TF01 17

After finishing their water and grabbing a quick bite, they got back on the road. According to Shi Yi’s analysis, the next stretch would take even longer than the one they had just covered, and they might not make it to the rest stop in time for dinner.

“It may be an amateur race, but the schedule is set up like a professional one. WeiSai sure knows how to put on a show.”

Ke Jing had managed to drag Shi Yi into this event partly because he happened to be free and partly because his company was about to partner with WeiSai. Participating was a way to show goodwill and establish connections in advance.

What he had not expected was how disorganized the rally would be.

The list of issues was endless.

Ying Ming had been listening to his complaints for most of the trip. Unable to hold back any longer, he finally said, “It’s a commercial event. Were you expecting something rigorous?”

A proper rally took months of preparation and required extensive technical support. At most, an event like this would hire a few professional drivers as consultants.

Some were even less reliable than that.

Shi Yi knew he and Ying Ming approached things differently. He shrugged and let it go, then got into his car. This time, he made sure to drive behind Ying Ming.

He had put up with those flashing headlights long enough.

According to the GPS, Dong Xiao had pulled far ahead. There was only one car in front of him, another in between, and then Ying Ming and Shi Yi bringing up the rear.

Not long after they set off, Shi Yi called Ying Ming again.

“What exactly did you bet with Dong Xiao?”

“We didn’t set the terms. We’ll figure it out once there’s a winner.”

Ying Ming lowered his window slightly, tempted to smoke.

As soon as he cracked it open, dust rushed into the car. He frowned, rolled it back up, and felt irritated by how completely sealed-in he was. The rough terrain only made it worse.

“So have you thought about what you’ll make Dong Xiao do if you win?” Shi Yi sounded like he was in a good mood. When it came to off-roading, he was much more comfortable than Ying Ming.

“You’re that sure I’ll win?”

“As long as I’m here, you will.”

Shi Yi laughed, his voice full of confidence.

It was obvious Dong Xiao had never done real off-roading before. On a rally this long, every section had to be carefully planned. No matter how fast you were in the beginning, if you didn’t pace yourself, you’d end up stranded before the finish line. At the rate he was going, with two back-to-back sections ahead, he would definitely run out of fuel before reaching the next refueling point.

Keeping their current pace meant Ying Ming was bound to win.

With that in mind, Shi Yi raised his voice and said, “Forget about Dong Xiao. Let’s have a race of our own.”

“Off-road racing?”

“Yeah. Same rules as your bet with Dong Xiao.”

This time, Ying Ming stayed quiet for a long while.

Shi Yi called his name a few times, wondering if the radio had stopped working. Just when he was about to check again, Ying Ming finally gave a slow reply.

“Alright.”

He didn’t really want to agree.

Shi Yi wasn’t Dong Xiao. He wouldn’t be easy to deal with.

But refusing now wasn’t an option either.

Ying Ming glanced at his rearview mirror. He couldn’t see Shi Yi behind the wheel, but he could already picture his expression.

He had been willing to race against Dong Xiao because there were too many ways to handle someone like him. Those tricks wouldn’t work against Shi Yi.

He had stopped Wang Yiqi from drag racing with Shi Yi, so getting himself into this wasn’t something he wanted either.

Unfortunately, there was no backing out now.

The road remained as rough as ever. Just as Shi Yi had said, this stretch was even harder to navigate than the morning’s route. Ying Ming had no choice but to slow down.

Shi Yi occasionally honked from behind, probably just to kill time. Every time he heard it, Ying Ming would instinctively glance at the rearview mirror before feeling how ridiculous the whole thing was.

What was supposed to be a simple commercial event to fill up the numbers had somehow turned into him making bets with two different people.

A subtle irritation grew inside him.

He was not the kind of person who let others lead him around.

Unlike Shi Yi, he did not have a deeply ingrained need for control, but that did not mean he liked being stuck in a passive position, whether in a relationship or a competition.

Frustration simmered beneath the surface. Without realizing it, he started picking up speed again.

Right ahead was a steep slope. The car lifted off the ground for a brief moment before slamming back down with a heavy impact.

Ying Ming had kept his hands firmly on the wheel the entire time.

That feeling of being momentarily suspended before crashing down was similar to an amusement park ride, except there was no safety bar here, no controlled environment. It was just the raw, nerve-wracking thrill of uncertainty.

The moment he cleared the slope, his radio started flashing wildly.

He already knew who it was.

The second he picked up, Shi Yi was already cursing.

“The hell is wrong with you?”

If Ying Ming had lost control for even a second, the car would have flipped for sure.

Ying Ming chuckled. “A bet is a bet. I have to take it seriously.”

“Taking it seriously is not the same as trying to get yourself killed.”

“To me, there is no difference.”

