Chapter 57: To Capture by Letting Go

“Let’s talk about it after the ride…” Su Jianmo decided she needed some time to consider.

Half an hour later, Lin Fan was the first to return to the garage, driving the Son of the Night. Meanwhile, Su Jianmo and the others were still on the road, savoring the thrill of the race.

Unquestionably, Lin Fan came in first, securing the top spot in tonight’s competition and pocketing the ten million prize.

When both racing teams returned one after another, Lin Fan had already become the center of attention for the opening ceremony and the gathering that followed.

Everyone was discussing his background, increasingly suspecting that he might be the illegitimate child of the former richest man in China.

But when they compared Lin Fan’s appearance to that of the fabulously wealthy tycoon, they found no resemblance at all.

“Miss Su, why don’t you donate this ten million prize to charity?” Lin Fan approached Su Jianmo with the medal in hand, speaking with deliberate courtesy.

This left everyone else stunned.

“Did I see that right? This guy risked everything to win, just so he could give the prize for Su Jianmo to donate? Is he really fawning over her that much?”

“What’s so strange about that? Su Jianmo is a well-known socialite in Hangzhou, her looks rival those of celebrities. If I had money, I’d pursue her relentlessly too.”

“But he’s not short on money. He doesn’t need to chase after that ice-cold beauty. He could wave his hand and have a bevy of women at his side.”

“Do you think if Su Jianmo’s ex-boyfriend found out she got a new flame so soon, he’d fly back from abroad? He seemed like a tycoon as well…”

Su Jianmo never expected Lin Fan to hand the prize over to her.

She had thought Lin Fan was genuinely in it for the thrill, but in the end, it turned out to be all for her.

“If you insist, then I’ll accept it. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.” Su Jianmo couldn’t understand why Lin Fan was going out of his way to please her, but she had to give him face.

Moreover, Lin Fan’s performance tonight had truly impressed her, and her fondness for him grew even more.

“To win ten million just by racing—nothing but a trifle…” Lin Fan grinned broadly.

Yet, inside, he was elated, for he noticed that Su Jianmo’s favorability toward him had increased from fifteen to twenty-five!

This was a tremendous leap!

Just twenty-five more points, and he would complete Su Jianmo’s mission.

But what intrigued Su Jianmo more was his professional-level driving skill.

“Your technique rivals that of a champion driver. Even the streamers and coaches say you have extraordinary talent. Where did you learn?”

Lin Fan hesitated for a moment.

His jaw-dropping racing skills came from a time-limited prop card.

If he said he learned abroad, Su Jianmo would never believe him, since she had already looked into his background.

“I’ve always enjoyed racing movies and often fantasized about being a professional racer, dreaming of winning championships. In my free time, I’d take my car out for a spin. I never expected that when I hit the road tonight, the racers behind me would go easy on me, so I just happened to come in first…”

Lin Fan answered with a certain tact.

But to the amateur racers, it sounded like Lin Fan was being pretentious.

They had gone all out in the second half, yet had been left far behind by Lin Fan.

Anyone watching the live broadcast could clearly see the real-time speeds of each car. Whether or not they went easy on him was obvious to any discerning eye.

Still, Lin Fan attributed his victory to the fact that he was driving a newly acquired, exceptionally powerful supercar.

“There’s an outdoor barbecue later. Would you like to join us?” Su Jianmo took the initiative to invite him.

The gathering was set to last until midnight, and she had originally planned to head home after the race.

But considering Lin Fan had both gifted her a car and given her the prize money, she decided to show her goodwill.

Unexpectedly, Lin Fan politely declined.

“I still have matters at the company tonight, so I can’t stay with you all. Next time, I’ll host, and you must do me the honor of joining.”

Lin Fan turned a passive situation into an active one, feigning regret.

“All right, then. We’ll have a good chat next time…” Su Jianmo forced a smile.

After a few more words, Lin Fan drove the Son of the Night away in style.

“Cousin, do you think he’s playing hard to get? He wins your favor tonight but then turns distant and cold, as if he wants you to chase after him instead?” Ouyang Qi watched the car disappear into the distance, hesitating.

“You’re overthinking it. If he really liked playing with people’s feelings, he would have made a move on you long ago.”

Su Jianmo shot her a look of annoyance.

Unconsciously, she had actually begun to speak up for Lin Fan.

On the way home, Lin Fan leisurely drove the Son of the Night.

Along the way, he drew the attention and admiration of many bystanders.

“Only twenty-five more favorability points to complete the mission. I’ve already given all the gifts I could. Next comes investing in her business. If I succeed, maybe I can unlock the power function…”

Lin Fan hummed a tune contentedly, muttering to himself.

According to the system’s introduction, once the power function was unlocked, he would naturally exude the aura of someone in authority. Powerful figures would come to him, seeking to collaborate.

In other words, once the power function was open, he wouldn’t have to look for backing—those powerful people would seek him out.

After returning home, Lin Fan spent some affectionate moments with Gu Qingcheng.

By now, it was midnight, but Lin Fan still felt wide awake.

His thoughts kept circling back to Miao Tiantian.

Earlier that afternoon, during their conversation, he learned she was a streamer on a platform called Starlight Live.

She had signed a one-year contract, and though Lin Fan said he could pay her penalty for breaking it, Miao Tiantian wanted to discuss it with her boyfriend, who worked in operations at Starlight.

With this in mind, Lin Fan turned on his computer to research Starlight Live.

He was surprised to discover that Starlight was actually a live broadcast platform under Superstar Cultural Media.

Starlight Live was a rising platform. Though still far behind the top two—Bunny Tooth and FishPlay—it was clear that Starlight had the potential to become a livestreaming giant, second only to the two leaders.

All his own female streamers were currently broadcasting on FishPlay.

He had signed a third-party cooperation agreement with FishPlay, which also required him to pay an additional monthly fee so that his streamers would be featured prominently on the homepage.

But apart from Gu Qingcheng, Qiao Xinxin, and a handful of other exceptionally attractive and talented streamers, most of the rest were deliberately suppressed by FishPlay, pushed to the back in the rankings. As a result, his overall performance in the first month was actually at a loss.

Although the money lost was from the “Simps’ Fund” and didn’t affect him personally, to turn a profit he still needed highly attractive female streamers to support the operation.

After all, the livestreaming world was all about looks, and secondarily, talent.

A few days earlier, he had followed the number one streamer on FishPlay—a girl group, each member stunningly beautiful, with six members and an astonishing twenty million followers.

Their fan base alone utterly dwarfed all his own streamers.