Xie Yu only rubbed his head once before letting go, issuing a concise command: "Wipe."

Shen Ci held onto the blanket. The soaking wet shirt was placed aside. He wiped the water off his body and watched Xie Yu turn the air conditioning knob. Warm air surged in, and the inside of the car instantly warmed up.

Having done all this, Xie Yu turned the steering wheel to the right. The Bentley carved a beautiful arc in the rain. The two rows of matrix headlights turned on as it merged onto the main road.

Shen Ci sat in the passenger seat wrapped in the blanket, not saying a word. He occasionally glanced at Xie Yu from the corner of his eye and quickly looked away, no one knowing what he was thinking.

Xie Yu: "Not going to ask where we're going?"

Shen Ci: "Where are we going?"

Xie Yu said, "We were originally going racing, but now we have to go buy you some clothes first."

He cast a critical glance at the shirt Shen Ci had taken off, sneered, and said, "Taking you out in this kind of cheap street-stall trash will only make me lose face."

The System required him to make Shen Ci feel humiliated. Based on Xie Yu's experience, a good student like Shen Ci had a lofty personality and high self-esteem. As could be seen from his meticulous attention to the details of his clothes, which were washed until they faded to white, even if he was poor, Shen Ci tried his best to maintain his outward appearance. He couldn't stand others exposing his shortcomings. By pointing it out directly, Xie Yu was certain he would feel embarrassed.

He couldn't get physical, so he could only speak a bit more harshly to barely maintain his character persona.

Sure enough, Shen Ci turned his head to look at him with an unreadable expression, not saying a word.

Xie Yu didn't expect him to speak either. He drove into the mall's underground parking lot, slammed on the brakes to a steady stop, pulled out the car key, got out of the car, and said, "With your miserable look, just don't get out. Give me your measurements."

Shen Ci raised his eyes and slowly reported three numbers.

Xie Yu rolled the numbers over his tongue and unnaturally glanced at Shen Ci's waistline, thinking to himself, 'Is it really that thin?'

Although he had already seen it on the first day, Xie Yu considered himself a gentleman. He had only glanced at it before looking away. Now hearing the exact measurements, he couldn't help but click his tongue: "As expected of a protagonist from a smut novel, his figure is truly up to standard."

He went upstairs and walked around the brand stores the original owner used to frequent. The original owner was wealthy and overbearing, never looking at the price when picking clothes, so Xie Yu didn't look either. He scanned the store and pointed out all the ones that were decent. Finally counting out over a dozen pieces, he snapped his fingers and told the clerk to wrap them up, deliver them to the parking lot, and put them in the backseat.

He sat back in the driver's seat and lifted his chin to signal Shen Ci: "Pick one and change into it."

Shen Ci reached out to grab one. The boxes in the back row were all uniformly stamped with black gold. Inside, they were lined with velvet and wrapped in release paper. He pulled out a shirt with a pointed collar, straight sleeves, and tight, strong stitching. It was an old European gentleman's cut, and just by touching it, he knew it was made of excellent material.

Shen Ci looked at Xie Yu: "For me?"

Xie Yu sneered: "Would I make you buy it? Could you even afford it?"

He ignited the engine and said in dissatisfaction, "Fasten your seatbelt, we're going to be late."

Shen Ci buckled up and turned to look at Xie Yu. Young Master Xie's handsome brow, framed against the curtain of rain, was actually quite cold and stern. With a click as the seatbelt locked in place, Xie Yu turned the steering wheel, and the Bentley revved up, charging into the pouring rain.

The racing track was located in the suburbs of Jiang City, about a 40-minute drive from A University, near a scenic spot. There was also a thousand-acre golf course nearby. The rich enclosed large tracts of land in this area where every inch of soil was worth its weight in gold. They scraped away the native vegetation completely and replaced it with various rare and precious flowers and trees, euphemistically calling it "original ecology and pure nature" for their entertainment and leisure.

By the time Xie Yu arrived, the rain had lightened, leaving only a few faint, drifting drizzles. He drove the car to the parking lot and parked it properly. From a distance, he saw a person standing at the entrance.

He Zhiyuan had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his arm around a female companion, chatting and laughing. Seeing Xie Yu, he waved his hand, took a cigarette from his pocket, and offered it: "Young Master Xie is quite late. Want a smoke?"

Xie Yu pushed his hand away: "I haven't been in good health lately, I quit."

