Maxing Out Charisma, Inheriting Game Assets Chapter 857: Racing, Sunset, Sea Breeze, and the Giant Vessel

4:15 PM.

Monte Carlo Paris Grand Hotel, top-floor corridor.

"Ding—" The elevator doors slowly opened.

Tang Song, ever the gentleman, extended a hand to hold the door, gave a slight bow, and said in a gentle tone, "Ms. Ouyang, please."

"Thank you."

Ouyang Xianyue gave a slight nod and stepped into the elevator cab with unhurried grace.

To avoid drawing attention, she wore a wide-brimmed French-style vintage sun hat and oversized amber-tinted sunglasses that obscured most of her dignified, elegant face.

Over her soft, form-fitting light-colored knitwear, she wore a minimalist-cut beige trench coat, paired with dark straight-leg jeans and comfortable flat ankle boots.

At this moment, she had shed the sharpness of the Precision Queen's usual demeanor, looking instead like a well-off tourist with excellent taste, on a short vacation in the South of France.

Inside the enclosed cab, only the two of them remained.

Ouyang Xianyue watched the changing floor numbers, her heartbeat accelerating slightly along with them.

She glanced sideways, her phoenix eyes behind the sunglasses looking at the highly polished mirror inside the cab.

In the reflection, Tang Song wore a low-key baseball cap and black-rimmed square glasses.

He appeared reserved, gentle, and handsome.

Standing side by side.

They looked inexplicably harmonious.

Like siblings, yet also like a couple.

A long-lost flutter, reminiscent of her girlhood, mixed with the thrill of a secret affair in a foreign land, quietly spread through her veins.

"Ding—"

The elevator stopped at the ground floor.

The two walked out, one after the other, maintaining a proper social distance between them.

Passing through the luxurious hotel lobby, the slanted sunlight spilled onto the small plaza, carrying the Mediterranean's unique laziness and warmth.

Ouyang Xianyue slowed her pace, tilting her head slightly, and asked softly:

"Where are we going? I've heard the Monte Carlo Opera House is quite nice, or... maybe just a walk by the sea?"

What she truly wanted to see, of course, was that yacht.

But such thoughts were not suitable to voice too directly.

For her, the more she cared about something, the more she had to appear indifferent.

Hearing this, a pleasing curve lifted the corner of Tang Song's mouth.

"The weather is so good, it'd be a shame to just walk," he said, turning his head, his gaze falling on her profile gilded by the sunlight. "I'll take you for a drive to experience the coastal road scenery. Let's go, Ms. Ouyang."

Ouyang Xianyue pressed her lips together, asked no further, merely raised a hand to lightly adjust her sunglasses frame, and obediently followed his steps.

Soon, they arrived beside the Bugatti parked right outside the main entrance.

Tang Song stopped by the car, took the key fob from his pocket, and casually pressed it.

A crisp unlocking sound rang out.

Immediately after, the LED headlights at the front flared to life, like a slumbering beast opening its eyes.

Instantly, a wave of gazes turned their way.

Admiring, fanatical, envious, probing.

This globally unique supercar naturally became the absolute center of attention wherever it was parked.

Tang Song walked around to the passenger side and opened the carbon fiber door.

He leaned down slightly, lowering his voice to a whisper like a lover's in her ear.

"Get in, Madam."

Ouyang Xianyue's heart skipped a beat.

In this semi-public setting, under the potential scrutiny of countless strangers, being addressed like this by him...

That secretive, dangerous thrill shot straight up her spine.

She couldn't help but glance at the outrageously flamboyant black supercar before her.

Given her consistently steady and restrained nature, whether at home or abroad, she had almost never touched this kind of toy, typical of young tycoons and ostentatious capital.

But now, that unfamiliar, dangerous, flamboyant, out-of-control feeling was slowly coaxing out a long-suppressed impulse from deep within her.

She gently bit her lip and bent down slightly.

The supercar's chassis was very low, forcing her to tuck her legs in gracefully as she settled into the carbon fiber seat.

The moment she sat down, the curves of her hips and thighs, accentuated by the jeans, were further highlighted by the seat's contours, appearing even more sensual.

She lightly tugged her hat brim and lowered her gaze slightly.

