The female rider looked at the uninvited guest before her, a surge of annoyance rising within her.
She had kindly offered to help him, yet this fellow not only refused her offer but had the audacity to solemnly curse her with a car accident.
"No way, you're riding with me today!" the female rider declared, clearly miffed.
Yan Shouyi, his face etched with resistance, pleaded, "Please, let me go..."
"I simply don't understand!"
The female rider dismounted, tilted her head, and asked, "How exactly did you see impending disaster for me? Was my complexion dark around the temples? But I'm wearing a helmet, you couldn't possibly see my face!"
Yan Shouyi pointed towards the sky and said, "I heard a few caws just now. Those crows followed you, and that's an ominous sign."
The female rider: "..."
As if on cue, the female rider took off the backpack she was wearing, produced a spare helmet, and without further ado, placed it on Yan Shouyi's head, saying,
"It will be dark soon, and if you can't find Zuihualing, you'll have to spend the night in the mountains. Guling's nights often have fog, and sometimes wild beasts roam."
Listening to the female rider's "concern," which carried a hint of a threat, Yan Shouyi gritted his teeth in resignation. "Alright, I'll ride with you, but you absolutely must go slow!"
The female rider was so infuriated she almost kicked Yan Shouyi into the ditch by the roadside.
How many men wished to ride pillion with her, yet she refused them! And here he was, complaining after getting the better end of the deal!
However, not just anyone could ride on the back of her motorcycle. While she was indeed kind-hearted, the greater reason for her eagerness to help Yan Shouyi was her impression of him as a decent-looking person, not the sort of untrustworthy man who would take advantage. That's why she was willing to assist him.
Otherwise, in this desolate wilderness, what woman would dare to offer a ride to a strange man?
The female rider mounted her bike, patted her rear seat, and then leaned forward, gripping the handlebars in a preparatory, diving posture.
The first advantage of this stance was minimizing wind resistance, and the second was accentuating her figure…
Yan Shouyi looked at the female rider's back, particularly her slender waist that he could almost encircle with his hands. Feeling a little embarrassed, he slowly sat down, maintaining a cautious distance from her. He even dared not wrap his arms around her waist, opting instead to grip the motorcycle's rear fender beneath him.
The female rider said with a hint of helplessness, "There will be strong winds later. If you don't hold on tight, you might fall off."
"It's fine, I have strong arms," Yan Shouyi replied.
The female rider chuckled, "From your appearance, I can tell you've been single for many years."
Yan Shouyi: "..."
He hadn't expected to be teased by a young woman in this desolate wilderness.
His grandfather was right; boys needed to be careful and protect themselves when out and about, and not to trust attractive strangers too easily.
"Hold on tight, I'm about to set off!"
With that, the female rider started the engine, shifted gears, twisted the throttle hard, and the motorcycle shot forward with its front wheel lifting, surging down the winding mountain road!
Yan Shouyi indeed nearly lost his grip, on the verge of being thrown off. Instinctively, he reached forward, but there was nothing there except the female rider's waist.
Feeling Yan Shouyi's arms around her waist, the female rider couldn't help but mock, "You say no, but your body is quite honest!"
Yan Shouyi: "...Sorry, I'm going to a friend's place tonight. If I'm covered in injuries from falling, it wouldn't be very respectful to the host."
"Hmph, an excuse."
The female rider twisted the throttle, the roar of the motorcycle's engine startling the birds in the forest into scattering. Yet, a few crows remained stubbornly in pursuit of the female rider.
Yan Shouyi looked up at the crows, his heart pounding. Seeing how aggressively the female rider was driving, he began to regret getting on the bike.
If a disaster were truly to befall them, it would be disastrous to be caught up in it himself.
Fortunately, the female rider's driving skills were unexpectedly good. They navigated the journey without any incident, and the two safely arrived at a spacious parking lot.
The parking lot was vast, yet only a few cars were parked within. From a distance, Yan Shouyi saw a group of young people laughing and chatting beside their motorcycles. Judging by their attire, they were all from affluent families. Among them, a fiery red motorcycle stood out the most; it was the very one that had almost hit Yan Shouyi earlier.
Beside the red motorcycle stood a young man with long golden hair. This young man appeared to be the core figure of the group, with everyone gathering around him to talk.
"Yo, our wild girl has finally arrived!"
"Buddy, I've smoked several cigarettes already! Miss Liu isn't in top form today. She usually finishes first, but today she's at the back!"
"Brother Sun must be regretting now why he didn't bet with you before the race. He ran first for nothing today!"
Upon seeing the female rider arrive, the group of young people began to tease her, and Yan Shouyi finally understood that the female rider was one of them.
Considering that the young man on the red motorcycle had deliberately tried to hit him earlier, Yan Shouyi didn't have a good impression of them. However, he didn't dwell on it. Once they reached Zuihualing, they would go their separate ways, perhaps never seeing each other again. It wasn't worth getting upset over a stranger.
The female rider drove into the parking lot, executed a beautiful tail-whip to park her bike, and turned to Yan Shouyi, saying,
"See? There was no impending disaster. You're such a jinx."
Yan Shouyi also found it strange. He was sure he hadn't misread the signs, but if the female rider wasn't going to have an accident on the mountain, when else could it happen?
"Aren't you getting off?" the female rider asked.
Yan Shouyi inquired, "Is this Zuihualing? Where's the village entrance?"
"Pfft..."
The female rider almost burst out laughing, "You really are a country bumpkin. Zuihualing isn't a village, but the largest luxury villa complex on Guling… Oh, right, Zuihualing was indeed a village at first, but that was twenty years ago."
Yan Shouyi looked up towards the parking lot. Behind the small hill, nestled there, were over twenty enormous luxury villas.
Each villa occupied an area exceeding a thousand square meters, lavishly decorated. Moreover, from their terraces, one could directly overlook the entire city of Rongcheng.
As night fell, the myriad lights of Rongcheng were laid out below, offering a sense of dominion when viewed from Zuihualing.
Yan Shouyi couldn't help but click his tongue. The "humble abode" the old man had mentioned was actually such a luxurious villa.
If he had known earlier, he should have brought Long Feicheng along. That way, when he felt awkward, he'd have a companion. After all, Long Feicheng had said the old man took the bus, and clearly didn't have much money. In terms of awkwardness, Long Feicheng would have been more embarrassed than him.
Yan Shouyi dismounted, returned the helmet to the female rider, and had just said thank you when the group of young people surrounded them.
"Hey, why did Miss Liu pick up a man?"
"I think I saw this kid by the roadside earlier!"
"Oh no, Brother Sun's position is going to be compromised!"
These young people clearly enjoyed stirring up trouble. The blond man in the red riding suit walked over, his expressionless face saying,
"How many times have I told you not to joke about Yi Yi and me? We haven't even taken the first step yet. But Yi Yi, I must say a word or two to you. You can't casually let strange men get on your car when you see them on the road. Who knows if these people are some kind of shady characters?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shouyi frowned. Although his attire was simple, he had always carried himself with dignity. How had he become a shady character in Brother Sun's eyes?
"Brother Sun, although he looks and sounds a bit rustic, he truly has no ill intentions. I'm not a child, I have some judgment!"
The female rider said, dismounted, and removed her helmet, revealing a head of neat, smooth short hair.
She brushed her hair aside, smiled at Yan Shouyi, and said, "This is Zuihualing. It's getting late, and your host might be waiting for you. You should go in quickly."