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He slapped him.
Three days later.
The Auto Federation released a new announcement: “The Gray Sparrow Mountain Rally is officially open for registration.”
The Auto Federation released another announcement: “GP Team’s ace driver Xia Qianshen and co-driver Zhong Suo are working in shifts as taxi drivers, we all have a bright future.”
The Auto Federation released yet another announcement: “After GP ordered Xia Qianshen to stop his ride-hailing work without success, the deputy general manager of GP Team invited his mother, the renowned expert at A City First People’s Hospital, Dr. Xia Mingyu, to negotiate, and now driver Xia Qianshen has stopped taking orders.”
—
“Mom!!” Xia Qianshen pulled on the door of the Porsche, preventing his mother from leaving. “Don’t listen to their nonsense! What’s wrong with me working and earning money? I didn’t violate my contract with GP, and my colleague next door even livestreams to sell clothes!!”
As the Auto Federation’s announcement stated, Xia Qianshen’s mother, Dr. Xia Mingyu, is the director of the Department of Internal Medicine at A City First People’s Hospital.
Xia Mingyu calmly scrutinized her son. “Don’t think I don’t know why you became a ride-hailing driver. You spent all your money buying a supercar, partied in nightclubs, and drained your savings, didn’t you?”
“Uh…” Xia Qianshen couldn’t refute that.
“Using my car for ride-hailing, why not use your supercar?” Xia Mingyu opened the car door that her son was holding. “You have to take responsibility for your choices. You choose to buy a supercar, so you have to face the pressure it brings and accept that it can’t help you with anything.”
Xia Qianshen hung his head, silent.
When Xia Qianshen initially spent over 10 million on the Koenigsegg, his mother did try to stop him.
But Xia Mingyu’s concern wasn’t about the price; it was the danger of a car with a top speed of over 400 km/h in the hands of her son, a professional racer.
Xia Qianshen is an adult, and the car was a dream he had since he was a teenager.
“I’m really short on cash lately, but they’re being too overbearing, reporting me just because I can’t argue with them?” Xia Qianshen switched to hugging Xia Mingyu’s arm. “Just give me two more days. Your apartment is right across from the hospital, so if you need the car, use mine!”
He was much taller than Xia Mingyu, and when he hugged her, she almost lost her balance.
“Brat, let go!” Xia Mingyu tried to shake him off. “You’re always coming up with schemes. If I use your car, I’ll have to fill up the gas tank first! Get off!”
In the end, blood is thicker than water. After giving her son a good scolding in the garage, Xia Mingyu drove off in the Porsche.
It’s not that Xia Mingyu is unreasonable; being a ride-hailing driver isn’t wrong, as long as one isn’t stealing or robbing. However, the deputy general manager of GP Team subtly expressed that “sponsors might not want to see the driver they support working as a ride-hailing driver.” Xia Mingyu believed that since they accepted sponsorship, they should make the sponsors happy; no money comes easily.
In fact, the Koenigsegg’s tank was already full, but the low ground clearance of the supercar made it impossible to drive from the city center to the outskirts where the team was located.
Looking at the time, he had no choice but to contact Zhong Suo.
When Zhong Suo arrived on a dirt bike, Xia Qianshen was sipping soy milk through a straw, holding another cup in his hand, and a helmet hanging from his wrist.
He handed over the soy milk.
“For me?” Zhong Suo looked at it.
“Yes, drink it.” Xia Qianshen said. “Drink it before we leave; the wind will cool it down on the way.”
Zhong Suo hesitated before taking it. “Do you charge for this?”
“Of course, 3.5 yuan, transfer it to my WeChat. My car was taken by my mom, the ride-hailing project is over, and to appease the sponsors, Mr. Zhou has docked my salary for this month. I’m broke right now.”
Actually, the soy milk only cost 2 yuan, and 1.5 yuan was for the queueing service.
Zhong Suo poked the straw in. “Alright…” Then he released the handlebars, took out his phone, and transferred 3.5 yuan to Xia Qianshen.
The two stood in the cold wind, drinking soy milk. After finishing, Xia Qianshen put on his helmet and sat behind Zhong Suo. “My mom is so heartless. She should be a judge, not a doctor.”
Zhong Suo smiled bitterly. “Clearly, you took her car without permission and used it for ride-hailing, and now you’re blaming others.”
“Tsk.” Xia Qianshen was unhappy. “Why are you siding with them?”
“Am I one of yours?” Zhong Suo asked back.
Xia Qianshen didn’t respond. “Let’s go, it’s almost nine.”
