Chapter 137: If I Step Up, It's Bullying Them

Ter Mountain was located between the Su District and the Hun District of Beiyang City. A few years ago, it was heavily promoted by Beiyang City as a major scenic area. However, due to various factors such as personnel issues and management problems later on, the Ter Mountain Tourist Scenic Area officially closed down for good.

Nevertheless, the hardware facilities of the Ter Mountain Tourist Scenic Area were exceptionally well-built. The roads were paved to a very high standard, and the mountain featured extremely perilous winding roads. Therefore, after the tourist scenic area shut down, it was invested in by the Dragon Hall—the Beiyang City branch of the Twelve Halls of the Zhou Family—and repurposed into an underground racing venue.

When Xue Tian'ai drove that Porsche 918 into this so-called largest underground racing track in Beiyang City, Cen An'an was startled by the scene. The interior of the track looked completely different from the somewhat dilapidated appearance of the outer scenic area!

All kinds of top-tier supercars and luxury vehicles were parked casually along both sides of the road. Thousands of people had gathered here, creating an extraordinary commotion. The dazzling headlights emitted glaring beams, illuminating the entire interior of the Ter Mountain racing zone...

Manic, deafening, and upbeat music constantly stimulated the gathered crowd, causing these frantic people to form circle after circle, holding up expensive bottles of imported liquor, spraying them at each other, and howling...

Adding to this, from time to time, sexy and glamorous top car models walked past, dancing somewhat boundary-pushing routines to the beat of the high-energy music, which pushed the entire atmosphere to its absolute peak!

Xue Tian'ai parked his Porsche 918 casually in a corner, got out of the car with Cen An'an, and watched a fiery red BMW Z4 and a pitch-black Chevrolet Camaro driving toward them.

Xue Tian'ai couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart. Are there really this many wealthy young college women nowadays? He hadn't expected that Cen An'an's four female friends were all people who lacked nothing financially—one drove a BMW Z4, another drove a Chevrolet Camaro, and the two other girls also owned cars, though they hadn't driven them here.

Although compared to Cen An'an's Porsche 918, those cars were practically "insignificant scraps"... still, they were definitely something an ordinary family could never afford!

"An'an, are you really not planning to join in and play?" Tang Fangling stepped out of the fiery red BMW Z4, walked over to Cen An'an, and asked.

"I won't go. I don't know how to street race anyway. Tian'ai and I will just go upstairs and watch you later..." Cen An'an smiled faintly, shook her head in refusal, and then pointed toward the racing lounge up above Ter Mountain.

The underground racing track at Ter Mountain left nothing to be desired when it came to audience facilities. You could choose to sit on a soft sofa, eat snacks, and watch the live broadcast of the race on a massive screen, or you could choose to go directly to the outdoor area to experience the passion of the race firsthand. However, the admission fee for the indoor viewing area was more than double that of the outdoor area...

"A man with such a fine car who doesn't even know how to race—what a waste!" Tang Fangling muttered, her remark clearly aimed at Xue Tian'ai.

Xue Tian'ai naturally understood the implication in Tang Fangling's words, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He merely smiled faintly, then took Cen An'an's small hand and walked toward the indoor area. "An'an, let's sit upstairs and watch. Make sure to hold onto me tightly so you don't get lost..."

"Mm-hm, got it..." Cen An'an gripped Xue Tian'ai's large hand back and obediently murmured, then, as if remembering something, hurriedly turned back to wave at Tang Fangling. "Fangling, you must do your best in the race later!"

Xue Tian'ai paid the admission fee for five people, brought Cen An'an and the three remaining girls who weren't participating in the race into the indoor viewing area, and found a few sofas with good vantage points to sit down.

As soon as the four girls sat down, they began chattering excitedly, pointing at the pictures of the racers on the large screen and discussing them. The scrolling images on the big screen displayed not only information about some of the participating drivers but also the odds offered by the Ter Mountain underground racing track for those contestants...

Xue Tian'ai, on the other hand, seemed completely uninterested. He just lazily reclined, looking at the paper brochure detailing the race format in his hand...

Upon seeing the racing format, Xue Tian'ai felt a slight sense of surprise. Although the Ter Mountain underground racing track definitely could not compare in scale to the large racing venues in Europe, it was quite impressive in terms of the variety of racing categories it offered.

There were both group entertainment races open to anyone, formal races for professional drivers and street racers, and even a King of Racers Challenge...

Tang Fangling, the short-haired girl, was probably participating in the group entertainment race, which the organizers likely set up specifically for street racing enthusiasts.

As for the professional drivers and street racers, they participated in formal underground racing events where bets could be placed. This type of race was presumably the main reason most spectators came to the Ter Mountain racing track... allowing them to watch tense and fierce competition while also satisfying their urge to gamble...

As for that King of Racers Challenge...

