He Looked Cool Even When Bleeding

Ye Zhiqiu’s afternoon classes ended late, so by the time he arrived at Niu Tou Shan, Jin Baobao and his cheer squad had already been waiting for quite some time.

Besides Jin Baobao, Li Shaojun, Tang Le, and a few of Jin Baobao’s classmates from the dance academy, there was another young man mixed in with the cheer squad.

The young man was dressed in a formal suit, quite meticulously groomed, standing out oddly and somewhat incongruously within the group.

The moment Ye Zhiqiu appeared, the young man’s eyes lit up.

He squeezed his way out from the crowd.

“Classmate Ye Zhiqiu,” his eyes sparkling, he extended a hand.

“Hello, I’m Yu Renzhi.”

Ye Zhiqiu: “…”

He was a bit dazed.

Fortunately, Jin Baobao quickly followed and excitedly introduced him.

“Met him at the celebration banquet today. He’s a good friend of our Yan Yan,” he said, slapping Yu Renzhi’s shoulder in a buddy-buddy way.

“He was also at the club that night.”

“Found out we were coming to cheer for you, so he tagged along.”

“What do you think?” Jin Baobao proudly raised his chin.

“Isn’t the quality of my cheer squad top-notch?”

Ye Zhiqiu: “…”

Had he only been reckless that one time at the club?

It was bad enough being seen, but why did they all keep popping up before him, helping him relive the past?

Ye Zhiqiu raised a hand to rub his temple, resigned, and extended his hand to shake Yu Renzhi’s.

“Ye Zhiqiu.”

He was destined to lose face tonight.

He had thought it would only be within his small circle, but Jin Baobao had brought Yu Renzhi along.

Now the embarrassment would spread far and wide.

“To be honest, you’re really cool,” Yu Renzhi said, looking at Ye Zhiqiu’s dashing racing suit, not hiding his admiration at all.

“Thought you were super cool at the club last time.”

“Was really hoping you’d join my friend’s company.”

“Ah, my friend is Qin Jianhe. You know Qin Jianhe, right?”

“Who wouldn’t know President Qin?” Tang Le smiled, handing a bottle of water to Yu Renzhi.

“Of course Xiao Qiu knows.”

Yu Renzhi took the water and naturally offered it to Ye Zhiqiu.

“Have some water.”

“Thanks,” Ye Zhiqiu didn’t take it. He only gave a perfunctory response, grabbed his helmet, and walked forward.

Yu Renzhi: “…”

Damn, how come I like him even more now?

As soon as Ye Zhiqiu appeared, the cheer squad immediately became lively.

The race hadn’t even started yet, but the scene was already boiling with excitement.

“Master Qiu, Master Qiu, number one at Niu Tou!”

“Master Qiu, Master Qiu, victory upon action!”

“Master Qiu, Master Qiu…”

Ye Zhiqiu: “…”

That was indeed Jin Baobao’s style, no doubt about it.

The helmet in his hand was taken from him. Li Shaojun had come over.

Still bothered by the previous accident, he had taken the car from Ye Zheng and had it re-inspected before driving it over.

“Today’s luck doesn’t seem great,” Li Shaojun frowned.

“The competitors are all experienced drivers with good cars.”

“There are also two of Shan Yuan’s old buddies.”

Shan Yuan was the racer who drove Ye Zhiqiu’s car in the previous accident and ultimately lost a leg.

“I’m worried they might play dirty,” Li Shaojun said, concerned.

“How about we call it off today?”

“Your master has never feared anyone in his life,” Ye Zhiqiu said as he put on his helmet, the race about to begin.

“Anyone who’s scared can roll home and drink milk right now.”

His task today was to be spoiled and willful.

The more spoiled, the better. The more willful, the better.

Niu Tou Mountain was a wild, desolate mountain with a long, winding road.

Because of the terrain, almost no one passed through at night.

Over the years, it had become the racers’ private playground.

Street races were common at Niu Tou Mountain, but a lineup like tonight’s was rare.

A row of luxury cars lined up, imposing and full of presence.

Mixed among them, Ye Zhiqiu’s car looked like an ugly duckling among swans.

“Hey, Ye Zhiqiu,” someone whistled at him.

“So many years have passed, and you still dare come to Niu Tou Mountain?”

Ye Zhiqiu didn’t say a word.

Through the helmet, he cast the other person a cold glance, calmly opened the car door, and got in.

With a sharp whistle, engines roared in unison, and the cars on the track shot forward almost simultaneously.

“Master Qiu! Master Qiu! Number one at Niu Tou!”

“Master Qiu! Master Qiu! Victory at first move!”

