Chapter 106: The Hilltop and the Sports Car
When pushing beyond one’s limits, instinct takes over in a frenzy. It is a sensation as addictive as a drug, something Xie Xian found impossible to quit. Only in those moments could he truly feel “alive.”
However, right now, those thrills had lost their meaning to him.
Xie Xian fixed his gaze on Gu Wanrong, who was glowing with an excitement she couldn’t quite suppress. A strange emotion surged within him again, one he could no longer ignore.
He suddenly realized it wasn’t that the thrill of the extreme no longer worked on him; it was that what he truly needed was her.
The night was hazy. The extreme speed had sent their adrenaline skyrocketing, refusing to settle down.
All the emotions suppressed and hidden during the day erupted like a volcano in this rush. At this moment, the defenses Xie Xian had rebuilt were breached once again, and he allowed his soul to drown in the feeling.
“Wanrong,” Xie Xian murmured softly, a sudden tenderness spreading through his voice.
Gu Wanrong didn’t catch what he said. She blinked, looking at him curiously. Their gazes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.
The longing and affection in his eyes were so intense yet gentle that Gu Wanrong involuntarily took a step back.
His eyes were as deep as a starry sky seen from a forest, making it impossible for her to look away. She swallowed nervously and scrambled for a topic. “You’re even better than the racers in the arena just now.”
“Those were just amateur players,” Xie Xian explained. But there was a hint of a smile in his tone; being praised by Gu Wanrong clearly pleased him.
“But you were amazing too!” As soon as Xie Xian finished speaking, Gu Wanrong immediately reaffirmed her praise. She continued, “You handled the whole thing with such ease! Whoosh—you drifted right past the curves. It was incredible!”
As she spoke, Gu Wanrong recalled the scene of the race. The sensation of adrenaline spiking seemed to flood back into her body, the sound of the wind whistling past her ears again.
“I’ve never experienced anything like that. It was so exciting!”
…
Xie Xian quietly watched Gu Wanrong chatter on about her feelings, the distance between them seemingly shrinking bit by bit.
After a long while, Gu Wanrong suddenly realized that Xie Xian had been listening quietly and intently the entire time, and she abruptly shut her mouth.
Once she stopped talking, both she and Xie Xian sat quietly on the hilltop, staring out into the suburban night.
The cool night wind cut through, but then a jacket was draped over Gu Wanrong’s shoulders, bringing warmth and carrying Xie Xian’s body heat.
“Thank you, but aren’t you cold?” Gu Wanrong broke the silence between them, asking softly.
“I’m not,” Xie Xian answered, extending his hand in front of her.
Gu Wanrong hesitated for a few seconds before lightly touching Xie Xian’s palm with her fingers. His body heat transferred through her fingertips, dry and warm. It made her heart skip a beat, and she retracted her fingers a second later.
The wind was gentle.
Hair floated in the breeze.
The tip of her nose was filled with Xie Xian’s scent from the jacket.
The smell of red wine had long since dissipated, leaving only a faint, crisp bitterness.
Gu Wanrong felt a sudden impulse to pour out all her inner uneasiness and helplessness to Xie Xian.
Sentence by sentence, Gu Wanrong told Xie Xian everything she had found out that night.
“Xie Xian, do you know… I feel so conflicted. I’m wealthy, incredibly wealthy. I want everyone to know, but I’m also afraid of people knowing.
“The news said those escorts could earn millions in a night, so I showed off and gave the four of them a million yuan each. And because of that, I brought them suffering.
“I feel I should take responsibility for my ignorance and arrogance, take action to save them, but… I don’t want to save them.
“They bullied others, scammed people, had cruel hearts and ruthless methods. Seeing them end up like this, I feel they brought it on themselves.
“But I can’t get past it in my heart. I blame myself. On one hand, I think their fate is tragic, and I was the fuse. On the other hand, I feel they deserve it, that they reaped what they sowed and aren’t worth my sympathy, so I don’t want to save them.
“A despicable person like me doesn’t deserve wealth and power.
“Having these things in my hands only brings disaster and pain to others, yet deep down, I actually feel their suffering is their own fault.
“I really hate myself right now.”
