ABT ### Chapter 155: Finally, It's My Turn!

Thanks to Mason’s encouragement, Li Fanyu relaxed over the next few days. Without the burden of worrying about sales, he found the North American International Auto Show to be an enjoyable experience.

Each day's themed activities were incredibly interesting, with a variety of elements that truly broadened his horizons. On the third day, a large group of antique car collectors arrived at the show, bringing all sorts of vintage cars to the North American auto exhibition.

Seeing cars that dated back even to before World War I, Li Fanyu felt his cells trembling with excitement. Some of these antique cars had hand-cranked steering wheels, some still had spoked wheels, and many had top speeds of only 20 kilometers per hour, without even brakes!

As these ancient relics were slowly driven into the exhibition hall by tow trucks, he felt a profound sense of humanity's accelerated march through history.

These antique cars, arranged in chronological order of production, passed by one after another: the first car with pneumatic tires, the first box car with a roof, the first car with a tilted steering wheel, the first car with brakes, a radio, air conditioning, seat belts...

It was like a hundred-year evolution of the automobile!

This was a source of pride for humanity, a gift from the collision of wisdom and creativity!

Mason, holding a beer, was visibly entranced. Seeing Li Fanyu’s excitement, he raised his beer high and said, "This is why I got into the automotive industry! My friend, maybe in a few decades or a hundred years, there will be a chapter of history for us too! Cheers!"

Li Fanyu clinked his can with Mason’s, and they both downed their beers. When they looked at each other again, with their mouths full of foam, they burst into laughter.

In the past couple of days, Cheng Ke gradually “forgave” Li Fanyu. She seemed to have a naturally carefree attitude, and soon returned to her usual curious self, exploring new things.

Because the security in the exhibition hall was quite good, with the Detroit police station deploying a large number of officers, Cheng Ke would often go out on her own to explore when Li Fanyu was not busy.

However, on the fourth night, a robbery occurred outside a hotel two blocks away. A French female tourist was robbed of her cash and passport when returning to her hotel. A black robber attempted to assault her, but she was saved when hotel staff noticed and called the police.

After this incident, Cheng Ke no longer dared to wander around. She stuck to Li Fanyu like glue, even insisting he accompany her to the restroom during the day.

At night, she threw away her body pillow and climbed into his arms for safety.

Li Fanyu felt quite guilty; he hadn’t anticipated Detroit’s security would be this bad. If he’d known, he would have hired a local translator instead of bringing her.

If anything happened to her, Cheng’s dad would likely flay him alive and use his skin as a belt when they returned to China.

So he took care to lock all doors and windows and even spent a lot of money renting a gun from the hotel bartender, which he kept under his pillow.

Of course, he kept this from Cheng Ke.

Naturally timid, the robbery had left her anxious. At the slightest noise at night, she would wake up in a panic. Li Fanyu had to comfort her like a child, helping her fall back asleep.

Because of this incident, many tourists left early, giving Li Fanyu some peace during the day. He spent his time chatting with Mason, improving his English rapidly. Basic daily communication was no longer a problem.

Li Fanyu suggested that Cheng Ke return to China ahead of schedule, thinking he could hire a translator locally if needed for business talks in the final days.

However, Cheng Ke stubbornly refused, her reasoning making Li Fanyu both amused and slightly touched.

"I’m not going back. You sleep so deeply; if we were robbed, you wouldn’t even notice!"

Li Fanyu thought, "It’s you who snores every night! To keep you safe, I’ve been sleeping with a gun. Look at these dark circles under my eyes!"

But faced with her serious and determined expression, he couldn’t insist on sending her back. Each time he brought it up, she would sulk and turn her back on him, refusing to talk.

Fortunately, the exhibition organizers, embarrassed by the situation, coordinated with the police to ensure constant patrols in the areas with foreign merchants and tourists. This eased Li Fanyu’s mind, and he stopped insisting Cheng Ke return home.

Cheng Ke was happy again.

But this left Li Fanyu in a dilemma; it seemed she had become attached to sleeping in his arms.

Even though there were police cars stationed outside the hotel every night, Li Fanyu couldn’t escape her clinging to him as they slept.

Isn’t this a bit much...

But then he thought, let her be. Once we’re back in China, we won’t be sharing a bed anyway. I can endure this for a few more days.

Nighttime wasn’t the issue; it was the morning awkwardness of waking up with a certain predicament... Cheng Ke seemed to have become attuned to it. Whenever Li Fanyu woke up, she would turn her back, close her eyes, and pretend to sleep, her long eyelashes trembling.

This routine continued until the seventh day of the car show.

Early in the morning, Li Fanyu was notified that his booth was being moved inside the exhibition hall. This was a perk of the day’s theme, showcasing representative cars related to it.

This opportunity wasn’t initially meant for him; there were over thirty car manufacturers and more than a hundred models at the show.

But the benefits of the barbecue began to show—each day, the bustling scene at the X-power booth, coupled with media coverage, caught the organizers’ attention.

As the world’s first street-legal race car, the X-power earned this honor, fitting the theme of "unparalleled speed," and was invited inside the exhibition hall.

Along with the notification, he was asked to prepare a short speech for a documentary being filmed.

To maximize impact and restore the reputation of the North American International Auto Show and Detroit, the organizers, the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, had hired Hollywood to help plan the theme and film a documentary to be released after the event.

This was huge, and Li Fanyu was excited; he never expected to appear in a documentary! How cool!

But the documentary filmmaker’s congratulatory remark brought him back to reality.

"Congratulations, Mr. Li. If all goes well, you should be the first Chinese person to appear in a documentary of this caliber about cars."

His polite smile made Li Fanyu shiver, and he suddenly remembered a lyric from Nicholas Tse’s song “Yellow Race”:

"The more turbulent, the braver, the world changes, and I must forge ahead. With integrity, I travel the world. After five thousand years, it’s finally my turn!"


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