Volume One, Chapter 40: Betting on Women

Ning Yu stood in place, her emotions slipping slightly beyond her control.

Leaning against the edge of the table, Cheng Xiuming's words echoed relentlessly in her mind.

July 29th... July 29th...

How could she have forgotten this day?

With a look of vexation, Ning Yu struck her own forehead. The past month had stretched her nerves so taut that she had actually let this date slip her mind.

Eight years ago, on July 29th, Ning Yu had resolutely broken up with Li Shiyan.

To be precise, the breakup had not been proposed on that exact day, but that was the day she and Li Shiyan had truly parted ways.

What did Cheng Xiuming mean when he said he couldn't control Li Shiyan?

Ning Yu could not figure it out for the moment. Her most pressing and worrying concern right now was how to slip out of the heavily guarded Lin family residence without a sound or a trace.

She changed her clothes, checked carefully to make sure no servants were about, and stepped into the pitch darkness. Her heart was in her throat the entire time she made her way out of the East Courtyard.

She was terrified that someone might suddenly emerge from the shadows.

To her surprise, leaving the Lin family residence went remarkably smoothly.

Not a single soul was to be seen along the path, and all the lights were turned off.

Ning Yu sensed something amiss several times, but whenever she turned back, everything was shrouded in inky blackness.

She had no time to ponder further. Since she had already made it out, discovery would just mean discovery; all she could do was slip away as fast as possible.

The West Courtyard.

A subordinate walked in to report, "Third Master, I've confirmed it. It is indeed Miss Ning Yu."

"Oh?" Lin Shucheng raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "I actually thought... it would be someone else..."

The subordinate looked puzzled. "Third Master, please forgive my presumption, but why did you specifically order the servants to rest early tonight, and even use the Old Master's birthday as an excuse to turn off the lights in the main Lin residence? Your subordinate fails to understand."

"Drawing the snake out of its hole is quite normal. Look, didn't we just catch a snake?" Lin Shucheng smiled coldly, his mind clearly plotting other matters.

"Drawing the snake... but why did you have to do it yourself, and even... inadvertently help the snake along?"

Lin Shucheng glanced at him. "You've been with me for so many years, why haven't you improved at all? Since the snake wants to leave its hole, we simply go with the flow and let her out so we can trace the vine to the melon, don't we?"

"You mean...?" The subordinate immediately caught on.

Lin Shucheng said, "Don't forget what day today is. The Ning family reeks of copper coins; they are nothing more than a parvenu household that thinks by mimicking others to open a flashy yet worthless bankrupt company, and then shoving their daughter into the bed of the eldest branch's fool of a son, they can successfully squeeze into the capital's inner circle. They are so eager that they jumped at the chance to stay in the Lin residence. If there is a man who can make the Second Miss Ning rush out in the middle of the night, wouldn't that make things very interesting?"

"Third Master is wise."

"Then what are you still standing around for? Send people to follow her, but don't startle the prey. No need to make a move—just find out who that man is. It might even be someone you recognize."

"Yes."

—

Nanshan, as the name suggested, was located in the southern part of the capital. Because its terrain was excessively steep, the winding mountain road formed layer upon layer of sharp and sudden turns.

Such terrain was entirely unsuited for developing ordinary scenic spots, but it made an exceptionally prime location for a racing circuit.

Long ago, the entire mountain had been privately leased. The roads were rarely traveled by the general public and were dedicated exclusively to racing.

Of course, in a place like the capital where every inch of land was worth a fortune, leasing Nanshan and building a racetrack was no small expense, so the admission fees were naturally exorbitant.

Over time, it came to cater solely to a circle of wealthy young elites.

They played wild, and when they went crazy, they would stay up the entire night without sleep.

By this time, most of the lights in the capital had gone out, but Nanshan was ablaze with illumination.

A group of young scions, accompanied by their female companions, laughed with wild abandon. Their extravagant, dissolute, and hedonistic lifestyle was on full display.

The roar of racing engines echoed through the air, shaking the entire mountain.

The cacophony of engines, laughter, and taunts filled the entirety of Nanshan.