“……”

The cheer squad stood above the track, watching Ye Zhiqiu fall behind right from the start, their momentum instantly dropping.

“Cheer louder!” Yu Renzhi waved a small red flag, trying to hype them up.

“Master Qiu! Master Qiu—”

Ye Zhiqiu’s cheer squad was indeed excellent.

But Ye Zhiqiu still finished dead last.

The car ahead of him had already looped back and parked steadily for more than five full minutes before his car finally appeared with a loud roar.

“What’s this supposed to be?”

As soon as the car stopped, two racers stepped forward provocatively, blocking both sides of Ye Zhiqiu’s car door.

“Are you f*cking playing with a toy car?”

“What the f*ck does that have to do with you?” Ye Zhiqiu got out of the car, took off his helmet, and lifted his chin defiantly.

“After what happened to Brother Shan, I really didn’t expect you to dare come back to Niu Tou Mountain,” said the man who had whistled at him earlier.

He had a buzz cut and a large tattoo on the back of his neck—clearly someone not to be messed with.

“So?” Ye Zhiqiu laughed coldly.

“Did I force him to drive my car back then?”

“Or did I use some underhanded means to cause his accident?”

“You motherfucker—” The buzz-cut man was clearly enraged.

Without hesitation, he threw a punch, hitting Ye Zhiqiu squarely on the cheek.

“f*ck—” Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao sensed trouble and immediately sprinted over.

But they were too far away and could only watch helplessly as Ye Zhiqiu took the hit.

The punch came out of nowhere.

Ye Zhiqiu’s head snapped to the side.

A bloody mark instantly appeared on his pale cheek.

But Ye Zhiqiu wasn’t someone to be pushed around.

Having been spoiled since childhood, when had he ever swallowed this kind of humiliation?

He immediately lifted his helmet and slammed it hard onto the buzz-cut man’s head.

Not even a blink.

Yu Renzhi: “……”

Holy shit. Holy f*cking shit.

Yu Renzhi ran toward Ye Zhiqiu with the crowd, phone raised, snapping pictures while frantically live-updating the group chat.

A helmet was much harder than a fist.

The buzz-cut man staggered immediately, barely able to stay on his feet.

Seeing this, the other man panicked.

He circled around, trying to deal a lethal blow to Ye Zhiqiu.

But Li Shaojun’s long legs were faster.

He rushed up and delivered a fierce kick, sending the man flying.

Then he stepped forward and pinned the buzz-cut man to the ground with one foot.

Seeing the wound on Ye Zhiqiu’s face, Li Shaojun’s eyes were blazing with fury.

“Which hand did he use to hit you?”

“So what?” The buzz-cut man craned his neck stubbornly under Li Shaojun’s foot.

“You dare cripple me?”

“So what if your master cripples you today?” Li Shaojun leaned down slightly, vicious intent seeping from his handsome features.

“At worst, I’ll just spend a few days eating government food.”

“Ye Zhiqiu!” the buzz-cut man shouted at him.

“Two years ago, you ruined Brother Shan.”

“Now what—are you going to repeat history?”

“Shao Jun.” Ye Zhiqiu walked over with a cold face and pulled Li Shaojun away.

“What are you trying to show off for, kid? Step aside.”

Li Shaojun backed off reluctantly.

Ye Zhiqiu bent down slightly, looking down at the buzz-cut man from above.

“Brother Shan himself hasn’t said a word yet,” he said viciously, raising his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

“Who the f*ck do you think you are?”

“If there’s a next time, see if I dare to really cripple you.”

Nearly twenty people stood behind Ye Zhiqiu just in the cheer squad alone, now surrounding them.

The presence was still overwhelming.

“Fine.” The buzz-cut man held out for a moment before finally staggering to his feet.

He pointed at Ye Zhiqiu.

“Just you wait.”

Then he called to his companion.

“Zhang Kun, let’s go.”

The buzz-cut man and Zhang Kun left.

The others who had stayed behind in their cars, originally waiting to mock Ye Zhiqiu’s poor driving, hadn’t expected this sudden incident.

Now there was no point in staying.

Engines started one after another.

The track was instantly empty.

Ye Zhiqiu stood there with a cold face, eyes slightly red, staring at his car parked there all alone.

After a moment, he suddenly lifted his foot in anger and kicked it twice, hard.

“What kind of piece-of-shit car is this?”

The beauty’s face was injured, his eyes red.

Yu Renzhi’s heart ached badly, and he wanted to step forward to comfort him.

But seeing this, he stopped.

This temper… had bite.