Since Zhong Suo paid out of pocket to fix Nana’s car, Xia Qianshen’s attitude towards him had softened considerably. As for Xia Qianshen taking his mother’s surname, Zhong Suo didn’t think much of it; it’s not uncommon these days.
With the upcoming Gray Sparrow Mountain Rally, they had to work closely together. Xia Qianshen needed to win the championship prize, so now he had to build chemistry with Zhong Suo.
Despite the improved relationship, Xia Qianshen didn’t forget about the contract termination.
—
End of the month, outskirts of City A, Gray Sparrow Mountain.
The Gray Sparrow Mountain Rally is the last race before the Spring Festival holiday. Many people hope to end the year on a high note by performing well in this race.
Indeed, in literature, there is no first place, and in martial arts, there is no second. In competitive sports, only one person can win, and only one car can be the fastest in a rally.
At 10:00 AM, the sky over City A was clear and sunny.
According to the rules, each car was released every two minutes, and the car with the shortest time won.
In a rally, the driver has only the co-driver by their side.
Xia Qianshen was still a four-wheel-drive driver. At the starting line, the referee signaled him to the starting line and set the timing device to a 120-second countdown.
There were two surveillance cameras in the car, one at the front and one at the back, both with audio, to record the entire race. When the countdown timer lit up, they had to start their pre-race report.
Xia Qianshen: “Subaru Impreza, four-wheel-drive 2.5T, driver Xia Qianshen. Communication test, RPM normal, tire pressure normal, self-check complete, ready. Please give orders, co-driver.”
Zhong Suo: “Subaru Impreza, four-wheel-drive 2.5T, co-driver Zhong Suo, communication normal, surface temperature 6, humidity 48%, visibility 16 km, ready. Please prepare for the start, driver.”
Continuous rain and snow had made the mountain roads wet and muddy, affecting everyone’s speed.
The 60 km mountain road had four emergency teams and two rescue teams. This was just the scale of a 60 km race; imagine the scale of a race spanning thousands of kilometers.
But even so, news of deaths in rallies is not uncommon.
When humans pursue the ultimate speed in driving, they must accept the risks that come with it.
The moment the ‘1’ on the countdown screen disappeared, the Subaru Impreza’s Launch Control system roared, and the car sped off the line. This car was the team’s masterpiece of the year—
A McPherson suspension system that reduced the car’s weight and was easy to tune, equipped with Reiger shock absorbers, 5-bar turbo pressure, and top-tier S-class racing configuration.
“80 meters right 1, followed by a curve to the left.” Zhong Suo read from the route book.
This was the result of the mechanics’ months of hard work, fine-tuned to Xia Qianshen’s driving habits. The anti-lag system causes unburned gasoline in the exhaust pipe to ignite again when the throttle is released during a turn, pushing the turbocharger blades.
“The tires are still cold, don’t push it yet.” Zhong Suo reminded him.
Xia Qianshen nodded. “The next turn will be better.”
“40 meters left 1, a gentle slope, don’t jump, there’s loose gravel after the slope.” Zhong Suo continued to read the route. “The gravel will be very slippery today; you need to lift off the throttle before the gravel, don’t rush. No one will be faster than you.”
Indeed, no one would be faster than him.
Talent is undoubtedly required in competitive sports. Many people say that practice and muscle memory are key, but when everyone trains with the same intensity, the final determinant is talent.
Life is cruel.
Life is never absolutely fair.
When the No. 09 Subaru Impreza tackled the continuous ‘S’ turns on the Gray Sparrow Mountain, the live commentary praised it as “basic operation.”
Zhong Suo was truly impressed by Xia Qianshen’s car control. The mud and gravel splashed onto the car doors, and the muddy roads that other drivers struggled with, Xia Qianshen perfectly controlled the RPM at the limit between “flying” and “spinning in place.”
“150 meters of gravel ahead, full throttle, jump over it.” Zhong Suo said.
Xia Qianshen responded with a deep pedal to the floor. The car shook violently on the gravel road, but Xia Qianshen remained calm, glancing at the dashboard, he felt the RPM could go a bit higher.
Then he said to Zhong Suo, “Over 200.”
“Okay.” Zhong Suo nodded. “Go for it.”
The roar echoed through the mountains, and the sound of tires and mud was music to the ears of the racers.
“26 minutes and 49 seconds—”
“No. 09 car! Driver Xia Qianshen and co-driver Zhong Suo! The fastest time in the four-wheel-drive group!!”
“3.5 seconds ahead of the No. 06 car in the same group!!”
The Subaru Impreza crossed the finish line, but instead of stopping at the podium, it lowered the window and made a gesture to the team manager waiting at the podium.
