Luoying Mountain.

This is a mountain near city B, known for being covered with peach blossom trees. When the peach blossoms are in full bloom, the petals fall with the wind, creating a beautiful scene.

Hence the name Luoying Mountain.

There are no residents on Luoying Mountain, only an ancient temple. Incense is not particularly strong here, and there are more visitors on holidays, but very few people come here on regular days.

Especially in the evening, there is very little traffic here.

Moreover, the roads on Luoying Mountain are winding and complex, making it a paradise for racing enthusiasts over time.

In her previous life, Ji Ran had heard of Luoying Mountain’s reputation. Especially after the rise of the supercar club, how could those wealthy second-generation individuals who had bought million-dollar sports cars be content with racing only on tracks?

There were a lot of underground races on Luoying Mountain, and the police had caught the illegal street racers many times.

But they couldn’t stop them.

Ji Ran sat behind Shen Zhi on the motorcycle. He was slightly hunched as he rode the bike. Since he wasn’t wearing a helmet, the oncoming wind disheveled his black hair.

She wasn’t holding onto Shen Zhi’s waist; she was just tightly gripping the handrail on the back of the seat.

The motorcycle was going so fast that, at times, her heart almost stopped.

Luckily, they were on a well-paved road, but the excessive speed still made Ji Ran hold onto the back seat for dear life, even if she was scared to the point of biting her lip and not saying a word.

It wasn’t until Shen Zhi suddenly stopped the motorcycle that the inertia from the sudden braking caused her body to involuntarily lunge forward.

Ji Ran’s chest hit Shen Zhi’s back squarely.

It was still late summer, and the weather was hot. The girl was wearing a blue and white school T-shirt. When she hit him, the soft sensation of her chest pressed against Shen Zhi’s back.

In theory, a person’s back shouldn’t be that sensitive.

But when Shen Zhi felt her chest pressing against his back, his whole body froze. He stood on one foot, staring straight ahead, even though Ji Ran, who was behind him, had quickly moved away. However, that soft sensation remained in the depths of his heart.

Damn, it’s way too soft.

Ji Ran felt embarrassed and bit her lip. In theory, there was nothing to make a big deal about in such a situation. It was just an accidental chest bump…

But as soon as she thought that it was Shen Zhi, the man who would be incompatible with her in ten years, this complicated feeling lingered in her heart.

Shen Zhi turned around and saw the large helmet on the girl’s head. He reached out and lifted the visor in front of her eyes. He saw her blinking her bright, starry eyes, which also had a hint of moisture.

“If you’re scared, why didn’t you hold onto my waist?” Shen Zhi frowned.

When he was driving, the girl behind him was too quiet. If it weren’t for her legs occasionally touching his thigh, he almost felt like there was no one sitting behind him.

Why is this girl so stubborn? She won’t even hold onto herself.

Shen Zhi frowned.

Ji Ran shook her head and said, “I’m fine.”

Hearing her stubborn response, Shen Zhi coldly chuckled. Fine, let her continue to be stubborn like this. He turned to prepare to start driving again, but the next moment, he turned around, furrowing his brows as he looked at her. “Do you really want to keep your distance from me like this?”

Not even a slight touch.

Shen Zhi had seen how girls sat on motorcycles before. The girl on the back would usually hold onto the guy in front of her.

Ji Ran didn’t know why he was so annoyed. She looked at him quietly and finally said, “Shen Zhi.”

He looked at her, and he saw the girl calmly say, “My teacher once said that men and women shouldn’t have physical contact.”

Originally, Shen Zhi was amused when he heard this, thinking that this girl wasn’t as obedient and well-behaved as she appeared. She was teasing him with something he had said during their first ride home. But the way the girl spoke was so gentle that it soothed him like a breeze passing through his heart.

He couldn’t stay angry.

Shen Zhi reached out to grab her wrist, and Ji Ran instinctively pulled back slightly. However, Shen Zhi’s hand was quick, and he grabbed her, saying, “I won’t touch you.”

With one hand holding her hand and the other tucking his own shirt hem into her palm, he said, “If you won’t hold onto me, you can at least hold onto my shirt.” Shen Zhi looked at her, satisfied that she had finally listened this time, and grabbed onto his shirt.

But before he turned away, he glanced at Ji Ran and said coldly, “Do you think anyone can just ride my motorcycle?”

Ji Ran looked innocent, so should she feel grateful and thank him for granting her this honor? But she didn’t even want to ride it; he had forcibly brought her along.

Shen Zhi looked at her dark eyes, and he could almost guess what she was silently complaining about in her heart. He was simultaneously annoyed and amused.

He started the motorcycle again, and this time, Ji Ran’s small hand held onto his shirt hem tightly.

She didn’t let go even once.

The two of them arrived at an open space near Luoying Mountain. There wasn’t a proper parking lot here; it was just an open area for parking. Xia Jiangming and his friends had already arrived, but their usually carefree and cheerful expressions had faded.

When Shen Zhi arrived, they hurriedly greeted him.

However, after Shen Zhi stopped the motorcycle, several people looked at the girl behind him and were all taken aback.

Ji Ran took her backpack off the motorcycle and got off obediently. At first, she didn’t remove her helmet, but her appearance here was clearly out of place.

A girl who was obviously still wearing a high school uniform looked slight and delicate.

As expected, the people across from them started laughing and mocking. “Wow, why did you bring the bookworm here?”

“Someone’s wearing a school uniform to go out. What kind of style is that?”

The people across from them were all part of the social scene and didn’t recognize the uniform from the 4th High School. When they saw someone in a school uniform, they immediately associated it with the image of a naive and unsophisticated girl.

Xu Yihang asked, “Brother Zhi, who did you bring?”

