Chapter 573: Even the Veteran Drivers Were Stunned
The affinity test results were rather depressing. Xia Shixuan’s score was still a long way from the passing mark of eighty, and it seemed impossible to make up the difference in the remaining month or so. Shen Yibin’s plan to keep Carmen around looked like it was going to fall through, which left him feeling frustrated.
Coming out of the restroom, the scene before him confirmed the accuracy of the data. Xia Shixuan was trying to feed Carmen some dog food, but Carmen just turned her head away, not even bothering to look. When Shen Yibin walked over, took the dog food from her hand, and offered it to Carmen, the dog immediately started gobbling it up excitedly. The contrast couldn’t have been more obvious.
"Boss, is it hopeless for me?" Seeing this, Xia Shixuan was also dejected. ’Why is my luck so bad? Scarf was a little nice to me, but Lv Tiantian was his favorite. I’d just barely gotten over that, and now Carmen is giving me the cold shoulder too. Do I really have no affinity with pets?’
"Sigh, you can’t force these things. We’ll just have to see if a suitable one comes along in the future!" Shen Yibin could only console her like this. ’I didn’t want to see Cheeky, Egg, or Shi Gaofei leave either, but didn’t I have to send them off one by one? There’s nothing to be done if Carmen doesn’t like her. But this means I have to find a new owner for Carmen again. What a headache.’
For the next two days, whenever Carmen was at the store, Xia Shixuan would come over to dote on her, feeding her and grooming her fur. She wasn’t ready to give up, hoping these gestures would leave a good impression on Carmen and change the dog’s mind. Unfortunately, her efforts didn’t have the desired effect; Carmen remained as aloof as ever.
Meanwhile, Qin Qing had no trouble getting the paperwork done. At first, the organizers didn’t want to let an amateur like Shen Yibin participate. But when they learned he was Hah’Er’s owner and that Hah’Er would also appear at the opening ceremony, they immediately changed their minds. Hah’Er was an international superstar now, with influence on par with Driver Han’s. His participation would be a huge promotional boost for the organizers and the event itself. They simply had to agree; otherwise, the sponsors would have been furious.
And so, Shen Yibin smoothly received his competitor’s pass. The organizers sent a notice telling him to head to the competition venue to get acclimated to the course ahead of time. Shen Yibin happily took Hah’Er and Carmen with him, while Xia Shixuan drove her own car, bringing Li Shiqing, Sakai Kaori, and the others along to watch the fun.
With Carmen guiding the way, Shen Yibin found the competition grounds without much effort. It was a vast stretch of desert marshland with sparse vegetation and no proper roads. The terrain wasn’t very hilly, and it looked like you could drive forward from any direction. However, anyone familiar with the area knew it wasn’t that simple. You never knew if the seemingly flat ground was safe; a reckless charge could get you stuck in a swamp with no way out. Furthermore, the nearly identical small mounds made it easy to lose your bearings. Getting from one end to the other was no easy task.
"Look, there are tents over there. The organizers must be there." After crossing a small hill, they saw a cluster of large, colorful tents ahead. Dozens of race cars covered in various logos were parked in front of them, and a crowd of drivers in racing suits was bustling around the vehicles. This had to be the starting point of the race.
"Let’s go, let’s head over!" Shen Yibin drove toward the tents. Before he got far, a traffic officer stopped him; only competitors’ or journalists’ vehicles were allowed inside. He showed his competitor’s pass and told the officer that Xia Shixuan was his assistant, which finally got them through.
"Whoa, someone’s actually driving a ’godly car’? Don’t tell me he’s here to compete too?" As Shen Yibin got out of his vehicle, he heard the other competitors muttering as they stared at his car. The chatter reached a fever pitch when he showed his competitor’s pass to a staff member.
"Holy crap, I guess I can forget about winning the championship. A godly car that can hit 518 kilometers per hour has entered the race, so I might as well just give up!" one of them joked.
"Probably just a local enthusiast here for the fun of it. Pay him no mind," said another, unconcerned.
"If you see that car during the race, stay far away from it," warned a more cautious driver. "Who knows what kind of trouble a rookie like that could cause. Don’t let him drag us down with him."
As they were talking, a loudspeaker crackled to life. "Attention all competitors, attention all competitors. Please gather here with your guides. We will now begin course acclimatization." The organizers were calling a meeting. The veteran drivers all started heading toward the largest tent with their guides in tow.
Shen Yibin looked around, left Hah’Er in the care of Sakai Kaori and the others, and then, leading Carmen by the leash, followed the large group toward the meeting area. Along the way, he saw that the other competitors were all paired up: a veteran driver and a local guide. Shen Yibin, on the other hand, was leading a goofy-looking dog, which was a rather eye-catching sight.
"Bin, this is the head organizer, Mr. Xu. Mr. Xu, this is Mr. Shen Yibin." He had just walked over when he ran into Qin Qing. She took him near the main stage to meet the event leader. After the introductions were made, Qin Qing peered behind him several times. "So, Bin, is Hah’Er here? And where’s your guide?"
"Hah’Er is back at the car; my employees are looking after him." Shen Yibin tugged on the leash, pulling Carmen forward. "As for my guide, this is her!"
"Uh, Mr. Shen," the organizer, Mr. Xu, couldn’t help but interject, "even though you’re a Yunzhong City local, I’m guessing you’ve never driven here before, have you? Don’t you think we should be a little more cautious?"
"No need," Shen Yibin replied, full of confidence. "She may look a little goofy, but she’s actually very smart. With her around, I don’t have to worry about getting lost at all."
"Driving a ’godly car’ and using a Shiba Inu as a guide... I’ve been in rallies for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a competitor like this!" Shen Yibin’s words reached the other competitors’ ears, immediately causing an uproar. The veteran drivers were stunned by what Shen Yibin had said.
’What does he think this off-road rally is? A trip to the farmer’s market? It’s not as easy as he thinks!’ The drivers all grew indignant. They decided to teach Shen Yibin a lesson during the course acclimatization run.