The original owner liked to smoke, but when the System signed the contract, it brought him over directly. This was Xie Yu's own body, and he didn't have this habit.

He Zhiyuan looked him up and down: "That's a rare thing. Looking at how tall and long-legged you are, you don't look like you're in bad health at all."

Xie Yu said, "It's an internal issue, you can't tell from the outside." He glanced behind He Zhiyuan, changing the subject, "Who's this pretty girl? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

He Zhiyuan pushed the girl behind him forward to introduce her: "Oh, Lin Yin, my girlfriend. She plays the flute at the music academy, please take good care of her."

The girl had bright, expressive eyes and wore light makeup. She greeted him reservedly.

Xie Yu nodded in acknowledgement, exchanging pleasantries: "Since she's Zhiyuan's girlfriend, I will naturally look out for her."

Lin Yin smiled along. After greeting him, she sensibly took a step back, leaving space for the two of them.

Although he called her his girlfriend, she was actually just a temporary female companion. He Zhiyuan swung both ways and always brought a companion whenever he came out to play. Moreover, this person's tastes varied. A while ago, he liked mature men and women in the entertainment industry with fiery red lips. Later, he also hit on streamers, preferring the youthful and young ones. Recently, he felt those lacked challenge, so he changed his temperament and started wanting to play with cultured intellectuals who had a scholarly air, which was why he got together with a good girl from the music academy.

When it came to scholarly air among those present, the number one wasn't Lin Yin, but Shen Ci from A University.

Although He Zhiyuan was holding onto Lin Yin, he tilted his head and stared straight behind Xie Yu: "And this one? Young Master Xie isn't going to introduce him?"

In the book, this He wasn't a decent person. Xie Yu didn't have the slightest intention of introducing Shen Ci to him, so he lightly changed the topic: "An unimportant person. He looks good, so I brought him along for fun... Why are we standing around at the door? Aren't we going in?"

He Zhiyuan sighed: "We're waiting for Zhou Yang, aren't we? That kid just bought a new limited edition motorcycle and insisted on riding it over."

There were cliques among the playboys too. Xie Yu, He Zhiyuan, and Zhou Yang were all famous playboys in Jiang City, considered a small group of birds of a feather.

After a while, the roar of a motorcycle came from far down the road. A figure wearing a helmet and a black windbreaker sped off the main road, then drifted right in front of them and braked to a stop.

Xie Yu used to play with motorcycles too, but his was mid-priced. Even though it wasn't cheap, there was still a gap between his and a real second-generation rich's. Zhou Yang's ride was a modified flagship model of MV Agusta. With a single retro round headlight, streamlined body, and painted in deep red lacquer, it was flashy and beautiful.

Zhou Yang took off his helmet and got off the bike. Seeing Xie Yu looking at his motorcycle, he laughed: "Just got it, cool, right?"

Xie Yu said sincerely: "Cool. Lend it to me for a ride later."

Zhou Yang: "Easy."

He didn't bring a companion. He pulled Xie Yu and He Zhiyuan inside.

This was a very standard racing venue. Stands were set up on all four sides of the track, divided into A, B, C, and D zones. As this was an internal gathering organized by the second-generation rich, there were very few spectators in the stands.

Xie Yu looked around and asked, "Where are we sitting?"

Hearing this, He Zhiyuan gave him a strange look: "You're sitting? The race is about to start. Aren't you going to your car?"

Xie Yu paused.

His tone was subtle: "I'm going to the car?"

He Zhiyuan walked straight towards the track and said matter-of-factly, "Of course to the car... Are you tired and need to rest? Then you can go to the racers' lounge and sit for a bit, but the previous race is almost over, so be quick."

Xie Yu's expression stiffened, repeating: "...Racers?"

He kept a face that wouldn't change even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, looking serious and stern, but inside he was frantically calling the System: "Fuck, System, the original owner is a racer? Aren't I just here to watch the race?"

The System's drowsy voice came over: "I already told you the original owner is a thrill-seeking second-generation rich. What's the point of watching racing? Of course he has to race himself."

Xie Yu: "..."

He almost couldn't maintain his expression: "Bro, you know that driving a race car requires getting a license, right? You know that to participate in a racing competition, one needs to pass the Federation of Automobile Sports training and complete the exam, right?"

System was baffled: "I know. The original owner has a license."

Xie Yu: "..."

He couldn't help but swear: "The original owner has a fucking license, but I fucking don't!"

