"Enough of that." Golden Sixty turned on the radio, then asked offhandedly, "Mind if I put some music on?"
Almost immediately, the sharp, staccato blast of a trumpet filled the air, followed by the smooth glide of a saxophone as a cheerful, old-school jazz tune started bouncing through the car.
"So, Platinum, first time in Hong Kong, right?" she said, her tone lively as she addressed the white-haired girl. "Hong Kong's a major metropolis, you know…"
Seems she hadn't given up on trying to chat her up.
Platinum instinctively drew her arms in a little tighter.
"Major, but just a few islands?" Urban Sea cut in unexpectedly from the back seat, clearly annoyed her own conversation with her sister had been interrupted.
"…" Golden Sixty decided not to engage with the obsessive older sister. "And it's very modern…"
"Hasn't it stayed pretty much the same for over twenty years?"
Gagged again, Golden Sixty shot a look at Urban Sea via the rearview mirror before pressing on. "Plus, it has a thriving cultural scene…"
"You mean those Hong Kong films from last century that you're still secretly watching? I remember your favorite was 'God of Gamblers'—you even pestered Uncle Francis to teach you how to cheat."
"…Let's just enjoy the night view of Hong Kong."
With the jazz playing, the car climbed a gradually rising slope, and then a vast, shimmering expanse of sea spread out before them.
Night had already fallen over the city, draping the sea in a curtain of darkness.
But Hong Kong's nights kept the ocean bright too, glittering with light. This time, the light didn't come from the sun in the sky, but from the cold, man-made suns on the ground.
Through a view crisscrossed by steel girders, the distant city began to awaken, neon signs flickering on one by one like scattered blood diamonds on dark sand.
Platinum stared blankly at the scene before her, her dark pupils reflecting the entire city.
A deafening roar drowned out the jazz from the car stereo.
Covering her ears, Platinum looked up to see a low-flying aircraft pressing down over the sea, its wings flexing like a whale breaching the surface, the explosive rumble of its engines like a whale's song.
The trail left by its wings hung high in the air, reminiscent of a sperm whale's discharge.
Reds, yellows. Icy blues, dazzling purples, and piercing whites.
The city looked like a nest woven from light, or a dance of fireflies.
Their car, now hidden within the night, sped across the bridge; even the ads hanging on the distant skyscrapers were clearly visible from here.
"Um… sorry to interrupt the view… but Sixty, you're speeding, you know?" Urban Sea pointed a trembling finger at the dashboard, a cold sweat dripping down her temple.
She'd been looking queasy since they got in the car, leaning uncomfortably against the back seat.
"What's wrong with this speed?" Golden Sixty replied lazily.
Golden Sixty was reckless and unrestrained. Being unrestrained meant she never let things get to her…
That was the polite way to put it. The less polite version was that she never held a grudge overnight.
This girl… held a petty grudge.
A sharp honk sounded from beside them. Golden Sixty and Platinum both turned to look. A flashy red convertible had pulled up alongside them, its driver relentlessly blaring the horn.
The car was packed. The driver was a black man with dreadlocks; a blonde woman sat in the back, and a white man stood on the passenger seat, playing a saxophone. The sea breeze tossed their hair as the dreadlocked driver whistled provocatively.
"Fuck off! You jerk!" Platinum heard the driver shout.
"We stand out too much," Urban Sea remarked, gazing out the window. A line of pitch-black cars driving arrogantly down the road, and speeding on top of that… really asked for a punch in the face.
"Stand out?" Golden Sixty snorted coldly and rolled down her window.
The people in the other car seemed taken aback to see a woman driving, freezing for a second at the sight of her.
Then Golden Sixty raised her right hand and flipped them the bird.
"Go home and suck on your mom's tits!"
She cranked the stereo to full volume and slammed the accelerator. The needle on the speedometer visibly shot upward.
Everyone in the car, Platinum included, turned deathly pale, feeling as if a sudden force was pinning them to their seats.
The wind outside roared so loudly that even at full volume, the jazz sounded muddled and distant.
"G-G-Golden Sixty!" Platinum stammered, dizzy and disoriented, her head filled with the roar of plane engines, the howling wind, and the blaring jazz.
It felt like an elephant was stomping on her stomach; she was on the verge of losing control and throwing up.
"Haha, don't worry, they can't catch us."
Golden Sixty laughed heartily, leaving car after car in the dust—even the two black sedans following them.
She steered with one hand, constantly changing lanes and overtaking. The oncoming traffic seemed to rush straight toward Platinum and the others.
And despite all this, Golden Sixty still found a free moment to pull the cork from a glass bottle stashed in the car door, pour herself half a glass of amber liquid, and raise it toward the moon as if toasting, clinking it against the window before downing most of it in one go.
"That's not what I'm worried about!" Platinum's face was ashen—now she and Urban Sea were in the same boat. "At this rate, I'm afraid we're going to crash and die!"
Amid the cacophony of mixed noises, the car flew off the bridge and continued its reckless charge along the open road.
Golden Sixty's phone rang incessantly; she put it on speaker and tossed it onto the dashboard.
"Hey? Uncle Francis, did we lose those foreign fools?"
"Sixty, pull over right now!" Uncle Francis's anxious voice came through the phone. "The traffic police are out, even the police commissioner called! Everyone knows you're racing down the main road like a maniac!"
Golden Sixty glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the alternating blue and red lights of police motorcycles chasing them. The flashy red convertible had long since been left in the dust.
"Uncle Francis, if only you'd called earlier. I can't stop now."
"Why not?" Uncle Francis sounded baffled.
"Because I just had half a glass of champagne." As she said this, Golden Sixty tossed the remaining golden liquid out the window. The amber stream scattered into a fine spray in the air.
"Welcome to Hong Kong!" Golden Sixty threw her head back with a loud laugh and, amid Platinum's horrified expression, floored the accelerator, stretching one hand toward the sky as if she could grasp the moon itself.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.