My Perfect Enemy is Finally Broke Novel - Chap 24
Ji Ran diligently practiced until the day of the race. His speed had gone up considerably.
Since his foundation was already there, the feeling easily returned with a little practice.
The race was in the afternoon, located at a track in Manyang that wasn’t usually open to the public
“Gu Zhe is really miserly.” Yu Wen Wen arrived at the racetrack and commented, “How can this track excite Ranran?”
“It’s not bad.” Cheng Peng held Chen An’s waist. “Competitions like this are originally private, so this can already be considered picking from the best.”
Chen An glanced nervously around from within Cheng Peng’s arms. “I-Is t-this illegal?”
“Shh!” Yu Wen Wen frightened him. “It’s alright, if the police come, they’ll catch those in the cars first. We will have time to escape.”
Chen An was immediately frightened into silence.
Ji Ran stood behind them, wearing a helmet, not talking.
When they walked into the rest area, they soon attracted the attention of most people.
Qin Man followed him and asked: “When does the race start?”
“Three o’clock.” Ji Ran remembered something and said, “If Gu Zhe starts trouble with you again in a while, just fight back. I’m not afraid of that guy.”
“But I don’t know how to win against him with words.”
“…You are usually good with words, chattering about all day. If you can’t speak, use your fists. How old are you? Do I still have to teach you all these?”
Qin Man laughed. “Afraid I’ll be bullied?”
Ji Ran’s tone chilled. “Don’t think too much. In any case, you came here with me. When beating dogs, you still have to see who their owners are.”
“Ji Ran.” Speak of the devil and he shall come. Gu Zhe had changed into the competition’s attire and was walking towards them. His expression was normal, as if the one who had fought against Qin Man in the bar hadn’t been him.
“You came quite late. Why haven’t you gotten changed?”
Ji Ran glanced at him silently.
Yu Wen Wen piped in, “Wow, Gu Zhe. You look rather presentable after making an effort.”
“Of course, I even invited many handsome and beautiful people over. There’ll be a party tonight, right after the race, that’s bound to excite you all.” Gu Zhe finally looked at Qin Man.
“Ah, President Qin, I was a little drunk at that time in the bar. I hope you didn’t take what happened to heart.”
Qin Man wore a shallow smile of indifference and didn’t reply.
“I don’t have time for some rubbish party,” Ji Ran scoffed.
“Is that so? But the prize for the competition will be awarded at the party. I’d thought you would be interested.”
His meaning was: if you want the prize, you have to go.
Ji Ran couldn’t be bothered with him. He turned around and headed to the changing room.
Cheng Peng, “Alright. We, the audience, will go find our own seats. We won’t bother the host any further.”
After Gu Zhe left, they found an empty seat.
“Why do I feel like there’s something wrong with Gu Zhe?” Yu Wen Wen had just sat down. “Isn’t he a little too enthusiastic?”
Cheng Peng agreed with a heavy heart, “Should we remind Ji Ran?”
“We’re already here, what’s the point?”
“It’s fine.” Qin Man interrupted them, “There shouldn’t be a problem with the competition itself.”
Yu Wen Wen turned around. “Why?”
“This competition is tied to him since he was the one who hosted it. Anything that happens will fall onto him. In any case, Ji Ran is still a member of the Ji family, Gu Zhe wouldn’t dare to try anything.”
Instead, it was the party that had him uneasy.
Yu Wen Wen felt that made sense. “You’re right. And with all of us sitting here, he wouldn’t dare try anything funny.”
Amidst their conversation, Qin Man saw Ji Ran coming out of the changing room in a set of racing attire.
The car had already been sent over from the workshop. When Ji Ran walked over, he touched the car’s exterior and said something to the staff who did the final check.
Qin Man’s sight suddenly landed on a figure heading for the restroom. He looked back and got up. “I’m going to the restroom.”
Gu Zhe had just finished using the facilities and was preparing to leave after washing his hands. He turned around just in time to bump into Qin Man.
He could still remember the loss he’d suffered at the bar, but today, he had greater plans. Therefore, he couldn’t cause any problems with this group of people.
He faked a smile. “How coincidental. Are you satisfied with the snacks prepared in the resting area?”
“Not a coincidence,” Qin Man said flatly, “I came to find you.”
Gu Zhe paused, “What’s wrong?”
“I came to remind you that it’s best not to overstep your boundaries. Otherwise, you may not be able go back.”
Gu Zhe felt strange. Ji Ran hadn’t even said anything negative to him, so what did Qin Man mean by this? Could bankrupt people be so arrogant?
“…Don’t think that you’ve won just because you have my weakness.” Gu Zhe shed his pretense. “Let me tell you, I’m really not afraid of you telling others about it. At most, it’s just a little shameful, but who knows what you’d suffer?”
Unexpectedly, Qin Man didn’t get flustered. His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Suffer? Because of you?”
Gu Zhe laughed coldly. “If I really want to do something, do you think Ji Ran can stop me? In the end, he’s only a…”
“Gu Zhe.”
The last trace of smile vanished from Qin Man’s face. His expression was dark and his towering figure seemed rather intimidating at the moment.
Gu Zhe had wanted to continue, but was frightened by his aura.
