The first day: Chinese in the morning, Math in the afternoon.
Jiang Fuyue maintained her usual level—steady and consistent. She turned in her paper and left just half an hour into the exam.
She walked through the quiet hallway and ran into Ling Xuan at the stairwell corner.
Their eyes met. The boy looked slightly stunned. “…You’re back?”
“Mm.”
“Was the research successful?”
“It went okay.”
“Want to go to the cafeteria together?”
Jiang Fuyue had been heading there anyway. “Sure.”
Since they both handed in their exams early—quite early, in fact—the cafeteria was nearly empty.
Ling Xuan walked up to the serving window and asked, “What do you want to eat? It’s on me.”
“No need. I’ve got it.” She walked to the next window: “Sweet and sour ribs, shredded pork with green peppers, tomato and egg, and stir-fried broccoli. Thanks.”
Ling Xuan was a little disappointed but didn’t show it. “Same as hers.”
They each scanned their cards and sat down face-to-face at the same table.
Jiang Fuyue ate quickly but not rudely.
Ling Xuan kept glancing at her from the corner of his eye as he ate. Then suddenly, “Do you have any plans for the winter camp?”
“What kind of plans?” Jiang Fuyue looked up, puzzled.
“This time, the only ones from No.1 High School who qualified for the CMO are you, me, Tan Jiaxu, and Chen Cheng. Since New Year’s Eve comes early this year, Teacher Xu has to run the winter break cram class and help the city education bureau write the first mock exam before the year ends. So, he doesn’t have time to organize a pre-competition training camp. We’ll probably have to study on our own.”
Jiang Fuyue nodded to show she understood. “Got it.”
Training camp or not didn’t make much difference to her. She could do problem sets just as well at home.
So, it didn’t really affect her.
Ling Xuan hesitated for a moment. “…What I mean is, since Teacher Xu won’t be organizing anything, maybe we can plan something ourselves.”
“Like what?”
Ling Xuan: “Form a study group for pre-competition prep.”
Jiang Fuyue thought it over. “I might not have time.”
If she joined a study group, it would mean committing a fixed block of time for study tasks.
Yufeng Group, Yufeng Real Estate, the just-recovering KT, plus the newly-appointed principal at Ming University…
Even though each business had someone helping to manage them, the real decisions still had to go through her.
She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to juggle it all, so she didn’t agree right away.
Ling Xuan wasn’t disappointed by her answer. Jiang Fuyue’s ability spoke for itself. Her joining or not wouldn’t change much.
“It’s fine. Think it over. There’s still time.”
“Mm, we’ll see then.”
“Okay.”
Just as they were about to finish eating, a girl sat down next to Ling Xuan with her tray.
“No one’s sitting here, right?” She was already seated before she asked.
Jiang Fuyue’s lips curved slightly.
Ling Xuan frowned slightly. “Lin Yao?”
The girl smiled sweetly. “It’s me. I waited outside your exam room for a while before coming to the cafeteria, but the proctor said you’d already handed in your paper, so I thought I’d try my luck. I didn’t expect to actually find you here.”
Eating with Jiang Fuyue, chatting and smiling.
Ling Xuan: “Did you need something?”
“No…”
“Then I’m heading out.” He made to leave.
“Wait—” Lin Yao called after him.
Ling Xuan looked at her questioningly.
“I… I wanted to compare answers.”
“For Chinese? You sure?”
Uh—
Lin Yao looked awkward for a moment but quickly recovered.
“Never mind the subjective ones, just a few of the multiple choice—I wasn’t too sure.”
Ling Xuan: “ACCDA.”
Lin Yao: “…Huh?”
“ACCDA. I’m leaving now.”
With that, he strode off to catch up with Jiang Fuyue, who was already some distance away—
“You left before I finished talking…”
Lin Yao stared at her untouched food. Her appetite vanished.
Didn’t Ling Xuan really dislike Jiang Fuyue? Why eat with her? Why chase after her like a puppy?
“Senior Sister Lin Yao!”
A group of first-year girls waved at her from a distance.
Lin Yao immediately switched to gentle mode. “Hello! Class ended early today?”
“Last period was P.E. The teacher let us come eat early.”
