Chapter 18: Slow Down

Several flashy motorcycles roared in, drifting around the bend of the highway, sharp screeches of brakes cutting through the night air.

Among them was a black heavy motorcycle ridden by Xie Bo.

Standing nearly 1.9 meters tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his physique was sleek and proportionate, exuding neither recklessness nor clumsiness, making him instantly recognizable.

He removed his goggles helmet, his short black hair tousled by the night breeze rushing toward him. His beautiful almond-shaped eyes held a lazy charm, his jaw slightly raised, features sharp and cold as a blade.

The girls, including Ye Anning, screamed wildly.

Ye Anning grabbed Lin Yiwei’s hand and ran to Xie Bo’s side. “Boss Bo! I thought you weren’t coming!”

Xie Bo smirked playfully, ruffling her hair. “How could I not come?”

Though he spoke to Ye Anning, his meaningful gaze kept lingering on Lin Yiwei.

Ye Anning pushed Lin Yiwei forward. “Xie Bo, today I specially brought my friend Weiwei over. You have to set her up with a reliable handsome guy, take good care of her, and don’t let any bad boys bully her.”

Xie Bo glanced back. “A Du, you take care of Weiwei.”

Li Du clicked his tongue, stretching out his long legs as he balanced on his bike, pulling goggles from the trunk and tossing them to Lin Yiwei. “Boss Bo gave me special instructions, so I won’t let you down. Wanna hang with me, Weiwei? Or if you want someone more handsome, pick any of the guys on our team. They’re all good-looking.”

Lin Yiwei, straightforward and honest, actually walked up to the boys and examined each one carefully, preparing to choose the most eye-catching.

Xie Bo knew she was a “president-level appearance enthusiast,” otherwise she wouldn’t have chosen him at a glance that night.

His expression darkened slightly as he reached out to pull Lin Yiwei back by the neck, telling Li Du, “No choice. A Du, you’re taking her.”

Lin Yiwei pointed at a burly guy in the last row whose arm muscles seemed about to burst from his shirt. “But I want that guy.”

“Fat chance.”

Li Du pushed his bike beside her, smiling. “No choice, Boss Bo only trusts me to take care of you.”

Lin Yiwei glanced at the burly guy, who looked at her regretfully.

Ye Anning naturally hopped onto Xie Bo’s bike behind him and called back to Lin Yiwei, “Weiwei, Li Du’s pretty good. Don’t be scared. We’ll wait for you up ahead!”

“Okay.”

With a roar, Xie Bo’s motorcycle took off first, followed by the boys who revved up and sped out after him.

Lin Yiwei kept reminding Li Du, “Li… Li Ge, go slower, okay?”

Li Du put on his goggles and said gently, “Just call me A Du, like Boss Bo.”

“Okay, A Du.”

Li Du revved the engine and rode onto the highway, keeping the speed below fifty miles per hour.

But even that was too fast for Lin Yiwei. “A Du, can you slow down? I get carsick.”

“You get carsick?”

“Does your club forbid people from getting carsick?”

“I’m just curious. You get carsick and still come to race?”

“I’m here with Anning.”

“No way.”

Li Du slowed to thirty miles per hour, cruising leisurely on the mountain road at night. “You came just to see Boss Bo, didn’t you?”

“No way.”

“But you’re even wearing his shirt. You say it’s not for that?”

Lin Yiwei’s heart skipped a beat as she denied vehemently, “This style is common. You see it everywhere.”

“But the collar is embroidered with his English initial, unique in Qinggang City.”

She quickly looked down and found the inside collar embroidered in gold thread, faintly showing a gothic letter—

“T.”

Noticing Lin Yiwei’s worry, Li Du reassured her, “Don’t worry. He only wears that shirt at home. Ye Anning and Chi Xiyu don’t even know about it.”

Lin Yiwei breathed a sigh of relief, clutching his waist tightly. “I won’t wear it again.”

“Out of all the girls I’ve seen, you’re the most hostile to him,” Li Du laughed. “I’m amazed he can tolerate it. The Boss Bo I know isn’t this patient.”

Through the gray goggles, Lin Yiwei looked at the slim back of the young man and asked, “Are you close with him?”

“We’ve known each other a long time, grew up together.”

“So you’ve always been his sidekick.”

“I’m not his sidekick. I’m his friend. You get the difference?”

“Yeah.” Lin Yiwei had long sensed that Li Du and Xie Bo had a deep relationship. “But you seem to listen to him a lot.”

“He saved me once. Risked his life to carry me out of a fire. His leg got burned badly and had to have a skin graft,” Li Du turned his head slightly. “Boss Bo is loyal and caring, but always acts like a selfish jerk.”

