"I'll come find you."
She had only said a single "Mm," but it was enough to make his heart ache.
Had those people at the Rovellas bullied her!
"No." Janelle refused. What was he thinking, running over so late at night?
"Then you come to me. I have plenty of good wine here. You can come taste some."
"Don't feel like drinking."
"Then whatever you want to do, I'll accompany you." Whatever she wanted was fine.
"Fine. Be at my doorstep to pick me up in ten minutes."
After hanging up, Erik drained the red wine in his goblet in one gulp. He walked to the wardrobe.
He deliberated for a long time, unable to decide which outfit to wear. Honestly, he'd never had this problem before.
But now, he found himself wondering: What should I wear to attract this young woman?
Bryan walked in to find Erik staring blankly at the rows of clothes.
"Erik, are you heading out?"
"Bryan, tell me, what do young women like men to wear?"
"A date with... your lady?" (Implied: future wife/girlfriend)
"Hmm."
It counted as a date, right? Whenever the two of them were together, it was essentially a date.
"Erik, you need to have confidence in yourself. With a physique like yours, you'd look good even draped in burlap."
Who wouldn't love Erik's build? They all adored it!
After selecting for a while, Erik finally wore his favorite black shirt and black trousers. Seeing the time was almost up, Erik drove the Cullinan to the Rovellas to pick her up.
He glanced at the time. He was early.
Janelle changed her clothes and was leaving her room when she ran into Westin.
"Where are you going so late? Janelle, no matter what, you are my daughter. Don't do anything to disgrace the Rovellas name."
"You'd better worry about yourself! Tell me, how would Amber react if she knew about your... entanglement with the secretary she personally selected?"
Westin's face instantly paled. His affair with the secretary had been extremely discreet. How did she know?
Truthfully, he hadn't intended anything with the secretary initially. But the young woman was wild in bed, knew how to please him... and he hadn't been able to resist.
He thought he'd covered his tracks perfectly. He never imagined Janelle would find out.
If Amber learned of this, she absolutely wouldn't let it go.
He wanted to stop Janelle, but Lillie opened her door and came out.
"Dad, Janelle's going out? Where to, so late?"
"Where else? Probably off fooling around with that man. It's late, Lillie. Get some rest. You've been working hard at the research institute these past few days. Rest well."
"Okay."
Westin returned to his room, his mind anything but calm. Would Janelle really expose this to Amber?
Seeing Janelle emerge, Erik pushed open the car door and got out, opening the passenger door for her.
The young woman wore a black camisole top under a black shirt, paired with black cargo pants and Martin boots on her feet.
Dressed head-to-toe in black, it only accentuated her fair skin and striking beauty.
"Princess, your carriage awaits," Erik joked.
Janelle didn't get in. Instead, she walked around to the driver's seat.
"I'll drive."
Wasn't he supposed to be unfamiliar with Graham City?
Seeing she was already settled in the driver's seat, Erik didn't argue and took the passenger seat.
He'd barely closed his door when the supercar shot forward.
Janelle drove wildly, but her driving skills were undeniably top-tier.
On the road, they encountered another supercar. Seeing the driver was a stunning beauty, the other driver whistled at Janelle.
Janelle glanced at him, then slammed the accelerator to the floor.
The supercar's performance was exceptional; she handled it with complete mastery.
A beautiful woman driving a supercar was already insanely cool. But this woman drove like a demon.
"Bruce, you got passed by a woman!"
"Hah, impossible!" Bruce Aleen hadn't expected to find a challenger just while out for some air. But admitting defeat? Absolutely not. As a top-tier racer who'd even placed in world-class Formula races, losing wasn't an option.
Bruce floored the accelerator, one hand expertly steering the wheel. The red and blue supercars streaked through the night, trading the lead back and forth.
Glancing at the man in the red supercar through her rearview mirror, a faint, wild smile touched Janelle's lips.
Erik had already realized the young woman was toying with the other driver. With her ability, there was no way that red supercar could keep up with her. But seeing that untamed smile on her face lifted Erik's spirits. He hated seeing her downcast.
"Damn it!" Bruce finally realized he was being played; the other driver completely controlled the pace.
"Bruce, don't be reckless!" The teenager in the passenger seat was pale with fear at the extreme speed.
Bruce slammed his hand on the steering wheel. Who was she? How could there be someone in Graham City better than him? And a young woman at that!
After the adrenaline rush of the race, Janelle's pent-up frustration had eased somewhat. Throughout her wild driving, Erik hadn't voiced a single concern. He seemed utterly trusting of her.
"Aren't you afraid to die?" Even Simon got scared watching her drive like this.
"No. I trust you." This wasn't just lip service; he genuinely, completely trusted her.
Janelle didn't respond further.
Janelle drove the car to an underground boxing gym and led Erik inside.
"You're here," the gym owner greeted her casually as she walked in.
"Mm. Need to blow off some steam." Janelle replied nonchalantly.
It was very late, but the gym was still bustling. In the central ring, two muscular men were locked in combat. The fight had reached its climax – the fighter in blue was knocked down by the one in red. The referee began the countdown. The crowd was on edge.
"Get up! Stand up! Don't give up!" The blue corner's coach yelled.
"Get up! Don't quit!" It had been an exhilarating fight.
"Lost. Blue corner's finished."
The red fighter was a foreign man nearly 6'3" (approx. 190cm), while the blue fighter was only around 5'7" (approx. 170cm).
"You. Are. Not. My. Match!" The foreign man declared triumphantly. He'd been in China for a while now, and these Chinese boxers were complete weaklings in front of him. China simply had no opponents for him.
"You. Are. Weak. Chinese people... really weak." He sounded disappointed. He'd come because he heard Chinese Kung Fu was powerful, but he'd been let down.
His words ignited fury in every Chinese person present. This man came to China to make money and dared to look down on Chinese people? It was infuriating, but no one dared step into the ring. The foreign man's strength was truly formidable. The Chinese boxer lying on the mat actually had better technique, but he was completely overpowered physically, hence the crushing defeat.
At that moment, Janelle walked forward. Her fist collided with the pillar beside the fallen Chinese fighter.