"Let's set a date for our marriage."
Aik's voice rang in Lin Xirou's ears, causing her stunningly beautiful face to show deep shock, incredulously looking at Aik, who was smiling at her.
Although Aik's face was very handsome, and his smile made him even more attractive at this moment, to Lin Xirou, she found it repulsive, and she blurted out, "Hypocrite..."
Aik, with a smile on his face, was stunned when he heard Lin Xirou's accusation of hypocrisy. Then, as he looked into Lin Xirou's fiery eyes staring back at him, his smile slowly disappeared.
With a slight frown, Aik said, "Xirou, I know you still think about Ye Qiu, but you'd better wake up. That loser who disappeared a year ago is now who knows where, begging for food. Besides, the gap between you and him is widening. Do you know that?"
"Shut up, I won't let you speak about Ye Qiu that way."
Hearing Aik insulting Ye Qiu, Lin Xirou felt as if her heart was being stabbed, and she immediately shouted angrily at Aik.
"Hmph, you know these things but just don't want to admit them."
Aik was even more infuriated seeing Lin Xirou protect Ye Qiu in such a way: "I know you and Ye Qiu grew up together and have a very good relationship. I also know that Ye Qiu is very important to you, but have you ever thought that Ye Qiu is now a loser, and you are already a 5-star Bronze Car King with limitless potential for future achievements.
Lin Xirou, at the very least, you will become a Platinum Car Emperor in the future, maybe even stronger, possibly surpassing that supreme existence. You will become a superstar in the racing world, a global superstar, having billions of fans, and enjoy endless wealth. But what about Ye Qiu?
Haven't you thought about when you become successful and enjoy the cheers of thousands, what it will be like when you're with Ye Qiu? Have you thought about him? At that time, how will others see Ye Qiu, and what will they say about him..."
After saying that in one breath, Aik softened his tone, looking at Lin Xirou, who was silent with furrowed brows: "So, Xirou, Ye Qiu isn't worthy of you, the one who is worthy is me, Aik. I am already the Silver Chariot King and I will become the Golden Chariot Emperor in the future, maybe even the Platinum Car Emperor, and even..."
A deep yearning emerged in Aik's eyes: "As long as I'm willing to work hard, if we work together, Xirou, we will one day surpass the Platinum Car Emperor and become that Diamond Car Saint, becoming an enviable existence in the racing world, don't you think that's great?"
After Aik finished speaking, he was impressed by his own words, then looked at Lin Xirou, who was staring at him, and asked, "Xirou, what do you think?"
Lin Xirou looked at Aik's handsome face, a smile appearing on her face, "Aik, you speak really well."
"Really, Xirou, you think I'm right?" Aik was excited.
Lin Xirou nodded, "Everything you said is right and very well said, but..."
A gentle figure emerged in Lin Xirou's mind, and deep tenderness appeared in her eyes, as if she was speaking to Aik or possibly murmuring to herself: "No matter what you say, Aik, Xirou's heart already belongs to someone, imprinted deeply since a very young age.
"Don't say any more!" Aik shouted angrily.
Lin Xirou laughed, "Maybe when the day comes that I become successful, Ye Qiu won't match me, and being with me might bring him scorn, but I want to say, Aik, you are wrong. By then, I, Lin Xirou, would give up everything, give up all fame and fortune for Ye Qiu."
"You're crazy," Aik said.
Lin Xirou shook her head, "You don't understand, you simply don't understand. You have no idea how crazy it can be to love someone to the bone, and what astonishing things you can do."
After speaking, Lin Xirou started her modified McLaren 570S, glanced at Aik, and said, "My happiness can only be decided by myself. So if you really push me, then I'm sorry, I can only go to another team and seek a team that can pay off this debt. Don't force me, Aik, don't force me to leave the team I've grown up with."
Upon hearing this, Aik's eyes twitched, knowing Lin Xirou was right. If she wanted to leave, many teams would be willing to take her and pay off that hefty debt for her.
Watching Lin Xirou's McLaren 570S roar away, Aik's handsome face showed deep ferocity, and he kicked the ground hard, roaring, "Ah... Ye Qiu, I hate you..."
Then he looked at the surprised staff and drivers around him and shouted, "What are you looking at?"
After shouting, a sharp and fierce light shone in Aik's eyes as he mumbled to himself, "Lin Xirou, you will be mine sooner or later. I will certainly make you willingly marry me. There has never been anything I, Aik, wanted and didn't get since I was a child."
…
In her anger, Lin Xirou drove the modified McLaren 570S and returned home in just five minutes. Not seeing her parents, she went back to her bedroom.
