Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One: The Novice Driver (Seeking Subscriptions, Seeking Votes)

"Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Zeng is my idol forever!" Lu Zhanbo saw there was hope and hurried to flatter Zeng Xiaoxian.

"I said no, so it's no!" Hu Yifei couldn't be bothered to argue and directly shut down the idea.

"Tch! Are you his nanny? Zhanbo, don't listen to her. Tomorrow, I officially appoint you as my driver; that's settled." With that, Zeng Xiaoxian tossed the Mercedes keys to Zhanbo.

"Yes! My first drive is going to be a convertible—it's going to be amazing!" Lu Zhanbo was so excited he was practically dancing.

Seeing she couldn't stop them, Hu Yifei had no choice but to say, "Zhanbo, you're the only son in our family. I have to be responsible for you. Tomorrow, don't even think of driving alone; I'm sitting right beside you!"

Zhanbo didn't mind at all; as long as he could drive, nothing else mattered.

"In that case, let's all go cheer for Mr. Zeng tomorrow!" Xiao Xie suggested with a smile.

With Xiao Xie's proposal, everyone happily agreed.

Lin Wanyu, who had just come back from outside, said to everyone, "I just saw a really beautiful convertible downstairs."

At once, Zeng Xiaoxian pointed at himself, raising his eyebrows and looking at Wanyu with a proud, almost bashful expression.

"Mr. Zeng, don't tell me that's yours?" Wanyu asked in surprise.

"It is indeed mine."

"Rented!" everyone else answered in unison, breaking into laughter again.

"There were a lot of people staring at it!" Wanyu added.

"Of course! That's perfectly normal!" Zeng Xiaoxian waved his hand with delight, acting as if the car truly belonged to him.

"My daddy has a convertible too, but when he parks, he always puts the top up."

"Hmph! What's the point of a convertible then!" Zeng Xiaoxian replied smugly.

Lu Zhanbo joined in, imitating the sound of a convertible: "Beep!"

"But if you'd put the top up, that little kid wouldn't have peed on the driver's seat just now," Wanyu said innocently.

Zeng Xiaoxian was frozen for a moment.

"Ah!!!" He let out a scream and, in a flash, dashed downstairs like lightning.

The others burst out laughing again.

"Arnold, spread the news online that we're going to film a TV series. I want our show to be popular even before it airs," Xiao Xie instructed Arnold.

"Understood, young master."

"Multi-Shadow Clone Technique!" Xiao Xie formed seals with his hands, creating three shadow clones. He handed them three scripts: Chinese Paladin 1, Chinese Paladin 3, and The Journey of Flower.

"I'll leave it to you," Xiao Xie smiled.

"Understood, original!" Each clone took a script and began to read.

Xiao Xie sat cross-legged on his bed and began to cultivate. Compared to the Douqi Continent, cultivation in this world was much more difficult. But Xiao Xie wasn't training to improve his cultivation now; he was nurturing his Zanpakuto. He couldn't help but envy Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach. Ichigo had awakened his Zanpakuto in just a few days thanks to his protagonist's aura, while most Shinigami took hundreds of years to achieve Bankai—Ichigo managed it in less than six months. Truly, that's what you call a cheat.

Normally, with the infusion of spiritual energy Xiao Xie was providing, any ordinary Zanpakuto would have awakened long ago. After all, other Shinigami couldn't directly channel spiritual energy into their Zanpakuto like Xiao Xie could, transforming his spiritual power into the most suitable form for the sword. Still, the difficulty of awakening his Zanpakuto only meant one thing—the power after awakening would be extraordinary. Not all strong Zanpakuto are hard to awaken, but any that are difficult to awaken are never weak.

The next morning, after breakfast, everyone set out.

Zhanbo was the first to open the Mercedes door. The scent of a child's urine lingered in the driver's seat, but he didn't mind at all. Driving a convertible was worth any small hardship. Hu Yifei sat in the front passenger's seat, while Ziqiao and Xiaoxian took the back seats.

Guangu, Meijia, and Wanyu got into Xiao Xie's Bumblebee. Wanyu sat in the front, with Guangu and Meijia in the back.

