The shops on both sides of the alley were also startled; many people ran out, watching in amazement as a line of priceless supercars drove up to the entrance of the Hardware District at the end of the alley.
The McLaren P1 stopped first, and as its butterfly doors lifted like wings, a young man with a casual demeanor climbed out and stood there, stretching lazily.
"Finally here, if I ever drive a supercar on the highway again, I’m an idiot!"
Zhou Wang stretched his limbs, thinking to himself.
His back ached, and his vision was terrible... One could say that apart from enjoying the McLaren’s superb performance, there was no experience worth mentioning.
Fortunately, because many cars couldn’t bear the fuel consumption halfway, everyone went to the gas station for a collective refill, which counted as a brief break; otherwise, Zhou Wang felt like his back might really break.
They all filled up with 98-octane gasoline, and it cost tens of thousands of dollars just to refuel these twenty or so cars.
However, compared to the suffering everyone endured, that was hardly any compensation, so Zhou Wang bought thirty $10,000 prepaid cards in one go at the gas station and gave each person one as a gesture of apology.
Zhou Wang twisted his neck again before looking ahead.
Just as he turned into the alleyway, Zhou Wang had already noticed the gathered crowd here and through the gaps in the people, he could see Xu Wenqian at a glance.
Wearing high heels and a business suit, she stood in the light rain like a swan caught in the rain, becoming the sole focus in Zhou Wang’s perspective in that small world.
He didn’t expect it would rain...
Zhou Wang looked up at the gloomy sky; fortunately, the rain wasn’t heavy, getting drenched wasn’t a big deal.
Just as Zhou Wang was about to take a step, Miao Ying had already crawled out of the Ferrari 812C and jogged over, opening a black straight handle umbrella in her hands, holding it over Zhou Wang’s head.
"Sister Qingkui gave it to me at noon, saying it might rain today..."
Meeting Zhou Wang’s surprised gaze, Miao Ying softly explained.
I thought so, I don’t remember putting an umbrella in my Ferrari 812C...
Zhou Wang nodded, silently complimenting Jiang Qingkui for her attentiveness, as he walked forward.
By now most of the supercars had stopped, and with the sound of various car doors opening and closing, Zhang Zhiyuan and others crawled out of their cars too; they didn’t have any umbrellas, but didn’t mind, simply huddling over, following Zhou Wang ahead.
There was no exchange, as after all, they were merely here to boost the scene (or join the excitement), and just needed to see how Zhou Wang would act.
However, by doing so, the scene became extremely overwhelming—
Against a backdrop of colorful, increasingly expensive supercars, a silent group of young people crowded towards the front, led by a beautiful girl holding an umbrella for a young man striding forward.
Everyone carried an air of distinction, especially the young man under the umbrella at the front; his steps were casual yet steady, striding forward confidently.
The onlookers blocking the doorway all had a sense of awe about them, unconsciously making way, allowing this group to walk smoothly into the old neighborhood’s entrance.
By the flower bed, the crowd flowing completely to the sides also completely exposed Cheng Zhe’s family and Xu Wenqian’s family, somewhat at a loss, to Zhou Wang’s view.
Zhang Zhiyuan and others stopped as they approached, but Zhou Wang kept walking, with Miao Ying in tow, with a clear target walking straight to Xu Wenqian, who was still dumbfounded in place.
Zhou Wang reached out to wipe her tears, only to find them increasing the more he wiped...
Zhou Wang, helpless, could only raise an eyebrow and commanded.
"Oh... boss, sorry... you, I..."
Xu Wenqian responded, trying hard to stop crying but still couldn’t say anything complete.
Zhou Wang shook his head, simply reached out and pulled Xu Wenqian into his embrace.
"Forget it, if you want to cry, then cry... I’m here, so it’s all right."
Zhou Wang spoke softly.
Xu Wenqian finally relaxed, hugging Zhou Wang tightly, burying her head in his chest, and wept loudly.
At this moment, she was no longer the cautious assistant terrified of messing up everything, just a girl who had been wronged and finally found support.
Zhou Wang allowed her to cry for a while, and when her shoulders stopped shaking as much, he released her, moving back a little. Zhou Wang glanced at her wet white shirt from the rain, then took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
"Boss, I... I didn’t want to trouble you, I, I just didn’t expect..."
Xu Wenqian had regained some composure by this point, feeling a mix of gain and loss in her heart, couldn’t help explaining.
"We won’t talk about this now, although I’ll definitely have to punish you, let’s resolve the other matters first."
Zhou Wang gently whispered in her ear, not giving Xu Wenqian a chance to expand on her thoughts, he then proceeded to ask: "What’s the situation, tell me..."
Xu Wenqian responded, wanting to explain to Zhou Wang but her mind was noticeably still a bit jumbled, speaking incoherently, Zhou Wang frowned after a few sentences.
"Forget it, don’t speak anymore."
Zhou Wang looked around, stopped Xu Wenqian who was still explaining, and walked directly to the edge of the crowd.
Here was a boy who looked like a high school student, holding a phone, seeing Zhou Wang approaching, he instinctively wanted to step back.