Of the three great families in JingDu, HuMing knew the least about the Shi family.
As for this family, he barely had any concrete information—only that they were always extravagantly wealthy and held sway over the economic lifelines of many regions.
It was obvious that they were a family that had risen through commerce.
Their foundation lay in their vast wealth, and they had people planted in various places—an influence not to be underestimated.
Rumor had it that at the height of their power, their reach even surpassed that of the Gu family, becoming the most dominant force in JingDu at the time.
But something significant had apparently happened within the family, something that weakened their internal power structure.
Of course, all this was hearsay to HuMing. As for what really happened—he had no clue.
Squinting through the crowd, HuMing stared at the boy in front of him, watching his arrogant demeanor. Hands on his hips, HuMing made no move to intervene.
Since Gu YunQin had snuck out to do something behind everyone's back, then she had to pay the price for her actions.
Underage driving—and from the looks of the sports cars on the road, they were clearly street racing.
On the way here, HuMing had even spotted several brand-new liquor bottles by the roadside, and now, blending in with the crowd, he could smell the pungent stench of alcohol in the air.
If someone were to make a call right now, these kids would be on the news by tomorrow morning.
Then again, quite a few of them had influence—how things would play out in the end was anyone’s guess.
HuMing continued staring in Gu YunQin’s direction when suddenly, a boy standing in front of him turned around. The moment he saw HuMing, he frowned and asked,
"Who the hell are you? Never seen you before."
"Ah, I'm Miss Gu’s new lackey. My bad."
"Then what are you doing standing on our side? Get lost!"
The boy raised his leg to kick HuMing, but HuMing dodged it effortlessly, causing the other to do a full split and land hard.
A sharp cry followed, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
Gu YunQin instinctively turned toward the sound, and the moment her eyes fell on HuMing in the crowd, a cold sweat broke across her back. Her heart pounded violently.
She clenched her palms tightly, even her breathing turning unsteady.
She hadn’t expected HuMing to show up here of all places—she had clearly snuck out without telling anyone! How could he have known? And if he heard what she said earlier...
If Grandpa found out, she’d definitely be locked up for weeks again.
That thought alone made Gu YunQin break out in a nervous sweat.
Meanwhile, Shi Dan also noticed the unfamiliar face. He frowned deeply, clearly unhappy about the newcomer crashing their party.
"Ah, I’m Miss Gu’s little lackey. Sorry, I wandered into the wrong crowd earlier."
HuMing casually made his way behind Gu YunQin, but to her, it felt like a searing hot gaze was boring into her back. She didn’t even dare turn around and meet his eyes.
Still, she heard what HuMing said—he hadn’t revealed that he was her cousin. Was he deliberately hiding his identity?
Very few people knew that HuMing had returned to the Gu family, and those who did were the ones the family trusted the most.
And she also knew that the Gu family was planning to publicly announce HuMing’s existence on the day of his and Gu ZhaoChuan’s shared birthday.
It was meant to be a surprise for HuMing—a formal acknowledgment of his place in the family.
But Gu YunQin felt that she had probably left a terrible first impression on him from day one. And now, it is only getting worse.
"Gu YunQin, how about a race? If you win, that guy’s yours to deal with however you want. But if you lose, your car belongs to me. How about it?"
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire crowd quieted down.
Gu YunQin’s sports car had cost a fortune, and she'd poured even more time and effort into its custom modifications. Now Shi Dan was going straight for the jugular. She knew full well he was provoking her.
She opened her mouth to reply, but just then—a sudden flash of white light burst behind her, illuminating everything around her.
Shi Dan and his crew instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, their faces twisted in irritation.
But in the next instant, the roar of an engine pierced the air—followed by a gust of wind rushing past Gu YunQin!
Shi Dan noticed a car speeding straight toward him. He turned to run, but his foot caught on one of the empty bottles, sending him sprawling to the ground.
The crowd watched in horror, thinking the car was about to slam into Shi Dan—only for it to screech to a halt just inches in front of him.
One more second, and he’d be dead.
Panting heavily, Shi Dan propped himself up on trembling arms, his whole body drained of strength.
The fear still lingered in his chest.
Everyone turned toward the car, trying to see who had the nerve to pull a stunt like that.
Gu YunQin recognized the car immediately—her own sports car—and whipped her head around.
From the car, a figure stepped out slowly, muttering as he climbed out,
"Shit, this car's a nightmare to drive. One tap on the gas and it just flew! If I ever get a license, I’m never touching a car again."
He gave the crowd a quick glance before jogging lightly back to Gu YunQin’s side.
Gu YunQin stared at him, stunned, while HuMing looked back at her with a faintly raised brow—like nothing had happened at all.
‘Is HuMing… standing up for me?’
Gu YunQin couldn’t believe it. After the kendo club incident, this was already the second time he’d helped her.
Sometimes, she really couldn’t figure out what kind of person he was.
"Gu YunQin, what the hell is your guy trying to pull? Trying to intimidate me?"
If he still had strength in his arms and legs, he would've grabbed a bottle and smashed it over HuMing’s head right then and there.
He had never been so thoroughly humiliated before!
"Intimidate you? None of us here have licenses, right? What’s wrong with trying out a car? If young master Shi is so easily frightened, maybe someone should send you home and—oh, don’t forget to change your pants."
Her words stung. Shi Dan pointed at her furiously. "Fine! Gu YunQin! Just answer me—are you accepting my challenge or not?!"
Gu YunQin was about to refuse when a voice rose behind her.
"Accept it. But make sure he puts his car on the line too."
Hearing HuMing’s suggestion, Gu YunQin almost turned around to ask him why.
But for some reason—she trusted him.
She stared at Shi Dan and lifted her chin. "You think that trash is on par with my car? Shi Dan, put your car up too."
"Then I’ll have to raise the stakes as well. Let me deal with the guy behind you however I want!"
He jabbed a finger at HuMing, his tone full of venom.
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