1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 473 DJ, Grab a Beat
These guys from Theo really treat Ronan and Zoe like 'superstars,' they're not kidding.

After arguing for a minute or two without success, the group compromised—they agreed to each drive a section, giving everyone an equal opportunity. Whether they would become famous by following their brother was up to God.

The reason they were able to reach an agreement so quickly was that they were worried that if they were seen pushing and shoving each other at the hotel entrance, it would tarnish Ronan and Zoe's reputation.

This couple is now the deciding factor in whether the guys can achieve a turnaround in their lives.

How can we allow their image to be damaged?

Ronan was stunned when he heard this answer.

Not
Is this something a bunch of high school dropouts would say?
Ronan was even more dumbfounded by the behavior of the drivers on the road.

Were you too tired this morning and fell asleep in the car? Was everything you saw just a dream?
As soon as the car left Monaco and entered Provence, Ronan took Lazoe's hand:

"Pinch me twice, when you're leaving the country, did Theo say 'Welcome to Provence' to the driver and passengers in the car next to you?"

Zoe was also very surprised by Theo's performance:
“They did tell us, and Theo even pointed out a shortcut to Aiz. If we weren’t in a hurry to get back, judging from his tone and reaction, he might have even driven us there.”

Among Ronan's friends, Henry and Theo were two of the more unfriendly to tourists.

Although their mindset and views have changed a lot, occasionally when they've had too much to drink, you can still hear them complaining that outsiders have disrupted their peaceful lives, that their lives have become a mess, and that tourists are all robbers, and so on.

When tourists ask for directions, Special Olympics has to decide whether to help based on his mood that day.

Why are you so enthusiastic when we're just strangers parked side-by-side in a traffic jam today?

"What do you mean? I'm sitting right in front of you, less than a meter away, and you're talking about me so loudly? Do you think I'm deaf, or do you think I'm stupid?" Theo was wearing sunglasses and holding the steering wheel properly, completely different from his usual carefree self.

However, once he opens his mouth, he still has that sarcastic tone, which is something he can't change anytime soon.

"I think you've gone crazy! Hey, hey, do you even know them? Why are you waving at them like that? Stop it, stop it!" Ronan patted the back of the driver's seat twice in a panic, trying to stop Theo from doing that.

Following the Easter long weekend, the roads in Provence, especially those near the French Riviera, are congested day and night.

About half of the journey from Monaco to Lourmarin is within this area, requiring frequent stops and slow progress.

Whenever Theo drives alongside or passes other cars, he greets them. Sometimes he waves, sometimes he nods, and sometimes he raises his eyebrows slightly. In any case, he has to do something.

If the other party responds, then things will get interesting.

Regardless of their nationality, they immediately launch into a long, animated conversation, using a mix of gestures and words.

Hearing Ronan's repeated mockery, Theo couldn't hold back any longer and revealed his ugly side:

"Stop shaking, I'm shaking like an idiot! And hey, you guys should smile too, what if someone watches the live stream? I'm not kidding, out of 3 million viewers worldwide, 5000 million are from Provence!"

In 1987, the total population of the Provence region was only over 4.3 million. Theo's analogy was meant to express the influence of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Provence—almost every man in Provence would follow the event.

At the same time, it's also a way of telling Ronan and Zoe that after this event, you really are the stars of Provence!
Ronan naturally understood this principle.

The current situation is the result of his and Zoe's meticulous 'acting' step by step; that was their goal.

Ronan just felt that Theo's current behavior was too flamboyant, like a pheasant showing off its feathers everywhere, so he didn't want to agree with him.

"So what if you watched the live stream? If you don't actively attract other people's attention, no one will recognize us," Ronan said angrily.

Everyone's in a rush to get to their destination, and the traffic jams are making them irritable and frustrated. Who cares who's sitting in the car next to them?

Isn't all the attention you've attracted?

Theo smacked his lips twice, reaching for the cigarettes in his pocket, but forcibly resisted, to maintain his image:
"That's exactly what I need to do to get their attention. Otherwise, what's the point of being on TV? Only by making sure you're recognized can I get their notice. I'm so smart!"

Suddenly, he gave a thumbs-up, pointing to Ronan and Zoe behind him, and asked the cars blocking the road beside him with a proud look:
"Did you watch the F1 Grand Prix, buddy?"

"Yes, yes, it's the Monaco Grand Prix this afternoon. We Provençal locals only pay attention to this one."

"See these two people behind me? My two friends were in the main stands this afternoon, and the director gave them a lot of screen time!"

Ronan & Zoe: "???"

Theo is relatively well-behaved; he only tries to get attention by chatting with other drivers when stuck in traffic or moving slowly.

That guy Barty, he even turns his convertible into a portable stereo while driving.

Ronan didn't spend too much money when he modified his car last year, only 9000 francs. The majority of the money went to painting and modifying the seats. His only requirement for the audio system was that it could produce sound. After Barty's modifications, Ronan regretted fixing the speaker. Wouldn't it have been better to leave it mute?

Fortunately, the people of Provence are naturally warm-hearted.

Bati turned on the speaker, which sounded like a broken gong, and the local car enthusiasts around him went wild.

A speaker was playing music in front, and several loud voices were singing in the back; everyone was having a blast.

Before they even drove past the French Riviera, several members of Ronan's group had already lost their voices from shouting, and the young couple finally found some peace and quiet.