The thrill of the race eventually faded, and everything she had briefly forgotten returned. Perhaps it was the shared brush with death during the extreme speed, or perhaps it was the warmth of the jacket, but Xie Xian was no longer just her best friend’s brother.
Her wavering thoughts and self-loathing emotions were spilled out word by word, carried away by the night wind.
Xie Xian listened quietly, rubbing his palm as if he could still feel the coolness of Gu Wanrong’s fingertips from that fleeting touch.
He saw Gu Wanrong gazing at the mountains opposite, her eyes unfocused and ethereal, as if lost in an endless night. The corners of her mouth drooped slightly, and the heavy depression within her wrapped tightly around her, threatening to suffocate her.
An indescribable ache surged in Xie Xian’s heart. He wanted to pull her into his arms immediately, but his hand only reached through her windblown hair, catching the scent of her shampoo, before he forced himself to lower it.
They were just friends of the opposite sex right now. Their relationship had only drawn slightly closer tonight.
A hug would be too intimate for her; she couldn’t accept it yet.
So, he chose to listen silently, not saying a word or making any move to interrupt her.
Xie Xian knew that right now, what Gu Wanrong needed most was a loyal listener, someone to hear her pour out her troubles.
He sighed inwardly.
Desire. He understood clearly from Gu Wanrong’s story that her hesitation and wandering stemmed from this.
It was the work of desire that had plunged the four people who received her millions into an abyss. Gu Wanrong felt their tragic ends were caused by her triggering their greed, yet also felt it was their own inability to control that greed.
However, for Xie Xian, desire was a weapon for revenge. Greed, lust, the hunger for power… these were excellent tools he could easily use to manipulate human hearts.
After Gu Wanrong finished speaking, neither spoke. They sat there, sharing the tranquility of the night.
After a while, Xie Xian spoke softly. “Why hate yourself? Their pain is self-inflicted. Without your million, they would have walked this path eventually. It was just a matter of time.”
Gu Wanrong thought Xie Xian wouldn’t say anything; she had only wanted to vent her emotions. She didn’t expect him to actually comfort her.
She shifted her gaze blankly to his face, trying to read his expression under the moonlight and streetlamps.
Xie Xian’s eyes met hers. Seeing her helpless, dazed look, her nose slightly red, his Adam’s apple rolled gently.
Restraining himself, he adjusted the jacket that had slipped from her shoulder. His voice was a little husky as he continued, “Wanrong.”
He paused for a second, wanting to brush away the hair covering her eyes, but he didn’t.
“If a knife hurts someone, you can’t blame the person who sold the knife. Greed hurts the self only because one cannot control their desire. This isn’t your fault.”
Hearing this, Gu Wanrong’s eyes gradually reddened, and a sour ache spread through her nose and heart.
“I… I…” Gu Wanrong’s voice choked up. She pressed her lips together. “Xie Xian, I… hearing you say that makes me feel much better.”
She had barely finished one sentence when she couldn’t hide the sob in her voice. “I thought you would find me unbearable. I didn’t expect… you wouldn’t.
“Really, you didn’t think I was cold-blooded? They ended up so miserable, and I even thought they deserved it, watching numbly from the sidelines.”
Seeing the tears teetering on the edge of her eyes, Xie Xian tried to hold back, but finally, under the guise of fixing her windblown hair, he couldn’t resist wiping away a falling tear.
He stroked her hair gently, unexpectedly tender and delicate.
Gu Wanrong felt his warmth and care, and the tears burst forth like a broken dam. She tried hard to stop crying, but the emotions only surged more violently.
Xie Xian looked at her with heartache, his eyes full of pity. He could feel the struggle and confusion in her heart. He gently held Gu Wanrong’s hand and said softly, “Everyone makes their own choices and actions. Desire is Pandora’s Box; since they chose to open it, you don’t need to blame yourself for them.”
Gu Wanrong looked up, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes. “Really? But my actions did lead to their misfortune.”
Xie Xian gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Wanrong, you only sympathize with them because you have a kind heart. But you must understand, you can’t always take the blame upon yourself. You have to learn to refuse this internal friction.”
Gu Wanrong nodded, seeming to ponder his words.
Her mood gradually calmed, and a hint of determination appeared on her face. “You’re right. I need to change my habit of beating myself up.”
