Chapter 4: Removing Friends

Highway No. 5 snaked upward along the mountain, steep and riddled with curves. At the road’s starting point stood a vast plaza, seemingly built especially for the young men and women passionate about racing, with funding from the Xie Group.

Whenever a major race took place, the place would be teeming with people, bustling with activity.

Just like tonight.

Lin Yiwei was squeezed amid the overflowing crowd, with Su Andi right beside her, her face painted in a sweet yet edgy devilish makeup.

Among the youthful and vibrant crowd, such makeup was not exaggerated.

Compared to the trendily dressed boys and girls around them, Lin Yiwei’s daily light makeup was almost negligible.

Not only were their makeups bold, but their faces were also adorned with various English letter logos, with "ds" being the most common.

Su Andi explained that these were the racing club logos. The "ds" club had won the most awards and was the strongest, followed by "west."

“Ds is the club where Xie Bo belongs. ‘DS’ stands for Destiny. Xie Bo is not only the top racer in the club but also a shareholder. It’s said he founded the club himself,” Su Andi recited to Lin Yiwei as if sharing treasured knowledge.

“Because Xie Bo loves racing, the wealthy heirs in Qinggang City all started playing this game. He’s particularly formidable, having snagged many heavyweight awards from the International Racing Association in the past year or two.”

Lin Yiwei had no interest in the person Su Andi adored and did not respond as the girl chattered away.

With the rhythmic music from the DJ booth, the young crowd swayed their bodies, immersed in the wild and exhilarating open-air dance party.

With a sharp "whoosh," several flashy sports cars zoomed in from the far end of the highway.

A few young heirs dressed in colorful racing suits stepped down, waving to the cheers of the crowd.

“Is your Xie in there?”

“Obviously not!” Su Andi looked them up and down with disdain. “You’ll know the moment Xie Bo shows up.”

“I’ve never seen him.”

“But you’ll know.” Su Andi smiled. “He has this powerful aura that you can never ignore. Maybe that’s his charm.”

“Are you sure it’s not just love making you blind?” Lin Yiwei teased.

“Trust me, it’s definitely not. Xie Bo’s handsomeness is widely acknowledged.”

Lin Yiwei looked at the few young heirs who had just stepped down.

Generations of affluent families had refined their genes; each young master and miss was handsome and fair-skinned, nearly flawless.

She didn’t think another one could outshine the heavens—at best, they were just average. After seeing so many, she was simply tired of it.

“Look, West arrived,” Su Andi said, looking at the white-toned fleet rolling in. She pointed to the first car’s occupant—a crew-cut youth named Yun Hui, the right-hand man of Chi Xicheng. She added with contempt, “That Kayan Group was founded by him.”

She sneered, “Their team is the archrival of DS.”

Lin Yiwei couldn’t help but ask, “Where is Chi Xicheng?”

Su Andi grinned, “So you want to meet him? Looks like you’re getting along well, hehe.”

In truth, Lin Yiwei had indeed been chatting with Chi Xicheng lately. She had crafted an aloof and elegant persona for herself, neither overly warm nor cold—balanced, restrained.

A playboy heir like Chi Xicheng wouldn’t lack flattering women. If she appeared too eager to get close, it would only bore him.

At the same time, she rarely mentioned personal details—school, age, work—keeping an air of mystery.

Eileen Chang once said that a man who knows you too well will never love you.

Lin Yiwei didn’t know where she had learned so much about the intricate dynamics between men and women.

Perhaps it was instinct.

For others, love might be a pastime; for Lin Yiwei, it was survival.

She realized that Chi Xicheng wasn’t some wise, profound man—he was as foolish as most men, just richer.

More importantly, he was Chi Xiyu’s older brother.

Unaware of Lin Yiwei’s thoughts, Su Andi continued rambling, “Chi Xicheng doesn’t race, but he’s the investor of the West racing team. Some say he funds the team just to compete with Xie Bo. Although they seem friendly on the surface, like pals, there’s an undercurrent of tension.”

Lin Yiwei asked, “Is the West team named after him?”

