Chapter 422
The next day—after having their dinner, the couple retreated back to their bedroom to change. Tonight, they’d visit the place where Zheng Yue’s mother was hiding. Lu Xinyi stepped out of their walk-in closet as Lu Feiran while Shen Yi came back with his disguise on, with a deep scowl on his face.
Why was his wife turned into Lu Feiran again? Was this really necessary for her disguise?
Lu Xinyi figured that if they didn’t want to be followed by the crowd or paparazzi, they needed to disguise. She had prepared some clothes that suited him and a wig that would completely change his appearance although it wouldn’t technically hide his handsome features.
“How do I look?” Lu Xinyi asked as she stood in front of a mirror.
“Appalling,” Shen Yi responded which earned an amused laugh from his wife. She knew well how Shen Yi hated it since he found out about Lu Feiran and Wang Zhuyi’s friendly date.
“Come on, darling. I know it isn’t as bad as you think it is,” she told him and took her keys on her bedside table.
“Up for a race tonight?”
The grin on her face sent alarms on Shen Yi’s mind. He could roughly guess what she was planning to do. Lu Xinyi had found his motorcycles in their garage that he’d chosen not to use, and she took a liking to them.
“Please tell me you are joking…” He deadpanned, but Lu Xinyi chuckled and left their room.
Following his wife at their garage, Shen Yi found her putting on her helmet and adjusting the strap on her chin. Next, she slid in her arms on her black jacket and motioned him to do the same.
“You know how to ride?” Shen Yi was skeptical to allow her to ride one of his motorcycles. Although he admitted—only to himself—that Lu Feiran looked cool, sitting on it.
“Why, of course. Yuan Jin had spent a good time teaching me how to ride one. We used to spend our free time joining races and bar hopping.”
The sudden coldness that engulfed Shen Yi had made Lu Xinyi regret confessing what she did with Yuan Jin before. She then decided that she needed to be careful with her words, or else he might go enraged and yell at her poor ears again.
“But I am a good girl now, right?” She laughed awkwardly.
The man she was married to was so obsessed with her safety. Not that she could blame him. Her status alone as the young madam of the Shen family would easily attract Shen Yi’s enemies and the public’s attention.
Shen Yi rode another motorcycle and put on his helmet. He reminded his wife to be careful, not to go too fast on the road, and stayed on the safe lane. Lu Xinyi nodded in agreement. Not wasting time, the two took on the road at a steady pace, watching as the darkness engulfed the whole city.
Before Lu Xinyi started riding a motorcycle, her entire knowledge of motorcycle riding was pretty much based on arcades and other video games she played before. She thought it would be as easy as twisting the throttle and make a turn; how hard could it be, right?
So when she realized how much her hands and feet were working while she rode, it kind of took her by surprise. For the most part, there was no such thing as an ‘automatic’ motorcycle; all motorcycles were to be operated manually.
Her left hand was working the clutch and the turn signal, her right hand was working the front brake, her right foot was working the rear brake, and her left foot was working the gears up and down. It was a lot more work than it seemed. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Dusk was falling. Goosebumps grew on her arms from the evening chill; the green shrubbery now looking almost black, silhouetted, colors muted. Under the moonlight, the avenue lay still. The heat of the day had been replaced by a cool breeze.
Shen Yi kept glancing on his side mirror, making sure his wife was following closely behind him as he took the lead. Aside from her family background, he wasn’t aware of the pastimes and skills that his wife had. Qiao He never dug deeper enough about it. So finding out her secrets and other things she could do had been a surprise to Shen Yi… but not riding a motorcycle.
Unlike in a car, she couldn’t slam on the brakes and turn at the same time, or she would fall. To ride a motorcycle, Lu Xinyi needed to carefully manage her acceleration, braking, traction, and lean angles all at the same time. This made it significantly more involved than driving a car.
Going too fast in a car and needed to stop? Slam on the brakes.
Going too fast on a motorcycle? If she slammed on both brakes too hard, she would risk locking the brakes and skidding.
There was simply a lot more going on than driving a car. This was why Shen Yi couldn’t help to get worried about Lu Xinyi.
Lu Xinyi truly enjoyed riding a motorcycle. It gave her a feeling of freedom. Just like what Yuan Jin told her when he was teaching her how to ride: ‘four wheels move your body, but two wheels move your soul’.
She could not put into words the pleasure she felt whenever she rides a bike. She felt completely free from everything. Every burden, every thought, every worry… just everything. She enjoyed the wind blowing against her face, how everything appeared around her and disappeared as she passed by. It became a sort of meditation on her part.
When they arrived at their destination, Shen Yi hadn’t expected that the woman his wife was looking for would be in a place like this. They stopped in a high-end bar with most patrons coming from the socialite circle and entertainment industry. He’d heard about this place before as Kang Wei and their other friend had visited the same bar.
“Are you sure she’s here?” he asked. They both easily entered the establishment, using the Shen family’s name.
“Positive. Qiao He couldn’t be wrong this time.” Lu Feiran nodded.
Club Fantasia. It was a bar, but everyone was attempting to appear proper in their high-end suits and attire. Shen Yi and Lu Feiran were the only ones that look normal. It was a fancy place alright—a sort of minimalist-classical, but that’s okay. The two took a seat at the bar and ordered two shots of whiskey.
When the bartender left to prepare their drinks, Shen Yi leaned and whispered to his wife.
“Don’t drink too much or else…” he warned her.
Just as Lu Feiran was about to object, the person they were looking for arrived and joined the bartender behind the bar to attend other guests. It was an old foreign woman in her early forties.
She was not overly old, but her body hadn’t aged passed her years. Her hair was jet black, and the white skin of her face had a few wrinkles on it—most were caused by her wide smile on her face. She stood quite tall and slim, and her hair was kept neat in a bun.
As Lu Feiran continued to look at the old woman, he couldn’t help but laugh at Zheng Yue’s concern. The woman she’d been looking and waiting for all these years was just under her nose.