“I see. Better get in line before it gets crowded.”
“Okay! Thanks!”
“You’re welcome.”
The little group of girls chattered their way to the food line. As they queued up, they gushed—
“Oh my gosh, Senior Sister Lin Yao is so nice!”
“And her voice is beautiful too! No wonder she’s the star of the broadcasting club.”
“She’s totally goddess-tier—pretty, sweet-voiced, kind-hearted—perfect!”
“Does she have a boyfriend? So many guys in our grade have a crush on her!”
“I think she does?”
“Ah? Really?! Who?”
“Rumor has it it’s the school heartthrob.”
“Ling Xuan?”
“Supposedly they’re childhood friends. Their parents are close too.”
“But I heard there’s an even more amazing senior in Grade 12—top in grades, looks, and figure. A total competition legend.”
“You mean Senior Sister Jiang? She’s the real deal.”
“How does she compare to Senior Sister Lin Yao?”
“Uh… let’s put it this way: they’re on different levels, can’t really compare.”
When people mention Lin Yao, they think of her fairy-like, ethereal vibe.
But when it comes to Jiang Fuyue, only three words come to mind—
Big. Demon. King.
“I heard Ling Xuan’s been getting close to her lately. You think they’re…”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Sister Yue only loves studying!”
“Men to her are like passing clouds—even if it’s the school heartthrob.”
“Yup yup, our Goddess Yue is coolest when she’s focused on academics.”
…
2 p.m. Math exam.
Jiang Fuyue got her paper and did a quick scan as usual.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Twenty minutes later: “Teacher, I’m done.”
The proctor barely looked up. “Oh.”
Totally calm.
The other students just paused for a second, then kept scribbling away like nothing happened.
Clearly, they were used to it.
Afterward, everyone filed out of the exam room, looking miserable—
“Did anyone else think that math paper was brutal?”
“Glad I wasn’t the only one. I thought I was the only one totally lost.”
“It was so hard, okay?! I only finished the first sub-question of the last three problems.”
“I couldn’t even do the first sub-question…”
“Honestly, I didn’t even understand the questions.”
“I’m doomed. Pretty sure I failed this time.”
“Who wrote this paper?! Was that really necessary?!”
…
Meanwhile, Jiang Fuyue had already returned home and started dinner.
Knowing she had exams, Jiang Da and Han Yunru came home early from the shop to make her a good meal.
“This one’s nutritious…” Jiang Da picked up a rib for her.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Eat more. Exams drain your brain.”
Han Yunru: “Don’t skip the veggies either.”
With that, she dropped a large serving of Chinese lettuce into Jiang Fuyue’s bowl.
Her little brother squinted at her, watching for drama.
He knew his sister hated that vegetable.
But in the next second—
Han Yunru: “You too!”
Then dropped the same veggie into his bowl.
Little Brother Jiang: “!” But I don’t like it either…
…
Next day: science in the morning, English in the afternoon.
Jiang Fuyue performed as usual—finished early again.
Once exams were over, it was finally time to relax. The weekend was coming!
“Wanna go hang out?” Zhong Ziang suggested.
Jiang Fuyue: “Where?”
“A cool place. Just come with me!”
And so, bright and early Saturday morning, Zhong Ziang dragged her out the door.
“Hop in.” He opened the passenger door for her.
Jiang Fuyue raised a brow. No idea where he got this BMW 3 Series, brand-new and gleaming.
“You got a license?”
Zhong Ziang lifted his chin. “Of course! Took the test right after I turned 18. What, don’t trust my driving?”
Jiang Fuyue was blunt: “Not really.”
The boy twitched. “Want to drive instead?”
He didn’t really mean it, just showing off.
To his surprise—
“Sure.”
And she did.
Jiang Fuyue walked around, opened the driver’s door, and got in.
Zhong Ziang: “?” She’s actually doing it?
Jiang Fuyue: “Get in.”
“Uh—…okay.”
Jiang Fuyue: “Where to?”
Zhong Ziang: “Just follow the route on the map.”
On the way, Zhong Ziang stole a few glances at her—and got caught.
“Why are you staring at me?”
“Cough… you can drive?”
“If you can, why can’t I?”