“Exactly. The full name is Westfall, derived from his name’s meaning. It’s said he’s spent a fortune to maintain the team, hiring international champions to challenge Xie Bo.”

Su Andi’s words always circled back to her favorite—Xie Bo, subtly highlighting him.

Soon, a stunning silver custom race car roared in, screeching on the curves, drifting elegantly.

The sleek silver-gray window rolled down, triggering screams from the crowd. Su Andi’s shouts nearly burst Lin Yiwei’s eardrums!

“Ahhhh! Xie Bo!”

“So handsome!”

“Xie Bo! Xie Bo!”

Flashing cameras lit up like a star’s public appearance.

Lin Yiwei glanced at the driver inside.

He wore goggles, with sharp, prominent brow bones and a chiseled profile.

His left hand casually rested on the window ledge—long, well-defined fingers, pale skin, and a tattoo on his wrist.

A slender black snake, tongue flicking, coiled in an S shape.

Lin Yiwei’s heart seized, and she struggled for several seconds before she could breathe properly.

It was him!

She didn’t even need to watch him remove his goggles to recognize him at a glance.

Those snake-tattooed hands had traced every inch of her skin, exploring her depths...

She could never forget him.

“Handsome, right?” Su Andi excitedly shook Lin Yiwei’s thin shoulders. “I told you, he’s handsome!”

There was no denying that Su Andi’s earlier words were not exaggerated.

Indeed, Xie Bo’s charisma was extraordinary. When he arrived, all those flashy, colorfully dressed young heirs instantly paled in comparison.

The man sitting inside the car bore no resemblance to the refined and gentle youth Lin Yiwei had met that day—wearing silver rimless moonlight glasses, elegant and noble.

He was like a blazing flame, wild and unapologetic.

Inexplicably, Lin Yiwei’s mind flashed back to when he was beneath her, staring at her with a controlled and restrained gaze...

She had always thought he was an inexperienced, obedient younger brother—someone she could manipulate at will.

If she didn’t want anything, he wouldn’t insist.

She thought he was someone she could control.

Lin Yiwei was wrong.

Over the years, through Su Andi’s infatuated chatter, she had heard much about Xie Bo.

The third son of a wealthy family, seemingly refined and noble, was actually ruthless, cold, and distant.

In Qinggang City’s elite circles, it was common knowledge: better to offend a thousand Chi Xichengs than to cross one Xie Bo.

Recalling that night’s events, sweat broke out on Lin Yiwei’s palms.

Such a man was beyond her ability to provoke or even dare to confront.

Though regretting it was too late, she was glad to have moved after that night—they had no further contact.

Although they had exchanged WeChat contacts...

Lin Yiwei immediately pulled out her phone, found the account named “thin,” and without hesitation, deleted it.

“Thin” — meaning “Bo.”

Only now did she realize the significance of that WeChat ID.

Xie Bo didn’t get out of the car but half-opened the window to reveal his face. Amid the young crowd’s screams, he drove the car to the starting line, forming a semicircle with several other cars.

A sexy young woman in a hot short skirt and tank top held a flag, strode the starting line with elegant strides, casting ribbons.

As the ribbons fluttered to the ground, an ear-splitting roar erupted as several modified sports cars shot forward like arrows.

At that moment, Su Andi was called away by several friends, giving Lin Yiwei a chance to slip away.

She absolutely could not go to tonight’s drinking party. Since mistakes had already been made, she had to avoid any encounters with Xie Bo.

Dropping the Chi Xicheng lead was a pity, but she couldn’t manage everything.

Her true target was only one: Chi Xiyu.

She was the person most directly connected to Lin Xie’s disappearance.

After deleting Chi Xicheng, Lin Yiwei left the suburban highway, walked several kilometers, finally found a bus stop, and took a bus home.

...

At the Baiyin Club, in a lavish private room filled with intoxication and decadence, Chi Xicheng, bored and listless, pushed away a girl who was pressing up on him. He pulled out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Lin Yiwei, asking if she had arrived.

The reply was a red dot:

“The user is not your friend. Friend verification required.”