Zhong Suo didn’t understand at first, but then he got it.
Xia Qianshen drove the car slowly for a while after the finish line.
After a while, Zhong Suo tentatively asked, “Are you cooling down the brake pads?”
“Exactly.” Xia Qianshen said matter-of-factly. “Save where you can, a set of brake pads costs around 50,000.”
After a high-speed run, sudden braking can cause the brake pads to catch fire, whether in a Honda Civic or a Bugatti Veyron.
The temperature in the brake pads can sometimes reach 1000 degrees, so driving slowly after the race helps the brake pads cool down, reducing vehicle damage.
In short, they were really broke.
Even though the team provided the hardware, the initial purchase was out of pocket and reimbursed at the end of the month, and he was broke.
Zhong Suo took off his helmet and head and neck support, stretched his neck, and checked his watch. “Guess how long it took you to finish.”
“How long? 20 minutes?”
Really daring to say that. Zhong Suo tilted his head to look at him. “Add a bit more. 20 minutes is too long. If you could finish this muddy road in 20 minutes, how would other drivers come to work tomorrow?”
Xia Qianshen laughed. “Oh, 30 minutes?”
“30 minutes is also a bit too long. You’re Xia Qianshen, after all.” Zhong Suo teased him.
“Uh…” Xia Qianshen’s face froze, not out of displeasure, but out of surprise, caught off guard, and unsure how to respond.
Of course, with the helmet and head cover, Zhong Suo couldn’t see his facial expression, so he thought Xia Qianshen was just thinking about the time.
After a while, with no response, the car slowed down, and Xia Qianshen was turning around, heading back the way they came.
“You finished in 26 minutes and 40 seconds, and no one can beat you on this road.”
Xia Qianshen pretended to be calm, turning the steering wheel. “Oh.”
Zhong Suo smiled. “Impressive.”
When they returned to the podium, after all the four-wheel-drive cars had finished the race, the judges announced the four-wheel-drive champion. No. 09 Subaru Impreza, Xia Qianshen and Zhong Suo.
The champion car with their names on it was displayed on the podium. Xia Qianshen gave a warning look to Zhong Suo, who understood and promised not to spray champagne on him.
That night, the celebration banquet.
Over a dozen people drank from dusk until the moon was high in the sky.
Xia Qianshen didn’t drink because he would get carsick, unless he was so drunk that he couldn’t feel the motion. But he didn’t want to experience a hangover again.
Everyone drank, and he drank cola, which also made his stomach feel bloated.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” Xia Qianshen stood up.
“I’m going outside for a smoke.” Zhong Suo said.
The restaurant where the celebration was held was a hardcore charcoal-grilled meat place, and the clothes inevitably picked up the smell of charcoal. After using the bathroom, Xia Qianshen went to the door to blow some cold air to disperse the smell.
It was almost the Spring Festival, and this area was already bustling, even more so with the New Year approaching. Even on a cold winter night, it wasn’t desolate. People exhaled white breath, laughing in small groups, their chins tucked into their coat collars.
Wearing only a sweater and no coat, Xia Qianshen shivered.
He didn’t intend to go back in yet because he hadn’t seen the Auto Federation’s news about his victory today.
He didn’t really want to see it. He could guess what the anonymous comments would say and speculate.
Sure enough.
“26 minutes and 49 seconds on a wet and snowy road, this co-driver is really good.”
“Bold guess that Xia Qianshen will bring Zhong Suo to the Tour of Tibet Rally.”
“Of course, would you not take a co-driver who won the Tour of Tibet Rally?”
“Wow—”
Suddenly, something cold touches his cheek, and Xia Qianshen instinctively flinches, turning his head to see.
Zhong Suo didn’t smoke but had somehow found a box of ice-cold milk. Seeing Xia Qianshen standing there playing with his phone, he used the milk box to touch his cheek.
“What are you doing, aren’t you cold?” Zhong Suo gestured to his sweater.
Xia Qianshen furrowed his brow. “You know it’s cold and still touch my face with it?”
“Here.” Zhong Suo handed it over. “It’s cold.”
Xia Qianshen looked at it and saw it was his favorite brand of milk, which Zhong Suo must have noticed in the fridge the first time he visited his home. “Where did you get it? The restaurant doesn’t sell pure milk.”
“Yeah.” Zhong Suo nodded. “I went to a small supermarket before the meal and asked the owner to chill it.”
Xia Qianshen blinked, looking at him. The passersby hurried by, the traffic was congested, and the streetlights were golden yellow.
The scene before him seemed to play in slow motion.
“Oh.” Xia Qianshen said. “Thank you.”
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