I'll Pay for the Damage

“Me?” Qin Su laughed. “I live in Tangcheng Yipin, the one I just recommended to you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, the complex isn’t new, but it’s not sold out yet. There are still some floor plans available. If you’re interested, I can take you to see it later.”

“Alright, is it in Lujiazui too?”

“Uh-huh, and Haijing Yihao is right next door. Both complexes are great, just a bit pricey, but you shouldn’t have a problem with that.”

Hearing this, Su Yang thought to himself: ‘Haijing Yihao wouldn’t happen to be the complex Zhuang Mengli lives in, right? I remember when I went to her place, I saw the neighboring complex was called Tangcheng Yipin. Damn, it’s definitely that.’

“Okay, let’s talk about it after the race.”

“Sure,” Qin Su quickly drove to Xijing Road Pedestrian Street near the Bund.

This area had everything—food, entertainment, you name it.

She found an underground parking lot, parked the car, and the two got out and walked toward the street.

“What do you want to eat?” Qin Su asked.

“Anything’s fine, just something simple for lunch.”

“I was thinking of taking you to a Western restaurant.”

“No need, a bowl of noodles will do.”

“Noodles? That works. There’s a shop here that sells shrimp and eel shredded noodles—pretty tasty. Want to try it?” Qin Su asked.

“Sure, let’s go with that.” Su Yang couldn’t be bothered to deliberate; as long as it filled his stomach, he was fine.

“Great. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot. I was thinking about what I wanted to tell you all along, but I couldn’t remember until just now.”

“What do you want to say?”

“Yesterday you asked me what car He Peng would be driving. I asked him, and he said he’d be driving a BlackSeries.”

“Oh, really? Nice, nice. That’s a solid choice. That car is pretty strong. Did you tell him what I’m driving?”

Qin Su nodded. “I didn’t bring it up first, but he asked, so I told him.”

“It’s fine, no big deal. At this level of car, it all comes down to skill.”

“Do you have confidence?”

Su Yang shook his head. “Not sure yet. This is my first time racing professional drivers, and I don’t really know how strong they are.”

“No worries. After we eat, I’ll take you to test drive the car.”

“Great, thanks a lot. Is the car at your friend’s place?”

“Yeah, she runs a luxury car dealership and knows a lot of car enthusiasts. I asked her to find the two cars through her connections.”

“Alright, we’ll head over later. As for the test drive…”

Before Su Yang could finish, Qin Su interrupted: “The racetrack is available starting today. We’ll drive over and do a few laps so you can get familiar with the track in advance.”

“Good, you’re really reliable.” Su Yang gave Qin Su a thumbs-up and smiled.

“Haha, you’re welcome. This is my business, I have to take it seriously.”

The two soon arrived at a shop called Haha Shrimp and Eel Shredded Noodles on the pedestrian street.

The shop was full of customers, with about a dozen people waiting in line outside.

“That’s a lot of people,” Su Yang said, tilting his head to look inside.

“Yeah, the food here is pretty good, so business is always booming. It’s actually less crowded now; at noon, it’s even crazier.”

“I’ll line up, you go find us a seat inside,” Su Yang said, walking to the back of the line.

Qin Su tugged at his shirt. “You go find a seat inside. I’ll line up—I said I’m treating.”

“Oh, come on, it’s just a bowl of noodles. It’s sunny out here, you go inside and grab a seat. I’ll line up, and don’t argue!” Su Yang stared at Qin Su deliberately.

Qin Su had no choice but to give a faint smile. “Alright, I’ll find a seat then.”

With that, she turned and walked into the shop.

Su Yang continued waiting in line, and a few steps later, three or four more people lined up behind him.

He wasn’t particularly tall, but his face and physique were striking, making him stand out conspicuously in the line.

Several female customers sitting near the door tilted their heads to look at him.

[Ding, detected that the host noticed the gaze of beautiful women, felt a small surge of pride and enjoyment. Reward: 3 million.]

After a few minutes of waiting, it was finally Su Yang’s turn. He ordered two bowls of special shrimp and eel shredded noodles with an extra egg each, for a total of 108 yuan.

‘Typical Shanghai—108 yuan for two bowls of noodles.’

He waited at the counter for a few more minutes, then picked up the tray and turned to walk toward Qin Su, who had already found a spot.

The two sat opposite each other, mixing their noodles. Qin Su looked at Su Yang with a smile. “Try it quickly.”

Su Yang took a bite, then looked up and said, “It’s pretty good, but…”

“But what?”

