F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 212 The Leftovers Part
The plane arrived at Baiyun International Airport at 4:00 AM local time on the 26th.

Because the itinerary wasn't deliberately revealed, and the weather made his heavily wrapped scarf less noticeable, he didn't encounter any enthusiastic fans who recognized him along the way.

See that?

Unless you deliberately try to make yourself stand out, no one has the time to stare intently at every passerby.

I paid for an expedited nucleic acid test at the airport to sort out the health code issue first. The nurse seemed to notice the conspicuous mark on Shulong's neck, but her first reaction was to subconsciously avoid looking at him.

After everyone left, he suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly nudged the other big white dog next to him.

"Hey~ Did you notice that person just now?"

"Who?"

Working the night shift isn't easy. With only two hours left before my shift ended, I could hear the deep weariness in my voice.

The white-clad worker in charge of labeling and compiling samples seemed to have just yawned, but couldn't even raise his hand to rub his eyes. He struggled to squeeze his eyes open, trying to push away the tears welling up inside.

By the time the blurry vision cleared again, the people from Shulong had already pushed their suitcases far away.

"Who is it? A celebrity?"

"That's why I asked you, I wasn't sure. Oh dear! By the time I got to you, it was too late!"

"Oh my sister! How many celebrities have we messed with while working at the airport? We've done even more in Beijing and Shanghai!"

That's not wrong, especially for those paying for nucleic acid testing; most celebrities with some fame are unwilling to squeeze into the crowds.

That's what they say, but the person from earlier did seem to have a somewhat different aura.

Her eyes were lazy and soft, and her strangely low presence almost made people overlook the undeniably attractive face hidden beneath her mask.

Then they noticed the fire marks on Shulong's neck that resembled both a birthmark and a burn.

People with similar physical defects are usually more sensitive to their differences from others, so Yu Min's first reaction was to avoid it.

Strangely, the scar did not give people a sense of ugliness. On the contrary, it complemented his tall stature and firm muscle lines, subtly giving Shu Long an indescribable toughness and fierceness.

Wow, that neck is so thick!

"But I really feel like I've seen him somewhere recently."

"He just showed you his ID card, didn't he? It's the most recent one in the system. Can't you search for it?"

Oh, right! How come I didn't think of that before?
"But don't celebrities usually use stage names? You can't find them by searching their real names, right?"

"Why don't you give it a try? It's free to try. Let me see what it's called—Shulong? That sounds familiar."

Fortunately, there were relatively few people at the paid nucleic acid testing site, especially those arriving in the early morning hours. Basically, apart from Shu Long, who was in a hurry, there were hardly any other people queuing up. After scolding Yu Min, Huang Liwei simply took out her phone and started slacking off.

Now that I know the name, what search engine should I use, a browser?

No, no, no, this thing is outdated from hundreds of years ago. The search results are nothing but ads.

If you're looking to find out if someone is a celebrity, you'll definitely need to use Weibo. If you type in their name and it doesn't even bring up a few topics, they're probably not a particularly famous person.
"What's wrong? Your blindfold is all fogged up. Tell me what you found!"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't rush me! I haven't finished reading it yet!"

Two large white birds sat there vigorously laying their pupae, attracting the attention of travelers queuing in the free lane, who couldn't help but feel a bit absurd, wondering, "Shouldn't we pay some money?"

Look how exhausted the child is.

During the scramble, the phone fell to the ground with a "thud." Realizing she had caused trouble, Yu Min quickly picked it up, intending to breathe on it to wipe the screen and check for any cracks. However, she then remembered that she was wearing two thick masks covering her face.

The touchscreen scrolled through a bunch of images, finally settling on the face of a young man holding a championship trophy.

Although the racing suit looked somewhat unfamiliar, the mark on his neck was exactly the same as the one from before!
Blanching?

A simple chance encounter could potentially create two new F1 fans or even just one more F1 enthusiast in China.

Unfortunately, Shu Long wasn't thinking about that at all; he was busy looking for his car.

I've only seen this car in photos on WeChat so far, and I haven't actually touched it once yet—the Toyota GR Yaris.

This inline three-cylinder toy can output 261 horsepower and is equipped with the GR-FOUR all-wheel drive system and a fun six-speed manual transmission.

As Toyota's new favorite in the rally racing field, the GR Yaris gives me a similar feeling to the Porsche 991. Both have an adorable yet intimidating appearance that hides unimaginable sporting potential.

Judging from the brand name, you can probably guess that it was a gift from Toyota, without costing them a penny.

Representing Toyota's No. 8 car at Le Mans was a two-way street; Red Bull even paid for Shu Long's appearance fee and gave Buemi an extra sum as compensation.

But since he had been the top performer all day, carrying the team to victory in the highest category, Hypercar, Toyota felt they had to show their appreciation and decided to gift Shulong a car from one of their products.

