Chapter 120: Riding

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Riding

The Rongcheng Third Ring Road spanned approximately fifty kilometers. The route primarily consisted of flat terrain and featured a panda culture theme, creating a highly enjoyable cycling path. An ordinary person would take about five to six hours to complete a lap. Cycling enthusiasts could shorten that time to around three hours, while professional cyclists could naturally finish it even faster.

As the manager of the Peak Cycling Club, Yu Xiao’s cycling skills were naturally quite high. On a good day, he could finish this fifty-kilometer ride in two and a half hours. He possessed absolute confidence in this area. Thus, right from the start, he surged to the lead position, acting as the windbreaker for the group to show off his technique and stamina.

Under the streetlights, the cycling group gradually picked up speed. At first, everyone had plenty of energy, and even the girls could keep up with the pace. However, as time passed, fatigue slowly began to set in.

One hour later.

One-fifth of the riders had already fallen behind. Yu Xiao took a moment to glance back. The goddess of his dreams was riding neck and neck with a certain someone he despised. The sight infuriated him.

"I am going to completely crush you tonight!" he swore internally.

With that, he began to accelerate. The speed of the entire group increased along with him, making it difficult for the riders in the back to keep up.

"Old Yu, slow down!"

"You’re in great shape today!"

"Go for it, windbreaker!"

Half an hour later.

The group lost a few more people. Yet, the goddess and that guy were still keeping up at the back of the pack. Yu Xiao sensed something was wrong and wondered, "This shouldn’t be happening! Someone who doesn’t exercise regularly definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up with this pace, but he looks perfectly fine right now? A rich guy who casually hands out two-thousand-yuan red envelopes should be partying every night, with terrible stamina and only lasting three minutes in bed. Why is he so fierce?"

He wasn’t the only one with such doubts. The group had cycled together many times, so everyone was generally well aware of each other’s fitness levels. Thanks to the morale boost of having the goddess present, the overall performance of the group was excellent tonight. However, no one expected the rich guy brought by the goddess to be this capable. Refusing to accept defeat, Yu Xiao doubled down.

Seeing that there were only about twenty kilometers left, he went all out. His speed continued to climb, and the others began to feel the pressure.

"Fuck! Is Old Yu crazy?"

"What did he eat today? He has so much energy!"

"I can’t keep up anymore!"

After the group gritted their teeth and pedaled madly for ten minutes, Yu Xiao looked back. Shockingly, that guy was still keeping pace and even seemed to be encouraging the goddess beside him. At this speed, it was obvious that the goddess was struggling to hold on.

Xia Wanqing’s cheeks were flushed, and her lips were pressed tightly together, though her gaze remained fixed firmly ahead. Her breathing was heavy, her chest heaving violently. The rhythmic motions of cycling made her bodily curves all the more alluring, drawing the eyes of anyone who looked her way. Her speed tonight was already at her personal best, but she knew she couldn’t keep this up for much longer. Seeing Su Yunzhou’s effortless state beside her, she finally realized that he must have been holding back to accommodate her the entire time.

[Affinity +3]

[Xia Wanqing’s Affinity: 30 points.]

"Hehe." Su Yunzhou didn’t know why her Affinity had increased again, but he still smiled at the charming married woman who exuded such an enchanting scent.

Panting with a delicate breath that could easily make one’s imagination run wild, Xia Wanqing said, "Mr. Su, you... you really don’t need to worry about me. This is already my top speed!"

"Oh." Su Yunzhou nodded slightly. So that was how he earned the Affinity points. However, he also genuinely wanted to test just how fast he could go. Truth be told, with the enhancement from the Power of Lao Ai, he only felt slightly winded after cycling for so long. He had yet to experience the exhilaration of working up a good sweat.

"How about I take the lead and act as the windbreaker?" he offered. "Try riding behind me!"

Not wanting to spoil his fun, Xia Wanqing nodded. "Alright! But I might not be able to keep up."

"That’s fine." Su Yunzhou’s casual voice drifted back to her. Immediately after, he exerted force in his legs and shot forward like a released arrow. In the blink of an eye, he had caught up to the lead rider, Yu Xiao.

A hint of surprise flashed in Yu Xiao’s eyes, quickly replaced by a stubborn refusal to accept defeat as he began pedaling frantically. The two men rode faster and faster.

