Chapter 9: Tremble, World!

He Tian sized up Wu Xiong, the man known as Blackie. He certainly lived up to his nickname—his complexion was indeed dark. That was the first impression. But from He Tian’s experience in judging people, Wu Xiong was no ordinary thug—he was vicious and ruthless, with blood on his hands, likely even a murder or two in his past.

He Tian would never willingly get involved with such a man, so long as Wu Xiong kept his distance. Otherwise, he’d let him do as he pleased and have nothing to do with him. But now, Wu Xiong had come over—and it was obvious he wasn’t just trying to be friendly.

Wang Xinrou’s status alone wasn’t enough to make Wu Xiong adopt such a respectful attitude. Clearly, there was more to this.

“Mr. Wu, do you need something?” He Tian asked, getting straight to the point.

“You’re a straightforward man, Mr. He. Here’s the thing—my boss would like to meet you,” Wu Xiong replied with a smile.

“Your boss? Half an hour… Mr. Wu!” Though puzzled, He Tian still gave his answer.

“Then I won’t disturb you further, Mr. He.” Wu Xiong, having gotten what he wanted, withdrew at once. He still hadn’t managed to dig up much on He Tian, so further analysis would have to wait. But he was certain of one thing—this man was an excellent driver. Wu Xiong was convinced that Young Master Hai would be very interested.

“Young Master Hai wants to see you? I’m sure this isn’t anything good,” Wang Xinrou murmured as she slipped back into the car, casting a wary glance at He Tian.

“Young Master Hai? The owner here? He must be quite influential, with a deep background,” He Tian said with a faint smile.

“To run a place like this, you have to be powerful. Without a strong background, you’d never last. And let me tell you, Young Master Hai is pursuing my sister, though she’s never given him the time of day,” Wang Xinrou said in a conspiratorial tone.

“Oh? Now that’s interesting…” He Tian smiled. As for what this so-called Young Master Hai was really after, he couldn’t be bothered to guess. He’d find out soon enough at their meeting—no need to waste any brainpower on speculation.

“He’s involved in organized crime! My sister told me herself—if he’s seeking you out, it can’t be for anything good. You mustn’t agree to anything!” Wang Xinrou warned, her tone full of caution.

“Don’t worry. Do I look like someone easily manipulated?” He Tian replied with a calm smile. If he wanted to, as long as this Young Master Hai had committed any crimes and He Tian had the evidence, he could make him disappear—regardless of his background.

But the world was full of people like that, and the Dragon Soul’s mission wasn’t to take care of each and every one. As long as no one provoked him, He Tian wouldn’t go out of his way to target this so-called Young Master Hai.

But if anyone did provoke He Tian, then things would be very different.

Fifteen minutes later, He Tian and Wang Xinrou arrived at a villa beside the racing plaza, where they met Young Master Hai.

“Second Miss Wang, you’ve come to play again! Your sister warned me again and again not to let you in, but today I’ll make an exception and keep it a secret for you,” Young Master Hai said with a grin. He looked to be around thirty, slicked-back hair giving him an air of maturity. He always spoke with a friendly smile, but anyone perceptive could see the deep-rooted falseness in his demeanor.

“I don’t need you keeping secrets for me…” Wang Xinrou shot back coldly, giving Young Master Hai no face at all—a reaction clearly influenced by her sister Wang Xinmeng.

“Heh, very well.” Young Master Hai chuckled, then turned to He Tian. “Mr. He, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Young Master Hai, what do you want?” He Tian asked with a slight smile, glancing at Young Master Hai’s outstretched hand before giving it a quick shake.

“Ah Xiong!” Young Master Hai called out to Wu Xiong, who stood by his side.

“Yes, sir!” Wu Xiong handed Young Master Hai a card.

“There’s a hundred million in here—the winnings from your bet. Young Master Huang and the others haven’t scraped together enough cash yet, so I’ve covered them for now. And since this is our first meeting, I’ll waive the usual commission,” Young Master Hai said with a beaming smile.

“Xinrou, take it. Thank you, Young Master Hai,” He Tian said crisply, instructing Wang Xinrou to put the card away. As for the one million commission, since Young Master Hai was offering, He Tian had no qualms about accepting it.

What? Afraid to accept gifts lest you owe someone?

That logic simply didn’t apply to He Tian.

“How generous!” Wang Xinrou remarked coolly as she took the card.

“You flatter me, Second Miss Wang. A million is nothing to someone like you,” Young Master Hai replied with a smile.

“Wrong—it’s my sister’s money, which is a very different story! If you’ve got business with my brother He Tian here, get to the point—we have other things to do,” Wang Xinrou snapped, clearly not interested in lingering.

“Well then, Mr. He, I watched your racing footage—flawless! Truly impressive! I wonder if you’d be willing to do me a favor?” Young Master Hai still wore his ever-present smile.

“I’m listening,” He Tian replied.

“It’s like this—there’s a race coming up soon, a national event. I’ve always lacked a truly skilled driver. Would you be interested in helping me out? Of course, you’d be handsomely rewarded,” Young Master Hai said.

“Racing? Young Master Hai, I’m afraid I can’t help you. I only came here today because someone once set up Xinrou—I’m actually not interested in racing at all,” He Tian replied with a smile. “If there’s nothing else, we’ll be on our way.”

