Passing Through a Sea of Flowers, Plucking Them All

It was a supercar they had never seen before.

The car came to a stop, and the doors opened upward.

Then, Zhou Yi stepped out, wearing beach shorts, a tank top, flip-flops, and sunglasses.

Everyone was stunned.

Sure, he had a great physique and good looks, but this outfit with that car...

It just didn't match at all!

"What," Zhou Yi took off his sunglasses and looked around, "you all seem surprised?"

"Hahaha," Toretto was the only one not frozen in shock—or rather, he was already used to Zhou Yi's antics. He laughed and stepped forward to hug Zhou Yi. "Zhou, you're still the same!"

"Otherwise?" Zhou Yi shrugged with a grin. "I've never been to Rio's beaches before."

"That's true," Toretto nodded. "By the way, this car of yours..."

Even Toretto felt a stir of desire when he saw Zhou Yi's ride.

It was way too cool!

"I built it myself. Not for sale, the only one in the world," Zhou Yi chuckled. "So, how about it? Cool or what?"

The car's exterior was modeled after the one from that iconic scene where Batman tells The Flash, "I'm rich"—the Mercedes-Benz Concept AMG VGT. As for the interior, Zhou Yi had naturally outfitted it with the best and most suitable tech.

"Cool, sure, but I wonder how it drives," Roman chimed in. Despite Toretto and O'Conner's earlier warnings, it only fueled his curiosity—like a hyperactive husky. "Bro, can you even drive?"

"Drive? Of course not!" Zhou Yi replied matter-of-factly. "My car uses the latest Artificial Intelligence for autonomous driving. I don't need to do a thing—just input the destination, and it takes me there!"

"That's... not great," Roman shook his head. "It's a total waste of this car! You're—O'Conner, why are you pulling me?"

"Shut up," O'Conner said, face dark with exasperation. "Don't you realize he's messing with you?"

"Huh?" Roman blinked, then looked at Zhou Yi. "Are you messing with me?"

"Of course not." Zhou Yi smiled and nodded.

Roman: "..."

"I think he's messing with me." Roman turned to O'Conner, seeking confirmation.

"No need to think..." O'Conner sighed, covering his forehead.

"Mia, long time no see." Zhou Yi decided not to keep messing with Roman—it was just too unfulfilling.

"Long time no see, Zhou." Mia smiled and hugged him.

"So, you must be Han?" Zhou Yi shook hands with Han, then Tej... and then, one of the reasons for his trip, Gisele.

Gal Gadot—her most famous role was, of course, Wonder Woman.

Zhou Yi had his principles. At least so far, he hadn't officially committed to any woman. Everything was mutual, based on what each needed. Because he knew exactly where he stood: passing through a garden of flowers, and picking them all.

Well...

Ahem, of course, only the pretty ones~

That's why, back then, Toretto had been so wary of Zhou Yi getting close to Mia. He knew Zhou Yi's nature well, and he knew Mia couldn't possibly keep a man like him tied down.

As for now... Toretto trusted Zhou Yi's character. Sure, Zhou Yi could be flaky and a total playboy, but he stuck to his principles—like always keeping promises, repaying kindness tenfold, and... if he offered roadside repairs or custom mods, there had to be either a great view or a beautiful woman.

"Gisele." Gisele extended her hand first.

"Zhou Yi, just call me Zhou," Zhou Yi shook her hand, cutting to the chase. "Interested in hitting the beach later?"

"Huh?" Gisele was taken aback.

"Hold on," Toretto quickly interrupted. "Let's talk business first!"

It wasn't that he doubted Zhou Yi's chances—he was worried that in a few minutes, one of his planned crew members would be gone!

Toretto hadn't planned to include Zhou Yi in the operation, but Gisele was part of his plan. He couldn't afford to lose her, especially since they were going to rob the local kingpin.

"Fine." Zhou Yi wasn't here to cause trouble, so he didn't object. He shrugged, then caught sight of O'Conner hiding behind Roman, flashing a "friendly" smile. "Yo, if it isn't O'Conner! Come here, let me see if those fists of yours have gotten any harder!"

"Haha... Zhou, long time no see..." O'Conner's face stiffened as he forced a greeting.

Years ago, when O'Conner was still a cop undercover in the street-racing scene to infiltrate Toretto's crew, he'd fallen for Mia. Back then, Mia had a thing for Zhou Yi, but Zhou Yi had promised Toretto he'd treat her like a sister. As for O'Conner...

Well, everyone knows that people in love lose some—or even a lot—of their rationality. O'Conner was no exception. He'd misunderstood Zhou Yi and Mia's relationship and challenged Zhou Yi to a fight.

At the time, Zhou Yi was just a junior Auto Mechanic, but he'd already gained a ten-point boost to both Strength and Intelligence from his title, pushing him near the human limit of a hundred. And then...

O'Conner got thoroughly "schooled" by Zhou Yi.

Ever since, whenever O'Conner saw Zhou Yi, it triggered a psychological shadow!

He'd never met a man that tough!

Hmm... that sounded weird somehow...

"Alright, alright..." Toretto tried to steer the atmosphere away from turning philosophical. "Let's get down to business!"

"Tang, what's the deal?" Han, who had been snacking and watching the show, finally spoke up.

"Yeah, you dragged us halfway around the world—what's this all about?" Tej asked.

"We've got a job," Toretto said, scanning the room, ignoring Zhou Yi, who was grinning at Gisele. "A big one."

"This time, our target is Hernan Reyes," O'Conner spoke up as the group gathered around a table with a map spread across it, marked by dozens of red circles of various sizes. He had finally recovered now that Zhou Yi's attention had shifted. "He runs the drug trade here and has never been caught, because there's no bank records or billing data as evidence, and he's got ties with the local politicians and cops."

"Without those, that means he's got a massive cash pool?" Gisele mused.

"Yeah, to be precise, his money is scattered all over the city." O'Conner pointed at the red circles on the map.

"And our job is to drain that cash, one stash at a time," Toretto said.

"...Down to the last cent?" Tej asked.

"Down to the last cent," Toretto nodded.

No one knows better than me how to be a failed author!