However, Yu Xiao’s absolute limit was merely Su Yunzhou’s starting point.

"Keep up close," Su Yunzhou called out.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the wealthy group member—whose speed they already found to be absurdly fast—unexpectedly accelerated once more. In an instant, he left Yu Xiao two bike lengths behind. Those with sharp eyes even noticed that Su Yunzhou’s breathing was still incredibly steady. In stark contrast, Yu Xiao looked like an old dog with its tongue hanging out, pedaling so hard that he was drenched in sweat and his vision was turning black. ℯℯ𝘭.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between them grew wider and wider. After two more corners, the group couldn’t even see Su Yunzhou’s taillights anymore.

Yu Xiao’s face was plastered with helplessness. He... had been completely and utterly crushed. Letting out a long sigh, he gradually slowed his pace.

Once they settled into a steady speed, the riders gasped for breath.

"Holy crap!"

"Isn’t this rich bro a little too fucking fierce?"

"Fierce doesn’t even begin to cover it. With that speed, he could totally rival a professional cyclist."

"Wow."

Chorus after chorus of praise left a bitter taste in Yu Xiao’s mouth, yet there was nothing he could do. Sigh. The cycling he had trained and worked so hard for, and the woman he had simped over for so long... everything had been completely overshadowed.

A gentle breeze swept past. The rest of the group found it incredibly refreshing, but for the sweat-drenched Yu Xiao, the wind only left him shivering. His heart was utterly filled with a profound sense of defeat.

By the time the breathless cycling group arrived at the temporary rallying point—the Tianyue Street intersection—Su Yunzhou was already waiting on the side, casually sipping a drink.

"Everyone, I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just bought a few different types. Help yourselves!"

After addressing the crowd, he grabbed a bottle of soda water and a Mizone amidst their chorus of thanks. He then walked toward Xia Wanqing, whose pretty face was flushed crimson. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her loose hair clung damply to her skin.

She was sitting on the less crowded side. Her white and blue cycling jersey was partially unzipped, revealing a glimpse of snow-white skin.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Phew." Xia Wanqing took deep, heavy breaths, her eyes filled with admiration. "Thank you! Soda water!"

Su Yunzhou handed the water over, thoughtfully unscrewing the cap for her.

[Affinity +2]

GLUG GLUG GLUG. After downing nearly half the bottle, Xia Wanqing lifted her head. Just then, a crystal-clear drop of sweat slipped playfully down her chin and slid into her cleavage. This scene looked exactly like a sweat-drenched, post-workout housewife from some Japanese adult video.

The group rested for a while. Soon, everyone had arrived. Without a doubt, the wealthy group member Su Yunzhou had claimed first place with his undeniable prowess.

However, he declined whatever club membership reward was offered to him. Exhausted both physically and mentally, Yu Xiao merely nodded without saying a word.

According to the rules, the last three to arrive had to treat everyone to a late-night supper. Usually, not many people attended this segment since most were already dead tired, and it was getting quite late.

A group member named "Cycling Zhang Meili," who wore a red cycling jersey that exposed her sports bra, spoke up as the representative of the last three arrivals. "Tonight, we’re treating everyone to ’Happiness Teppanyaki.’ Let me know if you want to come!"

Her gaze landed intentionally or unintentionally on Su Yunzhou. Having never participated in this type of activity before, Su Yunzhou assumed it was a mandatory event. Plus, he was indeed feeling a bit hungry, so he nodded at the woman.

Seeing that the rich brother was going, Zhang Meili felt a surge of joy in her heart, already plotting how she would put her special skills to use later.

Suddenly, Xia Wanqing raised her hand and said, "Then... count me in too!"

"Ah? Oh!"

Seeing the goddess sign up, many people revealed expressions of shock and regret. It was a well-known fact that she never participated in these group meals. Yet today, she had broken her habit. As for the reason why, one could figure it out even with their sore asses.

Su Yunzhou swore he heard the sound of something shattering. He looked around in confusion. The eyes of the crowd flickered with mixed emotions. Several men, led by Yu Xiao, wore expressions of unspoken sourness. The few women standing next to Zhang Meili also looked completely bored.

"These people are so strange!" Su Yunzhou mused internally.