Chapter 35: Still Unconvinced? If You Dare to Lose Again, I Dare to Compete Again!

"Is that all?"

Ji Yangyang stood in the rest area of the racetrack with his arms crossed, watching He Chen drive in a stumbling, erratic manner. With his confidence in victory, his tone became increasingly disdainful and contemptuous.

In his mind, he imagined the scene of He Chen losing and having to publicly announce himself as an "idiot" during the morning assembly; the corners of his mouth curled into a smirk he couldn't suppress.

"Young people these days are really..." Ji Yangyang’s uncle shook his head with a smile, but soon, that smile vanished. He stared with growing unease and suspicion at He Chen, who was constantly familiarizing himself with the go-kart on the track.

If the first lap had been that of a complete novice, by the second lap, He Chen was already driving with a decent level of competence. By the third lap, his improvement was visible to the naked eye, progressing in leaps and bounds.

"Yangyang, let's start the race!" Ji Yangyang's uncle immediately urged his nephew. Seeing that the boy was still somewhat dazed, he pulled him over and directly called out to He Chen, who was preparing to continue his practice.

"Are you going to race or not?"

His sister and brother-in-law had always opposed their son prioritizing racing over his studies. While he didn't necessarily oppose the hobby, he knew that while his nephew was fine for amateur levels, the idea of turning professional at his age was essentially wishful thinking. If he could let his nephew suffer a minor setback and recognize reality, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

However, he also knew that young people cared about their pride. If he lost in such a way that he was forced to realize his true skill level, it would be too cruel. He feared his nephew wouldn't be able to handle it.

So, seeing He Chen’s rate of growth—either he was a natural genius or playing the fool to catch his opponent off guard—he knew he couldn't let He Chen continue to practice. Otherwise, who knew if, after a few more laps, He Chen’s skills might suddenly skyrocket past his nephew's?

"Let’s start, then!" Having completed three laps, He Chen had already mastered the basics of go-karting. Unfazed by the prospect of a race, he agreed immediately.

Seeing this, Ji Yangyang couldn't possibly back down. Already fully equipped, he climbed into his own custom go-kart and pulled up alongside He Chen.

"Since this is a race, let Deng Xiaoqi do the honors!" Seeing his uncle preparing to act as the starter, He Chen interrupted him and beckoned to Deng Xiaoqi, who had been following along to watch the excitement.

Deng Xiaoqi, realizing she had a chance to be deeply involved, was thrilled. She ran to the front and took on the role of the flag girl. After all, who hadn't seen *The Fast and the Furious*? In racing, a beautiful flag girl was a standard feature.

The fact that He Chen had personally asked her to do it was the greatest compliment in her ears. She could already imagine the envy, jealousy, and hatred of the other girls—including her best friend, Lin Miaomiao—once the news spread.

Wonderful! It was absolutely wonderful!

However, despite her immense joy, she was still just a high school girl in China. It was impossible for her to truly imitate the flag girls from *The Fast and the Furious* with provocative or alluring gestures. Suppressing the urge to sing and dance for He Chen, she performed the role of the starter in a modest and conventional manner.

The two cars zoomed off, one after the other. She focused her gaze and saw that He Chen’s car was in the lead, pulling far ahead, which brought a smile to her face.

"What fast reaction time!" Ji Yangyang’s uncle was shocked, and his sense of foreboding grew stronger. This high school student who dared to bet against his nephew might truly be a prodigy. This was going to be trouble.

Ji Yangyang, trailing behind He Chen, was also startled. For some reason, he recalled the first time he met He Chen, when he was also tailing behind him. Back then, when he honked his horn, He Chen's companion, Lin Miaomiao, had almost fallen off her bicycle. Yet He Chen, despite riding in front, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; with a casual but swift and precise movement, he had reached out and grabbed the handlebars of Lin Miaomiao’s bike, steadying her.

Then there was the time he had charged at He Chen, only to end up on the ground in agonizing pain without even seeing how He Chen had moved... Could this He Chen actually know martial arts?

Impossible! How could that be possible?

But if he truly knew martial arts, with keen senses and extraordinary control over his body, then having that hardware as a foundation would make mastering anything a matter of innate talent, wouldn't it?

These strange thoughts flashed through Ji Yangyang’s mind, but he wasn't too worried. The track was long, and there were plenty of corners. Leading due to a fast reaction at the start didn't mean victory was guaranteed. He quickly suppressed his distractions and stared fixedly at He Chen, looking for an opportunity to overtake.

But then, the unthinkable happened. Despite this being his first time here and having only run three laps, He Chen seemed exceptionally familiar with the track. He made no mistakes, maintaining his lead step by step, never giving Ji Yangyang a chance to overtake.

By the end of the race, he couldn't accept the result. He watched as He Chen removed his helmet, gestured at him with a pose like the "Landlady" from *Kung Fu Hustle*, and listened to He Chen’s words, which caused him to snap.

"Studying has no barrier to entry, and you’re no good at it! Racing has no barriers either, and as it turns out, you’re still no good!"

"You jumped the start!" Ji Yangyang couldn't accept the result that he was failing at everything. After all, he had always believed that studying was useless and that he had grand ambitions; his pride and arrogance, his belief that he had a superior dream, were all suddenly exposed as a joke.

He couldn't bear the humiliation of having to shout "I am a racer" three times in public. He had to find an excuse. And once he said it, regardless of whether others believed him, he believed it himself.

Because this had to be the truth. If it weren't for He Chen jumping the start, how could he, someone who spent all his time here and had the confidence to join professional races with his honed skills, have lost?

"You don't accept it?" He Chen raised an eyebrow and beckoned to Ji Yangyang with his finger: "Then let's go another round!"

"Bring it on!" Although he found the gesture humiliating, Ji Yangyang quickly accepted, seeing that He Chen was willing to give him a chance at a comeback.

If he won this time, everything would be worth it! He had some choice words waiting for He Chen. He would return the humiliation tenfold!

"Deng Xiaoqi, sorry for the trouble!" He Chen called on Deng Xiaoqi to act as the starter again. If one time wasn't enough, he would do it twice; if twice wasn't enough, he would do it three times. He wanted Ji Yangyang to lose until he was thoroughly convinced.

With the strength he had cultivated through the two martial arts techniques bestowed upon him by the system, even if it were his first time touching a go-kart, the further they went, the more hopeless it would become for someone of Ji Yangyang’s mediocre talent.

And that was exactly how it played out.

In the second round, the race started, and He Chen didn't rely on his fast reflexes to "jump the start." He let Ji Yangyang take the lead, then showed off an overtake on a curve.

When he won again, Ji Yangyang’s face twisted as he muttered, "Impossible, this is impossible..."

"Still don't accept it? Let's go again!" He Chen smiled faintly.

"Bring it on!" Ji Yangyang shouted with bloodshot eyes. He simply refused to believe this result. He was aiming to be the next Han Han, having worked hard for this dream for so many years—how could he lose to someone playing for the first time?

If he couldn't even win this... or if he couldn't win even once, what did that make him?

Ji Yangyang’s uncle was frantic, for he realized that He Chen was a supreme genius. In the first round, he had to rely on a "jumped start" due to reaction time. In the second round, he executed several beautiful overtakes on corners, even using drifting.

He was demonstrating ever-increasing control over the kart. If they continued, He Chen would likely start showing off cornering and drifting techniques on the level of an "Akina Speed Star." If his nephew kept this up, he would only lose more face and suffer a greater blow to his pride.