[Drift Value: 41%]

Tang Song chuckled softly and closed the car door for her.

"Thump—"

The deep thud of the door closing completely isolated the outside noise and stares.

Then, he walked around the low-slung front end and got into the driver's seat.

Pressed the start button.

"Rumble—"

The 1500-horsepower W16 quad-turbocharged engine roared to life.

The entire carbon fiber body trembled.

Ouyang Xianyue's whole body went weak, and she instinctively gripped the armrest.

This car... was too wild.

Tang Song's long hands grasped the racing steering wheel.

"Hum—"

A soft chime reverberated in his mind.

"Ding! [Badge - Strategist] has been activated."

Tang Song's eyes narrowed slightly, golden threads appearing in his field of vision.

His Comprehension stat, reaching 90 points, and his [Memory Palace] operated at a terrifying speed.

Memory fragments, knowledge structures, and muscle instincts buried deep in his subconscious flooded into his mind like a tide.

It was Europe in 2021.

Rainy, foggy Zurich.

The elegant, dignified building of the Crown Bank headquarters.

Annie Kate's beautiful and ambitious face.

The layered nesting of offshore trusts.

Concealed shadow accounts.

The old European financial aristocracy's set of understated yet ruthlessly cold rules.

Capital mergers and acquisitions, liquidation procedures, cross-border channels, short-selling logic, risk isolation...

One by one, the originally complex and intricate threads of knowledge were swiftly woven into his "Memory Palace."

Then, the scene shifted again.

The winding mountain roads of the Alps.

Professional racetracks.

High-speed cornering.

Downshifting, blipping the throttle, steering, braking, finding the racing line...

The perception and muscle memory of a top-tier professional race car driver poured into his nerves in an instant.

All of this, bolstered by the [Memory Palace], happened in just a fleeting moment.

When the golden threads before his eyes completely faded.

Tang Song opened his eyes again, his gaze now deeper and more profound.

The higher the [Comprehension] value, the greater the depth of awakening when triggering [Strategist].

Now that it had broken the 90-point barrier, combined with the "specific scenario" of being in Europe, sitting in a supercar, and about to take over Crown Bank, the badge was finally triggered again.

Everything was within expectations.

The only regret was that the related plot's [Feather of Memory] did not trigger.

Tang Song did not know the cause and effect behind these memories.

But this was enough.

"What's wrong?"

Ouyang Xianyue noticed his brief distraction, turned her head, her phoenix eyes behind the sunglasses resting on his face.

Tang Song looked at her.

The evening sunlight streamed through the windshield, spreading a layer of soft warmth over her.

The wide-brimmed hat obscured most of her face, revealing only the beautiful curve of her jaw and her slightly pursed red lips.

In that instant, his mood suddenly soared to its peak.

Without explanation, he leaned over and gently kissed her lips.

Ouyang Xianyue stiffened all over, her first reaction being to turn and look out the car window.

"Don't be impulsive, someone might see—"

Before she could finish.

Tang Song had already retreated to the driver's seat, his hands back on the steering wheel.

A dangerous yet composed smile played on his lips.

"Hold on tight, Madam."

"Rumble—"

The Voice of the Night let out a low growl and then shot out from the hotel entrance, merging into Monte Carlo's winding city streets.

Monaco's city roads are not easy to drive.

Narrow, full of curves, complex gradients, and it was just the time in the afternoon when traffic converged.

But when Tang Song held the steering wheel, he seemed to become one with the car.

Downshifting, changing lanes, overtaking.

The massive body moved like a nimble black fish, weaving precisely through the traffic.

Within a hair's breadth, fluid and seamless.

This thrill of precise control in tight spaces was far more adrenaline-pumping than mere straight-line acceleration.

The absolute command over speed, machinery, lines, and timing completely ignited Tang Song's desire for conquest.

"Tang Song... slow down a bit..."

"You're going too fast... it's too narrow here..."

The traffic and buildings that seemed to almost brush past the side mirrors gave the usually calm and steady her, for the first time in the passenger seat, a taste of a near-out-of-control tension.

"Don't be afraid, leave it to me."

Not only did Tang Song not slow down, he even freed his right hand and reached toward the passenger seat.

The dark jeans hugged her incredibly shapely legs. As his palm pressed against them, the astonishing elasticity and fullness made him reluctant to let go.

