Throwing a Party for Real, Holding a Ride as a Pretense

[Congratulations! You have successfully learned the mountain bike handling technique [Dolphin Hop]]

[Reward obtained: 2 Basic Optimization Points, Specialized Bike Handling Skill Optimization Points +2, Heart-Nourishing Lung-Strengthening Pill ×1]

[Heart-Nourishing Lung-Strengthening Pill: After taking this pill, the host's myocardial thickness can be increased, improving blood-pumping capacity, further strengthening cardiopulmonary ability, lowering resting heart rate, and increasing maximum oxygen uptake.]

After confirming that he would head to Qiandao Lake with Du Wei to attend the cycling event hosted by Zhou Ming, Huang Chong used the remaining few days to master the final mountain bike handling technique taught by Li Zifan.

Afterward, he transferred the same move to his road bike and gained 5 Specialized Bike Handling Skill Optimization Points.

At this point, he had mastered all five beginner mountain bike handling techniques:

[Front Wheel Lift], [Rear Wheel Lift], [Track Stand], [Bunny Hop], and [Dolphin Hop].

He had also gained 7 Specialized Bike Handling Skill Optimization Points for each move.

This raised his previously most glaring and pathetic weakness—bike handling—to 73 points in one leap, making it the first auxiliary ability to reach the entry-level standard of a professional rider.

Without a doubt, this rate of improvement was ridiculously exaggerated and terrifying.

Anyone who had ridden mountain bikes knew that under normal training conditions, an ordinary person would need at least one or two years to master that entire set of moves.

Yet with the help of his cheat, Huang Chong had taken less than two weeks.

If Li Zifan, a teacher, knew what Huang Chong had achieved in training, his first reaction would probably not be admiration. He would seriously question whether Huang Chong had been honest with him.

Master an entire set of beginner mountain bike skills in under two weeks?

What kind of international joke was that?

The guy must have practiced in secret long ago, then deliberately hidden his skills to ingratiate himself with and get close to him.

Because this could no longer be called talent. It had to be called monstrous.

Of course, the drawback was that Huang Chong's current proficiency only showed in how well he could execute each move.

He had never used this series of moves in real mountain cross-country riding, forest trail downhill runs, alpine downhill races, or anything of the sort.

In other words, everything was in place except actual combat experience.

After finishing his bike handling training, Huang Chong took out the Heart-Nourishing Lung-Strengthening Pill and swallowed it directly.

As he felt the changes in his body, he fully understood that after the System's all-around optimization, he was already worlds apart from the son his parents had given birth to—the one with merely ordinary talent.

He knew that if he went to a hospital or a top team's lab for tests on cardiopulmonary capacity, aerobic threshold, lactate threshold, oxygen uptake, and every other measure related to cycling talent, he would definitely be on the same level as Pogačar and Vingegaard.

He might even surpass them.

At present, the only gaps between him and world-class riders were the FTP power on his personal panel and the considerable improvements still needed in several of his auxiliary abilities.

A bold idea suddenly surfaced in Huang Chong's mind:

Now that he had this fully optimized body, even if the System stopped issuing assessment missions and granting mission-reward cheats, could he reach the level of a UCI WorldTour rider before long through nothing but daily training?

After all, a rider's ceiling depended on their physical talent.

No, that's still too simplistic and naive.

China might not actually lack people with cycling talent.

But without a youth development system like Europe's—without professional training and development from a young age, constantly drawing out a rider's potential—even the greatest physical talent would be difficult to realize.

Though I may seem only one step away from becoming a professional rider, without the System's help, figuring out how to continue professional training would still be an insurmountable problem.

Ah, but that's my own fault too. I'm simply too old and got into cycling too late!

Huang Chong smiled self-mockingly.

Then, at around three in the afternoon, he left the bike shop and returned home. After showering, changing clothes, and preparing clean cycling gear, his bike, and everything else, he set off with Du Wei for Chun'an County, where Qiandao Lake was located.