Had Young Master Hai’s attitude been better, He Tian might have considered the offer. But the man was far too arrogant—his words were polite, but he hadn’t even bothered to properly introduce himself. And judging by his self-assured manner, He Tian was certain he’d already uncovered some information about He Tian’s activities in Tianhai.

That alone was enough to make He Tian dislike him. There was no way he’d ever consider working with someone like that.

“Young Master, that guy…” Wu Xiong watched He Tian and Wang Xinrou leave, awaiting orders.

“Don’t do anything rash! This one’s not simple. Dig deeper! What kind of useless information did you find before? Nothing! Find out everything about him. As long as he’s still in Tianhai, I’ll find a way to make him race for me,” Young Master Hai said with a sinister grin.

“Understood, sir. I’ll dig up everything on He Tian as quickly as possible,” Wu Xiong promised.

“Good. Keep a close eye on things. They just walked off with my million… Do they really think it’s that easy?” A cold smile tugged at the corner of Young Master Hai’s lips.

“Huang Zhiwen, goodbye! If you ever want a rematch, just call me—though I won’t play for less than a hundred million! Hahaha!” Wang Xinrou called out as they left, not missing the chance to get another dig in at Huang Zhiwen.

“Damn it…” Huang Zhiwen slammed his fist onto his car’s hood, his face dark as thunder.

“Sir, we haven’t paid them yet—how could they just leave?”

“I’m guessing Blackie covered it for now. Did you expect that brat Wang Xinrou to let us off? Hurry up and get the money together… If Blackie comes knocking and you’re short, it won’t end well!”

“Wang Xinrou, just you wait—you dare play me for a fool!” Huang Zhiwen fumed inwardly, his hatred for Wang Xinrou reaching its peak.

Some people always blame others, never stopping to consider their own actions.

If Huang Zhiwen hadn’t done everything in his power to lure Wang Xinrou into racing, none of this would have happened.

Unfortunately, men like Huang Zhiwen are rarely capable of self-reflection.

“Hahaha…” Once they’d left Nanshan and hit the ring highway, Wang Xinrou finally broke out into wild laughter.

“What’s wrong with you, laughing out of the blue?” He Tian glanced over at her.

“Oh, what do you know? That was a hundred million! A hundred million! It’s the first time I’ve ever had so much money in my hands. Even though it’s not really mine, I still feel a sense of accomplishment—I was part of it!” Wang Xinrou was clearly elated.

“For the money?” He Tian asked.

“What else?” Wang Xinrou nodded.

“You really know how to keep your composure,” He Tian said, shaking his head.

“Of course! I couldn’t embarrass you in front of everyone, could I?” Wang Xinrou said with a smug grin.

“Well then, the card’s yours,” He Tian said.

“Mine? I don’t want it!” Wang Xinrou shook her head.

“You don’t?” He Tian looked at her in surprise.

“Don’t look at me like that. Do you really think I care that much about money? A hundred million is a lot, but I’m just happy we won it, that’s all. You really think I’m obsessed with cash? Pfft—take it, take it!” Wang Xinrou stuffed the card into He Tian’s pocket.

“You majored in economics, didn’t you?” He Tian asked suddenly.

“Yeah! So did you,” Wang Xinrou replied with a nod.

“So, you probably plan to go into business one day. Take this money—I’ll be your investor. Go make it grow, and try to make more than your sister ever did,” He Tian said with a smile.

“Really?” Wang Xinrou’s eyes lit up as she quickly fished the card back out of his pocket.

“Would I lie about something like that?” He Tian responded.

“You’re the best, He Tian! You know, my sister never lets me get involved in her business. Hmph, I don’t care! I’ll work hard and build an empire even bigger than hers! Don’t worry—you’ll get your share. After all, you’re providing the seed capital!” Wang Xinrou was suddenly brimming with confidence.

“But I do have one concern…” Seeing her so excited, He Tian felt compelled to ask.

“Concern? You’re not backing out, are you?” Wang Xinrou eyed him warily, not wanting her dreams to be dashed as soon as they’d begun.

“With your personality, I’m not sure you’re cut out for business. And I worry that once you enter the business world, you might lose the happiness you have now,” He Tian said.

“Oh, what a theory! What do you know about what I want to do, anyway? Don’t speak nonsense if you don’t understand! Just wait and see!” Wang Xinrou replied, all mysterious.

“Alright, I’ll drop it,” He Tian said, reassured by her confidence—she was unlikely to change, after all.

“That’s more like it. Just watch—I’ll build a business empire! Hahaha, tremble, world! Here I come!” Wang Xinrou burst out laughing.

“Tremble, world—He Tian of Dragon Soul is here!” He Tian laughed as well, silently telling himself that he suddenly wanted to take on a mission, to see how Dragon Soul’s assignments differed from those he’d undertaken in the Dragon Corps.

Suddenly, the shrill blare of a horn sounded—a large truck, seemingly out of control, came barreling toward the Porsche where He Tian and Wang Xinrou sat…

He Tian’s face changed dramatically, while Wang Xinrou’s mouth dropped open in shock, her face draining of color.