Chapter 16
Zi Lian came over the next morning. She thoughtfully said to Zi Xu and Li Peirong, "I'm sure Yiyi might have to spend a few days in the capital. Since Xuanxuan is preparing for her exams, I'm sure you two are worried about her as well. Why don't I come along with you? That way, I can hang out with Yiyi and you can find time to come back and check on Xuanxuan."
Zi Lian always gave people the impression that she was refined and thoughtful.
Zi Xu was still considering her offer, but Li Peirong contemplated her own plans and smiled as she said, "That's very thoughtful of you. I was just thinking about that and was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on both of them."
She turned to look at Zi Xu and said, "Why don't you let her join us? Since Yiyi doesn't have friends in the capital, she might feel uncomfortable. Lianlian can keep her company while she's there."
Zi Xu felt it was a bad idea but he could not put his finger on the reason why he felt this way.
Zi Yi even put in a good word for Zi Lian. "Uh huh. She can even hang out with me."
Zi Xu agreed when he heard Zi Yi say that.
Zi Xuan did not care about Zi Yi's matters and left for school first thing in the morning.
The four of them went to the capital by car.
City S was not far and it only took five to six hours by car.
The moment they arrived at the capital, Zi Xu called the He family's butler.
The butler shockingly told the Zi family to get a room at the hotel for the time being. The He family would ring them when they were ready to see Zi Yi.
Zi Yi noticed the anger on Zi Xu's face when he hung up, so she deliberately asked, "Dad, when will we go to the He residence?"
Zi Xu suppressed his displeasure as they looked at him and said, "It's getting late, so we will stay at a hotel first."
The moment he finished speaking, he told the chauffeur to take them to a five-star hotel.
Meanwhile, at the He residence.
The He family's butler reported the matter to He Fei's mother, who was married to the second son of the He family.
Madam He was having high tea with some of her rich female friends. The moment she heard the butler's report, she composed herself. "Tell them to wait at the hotel. I will naturally see them when I have the time."
"Yes, Madam He."
After he left, Madam Wu smiled as she asked, "I hear that He Fei is back. Does this mean he is getting ready for marriage?"
"Hahh! Don't even start." Madam He looked annoyed. "I don't know what possessed him. Ever since he came back from City S, he insisted on marrying some woman from there."
The rich wives felt curious.
Madam Chen asked, "Where is she from?"
"She's just a little businessman's daughter."
The rich wives looked at each other and seemed to be against the marriage.
Status was very important in high society.
"Why did He Fei fall for someone like her?"
"That woman is good-looking." Madam He had already investigated Zi Yi when He Fei insisted on marrying her. "I have seen her photos and I have to agree that she is very pretty."
"What use is it to be pretty? There are plenty of pretty women out there." In high society, men could get any kind of beauty they wanted, so her friends found it an inexplicable reason.
Madam He did not understand his persistence either and felt annoyed. "I told him the same thing, but he was stubborn and insisted on marrying her. Just yesterday, he left the house and hasn't come back after getting into a fight with his father."
Her friends comforted her the moment they heard this.
"It's normal for youngsters to have a little fun."
"Maybe it is just a novelty for him. I'm sure he will get over her soon."
Madam Zeng asked, "Why didn't you arrange for him to meet some other girls?"
Madam He said powerlessly, "Of course I arranged some dates for him but he refused to see them."
Everyone went quiet for a moment.
Madam Zeng wanted her daughter to marry He Fei, so she suggested, "Since He Fei insists on marrying her, why don't you organize an evening party and invite all the young women from the capital's high society to come over? With a few more options out there, he will see the light in no time."
"Fei would never agree to it." Madam He knew her son's temperament the best. If he found out that she had specially organized a party for him to meet potential marriage candidates, he would not even come home.
Madam Zeng smiled and suggested, "Don't tell him about it yet. Just use that woman as an excuse to make him come back."
Madam He contemplated and felt that it made sense, so she smiled as well. "That works. I will get the butler to make plans."
Chapter 17
The Zi family checked into a presidential suite when they arrived at the hotel.
After dinner, Zi Xu was worried that Zi Yi might secretly go out to have fun if she got bored, so he said, "Learn proper etiquette from Lianlian. Don't make any mistakes at the He residence."
Zi Yi could not possibly learn etiquette from Zi Lian. Instead, she said, "I want to surf the internet. I won't go out."
Zi Xu frowned and wanted to scold her.
