After the Straight Male Incubus Became a Heartthrob - Chapter 6

Shen Shao did not look at the crowd; he simply stared down at his beloved car. His gaze was tender and devoted, as if everything around him were irrelevant. He possessed a pure, singular love for the sport of racing.

However, his appearance did not seem to match such a high-adrenaline pursuit. His facial features were clearly defined, yet the lines of his face were soft. While his brow and eyes lacked a sharp, aggressive depth, they exuded a sense of cool elegance. Standing there, he naturally radiated the aura of a refined young noble—gentle, poised, and increasingly captivating the longer one looked at him.

A man like this seemed more suited to a study, writing or painting, rather than tearing across a racetrack. The contrast was jarring. Compared to Liang Wenle’s overly sharp and exquisite features, Ye Lin preferred Shen Shao’s looks; he found them easy on the eyes, which made it difficult to think of anything rude to say.

Ye Lin walked up to Shen Shao and cleared his throat. “I heard Liang Wenle used to like you a lot?”

Shen Shao turned his head to look at him, his eyes filled with confusion and doubt. He wondered why someone like Ye Lin would date a brat like Liang Wenle.

He had caught a distant glimpse of Ye Lin once before at a Ye family banquet. Back then, Ye Lin’s face had carried an air of hardship; his subsequent expulsion from the Ye family had been entirely expected. Now, however, Ye Lin looked completely renewed. The look of misery was gone, replaced by a sense of fearless entitlement that comes from being pampered.

Perhaps Liang Wenle truly liked him?

Shen Shao shook his head helplessly. “He simply mistook his youthful competitiveness for affection. We are not even friends. You can rest easy.”

It was clear he had no feelings for Liang Wenle at all. But if Ye Lin did not help Liang Wenle win Shen Shao over, he would not get his five million.

Ye Lin deliberately acted provocatively. “Wenle is so wonderful; I do not believe for a second that you have no feelings for him. You look so fake right now!”

Shen Shao remained composed. “You view him as a treasure, but to me, he is something to be discarded. There is nothing to doubt.”

Ye Lin truly could not stand it. He pointed at the space between Shen Shao’s brows and snapped, “All you do is quote books and act pretentious! Say something like a normal person for once! You are infuriating!”

Shen Shao sighed helplessly, unwilling to say more. He knew that a fool like Ye Lin, who had already stumbled once with the Ye family, would inevitably stumble again because of Liang Wenle.

After that, no matter what provocative things Ye Lin said, Shen Shao did not react. It felt like punching a bale of cotton—completely futile.

At that moment, the officials took their places. The race was about to begin. Ye Lin had no choice but to return to Liang Wenle’s side to report on his “communication.”

Naturally, he could not tell the truth. He had to lie. “Shen Shao was actually quite angry when he heard you had a boyfriend.”

Liang Wenle brightened up instantly. He praised Ye Lin for being useful and opened the passenger door for him to hop in. Once inside the car, Liang Wenle insisted on hearing every specific detail of Shen Shao’s anger, making Ye Lin want to pull his hair out in frustration.

Thinking back to the jealous female second-leads in novels, Ye Lin made something up on the spot. “He, well, he asked how you have been lately, and it felt like he did not want you to be doing well. Then he asked if you remembered the things from when you were kids.”

Upon hearing this, Liang Wenle could not help but laugh. “Wow, so he really does like me that much! He even cares about whether I am doing well after dating you!”

Seeing his reaction, Ye Lin knew his lie had hit the mark and breathed a sigh of relief.

In a jovial mood, Liang Wenle patted the steering wheel. “I will beat him in a moment, then I will go over and say some nice things to him.”

Ye Lin was silent for a moment before he could not help but ask, “If you like him and want to win him over, should you not let him win?”

In Ye Lin’s mind, if he liked someone, he would definitely yield and dote on them. That was the right way to do it.

Liang Wenle wagged a finger. “You do not understand. The more I like him, the more I have to show him my strength. That is how he will fall in love with me!”

Ye Lin was puzzled. “And what if you lose?”

The smile on Liang Wenle’s face vanished instantly. He turned to glare at Ye Lin. “Can you say something auspicious for once? I am definitely going to win!”

Ye Lin quickly turned into a sycophant, showering him with praise. “I went to see Shen Shao just now, and he did not look nearly as capable as you. You are definitely taking first place today!”

Satisfied, Liang Wenle patted his shoulder lightly. “At least you know how to talk. Once I start driving, just sit there quietly and watch my skills.”

Ye Lin agreed repeatedly, though in his heart he called him a fool. He was indeed the most gullible young master in the original story; a few nice words were all it took to handle him.

The racetrack consisted of six sharp turns and twelve medium curves; the difficulty level was high. It was a clear, cloudless day with only a few wisps of white clouds drifting by. There were fifteen cars in total, and the rules were simple: only the first three to cross the finish line would place.

The sports cars were incredibly fast. Road conditions changed constantly, and other drivers would cut in, requiring a mix of boldness and caution to avoid hitting the guardrails. Fortunately, Liang Wenle’s car had the best performance, allowing him to hold a steady seventh place.

His car was the most eye-catching on the field—a brilliant, flaming red shaped like a bat, with a surface that looked gilded, sparkling brilliantly under the sun.

Ye Lin had not expected the racing to be this fast. Every time they hit a curve, he worried he would be thrown out, and he gripped his seatbelt tightly.

