Against the Algorithm

Chapter 54: Given, Not Owed

But Four.

All lined in a neat row like something out of a showroom catalog. Their reflections shimmered beneath the overcast light, tires spotless, windows tinted just enough to look smug about it.

Sicheng's eyes narrowed immediately, not in irritation but in the way he always did when presented with something he wasn't told about first. There was the silver Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta, he'd picked. But parked beside it... A motorcycle. Low-slung. Matte black. Gold-trimmed. The Zhenxing V8 C-Shadow // Custom

Yue's jaw dropped before he even got to the second surprise. "Wait. Wait. Wait." His hands shot into the air like he'd just seen a miracle take shape in real time. "Is that—she didn't—" Because there it was. The Jaguar XKR-S // Crimson Feral. The one he'd mourned. The one he'd stood in front of with a hand to his chest like it was the love he could never have. It was here. Right in front of him. Perfect. Real. Delivered.

Sicheng took a slow step forward toward the motorcycle, his expression unreadable, eyes flicking over the lines, the custom plate already affixed, the sleek helmet resting beside the seat.

Yue was already circling the Jaguar, talking to it like it might talk back. "No. No, no, no—this is cruel. You can't just give this to me. This is emotional sabotage. This is a trap. I'm being tested. This is the loyalty mission in a dating sim."

Sicheng, after a long moment of silence, glanced down at the small envelope taped neatly to the seat of the bike.

His name.

No frills.

Just: Cheng-ge.

He pulled the note free, opened it.

Inside—her handwriting, small, neat, shy even on paper:

I saw how you looked at this one.
Let them have the ones they asked for.
This one was always meant for you.
—Yao.

Yue found his envelope a moment later, tucked under the windshield wiper like a letter left by fate. His voice broke halfway through reading it aloud. "She said, 'You didn't have to ask. I always meant to give it to you.' " He turned to Sicheng, still holding the letter, eyes wide. "She's dangerous."

Sicheng didn't answer. He was staring at the bike again. Then folded the note carefully, tucking it into the inside pocket of his jacket before walking a slow circle around the Zhenxing. He didn't touch it yet he just looked. Every angle. Every curve. Like he was studying something sacred.

Yue walked up beside him a moment later, quieter now. "She didn't even tell us."

"No," Sicheng said softly, "she didn't."

"Do we... say something? I feel like we should say something."

Sicheng was silent again. Than, "She's probably pretending she doesn't know we've found them. Waiting."

Yue blinked. "You mean she's watching?"

"No. I mean she's waiting for us to bring it up so she can panic and try to deflect."

Yue groaned. "She's going to go red and pretend it was practical."

"Correct."

"So... what do we do?"

Sicheng looked over the top of the bike at his brother, the corners of his eyes just starting to soften. "We say thank you." Then... "We don't give the keys back."