Aren't we friends? Why are you rushing at me?

The two followed the manager down the stairs, where they saw the racetrack already filled with cars. The manager began to explain everything to them:

These cars may look unremarkable on the outside, but they have all undergone extensive modifications inside. More importantly, each amateur driver has at least ten laps of Mount Akina in real-world racing experience, enough to complete the race safely.

Lin Shi and Ye Cheng both nodded in agreement.

Since this is just the opening act of the tour, if some complete novices were to come up, accidents could easily happen and affect the official race. So, although they say they are amateur drivers, they are still equivalent to real race car drivers. Compared to ordinary people, they will definitely dominate.

Soon after, Lin Shi and Ye Cheng, dressed in professional racing suits, appeared in everyone's sight and walked towards the track, where their race car had already been placed.

Looking at the clothes the two men were wearing and the direction they were walking, and most importantly, at the racing garage manager who had been following them, everyone instantly realized that one of the two men was one of the navigators.

Some onlookers, eager for a good spectacle, started jeering at the two, and scattered cheers began to erupt throughout the crowd.

However, what they received most was ridicule and sighs from the crowd.

For racing enthusiasts like them, suddenly encountering two completely unfamiliar faces wouldn't be the first thought. Their immediate reaction certainly wouldn't be that the Xia family had suddenly found a reclusive master to show off their skills to the brothers.

Instead, they believed that the Xia family had a sudden urge to promote a new talent, especially since both of them were quite handsome and clearly lacked skill, thus failing to earn the respect of others.

Only a few young masters who were invited to the banquet looked at Lin Shi's face and felt that it looked familiar, but they couldn't remember where they had seen him before.

A voice suddenly emerged from the crowd, not loud, but loud enough for those nearby to hear:

"Isn't that the pretty boy from earlier? The one who was dragged upstairs by the second young lady of the Xia family?"

After he finished speaking, the people around him seemed to have discovered some precious secret and kept spreading it around them.

The word spread among those around them. The noise in the entire place grew even louder, and even the way people looked at Lin Shi was filled with disdain.

Lin Shi's expression was somewhat calm. After all, he had attended several banquets with the female leads over the past three months. Although almost no one openly mocked him at the banquets, the contempt in their eyes far exceeded that, which made him able to ignore such mockery.

Ye Cheng frowned, looking at the crowd around her with some dissatisfaction.

For her, mocking her was just a way to prove them wrong. But when friends mocked her, she felt like punching them.

The two continued walking without saying a word.

"What's all the noise about!"

Natsuno's voice suddenly came from the speakers, and because the sound was so loud, it even sounded like electronic music!

"This is a master I went through a lot of trouble to get for you. What a load of rubbish! If you don't like it, get lost. I didn't ask you to come."

"Lin Shi, stop being J*'s navigator, just run and show them what a bunch of S* are like."

As Natsuno's angry voice rang out, the entire venue suddenly fell silent, followed by an astonishing roar of cheers.

As people who enjoy the thrill of the race, they often prefer to support their teams before the race, then quickly switch their lineups after a loss to ensure they are in an unassailable position. Some even open betting odds on whether Lin Shi can break the Akina Mountain racing record.

Unlike the others, Ye Cheng was looking at Lin Shi with a concerned expression.

"Brother Lin."

If Lin Shi doesn't achieve the results people want, he'll definitely be ridiculed relentlessly. At least within the local racing community, he'll certainly be the talk of the town.

Lin Shi raised his hand and gently patted Ye Cheng's shoulder:

"No problem, I'm really good at driving. In every aspect."

Ye Cheng didn't understand what "various levels" included, but looking at Lin Shi's confident expression, she nodded heavily.

"Uh-huh!"

[Ye Cheng's favorability towards you has increased by 2 points, currently at 27 points. Please continue your efforts, host.]

The manager also spoke appropriately to dispel Lin Shi's last remaining concern:

"Miss, we've temporarily assigned a professional runner to act as your navigator, so you two can run with peace of mind and don't need to worry about what's happening behind you."

Lin Shi nodded and continued walking forward, but the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.

I came here just to join in the fun, how did I inexplicably become a key player? It seems I've been forced into this situation, and now I can't get off.

But looking at Ye Cheng's trusting face and Xia Ye's outburst just now, a warmth still appeared in his heart.

Xia Ye, in particular, has staked almost his entire reputation on Lin Shi.

Lin Shi had actually developed a slight liking for Xia Ye.

What the hell!

Isn't this whole mess caused by her?

What exactly is she trying to do?! Does she really want to run a lap of gas?

Lin Shi kept complaining to himself.

Knowing that the manager had jogged up to him, he lowered his voice:

"Mr. Lin, Miss said that your odds have now reached 1 to 35. She had people place bets separately, totaling 100 million. She originally wanted to increase the odds, but found that the bookmaker seems to only be able to pay out this much. If she increases the odds any further, they might just run away, which would be very troublesome."

"The lady also said that if you win, you two will split the winnings, and she only wants whole numbers, giving you the odd amount. If you lose, it's all on her."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shi immediately stopped and looked at the manager:

"real?"

The manager nodded seriously, indicating that he was not lying.

Lin Shi quickly did some mental calculations:

"Winning would get me 35 million, which is 17.5 million when divided by 2. But Xia Ye said he only wants round numbers, meaning I'll only get 18 million. Adding that to my 100 million goal, it'll instantly reach half. And I only need to run one lap to almost catch up with the royalties I'd get from buying all my songs for Liu Ruyan. It's incredibly easy."

Lin Shi was overjoyed and mentally slapped himself twice.

I'm sorry, Natsuno, I shouldn't have said that about you. Go ahead and scheme against me, Qiuqiu. I feel bad when you don't scheme against me.

He took a deep breath, placed both hands on the manager's shoulders, and said with an extremely serious expression:

"I will definitely win!!!"

Looking into Lin Shi's eyes, the manager felt a pang of emotion. He placed his hands on Lin Shi's shoulders and said earnestly:

"I believe in you!!! I'm betting 1 too, you have to win!"

Ye Cheng looked at the two people with their arms around each other's shoulders, staring at each other, still not understanding what had happened.

A question arose in my mind: "What happened?"