They had barely reached the foot of the mountain when they ran into crowds of riders.
Some had come alone, others in groups. There were little scooters and step-through bikes worth a few thousand, small-displacement motorcycles worth twenty or thirty thousand, and, now and then, luxury bikes worth hundreds of thousands. Some bore Jade Capital plates, while others belonged to tourists from out of town. There were so many models it made their eyes swim.
Some riders took it easy; others rode like maniacs.
The mountain road twisted and turned, giving some riders the perfect chance to show off. Bikes roared past them one after another, leaning hard into the bends. Sometimes, whether they crashed had nothing to do with skill and everything to do with whether a vehicle was coming the other way.
The Mini Motorcycle drew plenty of eyes, as did Peach in her tiny helmet. Riders passing them often stole a glance.
If Chen Shu and the young girl had not been riding together, someone might even have stopped to chat her up. Most would have meant no harm; they would simply have liked the sight of a cute girl on a cute motorcycle and wanted to talk and make friends.
But with a male companion there, they generally did not.
Zhang Suannai, following behind, drew even more attention.
Zhang Suannai already had a knockout figure. In her riding suit, with her slender waist, long legs, and long braid tied with blue thread trailing behind her head, she rode a wildly styled sportbike. Riders often passed her honking, their eyes fixed on her legs.
"Hey!"
Zhang Suannai caught up with Chen Shu. "You ride this slowly on a mountain run? Everyone and their dog is overtaking you!"
Chen Shu did not answer. Instead, he glanced ahead.
An