Just as Xue Tian'ai lowered his gaze to read the specific details of the so-called King of Racers Challenge, Cen An'an gently squeezed Xue Tian'ai's large hand and asked, "Tian'ai, which of these contestants do you think will win?"

"Yeah, yeah, Uncle, since you have such a nice car, you must be very familiar with this kind of race. Tell us about it..." Another young girl chimed in from the side.

"Hmm? Do the few of you want to place bets?" Xue Tian'ai glanced lightly at the large screen, then looked at Cen An'an and the four girls and asked.

"Since we're already here, of course we have to play a little. Besides, since we can't race ourselves, we can at least seek some excitement through betting!" Cen An'an said with an excited expression.

"If you want excitement, just place your bets however you like, because I really can't say for sure. First, I don't know or care about these participating racers; and second, car racing isn't just about skill—sometimes the track conditions, current state, and on-the-spot performance matter immensely!" Xue Tian'ai casually glanced through the profiles of the racers and shook his head.

If it were in Europe, it would be a different story. Xue Tian'ai knew those well-known drivers, so betting would be much easier and more reliable. But now he was back in Beiyang City. Although Beiyang City could be considered his hometown, after having been away for so many years, while he knew the geography, he was a stranger to the people...

"Uncle, do you understand street racing?" Seeing Xue Tian'ai analyze everything so logically, a girl asked with some surprise. She was the young woman driving the Chevrolet Camaro. Along the way just now, although Xue Tian'ai was driving a top-of-the-line Porsche 918, he had driven it strictly by the book without even honking the horn once... he didn't look like someone who knew how to race at all.

"It's alright, I know a little bit~" Xue Tian'ai nodded and said modestly.

"Then why aren't you going to play, Uncle? It's so exciting!" Another girl chimed in, then cast a suggestive look at Cen An'an. "Besides, An'an is right here. You could show off in front of your girlfriend!"

Cen An'an also looked at Xue Tian'ai with excitement in her eyes. Although she had said she wouldn't participate in the race, she actually longed to experience the thrill of racing and wanted to try that breathtaking sensation of flying just inches above the ground, even if it meant just sitting in the passenger seat...

"Forget it, I won't participate..." Xue Tian'ai smiled gently, waved his hand, and said.

"What, are you scared, Uncle?" The girl asked teasingly.

"Scared? How could that be? I just think a race is more fun when there's still some suspense left. If I got in, I'd be worried those guys would complain that I was bullying them." Xue Tian'ai really didn't have much interest in a competition of this scale. If it weren't to accompany Cen An'an, he probably wouldn't even have come.

He knew that in Europe, the number of racers qualified to stand on the same starting line as him could be counted on one hand. At the very least, an opponent needed to have won several European championship titles. To make him enter a small race like this now made it truly difficult for him to muster any enthusiasm...

Although, as Xue Tian'ai had mentioned, there were many factors that affected racing performance, if someone possessed absolute, crushing strength, then those so-called influencing factors were as fragile and easily shattered as soap bubbles! And Xue Tian'ai was precisely the kind of person who possessed that absolute, crushing strength!

"Tsk tsk tsk, the way you talk makes it sound like you're so amazing, Uncle. Since your girlfriend is right here, wouldn't it be great to show off a little?" The girl clearly thought Xue Tian'ai was just bragging, so she curled her lips in disdain.

However, since Cen An'an was still present, the girl decided to spare Xue Tian'ai some face and said no more.

Although Cen An'an felt a hint of disappointment at that moment, she still completely believed everything Xue Tian'ai had just said, refusing to believe her dear brother-in-law was just boasting...

Right at that moment, a somewhat boisterous female voice rang out: "Ugh, how annoying! The spots for the entertainment race are already full. I can't sign up!"

Tang Fangling, the short-haired girl, was seen walking toward them while complaining unhappily. She flopped down onto the sofa and continued with displeasure, "There was clearly a guy who managed to register, so why did they tell me the spots were full when it was my turn? So annoying!"

"Alright, alright, Fangling, if you didn't get in, you didn't get in. Doesn't that mean we can just sit back and watch the race comfortably?" Another girl, sensing Tang Fangling's extreme frustration, hurriedly comforted her.

"Fangling, come have a drink to cool off. It's just a race, no big deal if we don't compete. Besides, it's not like there won't be opportunities in the future." Cen An'an smiled warmly and handed Tang Fangling a bottle of cola.

While the girls were busy comforting the somewhat dejected Tang Fangling, a rather untimely, lazy yawn echoed through the air: "Ah~~~~~~~~"

The girls turned toward the sound and saw Xue Tian'ai looking terribly sleepy, his mouth wide open in a massive yawn...

Tang Fangling's delicate face instantly darkened. Just as she was about to say something, Xue Tian'ai pointed at the big screen and said, "The first group of the entertainment race is about to start..."