How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 679

I’ll Play If You Can Afford to Lose—What’s Wrong with a Ride-Hailing Driver Having Some Money? [This title implies a challenge and a potential mismatch in perceived wealth or status.]

At 3 PM, Yang Chen and Salamon saw Maya and Havide off on their private jet back to Jinbai.

With their business concluded and many unexpected gains acquired, Yang Chen was also preparing to return home.

Because his party was rather large, Yang Chen decided against commercial flights. Instead, he contacted Yu Shishi and requested she arrange a private jet for immediate pickup.

Salamon approached him, asking, “Mr. Yang, now that Princess Maya has departed, shall I show you some of the local ‘entertainment’?”

Yang Chen understood Salamon’s suggestive smile; “entertainment” undoubtedly meant women.

Yang Chen smiled. “Thank you for the kind offer, Your Highness, but I’ll pass on those particular pleasures. I’ll take a walk and await the private jet. Then, I’ll return home. Please attend to your own affairs; don’t worry about me. I’ll wander around on my own.”

Salamon replied, “Very well! I have a meeting with some foreign dignitaries tonight, so I cannot accompany you, Mr. Yang. Enjoy yourself.”

Yang Chen nodded and smiled, parting ways with Salamon at the airport.

Unsure of local attractions, Yang Chen randomly asked people about exciting activities.

Of the ten people he asked, eight suggested desert racing.

Yang Chen followed their directions to the racing venue.

A race was underway. Participants drove off-road vehicles across a designated desert course, the first to complete the tasks and return to the starting point being declared the champion.

The Sand Country [a likely fictional or metaphorical name for a wealthy desert nation, possibly in the Middle East] was known for its wealthy citizens, so the prize money was substantial: 100 million USD for the champion, 10 million USD for second place, and 1 million USD for third place.

These were the daytime prizes; the nighttime prizes were doubled.

It was past 5 PM, and Yang Chen intended to watch the nighttime races.

As Yang Chen looked for a seat in the stands, a familiar figure appeared—Adubi, the man who had lost three islands to him.

Adubi had been reprimanded by Salamon upon his return, leaving him in a foul mood. He had hoped to relax at the races, but instead encountered the source of his misery—Yang Chen.

Yang Chen greeted him with a smile, “Isn’t this Mr. Adubi? What a coincidence. I heard you were scolded by His Highness the Crown Prince. Are you holding up alright?”

Adubi retorted, clearly annoyed, “Mr. Yang, is that truly necessary? You won three islands from me, and I honored the debt. I can afford to play and afford to lose. There’s no need to mock me, is there?”

Yang Chen quickly clarified, “Don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t mocking you; I was merely expressing concern.”

Adubi: “Thank you, but I don’t require your concern.”

At that moment, a girl wearing a black robe and headscarf approached.

“Uncle, you’re here too?” she asked. “My dad said you were sulking at home after being scolded by the Crown Prince. What are you doing here?”

Adubi quickly answered, “Don’t mention it. I was feeling down, so I came to watch the races. But I ran into this… annoying fellow.”

The girl carefully assessed Yang Chen, then smiled, extending her hand. “Hello, I’m Lin Manda. What’s your name?”

Yang Chen smiled and replied, “Hello, Miss Lin Manda. My name is Yang Chen.”

In this region, women often faced many restrictions. Lin Manda’s presence so late suggested a powerful family. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here.

Lin Manda asked with a smile, “What did you do to my uncle? He doesn’t seem to like you.”

Yang Chen replied, “He dislikes me because I won three islands from him, resulting in his scolding from His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Lin Manda was taken aback. “Oh, so you’re the one who won three islands from my uncle. Haha… No wonder he’s acting this way. Uncle, what’s lost is lost. Don’t be sad.”

Adubi quickly interjected, “I’m not angry, just a bit…uncomfortable. Are you racing tonight?”

Lin Manda nodded, revealing her participation.

Adubi: “Then hurry and prepare. Don’t waste time on him.”

