Experience a Japanese Restaurant in the Magic City

By the deep pool of the Deep Blue Diving Club, the air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Yan Gang looked at Su Bai, who had just emerged from the water and was slowly drying his hair. The strictness in Yan Gang's eyes had long vanished, replaced by a fanaticism akin to gazing at a peerless treasure.

"Eight minutes and twenty seconds..."

The former Special Forces instructor muttered to himself, glancing again at the precise military stopwatch in his hand as if to confirm whether the thing was broken.

As a veteran who had roughed it out in the amphibious reconnaissance company for years, he knew all too well what this result meant.

Holding one's breath for over eight minutes in a "cold start" state—without any pre-nitrogen elimination, without breathing pure oxygen, and having just changed clothes before jumping straight into the water—was simply a monster defying physiological common sense!

Is he even human?

Of course, Yan Gang was experienced and knowledgeable. He knew that some people had rather unique physiological conditions, and it seemed this young man, Su Bai, was a similar case.

"Good kid..."

Yan Gang took a deep breath, his tone carrying a poorly concealed excitement. "You really haven't trained before? I mean, professional freediving training?"

"I really haven't."

Su Bai slicked back his wet bangs, revealing a smooth, full forehead. A breezy, nonchalant smile hung on his handsome face. "I just play around in the bathtub sometimes. Maybe... my lung capacity is just naturally large."

"Naturally large? Your lungs must be made out of a whale!"

Yan Gang couldn't help but curse, though his eyes grew brighter. "Su Bai, right? Any interest in going pro? I have a comrade-in-arms who's a coach for the national team right now, and he's scouting for good freediving prospects. With your talent, with just a little training, breaking the Asian record would be a walk in the park."

Normally, even if top-tier rich kids begged Yan Gang for a recommendation, he might not give them a second glance. But today, he truly felt a deep appreciation for talent.

"Thank you for the high regard, Coach."

Su Bai smiled and politely declined. "But I'm used to being undisciplined and can't stand that kind of boring training. Diving is just for fun to me. Being able to take my girlfriend to see the corals in the Maldives in the future is enough for me."

As he spoke, he naturally glanced at Xia Lin beside him.

Xia Lin proudly raised her chin. Although she didn't say anything, the smugness in her beautiful eyes made it look as if she were happier than if she had won a world championship herself.

This was the man she had her eyes on.

No matter the field, even if he was just playing around casually, he could easily crush everyone else.

"Ahem... um, Instructor Yan."

Just then, an untimely voice broke the harmonious atmosphere.

Sun Zhihao stood to the side, looking at Su Bai who was surrounded by everyone like stars around the moon. He felt incredibly sour inside.

Originally, he was supposed to be the protagonist of this test—after all, he was a veteran member here, and his equipment was top-tier. But now, all the limelight had been stolen by this pretty boy wearing ordinary swimming trunks.

Unwilling to accept defeat, he opened his massive equipment case bearing the SCUBAPRO logo and laid out the items inside one by one, like presenting treasures.

"Instructor Yan, while I might not be as naturally gifted as this brother here, my gear is the real deal."

Sun Zhihao picked up a regulator gleaming with cold metallic light and introduced it triumphantly, "Look at this, the MK25 EVO Titanium Limited Edition. Aerospace-grade material, corrosion-resistant, lightweight, and breathing resistance is practically zero. And these fins, custom carbon fiber. This whole set cost nearly a hundred thousand."

He tried to use this wall of equipment built with money to save a bit of face, and incidentally show off his professionalism and wealth in front of Xia Lin.

However.

Yan Gang merely cast a cold glance at the glittering equipment on the ground and let out a soft snort.

"Sun Zhihao, do you know what we call soldiers like you in the military?"

"Huh? What do you call them? Elites?" Sun Zhihao asked with a look of anticipation.

"We call them Equipment Transport Captains."

Yan Gang shot back mercilessly. "Underwater, what decides your life or death isn't titanium alloy or carbon fiber. It's your lungs, your brain, and your core strength! Only those whose skills aren't up to par and who lack confidence spend all day thinking about using gear to make up the difference."

Saying this, he pointed at Su Bai's getup, which consisted of absolutely nothing besides swimming trunks and an ordinary nose clip worth a few dozen bucks that he had just put on.

"Look at him. What is this called? This is called man and sword uniting as one."

"Then look at you."

Yan Gang shook his head, delivering a critical strike that Sun Zhihao would never forget for the rest of his life:

"This is called—a bad student has the most stationery."

