Riding a Snail So Slow

Seeing that the taillights of the RS7 had disappeared ahead, Chu Qiunan smacked the steering wheel again and cursed under his breath.

"Damn it!!" He glanced at the distance displayed on the navigation.

3.9 kilometers left to Qianxiang Mall.

"Still 3.9 kilometers to go. That guy’s only about a kilometer ahead of me. There’s still a chance!!"

Hearing this, Xiaoxiao chimed in, "Qiunan, we’re already in the city center. It’s gonna be packed soon. I don’t think you can win..."

"I don’t care!! I’m not giving up till the very end."

Chu Qiunan accelerated again, weaving through traffic.

Meanwhile, Su Yang was nearing Qianxiang Mall, with only about a kilometer left.

Though he was close to the finish line, he wasn’t the type to let his guard down just because he was ahead.

Victory wasn’t certain until the very last moment.

He remained focused, deftly navigating through the cars, but after turning onto another street, he hit a traffic jam. His speed dropped, and lane changes were impossible—he could only inch forward slowly.

Soon, he covered the remaining 800-900 meters and pulled up to the curb at Qianxiang Mall. Spotting an empty parking space, he swiftly backed in.

"Phew~ Done."

Su Yang tilted his head to glance at Pan Ning in the passenger seat. She seemed to have actually dozed off.

"Pan Ning~ We’re here," Su Yang called softly.

"Hmm?" Pan Ning rubbed her eyes as she woke up. "That fast?"

"Yep."

"What about Chu Qiunan?"

Su Yang turned to look back the way they came and chuckled. "Probably still a while. Traffic’s bad now."

"Alright. What time is it?"

Su Yang checked his phone. "5:45."

Pan Ning nodded. "Later, let’s go to your place. I don’t feel like heading home today."

"Sure. I’ll drive a couple of cars over from Shenhai Manor later if nothing else comes up."

"I’ll go with you."

"Okay."

After a brief exchange, Su Yang got out to smoke while waiting for Chu Qiunan.

The RS7 parked by Qianxiang Mall didn’t draw as much attention as usual. Unlike when he drove his sports cars—where streamers would flock to greet him and take photos—this time, only a couple of people snapped pictures when he first arrived, and then the crowd lost interest.

This intersection was flooded with luxury cars, making the RS7 seem downright modest in comparison.

Su Yang stepped onto the sidewalk and lit a cigarette. In front of him was an orange-red McLaren 720S, and behind him, a white Bentley Continental GT.

He eyed the two cars and thought, McLarens really do look stunning, and the Continental GT is as elegant as ever. Nice.

Exhaling a puff of smoke—

Vroom vroom!!!

A roar of engines erupted from the intersection ahead. Su Yang turned to look.

Across the street, a group of streamers burst into cheers: "Whoa!! What cars are those?!"

"Looks like a Lambo SVJ! And there’s more—a Hellcat too!"

"Top-tier!!"

Hearing the commotion, Su Yang scanned the crowd across the street, searching for Xu Zilin, but she wasn’t there.

Huh? She’s not streaming today?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a familiar voice rang out from his left.

"Su Yang!!"

He turned to see a girl with twin tails, dressed in a black T-shirt, black skirt, and black-and-red Vans low-tops, jogging toward him with a bright smile.

"No way?"

"Su Yang! Long time no see!!"

Sure enough, it was Xu Zilin.

Su Yang blinked. Damn, spoke too soon. She just switched spots.

"Hey. What brings you over here today?"

"All the male streamers were hogging the spots over there. Super annoying, so I moved," Xu Zilin said with a sweet grin as she stopped in front of him.

"What are you doing standing here alone? Waiting for someone?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Oh~ Got plans later?" she asked, testing the waters.

Su Yang thought for a second. "Yeah, got some stuff to take care of."

"Aww~ I was gonna ask you out to eat since we ran into each other."

Su Yang chuckled. "Today’s a bit packed. Rain check? I’ll invite you next time."

"Alright then~" A faint hint of disappointment flashed across her face.

As they talked, the engines roared again.

Vroom!!

A silver-gray Lamborghini SVJ, a yellow standard Aventador, and a flashy pink Hellcat sped past.

Xu Zilin immediately dashed forward, snapping photos with her camera.

Su Yang smirked. Once the cars passed, she trotted back, grinning.

"Sorry about that! Occupational habit—I can’t resist snapping pics of cool cars."

"No worries."

"Is that your ride?" Xu Zilin tilted her head toward the RS7 parked a few meters away.

Su Yang nodded. "Yep. Cool, right?"

