The flight from Frankfurt to Zhuhong City was fully booked, so Song Qiming chose to take a connecting flight from Singapore. By the time he arrived in Zhuhong City, it was already late Sunday night.
The arrival hall was not as lively as during the day, with only a few people waiting to pick up passengers. Everyone stretched their necks and looked towards the arrival gate, but even though the plane had landed over half an hour ago, no one had come out yet, presumably due to the customs clearance process.
After another ten minutes or so, figures of passengers finally started appearing in the corridor. Song Qiming was seated in the business class, which meant he would be among the first to disembark.
Suddenly, amidst the ordinary scene of people being picked up, a tall figure illuminated the area. Lin Yushu couldn’t help but wave his hand and call out, “Song Qiming!”
Coincidentally, Song Qiming also looked over.
He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a black overcoat draped over his elbow. He wore straight-cut cropped trousers with Chelsea boots, making his legs appear even longer and straighter.
“Did you wait long?” Song Qiming walked towards Lin Yushu. Despite having been on a plane for over ten hours, his pace was not as weary as the other passengers. In fact, he seemed to be walking even faster than usual.
“Not too long,” Lin Yushu replied. “Put on your coat; it’s cold outside.”
Song Qiming smiled and said, “Okay.”
Song Qiming had very little luggage, only carrying a small suitcase with him. Fortunately, the backseat of the Honda Civic was not spacious, so it probably wouldn’t have fit more luggage anyway.
The airport expressway was clear and unobstructed in the night, unlike the daytime traffic. Song Qiming reclined his seat almost fully as he spoke to Lin Yushu. “Have you figured out how to reject my grandfather yet?”
“Not yet.” Lin Yushu thought about how WoWo would soon meet its father, so he impulsively gave it a bath. It took him two hours just to blow-dry its fur, and he spent another hour cleaning up the bathroom.
If there’s a next time, he would never underestimate the task of bathing a large dog and would just take Wowo to a pet salon.
“I thought of something on the plane,” Song Qiming lazily said. “According to logic, my grandfather should have already made his will, but his desire for you to marry into the family indicates that he intends to make changes to it.”
“Hold on,” Lin Yushu slightly eased off the accelerator and glanced at Song Qiming beside her. “Are you thinking about manipulating the will again?”
Lin Yushu was truly exasperated. When would this big bad wolf ever behave?
He said he wouldn’t fight over family inheritance, but his eyes were clearly glowing green.
“Just thinking about it casually,” Song Qiming shrugged and adjusted his sitting position. “I’ll take a nap for a bit. Drive to the Longma Racetrack; I want to do a few laps before going back.”
“Now?” Lin Yushu glanced at her watch. It was already past midnight, and it was unreasonable to go to the racetrack at this hour.
“Yeah,” Song Qiming lazily responded, his voice growing softer. “Right now.”
“The racetrack must be closed by now,” Lin Yushu said.
“I made arrangements with Lu Zibo,” Song Qiming’s voice became increasingly faint.
“I have to work tomorrow.”
“Mm…”
“Don’t fall asleep. Can’t we go tomorrow night?”
Suddenly, there was no sound beside him. Lin Yushu turned his head and saw Song Qiming’s chest rising and falling slowly and steadily, clearly indicating that he had fallen asleep.
Lin Yushu was utterly out of patience. Hadn’t he ever seen Song Qiming so eager to go racing before? Despite being so exhausted, he still wanted to go for a run at this hour?
But speaking of which, the Longma Racetrack was not far from the airport. They were both located in a remote corner away from the city center, so it wouldn’t take much time to get there on the way.
Moreover, a few laps would only take about ten minutes at most. Even if Song Qiming ran for half an hour at most, it wouldn’t delay them for too long.
Besides, they didn’t have to walk the dog in the morning, so they could sleep in for an extra half an hour…
Forget it, forget it. Lin Yushu took the nearest exit from the airport expressway and headed towards the Longma Racetrack.
About twenty minutes later, familiar signs appeared ahead of the road.
Following the signs, Lin Yushu turned into the internal road of the racetrack and was surprised to find that, apart from Lu Zibo, all their familiar friends within the racing circle were there.
Some leaned against their car hoods, while others squatted on the side of the road. Cigarette butts were scattered at their feet, indicating that they had been waiting here for a while.
“Song Qiming,” Lin Yushu slowed down and called out, “We’ve arrived.”
“Mm,” Song Qiming slowly sat up, rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he hadn’t gotten enough sleep, “So fast.”
“Why are there so many people?” Lin Yushu pulled the handbrake and turned off the engine. “Did you invite them?”
Actually, the large number of people wasn’t the strangest thing. What really struck Lin Yushu as odd was that there wasn’t a single beauty among them today.
