Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Taking You for a Spin
"I’ve been half-retired from the industry for too long. The quickest way to regain popularity and visibility is through variety shows," Qingyue explained, though that was just part of the reason.
The more important reason was that he wanted to tie his name to Shen Yi’s for publicity, creating buzz. After all, they were in the same group. Shen Yi had already become a top star—wasn’t it about time for his turn?
Sang Ning spent the entire day in the rehearsal room. While everyone else had already left, she stayed behind, seriously analyzing the script.
It was starting to get dark outside when Li Juezhou called her.
"Sangsang, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten again that you’re supposed to treat me to dinner tonight?"
Sang Ning’s jaw dropped, and she stayed silent for a second—truth be told, she really had forgotten.
But when she finally spoke, her tone was so confident you couldn’t tell she was guilty at all. "Me? With my brilliant brain? How could I forget? I’ve been waiting for you to send me the restaurant address, but you never texted me. And now you have the nerve to blame me!"
Li Juezhou let out a helpless chuckle. Sang Ning’s ability to shift blame had truly reached an artful level. Yesterday, she had clearly told him she’d contact him after rehearsal.
He had waited all day, and when the sky had almost turned dark and still no call came, he had to take the initiative to reach out.
"My bad," Li Juezhou admitted bluntly, owning up without a fight. "Can you come out now? I’m waiting outside."
Huh?
Sang Ning froze for a second. That quick?
She had no idea how long Li Juezhou had been waiting outside, but she felt bad about keeping him waiting too long. She hastily packed her things, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left the rehearsal room.
When she arrived at the building’s entrance, she scanned her surroundings but didn’t see Li Juezhou anywhere. Just as she was about to call him for his whereabouts, a sleek black motorcycle screeched to a halt right in front of her.
The rider removed his helmet, brushed back his hair, and when his gaze landed on Sang Ning, a faint smile broke across his cold, sharp features.
Li Juezhou handed her a helmet and patted the backseat. "Hop on. I’ll take you for a ride."
Uhh...
Sang Ning stood there, stunned for several seconds, unable to recover.
She’d seen Li Juezhou in a suit. She’d seen him in casual sportswear. But this was her first time seeing him in a black leather biker jacket.
Not to say that Li Juezhou looked bad in biker gear—his face alone was so good-looking, he could make even a burlap sack look fashionable.
How could she describe this feeling?
It was like watching a polished CEO wrap up a long day of corporate grind, only to rip off his suit jacket and reveal a leather jacket underneath, suddenly unleashing a wild and untamed soul.
Sang Ning was struck by an intense sense of contrast. She suddenly wanted to dive deep into Li Juezhou’s soul and uncover his truest, most hidden thoughts.
"What’s wrong? Is something the matter?" Li Juezhou looked slightly uneasy.
Could it be that Sang Ning didn’t like motorcycles? Weren’t girls her age, especially with her quirky and unconventional personality, supposed to find motorcycles irresistible?
"Nothing, it’s just that your bike is so cool—it almost blinded me," Sang Ning said with a forced smile.
Her words finally eased Li Juezhou’s tension. He gazed at her, his eyes soft as a ripple on water. "As long as you like it. Now hurry up and put on your helmet and hop on."
Sang Ning glanced down at the pink helmet in her hands. It was covered in a dizzying pattern of Hello Kitty designs, so overwhelming it nearly made her lip twitch.
Li Juezhou, clearly confirmed to be out of touch with aesthetics. Anyone with a fear of patterns would probably scream a high-pitched, unrelenting note upon seeing this helmet.
After a brief internal pep talk, Sang Ning finally convinced herself to put the helmet on.
**
Sitting on the back seat of the motorcycle and feeling the soft breeze against her face, Sang Ning couldn’t help but think they looked like a pair of idiots.
Who else could ride a motorcycle so slowly it felt like a leisurely grandpa-style outing?
Meanwhile, Li Juezhou seemed blissfully unaware of Sang Ning’s inner turmoil. He glanced down at the speedometer—40 kilometers per hour.
Li Juezhou even wondered if this speed was still a bit too fast. The guidebooks did suggest that, if conditions allowed, one could max out the speed to give girls an adrenaline rush, creating the "falling in love" sensation.
Li Juezhou was no stranger to extreme sports, and maxing out speed on a motorcycle was no big deal for him.
But he felt this advice was unreliable. The key was always ensuring the girl felt comfortable and happy above all else.
Riding too fast would instinctively frighten anyone sitting in the rear seat.
Because Li Juezhou was riding so slowly and steadily, Sang Ning didn’t even need a handhold. Instead, she crossed her arms, sitting upright and relaxed, to the point that she even stifled several yawns.
Glancing at her reflection in the rearview mirror and seeing her lackluster expression, Li Juezhou turned back to ask, "What’s wrong? Are you feeling carsick?"
"Huh?" Sang Ning, just about to let out a yawn, froze awkwardly mid-motion, snapping her mouth shut.
"No, not at all," she said, shaking her head.
It wasn’t motion sickness. It was people sickness—Li Juezhou had really outdone himself.
Who else in history would "speed" along at 40 kilometers per hour? Li Juezhou was surely the first.
After Sang Ning’s reassurances, Li Juezhou reduced the speed even further, feeling it might still have been a touch fast.
When they stopped at a red light, there were four or five motorcycles on either side of them. On the bikes sat teenagers with brightly colored hair—classic "ghost fire" riders, probably around seventeen or eighteen years old.
Just before the green light turned on, the ghost fire riders revved their engines with deafening roars, so loud they could practically rupture eardrums.
"Hey, uncle and auntie, are you guys taking a scenic motorcycle stroll?"
"If you can’t ride properly, don’t get on the road! You’re gonna cause a traffic jam!"
Two of the ghost fire boys mercilessly mocked Sang Ning and Li Juezhou. And when the light turned green, they zoomed off in a blaze, leaving only a cloud of exhaust in their faces.
"Let go! Let me take over!" Sang Ning, now wide awake, yelled fiercely.
At the same time, she leaned forward to grab the handlebars under Li Juezhou’s arms.
"That’s not safe—"
"Shut up!"
"..."
Before he could even suggest safety protocols, Li Juezhou was silenced by Sang Ning’s sharp retort.
He found himself in an incredibly awkward posture, encircled by Sang Ning as she took control of the bike. With one decisive twist of the throttle, she made him experience what "speed and passion" truly felt like.
The wind howled past their ears, so fierce it felt like it might rip their helmets off. All other sounds seemed muffled by the roaring winds rushing past them.
For a moment, Li Juezhou was taken aback—not because he was scared. If he wanted, he could ride even faster than Sang Ning.
It was just that this girl was so bold and reckless!
Sang Ning, now fully in her element, quickly overtook the ghost fire boys. But she wasn’t content with just passing them.
She weaved left and right in front of them, deliberately blocking any chance they had to pass her. Then, she slowed down dramatically, forcing them to decelerate behind her.