Chapter 140: The Villain is More Talented
The finish area remained crowded long after the race officially ended.
Engines still rumbled in the distance.
Music continued pounding through the industrial district.
Spectators gathered around the damaged cars, replaying videos of the final overtake on their phones while arguments broke out over which part of Shen Tian’s drive had been the most ridiculous.
Some talked about the mountain section.
Others talked about the rescue.
Most talked about how Shen Tian had lost several minutes...
And still somehow won.
At the center of it all...
Shen Tian stood beside the open prize case.
Stacks of cash filled the interior.
A digital certificate rested on top, confirming the total winnings.
**18,600,000 Yuan.**
Even for many of the wealthy heirs attending tonight...
It wasn’t a small amount.
The race organizer smiled broadly.
"Congratulations again, Young Master Shen. You put on one hell of a show."
Shen Tian glanced at the money.
Honestly...
He didn’t care about it.
Not even a little.
To the Shen Family...
Eighteen million yuan was barely noticeable.
To him...
The more valuable reward had already come from Xu Ning.
Yun Wanhe’s Fate had dropped.
His destined opportunity had been intercepted.
He had been rewarded accordingly.
That was enough.
Xu Ning floated invisibly beside him.
[Host.]
[You’re staring at the prize money.]
Shen Tian mentally replied.
"I’m thinking," he whispered.
[About what?]
His gaze drifted toward Chi Lingxi.
She stood nearby with Heavy Makeup Girl and the others.
Her clothes were slightly wrinkled from the crash.
A faint bruise had formed near her shoulder.
But she was otherwise alright.
More importantly...
She kept looking toward him.
Every time Shen Tian happened to glance her way...
She immediately looked somewhere else.
Her ears turned red.
Xu Ning followed his gaze.
[Oh.]
Shen Tian smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
Chi Lingxi was still trying to calm down.
Her heartbeat had finally returned to something resembling normal.
But every time she looked toward the broken section of Shen Tian’s car...
The memory came back.
The guardrail.
The darkness beyond it.
The red car sliding sideways.
The feeling of the rear wheels beginning to lift.
She remembered being certain...
Absolutely certain...
That they were going over.
Then Shen Tian had appeared.
No hesitation.
No panic.
He had sacrificed his own position in the race without a second thought.
Even now...
It was difficult for Chi Lingxi to understand.
Everyone else had come here chasing money.
Reputation.
Adrenaline.
Pride.
Shen Tian had been the one person willing to throw all of that away because someone was in danger.
Then he had still returned...
Caught every driver...
And won.
It felt ridiculous.
Like something out of a movie.
Heavy Makeup Girl nudged her.
"Lingxi."
Chi Lingxi blinked.
"Hm?"
"You’ve been staring again."
"I haven’t."
"You absolutely have."
"I was looking at the car."
Heavy Makeup Girl followed her gaze.
"The car that Shen Tian is standing beside?"
"..."
Chi Lingxi looked away.
Heavy Makeup Girl smirked.
"You like him."
"I didn’t say that."
"You don’t have to."
Another girl giggled.
"Your face says enough."
Chi Lingxi’s cheeks immediately grew warmer.
"Stop."
Heavy Makeup Girl laughed.
For once...
She didn’t push too hard.
After what had happened...
Even she wasn’t in the mood to tease endlessly.
Her own boyfriend stood several meters away, still speaking with race staff about the damaged car.
He hadn’t said much since the crash.
The arrogance he’d arrived with had completely vanished.
Heavy Makeup Girl glanced at him...
Then toward Shen Tian.
The difference was impossible not to notice.
One had nearly gotten them killed because of his pride.
The other had risked his own safety to save them.
She sighed.
"...Honestly."
Chi Lingxi looked over.
Heavy Makeup Girl folded her arms.
"I hate admitting it... But your taste might actually be better than mine."
Chi Lingxi’s face turned bright red.
"I never said he was my taste!"
"Sure."
Not far away...
Yun Wanhe stood alone beside the silver sports car.
No one approached him.
No one congratulated him.
Second place meant nothing tonight.
Under normal circumstances...
His performance would’ve been considered incredible.
He had dominated thirty-four drivers.
He had led almost the entire race.
His cornering had shattered expectations.
His reaction speed had been beyond what ordinary racers should possess.
But none of that mattered.
Because Shen Tian existed.
Yun Wanhe’s hands rested against the roof of the silver car.
His eyes remained fixed on the crowd surrounding Shen Tian.
"Again..."
The word repeated from his mouth.
"Again."
Mini golf.
The arcade.
The cultivation tournament.
The Qi Stones.
The admiration of the old masters.
Now...
The street race.
Everything Yun Wanhe believed should have belonged to him...
Somehow ended up in Shen Tian’s hands.
His breathing became slower.
Not calmer.
Just colder.
He watched Chi Lingxi.
She stood among the other girls...
But her attention wasn’t on them.
It was on Shen Tian.
The way she looked at him...
Made something twist inside Yun Wanhe’s chest.
"Why? Why does she look at him like that?"
His jaw tightened.
"What has he done to deserve everything?"
A darker thought entered his mind.
"Money. Family. Power. Women. Talent. Everything simply falls into his hands."
Yun Wanhe’s eyes lowered.
"And every time I climb... He appears above me."
The words were irrational.
Somewhere deep inside...
A small part of him knew that.
Shen Tian hadn’t forced him to challenge him at mini golf.
Shen Tian hadn’t forced him to enter the tournament.
Shen Tian hadn’t forced him into this race.
But jealousy rarely cared about logic.
Especially when pride had already been wounded too many times.
Shen Tian suddenly closed the prize case.
The organizer looked toward him.
"Would you like security to escort the winnings back to your estate?"
"No."
Shen Tian lifted the case.
"I know what I’m doing with it."
He walked away from the organizer.
Chi Lingxi noticed him approaching.
Immediately...
Her posture straightened.
Heavy Makeup Girl noticed too.
She grinned.
"I’m going over there."
Chi Lingxi grabbed her sleeve.
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(Author’s Note: IMPORTANT!)
SEND POWESTONES!!!
ALL SUPER GIFTS (Magic Castle, Space Ship, Golden Gachapon) = MORE ChapterS!