Ouyang Xianyue let out a low hum, her legs instinctively tightening together.

"You... Tang Song... don't be impulsive, drive properly, safety is most important..."

She bit her red lip, trying to stop him.

Yet Tang Song paid no heed.

Instead, he became even more audacious.

Inside the car's cramped space, the temperature gradually rose.

Ouyang Xianyue's head began to spin.

[Drift Value: 43%]

"I'm going to accelerate," Tang Song suddenly said, pressing the accelerator.

"Ah, you..."

Before her words finished, the car had already shot out of the crowded city area, turning onto the famous coastal mountain road (Moyenne Corniche).

The view suddenly opened up.

On one side were steep, rugged cliffs; on the other, the Mediterranean Sea dyed orange-red by the sunset.

Tang Song finally began to truly unleash this beast's power.

The engine's roar, the oppressive feeling during high-speed cornering, the intense and fierce push into the seatback, pinned the Noble Lady firmly against her seat.

Her pupils trembled, her lips tightly bitten, her ample chest heaving violently.

Accompanied by the engine's high-pitched scream, low gasps escaped her.

An unbroken stream of curves rushed toward them.

Entering the turn, braking, hugging the line, friction, exiting the turn.

The entire process was fluid and seamless.

The car body seemed nailed to the road surface.

The strong centrifugal force repeatedly pushed Ouyang Xianyue toward the driver's side.

Making her instinctively lean, cling, and draw closer to him.

The coastal scenery outside the window turned into streaks of blurred light, rapidly receding.

Inside the car was a young, powerful, all-controlling man.

Outside the car was the sunset, sea breeze, and the most luxurious coastline of a foreign land.

All the sensory experiences intertwined, turning into waves of electric current that continuously washed over Ouyang Xianyue's mind.

That dignified, beautiful face gradually flushed.

Her breathing grew hot.

Her gaze became dazed.

[Drift Value: 44%]

[Drift Value: 45%]

The numbers kept jumping.

[Drift Value: 47%]

[Drift Value: 48%]

.......

Dusk deepened.

The car slowly wound its way down the mountain road. After passing through a short tunnel, the lights of Monaco spread out ahead once more.

Like scattered diamonds strewn across the seaside.

Finally, the Voice of the Night drove into a relatively quiet open-air parking lot near the Port of Hercules.

Tang Song parked the car steadily and turned off the engine.

The roaring engine rumble gradually subsided into silence.

Her beautiful cheeks carried a faint blush.

For Ms. Ouyang, who always valued composure and kept her emotions hidden, this was an extremely rare loss of composure.

However, as the shock and thrill gradually receded.

It was replaced by a sense of clarity and release, from soul to body.

"Want to get out and walk? Take a stroll along the shore."

Ouyang Xianyue closed her eyes for a moment, then after two seconds, softly responded, "...Okay."

They got out of the car.

Ouyang Xianyue first instinctively raised a hand to adjust her hat brim, then straightened her sunglasses, and smoothed her slightly disheveled hair.

In just a few seconds.

She had transformed back into that elegant, proper, composed Ms. Ouyang.

But after taking only two steps forward, her legs suddenly went weak.

Her body swayed slightly.

Tang Song reached out, steadying her waist firmly.

"Are you alright?"

Ouyang Xianyue turned her head, looking at him through her sunglasses.

"The way you drive, Sir... is quite special. Very memorable."

"Just memorable? Did you like it?" Tang Song's tone carried a hint of teasing.

"......"

Ouyang Xianyue did not answer.

They walked side by side toward the sea, the silently lurking Voice of the Night behind them.

The sunset was gentle, the sea breeze tender.

The nightscape of the Port of Hercules possessed a decadent, dazzling beauty even more pronounced than during the day.

In the deep-water area, yachts were densely moored.

Lights on the decks lit up one by one.

In the distance, even helicopter landing pads were visible.

Century-old classical buildings, luxury storefronts, open-air cafes, and the constant stream of luxury cars together formed a highly impactful panorama of Monaco's night scene.

The air was filled with a mix of sea salt, coffee, and perfume.

There were European noblewomen walking their hounds.

There were gentlemen in suits conversing in low tones.

And there were young men and women zipping by on electric scooters.