"Very~ I saw it earlier, just didn’t realize it was yours. You’ve got so many cars. So jealous~~"

"If you like, I can let you shoot in my garage sometime."

"Really??"

"Of course."

"Promise you’re not lying~"

"Wouldn’t dream of it."

"Hehe, alright. I’ll head back now—my bestie’s waiting over there."

That reminded Su Yang—Xu Zilin had a bombshell of a best friend named Xia Wanqing.

He glanced toward the intersection and spotted a stunningly curvaceous girl standing sideways in front of a phone stand, chatting into the camera.

Su Yang grinned. "Sure, go ahead. Catch you later."

"Bye, Su Yang~"

"Later."

After Xu Zilin left, Su Yang mused, She looks like a solid 85. Why did the system only rate her 80? Did it mess up? Better double-check.

—System, you sure you didn’t misjudge Xu Zilin’s looks?

[No.]

—But she’s just as stunning as Lin Yiyi or Lin Xiaomo, and they’re rated 88 or 89. Why’s Xu Zilin only an 80?

[The system’s comprehensive evaluation resulted in an 80.]

Su Yang sighed.

—Fine.

Just then, the RS7’s passenger window rolled down, and Pan Ning stuck her head out. "Chu Qiunan still not here?"

Su Yang walked over and glanced toward the intersection. "Nope."

Pan Ning sounded impatient. "Why wait for him? What’s the point?"

"I just want him to admit defeat fair and square. Plus, I wanna see if he’ll keep his word."

Pan Ning shrugged. "Fine. Five more minutes. If he’s not here by then, we’re leaving."

"Got it."

"By the way, who was that girl you were talking to earlier?"

Su Yang paused for a moment, then decided not to hide it and said directly, "A friend who takes pictures of cars. She saw me driving the Sienna earlier and snapped a few shots. That’s how we met."

"What’s her name?"

"Xu Zilin."

Pan Ning nodded and didn’t press further. "Alright then."

As soon as she finished speaking, her phone rang. "I’ll take this call~"

"Sure." Su Yang smiled and walked to the roadside, glancing toward the intersection.

A minute later, Chu Qiunan’s red Aston Martin DBS finally appeared at the corner.

"Dude, were you riding a snail or something? Took you forever."

As the car pulled up, Su Yang waved and shouted, "Over here!!"

Chu Qiunan’s face was ashen, his expression defeated as he looked at Su Yang standing by the road, beckoning him.

Though Su Yang’s face was neutral, to Chu Qiunan, it felt like he was grinning mockingly at him.

"Hmph!" He snorted coldly and parked beside Su Yang.

Rolling down the window, he said stiffly, "How long have you been here?"

"Over ten minutes, man."

"Damn it."

"So?" Su Yang leaned down to look at Chu Qiunan.

"What do you mean ‘so’? Traffic was bad, but I won’t make excuses. I lost."

"And?"

"And so I’ll leave, alright? I can take a loss like a man. Don’t look down on me!"

Su Yang chuckled. "Who’s looking down on you? Alright, go ahead. I’ve been standing here freezing for ten minutes waiting for you."

Chu Qiunan shot him an annoyed glare. "Bro, it’s summer. What ‘freezing’ are you talking about?"

"Figure of speech. Now hurry up and go. There’s no parking here—any longer and you’ll get a ticket."

"Thanks for the concern!"

"You’re welcome~"

Chu Qiunan muttered under his breath, glanced at Pan Ning inside the RS7, and then reluctantly drove off.

"That guy’s kinda amusing," Su Yang remarked.

After Chu Qiunan left, Su Yang returned to the car, opened the door, and slid into the driver’s seat.

"Say what you will about him, but at least he owns up when he loses."

Pan Ning replied coolly, "If he couldn’t even do that much, he’d be pathetic."

"Alright, enough about him. Let’s head home!"

"Wait~"

"What’s up?" Su Yang turned to look at her.

"Qianyu just called. She heard I’m with you and insisted we pick her up."

"Pick her up?"

"Yeah." Pan Ning gave him a helpless smile.

"She… fine. Where is she?"

"With a friend. She was calling to ask me to grab dinner with her, but when she heard I was with you, she changed her mind. Now she wants to eat at your place."

Su Yang frowned, scratching his head with a wry grin. "This girl… isn’t she ditching her friend?"

"Who knows with her. Let’s just go get her first."

"Alright, where’s the address?"

"Mao Shang Hot Pot on Xianyun Road."

"Got it." Su Yang entered the address into the car’s navigation system, then started the engine and pulled away smoothly.

......