Pfft.

A few female teaching assistants nearby couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud.

Xia Lin, giving absolutely no face, laughed so hard she trembled and even had to hold onto Su Bai's arm to stand steady.

Sun Zhihao's face instantly flushed purple. Holding that expensive titanium regulator, he didn't know whether to put it down or keep holding it. He froze in place, wishing he could use his fins to dig a hole into the ground and hide inside.

So damn embarrassing!

Having mingled in Shanghai for so many years, this was the first time he had been roasted to his face like this, and right in front of his goddess no less!

...

The subsequent training process was an absolute, downright torture for Sun Zhihao.

The OW and AOW courses, which normally took three days or even longer to master, turned into an exhibition match of learning it after seeing it once for Su Bai.

Theory class?

Su Bai held the thick PADI textbook and finished flipping through it in just twenty minutes. With his 100 points in the Mind attribute, a photographic memory was just a basic operation. In the subsequent written exam, he passed with a perfect score, without even a punctuation mark out of place.

Confined water skills?

Mask clearing, regulator recovery, neutral buoyancy control... these maneuvers that usually left beginners flustered and even choking on water were perfectly replicated by Su Bai after merely watching Yan Gang demonstrate them once.

Especially neutral buoyancy.

This was one of the hardest hurdles in diving. Beginners usually either sank to the bottom like rocks or floated on the surface like balloons.

But the moment Su Bai entered the water, it was as if he lost all gravity.

He hovered cross-legged in the center of the 35-meter-deep pool. With the slight rise and fall of his breathing, his body only bobbed up and down a few centimeters. That steady, mountain-like posture made Yan Gang click his tongue in awe, exclaiming that this was no student—this was clearly a veteran who had been diving for over a decade!

On the other hand, Sun Zhihao.

Despite his excellent gear, he still looked like a clumsy sea turtle underwater. One moment he was crashing into the pool wall, the next he was floating up uncontrollably, getting scolded mercilessly by Yan Gang.

"Sun Zhihao! Where's your titanium regulator? Why isn't it helping you control your buoyancy?!"

"Legs! Stop kicking wildly! Are you trying to ride a bicycle underwater?!"

"Look at Su Bai! He dives steadier than you even with his eyes closed!"

Under Yan Gang's roaring and Su Bai's absolute dominance, the originally planned three-day course was forcefully compressed into just over half a day.

At four in the afternoon.

When Su Bai effortlessly completed the final deep dive specialty assessment and emerged from the water, Yan Gang directly signed his name on the assessment sheet, his pen strokes pressing heavily through the paper.

"Alright, don't come here and waste your money anymore."

Yan Gang half-jokingly handed the certificate to Su Bai. "With your level, I can't teach you anything even if you keep practicing. Go to the ocean; that is your true domain."

"Thank you for your guidance."

Su Bai smiled, taking the certificate and shaking hands with the tough-looking but warm-hearted instructor.

As for Sun Zhihao?

He was still thrashing about in the water practicing mask clearing, his expensive carbon fiber fins slapping pitiful splashes on the surface.

...

Night fell.

The neon lights of the Bund lit up again, dyeing the Huangpu River into a flowing ribbon of color.

No. 18 on the Bund, inside a top-tier Japanese restaurant named Ginza Onodera.

This was one of the hardest Omakase restaurants to book in the city. The entire place only had 8 counter seats and only received two rounds of guests every day.

Of course, for Xia Lin, a wealthy young lady of the city, booking a reservation was just a matter of a phone call.

At this moment, Su Bai and Xia Lin were sitting at the counter, admiring the Ginza chef's sushi-making techniques, which were like an artistic performance.

"Come, cheers to our genius Su for speedrunning his diving certificate in one day."

Xia Lin raised her sake glass, which contained the Juyondai Ryusen, praised as the dream sake.

"And also to the brilliant leadership of Xia."

Su Bai smiled, clinked glasses with her, and downed it in one gulp.

The clear, sweet liquor flowed down his throat. Paired with the Otoro he had just eaten, the aroma of the fat instantly burst in his mouth, making him feel as if he were in the clouds.

"To be honest, seeing Sun Zhihao look so defeated today felt really good."

Xia Lin picked up a piece of sea urchin but didn't eat it, just holding it up with a smile in her eyes. "That guy always likes to show off in our circles, relying on his family's money and acting all high and mighty. After being put in his place by you and Yan Gang today, he probably won't dare to go diving for half a year."