“It’s just a tiny bit shy of my own eel shredded noodles.”

“You can make eel shredded noodles?” Qin Su’s eyes widened in curiosity.

“I can make a lot of things.”

“Really? I wonder if I’ll ever get to taste your cooking?” Qin Su asked with a smile.

Su Yang looked up and grinned. “Sure, we’re friends, aren’t we? I’ll make you a few dishes sometime.”

“Great!” Qin Su nodded with satisfaction.

“Eat up.”

After about ten minutes, they finished their noodles and walked out. Qin Su wiped her mouth and pointed at a coffee shop across the street. “Come on, I’ll buy you a coffee.”

“That works.”

After buying coffee, the two returned to the parking lot and drove toward Qin Su’s friend’s car dealership.

Within twenty minutes, they arrived at a garage called Huarong Luxury Cars.

Qin Su parked the car in the lot outside and led Su Yang inside.

She pulled out her phone to contact her friend. Just as they entered, before Su Yang had a chance to look at the luxury cars in the showroom, a voice rang out.

“You’re here, Susu?”

A woman in a black spaghetti-strap dress strode quickly from behind a distant Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Su Yang took a closer look at her. She wasn’t very attractive, fairly plain, probably scoring around 70 on looks.

But she had great demeanor—understandable, since she was the owner of a luxury car dealership and obviously wealthy. Her figure was decent too; slender, but with a deep cleavage.

She looked about twenty-six or twenty-seven, tall, and wore a lot of expensive jewelry on her neck, wrists, and fingers.

“Sister Hong~” Qin Su called back, stepping forward to hug her.

“And the handsome guy behind you is the one you got to race He Peng?”

“Yeah, that’s him. Let me introduce you,” Qin Su said, pulling Sister Hong over to Su Yang with a smile. “Su Yang, the car you need—I got Sister Hong to help find it. Her full name is Hong Ran.”

Hong Ran’s eyes hadn’t left Su Yang since Qin Su started the introduction.

She smiled. “Hi there, handsome. What should I call you?”

“Su Yang.”

“Su Yang, you don’t look old at all, do you?”

“I’ll be twenty-five next month.”

“Twenty-five? You look like a fresh graduate to me. So young.”

“Is that so? Sister Hong, you’re too kind. This is the first time someone’s said I look like a college student.” Su Yang replied with a cheerful laugh.

“Haha, that means I have good eyesight. I’m only two years older than you, so stop calling me ‘Sister Hong.’ Just call me Ranran.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Su couldn't help but purse her lips, holding back a laugh.

"Alright, then I'll call you Ranran. It's just that you look about eighteen, so calling you 'Sister' does feel a bit awkward."

"Haha, you sure know how to talk. Women are forever eighteen, right?"

"Exactly. Sister... I mean, Ranran, you really have an amazing aura. I'm not just saying that—I mean it. Your face looks eighteen, but your presence gives off a goddess vibe. You know what I mean?"

"Oh, Little Su... No, I think I'll just call you Su Su instead. Is that okay?"

"Su... Su Su?" Su Yang's eyelid twitched.

"Yeah. Oh, wait—Su Su, Su Su... you two both have 'su' in your names. That might not work well; it's easy to mix you up."

Qin Su smiled casually and said, "It's fine. I don't mind!"

Su Yang followed up, "Alright then, Su Su it is! You're Ranran, she's Susu, and I'm Su Su. That works—all reduplicated names."

"Haha, that works too! Then I'll call you Su Su. It sounds closer this way."

The three of them chatted idly by the door for a few minutes until Hong Ran suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh dear, why have we been standing here talking all this time? Let's go, let's go—head to my office and chat over some tea."

Su Yang and Qin Su followed Hong Ran into the innermost office of the shop.

Hong Ran brewed tea for the two of them, then walked over to the couch and sat down opposite them. "The car's already arrived. When do you plan to take it out?"

"We'll take it out soon. I need to bring him to the racetrack beforehand so he can get familiar with the course." Qin Su picked up her tea and blew on it gently.

Hong Ran nodded. "Good idea. Getting familiar with the track will definitely increase your chances."

She didn't question whether Su Yang was up to the task, since Qin Su had already briefed her about it earlier.

She turned around, picked up her black Prada leather bag from the couch, and pulled out two car keys. She placed them on the table and slid them over to Su Yang.

"Here, the car keys."

"This race is very important to Susu, so feel free to take the car and do whatever you need with it. Don't worry about it belonging to someone else—if it gets damaged, I'll cover the costs."

......