The distant streetlights cast a faint glow on Gu Wanrong’s back. She looked as if she were plated in soft light; the sunshine that had once deeply imprinted itself on Xie Xian’s mind seemed to return to her.
After a few seconds of silence, Gu Wanrong continued, “The choice to open Pandora’s Box is in everyone’s own hands. Those four chose to be controlled by desire, so they met that ending.”
Xie Xian watched quietly as Gu Wanrong put down her burden, a smile reappearing on her face. He couldn’t help but smile along with her.
With a tacit understanding, the two looked up at the sky, enjoying the peace of the moment. The originally lonely night became exceptionally gentle due to this liberation of the soul.
“Alright, it’s getting late. We should go back.”
Xie Xian gently took Gu Wanrong’s hand and pulled her up.
This time, Gu Wanrong didn’t pull away from his closeness due to alienation.
They returned to Yunding Yazhu together. The physical distance was small, yet they seemed to maintain a subtle emotional boundary.
They said their goodbyes and went to their respective homes.
After washing up, Gu Wanrong lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Xie Xian’s figure involuntarily floated into her mind; she could seemingly still feel the warmth of his jacket.
Suddenly, she rolled around on the bed, muttering in embarrassment, “So shameful!” “I could die of embarrassment!”
Gu Wanrong remembered how she had cried her eyes out in front of Xie Xian and felt mortified.
She thought to herself, Before this, I wasn’t that close to him! How could I just lose it like that just because he took me racing and looked after my feelings?
And I used to not be such a crybaby! Since I grew up, I haven’t cried in front of people. How did I just cry?!
The next day, after lunch, Gu Wanrong headed to the Auto City.
After Tong Shenba followed her into the car, the driver skillfully started the engine and slowly drove out of the parking lot toward their destination.
When they arrived at the Auto City, Butler Liu had already made an appointment. The manager of the dealership was waiting at the entrance early, welcoming them enthusiastically.
Seeing the low-profile black car approaching from a distance, the manager secretly wondered: Is this the car? If I’m not mistaken, that’s a Mercedes-AMG GT63. Even the top spec is only a few million.
Logically speaking, the young VIP guest the boss mentioned who’s coming to look at sports cars shouldn’t be this low-key. Why travel in a car of this price range, like an older generation tycoon?
After pondering for a few seconds, the manager plastered a fawning smile on his face, sucked in his gut, and trotted quickly to the car.
After the driver stopped the car steadily, Tong Shenba got out first, circled to Gu Wanrong’s door, gently opened it, and thoughtfully placed a hand over the door frame to prevent Gu Wanrong from hitting her head.
This set of actions made the manager sigh inwardly. This is truly a rich person! Even getting out of the car requires special service. So the rich really are low-key! Driving a car worth only a few million.
He secretly rejoiced: Good thing I came out personally!
When Gu Wanrong woke up that morning, she told Butler Liu she wanted to go to the Auto City to look at sports cars.
Racing with Xie Xian yesterday had been exhilarating, and she had fallen in love with the thrill of extreme speed. She had bought the racing driver skill set in the system last night and expected to finish learning it within the next two days.
However, reviewing the cars under her name, she suddenly realized that as a dignitary worth hundreds of billions, she didn’t even have a single sports car. It was practically a disgrace to billionaires everywhere.
What wealthy person didn’t have a few cool sports cars parked at home? Especially a wealthy person like her who had “learned” racing skills—how could she not have her own sports car!
She had to arrange it immediately, instantly, quickly!
Besides, the parking garage of her Yunding Yazhu “King’s Building” was empty, save for the Mercedes and a few cars driven by security and Butler Liu.
After getting out of the car, the manager led Gu Wanrong and her bodyguard to the sports car exhibition area.
The manager understood that Gu Wanrong was the type of person who didn’t look at the price, only at whether she liked it. Therefore, the sports cars parked here were of many varieties, not limited to any specific style.
Furthermore, as this was the largest Auto City in the north outside of Beijing, it not only gathered sports cars from major brands but also exhibited rare or sold-out models, and even luxury rides customized by tycoons.
The manager accompanied Gu Wanrong, explaining as they walked.
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