"What?" Roman cried. "This is insane! You dragged us to a completely unfamiliar country, then want us to rob the biggest drug lord here? I thought this was some legitimate business!"
"Sounds like a personal grudge to me. Is that right?" After a pause, Roman continued, "I'm not afraid of trouble, but personal grudges are bad news. There's no way I'm doing something like that!"
With that, Roman turned to leave.
As for whether he was chickening out or simply thought personal grudges were a bad idea... his excuse of "I thought this was legitimate business" made that quite clear.
Simply put, their crew had never done much legitimate business.
The moment Roman started talking, Zhou Yi had pulled out his phone and begun recording from the side.
How could he not leave a memento of such a classic scene?
"We're talking about a hundred million US Dollars," Toretto said without even turning around.
"..." Roman stopped in his tracks, as though a rope behind him had yanked him back. Written on that rope were the words: "ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS."
Without the slightest hesitation, Roman discarded all concern for pride, turned around, and asked, "What did you say? O-one hundred million dollars?"
"You see, sometimes I'm overly cautious. After all, we only just met," Roman said as he walked back. "What did you just say...?"
Pride? What was that? As long as there was money—and enough of it—pride was something that could be tossed aside at any time!
Having recorded that much, Zhou Yi put away his phone in satisfaction and renamed the file "Major Change of Heart Scene 1."
There would be a "Major Change of Heart Scene 2" and other installments later, of course. That was after Zhou Yi reached other worlds.
After this hired job, Zhou Yi would be able to upgrade his Intermediate Auto Mechanic title to Advanced, gaining an opportunity to open up another world.
Although Zhou Yi was already living well in the Fast & Furious World and had achieved the billionaire status that he had never even dared imagine in his past life... well, perhaps only dreamed of in dreams, he knew this was definitely not his endpoint. It was only the beginning.
And along the way, he wanted to record some interesting experiences so he could look back on them someday.
"One hundred million US Dollars. Everything we get will be split evenly," Toretto answered Roman's question.
"So that means ten million for each person?" Tej looked around and counted heads. "I'm in."
"No, each of you gets eleven million... no, a little less," Zhou Yi cut in. "I won't be joining your operation. I'll only provide the cars and modifications. My share will just be the cost of those cars and my labor fees. That won't even amount to two million dollars."
Back then, a fully equipped supercar cost two hundred thousand dollars each.
"Whoa, man, you're not joining?" Roman, who had just had his major change of heart, said in surprise. "Compared to ten million, less than two million isn't even a choice! And who gave you the confidence to think your car modification skills..."
"Roman!" O'Conner hurriedly interrupted. "Sorry, Zhou. He doesn't know how good you are."
"It's fine. Actually, what you build yourselves will be enough. You can still go if it comes to that. It's just that if I'm involved, I can provide a better source of supplies and more reliable technical support." Zhou Yi was not offended by Roman's trash talk at all. He was not that petty, and besides... at worst, he could send that Major Change of Heart Scene video to everyone here!
I, Zhou Yi, am a generous man!
"As for those ten million..." Zhou Yi looked at Roman with a half-smile. "I really don't need it that badly."
"What?" Roman looked utterly confused. "Why?"
"Because the man standing in front of you is a billionaire," Toretto interjected helplessly. "Ten million really is nothing to him."
"What?!" Roman was completely dumbfounded.
This time, however, Roman was clearly not the only one dumbfounded.
"So, you're a billionaire?" After they finished discussing the plan, there was still some preparation to do. Zhou Yi was about to pick up the cars, parts, and equipment he had shipped over, so he invited Gisele along. Curious about Zhou Yi, Gisele agreed, and asked him that question in the car.
"Yeah." Zhou Yi started the car and headed toward their destination. "What's wrong? Do I not look like one?"
"No, no, you actually do," Gisele said, shaking her head. "It's just that I'm curious about..."
"Why someone like me is so close with Toretto and the others, and why I'm so rich while Toretto and the others are struggling so badly?" Zhou Yi said with a smile.
"Yeah..." Gisele realized Zhou Yi had already said everything she wanted to ask, so she simply nodded.
"A few years ago, I had just arrived in America. I could barely even afford food. Back then, with some passable skills, an Auto Mechanic license, and Toretto giving me a hand, I was able to reach where I am today," Zhou Yi said.
"But although Toretto and I are close, there's a fundamental difference between us when it comes to one thing... I will never do anything illegal, at least not voluntarily or when there's no need to."
"Toretto and the others are different from me. They were born with a kind of... adventurous spirit. I once tried to arrange jobs for them, but they all refused. Um... Toretto said they wanted to make it on their own." After thinking about it, Zhou Yi chose the word "adventurous."
In other words, they couldn't settle down and wanted to seek thrills everywhere. Street racers naturally fit that description. Otherwise, if they had honestly worked with Zhou Yi, Toretto and the others would never have ended up like this.
"So I let them do as they pleased. I didn't want to force them, and I couldn't anyway. Of course, if they truly needed my help, I would help them. Their escape a few years ago, and the cars I'm providing now—those were things I should do, and I did them." Zhou Yi shrugged.
"I think you have another motive," Gisele suddenly said. "One reason you don't want to get involved with criminal dealings is so that when Toretto and the others have nowhere else to turn, you can provide them with a safe fallback. Right?"
"Hahaha!" Zhou Yi burst into laughter. "I like smart women like you! Talking to you is so easy!"
"That depends on whether you have the ability," Gisele said, raising an eyebrow.
"I think I do." Zhou Yi stomped on the accelerator, let go of the steering wheel, and turned directly to stare at Gisele without even looking at the road ahead.
The engine roared. Fuel exploded, driving the precise machinery in savage motion and generating immense thrust. The tires' powerful grip kept the car from skidding as it shot forward like an arrow loosed from its bow!
My diary of being a flop got deleted... Deleted???
Before you continue