"Listen to me—shift into gear! Give it power! Up to fourth gear, accelerate, pass the car ahead—go faster!" Highlight urged. The driver followed Highlight's instructions precisely, and the car sped ahead swiftly. The driver felt energized—never before had he driven this fast. "Hey, you've got some real talent!" the driver remarked with admiration. "Of course! I'm a professional-level race driver!" Highlight beamed proudly. Indeed, in his past life, Highlight had grown up in the U.S., deeply passionate about racing. Though his parents' corporate headquarters were in China, he moved to China for high school. As a result, he hadn't had many opportunities to race regularly. Still, he never forgot the fundamentals of racing. Upon hearing this, the driver pressed the accelerator even harder and sped forward. Gao Ruolan was riding her bicycle with a light and cheerful mood. As she thought about wearing her new outfit to the rehearsal at the academy, especially for the dance and music program she loved most, she felt especially delighted. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, she loosened the handlebars, her happy expression clearly visible on her face. Suddenly, she gave a sharp cry, feeling intense pain radiating through her body—the bicycle gently kissed the speeding taxi. The taxi narrowly passed by, and its powerful inertia violently collided with the bicycle, flipping it over. Gao Ruolan was thrown to the ground, landing in the roadside gutter. Are you even reasonable? My car was clearly driving straight down the middle, yet you were weaving in and out like a drunk! Is that not a violation of traffic rules? "It was your fast-moving car that hit mine," said Gao Rulan, breathing rapidly, her chest rising and falling. "Not only did your bicycle knock me over, but you also caused me to fall into the ditch—my brand-new clothes are now torn. What am I supposed to do now?" "Mine too," added the driver, trying to keep his composure. "My car has numerous scratches. What can I do?" "You both shut up and keep quiet like two crows! I'm covering the cost!" Gao Liang had been looking forward to going to the taekwondo class today, but instead found himself involved in this unnecessary dispute. He was clearly frustrated. He pulled out a few bills and tossed them to the driver, saying, "You, 800 yuan—should that be enough?" Upon seeing the amount, the driver's eyes lit up. "That's more than enough!" he exclaimed. "That's more than enough!" And then he started the car and drove off. After settling one issue, Gao Liang handed the remaining几张 banknotes to Gao Ruolan. Unexpectedly, Gao Ruolan said, "What I want isn't money! It's justice! Do you think anything can be settled just by paying money?" "Then how should I make it up to you?" Gao Liang pressed. "You've ruined my good mood today—there's nothing you can pay to make that up. However, my new dress has been torn—this is something you must compensate for!" Gao Ruolan put forward her claim for compensation. "Then I'll pay you, and you can buy yourself a new one," Gao Liang thought. After all, this dress shouldn't cost much. Paying money would be the most convenient solution. "I've already told you," Gao Ruolan said, "what I want isn't money. Today, you must buy me a dress exactly like this one! Otherwise, I'll never let it go!" Gao Ruolan truly cared deeply about this dress. "Alright! Take me to the store where you bought this dress—I'll buy you another one right away!" Gao Liang found himself facing a persistent 'sweeping star' today, and had Shunke Long Business Street, Mei Hanfu, mother of Gao Ruolan, was arranging the fruit juices and beverages on her stall. Suddenly, a flowered shirt and a yellow-haired man appeared, holding a stack of documents. Mei Hanfu was startled, exclaiming, "Didn't we just pay the protection fee a few days ago? Why are you coming again?" The flowered shirt and yellow-haired man didn't immediately respond—they simply handed her a form, which she didn't take. The form fell to the ground, and no one picked it up. Gao Ruolan noticed this and asked a middle-aged woman from a neighboring stall, quickly learning what had happened. She then grew indignant, saying, "You uncouth, unprincipled people—how good you are at gathering money! Do you even know the law? Today, you happen to meet me, and you refuse to pay!" Just as she finished speaking, Gao Liang approached, and the flowered shirt and yellow-haired