She had actually deleted him?!

Chi Xicheng’s mood plummeted; unprecedented anger surged within him. He grabbed his glass, downed the fiery vodka, and smashed the glass forcefully.

The room fell silent instantly. Everyone paused their entertainment, looking at Chi Xicheng in confusion.

His right-hand man Yun Hui immediately spoke up: “No worries, I was just teasing City Bro. Let’s continue.”

Once the atmosphere recovered, Yun Hui cautiously approached Chi Xicheng. “City Bro, what’s wrong?”

Chi Xicheng snapped: “Who let that person join the group? Are you messing with me?”

That was serious—who dared to mess with Chi Xicheng?

Yun Hui stepped out and asked his subordinates a few questions, learning that the girl with the nickname “Breeze” had left, but her friends were still in the next room.

No escape.

Yun Hui immediately stormed into the room, grabbed Su Andi by the hair, dragged her out in front of everyone, and pulled her into another room at the end of the corridor.

“Damn! Who the hell are you!”

Scalp aching, Su Andi struggled desperately. The more she resisted, the more it hurt. She shouted hoarsely, “What are you doing?!”

Yun Hui threw her down in front of Chi Xicheng.

Since Xie Bo hadn’t come, Su Andi had already lost interest and wanted to leave. But no sooner had she stepped out than she was dragged before Chi Xicheng.

She had been screaming and cursing moments before, but when she looked up at the man with slightly fierce features and deliberately sharp eyebrows, she trembled uncontrollably like a leaf in the wind.

“City... City Bro, what do you want with me?”

Chi Xicheng’s anger had somewhat subsided. Smiling, he helped Su Andi up and said to Yun Hui, “Have I ever told you to be gentle with girls?”

Though he said this, Su Andi knew the more he smiled, the more terrifying his methods were.

She shuddered all over.

Chi Xicheng made her sit beside him. “Is that ‘Breeze’ your friend?”

Su Andi bit her lip, not answering immediately, warily eyeing him. “What... what do you want?”

“I arranged to meet her, but she didn’t show. I want to know if she ran into trouble.”

Seeing Chi Xicheng’s twisted attempt at gentleness, Su Andi was frightened.

She had only told Lin Yiwei how rich Chi Xicheng was and how generous he was to girlfriends, but never that he was a playboy.

That was why his ex-girlfriends had all received vast sums in compensation.

Chi Xicheng’s ways were not something ordinary people could endure.

“Tell me, where did your friend go?” Chi Xicheng was losing patience, grabbing Su Andi’s chin with one hand and pulling her close.

“She wasn’t feeling well and went home early.”

“Really? What kind of illness makes her so bold as to delete my WeChat?”

“She... she... I’m not really close to her anyway...”

Before she finished, Chi Xicheng grabbed her hair and slammed her head against the coffee table.

He controlled the force—no cuts or blood—but the move was threatening enough to terrify Su Andi deeply.

She half-kneeling on the floor, covered her face, tears streaming down.

The others in the room were unmoved, continuing their own amusements.

Chi Xicheng moved closer to her. Su Andi trembled and tried to back away but saw him pick up the limited-edition Hermès bag of the female companion beside him, along with foundation, lipstick, and keychains, tossing them all onto the floor.

After emptying it, he threw the bag at Su Andi.

“Here.”

Su Andi looked at the six-figure luxury bag, hesitant to accept it, glancing at the girl.

The girl angrily tugged Chi Xicheng’s sleeve: “That’s my bag! You just gave it away? City Bro, I want a new one.”

Chi Xicheng clearly had no time for her and muttered three deep words:

“Shut up.”

The girl immediately fell silent.

“Are you really giving it to me?” Su Andi clutched the bag’s chain, holding it close.

“I want all her information,” Chi Xicheng said, staring at her.

Su Andi glanced at the priceless limited-edition bag in her arms, feeling intimidated by Chi Xicheng’s threat, and no longer hesitated—

“Her name is Lin Yiwei. She just got admitted to Feige University this year. She... is my cousin. If City Bro wants to find her, I can help!”