Back to the teenage years

Chapter 610 Car Crash
The mountains are majestic, and the sky is high and distant.

The bus crawled along the mountain road.

The fields and villages on both sides were constantly left behind, replaced by lush pine forests and brown rock walls.

The highway, like a gray-white ribbon, winds its way up the mountain, sometimes clinging to the cliffs, sometimes leaping over deep ravines. Swaying and swaying, the group arrived at Yiyun Reservoir halfway up Black Deer Peak.

Yiyun Reservoir is nestled among mountains, resembling a giant mirror with its clear blue waters reflecting the verdant forests above. White clouds drift across the water, and the surrounding area is a vast expanse of green grassland, with a few dozen adobe farmhouses scattered along the edge.

It was the height of summer, and the temperature in the mountains was much lower than in the city.

After everyone got off the bus, they felt the cool, moist breeze blowing across the water and the fresh scent of grass and earth floating in the air, and the fatigue of the journey seemed to be swept away.

The event's chief coordinator, Li Xiaoman, was already directing everyone to unload the supplies from the trucks that were following behind. The supplies were quite plentiful, including bicycles, bottled water and sports drinks, various food items, a basic first-aid kit, and camping gear for the night.

After unloading the goods, everyone was free to move around on the grass.

About twenty students from the university found a patch of grass, gathered together to eat dry rations to replenish their energy, play cards, and chat. The atmosphere was quite lively.

Zhang Yunqi, Ma Rulong, Jin Shengze, and the other two brothers stayed together.

He had actually been to this place once in his previous life, when he brought his wife and children for a vacation. At that time, Heimi Peak had been upgraded to a national forest park. The environment was alright, mainly because it was quiet, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and it was only a two-hour drive away. It was a popular weekend getaway destination for the residents of Lijin.

Ma Rulong plopped down on the other side of Zhang Yunqi, took out a loaf of bread and took a big bite: "This place is really nice. It would be great if I had a girl to go sightseeing with."

He Lin looked a little annoyed: "Old Ma, can you stop talking about women all the time? You're so thirsty, it's making me really embarrassed, especially with Yufei right here."

Li Yufei smiled slightly and said gracefully, "I'm fine, you two can chat."

She was eating her bread in small bites, and even shared half with Zhang Yunqi. Her gaze drifted to the distant scenery, and she noticed a little girl, about seven or eight years old, standing on a small hill, looking in their direction.

The little girl had two pigtails and wore a faded floral dress with many patches. Her big eyes blinked, showing the innocence and curiosity unique to children from the mountains.

Li Yufei stood up, took an apple out of the bag, and walked towards the little girl.

Zhang Yunqi chewed on his bread, watching Li Yufei walk up to the little girl, squat down, and gently say something to her before handing her an apple. The little girl took it shyly, turned, and ran away, her two braids swinging behind her head.

Li Yufei walked back and said, "This little girl is from here. She's only eight years old and hasn't gone to school. She's so young and she's herding sheep on the mountain with her grandfather. It's quite pitiful, but she's very cute."

Zhang Yunqi smiled and nodded, without saying anything.

Just then, he heard a car horn from the side. He looked up and saw a BMW 740i driving towards him from a distance across the road.

Zhang Yunqi had seen this car countless times.

Lu Yuanzhou's car.

The BMW pulled up and stopped nearby. As expected, Lu Yuanzhou got out of the car, dressed in a light gray tracksuit. When he saw Zhang Yunqi and Li Yufei sitting on the lawn, he nodded slightly with a polite smile on his face.

Two more people got out of the BMW, a man and a woman.

The girl was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, tall and slender, wearing a well-tailored black suit skirt. Her hair was neatly pinned up, revealing her long, fair neck. She had a beautiful face and a capable demeanor, but her identity was unknown.

The other one was a man, around thirty years old. Zhang Yunqi didn't recognize him, but he felt that he was the person in charge of Jianlibao's Lijin branch, because as soon as Li Xiaoman saw him, she immediately went over to him. The group exchanged a few words, and the atmosphere seemed quite pleasant.

Li Yufei said softly, "He really came. How do you know him so well?"

Zhang Yunqi said frankly, "I wouldn't say that. Maybe it's just that men like it this way, and rich men like it even more."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xiaoman led Lu Yuanzhou over: "Boss Zhang, Yufei, you and President Lu are old acquaintances, so I don't need to introduce you, right? Manager Deng from Jianlibao's Changsha branch just said that President Lu happens to be free today and has come to participate in our cycling event. Have a great time together."

