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

As the 911 drove through the streets, patches of light from the streetlights swept across the roof of the car.

Xia Ye sat in the passenger seat, glancing at the dashboard every now and then before leaning back to look out the window. A short while later, she glanced at the speedometer again; the needle remained steadily at sixty miles per hour, not a moment more or less.

He let out a long yawn and lazily turned to Lin Shi:

"Lu Han, are you sure you can handle this? There aren't any other cars on the road, why are you driving so slowly?"

Lin Shi quickly glanced at Xia Ye, a yawn she had just made bringing tears to her eyes. If one could ignore her unconventional outfit, she was even somewhat adorable.

Lin Shi turned his gaze back to the road, but his mind was still on Xia Ye's rather dim-witted expression from earlier, and suddenly eight hundred ideas popped into his head:

"On how to use a false identity to feign pitifulness, win sympathy and become friends, and then reap the rewards without caring about the consequences."

"With Natsuno's IQ and that inexplicable increase in favorability he just got, he could raise her favorability to over 45 in a week—no, three days!—and then dump her without hesitation. How dare you question his abilities? He's the guy who got a legendary golden kidney on his very first lottery draw!"

Thinking of this, Lin Shi first pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, and then adopted a slightly dejected tone:

"I'm sorry, I'm an orphan and don't have many friends, unlike you guys, who have a bunch of people helping you when something happens."

His expression was extremely downcast, and his emotions were incredibly genuine. Moreover, he wasn't lying; he truly was an orphan with no friends. It was truly a tragic situation.

Seeing the increasingly oppressive aura emanating from Lin Shi, Xia Ye's lazy expression instantly turned into one of bewilderment, and he opened his mouth:

"Ah... um, I..."

Her face flushed slightly, and it took her a while to continue speaking:

"No, it's okay! I'll just be your friend! The city is fine, you can drive whatever you want when we get to the garage!"

[Natsuno's favorability towards you has increased by 5 points, currently at 20 points. Please continue your efforts, host.]

Upon hearing the system notification, Lin Shi chuckled inwardly. This was far too easy! If all the previous encounters had been like this, he would have been invincible long ago.

After clearing her mind, she continued in a pitiful tone:

"Really? Is it really possible?"

His tone made him feel a little nauseous, and he kept his eyes fixed on the road, afraid that he would burst out laughing after seeing Natsuno's embarrassed expression.

Xia Ye wasn't embarrassed; she was afraid the cunning in her eyes would show. She quickly turned her head to stare out the window, pretending to be seriously looking at the scenery. She tried her best to suppress the corners of her mouth from turning down.

After suppressing her laughter, she turned back and patted her not-so-ample chest, deliberately striking a bossy pose: "Of course! Mount Akina is my territory, you can have as much fun as you want later!"

As she spoke, she deftly pulled out her phone and quickly sent a message to the car factory manager.

After a moment, the message was sent, and then he looked proudly at Lin Shi and said:

"Everything's arranged. A top-of-the-line race car, specially reinforced for safety. You can do whatever you want. I've also called three ambulances to ensure your safety."

"Tsk tsk tsk, you should be grateful you met me. But don't confess your feelings to me, I'm not interested."

Lin Shi had calmed down from the disgust he had just felt. Looking at Xia Ye's smug expression, he had a feeling that she was up to no good.

A new idea suddenly popped into my head. You're letting me have all the fun, right? I'll definitely repay you.

He nodded seriously and said with conviction:

"Don't worry, I'm very skilled, I'll definitely ensure your safety."

No matter what your good intentions are, we have to face this together, and we'll both perish together!

Natsuno's eyes widened, her mouth slightly open, and she let out a sharp sound:

"ah???"

"What do you mean by guaranteeing my safety? You're asking me to come with you?"

Lin Shi smiled but didn't reply.

As night deepened, the outline of Mount Akina gradually became clear in the distance. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the most conspicuous sight was the three ambulances by the roadside, their warning lights already on, ready to depart.

Lin Shi parked the car, and Xia Ye got out first, heading straight into the racing garage.

The person in charge ran to the car door and greeted Lin Shi as he approached the race car.

The car body was matte black, and the reflective decals on it seemed to have been deliberately added in extra layers, making them overly conspicuous in the dim light. Inside, there was a bright yellow high-strength roll cage, which had been specially reinforced and was at least different in thickness from the roll cages he remembered.

After circling the vehicle once, Xia Ye walked out of the garage and quietly approached Lin Shi from behind.

"Hey!"

She suddenly raised her voice, startling Lin Shi, who was intently observing.

Lin Shi looked up at her. Her unruly clothes had been transformed into a thick one-piece racing suit. Holding a helmet in her hands, she actually looked quite cute.

Xia Ye didn't say anything more, but just waved his hand, signaling the person in charge to take Lin Shi to the changing room to change clothes.

Although she didn't believe that Lin Shi's timidity would lead to anything unexpected, it was better to be safe than sorry.

When Lin returned, fully dressed, the race car had already been moved to the starting line, and three ambulances behind him were also preparing to set off together.

I jogged over, got into the driver's seat, placed my hands on the steering wheel, my heart started racing, and my mind raced with thoughts of how to control this steel beast. Unable to contain my excitement, I lightly pressed the accelerator, and the vehicle roared to life.

Xia Ye watched as the vehicle remained motionless for a long time, assuming Lin Shi lacked the courage to drive. A soft chuckle came from beneath the helmet:

"Lu Han, are you sure you can do it—"

Before the final syllable of "行" had even faded, Lin Shi's right hand had already swiftly and smoothly shifted gears, and he pressed the accelerator hard. The race car shot off like an arrow, instantly leaving the ambulance far behind.

Natsuno felt the push against his back and watched the scenery rushing past him, then cheered loudly.

In the blink of an eye, the first bend was in sight. Xia Ye thought Lin Shi would slow down significantly, but instead, he saw Lin Shi's subtle hand movements and precise coordination of the brake and accelerator. The car cut into the apex of the bend with a smooth yet dangerous motion, the tires gripping the ground and emitting a brief but sharp screech.

The immense inertia slammed Xia Ye against the side of the car door. The seatbelt tightened, and he felt as if his internal organs were about to be flung out of his body, and his soul was about to leave him.

"Lin Shi! Slow down, slow down!!"

Lin Shi did not stop immediately. After turning the corner and straightening the car, a screeching sound of brakes rang out, and the race car quickly slowed down and came to a steady stop on the side of the road.

Lin Shi raised his hand, pushed open the helmet visor, turned to the side, and looked at Xia Ye with a questioning expression:

"What did you just call me?"

Natsuno's eyes, hidden beneath his helmet, began to dart around erratically, his voice betraying an awkward attempt to cover up his embarrassment.

"Emmm, I think it was called Lu Han."