The young masters from Jinling who came to buy cars this time have all left Shanghai; those fellows had no face left to linger.

This meant that no one from Jinling participated in this race meet, which only amplified Zhang Yang's fame—it was as if one man had defeated an entire city.

Not to mention the deep-seated, almost hereditary feud between Jinling and Changjing.

“You flatter me, that was merely accidental!” Zhang Yang appeared utterly unconcerned, his expression calm, which only made the other man’s eyes shine brighter.

“Old Cai, this is Su Zhantao, Young Master Su, our Ling Mei’s chosen husband!”

Long Cheng pulled Su Zhantao over again, introducing him to the man as well.

Long Cheng’s words caused Yang Ling to lower her head, a blush creeping up her face, but this time she offered no rebuttal. She couldn't guess where Su Zhantao had picked up such audacity, but this time, his claims had actually received approval from her family.

Both of Yang Ling’s parents were university professors, so they hadn't made too much of the age gap, even discussing when the parents should meet.

“Young Master Su, impressive! Ling Mei is the prettiest flower in our group, and you’ve managed to pluck her!”

The man smiled, shaking hands with Su Zhantao. Yang Ling’s head drooped even lower.

“Zhang Yang, Zhantao, this is Cai Zhele, CEO Cai, General Manager of the Trade Department at Huashi Group!”

Only after introducing Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao did Long Cheng introduce the man.

Hearing ‘Huashi Group,’ both Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao paused slightly, finally grasping the true identity of this young master.

Huashi Group was a massive enterprise, half state-owned, half private.

With its official status and private shares, Huashi was vastly larger than most purely private companies. To hold the position of General Manager of a department there was no small feat.

It required not only connections but also considerable capability.

No wonder even the usually aloof Long Cheng viewed this man with deference.

“Let’s move inside and wait. A few more people from other areas haven’t arrived yet, but they should be soon!”

Cai Zhele led the group inward. If Long Cheng was the figurehead for Changjing, Cai Zhele was the representative for Shanghai.

Moreover, securing this stretch of highway was Cai Zhele’s accomplishment; he was the one who had arranged for the highway and surrounding roads to be completely sealed off so they could safely enjoy the thrill of extreme speed without worrying about pedestrians.

With the roads blocked, there was naturally no traffic.

Forty or fifty people were already gathered, many greeting Cai Zhele with nods, which he returned politely, though only a select few warranted a verbal response.

Time passed, and it was now past eight in the evening. The gathering continued to swell.

Aside from the array of luxury cars, the most eye-catching were the beautiful women. Many young masters had brought a companion, like Wang Chen and Li Ya, and these women had become a scenic backdrop.

However, everyone understood that these women were largely ornamental; few commanded any real respect from the crowd.

Yang Ling hadn’t spoken a single word to anyone throughout the entire event.

“Vroom!”

A sudden roar echoed from the distance, and soon a sports car sped into the service area. It hadn't slowed down remotely and hadn't bothered parking in the designated area, driving straight up to the cluster of people.

“Screech!”

With a harsh sound of tires grinding, the car executed a perfect one-hundred-and-eighty-degree spin and came to a halt.

To maintain such stability at that speed spoke volumes about the driver’s skill.

“Bugatti?”

“Don’t they not have these in the country? Who is this guy, so impressive?”

Before the driver even exited, the surrounding crowd began to buzz, all eyes fixed on the blue supercar.

The door opened—a stylish scissor door, no less impressive than the gull-wing doors on Zhang Yang's own Mercedes roadster.

“I wondered who it was. Quite the entrance!”

Cai Zhele let out a cold snort. He recognized the man emerging from the car; he was another Shanghai young master, one with whom he often clashed.

“Brother Cai, my apologies for the uninvited visit. You don't mind, do you?”

The man was about twenty-five or twenty-six, strikingly handsome. After stepping out, he approached Cai Zhele with a cheerful grin, prompting more murmurs from the crowd, especially the women, whose eyes were nearly glued to the exquisite car and the dashing man who drove it.

“Bugatti EB1—a sticker price of $480,000, and fewer than a hundred made worldwide! Who managed to bring one into the country? It must be worth over ten million here!”

Wang Chen and Li Ya both walked up to the car, admiring it with envy.

As car enthusiasts, they were familiar with nearly every luxury vehicle globally. This wasn't the current model; it had been produced starting in '95, but its rarity, combined with Bugatti’s lack of official domestic sales, meant there were virtually none in the country.

Of course, its exorbitant price was a major factor. In this era, a car worth over ten million was in a completely different league than one over a million. Even men like Wang Chen would hesitate for a long time before considering such a purchase—or, more accurately, would find it impossible to acquire one.

More people crowded around the car. Seeing his vehicle attract so much attention, the man who had greeted Cai Zhele—Gu Fang—displayed a subtle air of triumph.