If you were not willing to risk it all, you would not get the outcome you wanted.

This was exactly why he loved pushing the limits. At the very edge, when the pressure was at its peak, every nerve in his body locked onto a single point. The rest of the world faded away. The conditions and the obstacles ceased to exist.

Nothing remained except himself and the challenge in front of him.

Men thrived under their own pressure because breaking through that barrier was addictive.

Shi Yi muttered something under his breath. Ying Ming didn’t catch the words, but through the rearview mirror, he saw Shi Yi’s car hitting the same slope he had just cleared. Dust and gravel scattered as the vehicle landed.

Then, the off-road vehicle burst out of the thick, yellow cloud of dust, closing the distance between them.

Instinctively, Ying Ming stepped harder on the gas.

The engine roared, its growl blending into the desolate landscape ahead. An endless stretch of barren land spread before him, littered with scattered rocks and uneven dirt mounds. The only movement came from their two cars, tearing through the open wasteland, one chasing the other with reckless intensity.

The ride was rough and jarring.

But in the end, off-road racing wasn’t Ying Ming’s strong suit. Shi Yi had never been far behind to begin with, and now that he was seriously pushing forward, overtaking was only a matter of time.

Sure enough, within twenty minutes, Shi Yi’s car pulled up alongside him. They stayed neck and neck for a brief moment before he surged ahead.

A long, blaring honk followed.

Arrogant as hell.

Ying Ming couldn’t help but laugh. Up ahead, Shi Yi’s car bounced along the uneven terrain, its movements exaggerated like a clunky box being tossed around.

Such a brat, yet he always tried to act mature.

Shi Yi wasn’t the first second-generation military kid Ying Ming had dealt with. In his world, running into people like that wasn’t uncommon. Their social circles overlapped far too often.

But Shi Yi was different from the usual crowd.

He carried a bit of that signature arrogance, but compared to those who thrived on stirring up trouble, he was practically well-behaved. He didn’t throw his family background around at every turn, nor did he bask in the attention of an entourage.

He was blunt, never considering the other person’s feelings or perspective when he spoke. He simply lived according to his own thoughts and emotions. Fortunately, he was self-centered but not conceited.

Maybe that was why Ying Ming could tolerate him.

They didn’t have much in common, yet somehow, they understood each other.

Still, in Ying Ming’s eyes, Shi Yi carried a sense of naivety that came from a life of smooth sailing. He hadn’t been ground down by hardship, and it showed in the way he saw things. Everything was far too simple and far too straightforward.

People like this could come across as asking for a beating.

But Shi Yi?

He was begging for one.

Ying Ming raised an eyebrow. The car ahead was pulling farther away. He shifted gears and pushed the speed up again.

Once you fully commit to something, exhaustion hits twice as hard.

After an entire afternoon of reckless driving, by the time they finally made it to the rest stop that night, both of them could barely feel their legs.

Neither got out of the car right away. They just sat there, staring at each other from a distance, as if silently mocking how worn out the other looked.

The sky had already darkened. Out here in the wilderness, the night was breathtaking, with stars scattered across the vast expanse above.

Shi Yi waited until the weakness in his legs passed before opening the door and stepping out. He took a deep breath, looking satisfied, then lit a cigarette and shut the door with a flick of his hand.

Ying Ming got out as well, leaning against the car door. He glanced at the sky, admiration clear in his eyes.

For all the exhaustion this trip had brought, a view like this almost made it worth it.

Shi Yi walked over and held out a cigarette. Ying Ming took it, giving him a look. “You’re smoking right next to a gas station?”

“If you feel like walking over and blowing yourself up, be my guest.”

Shi Yi shrugged, flicking the lighter on. Ying Ming leaned in to light his cigarette, taking a deep drag before exhaling with a sigh.

“Goddamn… feels like I just came back to life.”

The surroundings were silent.

Apart from the faint sounds of refueling, there was nothing else to disturb the night.

In this environments, people often got the illusion that if they spoke, their voices would simply dissolve into the air. Ying Ming opened his eyes and chuckled. “Living in a place like this all wouldn’t be so bad.”

Shi Yi laughed along with him. “A day or two, sure. Give it a couple of weeks, and you’d be climbing the walls.”

There was nothing out here. The sun and stars couldn’t keep a person going forever.

People always wanted to hold on to beauty when they saw it, dreaming of a life surrounded by nature. But once they truly immersed themselves in it, they would realize they were the outsiders, the ones who didn’t belong.

Ying Ming didn’t argue. Instead, he leaned against the flowerbed, then crouched down beside Shi Yi. Neither of them spoke as they smoked, gazing into the distance.

Behind them, the lights from the rest stop cast their shadows onto the ground. One standing, one crouching.

Surprisingly quiet. Surprisingly at ease.