Although Zhou Ming's cycling event was scheduled for Sunday, it was summer now. No one would hold a cycling event after the sun came up.

So the race was set early, departing from the starting point at 6:30 Sunday morning, with a total distance of only 50 kilometers.

Whoever crossed the finish line first would win.

Hangzhou was still quite far from Chun'an, so Du Wei and Huang Chong could only go a day early. If they left on race day and wanted to make the 6:30 start, they would practically have to set off in the middle of the night.

Compared to the official route around the entirety of Qiandao Lake, the course Zhou Ming had arranged could only be considered a butchered half-lake race.

Its participants were also much like those at group rides organized by most cycling brands.

Aside from a handful of outsiders like Du Wei who had been invited, nearly everyone was a member of Zhou Ming's own group.

Well, rather than group members, they were really just Young Master Zhou's cycling companions.

When Du Wei and Huang Chong arrived at the resort hotel Zhou Ming had booked out in advance in Chun'an, they could tell at a glance that this was not even a cycling event. It was a waterside party being held under the pretext of cycling.

"So this is the cycling race rich second-generation kids put on?"

Huang Chong watched the cycling girls who usually followed Zhou Ming around, dressed in cycling kits and riding Pinarello road bikes that they only used as photo props. They had already stripped down to bikinis and were frolicking about the hotel, making the corners of his mouth twitch.

He suddenly regretted agreeing to accompany Du Wei to Zhou Ming's cycling event.

It was not that he was allergic to all that pale, soft flesh. It was that to participate in this race, he had to take leave from the team he had just joined during his second week there.

A newcomer who had not even become familiar with the other team members' faces yet was already asking for time off. That was actually very bad behavior.

"What do you know? Who says a cycling event can only involve cycling?"

Du Wei was clearly accustomed to scenes like this. With a lecherous grin, he said, "I told you before, cycling isn't just about riding bikes. If you ride those graceful white horses, you can raise your power and strengthen your core too."

Huang Chong's face went dark.

Let Wu Fang find out about this and see how you clean up that mess—

Of course, he was not really going to try to persuade Du Wei.

This seemingly extravagant cycling event was really just a social gathering for Zhou Ming and his rich second-generation friends.

For example, among the guests Young Master Zhou had invited to this cycling event, there were quite a few wealthy cycling enthusiasts from Hangzhou and the surrounding cities.

Huang Chong knew perfectly well that many of them were Du Wei's customers too. They bought components and built bikes at his shop.

"Enough, you silly kid. I know you don't ride white horses. Your head is full of nothing but road bikes.

"But you really need to get used to scenes like this.

"At the very least, you need to learn some basic social skills in this kind of setting, right?

"I'm telling you, don't UCI WorldTour riders throw parties to celebrate and hit nightclubs after the Tour de France ends?

"When the time comes, you'll realize foreigners play far wilder than we do!

"Besides, Zhou Ming is genuinely generous. Throwing this party to talk business is the real purpose, while holding a cycling race to cater to the invited guests' interests is only a pretense. But at least he's paying for everything so you can come enjoy yourself, right?

"And there are prize awards for the top three in tomorrow's race. The champion's prize is even as high as 28,888.

"Isn't that several times higher than the prize for winning a stage of the Tour of Zhejiang?

"As long as you have the ability to take first place, that prize money is yours. Zhou Ming definitely won't welch on it.

"So what else do you have to say now?

"They're giving you free food and lodging, pretty girls to look at, and even a chance to win prize money. What exactly are you dissatisfied with?"

After finishing his long-winded speech with a sleazy grin, Du Wei jabbed Huang Chong in the waist with his elbow and suddenly lowered his voice. "Old Huang, I'd say you're just too restrained. Have you taken a fancy to any white horse?

"If you like one, go chat her up boldly, then take her to your room and raise your power.

"Trust your big brother. People like them know the rules. They'll only have a fleeting affair with you. They definitely won't try to become your long-term girlfriend and make you take responsibility."

Huang Chong: "..."