He noticed that Shen Shao’s car had a flat, sharp nose to reduce air resistance, a smooth body, and a highly dynamic rear. The entire vehicle combined beauty and utility, moving like a silver leopard racing across a savanna.

Out on the track, the beauty of the silver leopard far surpassed the red bat. Moreover, Shen Shao had already taken the lead, far ahead of Liang Wenle.

Ye Lin glanced at Liang Wenle beside him. His brow was furrowed, his eyes were locked on the road ahead, and sweat was already beaded on his forehead. Ye Lin felt embarrassed for him; he had started by saying he would overtake Shen Shao, yet he was stuck in seventh place and could not move up, while Shen Shao firmly held first.

Ye Lin even suspected that being in seventh place was only because Liang Wenle’s car performed so well. If he swapped cars with any other driver, his terrible skills would not even land him in the top ten. However, he kept these thoughts to himself to avoid making Liang Wenle angry.

As they reached the medium curves, the race became exceptionally intense. This was the area where overtaking was possible, and every driver was giving it their all. Driving at high speeds, the wind resistance was immense, creating a constant roar. The sound of the engines in Ye Lin’s ears was like being high in the sky and hearing thunder from up close.

He could feel that Liang Wenle was desperate to win. He had pushed the car to its maximum speed, grazing the body of the sixth-place car to barely squeeze past. The driver in sixth was terrified and quickly moved out of the way; he was there to race, not to risk his life.

Ye Lin’s heart leaped into his throat; he was also terrified by Liang Wenle. He wanted to tell him to be careful, but he was afraid of distracting him and causing a fatal crash, so he stayed quiet. Throughout the drive, Ye Lin prayed to every deity he could think of, begging to reach the finish line safely. Had he known it would be like this, he would never have gotten into this car. He was literally risking his life for money.

Soon, Liang Wenle moved into third place, getting closer to Shen Shao. Shen Shao’s car was driving smoothly. Compared to the frantic scrambling of the others, he seemed leisurely—as if he were not racing but taking a casual stroll, maintaining his lead with ease.

Looking at that silver car, Ye Lin suddenly felt a sense of longing. He felt that if he were in Shen Shao’s passenger seat, he would certainly be safer than he was next to Liang Wenle.

At the final curve, Shen Shao turned the wheel and performed a perfect drift, leaving all other cars far behind as he crossed the finish line first. It took a good while for the other cars to arrive; Liang Wenle placed fourth, failing to break into the top three.

The moment the car stopped, Liang Wenle slammed the steering wheel and cursed loudly, “It is all this piece-of-trash car’s fault!”

It had been so fast that Ye Lin’s soul had not yet returned to his body, but his mouth opened to agree anyway. “Yes, it is just this car that is not good enough, otherwise you would have been first long ago!”

Hearing this, Liang Wenle’s mood improved slightly. “Right? I am going to scrap it immediately and get a new one.”

Ye Lin nodded and pushed the door open to get out. As soon as his feet hit the ground, his legs felt weak, and he nearly fell, forced to hold onto the car door for support. Seeing the sunlight outside, he finally felt alive again. He looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, immensely grateful to have survived.

He headed toward the restroom, wanting to get as far away from the racing cars as possible.

Upon entering, he saw Shen Shao washing his hands. He had already changed into a slim-fit white shirt and trousers. The simplest clothing style only served to highlight his noble temperament. Shen Shao noticed someone watching him and looked up, seemingly about to speak but stopping himself.

Thinking of his performance on the track, Ye Lin was truly impressed. “Your driving skills are amazing! You were born for racing!”

Shen Shao’s smile was faint, but he was finally willing to speak. “Are you not afraid Liang Wenle will be angry if you praise me?”

Ye Lin waved his hands quickly and hurried to say something good about Liang Wenle. “He will not be angry. Actually, he admires your skills and is always thinking of catching up to you. He probably looks up to you.”

Shen Shao dried his hands with a handkerchief, his movements meticulous and slow. “You are a very contradictory person.”

Ye Lin pressed him. “What do you mean by that?”

Shen Shao did not explain further; he stepped past him and walked toward the door. Ye Lin felt as though he were being mocked and felt indignant. He immediately reached out and grabbed Shen Shao’s hand. “Shen Shao, make it clear! What do you mean by saying I am a contradictory person?”

Shen Shao turned back to look at the hand gripping his own—thin, fair, and clearly unable to control its own destiny. “I meant it literally.”

Ye Lin hated his habit of speaking in riddles. He tightened his grip on the wrist. “I have never met someone as brain-dead as you. I was clearly praising you, yet you mock me. If you do not like me, just say it directly! I am not afraid of you!”

Shen Shao grabbed his hand and pushed it away. “I have no interest in insulting a pitiful person.”

Ye Lin was instantly infuriated. Compared to blatant provocation and insults, he loathed this kind of arrogant sympathy even more. He squeezed Shen Shao’s hand with force. “Shen Shao, you blind fool! Do not look down on me. In the future, I will become someone you have to look up to. Then you will know how ridiculous you are being right now!”

Hearing this, Shen Shao wanted to laugh, but he was also curious. Where did a person like Ye Lin get such confidence?

At that moment, Liang Wenle appeared at the doorway. Seeing the two of them holding hands, he ran over in a hurry.

“Ye Lin, what are you doing behind my back?!”