Speed ​​God

Chapter 1 Roman Night
November 2016, late autumn, Rome, Italy.

As midnight approached, the night deepened, and the streets of Rome slept in the chill of late autumn. Only the neon lights of the bars flickered recklessly, and the deafening bass rhythms made the floor tremble slightly. The air was filled with the strong scents of alcohol, sweat, and perfume, and the rolling heat condensed into a thin mist on the windowpanes.

Lu Zhizhou leaned casually against the bar, looking slightly lazy. He had just won a thrilling street race, and his adrenaline was gradually returning. His body was slowly relaxing, and he let himself sway gently to the rhythm. His sweat-soaked hair danced and swung in the air.

In my line of sight, a slender and tall woman gracefully approached.

Her burgundy floor-length dress accentuated her graceful curves, subtle yet bold, captivating all eyes and sparking endless imagination. She walked gracefully in a pair of delicate black high heels, her slightly curled brown hair cascading down lazily and casually, swaying with charm. Every move, every smile, firmly held everyone's gaze.

Curious, probing gazes followed her closely, ready to launch an attack. However, they noticed the woman in the fiery red dress walking towards the youthful, doll-like face and couldn't help but sigh softly. Some figures were itching to make a move, but stopped in their tracks after noticing the dangerous aura emanating from the doll-like face.

Lu Zhizhou remained motionless, keeping a low profile and composed, like a rock in a raging storm, immersed in his own world, exuding a unique aura from within. Others' gazes would inadvertently sweep over him without noticing anything special, yet they couldn't help but turn back for a second look.

The woman in the red dress stopped in front of Lu Zhizhou, placed the sour whiskey in her hand on the bar, and gently pushed it towards him. "Do you prefer whiskey or a martini?"

Lu Zhizhou raised an eyebrow slightly, looked up at her, but did not answer her question. He paused for a moment, "The time of the grand feast?"

The woman in the red dress did not hide her surprise—

This is the name of the perfume she's wearing tonight.

Attentive, perceptive, and able to take the initiative, she stood out from the crowd from the very first glance, a smile spreading across her face. "Indeed, my judgment was correct."

Lu Zhizhou raised an eyebrow. "What judgment?"

The woman in the red dress narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone light yet scrutinizing, "I heard Lorenzo lost the race tonight, I didn't expect..."

Lu Zhizhou chuckled lightly, "Heh, so, disappointed?"

"Haha." The woman in the red dress smiled broadly.

Despite saying this, he showed no signs of nervousness or discouragement; his inner confidence remained in control of the situation.

It's quite remarkable.

The woman in the red dress raised her glass in a gesture of respect and introduced herself, "Marlena."

To be honest, everything was unfamiliar to Lu Zhizhou.

He just celebrated his seventeenth birthday last week. This was his second time going abroad, and his first time participating in underground street racing.

Everything was new and full of challenges.

bar?

This is the first time, so is this scene commonplace in all bars? Or is it a unique aspect of European bar culture?
Before others even speak, what he truly worries about is language—

After three full days in Rome, Lu Zhizhou realized that English wasn't so useful, because most people here only spoke Italian, and even the restaurants only had Italian menus. He had been eating pizza for every meal to satisfy his hunger for the past three days, and he vowed never to see pizza again this year.

However, Lu Zhizhou was a bold man; otherwise, he wouldn't have accepted Lorenzo's invitation and secretly come to Rome for racing.

Everything is an adventure.

Lu Zhizhou gazed at the passionate Malena before him, a slight smile playing on his lips, and introduced himself in return, "Lu Zhizhou."

Not far away, Lorenzo Moretti wore a slightly loose brown leather jacket, with a racing car pendant bracelet hanging loosely on his wrist. His hair was slightly curly and fluffy, as if he had just walked out of the wind. He looked to be in his early twenties, with a straight nose and a faint smile always on his lips.

knock knock.

He tapped the wooden bar with his index finger and looked at the bartender who was leaning closer with a smile. "Two Nicolonis, extra gin."

The bartender gave a knowing smile; Lorenzo was clearly a regular at the bar. "Who's the lucky one tonight, winning over young Master Moretti?"

“Ha.” Lorenzo laughed heartily, turned to look at the end of the bar, and gestured with his chin. “That guy, but I’m not sure if he’d like to be called ‘Lucky Guy’.”

The bartender followed Lorenzo's gaze—

His slender figure exuded a lazy and casual air, and his soft black hair hung down neatly, making his Asian face appear even more youthful. He wore a white T-shirt under a black leather jacket, a simple outfit that seemed out of place in the decadent bar, yet possessed a strange allure.

With clear eyes and a calm demeanor, he was like a high-achieving high school student who had accidentally wandered into a wild party, completely different from the drunken figures around him. A quick glance at him would definitely not miss him.

The bartender's lips twitched slightly downwards. "Him? Are you sure? He's still a baby."

They already have difficulty judging the age of Asians, and the adorable baby in front of them has a completely baby face, making it even more difficult to determine.

Turning around, the bartender saw Lorenzo slightly raise his chin, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Be careful, appearances can be deceiving. Those people suffered because they underestimated this 'baby,' including me."

"I've said it before, no one can beat me three times in a row in racing. But..."

There was no need for the words to be finished; the bartender already understood and didn't hide his astonishment. "Him?"

Lorenzo, on the other hand, was quite generous. "Shanghai. Zhuhai. And tonight in Rome. He earned my respect with his actions, and he deserves a drink."

The bartender stared wide-eyed, still unable to believe his ears, but a customer's order was an order, and even though the boy looked underage, he was still ready to mix the drinks.