Here, wealth and pleasure were manifested to the extreme.

This rare sense of anonymity allowed Ouyang Xianyue to relax completely.

Unconsciously, she had already taken the initiative to link her arm with Tang Song's.

From the weightlessness and thrill inside the car earlier to the seaside stroll and sunset now.

Her emotions felt pushed, sliding toward a direction she could no longer control.

She almost forgot her identity.

At this moment, they resembled a pair of lovers passionately in love in a foreign land.

Occasionally, they stopped to look at the yachts, the seagulls, the luxury goods in the shop windows.

Just then, a voice speaking Chinese with a hint of surprise came from beside them.

"Hello, hi there?"

Ouyang Xianyue quickly raised her hand, lightly pressing down on her hat brim, hiding her face deeper into the shadows of her hat and sunglasses.

Tang Song stopped and turned around.

The speaker was a young couple in their twenties.

The young man wore a thin cashmere coat over a simple white T-shirt, with a Patek Philippe on his wrist.

The young woman was wrapped in a beige teddy bear coat, holding a Hermès bag in rare leather, her makeup impeccable.

Standard attire for wealthy second-generation Chinese.

"Hello," Tang Song gave a slight nod.

"You really are from Huaxia!" The young man immediately smiled. "Bro, could you help me and my girlfriend take a photo? My friends haven't arrived yet, and the sunset right now is too beautiful to miss."

As he spoke, he handed over the mirrorless camera in his hand.

The girl beside him, after getting a closer look at Tang Song's face, paused the words she was about to add, her cheeks visibly flushing a little.

Clearly not expecting that a random passerby asked to take a photo would be this handsome.

Tang Song glanced at the mirrorless camera in the young man's hand. "No problem."

The young man quickly said, "Just press this shutter button, the focus..."

"Mm, I know," Tang Song took the Hasselblad X2D 100C. "I use this model myself regularly, very familiar with it."

"That's great!"

The young man pulled his girlfriend to the side, standing with their backs to the sunset and the sea.

Tang Song raised the camera, casually adjusted some settings.

Then changed angles, crouching down slightly.

"Click— click—"

The sea breeze, sunset, harbor, and the young couple were easily captured within his viewfinder.

After taking the photos, the young man took the camera back, glanced at the screen, and his eyes instantly lit up.

"Wow, bro, you're too good at this. The composition is perfect, the lighting captured so precisely!"

Tang Song smiled. "The scenery is good."

The young man looked up, glancing at Tang Song, then at Ouyang Xianyue standing to the side, who remained low-key yet exuded an exceptionally outstanding aura.

"The scenery here is indeed hard to come by. Should I take a photo for you two as well?"

Hearing the words "photo together," Ouyang Xianyue's fingers tightened slightly.

It seemed she had never taken a photo alone with Tang Song before, especially not in a foreign country, in such an ambiguous and beautiful twilight.

Too personal.

Too easy to leave traces.

Just as she hesitated.

Tang Song had already taken his phone from his pocket, opened the camera app, and handed it over.

"Sure, that would be great, thanks."

As he spoke, he had already very naturally taken Ouyang Xianyue's hand and led her to the railing.

Before she could react, he had already embraced her from behind.

His chest pressed against her back.

His arms encircled her waist.

Ouyang Xianyue stiffened all over.

Through their clothes, she could almost clearly feel his steady, powerful heartbeat.

"Should you take off your sunglasses?" The young man holding the phone kindly reminded.

"No need."

Ouyang Xianyue spoke immediately.

Because she deliberately lowered her voice, it sounded somewhat different from usual.

Unlike Tang Song, her domestic fame was too high.

Once her true face was revealed, the probability of being recognized would be much greater.

"Okay, look at the camera!"

"Click—"

The image froze.

The young man looked down at the screen and immediately smiled.

"Great, great, really captures the mood. Mainly, you two are just too photogenic, anything looks like a fashion shoot."

He handed the phone back.

Tang Song reached out and took it.

Ouyang Xianyue couldn't resist either, leaning slightly to take a look.

In the photo, the sky was filled with sunset glow spreading across the sea.

She wore a hat and sunglasses, her expression almost invisible.

But Tang Song held her from behind, his posture intimate and natural.

The