Chapter 136: You’ve Spoiled Lin Xi Far Too Much

Qin Yu rarely interfered with any decisions Lin Xi made.

Whatever she wanted to do, he would let her be. As long as the outcome remained within his threshold of tolerance, everything else was of little consequence.

With his words as her backing, Lin Xi felt a surge of confidence and quietly began to pick up speed.

To control her pace, Bai Xu, driving in front, intentionally kept his speed low. Whenever Lin Xi showed the slightest inclination to overtake, he would swerve to block her.

Lin Xi frowned. After confirming the left lane was clear, she yanked the steering wheel. Up ahead, Bai Xu saw through her intentions immediately and blocked her path again.

"..." Lin Xi pressed her lips into a thin line, her expression darkening.

Moments later, a phone rang. Lin Xi glanced at the screen and tapped the speakerphone. Cheng Si’s confused voice erupted from the device: "What are you two doing? Racing on the main road??!"

The road leading away from the cemetery was straight, flat, and sparse with traffic. But that did not mean they were allowed to cut each other off and race. What on earth were they thinking?

"We aren't," Bai Xu replied. "She wanted to overtake, and Second Brother told me to block her."

Zhou Jingheng, who hadn’t spoken since getting into the car, muttered, "..."

Since he had been dragged into this, Zhou Jingheng had no choice but to chime in: "Xi Xi, don’t drive too fast."

"I'm not," Lin Xi denied.

Cheng Si retorted: "You've got your foot almost through the floorboard, and you call that 'not' fast?!"

"..." Just as Lin Xi was about to defend herself, a hand reached over from the side and pressed the end-call button. Lin Xi’s pupils constricted slightly as she turned to look at the figure in the passenger seat.

Qin Yu lifted his chin, gesturing forward: "Watch the road."

Only after Lin Xi obediently turned her gaze back did he say, "Pass him."

"!"

"But..."

"Pass him."

Lin Xi gripped the steering wheel, her blood beginning to boil for no apparent reason. A rhythmic heartbeat thrummed against her eardrums.

"Okay," she responded. She slowed down first, then, seizing the moment as another car passed by, she tucked in behind it. As the car in front of Bai Xu yielded, Lin Xi clung tightly to the tail of the other vehicle, leaving Bai Xu no room to cut her off.

Successfully pulling ahead of Bai Xu, Lin Xi checked the rearview mirror. Bai Xu attempted to catch up.

Lin Xi wouldn’t give him the chance. She slammed on the accelerator, pushing the car to its maximum speed within the legal limit.

Bai Xu was driving a supercar; even with the windows up, Lin Xi could hear the roar of his engine behind them. It would be easy for him to catch up. She was driving Qin Yu’s car, and if they were to have a serious race, she would naturally be no match for a supercar.

Lin Xi had no choice but to use the same tactic Bai Xu had used earlier: blocking him.

After this happened twice, Cheng Si’s phone rang again. This time, Lin Xi didn't answer.

Cheng Si had no choice but to call Qin Yu. Qin Yu took a look and picked up.

Cheng Si sounded frantic: "Third Brother! Third Brother!"

"Stop shouting."

Cheng Si: "I thought you had fallen asleep! How could you not stop them when they’re playing like this?!"

"We’re out in public, not on our private mountain circuit. You can't drive like that!"

"We're within the speed limit. It’s fine," Qin Yu said dismissively.

"..." Cheng Si was infuriated. He stepped on the gas to catch up, sticking close to Bai Xu. "The two of them messing around out here is still dangerous."

"Mm." Was it dangerous? Did Qin Yu not know?

There was a turn coming up that led into the city; naturally, they couldn't continue driving like this.

"Let Bai Xu pass at the next intersection."

Qin Yu didn’t say much more and hung up quickly, fearing that if Cheng Si kept babbling, it would distract Lin Xi.

Lin Xi had been listening to their conversation. "Can I only drive for this stretch?"

"Mm. There’s too much traffic once we enter the city." He paused, and fearing she might be disappointed, he added, "If you want to drive, I’ll take you to the far suburbs on the weekend when I have time. There are no cars there—you can drive however you like."

Lin Xi recalled hearing that he owned some kind of club or track. The grounds were vast.

"Alright then." Checking the information on the navigation, she quietly slowed down.

Cheng Si must have called Bai Xu as well, because Bai Xu’s car didn’t follow quite so closely anymore. It wasn't until they turned at the next intersection that he took the opportunity to catch up.

Lin Xi took one hand off the wheel and followed him at a leisurely pace. The navigation showed that this road was congested. It was the peak of evening rush hour, and they were stuck in stop-and-go traffic.

Lin Xi couldn't help but yawn; her foot, which had been pressing the brake, felt numb.

After a while, she glanced at the passenger seat and caught Qin Yu’s gaze. She was startled. "Third Brother, why don't you get some rest? Judging by the current situation, we still have a long way to go."

Lin Xi remembered that he hadn't rested much the night before. She knew he had been worried about her driving alone, which was why he stayed awake.

"I’m fine now, I’ll just drive slowly," she said, trying to put him at ease.

After the brief stint of racing with Bai Xu, she didn't feel any discomfort. The drive had been manageable.

"I really am fine on my own. If I absolutely have to, I’ll wake you up."

"Look at this road; there's congestion on both ends. It’ll take at least another hour to get there."

They weren’t in a rush to return to the compound; they planned to eat out first. If they headed straight back to the compound, the journey would only be longer.

Qin Yu was still not entirely at ease, but given her insistence, he conceded.

"Alright." He agreed, though he didn't truly fall asleep.

Every time Lin Xi pulled away from a stop, he would open his eyes to help her check the road conditions, only to close them again a second before she looked over.

The road was even more congested than Lin Xi had imagined. It was the worst traffic she had encountered since returning to the capital.

By the time they reached Ruan Dong’s place, the sky had turned completely dark. As she got out of the car, Lin Xi received a call from her eldest aunt. Her aunt and the others had visited Lin Chen at noon and had returned earlier than expected.

Lin Xi motioned for Qin Yu and the others to head to the private room while she stayed in the hallway to take the call.

"Xi Xi, haven't you returned yet?"

"We're at Dong Ge’s place. Traffic was bad on the way back, we just arrived."

"That's good, that's good. Are you coming back to the compound tonight?"

"Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Aren't Uncle Zhou and the others coming back tomorrow?"

"Oh, right, right. I almost forgot." There had been so much going on lately that her aunt had nearly forgotten.

"What time is their flight tomorrow?"

"Around noon. Second Brother and I are going to pick them up, and we'll eat out. We'll head back to the compound in the evening."

—

Inside the private room, as soon as Qin Yu sat down, he heard Cheng Si complaining: "I have to say, Third Brother, you spoil Lin Xi too much. What happened to your bottom line?"

Qin Yu took the tea Bai Xu handed him, his voice low:

"Constantly worrying that she’ll get into trouble and forbidding her from doing anything—that’s not necessarily a good thing for her."

"That’s true, too." Zhou Jingheng thought about it and agreed.

Just then, Lin Xi finished her call and walked in. Zhou Jingheng shot Cheng Si a look, signaling him to drop the subject.

When they left that night, Lin Xi was relegated back to the passenger seat, and Qin Yu drove the car.