"I wasn't targeting him."

Su Bai shrugged. While admiring the chef's skill in preparing live red clam, he said lightly, "He insisted on offering his face up for me to slap, so I had no choice. This is what you call... strength not allowing me to keep a low profile."

"You're so full of yourself."

Xia Lin rolled her eyes at him, but still brought the piece of Bafun sea urchin on her chopsticks to Su Bai's mouth. "Open up, this is your reward."

Su Bai swallowed it in one bite, the fresh, sweet, and rich sea urchin melting on his tongue.

"Right."

Xia Lin put down her chopsticks, picked up a wet towel to wipe her hands, and said casually. "Since we mentioned Sun Zhihao, there's something I need to tell you."

"He'll be at the track day tomorrow."

"Oh?" Su Bai raised an eyebrow. "He's in that supercar club too?"

"Yeah. Even though his skills are garbage and he's addicted to it, his car is actually pretty good."

Xia Lin explained, "He just bought a McLaren 765LT and has been showing it off everywhere in the circle lately. Tomorrow we're going to the Tianma Circuit, so we'll definitely run into him. Knowing his personality, losing face at the diving pool today means he'll definitely want to win it back on the track tomorrow."

"After all, diving relies on physical fitness, but racing... apart from skill, the quality of the car is also crucial."

Saying this, Xia Lin glanced at Su Bai, seemingly observing his reaction.

"McLaren 765LT?"

Su Bai chuckled softly. "It is indeed a good car, known as the track harvester. But... driving isn't just about having a fast car."

He thought of the Land Rover Defender he had been driving back in Jiangcheng.

Although it was a domineering off-road beast, in this realm of speed and passion, it did seem a bit clunky.

With his 150 points of physique and 100 points of reaction speed, he had actually wanted to experience the thrill of flying close to the ground for a long time. The ultimate stimulation of flooring the gas pedal, watching the scenery on both sides blur into streams of light, and feeling the G-force pressing his body firmly against the seat.

"What? Afraid I'll lose to him?"

Su Bai looked at Xia Lin with a playful look in his eyes.

"Lose to him? How is that possible."

Xia Lin smiled proudly, pulling out a uniquely shaped car key from her bag and slapping it onto the hinoki wood counter.

It was a red key bearing the Prancing Horse logo.

And next to the key was another one with a silver Trident logo.

"Since I brought you to play in Shanghai, how could your gear be worse than that underachiever's?"

Xia Lin pointed at the two keys, her tone as domineering as a queen's. "That McLaren might be fast, but in front of a Ferrari LaFerrari, it's just a little brother."

"And that Maserati MC12, that's a collector-level god-tier car. Although it's a bit older, its dominance on the track is still terrifying."

"Tomorrow, both of these cars are prepared for you. Along with a professional pit crew and spare tires."

"Su Bai, for tomorrow's track day, I want you not only to be the Aquaman in the diving pool but also the God of Racing on the track."

Xia Lin leaned in closer, her eyes burning. "I love watching you crush everything. That... makes me really excited. Oh my, I heard Yangyang loves racing with you, does this mean I'm stealing her man?"

"You really are!"

Su Bai didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Looking at the woman in front of him who had arranged everything for him, her eyes full of admiration and possessiveness, Su Bai could not help but feel a bit emotional.

Is this what they call living off a woman but acting tough?

No, this is a strong alliance.

He reached out and picked up the red Ferrari key, spinning it around his fingertips.

"LaFerrari huh..."

A legendary car limited to 499 units globally, the head of the Holy Trinity of hypercars. This wasn't just a matter of money, but a symbol of status.

"Alright."

Su Bai grasped the key, a confident curve forming at the corner of his mouth. "Since the equipment is ready, then tomorrow... let's let Young Master Sun experience what despair is once again."

"However..."

Su Bai changed the subject, his eyes landing on Xia Lin's delicate, alluring red lips. "Before that, shouldn't we go back to the hotel and rehearse what Fast and Furious means?"

"What... what do you want to do?" Xia Lin shrank back warily. "Didn't you toss me around enough last night?"

"Last night was last night, tonight is the celebration party."

Su Bai leaned close to her ear with a wicked smile. "Besides, I think the river-view bathtub at the Peninsula Hotel is pretty nice. We could... explore some new tracks."

"Su Bai! You animal!"

Xia Lin scolded him shyly and angrily, but her body didn't refuse; instead, she leaned softly against him.