At that time, Shu Long already owned both the old and new Toyota 86, which were the most memorable models from Toyota. He asked them if they had any cars that were high-performance yet suitable for everyday family use, as he planned to drive them around in China for fun.

So, when Shu Long looked at the particularly expensive models in the catalog provided by Toyota, he immediately took a liking to this little bean sprout, no, it's a hot hatch!
So suitable!

This was a particularly pleasant deal for both parties. Toyota only had to spend the cost of manufacturing a car to get a walking advertisement. Where else in the world can you find such a good deal?

Originally, Shulong only planned to get one small car, but Toyota was still a little uneasy about spending too little money, so they insisted on sending one to Europe as well.

They even patted their chests and assured him that Shulong shouldn't be stingy with his car, and that if it broke, they would send him a new one.

After all, it's a small toy with a production cost of only around 3 euros, and it's not a highly rally-oriented version. Even if ten of them crash a year, it's no big deal for Toyota.

However, it's best to take polite jokes with a grain of salt, otherwise Shu Long might feel like he could switch careers and become a used car scalper.

The car he's looking for is the most heavily modified version Toyota has made while still being suitable for everyday family use; he wants a matte black paint job.

Shu Long's father helped receive the car when it was delivered. The European car hasn't arrived yet because Red Bull's contract with Honda hasn't ended, and the plan is to send it over next year.

Since the flight's arrival time was a bit unlucky, Shu Long didn't bother having his family come to pick him up. He simply asked his father to have someone from his company park the car at the airport and wait for him to drive it back.

However, based on Shu Long's understanding of his father, the old man would most likely be unable to resist the urge and personally deliver it.

Only his dad would be so careless. He parked the car, casually took a picture of the front, and sent it over. There weren't any landmarks or other useful information around it. The only useful information was the license plate.
If it weren't so late, Shu Long would have made several phone calls to wake his father out of bed!

I wandered around the parking lot for almost half an hour, and finally found it when I went back to where I left the airport. The little guy was hiding behind a Land Rover. I don't know why I didn't see him earlier.

Not bad!

This perfectly matches Shulong's initial requirements for the vehicle—it should be quite understated!

Including the time spent getting luggage, getting a nucleic acid test, and finding a car, it's now almost 5:20 a.m.

Shu Long glanced at the time, decided not to go back to his home in Meilu Lake, took a can of Aoniu (a type of milk drink) from the back seat (which Shu Xiong had probably put in for him), drank a few mouthfuls, and drove straight to Xiamen University.

The postgraduate entrance exam this year happened to coincide with Christmas. I didn't have time to come back yesterday, but I have to make up for it by going over today.

Don't even say it.

This Yaris looks small, but it's more fun to drive than the 86.

It moves at the slightest touch, and twists at the slightest movement.

Although it's just a small three-cylinder engine, it roars loudly with a little bit of throttle input, much like Gan Mengning. Mainly, the car is small with a short wheelbase, not to mention light, and it has more horsepower than the 86, which is also similar to Gan Mengning.

Wait a minute, no, no, no!

broken
Shu Long squeezed his Qingming acupoint twice, grabbed the Red Bull and drank the remaining half can, then shook his head vigorously.

Is it jet lag or is it because we've been apart for too long and I'm feeling drowsy? How come I'm hallucinating while driving?

Logically speaking, it shouldn't be that bad. Given Shu Long's current physical condition, if he weren't afraid of affecting his performance in the competition, he would doubt that he could go three or four days without sleep.

Moreover, he chose this flight time quite carefully. He slept for almost fourteen hours the whole way, and arrived in the morning in China. With the [Energy Special] on him, there's no reason he should be greatly affected.

It seems like he just wanted it too much.

It's human nature. It's human nature.

It was another five to six hours of driving. At first, there were few people and the journey was quite fast, but later it gradually became congested.

Especially between 6:30 and 7:30, many cars from the city driving their children to take exams caused traffic jams in Shulong, where people were even taking Red Bull to stay alert. By the time they arrived near Xiamen University, it was almost 11 o'clock.

If I remember correctly, the first exam should have ended at 11:30. Shu Long checked his health code and found that he was already in a green light state.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened.

Shortly after Ma Zeping tested positive for COVID-19, Leclerc also tested positive for the virus a second time. Given the relaxed attitude of people abroad, even Shulong was afraid of bringing back something unclean.

All I can say is that the phrase "strong and healthy" is practically immune to all poisons; I haven't fallen for it even once in all this time.

【You're welcome. 】

With the morning exams almost over, Shu Long parked his car in the shade of a tree not far from the school gate.

I found a light meal restaurant online and ordered a salad and a sandwich. Then I got out of the car and took a picture of the front of the car, just like my dad did. When the time came, I clicked send.