You see, when those rich young masters came to the racetrack, they would always have beautiful women with them, sometimes even more than one. After all, not everyone in this circle genuinely liked racing; many people just saw it as a way to show off their charm.
But today was different. Everyone was waiting outside the racetrack, and no one was going inside for a run. This meant that their purpose for coming here today wasn’t to race.
“No, I only invited Lu Zibo,” Song Qiming got out of the car after opening the door. “The others probably heard the news.”
“What news?” Lin Yushu walked beside Song Qiming, even more bewildered. “Do you have any other car apart from the GTR?”
The GTR was parked in the residential parking lot, and Lin Yushu had the key. He had even taken it out a few times during this period.
“The car that was shipped by air,” Song Qiming didn’t give a direct answer. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
The Longma Racetrack wasn’t big, and the garage was nearby.
In just a few minutes, the group stopped in front of a rolling shutter door. Lu Zibo walked to the door, placed his hand on the lift button, and teasingly asked, “Are you ready?”
However, the others didn’t buy it and shouted, “Open it already! Stop dragging it out!”
“Alright, alright,” Lu Zibo pressed the button to open the door. “A bunch of impatient people.”
The rolling shutter door slowly lifted, and Lin Yushu was still a bit confused about the situation. He asked Song Qiming beside him, “When did you ship the car by air?”
“This afternoon,” Song Qiming said. “There were no direct flights for passengers, but there were for cargo. The car arrived early, so I had Lu Zibo pick it up and keep it here.”
“Oh,” Lin Yushu felt something was off. Song Qiming had just mentioned coming here to race, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about seeing the car.
He wasn’t dumb either; he knew Song Qiming was deliberately building suspense.
But it wasn’t a big deal. He looked at the slowly rising rolling shutter door and asked again, “So, what car is it?”
The next second, Lu Zibo turned on the lights in the garage. When he pulled off the cover from the car, Lin Yushu’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Parked in the garage was the first modified car by S-power, the SP-01.
This car had an impressive track record, having won numerous international racing events and even briefly holding the lap record at the Nürburgring circuit a few years ago.
Although it had since been overshadowed by newer models, all the subsequent S-power modified cars followed its design philosophy. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the soul of S-power.
“How did you manage to bring it over?” Lin Yushu still couldn’t believe his eyes. He walked closer and took a look. The car sported a stylish pink pig livery, exuding a touch of German humor. It was indeed the legendary SP-01.
“For the press conference,” Song Qiming crossed his arms and casually said, “I think it will have quite an impact.”
More than just an impact, for people in the racing enthusiast community, it was like bringing the Mona Lisa to be exhibited in China.
Lin Yushu cautiously touched the car’s body with his fingertips, even breathing softly so as not to disturb the moment.
The first car model he ever collected was the SP-01, and now this globally limited edition car was right in front of him. He didn’t know how to react.
However, unlike Lin Yushu’s caution, Song Qiming casually raised his chin and asked, “Want to test drive it?”
Lin Yushu was completely stunned. “Me?”
“Yeah,” Song Qiming said. “Didn’t I bring you here to race?”
There was a chorus of envy behind them, and it took Lin Yushu a while to find his voice again. “Can… can I drive?”
The SP-01 was not just a performance car.
It was a purebred racing car, with no reverse gear, air conditioning, or safety airbags. Its sole purpose was encapsulated in one word: speed.
“You have a racing license, don’t you?” Song Qiming said with a smile. “Why wouldn’t you be able to drive?”
A racing license was just a requirement to enter the track. Everyone knew that having a license didn’t automatically make someone a professional driver.
“I…” Lin Yushu moved his lips, still trying to calm down from the rush of his dream colliding with reality.
“What’s the matter?” Song Qiming’s smile grew wider. “Are you afraid?”
Men couldn’t resist a challenge. Lin Yushu forced himself to calm down and looked at Song Qiming. “Let’s do it.”
Since the race car didn’t have a reverse gear, it had to be towed to the track by another car.
After putting on his helmet, Lin Yushu sat in the driver’s seat, and the sense of disbelief that had just subsided came rushing back.
Many renowned professional racers had driven this car, and Lin Yushu had only seen them during televised races. He had never imagined that one day he would be able to drive the same car they had driven.
He stepped on the accelerator, and the car with a thousand horsepower unleashed a tremendous roar, as if it could uproot all the vegetation on the sides of the track.
Although it had a flashy pink exterior, it was an unadulterated muscular beast inside. Lin Yushu tried to handle the car with his usual Honda Civic driving habits, but he quickly realized that it was challenging to control.
The horsepower was overwhelming, and he had to find new braking points and racing lines.
