TF01 16

Since Kou Jing had promised to take care of everything, there was nothing for Ying Ming to worry about.

It wasn’t until the night before the event kickoff that Kou Jing finally called him, telling him to attend the launch press conference the next day. The rest would be explained later.

Ying Ming had a habit of arriving an hour and a half early to events unless he had something urgent that couldn’t be rescheduled.

Logically, he should have been one of the earliest to arrive.

But when he pulled into the parking lot, several rows of cars were already there.

Shi Yi’s Jeep stood out in particular.

No wonder he agreed to join this event…

Muttering to himself, Ying Ming followed the signs toward the banquet hall. As soon as he stepped inside, he spotted Shi Yi in the middle of a group, chatting and laughing after only a few words.

Grabbing a glass of champagne from a server, Ying Ming quietly positioned himself away from the livelier circles and took a sip while observing.

Weisai truly lived up to its reputation as an industry leader. Even the alcohol at their events was top-tier.

It seemed they had invited quite a crowd this time. Besides actors and singers, there were also CEOs and board members from various companies. Some of them Ying Ming recognized, others only looked familiar. Then there were people like Shi Yi—he wasn’t sure which industry they belonged to, but nobody dared to offend them.

Thinking he could just sip his drink unnoticed, Ying Ming kept to the sidelines.

But before he even finished his glass, Shi Yi was already heading his way, drink in hand.

“Why are you acting so low-key?”

“I’m not exactly high-profile to begin with.”

Several people glanced over, curious about why Shi Yi had walked over. A few actors Ying Ming had worked with before raised their glasses in greeting.

Ying Ming had no choice but to return the gesture with a smile. “If I’d known there’d be so many industry people here, I wouldn’t have come.”

“What, feeling shy?”

Shi Yi laughed at his own words, and Ying Ming raised an eyebrow. “How do you write those two characters?”

He disliked these industry gatherings because small talk was a hassle. Being too warm felt insincere, but being too distant could be rude. In the end, they were all bound to cross paths repeatedly, and dealing with these people was far more exhausting than handling outsiders.

But the moment he saw the person walking in through the entrance, he suddenly felt his earlier concerns were trivial.

The worst-case scenario was running into someone he had already fallen out with publicly.

His luck lately was truly incredible…

Shi Yi had also noticed Dong Xiao entering. He turned to Ying Ming. “Enemies crossing paths?”

Ying Ming could only shrug. “Let’s call it fate.”

He had a feeling this event wouldn’t be nearly as easygoing as Kou Jing had made it sound.

---

The launch event included a press conference. Shi Yi and Weisai’s CEO were invited as the opening guests, while Ying Ming stood on the far end of the stage. Just two people over was Dong Xiao. They exchanged glances as they stepped on stage, but neither had any goodwill to spare.

After Shi Yi and the CEO pressed the symbolic launch button, a storm of flashing cameras erupted below. As Ying Ming was about to step down, the media called out to him and Dong Xiao for a photo together. Since they had just wrapped up a project together, there was bound to be gossip potential.

In front of the cameras, they both managed to smile naturally enough.

But when reporters started asking about the details of their collaboration, Dong Xiao became uncooperative, his words deliberately vague and laced with underlying intent. Ying Ming ignored him, gave a couple of casual responses to media outlets he was familiar with, and then used an excuse to slip away.

Shi Yi was also dodging the press. Spotting Ying Ming heading toward the stairwell, he followed.

One door closed behind them, and the noise outside instantly faded.

Shi Yi couldn’t help but complain, “What the hell? Why are there so many reporters?”

“Weisai wants to make this event big, so of course, they need media coverage. I thought you were prepared for that.”

Ying Ming handed him a cigarette. They both lit up and leaned against the wall. The corridor window was open, and the wind blowing in was a little cold.

Shi Yi squinted at him. “I got dragged into this by that brat Kou Jing. I didn’t expect it to be such a hassle.” He had never liked appearing in front of the media. Ever since the Liu Li incident, he had been harassed enough, and now he had walked straight into another mess.

On top of that, he had been pushed into being a guest for the launch ceremony. At this point, there was no escaping.

Ying Ming glanced at him with some sympathy and kindly reminded him, “Actually, Kou Jing is older than you.”

He and Kou Jing were the same age.

Age was clearly Shi Yi’s weak spot. He ignored the topic altogether and took a couple of drags. “Do you know how to drive off-road?”

“No.”

“Then why are you here?”

Ying Ming sighed. “Same reason you are.”

In short, they had both been dragged into this by Kou Jing to fill the numbers. That guy hadn’t even mentioned that Dong Xiao was on the participant list.

Shi Yi chuckled. “Kou Jing said this event is team-based. Let’s partner up. We’re just here to have fun anyway.”

Ying Ming agreed without hesitation. “I’d love nothing more.”

They hid in the corridor for about half an hour until Kou Jing called Ying Ming, telling him to head to the meeting room in the back. By then, the media had been directed to another room, and it was much quieter.