Lin Manda nodded, then turned to Yang Chen. “Mr. Yang, are you participating? Since you’re here, why not have some fun?”

Even though it was a desert track, Yang Chen’s [God-Level Driver] skill was not just for show. Mastering this terrain was easy for him.

Yang Chen: “Forget it. If I participate, you’ll only be competing for second place.”

Lin Manda, annoyed by Yang Chen’s boast, immediately retorted, “If you put it that way, I really want to compete with you. Let’s go, I’ll take you to register. We’ll have a showdown tonight.”

Yang Chen shook his head. “I’m not interested. You go ahead. I’ll just watch from the stands. I won’t be racing.”

Adubi, unable to remain silent, said, “Can you stop showing off? Have you ever driven in the desert? It’s different from asphalt, you know? You can get stuck in the sand. You know nothing about desert racing, yet you dare to boast in front of my niece? Do you know what Lin Manda’s nickname is?”

Yang Chen thought, *Why do people here love nicknames so much?*

Yang Chen joked, “Your Crown Prince’s undefeated war camel sounded so magical, but it was defeated by a camel I randomly picked. You people just like to brag and have no real skills.”

Lin Manda grabbed Yang Chen, trying to pull him towards the registration desk.

Yang Chen stopped her. “Miss Lin Manda, what do you mean by this? Where are you dragging me?”

Lin Manda said angrily, “You’re looking down on us. I must compete with you to win back honor for our Sand Country. If you don’t dare to compete, it means the men of your Dragon Country [a common reference to China] are all talk, lacking the courage to accept a challenge from a woman. You don’t even have the courage to go to the battlefield. It’s ridiculous.”

Yang Chen: “Although I know you’re using reverse psychology, I congratulate you; it worked. I’ll participate, but my appearance fee is expensive. The champion’s prize of two hundred million USD doesn’t attract me. I won’t race for such a small amount.”

Adubi’s eyes lit up. This was an opportunity to win back the islands.

Adubi knew his niece’s skill. Lin Manda had participated in hundreds of races and never lost.

Yang Chen was the boss of Starlight Defense Group and was usually driven around. His driving skills were probably poor. Plus, it was a desert track, so he would likely finish near last.

Since his niece would win, why not lure Yang Chen into betting the islands on the race?

Adubi: “You mean, in addition to the prize, you want a private bet with Lin Manda, right?”

Yang Chen: “Of course! Otherwise, I wouldn’t race for a mere two hundred million USD.”

Lin Manda said with a smile, “You have quite the big mouth, calling two hundred million USD a mere amount? If I bet with you, the stakes can’t be small.”

Yang Chen: “Of course! Your uncle wants to win back those islands, so I’ll use them as the bet. If I lose, I’ll return them. If I win, you give me 3 billion USD. Are you game?”

Lin Manda, despite her experience, felt pressure. Her previous races were low-stakes. Now, Yang Chen wanted to bet 3 billion USD. What if she lost?

Seeing her hesitation, Yang Chen asked, “What’s wrong, Miss Lin Manda? Losing confidence?”

Lin Manda retorted, “How is that possible? My driving skills are objective and unrelated to the bet. However, accidents happen. If I lose, I don’t have 3 billion USD, so I’m hesitant. But that doesn’t mean I think I’ll lose. Don’t misunderstand.”

Yang Chen said, “That’s not a problem. Isn’t your uncle rich? You can use shares of an oil field as collateral. I can accept that. You tycoons have plenty of oil fields, right? Can 3 billion USD really stump you? The opportunity is here, Mr. Adubi. Seize it.”

Adubi hesitated. He wanted to win back the islands through his niece’s skills, so the Crown Prince wouldn’t blame him.

But he couldn’t come up with 3 billion USD. Could he really use oil field shares to collateralize the bet?

The broadcast announced only 3 minutes left to register.

Yang Chen said, “Mr. Adubi, Ms. Lin Manda, you have three minutes. Do you want to seize this opportunity? Decide quickly.”

