At this moment in Huaxia, it's 3 AM. The land is tranquil, and all living things are asleep.
Ye Qiu, lying in bed holding a photo of Lin Xirou, seemed to think of something alarming, suddenly sat up, and shouted, "Xirou, don't leave me..."
After shouting, Ye Qiu, who had awakened from his dream, looked around blankly. At that moment, he heard his father Ye Xiong's roar: "You brat, what are you yelling in your sleep for? If you can't sleep, go deliver some goods for me..."
Hearing his father's voice, Ye Qiu shrank his neck, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and looked at Lin Xirou's photo in his hand, murmuring to himself, "Luckily, it was just a dream. Xirou, I believe you'll wait for me, you won't marry Aik..."
It turns out Ye Qiu had a dream where Aik wanted to marry Lin Xirou, and Lin Xirou agreed. At their wedding, Ye Qiu begged Lin Xirou not to marry Aik, but Lin Xirou shook him off, and Aik taunted him, saying: "I'm now the most famous racer in the world, and you're still a loser. How can you be worthy of Xirou?"
In the end, Ye Qiu was pushed to the ground by Aik, while Lin Xirou and Aik left. Ye Qiu called out in sadness and then woke up in fright.
"Phew..."
Realizing it was a dream, Ye Qiu breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the time, noted there was still some time before the delivery, and feeling a bit groggy, yawned and fell back asleep.
Meanwhile, in the United States, which is 13 hours behind Huaxia, it's 3 AM in Huaxia, but in the United States, it's daytime, 2 PM.
In the United States, LSJ, at the Highway Heroes Club driver examination site.
At this moment, a McLaren 570S owned by a fan was rushing through the track at 380 seconds per second, and in a flash through the finish line, it executed a perfect 360-degree drift, bringing the car to a stop.
Meanwhile, a stopwatch quickly pressed by a timing staff member stopped. When he saw that the time was only 30 seconds, his jaw dropped in shock.
"So, how is it? Did Xirou pass her evaluation?"
"How did it go? Did Lin Xirou pass the Bronze Chariot King evaluation?"
All the people in work uniforms around this staff member eagerly asked him.
"Haha, aren't you guys underestimating Xirou a bit too much!"
Just then, a young man with blue hair, wearing a Highway Heroes Team racing suit, said to them with a smile.
"Hello, Young Master Aik!"
"Young Master Aik, you're here? Manager Bert is here too!"
Upon seeing this young man, everyone respectfully greeted him, and seeing the blond European man in a suit beside Aik, they also respectfully greeted him.
This young man was naturally Aik, the son of the owner of the Highway Heroes Team Club, and he was already the main force of the club's ace team.
The European man in a suit was naturally Bert, the manager of the Highway Heroes Team.
"Hmm." Aik nodded to the drivers and staff who greeted him, then asked the timing staff: "Did Xirou pass all the evaluations? I suppose she broke the record with this last one as well."
The staff member nodded: "Yes, Young Master Aik, Lin Xirou is indeed a genius like Ye Qiu..."
"Cough, cough..."
Before the staff member could finish, Manager Bert coughed twice, startling the staff who noticed Aik's increasingly strong smile and thought to himself that he had made a mistake.
Quickly correcting himself, he said: "That was before, that loser is not a genius anymore."
"Haha, it's fine. Ye Qiu used to be amazing. When he was around, the captain's position in the driver team was always his, and even I could only be his support."
Aik looked over at the fan-owned McLaren 570S that had just broken the record and said with excitement: "But now, the gap between him and me is growing wider."
"Indeed, Young Master Aik. You are now a 9-star Bronze Chariot King, and that loser doesn't even know where he is, let alone whether he'll ever race again."
"Wrong... not a 9-star Bronze Chariot King."
Manager Bert interrupted the staff member trying to amend his earlier mistake: "Young Master Aik just passed an evaluation and is now a 1-star Silver Chariot King. Given his young age of 24, he has the potential to reach Golden Chariot Emperor by 28, or even higher. By then, our team will have a second Car Emperor."
Manager Bert's words shocked the surrounding staff. They hadn't expected Aik to advance so quickly. Aik, at just 24, had already reached Silver Chariot King.
Moreover, hearing Manager Bert say that Aik has the potential to reach Golden Chariot Emperor by 28 made their hearts beat wildly. That's the Car Emperor, the king among cars.
In a million racing cars, having a Car Emperor is remarkable. A top team in the Professional Racing Alliance like Highway Heroes now only has one Golden Chariot Emperor, so hearing that Aik has become so powerful, their respect for him grew even stronger.
For racers, the more skilled a person is, the more respect they deserve.
"Aik is improving rapidly in skill, his future is limitless."
Bert observed as Aik proudly enjoyed the respectful compliments of the staff, thinking to himself. But at the same time, he pondered with some regret about Ye Qiu, who had disappeared a year ago: "I wonder how Ye Qiu is doing now, after disappearing for a year. If nothing had happened to him, he might also be at the Silver Chariot King level by now, or perhaps even higher. After all, he was once predicted by the Golden Chariot Emperor to surpass him in the future and become the Platinum Chariot Emperor."
