Chapter 60 Chapter 059: Racing Game

“Heh, only something truly special can catch people’s attention!” Wei whispered. “They say this thing was brought out by a young heir from Hong Kong’s upper crust, and they never thought they’d lose, because their car already has one of these things installed. Think about it—can an ordinary sports car possibly compete with one outfitted with a V8 engine?”

A sharp intake of breath.

Ye Chen’s eyes widened instantly, shock written all over his face as he stared at Wei. “You’ve got to be kidding me. They’ve got a V8 engine in there, and you still want to race? That thing’s built purely for racing! Tell me, where’s his car? I’ve got to take a good look at it!”

“It hasn’t arrived yet, but it should be here any minute,” Wei chuckled. “A V8 engine can only run for about two thousand kilometers at most—you think he’d waste its lifespan on the road? They usually ship it over by sea, then transport it to the venue in a giant container.”

Just as he finished speaking, a cheer erupted from the crowd. Li Ruo couldn’t help but glance over curiously, while Ye Chen was thoroughly captivated by the massive container truck. He started walking toward it, and Li Ruo quickly grabbed his hand, following along. Ye Chen was so focused on the car that he hardly noticed her holding his hand.

The two squeezed through the crowd as the container was opened. A set of conveyor belts whirred to life, and a sleek black sports car slowly emerged into view. The car’s front end resembled a black bat, instantly sending the girls in the crowd into a frenzy of shrill screams. There was no doubt—they’d all been utterly entranced by the dazzling vehicle.

“Wow, it’s gorgeous!” Li Ruo’s mouth hung open.

“A Lamborghini Black Phantom!” Ye Chen’s eyes widened as well. This Black Phantom was an upgraded, custom version.

Everyone knew the arrival of a Lamborghini meant chaos—screams, camera flashes, sometimes even tears. Of course, that was true for most people. The exceptions were either die-hard Ferrari fans or those wild custom shops like Edo—nothing satisfied them, and they'd pull the teeth from a tiger if it meant pushing the limits of performance.

The Black Phantom before Ye Chen was the stunning limited edition just released that summer. Its appearance alone was enough to leave people breathless. In every aspect—design, chassis, tires—it was the pinnacle of automotive engineering. No wonder the owner was so confident about keeping that V8 engine exclusive.

At that moment, a young man in a racing suit strode up to the car, casting a dismissive glance around him. “This Black Phantom has been extensively modified by my own hand. I think most of you can see that the heart of my upgrades lies in boosting the engine’s lung capacity. Not only did I swap in an F1 V8 engine, but I also improved the exhaust system, fitted high-angle camshafts, optimized the cylinder head, and installed a high-flow three-way catalytic converter.”

As he introduced the car, his tone was icy and arrogant, as though nothing in the world could impress him.

A chorus of exclamations rippled through the crowd. Many of the racers looked on with envy.

Then, Wei, who was in charge of the event, announced the rules and the race procedure, including details about the final prize. This time, more than ten sports cars would start at once, and every driver had to sign a liability waiver before setting off. If anything happened, Wei’s club would not be held responsible. For racers, pushing the limits was routine, and signing such a release was only natural.

“Ye Chen, are you confident?” Li Ruo asked nervously.

“If I were driving your BMW Z4, definitely not!” Ye Chen grinned. “But if I’m behind the wheel of this Ferrari 599, I think I’ll be just fine.”

“Really?” Li Ruo’s excitement was hard to contain, but she quickly realized Ye Chen was still holding her hand. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She scolded, half coy, half annoyed, “You scoundrel, how can you just hold a girl’s hand like that?”

“Ah?!” Ye Chen actually hadn’t realized he was holding her hand, but her words snapped him to attention. He quickly let go, though he couldn’t help thinking to himself how soft and delicate her hand was—he wished he could have held it a little longer.

Soon, the racers all got into their cars and lined up at the starting line. The Hong Kong tycoon’s son boldly parked his car right up front, flanked by top-of-the-line sports cars, each painted in dazzling hues—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—the whole spectrum on display.

Wei climbed into his own Ferrari, a model on par with the 599. Before getting in, he called out to Li Ruo, “Good luck, President Li!”

“Mm!” Li Ruo’s attention was entirely on Ye Chen.

At the top of Xiangming Mountain, the night felt a bit stifling. Ye Chen took off his security uniform, then turned to Li Ruo. “Come on, get in!”

Engines roared to life—fifteen cars in total—each carrying a tall, stunning woman as a passenger. The women cheered their men on, and as Li Ruo looked around, her face reddened. Everyone else had brought a date, but she’d brought a man, and now he was the one driving while she sat in the passenger seat. Would people think she was his girlfriend?

While Li Ruo was lost in thought, Ye Chen started the car. He was obviously familiar with Ferraris, easily shifting gears. Most people preferred automatics, but not Ye Chen—he liked to drive stick. The Ferrari had a paddle-shift semi-automatic, but also full manual mode with seven gears—plenty of speed, especially with a V12 engine under the hood. Of course, there was a big difference between this and the F1 V8 engine—the 599’s redline was under eight thousand RPM, while a Formula One engine could reach sixteen thousand. Surprised? The secret lay in the “pneumatic valve” technology, which used compressed air instead of metal valve springs, allowing for much higher speeds without valve float.

At that moment, the official’s yellow flag began to wave, signaling the drivers to get ready—the race was about to begin. Li Ruo hurried into the passenger seat, buckling up and donning her helmet. The sports car’s seatbelt wasn’t just a single strap but two, crossing over for extra security in case of a high-speed crash.

“All drivers, prepare for the start!” The radio frequency switched to the event channel, and the organizer’s announcement came over the speakers. Ye Chen was ready—his foot hovered over the clutch, engine revs climbing to five thousand as the car roared, joined by a chorus of other engines thundering across the mountaintop.

Sweat beaded on Li Ruo’s brow as she watched Ye Chen, who looked strikingly focused and, she had to admit, quite handsome. She couldn’t help but wonder—what sort of background did this man have? How was he such a skilled racer, with abilities extending far beyond driving? And what about that time he managed to get Zhang Dadan’s money into his own hands?

Start!

The yellow flag dropped, and the black “bat” car shot forward like a bolt of lightning through the night. As the crowd gasped, the rest of the cars surged ahead, a barrage of engines roaring behind. Ye Chen’s Ferrari was boxed in, unable to gain momentum at first, the way blocked on all sides.

“Damn it!” Ye Chen gritted his teeth, tapped the gas, and blue flames spat from the exhaust. Li Ruo felt a tremendous force slam her back against the seat as the Ferrari burst forward.

“We’re going to crash!” Li Ruo cried.

“Shut up!” Ye Chen barked. With a twist of the wheel, he lifted the car onto its two right wheels, slipping through a narrow gap beside another car. Li Ruo stared in disbelief—such skill was beyond her wildest imagination.

With a thunderous sound, the Ferrari surged ahead of the pack, its tires biting back into the road. Now that he was free of obstructions, the open road stretched ahead. The racers behind and the crowd on the sidelines were all stunned by Ye Chen’s maneuver, giving him a unanimous thumbs up and cheering, “Amazing!”