"I'm only in charge of mixing the drinks, you're responsible for the consequences, but..." he drawled, "your friend seems to be in some trouble."

Lorenzo looked on in confusion and almost choked on his own saliva when he looked over again: What's going on?

Not only him, but also the whispering, gloating gazes in the bar were all directed towards him—

Lu Zhizhou was about to take the glass of whiskey to taste when, to his utter surprise, a figure emerged from behind Malena, snatched the whiskey away first, and then casually put his right arm around Malena, raising his chin to look down at Lu Zhizhou as if declaring ownership. It was a young man in an Armani casual suit, followed by two bodyguards. He had a high nose, deep-set eyes, and an arrogant gait. His collar was undone up to the second button, revealing a gleaming metallic necklace, and his hair was neatly slicked back, exuding a greasy confidence.

He didn't speak, but simply looked over Malena's shoulder and stared intently at Lu Zhizhou, making no attempt to hide his hostility.

Examine it closely, as if you were examining an object.

Malena broke free from the man's grasp and subtly moved half a step to the side, "Matheo."

The man ignored him and continued to stare intently at Lu Zhizhou.

Lu Zhizhou didn't dodge. He looked back calmly and gracefully, seemingly able to see through the man's toughness and his bluff. Deep in his eyes was anxiety and irritability, which made his movements and expressions more exaggerated than usual.

"Mathew!" Malena was getting angry.

The man named Matteo finally looked away from Malena, his expression changed, and a smile appeared on his lips as he said in Italian, "You look beautiful today."

Malena had regained her composure, proudly raising her chin, but answered in English, seemingly in response to Lu Zhizhou, "I know."

Matteo took a step forward, trying to get closer to Malena, but Malena was one step ahead, stepping aside first. Matteo only caught a whiff of the fragrance from a few strands of her hair. He took a deep breath, even closing his eyes to savor it, and when he opened his eyes again, he locked his gaze firmly onto Malena.

"Him? Are you kidding me!"

“Malena, listen, I drove a brand new car over tonight, you’ll love it…”

Matteo's eagerness to show off his treasure was unexpectedly interrupted when a voice came from the side, "Who's calling?"

Matteo reflexively replied, without even realizing it, his heavily accented English uttering, “Matteo Vitale, Roman. Kid, you’re still a kid and you’re already out chasing girls. Go home, or your mother will worry.”

Lu Zhizhou slowly spread his hands, "Good job, but the reward is only given to the brave cubs. Come back when you're a bit older."

puff.

Marlena couldn't help but burst into a smile.

Matteo only then realized that he had fallen into a trap and made a fool of himself in front of his goddess. Enraged, Matteo took a step forward, glaring at Lu Zhizhou through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "You country bumpkin, the Vitale family's influence in Rome is something you outsider can't even begin to grasp."

Lu Zhizhou raised an eyebrow slightly, "The Mafia?"

Matteo choked.

Lu Zhizhou: "Oh, sorry, I forgot, this isn't Sicily."

At this moment, Matteo's cheeks were visibly flushing red, as if they might explode at any moment. "I..."

Matteo clenched his fist, ready to step forward, but this time Malena reacted quickly and intervened, "Mateo, you don't want to cause any more trouble. You know whose territory this is."

Matteo's expression changed instantly. He stared intently at Malena, and the words that were about to come out of his mouth changed. "Heh, I am a noble man. Let's have a fair duel, a race. How about it? Malena loves racing the most. Whoever wins, Malena will go with him."

Despite the chaos, Lu Zhizhou remained calm and composed, lightly tapping the hem of his shirt with his fingertips, subtly taking control of the situation as if he were calculating every step. "Matheau, she is not your trophy."

"She shouldn't be anyone's trophy."

With a casual remark, Marlena firmly suppressed Matteo, and involuntarily turned to look at Lu Zhizhou, her eyes gleaming.

Lu Zhizhou had no time to pay attention to Malena at the moment. He stared at Matteo and shrugged slightly. "Besides, my appearance fee is very high. This old man may not be able to afford it."

Matteo was furious. "Asian drivers? Humph, this is Rome, not some random little yellow guy who can race here."

with full force!

Just then, a figure appeared. He casually patted the shoulders of his two bodyguards, whispered a few words in Italian, and they voluntarily made way for him. The situation calmly fell into his control.

Then he spread his arms and put them on Matteo and Malena's shoulders respectively, looking like good buddies. His appearance alone was enough to shift the focus.

Lorenzo looked at Lu Zhizhou with a grin and gave him a knowing look, "I think you two could have a match."

Matteo exclaimed, "Lorenzo!"

Lorenzo ignored him. "Five thousand euros, cash, plus a kiss from 'Racing Goddess' Malena. Winner takes all. What do you think?"

Malena's eyes widened. "I'm not your bet!"

Lorenzo spread his arms and squeezed between the two people, putting his arm around Lu Zhizhou's shoulder. He looked at Malena as she peddled the goods in her right hand, "Don't you like him? This is a chance to get close to him!"

Lu Zhizhou: ? ? ?

Lorenzo met Lu Zhizhou's gaze calmly and mouthed silently: Five thousand euros.

The prize money he offered to invite Lu Zhizhou to Rome for an underground street race was this amount.

Before Lu Zhizhou could respond, Matteo, fearing the situation might change, preemptively said, "Okay, that's settled." He even looked at Lu Zhizhou provocatively, "You're not scared, are you? Haha, if you're afraid of a collision, just admit defeat now. Don't worry, I won't slap you in the face."

Lu Zhizhou shrugged lightly. Since someone had generously offered money to him, it would be impolite for him to refuse.

"Oh, I'll give it a try then."

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(End of this chapter)