“Gu Fang, you’re here, just don't cause trouble!”

Cai Zhele snorted. Before he could finish speaking, several other cars pulled up alongside the Bugatti.

This made Cai Zhele’s expression sour further. Strictly speaking, underground racing had no official organizer; it was a gathering of shared passion, but there were always people in charge.

Cai Zhele was the host this time. He had explicitly instructed everyone to park in designated spots and not leave cars haphazardly.

These newcomers had not only ignored the instructions but parked right where people were gathered, a clear sign of disrespect. It was a wonder Cai Zhele didn't lose his temper.

However, the driver of the Bugatti, this young man named Gu Fang, clearly had significant clout, which made Cai Zhele wary. Despite his annoyance, he had to swallow it for the moment.

“How could I, Brother Cai? With you here, I wouldn't dare stir up trouble even if I had a hundred times the courage!”

Gu Fang burst out laughing, a boisterous sound accompanying words that were superficially flattering but utterly devoid of true deference.

“Fang Zi, why were you driving so fast? You should have waited for us!”

The occupants of the following cars disembarked. Among them were a massive Hummer, a Ferrari, and a Porsche sports car.

When the person who stepped out of the Hummer greeted Gu Fang, Zhang Yang and Huang Hai were momentarily stunned—they knew this man quite well; they had signed a contract together previously.

The man who stepped out was Young Master Shi. Seeing Huang Hai and Zhang Yang, he paused, then immediately walked over to them.

“Manager Huang, Zhang Yang, what are you two doing here?”

“We came for fun. But you—didn’t you hate this sort of thing?” Huang Hai asked, surprised. When they bought the jade last time, Huang Hai had asked about Young Master Shi’s hobbies; Shi only cared for jade and nothing else.

“I was dragged here. Honestly, I didn’t want to come.”

Young Master Shi’s face showed a trace of helplessness. A young woman stepped out of a Ferrari and walked directly toward them.

Seeing this girl, Zhang Yang immediately froze, a wry smile crossing his face.

Zhang Yang felt the world was indeed small. Attending a single race meet, he had encountered not only Young Master Shi but also the girl who had previously been kidnapped.

“Cousin!”

The girl called out to Young Master Shi, sounding rather displeased.

Before she reached them, she suddenly stopped, pointing a finger at Zhang Yang, and shrieked: “It’s you?”

Her voice was loud enough to draw the attention of many, including Cai Zhele and Gu Fang over on the other side.

Gu Fang walked over in their direction, Cai Zhele’s brow twitched, and he, too, approached.

“Yuping, you know Zhang Yang?”

Young Master Shi seemed genuinely surprised. He had been brought here by this very girl today. This was his cousin, Shao Yuping, who had only recently returned from abroad. At home, she was restless day and night, and her busy parents had little time to supervise her.

Not long ago, she had even been kidnapped. Fortunately, the kidnappers weren't very skilled, they crashed, and she was saved by a kind stranger.

Now, with her scars not fully healed, she insisted on coming to watch the races. Her parents, having no choice, found his cousin to accompany her, only agreeing if Shi watched over her.

Hearing about the plan to visit the underground race track, Gu Fang, who was with Young Master Shi, tagged along, bringing his just-imported Bugatti.

“Cousin, my fox! He’s the one who lost it for me!”

The young girl immediately pointed at Zhang Yang and declared loudly, then spun around to glare fiercely at him.

“I let you get away last time, but where will you run now? You pay for my fox!”

She shouted again, sounding terribly wronged, while Zhang Yang could only shake his head repeatedly.

“Zhang Yang, what is going on?”

Young Master Shi asked, equally astonished. He never imagined his cousin knew Zhang Yang, and apparently on very bad terms.

“It’s like this…”

Zhang Yang briefly recounted the events of that day. His description was concise, covering both the cause and outcome without any reservation.

In truth, there was nothing to hide; from beginning to end, he wasn’t at fault.

After hearing his account, Young Master Shi glanced at Flash resting on Zhang Yang’s shoulder and immediately understood.

He knew his cousin’s temperament well. Zhang Yang hadn’t exaggerated; the fault truly lay with his cousin’s willful nature.

Losing the small sable was unfortunate, but the most important thing was that she hadn't been harmed that day. After that incident, her entire family was terrified and forbade her from going out alone.

She had been essentially confined for days.

However, Zhang Yang didn’t mention the subsequent medical treatment, which neither Young Master Shi nor his cousin knew about—it was Zhang Yang who had saved her that day.

“Yuping, stop making a scene. You were in the wrong from the start. If the fox is lost, it’s lost. I’ll buy you another one later!”

Young Master Shi asserted his authority. He judged the matter impartially, not taking his cousin’s side. Furthermore, he already held a good impression of Zhang Yang and preferred to mediate now rather than let a conflict arise between his cousin and Zhang Yang.

Third chapter done, one more to go!