Li Peirong hurriedly said, "Stop putting so much pressure on her. I don't think it's a big deal for her to use the internet as long as she stays put."
Zi Xu recalled all the trouble Zi Yi used to make in City S and said nothing.
Zi Yi headed back to her room.
Since there was a computer in the room, Zi Yi checked how to get to Metropolis University.
There were still three days to go until it was Metropolis University's independent enrollment exam. Zi Xu had told his assistant to freeze her bank account and so she still did not have access to it.
If she wanted to go out, she certainly needed money.
Zi Yi leaned her chin against her hand as she muttered, "It seems I need to make some money."
Someone knocked on the door.
Li Peirong entered through the doorway with a glass of warm milk in her hand.
"I brought you a glass of warm milk."
Li Peirong walked up behind Zi Yi and placed the glass beside her. She subtly looked at the computer screen.
She smiled in relief because she only saw a map of the capital on the screen. "After we have visited the He family, I can take you around the capital for a couple of days."
Zi Yi turned her head sideways and glanced at her without saying a word. She veered her eyes away from Li Peirong and continued using the computer, but this time, she looked at tips on being a high society lady.
Li Peirong happily said, "You are finally all grown up. Take all the time you need. I will leave you to it."
Zi Yi calmly acknowledged her.
Li Peirong frowned when she noticed Zi Yi was suddenly being distant from her. She turned to leave the room and closed the door behind her, before her face turned dark.
After Li Peirong had closed the door, Zi Yi turned to glance at it with a smile on her face.
Not before long, someone knocked on the door once more.
Zi Yi went over to open the door and saw Zi Lian standing outside with an expression of concern.
"Yiyi, what are you doing all by yourself in the room? Are you playing video games again?"
Zi Yi leaned her back against the door frame as she crossed her arms and rhetorically asked, "Yes?"
"I'm worried you might get bored, so I came over to hang out with you."
Zi Yi glanced at her before she turned around and headed into the room.
Zi Lian instinctively followed behind her. The moment she entered the room, she checked out the computer screen.
She asked with a straight face, "Don't you like car racing? I heard that there are professional races in the capital. Also, there is one happening tomorrow. Shall we go and check it out?"
Zi Yi was about to sit down but turned to look at her when she heard the suggestion.
Zi Lian felt delighted at her reaction and continued, "I heard all the races in the capital are very professional and exciting. Also, you can make bets... I know you have plenty of money but just think about it. Isn't it thrilling to bet on a racer that you like?"
Zi Yi was a thrill seeker and obsessed with car racing and always blindly burned through money because of it. She was often conned out of her money by the bad company she kept. All the youngsters in their family knew about this.
Zi Lian felt that the capital's elites probably enjoyed car racing. If she convinced Zi Yi to go and the elites of the capital saw Zi Yi losing a lot of money at the races, the He family might learn of Zi Yi's wastrel ways.
Zi Yi's eyes glinted when she saw Zi Lian's obvious delight and said in an unhappy tone, "Dad froze my account, so I have no money. What's the point of going to the races?"
Chapter 18
"I will lend you the money."
Zi Lian realized that she might have come off too enthusiastic, so she paused and said, "Money isn't important. All that matters is that you have a good time there."
Zi Yi instantly looked tempted by the offer but she did not agree to go.
Zi Lian looked at her face and continued to tempt her. "I heard that their races take place in the morning. We can just tell Uncle Xu and Aunt Peirong that we are going shopping. I am sure they will let us go."
After some time, Zi Yi finally said, "Fine."
She hurriedly chased Zi Lian away. "I'm going to bed."
Since Zi Lian and Zi Yi had little contact with each other, they were not close. Now that Zi Lian had gotten what she came for, she did not want to linger in the room any longer, so she said goodnight and left.
The moment she closed the door, Zi Yi checked online about the race happening tomorrow.
The race was organized by two men from powerful families. The bets were huge and consisted of a bar and club.
Other than the bankers, it was open to the public as well and many people had betted on it.
Zi Yi smiled when she saw this.
People were sending her money just when she needed it, so there was no reason for her to hold back.
The next day.
After breakfast, Zi Lian told Zi Xu and Li Peirong, "Uncle Xu, Aunt Peirong, I want to take Yiyi out shopping and do some facials together."
Zi Xu did not look receptive to the idea but Li Peirong wanted Zi Yi to experience the temptations the capital had to offer and get into trouble, so she agreed, "Xu, why don't you let them go out and have some fun. You can't keep Yiyi holed up in the hotel the entire time, right? If she gets bored, you will end up worried."