“Um… got a license?”
Jiang Fuyue smirked. “No.”
“What?!” Zhong Ziang panicked.
“Just kidding.”
She already knew how to drive and had a license, courtesy of Liu Jinzhong, since she was old enough.
Zhong Ziang patted his chest. “You scared the cr*p out of me…”
About thirty minutes later, the GPS said, “You’ve arrived at your destination.”
Jiang Fuyue parked.
Zhong Ziang looked out the window. “Yup, this is the place.”
They stood in front of a low-key entrance. Jiang Fuyue glanced at the sign: Racing Club?
“Come on.”
Though the entrance was narrow, it opened up inside. The lobby had high ceilings and crystal chandeliers, lavish and grand.
Huge display shelves lined the walls, full of racing car models.
The floor was plastered with colorful posters.
There was even a second floor, with a spiral staircase shaped like a racetrack.
Screens embedded in the walls cycled through photos of legendary F1 drivers—Schumacher, Fangio, Brawn…
“Master Zhong! Welcome!” A middle-aged man in a black suit bowed and smiled.
“Manager Huang, get us a private room—top floor.”
“Of course. Reserved for you. This way, please—”
They took the elevator up.
Inside the private room, Jiang Fuyue raised her brow.
Four glass walls formed a square. From the windows, they had a clear view of a full-sized racetrack below!
Zhong Ziang stood by a screen, waving her over. “Look—there’s a race starting in 15 minutes. Best view in the house!”
But Jiang Fuyue suddenly asked, “How did you find this place?”
From his earlier conversation, it was obvious this wasn’t his first time here.
“Oh, Yu Jiaze brought me.”
Yu Jiaze?
Jiang Fuyue’s gaze darkened slightly. If she remembered correctly, just over a month ago, Zhong Ziang and Yu Jiaze had a huge fight behind the school.
Yu was hostile and accusatory; Zhong looked cornered and guilty.
In the end, she had to step in to stop the fight. Before leaving, Yu even said, “We’ll settle this later.”
Those two were like oil and water—how did they end up hanging out?
She instinctively grew wary. Her tone sharpened. “Why did Yu Jiaze bring you here?”
“To have fun!” Zhong Ziang grinned like a clueless goofball.
“Didn’t you guys just fight?”
“Cough… It was a misunderstanding. We cleared it up recently.”
“So now you’re best buds?”
Zhong Ziang scratched his head. “Not quite. Just friends. He said he felt bad about before, treated me to dinner, then brought me here to watch the races. I thought it was cool, so I wanted to bring you too. Pretty neat, right?”
Jiang Fuyue scanned the room, suddenly squinting in one direction.
“Yeah. Not bad.”
“Heh…” He looked smug.
“Oh, check this out—you can even bet on the races…” He tapped a dice icon on the bottom corner of the screen.
A betting page popped up. Numbers 1 to 10 represented different racers.
Hovering over a number brought up a profile—most were blond, blue-eyed foreigners.
Their stats were detailed, some were even ex-F1 drivers.
Zhong Ziang: “Click here to place a bet. The better the racer’s track record, the lower the odds…”
As Jiang Fuyue listened and browsed, her brows slowly furrowed.
When her eyes caught a tiny line of almost invisible white text at the bottom, her expression turned cold.
This wasn’t a racing club at all.
It was a casino dressed up in racing gear.
That white text didn’t just imply heavy betting leverage—it explicitly stated you could enter a life-or-death round!
What did that mean?
It meant you weren’t just betting money. You could bet your life.
The leverage meant your bets would automatically multiply via loans.
Bet ¥1,000? Once the race starts, it becomes ¥10,000, then ¥100,000, a million, ten million… even a billion.
All borrowed. Without your knowledge, you’re neck-deep in debt.
If you win, fine.
If you lose? You lose everything.
As for the life-or-death game?
Exactly what it sounds like. You don’t just lose money—you might never leave alive.
Someone brought Zhong Ziang here on purpose.
To push him toward ruin.
So malicious. So cruel.
“See, you can even send flowers or tip the racers. Let me show y—”
Jiang Fuyue suddenly grabbed his hand.
Zhong Ziang blinked, face going red.