man both exclaimed, "Boss! What should we do now?" Gao Ruolan glanced at Gao Liang again with disdain, saying, "I never thought you'd be such a crude, unrefined rogue—someone who resorts to street-corner extortion and petty schemes!" This remark truly set Gao Liang off. "What's wrong with being a third-rate player? What does it have to do with you?" "You're charging me extra fees here—some kind of mafia boss, are you? I've always detested people like you!" Gao Ruolan looked utterly dismissive. "Today you've ruined my mood! You're truly a 'sweeping star'—every time I meet you, things go wrong. You're a disaster!" Gao Liang responded directly and firmly. "I've been cursed for eight lifetimes just meeting you. You've torn my clothes to shreds—now you're going to compensate me!" Gao Ruolan wouldn't back down. Yet what followed was that the same dress, previously sold at the very store where it had been purchased, was now completely sold out. Gao Ruolan felt deeply disappointed. Gao Liang, however, was delighted, saying, "You've truly earned it—what a case of self-inflicted misfortune!" "This comment directly stung Gao Ruolan's self-esteem, and she immediately retorted, "God bless me—never to see you again! You're a real piece of bad luck!" "I'd rather never see you either!" Gao Liang shot back. The two locked eyes, glaring at each other for no less than ten seconds, and then Gao Ruolan huffed, her shoulders slumped, and walked off reluctantly. Gao Liang also stormed off, but when he reached the corner and saw Miao Hanfu picking up the form from the ground, gazing toward her daughter in the distance, too late to catch up, he could only shake his head and sigh. A pang of sympathy stirred in his heart. So he stopped someone standing nearby—someone he had met just a few days ago—and handed over a few bills, pointing toward Miao Hanfu's stall, and gestured for her to pay for everything as she had done last time. Seeing a good opportunity, the man readily agreed. After that man had purchased everything, he spotted the form in Miao Hanyu's hands and his eyes lit up. "We've been charging stall protection fees on this street for three years," he exclaimed. "Now, finally, they're canceling them and conducting a survey—what a refreshing move!" The middle-aged woman from a neighboring stall also praised it enthusiastically, clearly feeling relieved and proud. This remark truly reminded Miao Hanyu to ask again about the flower shirt and the yellow-haired man, but where had they gone? They had already left. At the school basketball court, a group of boys were playing basketball, their intense matches drawing many girls who stopped by to watch, often prompting waves of admiration. When a tall boy made a graceful shot, the crowd erupted in applause. The tall male student was quite proud and was about to showcase himself even more when a pair of shoes stepped on the back of his own shoes, and a voice said, "This is our territory. I've told you several times now—if you don't just vanish, I'll seriously hurt your footwork!" Upon looking up, he recognized it was Zhao Yuanhang, one of the most renowned figures in the school's F3 team. So he smiled politely and tried to make a quick exit. Unexpectedly, another voice said, "Yuanhang, Tianpei—let him take on a match against me. Everyone will get to see what true big-play dunking looks like!" "Clap! Clap! Clap!" Many students erupted into enthusiastic applause, as an exciting game was about to begin. A classmate serving as the referee started the stopwatch and tossed the ball into the air… The ball fell through the air, and the tall student reached out with both hands—first one hand touched the ball, controlled it, then dribbled it steadily toward the basket. Fan Wei Ze did not directly clash with the big player to contest the ball; instead, he maintained a composed and calm demeanor, standing confidently beneath the basket. The big player drove the ball to the basket, launched into the air, and threw the ball toward the rim, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Yet, right then, Fan Wei Ze suddenly changed his composed posture—just as the ball was nearing the rim, his exceptional vertical leap surprised everyone. With his hands higher than the big player’s throw, he deftly guided the ball past the rim. The crowd erupted in cheers. The game continued, but no matter what moves the big player employed, he could never gain the upper hand.