But perhaps Lin Yushu had some innate racing talent because his lap times kept getting faster and faster. When he finally came to a stop, he had actually broken the track record held by professional drivers at the Longma Racetrack.
—Of course, the car played a significant role in that achievement.
After the car came to a halt, Song Qiming walked over and asked, “How does it feel?”
The track experience tonight had been incredibly thrilling, and Lin Yushu couldn’t put his feelings into words anymore.
“Probably…” He adjusted his sweaty bangs and said, “It feels like a dream come true.”
Song Qiming laughed. “Is it that exaggerated?”
Lin Yushu nodded. “Yeah.”
Every man harbors an inner child, and Lin Yushu was no exception. Despite being past his innocent years, he still experienced pure joy from these kinds of moments.
On the way back, Lin Yushu was in high spirits, recounting the achievements of S-power up until now, never ceasing to talk about it.
Even when Song Qiming exposed Lin Yushu as an S-power fan, he uncharacteristically didn’t put up a defensive front and honestly admitted it.
When they arrived back at their residential complex, it was already past 2 a.m.
Standing at the doorstep, Lin Yushu finally began to worry, “I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
Song Qiming suggested, “How about taking a half-day off tomorrow?”
“No,” Lin Yushu entered the password to open the door. “I still have a lot of work to do.”
Just as he finished speaking, a gray-black figure suddenly pounced out, excitedly circling around Song Qiming. It made a whimpering sound from its throat, as if complaining about how long it took Song Qiming to come back.
Song Qiming crouched down, rubbing Wowo’s head. “Did you miss me?”
Wowo couldn’t speak, but it happily perked up its ears and vigorously rubbed its nose against Song Qiming’s cheek.
“It’s so clean,” Song Qiming stroked Wowo’s back. “Did you give it a bath?”
“Yes,” Lin Yushu replied. “I also trimmed its nails.”
“Look how well he treats you.” Song Qiming continued to rub Wowo’s head, then stood up and said to Lin Yushu, “Thank you for taking care of it during this time.”
“No need,” Lin Yushu genuinely didn’t feel like there was anything to thank him for. On the contrary, it was because of Wowo’s companionship that his otherwise lonely home felt much warmer.
“I should be the one thanking you,” he said. “I never expected that one day I would be able to drive the SP-01.”
“Well,” Song Qiming pondered and then spoke, “Can I ask for a reward?”
“Of course,” Lin Yushu didn’t see anything wrong with that. “Tell me.”
“Anything is fine?” Song Qiming asked again.
“As long as it’s something I can afford.”
—It shouldn’t be something expensive like a 1.4-million watch, right?
Lin Yushu’s mind was still fixated on money, but in the next moment, Song Qiming suddenly took a few steps forward, one hand around Lin Yushu’s waist, pressing him against the wall in the corridor, and kissed him passionately.
It caught him even more off guard than the last time.
Lin Yushu stared blankly at the face just inches away, momentarily forgetting to resist.
The warm lips left an imprint on his slightly reddened lips, and the tip of the tongue pried open his teeth, bringing in a scorching breath, which finally snapped Lin Yushu back to reality.
“Mmm… Song Qiming…”
Speaking only deepened the entanglement of their tongues, and the tingling sensation shot through Lin Yushu’s spine.
His brain completely shut down, and he could only tilt his chin obediently and grip Song Qiming’s clothes tightly in front of his chest.
However, due to his lack of experience, his breath quickly became disordered, and he found it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Lin Yushu wanted to push Song Qiming away, but Song Qiming stubbornly refused to let go, deepening the kiss instead.
It’s unclear whether it was because they appeared to be “pushing and shoving” each other that Wowo misunderstood and thought there was a conflict. Wowo suddenly stood upright, placing one paw on Song Qiming and the other on Lin Yushu, clearly intending to “mediate.”
With Wowo’s interference, Lin Yushu finally managed to push Song Qiming away. He wanted to get angry but felt somewhat at a loss. “Is this what you call a thank-you gift?”
“Yes,” Song Qiming released his grip on Lin Yushu’s waist, though his breath remained erratic. “Not expensive, right?”
“You…” Lin Yushu didn’t know what to say. His cheeks burned belatedly, feeling embarrassed. “Are you a pervert or something?”
Upon hearing this old-fashioned way of insult, Song Qiming laughed uncontrollably. “Hmm, I am.”
Lin Yushu wanted to continue scolding, but Song Qiming interrupted him. “Rest early. See you tomorrow.”
Every time Lin Yushu wanted to get angry, Song Qiming would slip away quickly.
He took Wowo back to the room, leaving Lin Yushu fuming. Tonight, he really couldn’t sleep.
