Racing Car Plunges off a Cliff

"Oh? Which unlucky guy had caught your eye this time? Let me think, he must be your fifty-somethingth treasure boy." Huo Jinnian looked at his lively, playful younger brother with a smile.

Huo Hongbao widened his eyes. "...Brother, why do you always ruin my fun?"

Huo Jinnian lightly smacked the back of Huo Hongbao's head. "All right, behave yourself. Put away those flirtatious thoughts, or one day you'll really get yourself into trouble."

Huo Hongbao had been spoiled rotten by his family. He was bad at things but loved to play, and he would try anything thrilling.

Yet while his cravings were bold, his nerve was small.

It was true that he liked men, and it was also true that he liked pretty men. But after confirming his sexual orientation at sixteen, he had begun searching the circle for his future husband.

One treasure boy after another had come and gone around him, yet he only dared take verbal advantage. At most, he would drag someone out for drinks and conversations about life, or play Truth or Dare while drunk. Even then, he only dared take off one shirt and would not loosen his belt.

This innocent, adorable rookie had been "promiscuous" in the circle for so many years without ever slipping up, entirely because the Huo Family stood behind him.

"Hmph! With my brother protecting me, no one would dare touch me." Huo Hongbao proudly lifted his chin.

Everyone knew that the most authoritative person in the Huo Family was neither Old Master Huo nor President Huo, but Huo Jinnian.

And Huo Jinnian was utterly obsessed with spoiling his younger brother. If someone came looking for trouble before Huo Jinnian, he could smile magnanimously and let it go. But if anyone dared bully Huo Hongbao, they could wait for their world to come crashing down.

Thus, relying on Huo Jinnian's name, the pampered and arrogant Huo Hongbao ran an entertainment club, played thrilling racing games, collected all kinds of pretty treasure boys, and lived a carefree, "wild" life.

Huo Jinnian helplessly and indulgently shook his head. "You, honestly. If you ever run into someone who isn't afraid of dying and he takes advantage of your mischief to eat you up clean, let's see how you cry then."

But Huo Jinnian never imagined that his teasing threat to his brother would eventually come true.

One morning, Huo Hongbao called him sobbing, saying that someone had accidentally slept with him. When he came seeking protection while clutching his backside, Huo Jinnian had been utterly heartbroken.

"Who would dare?!" Huo Hongbao did not take it seriously at all and pulled his brother down to sit.

Then Huo Hongbao excitedly pointed at race car No. 4 on the track. "Brother, look! The treasure boy I like is No. 4. I'm telling you, he's so pretty. He looks good from head to toe—the prettiest among all the pretty boys I've ever seen."

Huo Jinnian did not think much of it and merely glanced over. Since the race was about to begin, contestant No. 4 had already put on his helmet, making it impossible to tell what he looked like through the camera.

So he simply nodded along. "Really? Then let's see how he performs. If he has potential, I'll help you recruit him into the club as a professional racer."

"Mhm, mhm! Brother, it's starting!" Huo Hongbao's passion was entirely focused on the display screen.

At the sound of the starter pistol, the race cars shot forward like arrows released from a bow. The one in the lead was, remarkably, contestant No. 4.

That delighted Huo Hongbao beyond measure.

"Brother, did you see that? Did you see that? My taste is just this good."

Huo Jinnian spoiled his brother without limits and agreed, "Yes, Baby's taste has always been unmatched in the world."

Baby was Huo Hongbao's childhood nickname, one the Huo Family had called him since he was little.

Although Huo Hongbao was already nineteen and felt rather embarrassed whenever his family called him by that nickname, he had never thrown a tantrum and forbidden them from using it.

Because Huo Hongbao knew that it represented his family's indulgence and love.

The reason he could still stay home peacefully as an aimless slacker after graduating with two doctorates, and spend money like water as he did now, was all because of the limitless indulgence of his family and elder brother behind him.

"By the way, didn't you say you invited an internationally retired professional racer to warm up the crowd tonight? What number is he?"

Huo Hongbao pointed at the No. 1 car racing neck and neck with No. 4. "No. 1, that red car evenly matched with No. 4."

On the track, cars No. 1 and No. 4 raced one after the other, with barely any distance between them. Yet No. 1 consistently held the lead.

It was clear that professional racers and amateur racers differed greatly in skill.

Many spectators in the stands shouted excitedly as well. Many of them had bet on racer No. 1, and judging by the current race, No. 1's championship seemed beyond doubt.

The track had been built along the mountain, so several turns were always beyond the surveillance cameras' view.

Especially at the second-to-last turn. To heighten the suspense, the club had set the camera at that turn to automatically shut off for three seconds when the cars were fifty meters away.

Those three seconds were not to be underestimated. When the display screens in the stands went black, it marked the most thrilling moment of the race.

Thus, as cars No. 1 and No. 4 entered the second-to-last turn one after the other, the cameras began their three-second countdown into a thrilling black screen.

The cheers throughout the venue were deafening.

Everyone waited for car No. 1 to emerge from the second-to-last turn, charge into the final turn, and then race toward the finish line.

But just then, amid the deafening cheers, a tremendous bang rang out, startling all the spectators into stopping their waving hands.

They stared fixedly at the display screen.

To their surprise, the No. 1 car they had been expecting did not appear. Instead, the car that entered their field of vision was No. 4.

Then came No. 12, No. 14, No. 15, No. 19... No. 28.

All the race cars had crossed the finish line, yet the No. 1 car—the one everyone had favored and considered certain to be the champion—was nowhere to be seen...

The club's rescue team had rushed over with personnel the instant the huge crash occurred.

The surveillance feed had returned to normal, but there was not a single car on the track. On the cliff to the right of the track, however, flames shot into the sky.

Something had happened!

A race car had plunged off the cliff!

The stands erupted once more as people anxiously and noisily whispered among themselves.

In the VIP stands, Huo Hongbao was so shocked that he sprang up from the sofa. "Something happened!"

Huo Jinnian raised a hand to steady the extremely nervous Huo Hongbao. "It's okay. I'll go over and take a look with you."

Accidents like this were common in racing events. To prevent unnecessary trouble, every racer had to sign a safety agreement before competing.

However, this was the first accident of its kind at Huo Hongbao's club.

Afraid that Huo Hongbao would be frightened, Huo Jinnian personally took him to the accident scene immediately.

He also promptly notified the relevant local authorities and asked them to come handle the emergency.

Huo Hongbao's private racing club had filed reports with the relevant local authorities from the very beginning of its construction. Therefore, notifying the authorities to intervene and investigate after casualties occurred was also a wise move on Huo Jinnian's part.

It would allow Huo Hongbao to remove himself from the matter completely and safely.