Chapter 104: Spectating
With that thought in mind, Gu Wanrong hurriedly pulled out her phone and sent a text to Yu Yingying: “I’m heading out first. You guys keep having fun.”
She then quickly contacted the Four Seas Club to put the night’s expenses on her tab.
After sorting the bill, she realized Yu Yingying still hadn’t replied. Gu Wanrong assumed they were having too much fun to hear their phones buzz.
Xie Xian drove, occasionally glancing at Gu Wanrong out of the corner of his eye.
He watched her blush from his teasing, drift into thought, contact people one by one, and finally settle quietly into the passenger seat, perfectly still.
The streetlights lining the road flashed through the window, casting alternating patterns of light and shadow across Gu Wanrong’s face, revealing her expression in fleeting glimpses.
A quiet atmosphere pervaded the enclosed space of the car. Neither of them spoke.
Gu Wanrong turned her head slightly to look at Xie Xian. He was focused on the road ahead, making the little joke from earlier feel like a figment of her imagination.
The confines of the car were intimate; even a shifting gaze could be keenly felt. Xie Xian was no exception. He glanced over, meeting her eyes. Caught, Gu Wanrong immediately pretended to look ahead casually.
Seeing this, Xie Xian withdrew his gaze.
What he didn’t know was that his calm, deep look had felt almost predatory to Gu Wanrong, making her heart race and stripping her of the courage to look at him again.
Gu Wanrong fidgeted with her fingers uneasily. The quiet air was laced with faint wisps of alcohol scent. She could clearly hear Xie Xian’s breathing intersecting with her own, mixed with the aroma of red wine—entangled and ambiguous.
Outside the window, the car gradually moved toward the suburbs, and the roads grew quieter.
Lingering, romantic music played track after track, making the atmosphere increasingly charged.
Gu Wanrong couldn’t figure Xie Xian out.
He was the one who usually kept his distance, yet he was the one who had suddenly appeared tonight. He was gentle and polite, yet restrained and aggressive.
What exactly was his attitude toward her? Confused, Gu Wanrong stole a glance at him through the rearview mirror, not daring to look directly this time.
She couldn’t guess. Just as she was about to ask him where they were going, the car arrived at their destination.
Xie Xian got out first, opened her door, and led her into the venue.
It wasn’t until she sat down in the viewing room and saw the live broadcast on the screen that she realized Xie Xian had brought her to watch a car race.
But she was mistaken; simply watching wasn’t Xie Xian’s only intention.
For Gu Wanrong, this was her first experience with racing. Before this, she had never even watched such an event on her phone.
Sitting in the viewing box, witnessing the fierce competition on the screen, an indescribable excitement and shock surged in her heart. Although she couldn’t explain the feeling, she could feel her heart rising and falling with the commentary.
If asked to articulate why, she wouldn’t be able to.
It was simply the atmosphere of the live audience and the tense, high-stakes scenes on the screen that captured her mind.
After Xie Xian finished exchanging pleasantries with the track manager, he returned to the viewing room and immediately noticed Gu Wanrong’s focused, excited expression.
He walked to her side and sat down gently, though his gaze wasn’t fixed on the screen like hers.
“Do you not like watching it?” Gu Wanrong noticed his lack of focus and asked curiously.
Xie Xian smiled slightly. He didn’t answer directly but said, “I can see you seem to like it very much.”
The comment surprised her. She blinked, trying to decipher his meaning.
What she didn’t know was that Xie Xian had spent a long time racing when he lived abroad. However, since returning to China, he rarely raced personally. Over time, he had lost interest in the thrill it provided.
“I actually don’t understand the technicalities, but it makes my blood pump,” Gu Wanrong smiled.
They were in a private box with a massive glass window, allowing them to feel the atmosphere of the crowd while watching undisturbed.
They had arrived quite late, and this round was about to end.
Suddenly, Gu Wanrong spotted a familiar car on the track, and countless thoughts surged in her mind.
She recognized it as the car belonging to the young master You Ai had hooked up with. When You Ai was most passionate with him, she had sat in the passenger seat accompanying him during his races.
In an instant, all the dark details she had uncovered earlier surfaced in her mind.
Gu Wanrong’s expression darkened, and her gaze locked onto that specific car. Feeling stifled, she quickly tried to suppress her unhappy emotions the moment they appeared.
Xie Xian noticed the transition—from her initial fascination to a sudden, dull disinterest.
“Just watch for a little longer,” he said gently. “After the race ends, I’ll take you to experience it personally.”
“Mm, okay,” Gu Wanrong responded briefly. Her voice sounded hollow, her eyes still fixed on the screen.
This alerted Xie Xian that something was wrong. She wasn’t just bored; it looked more like she was recalling the events at the club again.
He guessed as much but didn’t pry. Instead, he said softly, “At extreme speeds, all troubles are forgotten.”
Gu Wanrong turned to look at him, her eyes complex.
Because she didn’t consider them close friends, she usually politely restrained her emotions around him. Yet, Xie Xian seemed able to keenly capture every shift in her heart.
This ability to perceive her mood without digging for details—just offering care—sent a warm current surging through her heart.
The self-loathing that had been churning inside her was enveloped by this warmth, and her nose stung with the threat of tears.
Xie Xian paused for a moment, a softness spreading in his chest.
The current Gu Wanrong looked like the untouchable fantasy of his past self.
When he was young, staring at that shattered room, his heart had gone from fear to disgust. How he had longed for a pair of hands to reach out and save him from the abyss without asking questions. But reality had never granted that wish.
It wasn’t until later, when he learned to wear a mask, that he managed to escape the past.
He changed his surname, changed his nationality, pretended to forget and let go of everything, and forced himself onto a normal life track.
In the private viewing box, aside from the roar of engines from the screen, there was silence.
Recommended Reads
![Those Years When the Son of Destiny Was Severely Scammed [Quick Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/QUICK-TRANSMIGRATION1-214x300.jpg)
![The League’s Hei Yueguang Has Fought His Way Back [E-sports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hei-214x300.jpg)
