The Real Young Master is Entangled by the Paranoid Fake Young Master - Chapter 31

“What? You want me to help you? On what grounds?” (Zhaoqing) truly thought (Xie Chengxuan) had a mental illness.

“If you want to chase someone, go do it yourself! What does it have to do with me? Why are you coming to me?”

Wearing a green hat (being cheated on) in my last life wasn’t enough? In this life, I’m supposed to help you chase your white moonlight? Xie Chengxuan, do you even hear yourself?

Zhaoqing was so incensed by Xie Chengxuan’s unreasonable demand that his heart actually began to ache. Yet, Xie Chengxuan remained thick-skinned and took it all as a matter of course:

“If you don’t help me for one day, I’ll block you at your school gates for one day.”

“I don’t have great grades anyway, so I don’t care about skipping class.”

“At worst, I’ll buy a megaphone and shout your name outside your school every day. If you don’t care about your reputation, it’s fine by me.”

The subtext was clear: he was going to clash with Zhaoqing until he got his way.

Zhaoqing hadn’t realized that this guy could switch so seamlessly between being awkward and being utterly shameless. He deeply regretted ever exposing Xie Chengxuan’s secret; now, he was stuck with him.

“Anyway, think it over. Tell me about Yuening’s hobbies and help manufacture some opportunities for us. I’ll give you anything you want in return. I’m a man of my word; you can ask for whatever you want.”

I want to rip your head off, Zhaoqing thought, rolling his eyes.

He considered giving Xie Chengxuan false information, but he feared a repeat of his past life where he was seen by everyone as the villain who sabotaged a “fated” romance. These wealthy, powerful types tended to stab him in the back later.

Although the current Xie Chengxuan seemed a bit brain-dead, Zhaoqing knew that by his twenties, he would be a formidable figure at the Xie Corporation. Back then, he at least had (Xie Qianze) to keep his power in check. Now, he was the sole heir of the third generation.

Giving him fake news was too risky; if he were found out and retaliated against later…

But he wasn’t a saint. He couldn’t bring himself to play matchmaker for his nemesis and his ex-boyfriend. Under Xie Chengxuan’s expectant gaze, Zhaoqing’s mind raced.

Finally, his eyes lit up when they landed on the motorcycle Xie Chengxuan pampered like it was his own child.

Right, there’s a way!

Zhaoqing flashed a cunning smile.

“Fine. It’s not impossible for me to help. However, Song Yuening has a thousand pursuers if not eight hundred. I need to test if you’re even qualified to chase him. If I put in all this effort and you turn out to be useless, I’m just wasting my time, aren’t I?”

“A test? How do you plan to test me?” Xie Chengxuan frowned; he hadn’t expected this option.

“I see you ride a motorcycle often?” Zhaoqing asked, knowing full well the answer. “How good are you? Do you have the guts to race me?”

“You? Against me? A race?” Xie Chengxuan’s eyes widened. He pointed at Zhaoqing, then at himself, and finally bent over in a fit of laughter.

Zhaoqing didn’t get angry; he simply watched him laugh. When the man had his fill, Zhaoqing crossed his arms and provoked him with ease:

“What? Are you scared? It’s fine. If you’re afraid, don’t force it.”

Zhaoqing patted his shoulder as if offering comfort.

This completely ignited Xie Chengxuan’s competitive streak. He looked at the spirited youth before him and suddenly found him incredibly intriguing.

However, he also thought Zhaoqing was naive. Xie Chengxuan wasn’t bragging those in S-City’s motorcycle circle who could beat him could be counted on one hand, and they were veterans who had been riding for years.

But this Song Zhaoqing, it wasn’t that he looked down on him, but even if the boy had snuck out on a bike before he returned to the Song family, the gap between a professional and an amateur was vast. He thought the boy was being arrogant.

Having dealt with Xie Chengxuan for so many years, how could Zhaoqing not know what he was thinking?

He spoke up: “Don’t worry about my level. Right now, I’m testing whether your level is high enough to earn my help. Naturally, I’ve chosen what you’re best at to see your worth. Since you blocked me here today, there’s no time like the present. Let’s race.”

“But let’s get this straight: if you win, I help you to the end, but you’ll owe me a massive favor to be repaid later. But if I win…”

“Heh, if you actually win, I’ll never harass you about Yuening again. Furthermore, I’ll never touch a motorcycle again for the rest of my life!”

Zhaoqing hadn’t expected such a bonus. He agreed immediately. If he could get this guy to stop riding, it would be a form of karmic merit-building.

“Deal! In that case, this Young Master will show you what a real high-stakes scene looks like!” Xie Chengxuan seemed to be in high spirits. He tossed a second helmet to Zhaoqing and patted the back of his prized bike, gesturing for him to hop on.

S-City North Mountain Winding Road

North Mountain was a mecca for motorcycle enthusiasts; people practiced their skills or raced there almost every day. By the time they arrived, it was 6:00 PM.

Xie Chengxuan had initially doubted Zhaoqing’s nerve, but after a high-speed ride to the mountain, he saw that the boy wasn’t just unafraid, he was excited. He had even given him technical pointers on the way. Those doubts vanished.

This kid is actually pretty good.

He was surprised and finally began to take the race seriously. “Song Zhaoqing, I didn’t realize you had such guts.”

