Qiu Yunong pointed toward the track area and said,
"I brought Chen Che, Yu Wenyi, and Wang Jiayang over. I’m basically betting everything on the PRC Team. As long as we win today, we can steal Trendy World’s thunder."
"Shouldn’t be a problem."
After talking with Qiu Yunong, Lin Jiang headed back.
At that moment, all eyes in the venue were fixed on the Voice of the Dark Night.
The influencers and online media who had shown up swarmed the car, all trying to get an exclusive scoop.
Originally, both teams had been drawing about the same amount of attention, but after the Voice of the Dark Night appeared, the area around the CTC Team was instantly deserted.
Zheng Jianghe and his crew looked on with cold faces, their expressions absolutely foul.
Lin Jiang had made a fool of him that night, making him drive an extra hundred-plus kilometers just to get back.
He wouldn’t have been so angry if no one knew about it.
But some unknown traitor had leaked the story and even secretly recorded a video. Now, the entire internet knew he’d pointlessly driven over a hundred kilometers on the highway, and everyone was relentlessly mocking him as the second person to use a supercar for a long highway run.
Just thinking about it made him fucking furious.
Seeing the sullen faces on every member of the CTC Team, Feng Qi sat to the side sipping her bubble tea, completely unaffected.
In fact, she found their expressions quite amusing.
’A bunch of rich kids, all bark and no bite. You want to compete with Brother Jiang? Do you even have what it takes?’
Seeing Lin Jiang in the distance, Feng Qi remembered what had happened last night and unconsciously pressed her thighs together.
’It was already our second round, and his stamina was still that incredible. He’s just so addictive.’
’I need to find some time to contact Brother Jiang and invite him out for a private dinner.’
’It can’t always be a second round. I have to have him all to myself at least once.’
Suddenly!
Feng Qi’s expression shifted slightly as if she’d just thought of something, and she quickly sent a message to Lin Jiang.
"Brother Zheng, calm down. This is all just for show. In the end, today’s race will come down to skill," Li Wuyang said.
"I know," Zheng Jianghe said, his eyes narrowing.
"Today, we’re not just going to beat them. I’m going to drag him onto the track. Even if he’s driving the Voice of the Dark Night, it won’t stop me from utterly humiliating him."
Zheng Jianghe’s attention was completely focused on Lin Jiang.
As for today’s race, his team had it in the bag.
But if he wanted to get his dignity back, he had to drag Lin Jiang into the fray. Only then could he avenge his prior humiliation.
"Are you guys done yet? Stop wasting my time," Zheng Jianghe said.
"Looks like someone’s in a hurry to feed us a win. But before that, why don’t you honor our bet? Don’t be a sore loser," Lu Chongyi said.
"He cheated the other night! He suddenly changed lanes and screwed me over. Otherwise, with my skills, do you really think I would have lost?"
"The problem is, you really couldn’t keep up with him," Lu Chongyi said with a shrug.
"Oh, I get it now. Maybe you just have a thing for driving supercars on the highway. Just floor it and you’re gone."
"Cut the crap. Today is the official race. Let’s settle this once and for all. The loser has to spray-paint all their team’s cars."
"I don’t care. It’s not like I’m going to lose anyway," Lu Chongyi said.
"But you better think it through. There’s a lot of media here, and it’s being livestreamed. You have to stand by your word, or you’ll just be making a fool of yourself."
"I’m the one who suggested the terms, so of course I won’t back out. But just competing against you is no fun."
Zheng Jianghe looked toward Lin Jiang.
"Lin Jiang, today’s the main race. You think you’re so great, don’t you? Get on the track and let’s see what you’ve really got."
Lin Jiang, who had been talking with Qin Youyou, turned his head.
"You want to race me on the track?"
"That’s right. The cars are all here. The only question is whether you dare to."
"Are you out of your mind?" Lu Chongyi said.
"We’re using modified cars today. He’s not into this stuff. You want to race him on the track? Get a clue."
"He doesn’t even know how to drive a modified car, and he has the nerve to call himself a car enthusiast? That’s just embarrassing to even say out loud."
"I’m definitely not as skilled as you. Tearing down the highway for over a hundred kilometers in a supercar... when it comes to being a ’car enthusiast,’ I’m certainly no match for you."
Zheng Jianghe’s face drooped, his expression becoming unbearably long and foul.
"You tricked me that day! If you hadn’t changed lanes, I would have definitely passed you within another kilometer."
"For seven or eight kilometers before that, I had you completely pinned. How in the hell were you going to pass me?"
"Let’s not dwell on past glories. If you have the guts, grab a car and get on the track. If you don’t, I won’t force you."
"Fine, let’s do it. Just as long as you don’t back out."
"Everyone’s watching. Whoever backs out is a son of a bitch."
"Alright. Wait here for a minute. I’m going to go buy some oranges."
Lin Jiang turned and walked away, leaving Zheng Jianghe standing there, not quite understanding what he meant.
But everyone around them was laughing, so he had a vague feeling it wasn’t anything good.
The members of the PRC Team stood off to one side, gathered together.
"Old Jiang, that was a bit impulsive. He’s just trying to drag you into this so he can humiliate you when he wins," Lu Chongyi sighed.
"It’s all in good fun anyway. Besides, it’s a little too early to be drawing conclusions."
Lin Jiang looked at the several motorhomes parked in the distance.
"What’s the format for today’s race?"
"Each team sends out five people. Whichever team’s driver takes first place, that team wins."
"Isn’t that a little... brutally simple?"
"We lost the last warm-up race, so they got to decide the format," Lu Chongyi said.
"We’ve raced with this format before. It’s a huge test of teamwork, where everyone works to help the person with the best chance win first place."
’If everyone’s skill level is about the same, a format like this would indeed be a major test of coordination. But if one person is on a completely different level and can leave everyone in the dust from the very beginning, they wouldn’t need anyone to run interference for them at all.’
’With my Master-level Driving Skills, winning a race like this will be a piece of cake.’
"Let’s go. We should change first. The race is about to start."
"The race won’t be that intense. There’s no need to change. No need to be so formal about it."
"If you don’t want to change, don’t change. It doesn’t matter. Just make sure you stay safe. Leave the rest to us."
Lin Jiang nodded and didn’t say much more, because no one would believe him even if he did.
’When the race starts, I’ll let my performance do the talking.’
To Lu Chongyi and the others, Lin Jiang’s participation would have some effect on the outcome, but it wasn’t a deciding factor.
As long as the remaining four of them coordinated well to let one driver get ahead, they could still win the race.
Just then, a cry of surprise rose from the crowd, drawing the attention of Lin Jiang, Lu Chongyi, and the others.
"Hey, look at that guy. Doesn’t he look kind of familiar?"
"He’s wearing a CTC Team uniform. He must be one of their guys."
"The thing is, he looks a little old. He doesn’t look like one of the rich kids who are into racing."
"Holy shit, I know who he is! That’s the 2020 CTCC champion, Fan Jiatu!"