The moment she lay on her bed, tears flowed from her eyes, and she started crying in pain.
A moment later, Lin Xirou's sobbing stopped. With red, swollen eyes, she got up and went to her computer desk, looking at the photo frame she polished daily on it.
Taking the photo frame in her hands and looking at Ye Qiu in the white racing suit hugging her, a trace of gentleness appeared in Lin Xirou's red, swollen eyes.
Then, using her tender fingers like scallions, she tapped on Ye Qiu in the photo frame, shyly angry, "Ye Qiu, oh Ye Qiu, do you know that Aik is pushing me to marry him, where are you now, you fool? Do you know how much I miss you every day, I really hope you can appear by my side soon, even a phone call would be nice..."
As she spoke, tears welled up in Lin Xirou's eyes again, and she held Ye Qiu's photo frame and cried on the desk once more in sadness.
...
Bang.
On a mountain loop road on the outskirts of Minshan County, Huaxia, a rear tire of a classic pickup suddenly blew out. The pickup spun a few times on the spot before it crashed into the nearby mountain wall with a bang and finally stopped.
It was just past 3 am in Huaxia, so the sound of the tire exploding, followed by the car hitting the mountain wall, was particularly piercing in the quiet of the dawn, causing a pack of dogs in the county to start barking.
"Did the tire actually blow out?"
The pickup's door opened, and Ye Qiu got out. Looking at the blown rear tire, he felt a sense of helplessness.
He had intended to sleep earlier, but was kept awake thinking about the dream where Lin Xirou was getting married.
Although it was just a dream, Ye Qiu felt it was so real. At the same time, he realized that he hadn't touched racing for a year, and the gap between him and Aik and Lin Xirou was growing.
Ye Qiu knew that if he wanted to go back and take Lin Xirou away, and defeat Aik, he needed to put in a lot more effort.
With these thoughts in mind, Ye Qiu instantly lost his sleepiness and got up to practice driving.
The reason he chose this place to practice drifting was entirely because Fle told him that his Five Attributes could be increased not just through experience, but also through continuous practice.
And by getting familiar with the car, his Spiritual Value would also increase. Although Fle told him that increasing Spiritual Value had a chance, and increasing the Five Attributes was slower compared to gaining experience from races, Ye Qiu still chose to train.
Even though increasing the Five Attributes through system experience was indeed effective and had no side effects,
Ye Qiu always felt it was a bit odd. Practicing himself made him feel more secure.
However, Ye Qiu didn't expect that, after just half an hour of practice, the rear tire actually blew out.
"Ah, it seems the intensity of training with racing techniques is too high, and these regular vehicle tires can't handle it..."
Ye Qiu looked at the blown rear tire thoughtfully, then shook his head, checked the time, and remembered he still had to deliver goods later. He asked Fle, "Fle, exchange me a tire, and help me install it."
"You can exchange a tire, but installations can't be done right now."
"Why?" Ye Qiu asked and then remembered that the modification factory requires the system to reach Level 5 to unlock.
To upgrade the system, he must find the nine leftover crystal chips from Fle; finding one upgrades it by one level.
Thinking of that, Ye Qiu asked Fle, "Fle, any clues on the crystal chips?"
"No clues for now. But based on my sensing over the period, they should be nearby, though the exact location is still unknown."
Upon hearing Fle's words, Ye Qiu nodded, then looked at the deflated pickup helplessly, saying, "I guess I have to call the fat guy..."
...
Ten minutes later, at a place called Trustworthy Automotive Repair Center in Minshan County,
Ye Qiu's pickup was towed into the repair center, and after depositing the pickup inside, the tow truck parked at a nearby spot.
The door opened, and a fat guy weighing about 200 pounds, wearing casual clothes, with braided hair, and in flip-flops, got out while yawning, then saw Ye Qiu getting off from the other side, and said speechlessly, "Ye Qiu, what are you doing? What time is it now? You wake me up, and I'm not even fully awake."
"Really sorry, fat guy, I had no other choice."
Ye Qiu said apologetically.
The fat guy waved his hand, "Forget it, we're old pals after all. If I don't help you fix the car, you won't be able to deliver goods later, and your damn old dad might scold you again."
After saying this, the fat guy headed towards Ye Qiu's pickup, while Ye Qiu, moved, said to him, "Thank you, fat guy."
The fat guy waved his fleshy hand, "Forget it, just treat me to a meal sometime... Hmph, I must eat a lot then to make up for my lost nutrition today."
Upon hearing the fat guy's words, Ye Qiu shook his head helplessly and walked towards the pickup to repair it along with the fat guy.