After venting, Ye Zhiqiu turned his head and said to Li Shaojun, “I don’t want this car anymore. Drive it away and sell it.”

Li Shaojun was speechless. “…Bro, you’ve only driven it once.”

Jin Baobao quickly shot him a look. “Sell it, sell it.”

Ye Zhiqiu finally felt a bit calmer.

“Sorry, everyone,” he said politely to the cheer squad.

“Let Baobao treat you all to a late-night meal later.”

“And also…” He looked at Yu Renzhi.

“You go with them too,” he arranged things methodically.

“Baobao’s car alone can’t fit everyone.”

Yu Renzhi actually really wanted to be alone with Ye Zhiqiu and get closer.

But now truly wasn’t the time.

He could only nod.

Together with Jin Baobao, they loaded people into the cars.

They came like the wind—and left like the wind.

After everyone left, Ye Zhiqiu made a phone call.

“Brother Shan,” he said.

“I’ll send the car over right away.”

Li Shaojun: “?”

“Sorry, I was a bit heavy-handed with your brother today.”

“I’ll treat everyone to drinks later.”

“Okay. Thanks, bro, for helping me.”

He hung up, clean and decisive.

Ye Zhiqiu looked at the wound on his face in the rearview mirror and hissed softly.

“f*ck, what does that mean?” Li Shaojun asked.

“New car,” Ye Zhiqiu said.

“I drove it once, kicked it twice, and sold it at a three-hundred-thousand discount.”

“No way.” Li Shaojun was incredulous.

“That was all an act?”

“Otherwise?” Ye Zhiqiu said.

“You really thought my driving skills were that bad?”

“Holy shit.” Li Shaojun’s face darkened.

Ye Zhiqiu laughed, tugged at the wound, and couldn’t help hissing again.

“Don’t be angry,” he coaxed Li Shaojun.

“Whatever you want later, big brother will buy it for you.”

* * * *

At the same time, Qin Jianhe had just left his office.

His overcoat was draped casually over his arm.

Lowering his gaze, he opened the chat app that had been buzzing nonstop all night.

Yu Renzhi’s excitement practically leapt off the screen.

[Yu Renzhi: Holy shit, the little beauty is incredible. He even races cars. COOL. Image.jpg]

The attached photo showed Ye Zhiqiu in a blue-and-white racing suit.

The young man looked dashing and sharp, cold and fierce—completely different from how he’d appeared at the factory that morning.

[Wang Qitang: What about the guy who was chasing him that night?]

[Meng Qingyan: Not likely to succeed.]

[Generally speaking, if someone looks down on another person to that extent, there’s basically no chance.]

[Yu Renzhi: Then… he seems to look down on me quite a bit too.]

[Meng Qingyan: ……]

[Wang Qitang: What a cocky little brat.]

[Yu Renzhi: It’s fine. Being looked down on by him is my honor.]

[Liking him is me aiming out of my league (shouting).]

[You don’t know—he’s just way too cool.]

[If we could pull him into our little circle, it’d definitely be a lot of fun.]

Their little circle only had four people.

They had grown up together, and their families also had intertwined business interests.

It was practically unbreakable.

For outsiders, getting in was basically impossible.

But Yu Renzhi had always been naïve.

Wang Qitang didn’t want to discourage him.

[Wang Qitang: Waiting for your good news.]

[Yu Renzhi: Holy shit! Someone dared to hit my beauty? Image.jpg]

This time, the photo showed Ye Zhiqiu’s injured cheek.

Because the young man’s skin was so pale, the wound stood out starkly.

Paired with his cold, stubborn gaze, it gave off a fragile, post-battle kind of vulnerability.

It was the sort of look that easily stirred people’s hearts—especially on someone good-looking.

[Yu Renzhi: But my little beauty isn’t someone you can mess with either.]

[He smashed the guy in the head with his helmet. So satisfying.]

[…]

Qin Jianhe scrolled through the chat with an expressionless face, not participating in the conversation.

Someone he had never had any prior contact with had, for some reason, been appearing repeatedly in his life over the past week.

Outside the car window, the city lights glowed brightly.

His thoughts drifted slightly, and he found himself recalling the scene from when he’d left the factory at noon—the young man jogging through the park to retrieve a drone.

In an instant, different images of Ye Zhiqiu surfaced in his mind.

At the club, teasing men with reckless ease.

In front of the drone shop, refined and scholarly.

At the factory, clean and striking.

In the park, faintly childlike.

And now—cool, stubborn, and carrying a sense of brokenness…

Among so many versions, which one was the real him?

Or perhaps, among all of them, there was no “real” him at all?