He smiled helplessly. “Don’t know why he does that.”

“The white patch on his right leg?”

Lin Yiwei recalled seeing an abnormal patch of white skin near his right thigh, probably the skin graft. She had thought it was a birthmark.

“Damn!” Li Du exclaimed. “That’s right near his precious spot! How did you see that? So private!”

“…”

“You guys really have an unusual relationship! I thought you were some pure love story, turns out not! You actually took Boss Bo’s first time? Oh my god!” Li Du suddenly became a gossip queen, slamming on the brakes and eagerly asking, “How did you get him? Tell me! So many girls tried to win him over and failed.”

Lin Yiwei immediately regretted it but it was too late. “It was an accident. Don’t let Chi Xiyu find out!”

“Don’t worry. If Boss Bo doesn’t want others to know, I won’t say a word.” Li Du grinned. “No wonder I wondered why he’d risk offending Chi Xicheng and snatch a girl in the middle of the night.”

Lin Yiwei couldn’t always let Li Du see through her so clearly; it made her uneasy. She started digging into his background.

She glanced at his worn, rough sneakers. “You don’t really seem like you belong to their circle.”

Li Du didn’t hide it. “I never did. I never got into college. I started as a helper in a repair shop. The owner was heartless, paid 500 yuan a month—not even enough for food. Then Boss Bo saw me struggling and got me a job at the club so I could work and study for the adult exams, sometimes even sneak into your university classes.”

“So you’re not just friends, but also boss and employee.”

“Little girl, are you FBI? You’re good at spy games.”

“Since you can pry into me, I can pry into you.”

“Sure, why not.” Li Du dragged the word out. “But listen to me—no matter what your purpose is with Ye Anning or Chi Xiyu, I advise you to stop. This world isn’t for people like us. Without Boss Bo’s protection, you’d die horribly. And I can’t promise he’ll protect you to the end. He’s got his own goals, and he’s sacrificed a lot for them.”

Lin Yiwei clenched her teeth and said coldly, “I don’t understand what you mean.”

“Good.”

As they spoke, a white headlight flashed in the distance. Xie Bo’s black heavy motorcycle cut across their path.

Ye Anning got off the bike and said, “You guys are way too slow. We’re almost at the finish line and you’re still sitting here chatting halfway up the mountain!”

“I told Li Du to slow down,” Lin Yiwei said. “I get carsick.”

“Li Du, how could you make my friend carsick? Weren’t you supposed to drive steady?”

“Damn! What’s it got to do with me if she gets carsick? I’m driving at 30 miles per hour!”

“You just don’t have the skill!”

Lin Yiwei smiled and chimed in, “Yeah, you just don’t have the skill!”

Li Du got back on his bike. “Alright, alright. I admit I’m no good. Want someone with better skills to take you? Just don’t know if Miss Ye would agree.”

Ye Anning said openly, “Why wouldn’t I? You have to ask Boss Bo.”

“No way!” Lin Yiwei jumped on Li Du’s bike before Xie Bo could speak. “A Du’s steady.”

Xie Bo took off his goggles helmet and muttered two words—

“Switch bikes.”

Ye Anning grinned and pushed Lin Yiwei toward Xie Bo’s bike, then sat behind Li Du. “Boss Bo, she’s inexperienced and timid. Take care of her!”

Xie Bo smirked. “Of course. I’ll take good care of your friend.”

As Li Du fired up his engine and sped off, he called back, “We’ll wait for you at the finish!”

“An An!” Lin Yiwei called, wanting them to slow down, but in an instant the motorcycles vanished around the bend.

Night thickened, the mountain wind howled.

Lin Yiwei looked at the man on the bike.

He toyed with his goggles helmet, a few strands of hair caressed by the breeze. His elegant, star-like eyes caught the white shirt she wore.

“Why are you so hooked on my clothes? Sneaked this out from home?”

“I... have no clothes to wear.”

“Lying.”

“Fine, don’t believe me.”

“Not that pathetic.”

“My best shirt got torn up already. I borrowed yours as a backup,” Lin Yiwei said honestly.

“Come to my place later. Pick anything you want from my wardrobe,” Xie Bo half-joked, half-serious.

“No.” Lin Yiwei settled on the back seat. “Drive slower. I get carsick.”

“Carsick and still come out to play?”

“Got to. I have KPIs to meet with you here.”

He didn’t start the engine immediately but turned curiously. “Since when did I become your KPI?”

Lin Yiwei was honest with him. “Chi Xiyu wants you to distance from Ye Anning, so she sent me to seduce you. When you stop paying attention to Ye Anning, that’s when I finish my KPI.”