…He was just afraid others would overhear and foil his plans. It’s definitely not because he was scared of Qin Man.
“What are you doing?” He feigned calm. “Trying to scare me? Remember whose territory this is.”
“I’m only giving you a kind reminder.”
“…Remind me of what?”
Qin Man walked over to his side and washed his hands. After drying them, he patted Gu Zhe’s shoulders.
“Don’t try anything funny.” Qin Man didn’t even look back before throwing down his final words. “It’s not bad to be alive.”
When Qin Man returned to his seat, the match was already in the final state of preparation.
“Where did you go? You took too long, it’s almost begun.” Yu Wen Wen asked.
“Too many people, so there was a queue.”
At this time, the big screen turned to the camera in Ji Ran’s car.
Suddenly, there was a clamour on the track. After Gu Zhe got into the car, he deliberately caused the noise.
The person on the screen evidently heard it.
The car beside Ji Ran was Gu Zhe’s. Ji Ran glanced sideways and met Gu Zhe’s gaze.
Gu Zhe nodded at him, like a greeting.
After staring for a moment, Ji Ran lifted a gloved hand and raised his middle finger.
Gu Zhe, “…”
Qin Man laughed.
Before the competition began, Chen An asked curiously, “Is Ji Ran good? C-Can he beat Gu Zhe?”
“Nonsense! Gu Zhe is just a fool, he’s never won against Ji Ran in racing. A small match like this hosted by Gu Zhe is just for fun, there aren’t any worthy opponents. If you want to discuss Ranran’s opponent…it’ll have to be that black and white car. The driver seems to be a rather well-known rookie.” Yu Wen Wen answered.
Since it was a hassle to change tires and add petrol, the rules were only a maximum of eight rounds. They wouldn’t return before that unless their car broke down.
Only eight competitors and Ji Ran was the seventh in line.
A few minutes after the match started, Ji Ran was still sitting in the car, waiting. He looked up and glanced at the screen, coincidentally seeing Gu Zhe be forced towards the edge after his brakes locked.
He sneered and turned to ask the person beside him, “How much longer do I have to wait?”
20 seconds later, there was a loud roar. A grey-coloured car turned into view and joined the race at a break-neck speed.
This racetrack was much simpler than what Ji Ran expected. There weren’t many curves, only 1. He had taken less than three days to familiarise himself.
Ji Ran was like the wind and water, speeding through the winding road as his car left behind beautiful S-shaped skid marks. He quickly entered the second lap.
“Fuck, look at Ranran’s speed.” After the data appeared, Yu Wen Wen cried in surprise. “…It’s even faster than the rookie in second place by an entire 12 seconds!”
Qin Man was also surprised. It looks like Ji Ran truly did have the skills to join those clubs.
Just as Ji Ran was prepared to cross a bend, another car doing the same abruptly headed for his direction.
During the competition, in order to prevent injuries, the rules were such that the car had to leave ample space in the rear when turning in order to prevent the cars from colliding. This car was obviously far too near. At this degree in a competition, it would definitely suffer a loss.
“Fuck!” Cheng Peng’s expression darkened. “That’s Gu Zhe. What’s he trying to do?!”
Qin Man pursed his lips tightly, focusing on the large screen.
Although Gu Zhe was close, thankfully, Ji Ran had been constantly increasing his speed and easily breezed past Gu Zhe, leaving him in his dust. Gu Zhe’s dangerous stunt didn’t seem to have inconvenienced him in any way.
“Motherfucker.” Yu Wen Wen spat and stood up. “I’m going to find the referee. He’s not even going to stop this?”
On screen, the gray race car suddenly slowed down when turning another corner.
Qin Man immediately stopped Yu Wen Wen. “Wait a minute.”
There was no way Gu Zheng would risk his life to play such a joke. He merely wanted to give Ji Ran a scare. Though imagination was a beautiful thing, he didn’t expect that just a few seconds later, he would meet Ji Ran again.
This time, it was Ji Ran who closed in on him.
“Fuck!” Gu Zhe got a scare and swerved, nearly crashing his car into an underbrush.
By the time he recovered, he couldn’t even see the shadow of Ji Ran’s car at all.
A vengeful junior brother.
Qin Man’s heart was complicated when he thought of how Ji Ran would even attempt such a dangerous stunt for revenge.
Yu Wen Wen, who was full of anger and was about to cause some trouble for Gu Zhe, saw this scene and quietly sat back down. “…Ranran is a merciless man.”
Although there were some interludes in the competition, the audience wasn’t kept in suspense. With 17 seconds in excess, he easily won first place.
Ji Ran felt pretty good.
He took off his helmet and saw Gu Zhe’s spooked expression, feeling a little pleased.
“Ranran!” Yu Wen Wen rushed to his side. “Aren’t you too fucking cool?”
Ji Ran raised his eyebrows. “When am I not cool?”
After chattering away for half a day, Ji Ran finally noticed the person standing at the back had yet to speak up.
“Hey.” He took a sip of water and poked Qin Man. “Why are you in a daze?”
Normally, shouldn’t Qin Man be giving him a few words of praise?
Qin Man lowered his eyes and met his gaze silently for several seconds.