Zi Xu recalled what his wife mentioned about his daughter acting abnormally when they went to bed last night. He was worried she was just keeping a low profile for now and would embarrass him when they went to the He family, so he told Zi Yi, "You can go out, but you can't make trouble. Also, come back before noon."
Zi Yi pursed her lips without saying a word, so everyone thought she was reluctant to come back so early.
Zi Xu looked angry. "If you don't promise me, then stay at the hotel."
Li Peirong hurriedly glanced at Zi Yi. "Just promise your father that you'll behave. We are in the capital and not in City S. There are many people that we can't afford to offend. After you are married to Young Master He, you can do anything you want."
Zi Xu's expression finally softened. "Your mother is right. If you marry Young Master He, you can do anything you like."
Zi Yi finally replied, "Okay."
Zi Xu was happy with her response. "Lianlian, look after her."
"Okay, Uncle Xu."
The moment they left the hotel together, Zi Lian smiled as she said, "Was my excuse good or what?"
Zi Yi glanced at her. "Aren't we going to the races? Let's go!"
Zi Lian quickly suppressed the smile emerging on her face when she saw how enthusiastic Zi Yi was. She whispered, "Hang on. We need to shake off the chauffeur first, or else Uncle Xu will find out and get angry."
Zi Lian had already planned how to get there. First, they would get the chauffeur to send them to the city square, where they would shake him off, before heading to the international race track at the capital.
The international race track was on the northern side of the capital and was the most advanced and challenging F1 track in the country.
By the time they made it there, countless cars had already pulled up outside the racetrack. Everyone looked like privileged people from wealthy families as they entered through the racetrack entrance.
Since Zi Lian had never experienced car racing before, she always felt that it was meant for privileged brats, but now she was awestruck. "I can't believe so many people turned up for the race."
Zi Yi glanced at her before she opened the cab door and got out.
Chapter 19
Everyone instantly turned to look at Zi Yi when they arrived at the racetrack.
She was only dressed in a simple short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. Even then, she surpassed all the other women who had put in so much effort to dress up.
Many young men could not help whistling at Zi Yi.
Zi Yi did not take it seriously.
However, Zi Lian found it an embarrassment as she walked beside Zi Yi. She felt that only indecent women would get whistled at by men.
At the thought, she told Zi Yi, "Wait for me at the entrance. I will buy our tickets."
Zi Yi nodded and headed to the entrance.
Zi Lian suddenly felt jealous when everyone stopped looking in her direction.
She felt that she was pretty as well. Also, she was far more feminine than Zi Yi.
Were all these people blind or something?
After Zi Yi made it to the entrance, many men surrounded her.
A man with a nose ring brushed his bangs to the side as he warmly asked, "Are you here to see the race?"
Zi Yi looked at him without saying a word.
Another man piped up, "Zhang Shen, that's a stupid question. If she isn't here to see the race, don't tell me she is here to look at you?"
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone laughed in amusement.
The man called Zhang Shen punched the man who deliberately contradicted him, before he enthusiastically said, "Shall we go in together? Then I can explain what's going on. I promise to make it an adrenaline-driven event for you."
"Really now?" Someone else jested.
Zi Yi looked at Zi Lian as she queued to buy tickets and asked, "Where can I place bets?"
Everyone was briefly caught by surprise before they looked at her oddly.
Zi Yi also looked at them perplexedly.
Zhang Shen swallowed his saliva. "You sure have guts. Do you know who organized this race? Or why it happened?"
Zhang Shen instinctively felt that Zi Yi was clueless, so he went ahead and told her, "Young Master Xiang and Young Master Peng made a bet, so all the racers are theirs. If you want to make a bet, it starts at 500,000 dollars. Also, you can only bet on one side."
"Other than them, did anyone else join the race?"
"..."
Everyone went quiet and looked at her quizzically.
A man with blonde hair asked, "Are you from out of town?"
"Why?" Zi Yi felt that they had strange questions.
Everyone looked at her even more strangely now.
The man with blonde hair said, "Then you might not know their backgrounds. Other than those who are their equals, no one else dared to get involved when they made the bet."
Zhang Shen added, "More importantly, they have hired internationally renowned racers. Since it is a battle between kings, all other racers will have to eat dirt."
Someone happened to be telling He Fei the very same thing over the phone.
He Fei had shamelessly stayed at the Lu residence these couple of days. He was determined to marry Zi Yi, so he refused to go home when his family wanted him to marry someone else.
