Chapter 5 Song Ni Becomes Interested in Tan Zheng
Song Ni hated that feeling of being scrutinized. It had happened once at a bar, and again just now. She couldn't explain it, only that a chill ran down her spine, like watching the protagonist in a movie being targeted by a fierce beast.
Qin Yang finished her phone call and walked over to Song Ni, who stood there, spaced out. "What's wrong?"
Song Ni snapped back to reality, looking at Qin Yang. She remembered how obsessed Qin Yang had been with racing in high school and college. Back then, Song Ni hadn't been interested in racing and hadn't bothered to learn about it. If she remembered correctly, Qin Yang had gone to that rally race specifically for Tan Zheng.
"Yang Yang, do you remember Tan Zheng?"
Hearing Tan Zheng's name from Song Ni's lips, Qin Yang was a little surprised. "Of course, he was my idol during my youth. But why are you suddenly asking about him?" After Tan Zheng retired at the peak of his career, her passion for racing had waned, and she was also busy helping with her family's company.
Song Ni didn't offer an explanation. She remembered the hand resting on the windowsill in the bar's private room. "Do you still have any photos of him on your phone?" After speaking, Song Ni frowned, mentally scolding Song Jing, who hadn't even put a single photo of Tan Zheng in that manila envelope.
Although Qin Yang was confused, she took out her phone and searched for a while before finding the photo. "This was taken when I went to watch his race in my third year of high school. You were there too."
Song Ni was stunned for a moment and lowered her eyes to look at the photo on the phone. The man in the picture had just gotten out of his race car, wearing a racing suit, and was raising his hand to take off his helmet. Although the man's face couldn't be seen in this photo, his figure, outlined by the racing suit, was vividly displayed. He was very muscular, very sexy, exuding masculinity and a wild, unrestrained aura. It matched the vague figure in her mind.
Song Ni's attention fell on the man's hand, which was removing the helmet. His palms were large, with well-defined knuckles, and a slight roughness. The bulging veins on the back of his hand were very sexy, so much like the hand in the private room. The same unrestrained, the same wildness. She could completely imagine the personality of the owner just by looking at his hands.
Song Ni's lips pressed into a straight line. She suddenly felt that she had done something foolish tonight. She returned the phone to Qin Yang and walked towards the car without a word. Qin Yang followed, asking from behind, "Ni Ni, what's wrong?"
Song Ni threw herself into the back seat of the car and raised her hand to pinch her temples. Qin Yang and Cheng Ling, who got into the car one after another, exchanged glances. "Which ungrateful fellow angered our Ni Ni? Tell me, I'll go beat them up for you."
Song Ni was still immersed in her annoyance, the more she thought about it, the more childish she felt her actions tonight were. What was the point of meeting him beforehand? She still had to go on the blind date on Friday; she couldn't avoid it. She admitted that she had gone to the bar out of curiosity, but the thought of Tan Zheng having seen everything in the private room, and her parting words, made her feel too embarrassed.
Song Ni had never encountered a man like Tan Zheng. Based solely on his racing career, the figure in her memory, that hand, that photo, she had already lost her composure. Seeing that she remained silent, Qin Yang and Cheng Ling didn't rush to ask.
The three of them returned to Qin Yang's apartment. Cheng Ling was in charge of ordering takeout, while Qin Yang took out wine from the refrigerator. She looked at Song Ni, who was still sulking on the sofa. "Tell us, why did you go to a bar alone tonight, and about Tan Zheng, tell us everything honestly."
Song Ni looked up, took the wine, and fiddled with her newly manicured nails. She tried to open the clasp several times but couldn't. Cheng Ling helped her open it, also looking curious. "Who bullied you?"
Song Ni drank half of her wine in silence before explaining that she was going on a blind date with Tan Zheng. Qin Yang's body trembled, and even Cheng Ling put down his wine in surprise. "Ni Ni, holy crap, it's really Tan Zheng?" No wonder she suddenly wanted to see the photos on her phone. "Holy crap, I idolize Tan Zheng so much. I always wanted to meet him before, but he didn't hang out with our crowd, and I never succeeded."
"Ni Ni, what's there to be bothered about? Believe me, Tan Zheng is definitely different from the men you know. This is a great opportunity!" "Ni Ni, I can't believe you're going on a blind date with President Tan! He's my idol! My idol is going on a blind date with my best friend!"
President Tan... Song Ni thought of the information she had read. A gifted prodigy, arrogant, reckless, a god who could compete internationally, retired at the peak of his career. A powerful and mysterious man.
Song Ni looked at Qin Yang's sparkling eyes and excited expression, finding it amusing yet helpless. Her youth, besides fighting and studying, had nothing else; it was rather bland. She didn't understand Qin Yang's feelings. But she had watched that race in her third year of high school and seen that spirited man. Even though she had no interest in racing at the time, she still remembered the champion's figure.
Qin Yang grabbed Song Ni's shoulders and shook her, unable to hide her excitement. "Baby, just go. He's definitely a special person, absolutely amazing! Worth getting to know. Besides, agreeing to a blind date isn't marriage, right? Cough cough, perfect timing, help me get his WeChat, okay Ni Ni~"
Song Ni's appearance was too harmless, which led the men she encountered to believe she was a well-behaved person. Previously, she had enjoyed being underestimated by her appearance. Such deception always brought some joy to her monotonous life. But over time, Song Ni lost interest. Men who could be seen through with a single glance were too uninteresting.
She had to admit that her brother understood her very well, knowing what kind of person could pique her curiosity, and... a inexplicable desire to win. Song Ni pondered Qin Yang's words, slowly calming down from her previous frustration. She couldn't lose her composure. The proud eldest daughter of the Song family wouldn't allow herself to be defeated before the battle. Wasn't a man, the more mysterious and harder to control he was, the more challenging and interesting he would be? After thinking it through, Song Ni finally smiled.
Unlike Song Ni and Qin Yang, Cheng Ling had more interactions with other wealthy young people in their circle and had heard some news about Tan Zheng. However, Qin Yang had been too obsessed with racing before, so he had hidden his feelings and never mentioned Tan Zheng in front of them. Now that Tan Zheng was going on a blind date with Song Ni, and Qin Yang was so excited about it, it seemed she only saw Tan Zheng as a youthful idol. Cheng Ling took the initiative to share what he knew. For example, Tan Zheng had stayed in the United States for a period after retiring, opened a racing club but didn't coach, and in the past two years, he had started various investments and become a prominent figure in the industry.
Song Ni had a low alcohol tolerance and was now a bit tipsy. "Why did he retire?" Cheng Ling shook his head. Even Qin Yang, as a fan, didn't understand. She had gone abroad to study that year when Tan Zheng retired. "By the way, there's a rally race the day after tomorrow, and someone under Tan Zheng's club is participating."
Song Ni's mind conjured the photo again: Tan Zheng in a racing suit. She was curious what kind of face the person under the helmet would have. "Will Tan Zheng be there?"
(End of chapter)