"Do you really want to know?" Zhao Ying hesitated for a long while before speaking.

"Yes, Sister Ying. I'm worried about you." Wang Yanqiu nodded. Zhao Ying was her only good friend in Songjiang—apart from Yang Ce, of course, though Yang Ce hardly counted as a friend now; if he had to be called one, it would be more like a man-and-woman sort of friend.

And Zhao Ying's best friend in Songjiang was Wang Yanqiu and no one else, which was exactly why she kept putting off speaking—she feared that once certain things were said aloud, a crack would appear in their friendship.

It was not that Zhao Ying was overthinking; the facts bore it out. How many pairs of close sisters had turned on each other after falling for the same man? There were far too many such examples, and Zhao Ying did not want to take that risk.

But Wang Yanqiu kept pressing, as though she would not rest until she got an answer, so there was no help for it—Zhao Ying could only say, "Let's go somewhere else to talk, all right? I don't want to be here."

"All right." Wang Yanqiu nodded, waved apologetically to Yan, and left the restaurant with Zhao Ying. "Where to?"

"Anywhere, I suppose. I don't have much of an appetite. How about—your place?" Zhao Ying felt that out in public she would never manage to say certain things; better to go somewhere with no one around.

To be continued

1044. A Hackneyed Excuse

Yang Ce had not known what to do, but then he saw Zhao Ying and Wang Yanqiu exchange a few whispers and leave the restaurant. He found it strange, but Zhou Yanning and Lin Yanhe were right there beside him, so he could hardly chase after them to ask.

Since Yang Shuoxuan had not thought much of it at first, he had not used his ability to observe the conversation between Wang Yanqiu and Zhao Ying. Yang Ce did not want to be a peeping Tom at every hour of the day.

Seeing Yang Ce crane his neck like a giraffe, Lin Yanhe found it odd. "Yang Ce, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was going to call the waiter to order some drinks," Yang Moyi said, a little embarrassed.

"If you want drinks, then call the waiter," Zhou Yanning said, also puzzled. What was Yang Ce looking at? She turned around, but saw nothing unusual.

Zhou Yanning and Lin Yanhe were seated with their backs to the entrance, so they had not seen Wang Yanqiu and Zhao Ying come in. Even if they had, they would not have recognized them. And by the time they turned around, Zhao Ying and Wang Yanqiu had already left, so naturally they saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Waiter!" Yang Ce gave a dry laugh, flagged down the waiter, and ordered a few bottles of drinks. The three of them went back to eating. But Yang Juehuan was puzzled: what on earth were Zhao Ying and Wang Yanqiu up to? They had clearly seen him, yet they had turned and walked away.

Could it be that they had spotted Zhou Yanning and Lin Yanhe and worried about causing a misunderstanding? That was possible too. Zhao Ying was rather shy, and Wang Yanqiu's relationship with him could not be made public, so the two of them leaving was only natural. Yang Shuoxuan therefore thought nothing more of it.

These past two days, Zha Ce had been wandering back and forth around this area, hoping to run into Yang Ce and Wang Yanqiu again. The things Wang Yanqiu had said to him before leaving that day had left him more and more uneasy the longer he thought them over after he got home.

His identity was known to only a handful of people even in Europe, let alone in far-off China in Asia. Yet Wang Yanqiu, someone he had met by chance on the street, had actually known who he was. One could well imagine how terrifying that was.

Zha Ce had originally intended to go to the police station and ask for the names of Wang Yanqiu and Yan, but the people at the station had paid him no attention at all. For one thing, Bao Lin's prestige was behind them; for another, they were duty-bound to keep Yang Ce's secret. Once Yang Ce had flashed his credentials, no one dared ask another question about Yang Puqi.

Besides, Zha Ce had been driving a modified car with no legal right to be on the road. Who would have spoken up for him?

And so Zha Ce left in a muddle without even learning the names of Yang Ce and Wang Yanqiu. Only after he got home and carefully went over what had happened that day did he begin to feel deeply uneasy.

Zha Ce's public identity was that of a race car driver—and a highly successful one, hailed by those in the trade as the God of Racing. His family background and his private identity were known to no one, not even the paparazzi, who could sniff out anything.

Yet the two people he had run into by chance knew. Zha Ce did not believe that Wang Yanqiu's remark about "wanting your business in Europe" had been a joke. Unless Wang Yanqiu was insane, there was no way he would have said something so baffling out of nowhere.

So after his inquiries at the police station came to nothing, Zha Ce began keeping watch around the place where he had met Yang Ce and Wang Yanqiu that day, hoping to run into the two of them again and get to the bottom of things.

Heaven rewards the diligent. Though he did not find Yang Ce and Wang Yanqiu in person, he actually spotted Yang Juehuan's car in the parking lot outside the Strange Flavor House spicy hotpot restaurant.

It was that blue BMW X5—the very one that had wrecked his sports car last time. Zha Ce recognized it at a glance. Since the car was here, its owner had to be nearby too.

So without a second thought, Zha Ce quickly walked into the hotpot restaurant.

"Sir, how many in your party?" the waiter asked politely.

"I'm looking for someone," Zha Ce said with a wave of his hand. Once inside the main hall of the restaurant, he began looking this way and that.

When he spotted Yang Juehuan, Zha Ce's face lit up with delight. He had found him at last—all those days of keeping watch had not been in vain. He had finally run into Yang Ce again in this area.

Zha Ce walked quickly toward Yang Ce's table. Yang Shuoxuan noticed someone approaching and assumed it was a waiter, so he paid no attention—but when he looked up, he froze.

Yang Minlan's impression of Zha Ce was quite deep. Originally it had rested only on the basis of a passerby, but after Wang Yanqiu's remarks afterward, Yang Ce had kept this person in mind.

Friend or foe remained to be seen, but at the very least this man was in his own line of work.

"Hello, sir. What a coincidence, we meet again." Before Yang Ce could speak, Zha Ce extended his hand and greeted him warmly.

One does not strike a smiling face. But Yang Ce and Zha Ce were hardly well acquainted. Out of sympathy for the man whose car Wang Xiaoniu had hit for no reason, Yang Ce still extended his hand and shook it, though he said, "Yes, what a coincidence indeed."

Yang Yanzhou's words were of course sarcasm. There were no empty tables left on Yang Cenbin's side, so Zha Ce's coming here was plainly aimed at him. To call it a coincidence would be sheer nonsense.

Zha Ce chuckled. He had naturally caught the meaning in Yang Juehuan's words, but he did not mind. Instead he pointed to the seat beside Yang Ce and said, "Is anyone sitting here? If not, may I sit down?"

"In theory, I don't like strangers disturbing me when I eat." Yang Lanxu cursed him inwardly. This Zha Ce really had some nerve. He asked politely enough, but before I could even answer, he had already sat down beside me. Even if I refused, what difference would it make?

"This is the second time we've met. We can hardly be called strangers now, can we?" Zha Ce smiled and said, "Allow me to introduce myself again. My name is Zha Ce."

"I know." Yang Linyue said flatly, "Zha Ce, the God of Racing. Though I've never heard of you."