The event would last a total of four days.

There were six race stages, some on closed tracks and others on mountain roads. The routes weren’t extremely long, but they weren’t short either. If participants couldn’t reach the designated rest stops on time, they’d have to camp out in the mountains. The entire race would be broadcasted, but since they hadn’t secured a permit, there wouldn’t be any helicopters for aerial coverage.

“The GPS navigation installed in your cars is connected to the main station. If you press the call button, you can contact the station. If you cannot reach them, there is a phone directory in the car with all the emergency contacts, including each other’s car numbers,” Kou Jing explained from the stage.

Shi Yi tugged at Ying Ming’s sleeve “So many amateurs coming to play rally racing. This has to be a joke.”

What did they think this was? A road trip? There was not even any basic training.

The person next to him just smiled. “That is exactly what it is. A joke. They are just using our lives as the punchline.”

Events like this were actually pretty common. They were always presented with a serious tone in the promotions, but most participants only found out what they had actually signed up for when they arrived.

If not for Kou Jing, Ying Ming would never have even considered it.

The teams were grouped into sets of four cars. In real off-road rally racing, it was usually two people per vehicle, but since this was just a promotional event and not about winning or losing, they each drove solo. Ying Ming and Shi Yi were in the same team, along with an IT company executive and a semi-professional driver. Every team had one of these experienced drivers, who would likely be responsible for the final closed-track race.

The moment Ying Ming hit the road, his radio crackled to life.

It was Dong Xiao.

“Ying Ming, do you dare to make a bet with me?”

“What kind of bet?”

“This race. Whoever loses has to accept the winner’s demand. No complaints.”

Since both their cars were in motion, the radio was cutting in and out, making the audio choppy and noisy. Ying Ming raised an eyebrow. “Dong Xiao, why do you keep pestering me? Secretly in love?”

“Cut the bullshit! Ying Ming, one word. Do you dare or not?”

Ying Ming chuckled at Dong Xiao’s impatience and let the radio stay silent for a while before finally replying, “Alright. If you insist on competing, then let’s do it.”

“Good!”

After saying that, the signal cut off.

Ying Ming glanced at the GPS, noting the distance between him and Dong Xiao. He raised an eyebrow without realizing it, then pressed down a little harder on the accelerator.

Not long after, the radio crackled again.

He stared at the flashing call light for a while before pressing the button. On the other end, Shi Yi’s voice came through, still breaking up. “What the hell is wrong with you, Ying Ming? Did you take the wrong meds? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

They had already left the closed circuit. The mountain road was rough, and at this speed, the constant jolting was enough to make a person’s stomach churn. Ying Ming had been speeding up without slowing down at all. What was he trying to do?

Hadn’t he said he had never driven off-road before?

Hearing Shi Yi’s complaint, Ying Ming instinctively eased off the gas a little. He chuckled. “Nothing. Just got caught up in the moment.”

“That Dong Xiao?”

Ying Ming laughed. He did not admit it outright, but Shi Yi understood immediately.

“If he’s an idiot, do you have to be one too? You can’t drive like this on this stretch. Slow down and wait until the first rest stop before thinking about anything else.”

Shi Yi must have realized the signal was bad because he repeated himself. When he started saying it a third time, Ying Ming quickly cut him off and raised his voice. “I got it.”

Not long after, Shi Yi’s car caught up.

For a while, their cars drove side by side. Shi Yi honked twice before overtaking him.

Off-road racing was not for everyone. It might seem exciting at first, but after half an hour of nonstop jolting, even your teeth would ache. This route would take them more than half a day to reach the rest stop, and the discomfort along the way was easy to imagine.

Ying Ming and Shi Yi’s cars remained close the entire time. On the GPS, their signals were practically stuck together. Sometimes, when Shi Yi stayed in front too long, Ying Ming would flash his high beams. If Shi Yi got bored, he would turn on his hazard lights just to mess around. The back-and-forth turned into a pointless game between them.

They drove until past one before reaching the rest stop. Shi Yi arrived first and grabbed a bottle of water for Ying Ming. When he saw Ying Ming’s car pull into the lot, he walked over and knocked on the window.

“How are you holding up?”

The person inside let out a bitter smile and said, “Damn, this is even more exhausting than boxing all day.”

His temples were throbbing, and driving on flat ground almost felt strange after the rough terrain.

Shi Yi patted the car door and said, “Get out and walk around. It’ll help.”

It was late summer, but the midday sun was still blazing. Ying Ming frowned slightly as he stepped out of the car. Shi Yi handed him the water and said, “The next stretch is even tougher than the first one.”

“This was a total mistake.” Ying Ming shook his head and took a couple of gulps.

They had been driving at a good pace, leaving most participants behind. Only two or three others were resting at the stop with them, but since they weren’t familiar with each other, no one spoke. Dong Xiao was nowhere to be seen. He had either left already or hadn’t arrived yet.

Shi Yi felt that Dong Xiao was not just a fool but also someone who liked to ask for trouble.