Because Ji Ran hadn’t taken off her helmet yet, Xu Yihang could only tell that she was definitely a student from their school.

It was Xia Jiangming who whispered, “Brother Zhi, why did you bring little sister?”

At this point, Shen Zhi walked up to Ji Ran and whispered, “Don’t move.”

Ji Ran was about to take off her helmet but obediently stood still when she heard his words. Through the visor of her helmet, she watched Shen Zhi standing in front of her. He gently placed his hands on the helmet and slowly removed it.

At the moment it was taken off, Ji Ran took a sharp breath. Even though wearing the helmet didn’t affect her breathing, she still felt slightly suffocated. However, when her helmet was removed, there was a moment of silence in the surroundings, and the mocking laughter from the others suddenly vanished.

It was twilight, and the entire Luoying Mountain was bathed in warm golden light, including the open space at the foot of the mountain.

The people who had been mocking her for wearing a school uniform were now unable to look away. The girl’s face was exposed to everyone.

She had a small, delicate face, clear, bright eyes that blinked around, and her long, curled eyelashes fluttered. There was a shallow dimple above the corner of her mouth, not very deep, but it appeared when she slightly pursed her lips.

What captivated people the most was her pure and gentle aura.

The people who had been mocking her as a country bumpkin for wearing a school uniform were now swallowing hard, unable to take their eyes off the girl’s appearance, which was incredibly beautiful.

Especially the people across from them—the girlfriends they brought with them—had been mingling in society early on even though they were not that old, their makeup was overly mature. They either had wavy curls or wore bright red lipstick.

They had previously thought their own girls were quite impressive, but now they suddenly felt they were too vulgar.

Shen Zhi glanced at the people across from them and found that their eyes were fixed on Ji Ran without blinking. He furrowed his brows and couldn’t help but reach out and grab Ji Ran’s wrist. “Step back.”

Ji Ran had no idea what Shen Zhi was up to, so she obediently stood behind him, completely shielded by his tall frame.

However, the blatant stares from the other side continued.

Shen Zhi sneered and thought that if it weren’t for the business at hand today, he would have gouged out their eyeballs one by one. He turned around and placed the helmet back on Ji Ran.

Ji Ran had just freed herself from the helmet and hadn’t even taken a few breaths of fresh air when she immediately asked, “Shen Zhi, what are you doing?”

She was somewhat irritated because the helmet was too heavy, and it was Shen Zhi’s, so it didn’t fit her head well.

To her surprise, the young man in front of her casually said, “Ugly.”

The way those people were looking at you was too ugly.

But when he uttered the word, Ji Ran was stunned and thought he was referring to her, which made her burst out laughing.

“You’re the ugly one, and your whole family is ugly.”

Xu Yihang and the others exchanged puzzled glances.

Ji Ran, ugly? Brother Zhi must be out of his mind, but no one dared to say that aloud.

Fortunately, when Shen Zhi arrived, a man in a floral shirt immediately approached them. He was said to be a man, but in reality, he was around twenty years old. His chest and arms were covered in tattoos. “You must be Young Master Zhi.”

Shen Zhi had quite a reputation, not just in high school but also because of his family background.

There was a saying that there was a rich second-generation student in the 4th middle School, a guy who fought ruthlessly and was excellent at racing.

“I’ve heard about Young Master Zhi’s name for a while, but this is the first time we’ve met,” the guy in the floral shirt said politely.

Shen Zhi lazily glanced at him and said, “Get to the point.”

“Damn, this brother Ma is too arrogant.”

“Rich second-generation guys like him aren’t that impressive. I specialize in dealing with them.”

However, Ma Hao was relatively composed, and he smiled at Xia Jiangming across from him, saying, “Actually, originally, this matter had nothing to do with you, Young Master Zhi. It’s just that I haven’t seen my buddy Xia Ming in a long time, and I wanted to catch up. I didn’t expect you guys to make such a big scene out of it.”

When he heard his name mentioned, Xia Jiangming actually shuddered all over.

For three whole years in junior high school, he had been continuously threatened and extorted by this guy for money. After he got into the 4th middle School and met Shen Zhi and the others, no one dared to bully or insult him again.

But last week, he unexpectedly encountered this guy at the gaming arcade. If it hadn’t been for Xu Yihang and the others, Xia Jiangming might have had to suffer losses again.

After Shen Zhi learned about this incident, he had Xia Jiangming directly arrange a meeting with this guy.

Ma Hao looked somewhat regretful as he gazed at Xia Jiangming. This little “cash cow” had been under his care for three years. Despite his young age, his family was indeed wealthy. Whenever Ma Hao was short on money, getting a couple of thousand from him wasn’t a problem.

The most he had ever squeezed from Xia Jiangming at once was eight thousand.

“Catching up?” Shen Zhi’s face wore a sneer. “You must be running low on money again, right?”

His tone was cold, but the mockery in his words was too heavy, which made the guy on the other side lose his temper.

This time, even Ma Hao’s expression grew cold. He said, “Xia Jiangming was originally my guy. If Young Master Zhi wants him, at the very least, you should have the decency to inform me.”

“I’ll offer a hundred thousand. If you win, you take the money and leave,” Shen Zhi interrupted him, speaking indifferently.

Everyone present held their breath, especially the people on the other side. These individuals were just small-time troublemakers in society, with no real earning skills. At most, they bullied high school students and occasionally made some money from illegitimate sources.

A hundred thousand was a substantial sum for any of them.

On the contrary, Ji Ran quietly glanced at Shen Zhi. She initially thought he had brought her here because a group of rich second-generation kids were racing, but she didn’t expect him to be here to support Xia Jiangming.

Evidently, he hadn’t finished speaking, so everyone waited for him to continue.

“If you lose, you kneel down and apologize to Xia Jiangming,” Shen Zhi concluded.