As soon as Ning Yu stepped out of the taxi, she spotted Cheng Xiuming standing by the roadside, dialing his phone frantically.

"Dr. Cheng."

She walked over.

Cheng Xiuming looked up at her and rushed over anxiously. "You're finally here!"

"I came from the Lin family residence, so it was really inconvenient and delayed me a bit," Ning Yu explained. "What's wrong with Li Shiyan?"

"The Lin family residence? How did you... Ah, right, tomorrow is your engagement party with Lin Haoyu. That does make things a bit troublesome." Cheng Xiuming glanced behind her. That stretch lacked streetlights and was pitch black, rendering everything invisible.

He decided not to dwell on it. "Anyway, time is of the essence, so I'll try to explain as quickly as possible. Today is the anniversary of Li Shiyan's mother's death. His emotions are probably running high, and it happens to coincide with the eight-year anniversary of the time you two parted ways. Who knows what set him off today, but he came out here to street-race."

"An anniversary? How can that be? Li Shiyan clearly told me before..."

Ning Yu froze, staring at Cheng Xiuming in disbelief as memories from eight years ago involuntarily flooded her mind.

Clearly...

Clearly, Li Shiyan had come from an orphanage; he didn't even know who his own parents were.

How could he possibly...

"How could it not be?" Cheng Xiuming retorted. "Eight years ago, he was just a fighter brawling in underground rings, risking his life just to earn that meager sum for your medical fees. Eight years later, he has transformed not only into an associate chief physician at a top-tier hospital, but also into the revered Fifth Master of the capital."

Cheng Xiuming's gaze flickered as he deliberately provoked her, "Didn't you also go from being an orphan in a welfare home to the Second Miss of the Ning family? Eight years is a very long time; what is impossible?"

Ning Yu had nothing to say. She lowered her head for a moment, suppressing the surging emotions in her chest. "Go on."

"There's nothing much else. Every year on this day he goes out of his mind, but this year he's gone completely berserk," Cheng Xiuming said in an indifferent tone.

"He's been racing for several years now, and I've yet to see anyone beat him. Originally, I wouldn't have wanted to bother you, considering your complicated and unclear history with him. But the prize stakes in previous years were at most parcels of land or business projects. This year's stake is different."

Cheng Xiuming's words carried a slight sting, but Ning Yu accepted them.

Unfazed, she asked, "What is it?"

"Waging a woman," Cheng Xiuming replied. "Li Shiyan didn't bring a woman with him, so if he loses, he has to stake himself."

"Stake himself? This is a society governed by law!" Ning Yu frowned.

"First, they gamble voluntarily. Second, the loser pays voluntarily. Third, staking oneself doesn't mean staking one's life. However, not every sharp turn on Nanshan has streetlights. If he hits the gas and an accident happens... well, if he's lucky he might survive, but broken arms and legs are par for the course."

Only then did Ning Yu breathe a sigh of relief, right before hearing Cheng Xiuming add, "Besides, he's drunk quite a bit of alcohol."

Ning Yu's heart instantly leapt back into her throat. "What's the situation right now?"

"Five laps completed. Judging by the sound, they're approaching the final turn. This spot is both our starting and finishing line," Cheng Xiuming finished.

Speak of the devil.

Several sets of headlights roared around the sharp corner. A leading wine-red Koenigsegg sports car screeched to a halt, followed by seven other cars arriving almost simultaneously.

The group of young masters didn't even bother taking off their helmets.

The leader was clearly high on adrenaline. "We've run five laps! Look at this, all our women have been lost to Fifth Master for the past five months!"

Another laughed nearby, "That's only because Fifth Master didn't bring a woman today. Winning means sleeping with Fifth Master—who would dare win?"

Inside the driver's seat of the wine-red Koenigsegg, the man lit a cigarette. "Win against me, and I'll find fifty women for you."

Someone who noticed Ning Yu and Cheng Xiuming chimed in, "Why would you need fifty? Isn't there one right over there?"

The gazes of the crowd followed the direction and landed on Ning Yu.

Surrounded by a pack of wolves.

Li Shiyan raised an eyebrow, swept a glance over her, and immediately looked away. "Not her. Too mediocre."