Lin Manda didn’t dare speak, lacking the money. She could only hope her uncle would use his oil field shares.

Seeing her uncle’s embarrassment, Lin Manda said,

“Forget it, I’ll let you off this time. If you want to participate, then participate. If you don’t want to, then forget it. I won’t bet with you.”

Yang Chen deliberately provoked, “Knowing you’re not my opponent, not betting is wise. If I really try, your undefeated record will be broken.”

Lin Manda angrily retorted, “I advise you not to talk nonsense. I just don’t have money, not that I don’t have the ability, understand?”

Yang Chen: “I don’t understand! If you have the ability, why not bet with me directly?”

Lin Manda: “I told you I don’t have money. If I had money, I would definitely bet with you.”

Yang Chen: “That’s simple. I accept you as the bet. If I lose, I’ll give you 3 billion USD. If I win, everything you have from now on belongs to me. Now the decision is yours. You can’t say you don’t dare to bet because you don’t have money, right?”

Lin Manda was silent, staring intently at Yang Chen, her eyes filled with unwillingness and anger.

Yang Chen smiled, anticipating her acceptance.

To maximize his profits, Yang Chen said to Adubi, “Mr. Adubi, do you still want to seize this opportunity?”

Adubi also didn’t dare speak, feeling conflicted.

After a moment, Lin Manda answered.

“Alright! I accept your suggestion. If I win, you give me 3 billion USD. If I lose, everything I have from now on belongs to you!” Lin Manda said with determination.

Yang Chen: “OK! It’s a deal! However, I’ll be blunt. If you lose and don’t admit it, I will retaliate. If the situation is serious, I don’t rule out issuing a kill order through Starlight Defense Group. Don’t expect to live long.”

Lin Manda dismissed it. “This is Riyadh [the capital of Saudi Arabia] in the Sand Country. This isn’t your Dragon Country’s capital. You can’t be arrogant here.”

Yang Chen: “Haha… I’ve warned you. Be aware. Mr. Adubi, what do you say? Your niece dares to bet. You wouldn’t dare, would you? You can’t be less courageous than her, right? Besides, if you don’t bet, does that mean you think your niece’s skills aren’t very good? Otherwise, why wouldn’t you bet?”

Adubi gritted his teeth. “Alright! I’ll bet! If Lin Manda loses, I’ll use shares of an oil field to offset the 3 billion USD. If Lin Manda wins, you return the islands and lose another 500 million USD in cash. How about it? Do you dare?”

Yang Chen had wasted so much time to lure Adubi and Lin Manda. Now that they had taken the bait, his plan was half successful.

Lin Manda: “Let’s go, I’ll take you to register now. I want to see how good your driving skills really are, that you dare to bet so much.”

Yang Chen nodded. “Alright! Then I’ll thank Miss Lin Manda in advance. Let’s go.”

Lin Manda took Yang Chen to the registration desk, just before the deadline.

However, registration wasn’t enough. A car was needed.

Fortunately, there was a car rental service. Depending on the car’s brand and performance, rental fees varied greatly. The cheapest cars cost 10,000 USD per race, while the most expensive cost 1 million USD per race.

While racing depended on the driver’s skills, the 1 million USD car was superior in all aspects.

Since he would be winning soon, Yang Chen wasn’t stingy and rented an off-road vehicle for 1 million USD per race.

Yang Chen drove the car to a secluded place to familiarize himself with it.

Lin Manda said with a disdainful smile, “I bet you’ve never driven this kind of car. I’ll see how you win on my turf!”

Adubi said nervously, “Lin Manda, you must win, or uncle will lose badly.”

Lin Manda replied confidently, “Uncle, don’t worry. I’ve participated in over a hundred races and never lost. Today will be no exception!”

Adubi: “Yes, I believe you will win as always. As long as you win, I can get those islands back, and the Crown Prince won’t blame me anymore.”