Chapter 97: I Hate Your Guts
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Du didn’t want to be the third wheel for the two couples. Moreover, he felt unwelcome from the glances the two men kept shooting him.
But before he could say a word, Hans spoke, "Cool, it’s more fun when there’s more people, and we’re both amateurs when it comes to trucks. If we could get some professional help, that would be really great!"
"Yeah, great," Li Du had no choice but to agree.
The showroom for heavy-duty trucks was enormous. The magnificent beasts of steel were lined up in display; amongst these trucks, there was one in particular that caught Li Du’s eye.
The truck was red with blue, fiery patterns. The side exhaust pipes stood tall like dragon horns, and the frontal view of the truck was wide and square. It was eye-catching indeed.
Li Du couldn’t contain his excitement; he enthusiastically ran toward the truck. "Oh my god—it’s Prime, it’s Prime!"
"What?"
"Prime! Optimus Prime!"
Marate nodded his head without any expression. "Right, Peterbilt, they’re king of the highways. You have these in China too?"
Marate’s tone exuded an attitude of superiority over Li Du.
Li Du chose to ignore this by keeping his smile and turned to Hans. "Let’s get Prime! Autobots, assemble!"
"Sh*t—let’s leave the height constraint aside. More importantly, does your driver’s license allow you to drive such trucks? Mine can’t," Hans shrugged.
Li Du sighed with a heave of regret.
Taylor snorted with disdain, both of his arms crossed. "What’s the matter with you guys? Are you from the eighties? ‘Autobots, assemble’? Ha!"
"They are not from the eighties, but this fellow is from China—you know China? They sell porcelain, sell pandas... I’ve been there. They are, like, thirty years behind America," Marate smirked.
Both ladies frowned. Natalie chided, "What nonsense are you both talking about? Don’t be a jerk!"
"I’m sorry, Li," Sophie said in an apologetic tone. "Marate and Taylor like to joke around. I don’t think they meant to mock you."
"I’m not mocking anyone, Sophie," said Marate defensively. "I’ve been to China. What I said is true. You can ask him. Ask him if China is really a backward country."
Li Du had a slight smile on his face. Ah Meow jumped off Li Du’s arms while Hans pulled Sophie backwards.
"What? Marate, you a**hole …" Sophie hissed, annoyed.
Hans said, "Just look quietly—Li’s angry. It’s the time for the Soviet Iron Fist of Revenge!"
Sophie was baffled; she couldn’t understand what Hans had just said.
Li Du still had a slight smile on his face. "Yes, China is still a developing country. We do not have many mobile phones, or computers, and neither do we really have television sets.
"But I am sure that you haven’t been to China, otherwise you would have known that our roads are fully lined with vehicles. The children play with them every day—these kinds of trucks are a small deal to them."
"Small deal? That’s funny— I haven’t heard that joke before," Marate laughed.
"No, no, no—I’m not joking. Maybe you didn’t understand what I said. I mean children back in China know trucks like the backs of their hands."
Marate sneered with disdain. "Oh, my. Your bullsh*ting skills make me laugh."
Li Du shrugged. "No, you know what I said is true. The children back in China know a lot about trucks, much more than you do."
Taylor was fed up with the conversation. "Okay, then why not both of you just have a challenge and see who knows more about trucks?"
Li Du shook his head. "I don’t know. We’re competing on unfair grounds. Sophie is my friend, so I shouldn’t embarrass her other friends."
"I hate your guts. I hate to see you bullsh*ting with a straight face. Come on, Mr. Treasure Tycoon, show me what you’ve got," Marate urged.
"Fine, if you say so. What happens to the loser?"
"You decide!" Marate said confidently.
"How about this? Whoever loses shall climb on top of that Raptor over at the entrance and shout ‘I’m a country bumpkin’, three times," Li Du suggested. "What do you say?"
"Dude, that’s not a Raptor. ‘Raptor’ is the nickname for the F-150. The F-650’s nickname is not decided yet," Taylor said with scorn. "Are you sure you wanna take on Marate?"
"Marate’s an experienced car tuning specialist, and a good one, too," Sophie reminded him.
Li Du looked at Marate and said, "Well, if you don’t want to challenge me, that’s totally fine."
The tall, handsome guy laughed. "Americans aren’t afraid of anything. Bring it on!"
"Okay, how should we compete? Why don’t you set the rules? I don’t want to take advantage of you."
Marate was irritated by Li Du’s words. "There’s no need to. Since I am the host, you can set the rules. I’ll show you what I’m made of."
Hans shook his head in disapproval. This young man doesn’t know what he’s in for, but I respect him for his guts, he thought.
Ah Meow also shook its head, its chubby face full of disdain.
The ocelot had lived with Li Du to know his temperament well enough to understand that everything Li Du had said to Marate and Taylor was just a tactic to make them fall into his trap.
Li Du had wanted to set the rules, but arrogant people like Marate failed to see this. If Marate were to set the rules, he knew that he would lose—even if there were ten of him against one Marate.
In order to win, he could only depend on his little bug’s ability. Looking around at the showroom, Li Du knew exactly what to do.
"Let’s do this, then. Sophie, I need your help to flip the information panel of every truck here; we will then guess the truck’s engine information and do an introduction of the truck. Is that fine with you?" Li Du turned to Marate.
Marate’s eyelids twitched. There were over fifty trucks here. The engine’s horsepower, size, engine displacement, cylinder count; they were all different with each truck, and even the salesperson might not be able to do it with accuracy.
Taylor understood this as well, and remarked, "That’s reckless."
Li Du responded, "Since I’m the one who set the rules, I shall go first. You can pick any ten trucks here in this showroom and I’ll introduce the trucks you choose. How about that?"
Li Du’s expression was as cool as ice. For a moment, Marate was apprehensive toward the arrangement.
Seeing this, Taylor spoke in a low tone that only both of them could hear. "Don’t worry, he is just scaring you with such harsh terms."
Taylor’s words had a calming effect on Marate.
"Okay, challenge accepted."
Taylor chose a huge, red truck and said, "This one."
Sophie flipped the information panel.
Li Du released the little bug and smiled. "Wow, you are cunning. Not many people know about this truck."
Li Du proceeded to introduce the truck: "This is not an American truck. It is from Italy. This truck is specially manufactured by Iveco, for the Ferrari manufacturers based in Maranello, as their transportation truck.
"It comes with a 12.9-liter engine with a maximum horsepower of 570, with a range rotation of 1000–1575 revolutions per minute. It can emit 2,500 newton-meters of torque. It has an automatic transmission…"
Marate and Taylor were appalled by what they heard. They couldn’t believe their ears.