Once they reached the staging area, Xie Chengxuan removed his helmet and looked at Zhaoqing with a touch of genuine admiration. Zhaoqing thought to himself: You haven’t seen anything yet.

He wasn’t going to tell Xie Chengxuan that his riding skills were taught to him by the future Xie Chengxuan himself. Furthermore, Zhaoqing had high natural athletic talent and was fearless. By the later years of his past life, his level had been even higher than Xie Chengxuan’s.

“Yo, Xie-ge, who’s this? Your new little lover?” A jarring voice rang out. Zhaoqing looked toward the source and his face instantly soured.

” (Zhong Yu), (Duan Shao), let me introduce you. This is my friend, Song Zhaoqing.”

Xie Chengxuan introduced him to his circle. The two men gave Zhaoqing an ill-intentioned once-over before grinning:

“Xie-ge, you’re finally here; the gang’s been waiting. What’s this? Is your little friend interested in our world too?”

“Not bad, kid’s got guts. Do you want your ‘Big Brothers’ here to teach you how to ride?”

“Shut the hell up.” For some reason, Xie Chengxuan was very unwilling to let others tease Zhaoqing. He stepped forward, using his body to block their view of the boy.

“Ah, sorry Xie-ge, our mistake! Don’t mind us.” The two laughed and shoved each other as they walked away.

“Let’s go,” Xie Chengxuan said, turning back to Zhaoqing once they were gone.

Zhaoqing, however, grabbed his sleeve and warned him: “Those two friends of yours and that whole gang are not good people. You should stay away from them.” Otherwise, you’ll pay with your life, and this time I won’t be there to save you.

This wasn’t baseless paranoia. In his past life, the rebellious Xie Chengxuan hadn’t wanted to work at the Xie Corporation; his dream was to be a professional racer. He had practically abandoned his studies for it, and he wouldn’t even listen to Zhaoqing.

But those friends weren’t truly his friends, nor did they love motorcycles. They gathered around Xie Chengxuan only because he had money and they liked the thrill. Over time, only Xie Chengxuan actually worked on his skills; the others were either borrowing money for “new parts” or riding while high on drugs.

Zhaoqing had begged Xie Chengxuan to leave them, but perhaps due to his childhood trauma, Xie Chengxuan was desperate to maintain any form of emotional bond. He truly viewed these people as “brothers,” which was why he tolerated them trampling over his bottom-line time and again. He wasn’t entirely oblivious; he was just soft-hearted and naively believed he could remain untainted while staying in their circle.

Eventually, Xie Chengxuan stopped giving them money, thinking it would force them back onto the right path. But as a wealthy young master, he had underestimated the greed of human nature.

Their appetites had been whetted. When they couldn’t get money from him, they began to resent him. During a “friendly” race, Zhong Yu and Duan Shao conspired to sabotage Xie Chengxuan’s bike.

Xie Chengxuan couldn’t avoid the trap and was thrown from the bike. Luckily, the slope wasn’t too steep, and he was caught by a large tree, which saved his life. However, his right leg was left permanently disabled.

From that day on, the high-and-mighty Second Young Master Xie had to live as a cripple. The Xie family was furious and searched for the two, but those thugs had vanished the moment Xie Chengxuan entered the hospital.

Xie Chengxuan spiraled into a deep depression, alternating between rage and suicidal thoughts. But Zhaoqing had stayed by his side, helping him with rehab and caring for him meticulously.

The Xie family had originally thought they were just “playing around” they had no intention of accepting a male grandson-in-law, especially one from a “thug” background. But Zhaoqing’s sincerity eventually moved the elderly Mrs. Xie. Before she passed, she had tacitly accepted their relationship.

Zhaoqing hadn’t done it to be accepted by the family; he simply wanted to repay the debt of kindness he thought he owed. Back then, he still believed Xie Chengxuan was the one who had truly saved him from school bullying. He thought: He pulled me out of the abyss when I was at my lowest, so how could I abandon him now?

He didn’t know if it was love, but for a moment, he truly wanted to support Xie Chengxuan until they were old.

Under Zhaoqing’s care, Xie Chengxuan began to smile again and stopped smashing things in his room. Zhaoqing breathed a sigh of relief. But by then, his own business career was picking up, and (Song Shicheng) was growing dissatisfied with his absence from work.

Zhaoqing had to fly to Country T for an urgent business trip. He was worried about Xie Chengxuan’s unstable emotions and feared he might self-harm again. That was when (Han Yizhu) volunteered to help. Zhaoqing hadn’t wanted him involved, but Xie Chengxuan had tacitly allowed Han’s presence.

When Han Yizhu saw Zhaoqing hesitating, he used his ultimate weapon tearfully acting like the “wronged victim.” In the end, Zhaoqing felt like the bad guy for refusing help. With the Song family pressuring him, he entrusted Xie Chengxuan to Han Yizhu.

Looking back now, he realized he had unintentionally paved the way for their romance or perhaps that was when their physical entanglement truly began.

Looking at the distant figures of Zhong Yu and Duan Shao, and then at the currently dashing and able-bodied Xie Chengxuan, Zhaoqing let out a short, sharp laugh. He didn’t know if he felt pity or amusement.