Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

Dewey felt a prickle of interest at his words.

That guy Zhou Ming might be a pain to deal with, especially for people outside his social class—he tended to treat them like dogs—but he really had a knack for making money.

It was mainly because he’d been born with a silver spoon in his mouth; his parents were incredibly wealthy and influential.

So no matter how extravagantly he spent, the money flowing out was never more than what his family was raking in.

Even though he’d dropped millions on road bikes, turning his home into a veritable museum, that amount was just a drop in the bucket compared to his family’s fortune.

And if Zhou Ming said he would help him make money, he really would. Dewey had no doubt about that.

After all, while his bike shop made some money, its potential was limited. It would never become a huge business.

For example, if he wanted to open another branch in Hangcheng, his current resources wouldn’t be nearly enough.

However, as tempted as Dewey was, he really couldn’t help Zhou Ming buy the bike Liu Chaoyang was currently assembling.

After a moment’s thought, he could only tell the truth, his face twisting in a pained expression.

"Brother Zhou, since you’ve put it like that, I’ll be straight with you. Then you’ll understand why I can’t say yes.

The owner of this bike... you might find this hard to believe, but it was pre-ordered by Li Zifan—"

"General Manager Li?"

Hearing the name, Zhou Ming’s sharp, sword-like eyebrows immediately furrowed.

His expression soured as he said,

"How could that be?

Isn’t he famous for mountain biking? I thought he hated people like us who just follow the trend and get into road cycling.

Why is he getting into road bikes now?"

"I honestly don’t know, Brother Zhou!"

Dewey said with a shrug,

"All I know is, after my brother won the Queen Stage at the Tour of Australia yesterday, he was the first person to call me and order a Bora Team edition bike."

"And you know, even though my shop isn’t crazy busy, there’s always a queue for bike assemblies.

When Young Master Li asked for it personally, I had no choice but to have Master Liu work overtime to get it built for him ahead of schedule."

Zhou Ming was no longer listening to Dewey’s excuses. He asked sharply,

"You just said he was the first person to call and order the bike after Huang Chong won the championship? Does he know Huang Chong?"

Dewey had nothing to hide regarding that question. He nodded and said,

"Yeah, they know each other. Young Master Li gets his mountain bike serviced here.

Once last year, when Huang Chong was still working for me, he was the one who did the maintenance for Young Master Li.

I heard he even taught Huang Chong some mountain bike Car Control Techniques later, so they definitely know each other.

Of course, I don’t know the details. I was busy pulling all-nighters playing video games and didn’t come to the shop for a few days, so I have no idea how close they actually are.

If you can wait, I can ask my brother for you."

"No need to ask Huang Chong. I don’t care about their relationship."

Zhou Ming waved his hand dismissively.

"But it’s actually a good thing that General Manager Li and Huang Chong know each other.

How about this—when is he coming to pick up the bike? Tell me the time. I want to meet him here. It’ll save me the trouble of making an appointment to see him at his company!"

Hearing this, Dewey’s eyes went wide. He thought Zhou Ming was going to stubbornly pursue this to the end and try to buy the bike from Li Zifan by offering him more money face-to-face.

He quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Don’t, Brother Zhou! Please, don’t.

Think about Young Master Li’s status! If you try to offer him more money for his bike to his face, that’s not a sign of sincerity—it’s an insult.

You two don’t normally run in the same circles. There’s no need to offend him over something so trivial, is there?"

"What are you thinking, Old Du? Now that I know it’s General Manager Li’s bike, do you really think I’d still try to take it?"

Zhou Ming shot Dewey a look and explained,

"I want to meet him here because this is the perfect place to discuss that money-making opportunity I just mentioned.

In business, if you can get General Manager Li on board, you’re already halfway to success!"

"You flatter me, General Manager Zhou. I wonder what sort of money-making opportunity you have in mind that you’d like to bring me in on?"

And just as Zhou Ming mentioned Li Zifan, a cheerful voice drifted in from the shop’s entrance, as if perfectly timed.

Dewey and Zhou Ming both turned toward the sound and saw that it was none other than Li Zifan, who had come to pick up his bike.

His bike wasn’t finished yet, however. Liu Chaoyang’s skills were no match for Huang Chong’s, and Dewey had specifically instructed him to ensure every single detail on this bike was perfect, which slowed things down even more.

Zhou Ming, of course, recognized Li Zifan. Although they had never interacted before, they were both scions of the business world. He proactively extended his hand in greeting.

"General Manager Li, I’ve heard a lot about you. We haven’t had the chance to meet before. I never thought we’d get acquainted over bicycles."

Li Zifan was a straightforward person. While he didn’t exactly approve of Zhou Ming’s well-known playboy reputation, he didn’t find such harmless rich-kid pastimes detestable enough to dislike the man.

At their level, benefits often mattered more than character.

He smiled and replied,

"Indeed. I’ve also heard much about you, General Manager Zhou, especially your passion for road cycling.

I hear you even started your own cycling club?

As it happens, I’m planning to get into road cycling myself. If your club has any rides, be sure to include this newcomer. It would be a great way for me to avoid some beginner’s mistakes."

Li Zifan’s last sentence sounded vaguely familiar to Zhou Ming, as if he’d heard it somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place it.

But that wasn’t important. The main thing was that Li Zifan’s words were a clear overture of friendship. This was a good sign. Zhou Ming smiled and said,