When Li Xiaoman said this, there seemed to be a hint of helplessness on her pretty face. She naturally knew about the sensitive relationship between Lu Yuanzhou, Zhang Yunqi, and Li Yufei, and she also knew that everyone would be unhappy or even embarrassed by this arrangement. However, as the organizer of this event, she had no reason to disagree with the big money coming from above.

Lu Yuanzhou nodded to Li Xiaoman, glanced at Zhang Yunqi, and finally looked at Li Yufei. He said in a natural tone, "President Zhang, Yufei, I heard that you came to Black Elk Peak for a free ride and camping today. I'm quite interested, so I'd like to join in the fun. You don't mind, do you?"

Zhang Yunqi, however, had no intention of giving him that face: "Actually, I mind quite a bit."

Lu Yuanzhou smiled and said, "It's normal for President Zhang to mind, because I also dislike you quite a bit."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Zhang Yunqi smiled and said, "No matter what, I admire President Lu's uprightness and his willingness to speak his mind."

Lu Yuanzhou nodded: "That's true. Conflicts may exist, but we still need to maintain our composure. After all, we're such a big boss."

Zhang Yunqi said, "President Lu is always so classy. I will learn from you."

Lu Yuanzhou nodded slightly: "President Zhang, you flatter me. Let's learn from each other and make progress together in the future."

As he spoke, he turned to Li Yufei and said, "Yufei, you guys rest first. I won't disturb you any longer. We'll all ride together later. I hope my sudden arrival didn't spoil your fun."

Li Yufei raised her eyes and said calmly, "You're too kind. The event is open to everyone."

Lu Yuanzhou nodded.

He didn't say anything more and turned to walk towards Manager Deng of Jianlibao.

The girl who came with him didn't leave immediately. With a professional smile, she handed Zhang Yunqi a business card and said in a clear and crisp voice, "Hello, Mr. Zhang. I've heard so much about you. Mr. Lu often mentions you, saying you are an outstanding young entrepreneur in Lijin. Let me introduce myself, Su Nan, Mr. Lu's assistant."

Zhang Yunqi accepted the business card: "Assistant Su, you flatter me."

Su Nan smiled and said, "Then I'm sorry to bother you."

After speaking, she gave a slight bow before quickly following Lu Yuanzhou. Once she was gone, the air seemed to begin to move again.

Jin Shengze and the others didn't know who Lu Yuanzhou was. Seeing Zhang Yunqi and him going head-to-head like fire and earth, the atmosphere became a bit strange.

Ma Rulong stroked his chin and clicked his tongue: "This guy looks pretty good. He's handsome, rich, and seems to have a lot of charisma and brains."

He Lin, always known for his sharp tongue, said, "That's right, you didn't realize this guy was chasing after Yufei!"

Li Yufei blushed slightly, but remained silent.

Ma Rulong immediately jumped up: "Damn it, this is intolerable! We have to find a chance to take him down! We're all here, and this remote place is perfect for a fight." As he spoke, he moved closer to Zhang Yunqi and lowered his voice: "Boss Zhang, when do we make our move?"

Jin Shengze gestured towards the group from the university and said, "I'm afraid it won't be our boss Zhang's turn to make a move. That Zhao Chengming from the university seems to have a rather sensitive and impulsive personality..."

Zhang Yunqi remained silent.

His gaze fell on Lu Yuanzhou, who was chatting and laughing with Manager Deng in the distance, and Su Nan, who stood upright beside him, occasionally listening attentively to instructions. He suddenly remembered that Wang Guibing had mentioned this name in his briefing; it seemed to be someone who had returned from Wharton Business School.

Overthinking is pointless; just eat and drink as usual.

Everyone rested in small groups for a while, playing and joking around until 2 p.m., when the Jianlibao cycling event began.

The bicycles had been unloaded from the truck and were neatly lined up in a row. The frames were all printed with the eye-catching Jianlibao logo, and there were also photographers, videographers, and other staff.

Zhang Yunqi randomly picked a car. He originally wanted to adjust the brakes and transmission for Li Yufei, but safety comes first!

But in reality, he wasn't involved in any of these tasks. Not to mention the group of monks from the university who would rave at the sight of a beautiful woman, Lu Yuanzhou and Zhao Chengming, the two gatekeepers, were constantly guarding Li Yufei from the start of the cycling event, like a leech.

There's no way around it; this is a right that beautiful women are born with, but it can also be seen as a shackle. Whether Li Yufei likes it or not, this is something that will accompany her for the rest of her life.

The starting point was marked by a makeshift archway made of Jianlibao beverage cans. Everyone wore orange Jianlibao vests and then cycled along the winding mountain road around Yiyun Reservoir.

