"I didn’t take much advantage of you!" Fang Chao yelled, his mouth twitching bitterly as he realized Su Xuan was getting his revenge.
He was the one who’d suffered for it at the time! At the beginning of the race, he had created a mound of earth to block Su Xuan’s way, but Su Xuan not only used it to successfully pull ahead, but also left him trailing behind to swallow dirt and gravel, which even smashed his windshield to pieces...
Seeing that Su Xuan was about to kick the log down, Fang Chao quickly raised his hand and yelled, "1,000,000! That’s the most I can give you!" He figured 1,000,000 was no small sum. Besides, he was terrified that Su Xuan would actually do it, which would mean he would certainly lose the race and incur even greater losses!
The drone hovered low in the sky, clearly broadcasting the scene to the live feed.
In the broadcast area under the rain canopy at the foot of the mountain, Fang Chao’s supporters erupted in angry condemnation.
"Extorting money from Young Master Fang !"
"I’ve never seen someone so despicable!"
"Pah! I spit on him!"
Everything that had happened in the race so far had completely exceeded their expectations. They would probably remember Su Xuan for the rest of their lives.
"Watch your mouths!" Heizi suddenly roared at the group. "You can set us up, but we can’t do the same to you? Besides, this race has no rules, so what’s wrong with doing a little road repair to earn some cash? If you had a chance to make money , wouldn’t you take it? Stop playing holier-than-thou! Be careful, or I’ll make you all lie in eternal rest on Qiufeng Mountain!"
Upon hearing this, Fang Chao’s supporters all went silent. They had no choice. They saw Heizi lift his vest, exposing terrifying tattoos and several shocking knife scars on his body. Most of them knew what kind of man Heizi was, and more importantly, who his boss, Cen Haonan, was.
"Heizi, stop scaring them," Cen Haonan said with a mischievous smile. "Come on, let’s make a bet. You think Brother Su can squeeze 20,000,000 out of Fang Chao?"
"Hard to say." Heizi scratched his head, replying seriously, "Considering what’s at stake in this race, 20,000,000 isn’t too much for Brother Su to ask, but Fang Chao might not be willing to give it. A few million at most, and that’ll be the end of it."
"Then let’s just keep watching," Cen Haonan said, turning his focus back to the live feed on the monitor.
"I said 20,000,000," Su Xuan stated coolly. "Not a cent less. You have ten seconds to think about it. When time is up, I’m kicking this log down and leaving. You can just wait here to lose."
Su Xuan was well aware of the race’s significance, which was why he demanded 20,000,000 from the start. What he didn’t know was that Fang Chao’s father had given him a budget of nearly one hundred million. Otherwise, his price would have been much higher.
With his foot resting on the log, Su Xuan began the countdown. Fang Chao could only clench his fists tightly, angry and helpless.
"Fang Chao, agree to it for now!" Han Shanchi whispered urgently. "Just agree, but don’t you dare give him the money. Just stall him!"
"Got it!" Just as Su Xuan’s countdown reached "one," Fang Chao raised his hand. "Fine! Look at you, so poor you’ve resorted to highway robbery. I’ll give you 20,000,000 as a bit of poverty relief!"
"The money, then," Su Xuan said simply.
Fang Chao held up his phone and waved it. "I can’t transfer it right now. You smashed my windshield, and the rain that poured in wrecked my phone. It won’t even turn on! I can only pay you after the race!"
He quietly curled the corner of his mouth, admiring his own genius. His phone had IP68 dust and water resistance; there was nothing wrong with it at all.
Glancing at the drone, Su Xuan smiled at Fang Chao. "Since Young Master Fang has given his word, I’m sure you won’t go back on it. I’ll collect the money from you later, then."
With that, Su Xuan got back in his car and sped off down the mountain.
Alice suddenly asked, "Su Xuan, you know he just tricked you, right?"
Staring at the mountain road ahead, Su Xuan nodded. "I know. He uses the same waterproof phone as you." He remembered that night at the Caranda flagship store, when he and Alice had been playing around in a downpour. Her phone was fine even after she lay in a puddle. How could Fang Chao’s possibly be broken?
Alice asked, puzzled, "Then why did you let him go? Why not just kick the log down and make him lose the race for good?"
Su Xuan shook his head. "Even though this race has no rules, if I kicked that log, I’d be labeled as sinister and crafty. I might win the race, but it would be a dishonorable victory. That’s not the most important part, though. The most important thing is that it would damage the future reputation of Big Brother Cen’s modification shop!"
He glanced at Alice. "Let me ask you, would you take your car to a shop that was established through deceitful tactics?"
Alice shook her head. "No way. I’d be worried they’d use inferior parts to rip me off!"
"Exactly. A business like car modification relies heavily on integrity. Otherwise, people could get killed," Su Xuan nodded, then asked Alice, "But what if Fang Chao opens his own shop later, posing as the victim?"
Alice’s mouth dropped open in surprise. "Then people would sympathize with him and give him their business!"
"How he acts in a race reveals his true character," Su Xuan continued. "Even if Fang Chao loses, he’ll be too bitter to accept it. He’ll definitely open a rival shop to compete with Big Brother Cen."
"That’s very likely!" Alice agreed.
They were right. The funds for Fang Chao’s modification shop were already secured. Win or lose, he was going to open one.
"So, we can’t kick the log down. We have to let him pass," Su Xuan said.
Alice was still confused. "Then why not just let him go? Why demand money, especially when you knew he wouldn’t want to pay?"
Su Xuan said enigmatically, "I asked for money precisely because I was waiting for him *not* to pay me."
Alice furrowed her brow, mulling over his words. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization. "If he doesn’t pay you later, he’ll have scammed the very person who repaired the road for him! He’ll be the one who looks like a deceitful, untrustworthy villain. So, whether he wins or loses the race... he’s already lost!"
"That’s the idea," Su Xuan confirmed.
This race had started as a battle of interests. Now, thanks to Su Xuan’s maneuvering, it had also become a battle of integrity.
Alice giggled. "Su Xuan, I get it now! From the moment you heard about the landslide, you were setting a trap. He’s just playing right into your hands!"
"I had no choice," Su Xuan said. "Since I took this on for Big Brother Cen, I have to make sure he wins completely, with no lingering problems."
Alice stared at Su Xuan, her beautiful eyes fixated on him, filled with utter admiration. With the simple act of paving a road and collecting a toll, he had cut off every single one of his opponent’s escape routes, both overt and covert. He was ensuring his own side could pursue their goals without any distractions!
Moved, Alice asked suddenly, "Su Xuan, if I asked you to do something, would you put this much effort into it for me?"
Su Xuan grinned. "What kind of question is that? Of course I would!"
Alice, who had very few close friends, suddenly felt her eyes well up with tears. For more chapters visıt 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩
Su Xuan hit the accelerator. "Alright, next mission is to win this race in one go. Hold on tight!"