Chapter 118: Do You Know the Caliber of a One-Man Army?

Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Do You Know the Caliber of a One-Man Army?

The race continued as they watched the car chase from upstairs.

"Are we betting?" Jason Rivers rubbed his hands together, his voice ringing out among the crowd.

Wyatt Winslow waved a hand. "There’s a betting pool downstairs. Are we starting our own private one, or joining theirs?"

Ulysses Shepherd said he didn’t mind either way. Zane Shepherd and Evan Rivers remained neutral. Ruby Forrest didn’t understand any of this, so she kept her thoughts to herself.

Eventually, all eyes turned to Rian Sinclair.

Rian paused with her teacup mid-air. "Let’s start our own. We can play for a prize or bet money, whatever works."

She didn’t know the skill levels of the five racers down there, so she’d just pick one at random for fun.

Jason was also trying to come up with a good wager. As for losing the previous bet and having to act as Rian’s lackey for a month, he couldn’t care less.

"Let’s just base it on the final ranking of the racers we bet on. The person whose racer comes in last has to grant one request to everyone else. We all know where to draw the line anyway," Jason suggested.

Wyatt agreed, but remembering Ruby beside him, he immediately added, "Ruby and I will just share one bet."

The others didn’t object and started placing their wagers.

When it was Rian’s turn, she glanced at the five cars and randomly pointed to one. "That one."

Jason was a little surprised. "Are you sure, Rian?"

He had his own selfish reasons and wanted her to pick another one, but Rian smiled and shook her head. "I’ll stick with this one. Just for fun."

Hearing this, Jason didn’t press the matter. The group began discussing racing-related topics, paying little attention to the actual race on the track. They only needed the final result.

The entire race was thrilling, ultimately ending with the dark red supercar winning by a narrow margin.

Rian watched as the supercar she had bet on leisurely crossed the finish line in last place. The end of the race meant she had lost the bet.

She set down her teacup, her lips curling into a faint smile. "I yield. Name your terms."

Jason and the others were quite close to Rian, so they couldn’t immediately think of a request. Zane was too gentle, humble, and polite, so he also refrained from making demands right away.

Evan, however, didn’t hold back. His peach-blossom eyes grew increasingly alluring. "How about The Innocent Heiress keeps me as her sugar baby?"

His words instantly rendered the group speechless. Jason choked on his tea. Ulysses looked a bit displeased, while Wyatt’s eyes simply widened in shock.

"No, Evan, is the Rivers family going bankrupt? Besides, if Grandpa Rivers found out you wanted to be a kept man, he’d be so furious he’d throw you straight into the military," Wyatt blurted out.

Evan was the only son of the Rivers family, showered with endless wealth and exclusive doting. After all, such a massive prominent family had only produced Evan in his generation. Yet, instead of wanting to inherit the family fortune, this kid ran off to join the entertainment industry, absolutely infuriating the elders.

Initially, they tried to ignore him, but out of love for their son, they straight-up issued a statement declaring Evan as the sole heir of the Rivers family. As a result, a swarm of anti-fans caught wind and started blasting him online, which was how word of Evan’s venomous tongue slowly spread.

Did people understand the sheer weight of one man verbally obliterating an army of thousands?

Single-handedly, he roasted his anti-fans into complete silence. Eventually, he even started flaming his own fans. He possessed the chaotic aura of a man wielding a filth-covered spear—whoever he poked was doomed.

Zane also looked at his good friend in considerable surprise. Rian’s lips curled up slightly. "If your family agrees to it, I’ll accept this request."

Keeping a man was no big deal.

Wyatt looked at Evan, and Ulysses vigorously winked at his second brother, Zane, looking as if he were about to blurt out his inner plea to hurry up and talk Evan out of it.

Zane coughed lightly, nudging Evan’s arm with his elbow. He whispered, "Grandpa Rivers will definitely throw you into the military."

Evan cleared his throat. "Just kidding. I’ll wait until the Rivers family goes broke before I come looking for my heiress sugar mommy."

Rian chuckled, neither agreeing nor refusing.

"Then how about Miss Sinclair invests in a movie for me?"

As soon as Evan’s voice dropped, Zane looked at him with sheer confusion, wondering if this guy was practically begging to give someone else money.

After all, Evan’s title as a Best Actor wasn’t just for show; it was completely genuine. No matter what he filmed, his acting skills and massive fan support guaranteed a box office hit. It was impossible for his investors to lose money. However, Evan rarely filmed movies these days. After all, having reached such a pinnacle, shooting more felt somewhat meaningless. Furthermore, none of the recent scripts appealed to him, completely failing to tempt him out of his hiatus.

Yet, Zane hadn’t expected him to volunteer his highly sought-after services so willingly. Other famous directors could beg him to act and he’d refuse, but here this guy was, actively throwing himself at her.

Rian pondered for a moment. She also didn’t quite understand what kind of move this metaphorical ’offering himself up’ was, but free money was free money.

"Sure."

Hearing her answer, Evan smiled faintly and raised his teacup. "Thanks, my heiress."

Rian also raised her teacup. "Mutual benefit."

With Evan taking the lead, the rest of them no longer felt shy. Jason was rather covetous of Rian’s cars. "Rian, I just want to borrow a car from your garage for a spin."

"That’s it?" Rian raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised by his modest request.

"That’s it." Jason picked up his tea and drained it in one gulp.

Ulysses thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with anything. He scratched his head sheepishly. "Can I take a raincheck?"

Although this wasn’t exactly proper, and Ulysses even wanted to just say ’never mind’, Rian didn’t think much of it and nodded. "We’ll leave it as an IOU then. Just let me know when you need something."

She then looked at Wyatt, and then at Ruby. "Which of you goes first?"

Wyatt nudged Ruby forward. "Rian, since we bet together, we’ll just count as one."

Rian didn’t say much and nodded, waiting for Ruby. The girl pursed her lips in thought for a moment. She didn’t have many things she liked, nor did she know what she should ask for. As for Wyatt, he certainly wasn’t lacking in material things, but his temper was way too volatile. So, she finally spoke up, "Rian, I hope you can lend Wyatt a helping hand when the time comes."

After speaking, Ruby looked at Wyatt a little bashfully. Meeting his gaze, she quickly shrank back, looking around awkwardly.

Instantly, Jason and Ulysses’ teasing jeers filled the area.

Ruby’s face turned beet red, while Wyatt also turned his head away uncomfortably, the tips of his ears slightly pink.

Looking at the two of them, Rian chuckled. "Alright, I’ll definitely help him out."

Finally, everyone’s eyes turned to Zane. Taken aback, Zane offered a gentle smile. "I don’t have any requests. I only hope my boss gives me a few more good gigs."

Zane was an artist under Radiant Entertainment. He had previously served as a mentor on Idol Debut. After the show exploded in popularity, he had reaped quite a few benefits as well, and his fanbase had grown considerably. Although he was never short of fans as a Best Actor, he thoroughly enjoyed that feeling—the feeling that hard work paid off, of standing on stage shining brightly, and being loved by so many people.

Rian treated her artists exceptionally well. Resources were allocated based on merit, and as an A-lister, Zane naturally received even more. Bending the rules a little for him wasn’t completely out of the question.

"The next prime batch of resources will be sent to you first. You can have your pick before they go down the line."

Zane’s movements paused slightly. Currently, Radiant Entertainment essentially dominated the industry. For her to offer up so many prime resources just like that was a huge gesture, but he knew he could handle it.

"Then I’ll thank my boss in advance."