The moment He Fei heard about it, he was interested. "It seems Xiang Tao and Peng Ziming really mean war this time."
He touched his chin with a knowing look sweeping across his eyes. "Since they are betting so big, something must be wrong."
"What do you mean?" asked Lu Ming curiously.
"They must be in it together for the money."
Lu Ming did not believe him. "I don't think so. They have never seen eye to eye with each other and often gamble like this. How could they be in it together? Also, they even made such a big deal about it."
"You must be bonkers from studying. You should ask Second Older Brother about things like this. He has keen eyes and can tell if something is amiss right away."
He Fei walked out the moment he finished speaking, but his phone suddenly rang again.
He Fei took out his phone, took a glance and promptly halted. An odd expression crossed his face as he looked at the caller ID.
Chapter 20
Lu Ming asked quizzically, when he noticed that He Fei did not answer the phone after a long time, "Who's that? Why aren't you answering your phone?"
The moment he finished his sentence, he craned his neck and glanced at the screen, and instinctively shifted two steps to the side.
He reminded He Fei, "Since it's Second Older Brother calling, you had better answer it quickly. Otherwise, you will be in big trouble."
He Fei glanced at him angrily. "Do you think I'm a wuss?"
Just as Lu Ming was about to goad him not to answer, He Fei slid his finger and answered it before he promptly kissed up to the caller. "Yes, Second Older Brother?"
"Uh huh... I'm free... Sure sure. I promise to fulfill the task."
The moment he finished, he hung up the phone and headed out.
Lu Ming hurriedly pulled on his arm and suppressed his laughter as he asked, "Fei, why did he call?"
He Fei glanced at him and said smugly, "He told me to send someone to race and win the bar and club." He continued heading out.
Lu Ming was stunned. He hurriedly followed behind him. "Why does he want their bar and club?"
He Fei shrugged. "God knows. If you want to know, you can always ask him. Tell me when you find out."
Lu Ming was speechless, "..."
...
At the international racetrack in the capital.
Zi Yi waited for Zi Lian to come back from buying the entrance tickets and candidly asked, "Can you lend me five million?"
Zi Lian was startled and quickly asked, "Why do you need the money?"
Zi Lian was not alone. Even the men around them were startled.
Zi Yi pulled her lips into a smile and said, with the airs of a privileged brat, "I naturally want to make a bet."
"Who do you want to bet on?"
The men did not expect her to be so brave.
Zi Yi said nothing and headed over to the betting area.
Zi Lian hurriedly followed behind her as she mentally prepared herself.
No pain no gain. Although she had spent a lot of time saving five million, it was worthwhile lending the money to ensure Zi Yi embarrassed herself in the capital.
She subtly told the men behind Zi Yi, "My cousin loves racing back in City S, so she knows a lot about gambling."
"I see. She is truly a racing enthusiast."
The men's eyes glinted.
The bets were made using touch screens surrounded by many guards. There were several booths available, and the patrons could bet for the racers they liked.
Zi Yi stood outside and looked at them for a while.
Many people were analyzing which racer would win.
"Young Master Xiang hired a three-time international champion from Country R, Yi Teng. He is the ultimate underdog in the racing industry, so I think he will win."
"I don't think so. Young Master Peng has invited the highly experienced God of Wind from America. Yi Teng only started to make a name for himself in recent years. How could he compete with the God of Wind?"
Zi Yi took out her phone to quickly do some research on them.
Zi Lian started feeling impatient as she stood by the side. "Who do you like? Just place your bet."
Zi Yi remained calm and did not even look up. "Hang on."
The men glanced at Zi Yi before they looked at each other knowingly, before Zhang Shen then told Zi Yi softly, "Why don't you go for Yi Teng? He is the latest underdog in the racing world and on a winning streak, so I'm sure he will win."
The others chimed in with their opinions.
Zi Yi disregarded them and continued swiping through her phone.
A few minutes later, Zi Lian rushed her again. "The race is about to start in 20 minutes, so we have to go in if we want good seats."
"Why the hurry?" Zi Yi glanced at Zi Lian before she looked at the touch screens up ahead. The moment she suddenly saw a new participant, she instantly put her phone away to reach her hand out to Zi Lian. "Give me the money. I know who will win."
At the same time, the punters looking at the touch screens exclaimed in shock.
"Oh god! A new racer was suddenly added!"
"Wow. It's Young Master He!"