The road to Yiyun Reservoir was built in 1959 and was the first stop for coal from Yangmen Coal Mine to be transported to all parts of the country. The elevation difference is 520 meters, and the loop is about 13 kilometers long. However, the environment is nice, and you can enjoy the beautiful natural scenery along the way while cycling and experience a leisurely summer time.

After all, they were just amateur college students, and the event wasn't very professional. However, for a college student union event, the budget wasn't small; I'd estimate it to be around two or three thousand yuan.

Zhang Yunqi didn't know if Li Xiaoman had done it intentionally or unintentionally, but she had brought Li Yufei along. Given Li Yufei's current status, her appearance fee alone would be over five thousand, and now they had a wealthy and eligible bachelor like Lu Yuanzhou joining in. Jianlibao's return on investment for this event was practically maximized.

Everyone took a photo together at the Jianlibao archway. Before setting off, the person in charge, Li Xiaoman, suddenly announced some big news through a megaphone.

Mr. Lu Yuanzhou, the general manager of Xiongsen Group, generously decided to sponsor 10,000 yuan in cash! Whoever reaches the finish line first will have the prize money used to purchase books and stationery in their name and donate them to impoverished students in Heimi Peak!

That was done brilliantly.

This not only elevated the event's prestige but also cleverly defused the awkwardness of the uninvited guest. Lu Yuanzhou, the suddenly appearing big boss, suddenly became very popular and became the center of attention.

After the event started, Ma Rulong took the lead and rushed to the front, barking loudly like a male dog in heat. Zhang Yunqi followed behind. At first, the road was a gentle downhill slope, winding down along the reservoir. On one side was a steep mountain wall, and on the other side was a deep blue water surface.

The sun was shining brightly, and the mountain breeze was refreshingly cool.

The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of pine needles and wildflowers.

Zhang Yunqi, Jin Shengze, and Ma Rulong were at the front, speeding along the winding mountain road. Ma Rulong wiped his sweat as he rode and said, "Boss Zhang, climbing this hill is much harder than chasing girls."

Jin Shengze said, "That's different. Chasing girls depends on fate and brains, while climbing hills depends entirely on your legs."

Zhang Yunqi laughed: "The problem is that Lao Ma lacks the first two."

Jin Shengze said, "How about the three of us have a competition to see who can reach the finish line first? We can use the 10,000 yuan from President Lu Yuanzhou as a prize, and if we win, we can donate it to buy school tools for impoverished students. That would be a great achievement."

Ma Rulong immediately retorted, "I can't compete with Boss Zhang in terms of money, I can't compete with the Golden Man in terms of looks, and as for physical strength? My three legs are as hard as steel plates!"

Jin Shengze and Zhang Yunqi both laughed.

As they talked, the three brothers began to exert force, and the wheels made a soft rustling sound as they rolled over the road.

Ma Rulong charged ahead with sheer force, Jin Shengze pedaled with a steady rhythm, and Zhang Yunqi maintained a uniform pace. The mountain wind whistled past their ears, and sweat trickled down their foreheads.

As they continued riding forward, the slope became steeper and steeper, and many people slowed down. The group gradually stretched out and formed several echelons. The three brothers, Zhang Yunqi, Ma Rulong, and Jin Shengze, who were in the lead, had already turned the bend ahead, while those who were lagging behind were still struggling on the halfway up the slope.

The highway continues to extend upwards.

As the altitude increased, the air became crisper and the view became wider. Zhang Yunqi was covered in sweat; he hadn't felt this exhilarating in a long time.

Just then, a loud argument suddenly broke out from behind and below, mixed with the clatter of a bicycle falling to the ground.

Upon hearing the sound, Zhang Yunqi realized something was wrong. He put one foot on the ground, swung the car around, and drove downhill.

A few hundred meters below, at a bend in the road, two bicycles lay overturned on the ground, their wheels still spinning.

Zhao Chengming's face turned bright red. He got up from the ground like an enraged bull and charged at Lu Yuanzhou, who had just regained his footing and was brushing the dust off his body. He shouted something, but his voice was broken by the mountain wind.

Lu Yuanzhou took half a step back and raised his hand to block.

Several cyclists nearby stopped their bikes in a panic, looking somewhat bewildered.

******
P.S.: Guys, the story is basically all sorted out now, and I've outlined the entire plot for this volume. I estimate I'll be able to finish writing it this month. There are many parts in the beginning of this volume that I'm not satisfied with, and I hope the ending will be well-written and brilliant!!

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