Chapter 89: Ruth Collects Taxes

Mary Sue had not received the praise she had expected, and naturally she felt indignant. Looking around, she called out to the beautiful woman standing beneath the giant screen with her neck craned in devout admiration of the supercar, “Ma Huadan, Ma Huadan, over here, look over here.”

The woman turned, and it was indeed Ma Siwei.

She had accepted Lan Yiheng’s invitation to come watch the race because she, too, was a woman who loved racing. But she was an unusual one. She cared little for the world-famous drivers; the only one she truly admired was Andre Ivanov, because that racer seemed to have mechanical brutality flowing in his bones. Racing, after all, was supposed to be a blood-pumping affair. Yet those drivers insisted on dressing like gentlemen; with so little wildness in their souls, what thrilling spectacle could they possibly produce?

Still, she had not expected Lan Yiheng to buy only one seat. It was obvious that the man intended to make use of the cramped space for something else.

Ma Siwei paid for her own ticket on the spot. No seat? That was fine. She could stand, and the big screen was even clearer that way.

At Mary Sue’s call, Ma Siwei turned around with a frown. To her, this woman, and many of the stars from across the strait, were utterly distasteful, even nauseating.

A pack of rotten people, and yet they still wanted to pretend they were pure little girls. Did they think they were fairies growing younger in reverse?

Already forty-something, speaking in that coy, syrupy voice; ignorant themselves, yet looking down on everyone else as if they were all bumpkins. What a joke.

But the woman had backing. Behind her stood a powerful patron, such as a major jeweler in Jiangzhou. The jeweler’s son was even here too, greeting other rich second-generation heirs with a smile that looked perfectly sincere.

Ma Siwei smiled and said, “Senior, you’re far too polite. Just call me by my name. In front of you, I wouldn’t dare claim to be any kind of leading lady. I’m only a little stage actress.”

Lan Yiheng promptly went into hiding again.

A faded actress who did not even dare to confront things head-on. What was there about such a person worth trusting?

Mary Sue’s smile stiffened. Senior?

I’m only forty. Who are you calling old?

Her tone grew icy with displeasure as she said, “I hear you’re planning to challenge for Best Actress. Then you’d better work hard. You should also fix that bad habit of disrespecting other people. Otherwise, you’ll never win Best Actress. Do you even know who’s on this year’s awards committee? I know quite a few of them.”

Ma Siwei said lightly, “Compared to those who are currently in the spotlight, I never had much hope to begin with.”

That was another slap in Mary Sue’s face. One of the rising young names who had left her studio had done so because Mary Sue could not give her decent scripts. So she simply bought out her contract and jumped to the studio of a top-tier actress who was rumored to be at odds with Mary Sue, someone the two clearly disliked each other. This year, that runaway quasi-leading lady had a school romance film coming out, and with her good looks, pleasant aura, and adequate acting, she was highly favored by the awards committee.

The older racer could not stand it anymore and barked, “Xiao Ma, can’t you speak without all those barbs?”

And what were you, anyway? You had gone on that “Dad, where are we going” show a couple of years ago and suddenly flared up again. Your public image still clung to the same sweet little-boy look from your debut more than twenty years ago, but everyone in the industry knew your character was nothing to brag about.

Ma Siwei replied coolly, “Different people see things differently. Senior, did you need something from me?”

There were supporters of Ma Siwei in the Jiangzhou circle as well. Seeing this, several people came over, greeting her with smiles and asking what was going on.

Ma Siwei smiled. “Nothing. I was just greeting the senior.”

A woman from a second-generation electronics family laughed. “Vivi, no need to say anything else. Your manners are impeccable. When Young Master Sun arrives later, I’ll find a chance to introduce you. It’ll be good for you.”

Sun Zhaoxing was famous for having no entanglements with women in the entertainment industry, so this so-called introduction obviously meant something far beyond a mere acquaintance. Ma Siwei understood perfectly and nodded in thanks. “Thank you, Madam.”

Suddenly, Lan Yiheng on the side could not help bursting into laughter. “I thought we’d invited some expert. So it’s this useless clown. Vivi, wasn’t he driving an Audi? How did he end up in a Raptor?”

Everyone stared in astonishment and saw several cars pull up beneath the stands, with a few familiar and unfamiliar people getting out.

“My goodness, isn’t that Chen Aijia? She likes racing too? I’ve never heard of that.”

Several women dressed like wealthy wives and pampered socialites chattered in surprise, asking one another about it.

Rumor had it that Sun’s driver for this race would be using a pickup truck, and news of the modified Raptor had been circulating furiously in their circles. Now that the bright red Raptor had appeared, the one getting out of the driver’s seat would naturally be the racer Sun Zhaoxing had hired.

But this face was utterly unfamiliar. Who was this kid?

By contrast, Chen Aijia and Anya getting out from the other side were well known to many. They were among the most famous young people around, and also representatives of the most promising younger generation, even leaders among them.

Yet Ma Siwei saw only one person.

How could that guy...?

He could drive a race car too?

Wasn’t he a man from the underworld? How...

Ma Siwei’s mind had turned to mush. She felt as if her entire worldview had been overturned.

Such a strange man could trade blows with someone like Wang Hu, and could also count as an acquaintance of Sun Zhaoxing. Now he had even turned up as a race driver. Just what did he actually do?

The people in the circle let out wave after wave of laughter. From a distance, someone was already leaning over the railing and shouting at Sun Zhaoxing, “Young Master Sun, where the hell did you find this unreliable guy? Who is he? Don’t tell us he’s some secret racer you trained yourself.”

Sun Zhaoxing did not hold back in the slightest, cursing back, “Do you even know who you’re talking to, you ignorant bastard? Talking to your Young Master Sun like that, do your parents know? Believe me, I can go smash your old man’s office tomorrow.”

That man immediately fell silent.

“What the hell are you? Take a look at your own face before you joke with your Young Master Sun. Are you even worthy?” Sun Zhaoxing kept cursing, then turned and waved. “Bro, tonight is up to you. Those bastards all bet on me to keep losing. If you win, all the millions they’ve staked will end up in my pocket.”

Yang Changfeng glanced at Ivanov, whose face was ashen but whose fighting spirit was blazing, and said with a faint smile, “Then congratulations. You’re about to make a fortune. Since you were planning to open a fitness club anyway, why not put it all in there?”

“Damn, that’s a brilliant idea. How did I not think of that?” Sun Zhaoxing slapped his forehead. “Fine, let’s slap the faces of these bastards hard. As for the money later, you don’t need to pay me back. Just count it as invested.”

Andre Ivanov flew into a rage and shouted, “Sun, the winner still unknown!”

The winner still unknown?

Was there a tax officer in Poland named Ruth?

After thinking for a long moment, Yang Changfeng finally understood and laughed. “That’s just a pig trying to speak foreign nonsense. We say the outcome is still uncertain. Ivanov, your Chinese is still as clumsy as ever. Go find yourself a Chinese teacher and make up for some lessons.”