Chapter 43: The Retreat of Jingyi
Chapter 43
"Jing Yiyi! Is this how you pay attention to safety when I tell you to be careful?!"
Before Jing Yi could share her excitement with Jing Zejun, Jing Zeqian's words hit her like a thunderbolt.
Seeing Jing Zeqian's dark face, Jing Yi felt a bit guilty but tried to maintain her composure, saying, "I was paying attention to safety!"
It's not like she was accelerating the whole time...
Jing Yi moved closer to Jing Zejun, linking arms with her to avoid Jing Zeqian's gaze.
"Mr. Jing, Miss Yiyi might be a novice, so she couldn't control the speed well for a moment..." Li Chengsheng tried to say something nice about Jing Yi, but he felt increasingly uneasy as he spoke.
If Jing Yi wasn't Jing Zeqian's sister, he would have wanted to sponsor her to participate in professional races. Of course, his money was nothing compared to the Jing family's wealth.
"Have someone take the race car back," Jing Zeqian turned to instruct the staff behind him to drive the car away.
After just over ten minutes of driving, his heart was racing like this. If they continued, he might need to see a cardiologist!
Jing Zeqian glared at her, "When I'm not around, don't even think about touching a race car again!"
Jing Zeqian was worried that Jing Yi would secretly come to Shanchi to play when he wasn't around, so he gave her an advance warning.
When Jing Yi started driving, she was like a runaway horse that couldn't be stopped. Racing itself was a dangerous game, and he had no idea of Jing Yi's true abilities, so naturally, he couldn't ensure she would come out unscathed every time she played like this.
Jing Yi pouted, feeling a bit defiant, but seeing Jing Zeqian's dark face, she didn't dare to voice her objections.
Fine, Jing Zeqian was just concerned about her...
"But Mr. Jing, hasn't Miss Yiyi raced cars abroad before...?" Li Chengsheng's voice trailed off as he noticed Jing Yi's gaze turn towards him, frantically blinking.
Li Chengsheng had originally wanted to ask Jing Zeqian about Jing Yi's racing experience abroad, as he was truly curious about her racing skills, but Jing Yi seemed to not want him to bring up this matter.
His voice grew quieter and quieter, while Jing Yi was furious on the side.
What was wrong with this Li Chengsheng?! Couldn't he read the room? Was this the time to bring that up?
Jing Zeqian and Jing Zejun were surprised, clearly unaware of this information, or rather, no one in the Jing family knew about this.
Jing Yi hid behind Jing Zejun, desperately wishing she could be invisible at this moment, but Jing Zeqian clearly wasn't going to let her off the hook.
"Jing Yiyi? This wasn't your first time racing?"
Jing Yi sighed helplessly. How could it be her first time? Did they really think she was that naturally gifted? "Well, actually, I just played around casually with some friends."
The "friends" Jing Yi referred to were actually professional race car drivers from abroad.
Before Jing Yi had transmigrated, she had only been slightly interested in racing. But racing was an extremely expensive hobby. Not to mention that professional racers all had their own modified cars, dedicated racing teams, and special driving licenses.
Each of these aspects alone required a significant amount of money. Even for casual enthusiasts, the price of these racing games was enough to deter most hobbyists.
After Jing Yi transmigrated, by chance, she met some friends involved in professional racing.
One day at a night market, while she was waiting for her snack order, a conflict broke out at a nearby table.
She watched as a group of drunk men pulled a girl to the ground. The girl was alone, and one of the men raised a chair, about to smash it down on her.
Jing Yi rushed over and kicked the man to the ground.
The rest of the men at the table looked ready to charge at her. Two fists were no match for four hands, especially when Jing Yi also had to protect the fallen girl.
At that moment, another group of people rushed in, joining Jing Yi in fending off the attackers.
Later, Jing Yi learned that this group was composed of race car drivers, even professionals who had participated in international races. They gradually became friends.
Seeing Jing Yi's keen interest in racing, they took her to the race track a few times.
When they discovered that Jing Yi's interest in racing wasn't just superficial, they became more dedicated in teaching her. They even tried to persuade Jing Yi to pursue a career as a professional race car driver with them.
Jing Yi declined. Her friends were puzzled, and while they didn't fully understand, they respected her decision.
Jing Zeqian crossed his arms, skeptical of Jing Yi's explanation. How could she master seamless drifting around corners just by "playing around casually"?
However, he couldn't force her to explain everything in detail. But after today's incident, Jing Zeqian mentally flagged Jing Yi's attitude towards racing.
Jing Zeqian didn't dwell on Jing Yi's situation any longer, as the person in charge of the race track had been waiting nearby for quite some time.
Jing Zeqian didn't visit the race track often, so the manager was clearly there to report on operations. Jing Zeqian, along with Li Chengsheng and a few others, moved to the side to discuss some matters concerning the race track with the manager.
Jing Yi and Jing Zejun walked back to the viewing stand from earlier, watching her entire racing process on the small screen that recorded the events.
There was no trace of pride on her face. When she noticed several obvious flaws, her expression became even more serious.
It seemed she had gotten a bit rusty after not racing for so long.
Seeing Jing Yi's serious demeanor, Jing Zejun tentatively asked, "Yiyi, you really like racing, don't you?"
Liking sports cars, enjoying racing, and even being skilled in kickboxing - these all seemed to be sides of Jing Yi that she was reluctant to show her family.
Jing Zejun had actually been puzzled for a long time about why Jing Yi was so unwilling to let her family know about these hobbies.
Jing Yi was slightly taken aback but still nodded.
"Then why haven't you ever mentioned it to the family?"
Jing Yi continued looking at the screen and responded nonchalantly to Jing Zejun's question, "I only play occasionally anyway, so there's no need to bring it up."
Jing Zejun frowned slightly, clearly not agreeing with Jing Yi's words.
She felt that Jing Yi's reluctance to mention it wasn't because she only played occasionally, but because she feared certain reactions from her family if she did, so she restrained herself from showing her fondness for these hobbies.
She had noticed before that when their father mentioned 'Black Night', Jing Yi had visibly tensed up, as if she was afraid of worrying or upsetting him, and had quickly glossed over it.
Jing Zejun hesitated for a moment before speaking seriously, "Yiyi, hobbies aren't something that will disappear just because you suppress them."
Jing Zejun didn't want Jing Yi to put her hobbies aside due to excessive consideration for others' feelings, even if it was family.
Jing Yi stopped looking at the screen and smiled a little at Jing Zejun's words.
"Junj un, you saw how Second Brother reacted just now. Even he was worried. If Uncle and Auntie found out, wouldn't they be even more concerned? It doesn't matter, it's just a hobby after all."
The more casually Jing Yi brushed it off, the more Jing Zejun's heart ached for her.
From Jing Yi's behavior, it was clear that these weren't just simple hobbies. They seemed to be an integral part of who Jing Yi was. She was now hiding this part of herself, just to avoid worrying her family...