That's right, he's number two

The winding mountain road they had chosen through Mist Forest really did pass through the woods, and with midsummer already sweltering, a thunderstorm struck a little after nine that night.

With heavy rain and lightning, and their race cars traveling so fast, an accident was inevitable.

The two competing cars skidded out of control. One slammed into a rock, while the other broke through the guardrail and nearly plunged off the cliff.

The people inside were Zhou Xuanze and the organizer of this race, Wen Chi, heir to the Wen Group.

Both were seriously injured. Qi Feiyu was the only person at the scene with the ability and experience to handle the situation. The other medical staff could only administer basic first aid, and with today's heavy rain, the ambulance would not arrive in time.

Both sides were frantic and wanted Qi Feiyu to treat their man first. They even came to blows over it.

Qi Feiyu, this cannon fodder, was fooled by Zhou Xuanze pretending to be unconscious and Lu Junjia wailing. Thinking Zhou Xuanze was more seriously injured, he chose to save him first, leaving the young heir gritting his teeth in pain off to the side.

Only after treating Zhou Xuanze's injuries did he discover that the young heir beside him had passed out from sheer pain.

One of the young heir's lackeys held a grudge against him over this and secretly sent people to break his hand. With a surgeon's hand broken, his career was over too.

Unable to bear the blow, Qi Feiyu stayed shut up at home drinking all day, eventually dying there of alcohol poisoning.

These two friends of Shi Yan were destined to be nothing more than short-lived cannon fodder in this novel.

Later, it was also because he lost his friends that Shi Yan, the villain, grew increasingly gloomy and unhinged, until no one dared rein him in.

Li Yi could not bear to see this refined, handsome doctor have his entire life ruined over something like this.

He tried to persuade them. "It might rain today. Why don't you skip it?"

Peng Yuyan got up and walked to the window to check the weather. "Doesn't it look perfectly fine? Where would the rain come from? Besides, if it rains, they'll let us know ahead of time. Don't worry."

"I know you mean well, but I have to go. I already promised, and there's no time for them to send another doctor over." Qi Feiyu finished packing his medical kit, fastened the clasps, and picked it up. "I'm off."

Seeing that he could not persuade them, Li Yi gritted his teeth. "I'll go with you."

With him there, he should be able to head off some of the plot developments.

"Kid, you couldn't resist after all!" Peng Yuyan slung an arm around Li Yi's shoulders and laughed. "I knew you'd like it!"

"You're not that much older than me. Why do you keep calling me a kid?" Li Yi pushed his arm away, sounding rather displeased.

"I'm twenty-four, six years older than you. Compared to me, you're just a kid fresh out of high school." Peng Yuyan grinned.

"Are you all twenty-four?" Li Yi asked curiously.

"Yeah, but going by birth month, A-Yan's the oldest. He was born in January, me in May, and Feiyu in November."

"Oh, so you're number two."

"...Kid, why does that sound a little weird?" Peng Yuyan rubbed the back of his head and gave him a suspicious look.

"Aren't you number two?" One corner of Li Yi's mouth curled up.

"Hahaha..." Qi Feiyu chimed in, "That's right. He's number two."

"..."

They first went downstairs with Li Yi to check his precious liquor into storage, then took the elevator down to basement level two.

Their private parking spaces were there, with several luxury cars neatly parked in them.

"Which one do you want to ride in? Take your pick!" Peng Yuyan spread his arms, looking thoroughly cocky. "They're all the latest luxury models, especially this one. It only came out a month ago. There are only a few in Beicheng right now."

"Hey! Wait!" Before Li Yi could even start choosing a luxury ride, Shi Yan grabbed him by the back of his collar with one hand and hauled him over to a black Bentley. "I've been drinking. Drive for me."

"How do you know I haven't?" Li Yi raised his chin and glared at him. "Besides, I don't have a license. If we get caught, we'll both end up at the police station. And that goes for you guys too. Driving after drinking-I'll report every last one of you!"

Li Yi's glare left Shi Yan momentarily dazed before he remembered the matter of a driver's license. He touched his forehead and said to Peng Yuyan, "Number two, call a couple of people to drive us over."

"Number two? Are you talking to me??? You switched sides way too fast." Peng Yuyan grumbled, but obediently made the call.

After a five-minute wait, two men in bar staff uniforms came running over.

"Let's take this one." Peng Yuyan picked a car at random, handed the keys to a server, and climbed into the front passenger seat first. He called to Li Yi through the window, "Kid, want to ride with us?"

"I..."

"You're riding with me."

Before he could finish, Shi Yan had already pulled open the car door and stuffed him into the back seat.

"..."

The two cars set off, one after the other.

The server in front did not dare say a word and dutifully served as their driver.

"Mr. Shi, are you drunk?" Li Yi stole a glance beside him and saw Shi Yan close his eyes and lean back.

"No."

"Then why..."

"Don't talk."

"Oh."

The car was enclosed, and Shi Yan's nose was filled with the fresh scent from Li Yi. It seemed to come from his clothes, but even more so from his body.

It was like the first breath of air in a forest in summer, fresh and clean, and like lemons after the rain, with a faint, refreshing fragrance.

It smelled lovely and left him feeling considerably calmer.

In truth, he could take or leave this race. He was only going along because his two close friends wanted to go.

But Li Yi did not seem to want them to go.

He opened his eyes and looked at the sky outside the window. There was not the slightest sign of rain, so why had Li Yi said it would rain?

There was something strange about Li Yi, as though he harbored many secrets.

He was not very good at hiding his emotions either. He would explode at a moment's notice and hit people without hesitation, with none of the reservations or fear someone his age ought to have.

According to his investigation, Li Yi was not favored in the Lu family. With no one to rely on or back him up, where did he get the confidence to beat people up like that in a bar?

Still, that fearless ruthlessness was rather like his own.

What a contradiction!

This boy who gave off such a fresh, clean scent was actually so fierce in a fight. He had taken on five people alone and still left them bruised and battered.

He thought of how brazen Li Yi had looked while beating those people up, compared with how well-behaved he looked now, his legs together and his hands unconsciously resting on his knees.

Shi Yan's lips curved slightly. He had a feeling things would get very interesting from here.

Half an hour later.

The cars arrived at Xīnzhōutián.

It was nearly nine at night. Plenty of luxury cars were parked at the foot of the mountain. The server handed Shi Yan the keys and left.

"Li Yi, didn't you say you weren't coming?" a voice came from beside them.