...
"With Xirou now passing the evaluation, our team has gained another Bronze Chariot King."
Aik listened to the flattering remarks from the staff and heard about Lin Xirou's assessment results.
"Yes, and Lin Xirou passed the 5-star evaluation directly; she is now a 5-star Bronze Chariot King, and it seems she still has some reservations."
Upon hearing this, Aik's eyes lit up and he couldn't hide the smile on his face as he looked at the McLaren 570S belonging to a fan in the distance, bursting into laughter: "Haha, that's amazing, as expected from the woman I, Aik, love."
After speaking, Aik strode toward the McLaren 570S.
Watching Aik's back, the staff glanced at each other, recalling Ye Qiu, who once had a close relationship with Lin Xirou but is now missing, and how Aik, who was once Ye Qiu's brother, now wants to marry Lin Xirou.
Though Westerners are quite open-minded, they still felt contempt for Aik's actions.
However, no one dared to say anything because Aik's father is the owner of the Highway Heroes Team Club, and Aik himself is considered strong within the team.
Thus, there was no need to provoke Aik for the sake of Ye Qiu, who had become a wasted talent.
...
Aik, clad in a custom-made Silver Chariot King racing suit with the Highway Heroes Team logo, stood before Lin Xirou's McLaren 570S. Seeing her exquisite face inside the car, he was filled with excitement.
The thought of the beautiful woman he always desired soon becoming his was thrilling.
Knock, knock.
He tapped on the window, and when Lin Xirou looked at him, Aik gave what he considered a handsome smile.
Naturally, Aik was exceedingly handsome; if his fans outside saw his smile now, they would probably be swooning. But to Lin Xirou, Aik's smile only made her furrow her brows.
Seeing that Aik seemed to have something to say, Lin Xirou lowered the car window with a blank expression and said, "What's up?"
With the window down and looking at Lin Xirou's flawless skin and the face he had kissed countless times in dreams, Aik smiled excitedly and said, "Congratulations, Xirou. You've passed the evaluation and officially become a Chariot King."
As he spoke, Aik extended his hand, but Lin Xirou merely glanced at it and did not shake his hand, calmly responding, "Thank you."
Aik was not surprised by Lin Xirou's refusal to shake his hand and withdrew his own, saying, "Xirou, come out for a moment; I need to talk to you."
"Say it here!"
Hearing Lin Xirou's icy tone, Aik glanced at the staff checking the McLaren 570S and, after a moment's thought, waved his hand, saying, "You all can leave for a moment."
Seeing that it was Aik, the staff respectfully agreed and left.
"What are you doing, Aik?" Seeing the staff leave, Lin Xirou was filled with anger, her eyes showing disdain for Aik; she despised such people who relied on influence to bully others.
Aik did not notice Lin Xirou's gaze and said, "Xirou, I have something to tell you. I just visited your parents."
Lin Xirou's expression changed dramatically, and she angrily said to Aik, "Aik, don't go too far. My parents owe your family a debt, and I've been slowly repaying it. You..."
"What are you talking about, Xirou?" Aik interrupted Lin Xirou, saying, "How could I possibly ask my future in-laws for a debt repayment? I went to cancel the debt entirely."
"What, canceled the debt? Although I've paid 50 million, there's still 3.5 billion remaining." Lin Xirou ignored Aik's reference to her "future in-laws" and instead was incredulous at Aik's substantial gesture of wiping out her parents' debt.
When Lin Xirou joined the Highway Heroes Team and showed great talent, Aik's father contacted Lin Xirou's parents.
Aik's father, wanting to ensure Lin Xirou's loyalty to the Highway Heroes Team, lent them money when they dabbled in stocks after a conversation.
But gambling on stocks can lead to losing everything, and Lin Xirou's parents were particularly unlucky during that time, ultimately losing everything.
Knowing this, Aik's father lent them more money, and Lin Xirou's parents continued to lose, borrowing more money along the way.
The amount gradually ballooned to 400 million RMB.
Of course, the price of Aik's father lending the money was binding Lin Xirou's loyalty to the team.
Not thinking much at the time, Lin Xirou's parents agreed, ultimately dragging both themselves and Lin Xirou into the Highway Heroes Team.
"Hehe, Xirou, if you don't believe me, you can call your parents to check," Aik said.
Lin Xirou's brows furrowed, and after a moment of silence, she asked Aik, "What is the point of telling me all this? What do you want?"
Lin Xirou knew Aik couldn't be so kind without a motive.
Aik's smile grew more intense, and he said, "Hehe, Xirou, you know I've always liked you, and you and I aren't getting any younger. I just spoke to your parents, and they agreed for you to marry me. Now I'm here to discuss our wedding plans, and let's also set a date for the wedding."