Chapter Forty-Eight: Lightning-Fast Motorcycle

The moment Zhou Jingchen walked into the arcade with Yu Qian, he regretted it immediately.

What greeted his eyes were hooligans and rebellious girls, each with brightly dyed hair and jangling, ripped clothes. As he and Yu Qian walked among them, they looked like two complete outsiders.

Zhou Jingchen felt a headache coming on as he surveyed this group of misfits. He was tempted to just take Yu Qian home.

What he didn’t notice was that these unconventional teenagers, upon seeing two obvious model students appear in the arcade, found it just as strange and out of place.

In their empty heads, a single phrase surfaced: “They don’t fit in.”

“Qian Qian, why don’t we just go home?” Zhou Jingchen said warily, eyeing the crowd surrounding them. He really wanted to take Yu Qian and leave.

“No way! We hardly ever come here. I won’t leave until I’ve gotten my money’s worth,” Yu Qian refused decisively.

She paid no mind to Zhou Jingchen’s worries. She had plenty of protective charms on her. Even without them, she could easily take down all the brats here by herself.

Yang Jian’s martial arts had been honed on the battlefield, fighting a hundred foes at once. Every move he taught Yu Qian was a real technique, not for show.

So Yu Qian had no fear of fighting. What she worried about was not holding back and accidentally killing someone.

Seeing the excitement on her face, Zhou Jingchen rubbed his forehead and followed her nonetheless.

Yu Qian’s eyes suddenly sparkled, and she rushed ahead. Zhou Jingchen grabbed her. “Where are you going?”

“There! There! The speed motorcycle game!” The girl’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Zhou Jingchen’s face darkened. He had thought that even if she came to the arcade, she’d stick to crane machines, dance games, or maybe the fruit slot machine—simple games. Who would have guessed she’d set her sights on the thrilling racing game?

“Oh, don’t hold me back! I want to play the motorcycle game.” Unable to shake off the boy’s grip, she glared and began to wheedle. “Zhou Jingchen, let’s go play, it’s so rare we get to come out!”

Unable to resist her, Zhou Jingchen let her drag him over to the speed motorcycle game.

Their luck was good; just as they arrived, two players finished and vacated their seats. They inserted their tokens, took their places, and started the competition without hesitation.

“Zhou Jingchen, if I win, you have to promise me one thing!” Yu Qian announced before the game began.

He glanced at her and smiled, “Fine. But if you lose, you have to listen to me and stop playing these risky games.”

“I won’t lose~” she replied confidently, frowning slightly.

“Alright.” Zhou Jingchen didn’t say more. He selected his vehicle and waited for the race to start.

Seeing this, Yu Qian quickly made her preparations.

The staff member standing nearby saw everyone was ready and pressed the start button.

Among this round’s participants, all but the two of them were seasoned players. From the start, the others left them far behind.

“Pfft, I thought they’d be so great, talking about wagers and all,” sneered a red-haired boy. He’d overheard their entire conversation and, seeing how weak they were, couldn’t resist taunting them.

The two paid him no mind, focusing on getting familiar with the steering wheel and controls.

Within a minute, the other players were out of sight. Almost at the same moment, the two cars trailing at the back suddenly accelerated, shooting forward.

They chased after the cars ahead relentlessly. Even at the bends, they didn’t brake, drifting through the corners with ease.

The red-haired boy watched, stunned, as the pair went from clueless to showing off their skills and then catching up to—and surpassing—the other players, leaving the rest far behind. Only the two of them were left, battling for first place.

He was dumbstruck.

Were these really first-time players? Impossible!

On the final lap, Yu Qian made a slight error at a turn and fell a bit behind. But she didn’t give up, doing her best to catch up to the figure ahead.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Jingchen caught sight of the girl beside him, lips pressed tightly together as she concentrated on the steering wheel.