Xie Bo snorted. “Boring.”

Lin Yiwei rambled on. “My neighbor’s sister used to try hard to marry well by mixing in circles, buying luxury bags and clothes beyond her means, spending tens of thousands to join exclusive city walks. Her life was tough but she looked glamorous. I always thought treating marriage like a career and pinning happiness on a man was like chasing illusions, leaving you with nothing in the end.”

“Sounds like you’re talking about others,” Xie Bo said mockingly. “Getting close to Chi Xiyu, a puppet on her strings, isn’t that your career too?”

Lin Yiwei admitted, “So I don’t think I’m noble. On the contrary, maybe more despicable, since I have to deceive a girl who’s truly my friend.”

“Logically, since I like you so much, I should let you have your way, let you bring home the trophy and boast to Chi Xiyu,” he pinched her cheek, his sharp lips nearly touching hers. “But you have to work for it. Work on seducing me.”

“I... will try.”

Xie Bo sneered, snatched the goggles from her hands, and threw his helmet to her. “Tonight, I’m giving you that chance.”

“I won’t wear a helmet,” Lin Yiwei refused. “It’ll mess up my makeup.”

“With your skills, your makeup looks like a ghost. Only if it smudges do you look human.”

“...”

Xie Bo put on the goggles and forcibly fitted the helmet on her head.

Inside the helmet, his body heat lingered.

Outside, the motorcycle roared as it sped away.

He rode much faster than Li Du, the fierce wind cutting against their skin like knives.

Lin Yiwei gripped his waist tightly. “Xie Bo, slow down!”

The man ignored her, not slowing but accelerating, the motorcycle roaring along the silent, empty forest road.

Moonlight shone that night, tree shadows swayed, and the only other light was the bike’s headlight reflecting off the road signs.

“Xie Bo, I’m going to be sick.”

“Try throwing up on me, see what happens.”

Finally, Lin Yiwei wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his broad, solid back and closing her eyes tightly.

Only by closing her eyes could she overcome her fear.

Xie Bo felt the girl’s embrace from behind. The patch of skin on his back grew sensitive, as if alive, desperately absorbing her warmth.

His skin suffered from a craving disease; he longed for her closeness, for skin-to-skin contact.

He had tried to touch other girls, like Ye Anning, but felt no spark. Even touching them made him feel repulsed.

He wished she would hold him longer, so at the fork ahead, Xie Bo decisively took the left road leading out of the city, racing through the silent wilderness.

Gone without looking back.

After an unknown length of time, Lin Yiwei realized something was wrong. He had been speeding so long, yet they still hadn’t reached the finish.

The endless wilderness stretched on, tree shadows thick. Only a bright moon hung high in the sky, the sole guide on the wild road.

In a boundless dark forest without firelight, one instinctively feels fear.

“Xie Bo, why is there no one here?”

No response.

“Xie Bo.” She tugged his shirt. “Xie Bo! Speak to me!”

“Did you turn into a ghost?”

“If you don’t answer, I’m jumping! Talk to me!”

Xie Bo slowly muttered, “Idiot.”

“...”

“You ruined such a romantic atmosphere, you pig.”

“Not romantic at all, it scared me to death! I saw graves just now. Where are we going?”

He ignored her again.

Half an hour later, signs of civilization appeared.

They had left Qinggang City and arrived at an unknown small town nearby.

No skyscrapers, only low buildings up to three stories. Street vendors and barbecue stalls lined the roads. The barber’s rotating light flickered weakly. Small inns and guesthouses dotted the streets.

Xie Bo braked at an intersection and said, “Babe, get off.”

“Where is this?”

“Lugang Town. They used to hold rally races here.”

“Why come here?”

Xie Bo parked by the roadside and bent down to check the bike. “Brake system warning. Need to find a repair shop.”

“Now?”

“Yeah.”

“When can we go back?”

“Don’t know.”

She followed Xie Bo pushing the bike to the repair shop. He negotiated brake replacement prices with the mechanics. Lin Yiwei stood by the roadside, took out her phone, and opened a ride-hailing app.

The town was in the mountains, too remote. At this hour, the screen was blank—no available cars.

“Hey beautiful, need a ride?” A male van driver approached, leering. “Where to? I’ll take you.”

“N-no thanks.”

Xie Bo emerged from the shop. Lin Yiwei hurried over, and he pulled her behind him. The van driver sheepishly gave up.

“At this time, don’t leave my sight,” he said with a smile. “If you get sold, I’ll be heartbroken for days.”

Lin Yiwei had no choice but to obey, quietly asking, “What now? How long to fix?”

“Maybe by tomorrow.”

“...”