She had no idea how long she slept, but when Xu Yinsheng finally woke up, she felt a bit disoriented.
Zhao Yicheng had been keeping watch at her bedside the whole time.
As soon as he saw her awaken, he brought over a basin of hot water, picked up a cloth, and carefully wiped Xu Yinsheng down.
Then he dried her hair with a towel.
“I’m hungry,” Xu Yinsheng said quietly, rubbing her stomach, “I want to eat.”
She didn’t know how long she’d slept, but her stomach was already growling when she woke up.
“Mm, I’ll make noodles for you,” Zhao Yicheng replied with a gentle smile, then got up and headed to the kitchen.
“Tomato and egg noodles, add an extra egg,” Xu Yinsheng suddenly called after him.
“Okay.”
Very soon, Xu Yinsheng was slurping noodles in bed.
The noodles were springy and elastic, and the broth made from tomatoes and eggs was bright and enticing, with a sweet, fragrant aroma.
The silky noodles slid down her throat into her belly, and a sip of the sweet, flavorful tomato egg soup made her feel completely satisfied.
Zhao Yicheng’s cooking couldn’t be called top-notch, but it was just right for Xu Yinsheng’s tastes.
He knew whether she preferred things a bit sweet or sour—after all, this good brother of hers had always kept her well-fed.
“How many days did I sleep?”
“Two and a half.”
“No wonder my stomach is rumbling so much.”
Xu Yinsheng lowered her head and touched her belly.
“Nothing major happened while I was out, right?”
“The Bai Clan sent out invitations—Bai Xiaoyi is getting engaged,” Zhao Yicheng replied, taking the now-empty bowl that Xu Yinsheng had finished down to the last drop, and placing it aside.
“That guy is getting engaged?”
Xu Yinsheng was taken aback, a look of disbelief flashing in her eyes.
That playboy, even more notorious than her, was finally settling down?
Could it be, he also found a ‘good brother’?
“That’s right.”
Zhao Yicheng nodded and handed her a clean napkin.
“The Engagement Banquet is in a week. I want you to go in my place.”
“Huh? Me, in your place?”
Xu Yinsheng’s big, watery eyes widened, incredulous.
“You’re not joking?”
“I’m not.”
Zhao Yicheng shook his head, a gentle smile on his face.
Xu Yinsheng, however, sat with her mouth open, looking completely baffled, as if to say, are you messing with me?
Feeling helpless, Zhao Yicheng pointed at himself and said with a trace of barely concealed frustration, “Look at me now—do you really think I’m suitable to attend an Engagement Banquet?”
Right now, he was just a little kid, not even a meter tall.
With this appearance, attending someone else’s Engagement Banquet was out of the question.
Xu Yinsheng glanced at the little boy sitting at the bedside and nodded.
Indeed, in this state, he probably couldn’t even get through the front door.
“Why don’t you just turn it down?”
Xu Yinsheng refused flatly.
If it was racing, drinking, or partying, she was up for it.
But mingling and scheming with a bunch of old foxes—she was still just a 28-year-old kid.
Zhao Yicheng shook his head.
“I can’t refuse. On the surface, it’s just Bai Xiaoyi’s engagement, but beneath that, it involves every aspect of Tianlin City. Not just me—the Li Clan, the Jiang Clan, and so on will all be present.”
After speaking, he looked up at Xu Yinsheng.
“Xiao Yin, I know you don’t like these social events, but my situation now is because of you. You need to learn to take responsibility.”
Xu Yinsheng rolled her eyes.
“Why do I feel like you’re guilt-tripping me? Fine, I’ll go, but if I screw things up, you can’t blame me.”
Zhao Yicheng smiled faintly.
Seeing his Xiao Yin’s sassy look, he stood up, ruffled her hair, and then gave her a Reassurance Pill.
“You can bring someone to the banquet. I’ll be with you the whole time. The whole thing will last just over two hours—eat more, talk less.”
“Mm.” Xu Yinsheng responded, lost in thought.
Seeing her agree, Zhao Yicheng picked up the empty bowl to go wash it, but as he got out of bed, Xu Yinsheng suddenly stopped him.
“Wait, I have a request.”
“Go ahead.”
“I want to go racing. I’ve been sleeping for two days—my bones are getting rusty.”
“Alright.”
***
After the snow, the skies cleared.
On a dike road in Tianlin City, a stretch of highway built by professionals, though not originally intended to ease traffic congestion, but rather…
Vroom, vroom, vroom!!
The engine roared, the motor running at high speed, top-grade tires screeching lines across the asphalt as the car shot down the highway, raising clouds of dust in its wake.
The “acceleration push” praised by car magazines felt like pure torture now, as if a tremendous force was pinning people firmly to their seats!
Zhao Yicheng sat in the passenger seat, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and his palms slick with cold sweat.
Truthfully, he was already regretting agreeing to Xu Yinsheng’s request.
Putting aside any mental issues, he was, after all, just an ordinary person with a slightly unusual physique.
“Relax, my Driving Skill is top-notch.”
Sensing Zhao Yicheng’s tension, Xu Yinsheng took the initiative to reassure him.
One foot was on the gas, one hand gripping the wheel.
“And this is a professional Racetrack, not some illegal street race. Besides, we paid to be here. There’s a professional Medical Team on standby twenty-four hours a day. Even if we really crash, they’ll drag us back from the gates of hell.”
Xu Yinsheng gripped the steering wheel with one hand and floored the gas pedal.
The Bentley shot forward like a black reaper across the wide road, tearing through the dusk sky with a chilling momentum.
The howling wind rushed in through the open window, whipping her jet-black, glossy hair into a wild frenzy.
Amidst the chaos, her big, sparkling eyes glowed with life in the sunlight—full of energy!
At this moment, Xu Yinsheng was no canary kept in a cage, but rather a phoenix soaring freely across the heavens.
For a moment, Zhao Yicheng was entranced.
How long had it been since he’d seen Xu Yinsheng so exhilarated?
Ever since he’d captured her and kept her at home, over the past year, that proud bird had eventually bowed her proud head to the demands of life.
“So? Isn’t this an Adrenaline Rush!”
Xu Yinsheng, still driving, nudged Zhao Yicheng with her elbow as he zoned out.
The speed climbed higher and higher, and she couldn’t help but whistle triumphantly.
“Other than chasing girls, this used to be my favorite thing. Back in university, my group of rascally friends and I even organized a race together.”
“And I was the one who bailed you out at the police station that time,” Zhao Yicheng added dryly.
Xu Yinsheng felt a little embarrassed at that.
“Ahem, that was a total accident. I never expected that organizing a race would attract people from the Three Doctrines and Nine Schools, and some even cheated by tampering with the cars.”
During that race, Xu Yinsheng crashed halfway through.
Fortunately, the Medical Team was top-notch—after months in a cast, she finally got back on her feet.
That incident had caused no small amount of conflict between her and Zhao Yicheng.
The Bentley soared past the finish line like an eagle and finally slowed to a stop.
Nearby, the team directed Xu Yinsheng to pull off the track.
At that moment, a fluorescent green Maserati GT roared onto the Racetrack.
Xu Yinsheng rolled down the window, about to greet the other driver, when the passenger window of the other car rolled down, revealing a tired face.
Was that…
Bai Xiaoyi?
Before Xu Yinsheng could see clearly, the Maserati GT had already sped off, leaving only a dazzling tail flame behind.