After about 5 more minutes, the phone I was holding finally vibrated twice.

"?"

"What, are you getting this for me?"

Shu Long grinned and chuckled, then quickly added five more words: "It's not impossible."

Gan Mengning seemed to realize something was wrong. The street in the background of the photo looked strangely familiar. Then, a video call request was sent along with the question, "You're back?"

"You're really back?! Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"If I told you, how could it be a surprise?"

"Stop messing around! I have an exam this afternoon!"

"I'm not kidding. Come here and give me a kiss and I'll give you the car."

On the phone screen, Gan Mengning immediately adopted the same dead fish-eye expression as Shu Long, her eyes even showing a hint of pity as if she were looking at an idiot.

"Get lost! I'm going to eat at the cafeteria, and I'll also check out the material for my afternoon class."

"Wait a moment!"

Shu Long quickly took a shot of the small meal in the passenger seat and then patted the case of Red Bull in the back seat.

"Look, I've even ordered lunch for you. It'll be nice to rest in the car. If you want to sleep after you eat, you can take a nap; if you don't want to, grab a Red Bull."

Before he could finish speaking, Shu Long was startled by a loud "thump" from the car window. Gan Mengning had somehow appeared outside the car and was now peering through the tinted window.

My urge to act like a jerk suddenly surged.

Shu Long, unaware of the situation, switched to the chat interface, turned on the camera, and quietly reached for the switch on the car window.

"Ah-"

Someone's nose turned into a little pig's nose! "Haha! Oops, wrong, wrong!"

After much coaxing and pleading, he finally managed to get his girlfriend back into the car. Then, under the dubious threat of her almond-shaped eyes, he forced her to delete the unflattering photos he had just taken. Only then did Shulong finally find a rare moment of peace.

But when my gaze fell upon that tiny red dot on the tip of Gan Mengning's delicate nose...
"Pfft~"

()

"Uh, I... cough cough! I sneezed and went the wrong way, you believe me?"

Many students who were passing by and looking for food were startled by the car that let out a scream and started shaking violently.

Wow, just how difficult was this year's math exam?
There's another exam this afternoon, and one of them went crazy. I told them not to check the answers after the exam!

That's great news! I hope the competitor I'm facing now is the one who chose the same major as me.
Ignoring the passersby who were staring at them outside, business was still the priority. After a little playful commotion during their long-awaited reunion, the car quickly returned to normal.

The girl took a few small bites of the sandwich, tasted the salad briefly, and then left the rest to her boyfriend to finish.

It's not that I don't like the food, but rather that the meal ordered by Shulong was absolutely perfect.

After all, Gan Mengning, who majored in languages, took the entrance exam for a master's degree in economics and management. She was under a lot of pressure this semester. She was also tormented by that damned Math 3 exam in the morning. She had little appetite when she came out of the exam room and was also very irritable.

My original plan was to grab a quick milk tea at the cafeteria, find a spot to review some notes, and then head to the last exam at 2 PM.

The appearance of Shulong actually relieved a lot of her anxiety. At this moment, it can be considered a waste to use it directly as a bookshelf for her boyfriend, and as a reading machine for her to fill in the gaps in her knowledge.

What?! What's that all about?!
If he really wanted to memorize it, Shu Long could use his photographic memory to copy it all down. However, after not going to school for so many years, he seemed to have driven himself crazy. It was as if he had developed some kind of reading disorder; just looking at those words made his head hurt.

Damn!
After a thorough review, Gan Mengning felt great and comfortably dozed off in her chair for a while.

Shu Long, standing to the side, was so confused that he felt like the material for his dreams tonight would be utter nonsense. He was forced into the exam room without knowing anything, and then stared at a blank paper, unable to write a single word.
terrible!

Despite not feeling particularly cold, Shu Long couldn't help but shiver. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to take back the coat he had placed on his girlfriend's stomach.

It's likely that anyone who has ever been to school would find this kind of dream a lifelong nightmare. May there be no exams in heaven.

Peace!

The wait before entering the examination room is the most agonizing, but once you hold a pen, time seems to fly by.

Shu Long felt like he had simply cleared out the stamina in his game account and caught up on the storylines he had been missing recently, and Gan Mengning had already happily emerged.

"You did pretty well on the exam?"

"Of course! I'm a genius! How about we compare our college entrance exam scores?"

"Ha! I got 0 points on the college entrance exam! No matter how high you score, it's still only 0 times mine. Rounding up, our scores are the same, so don't brag about it."

"Tsk, what you said makes so much sense, I can't even refute it, you win!"

Shu Long glanced sideways at Gan Mengning in the passenger seat.

He actually had the mood to swear? Usually, he only mutters a few words when he's having a great time at night with champagne.

Looks like you did pretty well on today's exam. Let me take you out for something nice to eat first, and then we'll keep up the good work!
(End of this chapter)