However, others seemed quite disappointed. A local woman, after passing Ronan, asked DJ Batty, still not quite satisfied:

"Are you sure you don't want to play it? My speakers aren't as wild as yours, they can't reproduce your sound."

Ronan and Zoe exchanged a glance and said in unison.

"This is Provence."

"You Provence, huh?"

By the time we reached the second half of the journey, it was already dark.

Cafu was a fairly reliable guy, although he was the one most eager to 'make a name for himself' in the group, as evidenced by his relentless attacks on his competitors. However, he also knew that driving at night in the Luberon Mountains required caution, and he carefully watched the road the entire time, without causing any disturbance.

The young couple leaned against each other, chatting idly.

“I often feel like I know the people of Provence very well, but every now and then, Provence will give me a little lesson and warn me—kid, I advise you not to underestimate me, you're still a long way from knowing everything about me!” Ronan’s tone was dramatic, as if he were telling a story to a child.

Zoe couldn't contain herself at Ronan's presence, and she touched his arm, asking:

"Because of singing loudly on the street?"

Zoe, having grown up surrounded by such influences, wasn't as sensitive as Ronan.

However, she knew that many things that Provençal people did were perfectly normal to locals, but seemed somewhat 'abnormal' to outsiders.

This kind of 'abnormality' is actually normal.

Ronan considered for a moment, tilting his head as if deep in thought:
"What happened this afternoon is only part of the story; there's also the condition of these people."

Ronan pointed to Sandrine's car driving beside them.

Sandrine and Cornell's sister were sitting inside, along with her sister's child.

These two women, who were completely unrelated, became inseparable in just two days, and they were talking animatedly about something.

Ronan, witnessing this scene, remarked with emotion:
"Actually, we didn't go anywhere these past two days, but everyone seemed to be having a good time."

His friends who came with him have been staying in the hotel for the past two days, and the farthest they've been is the restaurant downstairs.

But they all looked very happy.

Not only Sandrine and her companion made new friends, but Ronan could also tell that several of the guys who came along had found something that made them happy and content.

For example, there were several men who wanted to get ahead by following Ronan.

“Maybe people in Provence are easier to satisfy?” Zoe said uncertainly. “In the past, many people weren’t proactive in making money, thinking that having enough to spend was enough. But now it seems that the situation has improved, and people’s mentality has changed to hoping that life will get better and better.”

“I don’t know the answer either.” Ronan chuckled and shrugged, playfully flicking Zoe’s nose. “You Provençal people are too complicated. I can’t figure you out. But the only thing I can confirm is that everyone is very warm and friendly.”

“Oh, right,” Ronan’s words reminded Zoe, and she asked, “Should we tell everyone that Charlotte bought a house in Lourmaran?”

During their brief conversation that afternoon, Charlotte's mindset shifted from fear of being found out that she had bought a house in Lourmaran to a slight anticipation of being known, and she even specifically reminded Ronan and Zoe not to help her keep it a secret.

If her itinerary is revealed in the future, she'll just admit it honestly; she's actually looking forward to interacting with the villagers.

Ronan shook his head as if still shaken, and said in a low voice:
"It's best not to bring it up, especially at this time."

He pointed to the back of Cafu's head and said:
“These people can’t stand the word ‘celebrity’ anymore; they get overly enthusiastic.”

Zoe nodded slightly, then sighed with a half-smile:

"Hopefully this 'celebrity' craze will pass soon."

Actually, Ronan and Zoe were overthinking it.

There are so many fun things to do in Provence, and so many things to attract attention, that people don't even need to drive all the way to Lourmarin to forget that the two of them are 'big stars'.

The last driver was Cornell.

The chubby boy complained of being hungry as soon as he got on the bus, saying that he hadn't eaten a full meal in Monaco and asked Ronan if he could cook him a dish to eat with rice in Lourmarin.

It was already closing time at the restaurant. Ronan thought that everyone had been busy traveling in the afternoon and hadn't eaten properly, especially since there were two children here. So he promised to make them something to eat and told all the drivers to meet at the restaurant when they arrived in Lourmaran.

Ronan planned to check out what was in the restaurant's kitchen, make a few simple "big pot dishes," eat his fill, and then go home to sleep.

To his surprise, the situation in the restaurant was completely different from what he had expected.

The restaurant, which should have been dark, was brightly lit and bustling with people.

This made Ronan check his watch several times, and he even asked Zoe stupidly, "It cost so much, it shouldn't be broken, right?"

"It's almost 9 o'clock, why are there still so many people?" Ronan walked quickly toward the brightly lit restaurant, feeling extremely puzzled.

Upon opening the door, I was even more puzzled.

Inside, all the faces were familiar; they were women who did weaving with Baty.

As soon as they saw Ronan return, they all stood up at once and surrounded him in less than three seconds.

"Ronan, you're finally back!"

We've been waiting for you for so long!

"Oh dear, how was your time in Monaco? Did you eat well? Did you sleep well? Are you hungry? Do you need something else to eat?"

Ronan was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly.

This scene is very similar to when I saw Theo and Batty that afternoon.

The villagers are treating him like a 'big star' now?

But that shouldn't be the case.
In Provence, only men follow F1; women don't care about these sports, but there are women all around.

(End of this chapter)