Xie Yu's family's financial situation was average. His father indulged in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling—all the vices. With a meager monthly salary, he barely managed to raise Xie Yu. Xie Yu's financial situation only improved after he started working. From childhood to adulthood, he had never even touched a race car. The driver's license he held was a C1 he got the year before last, while any random car on the track reached speeds of 200 km/h and above, catching up to a high-speed train. If he were to really go up there and drive with his bare hands, he'd likely crash off the track in minutes, ending in a destroyed car and his own death.

The System paused in bewilderment for two seconds.

For an electronic lifeform, there was no difference between a race car and an ordinary vehicle.

He Zhiyuan had already reached the entrance and turned back to look at Xie Yu: "What's wrong, Young Master Xie? Come on down."

Since things had reached this point, if he didn't go down, his character persona would likely collapse.

Fortunately, this was an amateur race organized by the second-generation rich. There weren't many spectators, and it wasn't professional either. Although the rich kids sought thrills, it wasn't worth risking their lives, so the speeds weren't too fast.

With his hands in his pockets, Xie Yu walked down with a cold face. Just as he reached the guardrail, the last few cars of the previous round crossed the finish line and sped away, almost becoming afterimages. The wheels spun rapidly, plowing through a large puddle on the asphalt track and kicking up a spray of water that splashed all the way onto Xie Yu's coat.

Xie Yu's face darkened completely.

Among the three, Xie Yu and He Zhiyuan were racers, while Zhou Yang didn't play with race cars. Now that both had left, he sprawled alone on the spectator seats, casually looking down. Catching sight of Xie Yu's expression, he suddenly clicked his tongue, then cast a sympathetic glance at Shen Ci: "I reckon you're about to run into bad luck."

Shen Ci sat quietly in his place without responding, as if Zhou Yang was discussing someone irrelevant. Lin Yin, however, asked somewhat curiously, "Why?"

Zhou Yang reached out and pointed down: "What else could it be? Xie Yu isn't in a good mood. With his temper, every time he loses a race, he takes it out on someone. Last time, there was a minor internet celebrity he also brought to a race. He beat them so badly that night they ended up in the hospital. Later, he paid two million to settle it privately. Now he has that kind of expression before the race even starts. I reckon things won't end well today."

Lin Yin let out an "Ah."

She was considered half an insider and knew somewhat about these filthy matters. Among these second-generation rich, Xie Yu had a particularly bad temper and was especially heavy-handed. Hearing this, she couldn't help but secretly size up Shen Ci, her expression carrying a bit of sympathy.

Down on the track, Xie Yu had already sat inside his race car.

They were all amateur racers and not very professional. The race cars were all parked on a straight lane outside the main track. Driving forward for 200 meters and making an arc would allow them to merge onto the main track.

He Zhiyuan put on his helmet and turned back: "Young Master Xie, are you ready? I'll definitely be faster than you this time."

Xie Yu: "..."

As he spoke, the starting gun fired.

He Zhiyuan gripped the steering wheel, leaving everyone in the dust after the countdown ended, swiftly merging into the main track.

Xie Yu: "..."

He tentatively stepped on the gas pedal.

The race car puttered twice and slid forward two meters.

Xie Yu: "..."

The System kindly reminded him: "Host, you can't do this, your character persona is collapsing."

Xie Yu stepped on it again. The race car continued to putter, sliding forward another two meters.

...A perfectly good million-tier race car was forcefully driven by him to feel like a children's kiddie ride.

Zhou Yang looked towards the starting lane and frowned: "Is there a problem with Xie Yu's race car?"

Why did he ignite it twice, but it just forcefully refused to start?

Lin Yin let out an "Ah," and couldn't help but turn to look at Shen Ci, the sympathy in her eyes growing even stronger.

At this time, the fastest few cars on the track had already completed more than a lap, passing by Xie Yu one by one with splashing water. Xie Yu stayed in the starting lane, the wind whistling past his ears and the roar of engines exploding in bursts as race car after race car sped past on the main track like lightning, almost becoming afterimages.

He couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Xie Yu pulled out the key and got out of the car, cursing and swearing.

The System said weakly: "Host, your character persona."

The veins on Xie Yu's forehead throbbed: "Shut up, I'll figure something out."

He took off the helmet on his head and threw the keys to the staff, telling them to do maintenance on the race car. Then, he walked straight through the lounge towards the spectator stands.

To be exact, he walked towards Shen Ci.