"Bumblebee!" Zhanbo looked at Xiao Xie's Bumblebee with envy. If he hadn't agreed to be Mr. Zeng's driver, as a true Transformers fan, he'd have preferred to drive Bumblebee.

"Let's go!" Xiao Xie called to Zhanbo as he stepped on the accelerator. With a powerful roar, Bumblebee shot forward.

"Zhanbo, let's set off and catch up with them! Ggg!" Zeng Xiaoxian called out excitedly.

"Alright!" Lu Zhanbo fastened his seatbelt and set off in the convertible.

Zhanbo drove towards the TV station, but the speed was agonizingly slow.

"Dear, can you drive any faster?" Zeng Xiaoxian complained as a cyclist leisurely overtook their Mercedes, making him feel utterly frustrated.

As a first-time driver, Zhanbo was tense. "The driving instructor taught me: keep your heart calm and you’ll get there when you get there."

"That's right, Zhanbo! All new drivers should take it slow. There are no difficult roads, only new drivers!" Hu Yifei nodded in praise.

"But he's driving like an old lady! Even Guangu and the others taking the subway will get there before us!" Zeng Xiaoxian complained helplessly.

Just then, a car behind them started honking impatiently, clearly annoyed with Zhanbo’s pace.

"What are they honking for? Ziqiao, put the sign in the back!" Hu Yifei pulled out a sign from somewhere.

It read: "Expelled from driving school, self-taught, new driver, specializes in sudden stops!"

Sure enough, as soon as the sign went up, the honking ceased.

"Hey, that really works!" Lü Ziqiao said in surprise.

"In an hour, I'll be on air. This is my first live broadcast—please, let nothing go wrong!" Zeng Xiaoxian prayed.

"My life has no rehearsals; every day is live," said Lü Ziqiao, grinning at a traffic camera.

Click! The flash went off as the camera snapped a photo.

"Huh? Are there paparazzi even before we reach the TV station?" Zeng Xiaoxian looked around, still clueless, thinking reporters must be after him.

"I think we just got caught by a traffic camera," Zhanbo whispered.

"Why? Did we break the rules?" Hu Yifei asked.

"This is a bus-only lane," Zhanbo replied calmly, as if the violation had nothing to do with him.

Hu Yifei felt a flock of crows fly over her head. She turned and shouted at Lu Zhanbo, "Then why are you driving here! Each ticket is two hundred! Do you want a whole photo album of fines? Indicate and get off this lane!"

"My first photo didn’t go to the TV station, but to the traffic police!" Zeng Xiaoxian yelled in frustration.

"I told you, there are no rehearsals in life; every day is live. My smile was pretty good, wasn’t it?" Lü Ziqiao said, looking completely unfazed.

Lu Zhanbo hurriedly turned the steering wheel.

Whoosh! A black Honda SUV sped past them, creating a gust of wind. Zhanbo hit the brakes; everyone jerked forward and yelped in pain.

"You really are good at sudden stops!" Hu Yifei said angrily to Zhanbo.

"That black jeep just cut in illegally! Maybe they thought I was driving too slow," Zhanbo analyzed.

"If they think it's too slow, why not become an astronaut! Zhanbo, catch up to them!" Hu Yifei was furious.

"No, my instructor taught me: 'Calmness brings clarity, clarity brings safety.' I don’t drive out of anger," Zhanbo replied, quoting his instructor.

"Cut the crap! Step on it!" Hu Yifei demanded. She had never been so humiliated.

"Come on, sis, you told me yourself: there are no difficult roads, only new drivers!"

"That jerk! How dare he bully the weak! If a young tree isn’t straightened, it’ll never grow tall. Let’s go ask after his ancestors! When the police aren’t around, someone has to uphold justice!" Except in front of Su Can, her fiery temper was unmatched.

"Is cursing people really considered upholding justice?" Zeng Xiaoxian asked weakly.

"Of course! That’s why they say a gentleman uses words, not force!" The group was speechless—so that’s what ‘using words’ meant to her.

"I can’t curse people, it’s too crude," Zhanbo shook his head, refusing.