Chapter 294: Chapter 294

She frowned slightly, and Sophiron sensed the darkness in front of her, quickly looking towards her. His green eyes lit up, and his voice instantly rose, "Vice Captain!"

The few gang members threatening Sophiron turned around as well.

Seeing it was a pretty girl, they immediately sneered with lascivious eyes, "Hey, Sophiron, is she your chick?"

The gang members sized Rong Zhi up repeatedly, staring at her beautiful and charming face, almost writing their disgusting desires on their foreheads.

This time, the word "chick" sounded particularly harsh.

Bai Su’s face was cold, but Rong Zhi pressed down on his hand, "Let me handle this."

Sophiron spat, "Don’t talk nonsense, I said I’d pay you back by the end of the month."

"And how the hell are you gonna pay?"

The gang turned back, and one member stepped on his head, pressing him to the floor, causing the wound on his forehead to seep into the sand. Sophiron cried out in pain.

He bent down to Sophiron, but his eyes stuck on Rong Zhi, "Let me tell you, this guy owes us a lot and can’t pay back. Since you know him, why don’t you help him repay?"

Sophiron gasped under the pressure, "It has nothing to do with her. If you want money, ask me. Why involve someone unrelated?"

He shouldn’t have shouted impulsively earlier, now dragging the vice captain into this, letting her see him in such a miserable state, Ethan would probably scold him.

But the expected pain didn’t come, and he couldn’t see anything. He only felt the pressure on his head suddenly disappear, followed by a slender, bone-defined hand appearing in front of him, and a hoarse, melodious voice from above, "Can you move?"

Rong Zhi thought he was badly hurt, waited a few seconds for him to move, then directly grabbed his neck and lifted him off the ground.

Sophiron finally saw his surroundings clearly, through the blood trickling down his forehead, noticing the gang members who were aggressive before now collapsing one after another, clutching their stomachs or heads in pain.

And beside the gang members stood a tall figure.

He was stepping on someone’s neck, the filthy neck fragile under his pure black Martin boots as if a harder stomp could break it.

Rong Zhi walked to his side, hooking his arm with her jacket, slightly raising her delicate eyebrow, "Let’s go."

Clearly, this wasn’t a place for discussion.

Knowing he couldn’t escape today, Sophiron followed them both towards the café.

Rong Zhi booked a private room, and Bai Su went out to buy medicine, leaving space for them.

Sophiron took the tissue she handed him, wiping the dried blood from his forehead, and after a long silence, his eyes reddened, choking as he spoke, "Vice Captain, we’ve missed you. Without you and the captain, the team is almost being kicked out by the club."

A robust man of nearly six feet tall, perhaps the burden in his heart was too heavy to speak of. Meeting someone familiar, he cried outright.

Rong Zhi spoke softly, "Don’t worry."

Sophiron nodded, stammering, "Since you and the captain left, the team recruited two new drivers..."

Yet those two new drivers lacked experience on the track, and after two races where they finished last, the club became discontented with the ATS Team.

Once at the top of the racing world, the team’s abrupt decline sparked discontent among many fans, and the club gradually lost faith in them.

During a race last year, desperate to win, Roz made a major mistake on the track, leading to a rollover explosion. Roz died on the spot.

Instead of understanding and forgiveness, ATS Team faced harsh criticism from the club’s general manager and countless questioning and condemnation from fans.

The club manager scolded Ethan, only sparing him expulsion considering his past achievements.

However, ATS Team was no longer what it used to be, failing to make a name in subsequent races. The club completely ignored them, with ATS’s status replaced by the newly favored RX Team.

Unable to participate in races, team members were also forbidden from joining underground races, and during this time, Sophiron’s family suffered a car accident, compounding their woes.

With no options left, he had to borrow from loan sharks, and those just now were lenders coming after him for money. Sophiron had given them all he had, yet it wasn’t enough, so he was beaten.

Upon saying this, Sophiron fell to the ground, clutching Rong Zhi’s calf, sobbing like a child without a home.

"Mom, Mom and Dad are gone, I-I don’t know what to do..."

Rong Zhi recalled that when she left the team, Sophiron was only seventeen, and at most, he was eighteen this year, roughly her age.

Before he could grow to stand on his own, society was already forcing him to mature.

Rong Zhi took a wet tissue, carefully wiping the blood off the boy’s forehead.

Sophiron hiccuped from crying, feeling much relieved after venting.

The private room door opened, and he lifted his face.

A man’s cool, exceptional appearance entered his vision. Sophiron blinked, his muddled mind clearing up, hiccuping while asking, "Vice, hic, Vice Captain, who is this?"

It seemed he was very close to Rong Zhi.

Bai Su placed the bag on the table, lifting him from the ground and seating him opposite, speaking slowly, "Your Vice Captain’s boyfriend."

Sophiron hiccuped, choking on his own spit, "Cough, cough, cough, cough."

Forced to accept the fact that his Vice Captain was now in a relationship, Sophiron gritted his teeth while applying medicine, bandaging himself, finally tidying up his handsome face.

"Actually, Manager Ethan mentioned asking you and the captain to come back..." This update is available on NoveI~Fire.net

But Ying Yunlin told Ethan, Rong Zhi had no time.

Ethan had to give it up.

Rong Zhi lightly tapped the table with her finger, a trace of melancholy flickering through her heart at Roz’s death, pursing her lips. She lowered her gaze and softly asked, "What’s Ethan’s phone number now?"

"Is the Vice Captain returning to the team?" Sophiron immediately sat up.

She just wanted to chat with Ethan.

Sophiron murmured, "Alright," and gave her Ethan’s contact information.

After resting enough in the café, he had training and left first, adding Rong Zhi’s new WeChat.

Returning to the Ying Family at noon, Rong Zhi asked Ying Yunlin to follow her to the garden, briefly explaining the morning’s events.

Ying Yunlin frowned, "Ethan didn’t tell me these things. How is Sophiron now?"

"He’s in debt for over two million."

Ying Yunlin: "I’ll talk to him tomorrow."

Rong Zhi responded with a soft ’Hmm’.

That evening, Fu Xixiao dragged the younger ones to play mahjong. Rong Zhi was pushed to the table as well. Not knowing how to play, she had to learn on the spot.

Fu Xixiao slyly said, "Zhi Zhi, if you lose a round, you have to drink a cup."

She pointed to the flower tea on the table beside her, refreshing and filling.

Rong Zhi leisurely picked a tile, calm and composed, "Okay."

After two rounds, Fu Xixiao made her drink two cups of flower tea, leaving her mouth tasting entirely of tea.

Bai Su pitied her and wanted to drink for her, but Fu Xixiao stopped him, "Hey, hey, the rules can’t be messed up. It’s fine, drinking more is good for health, tea keeps you awake, anyways, you won’t sleep that early tonight."

Rong Zhi paused, what does not sleeping that early tonight mean?