“Brilliant.” Zhao Hesong gloated. “Wilson’s been arrogant for so long. Who would’ve thought he’d lose to a girl today? This defeat is going to spread through the whole circle.”
Pei Yuzhou looked at the person on the screen. She was dressed in a red-and-white racing suit, holding a helmet in her arms, looking crisp and capable—a world away from her usual style.
A good girl playing with race cars. It seemed she wasn’t timid at all.
A group of people in the stands had watched the entire thing.
The race ended.
Wilson slammed the steering wheel in fury and cursed, “Shit!”
Winnie instantly turned into a little fangirl. “Yaoyao, you were so badass!”
Mia deliberately raised her voice. “Some people look down on girls, but in the end, didn’t they still lose to us?”
Wilson had lost face. He slammed the car door and was about to leave.
Mia immediately went over to stop him. “Hey, hey, hey, young master, did you forget something? A bet is a bet. There are so many witnesses here.”
Wilson’s face burned with embarrassment. He mumbled an “I’m sorry” and left.
Mia grumbled in dissatisfaction, “What was that? I couldn’t even hear him!”
Meng Shuyao comforted her. “There’s no need to let someone like that ruin your mood.”
Mia nodded. “Mm.”
“To be honest, I was so nervous. I heard that Wilson’s been racing for five or six years.” Winnie linked arms with Meng Shuyao. “Yaoyao, you really had the guts to accept his bet.”
In truth, Meng Shuyao hadn’t been very confident either. At first, she had deliberately fallen behind to make him lower his guard, then used the final opportunity to make one desperate push and overtake him on the bend.
She had never pressed the accelerator that hard before. It had been a challenge to her limits.
She enjoyed the rush of adrenaline when she sped up. All her pressure and troubles were thrown to the back of her mind; all that remained by her ears was the roar of the engine and the sound of the free wind.
Learning to race was the first rebellious thing she had done after coming to America.
For the past ten years, the sports she had been exposed to were golf, horseback riding, and the like—none of which she liked at all.
In the Meng family, she couldn’t even choose her own interests and hobbies.
With that annoying stinking man gone, Mia happily drove two laps and finally had her fill.
Near noon, the three of them went into the club restaurant for lunch.
They chose seats on the balcony, where the lighting was good and perfect for photos.
Mia and Winnie went to the restroom, leaving Meng Shuyao to order first.
Upstairs happened to be a terrace.
Zhao Hesong stood there smoking. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced downward. “Isn’t that the girl who was racing just now?”
Pei Yuzhou leaned lazily against the railing and followed his gaze.
The girl had already changed back into her own clothes: a white sweater, a Chanel-style jacket over it, and a pair of Martin boots on her feet.
A very well-behaved outfit.
Zhao Hesong sighed. “She’s really fucking pure.”
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, it would truly be hard to imagine her driving so fiercely. The contrast was overwhelming.
Meng Shuyao had just finished ordering when a curly blond boy came over to strike up a conversation, asking for her contact information.
“I really like you. Can we be friends and get to know each other?” Foreigners had always been direct when they spoke, never beating around the bush.
She refused outright. “Sorry, you’re not my type.”
The boy didn’t give up easily. “Then what type do you like? I can change for you.”
Meng Shuyao thought for a moment. A figure surfaced in her mind, and she blurted out, “I like someone who’s one meter ninety, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, pale green eyes, double eyelids, a high nose bridge, thin lips—and he has to be mixed-race.”
Those requirements couldn’t be achieved even through plastic surgery.
The boy retreated in the face of difficulty. “Sorry for bothering you.”
But the more Zhao Hesong listened, the more familiar it sounded. When he realized it, he turned to look at the person beside him, surprise on his face. “Zhou-ge, isn’t she talking about you?”
Every single detail matched. Could it be such a coincidence?
Meng Shuyao heard something and looked up. Half of the man’s figure entered her sight. “Mr. Pei!”
Why was he here too?
She had thought they would never meet again.
Zhao Hesong’s gaze swept back and forth. “So you two know each other?”
Pei Yuzhou did not deny it and stepped back inside.
Zhao Hesong smelled gossip and hurriedly followed. “What’s going on, Zhou-ge? How do you know her?”
He gave only two words: “Not close.”
Zhao Hesong couldn’t get anything out of him and had no choice but to give up.
Meng Shuyao grabbed the phone on the table and hurried out of the restaurant, chasing upstairs.
Mr. Pei’s assistant was guarding the door to the private room.
She went over and asked, “Is Mr. Pei inside? Can I see him?”
Mark said, “Sir is in a video conference. He doesn’t have time.”
“Then I’ll wait here until he’s finished.” Meng Shuyao leaned against the wall and lowered her head to message Winnie and Mia, telling them to eat first.
Mark said, “Sir may not necessarily have time to see you. Miss Meng, you should go back.”
Meng Shuyao insisted on waiting.
This wait lasted more than thirty minutes, until her legs were sore from standing.
At last, the private room door opened.
Meng Shuyao immediately put away her phone and greeted him with a curved smile. “Mr. Pei.”
The man’s tone was distant. “What is it?”
“I wanted to thank you for what happened last time…”
“No need.”
Meng Shuyao pressed her lips together and changed the subject. “Mr. Pei, have you had lunch? Can I treat you to a meal?”
Pei Yuzhou stared into her eyes. “Why don’t you just say it directly? What do you want from me?”
He laid it bare.
His gaze was sharp, as if it could pierce straight through the human heart.
Meng Shuyao’s lashes trembled, and her heartbeat suddenly quickened.
She had almost forgotten—with his experience and mind, seeing through her was far too easy.
After a moment of silence, she spoke softly. “Can we talk alone?”
Pei Yuzhou turned and went inside.
Did he not even want to speak to her?
Meng Shuyao’s heart sank to the bottom.
The next moment, a cold voice came from inside. “Come in.”
Meng Shuyao froze for a second, and a trace of hope flashed through her eyes.
After she went in, Mark tactfully closed the door.
It was a private business room, simple and elegant in style, with clear, open lighting.
The leather sofa matched the marble coffee table in color. On the opposite wall was a giant display screen, likely used for video conferences.
Pei Yuzhou sat leaning there, his long legs crossed, raising his eyes to quietly watch her.
Meng Shuyao’s heart refused to settle. She slowly walked over and sat down on the sofa beside him, placing both hands properly on her legs.
Beside him, the sense of pressure was heavy.
The man before her was probably someone she would never be able to see through.
“Not going to speak?” Pei Yuzhou turned the ring on his pinky.
Meng Shuyao curled her fingers into her palm. “Does it have to be that I want something?”
After a brief pause, she murmured softly, “Can’t it be that I like you?”
Pei Yuzhou’s expression remained calm. “What about me is worth you liking?”
Meng Shuyao’s ears reddened slightly. “Sir is good-looking.”
She had plenty of experience being confessed to, but this was her first time confessing to someone else. Although it wasn’t sincere, she was still nervous—and even more afraid that he would see through her true thoughts.
“There are many good-looking people,” he said.
Meng Shuyao understood the implication in his words. He was telling her to like someone else.
“I told you before, don’t waste your efforts.” Pei Yuzhou withdrew his gaze and issued an order for her to leave. “Please go back.”
Meng Shuyao pressed her lips tightly together. The corners of her eyes drooped, unable to hide her dejection. “Sorry, I disturbed you.”
With that, she got up and left.
Fine, her first confession was one thing—but she had been rejected so thoroughly.
He hadn’t left her even the slightest bit of room.