Speed ​​God

Chapter 22 Study hard
The office was quiet.

Lu Zhizhou and Montfattini had already left, leaving only Marchionne and Todt in the space.

Marchionne glanced at Todd, who had a serious expression, paced back and forth in the open space with a hint of anxiety, and finally stopped in front of the window, turned his back to Todd, exhaled, and slumped his shoulders.

"Laugh if you want to, old man. Holding in your emotions is bad for your health."

With a single sentence—

Haha! Hahahaha!

Todd laughed heartily without holding back, his unrestrained laughter spilling through the windows into the courtyard of the Maranello training base, where the sunlight was exceptionally bright.

The deafening laughter continued to assault Marchionne's ears. He turned around speechlessly and looked over. "Was it really that bad?"

Todd wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes. "Mommy, Sergio, you should really look at your face. This is definitely the happiest moment I've had all year."

"Who would have thought that the famous and powerful Sergio Marchionne would be outmaneuvered by a seventeen-year-old? It's amazing."

Marchionne: ...

He caught his breath in his chest, but eventually vomited it out.

Marchionne's ability to steer an entire business empire demonstrates a magnanimity and wisdom unmatched by ordinary people. After a brief moment of astonishment, he regained his composure.

Marchionne looked over calmly, showing no annoyance or anger at having lost face or been humiliated. He turned around casually and said, "I can guess that you probably weren't much better off in front of him last night, right? Same thing, so there's no need for us to hurt each other."

Todd spread his hands and jokingly remarked, "Welcome to the Victims' Alliance."

The two old friends exchanged a glance, paused briefly, and a glint of light appeared in their eyes—

Standing before them, Lu Zhizhou remained calm and rational, without arrogance or conceit, nor blinded by immediate gains. This courage was truly remarkable.

In F1, once you enter the stage of top-level competition, what is truly tested is this courage and belief.

Todd raised his hand to support his chin, relaxed slightly, and his smile finally subsided. "Actually, this is good too. Three months gives him some time and also gives the academy some room to maneuver."

Ultimately, considering that Lu Zhizhou still had to go home to face final exams and the traditional Lunar New Year, Marchionne offered a short-term three-month contract.

This is the first time in the history of Ferrari's youth academy.

Looking at the world, which driver wouldn't be overjoyed and ecstatic to hear about the Ferrari Junior Academy contract, wishing they could sign a two- or three-year contract and be guaranteed entry into F1? On the contrary, the Ferrari Junior Academy needs to remain calm and continue to observe.

Generally, contracts are signed annually, with annual performance reviews. Those who fail to pass are directly eliminated.

But now, the roles are reversed. Ferrari eagerly presented the contract, only to be rejected.

As Todt said, from the perspective of Ferrari's youth academy, this is beneficial to them, as the three-month window allows for further evaluation.

With the ability to both attack and defend, Ferrari firmly maintains the initiative.

Logically speaking, Lu Zhizhou's choice should have been advantageous to Ferrari, but Marchionne always seemed to feel defeated. Is this normal?

After a pause, Marchionne looked at Todd. "Do you think he's serious? He's planning to leave in three months to go home and take...final exams."

"Or……"

Is it a feigned retreat to lure the prey? Or a deliberate attempt to create mystery?
Todd gave a playful look. "You mean, he's deliberately toying with us?"

"If that's the case, I admire them even more. In the entire racing world, which driver would dare to blatantly toy with the two of us?"

Marchionne paused, his mouth slightly agape. "Jean, how come I didn't know you liked... being bullied?"

Todd remained completely unfazed, resting his chin on his hand as he sized up Marchionne, then jokingly retorted, "You seem to be enjoying yourself today too." Inside the office, Marchionne and Todd were deep in thought, the two titans at the top of the pyramid profoundly awestruck, savoring the lingering aftertaste.

Outside the office, Lu Zhizhou was deep in thought—

He took the final exams seriously.

Lu Zhizhou's father, Lu Cheng, is a car mechanic with an unparalleled passion for machinery. In his youth, he dreamed of becoming a race car driver, but later had to give it up due to economic pressure, family responsibilities, and his own talent limitations.

After leaving racing, he started from a small repair shop and, through his dedication to mechanics and years of hard work, finally owned his own small auto repair shop.

After Lu Zhizhou was born, Lu Cheng did not place his hopes on his son to continue his dream; that was not his personality.

As someone who has experienced the frustration of hitting a wall with his dreams, Lu Cheng knows all too well the cruelty of the racing world, which requires not only talent but also a constant stream of funding.

He didn't want his son to repeat his mistakes and experience the pain he had gone through.

However, fate always likes to play tricks.

When Lu Zhizhou was five years old, he came into contact with go-karts by chance and showed amazing car sense and natural understanding of handling.

Initially, Lu Cheng didn't take it to heart, treating it merely as a hobby, since he himself enjoyed these things; however, when Lu Zhizhou defeated an opponent two years his senior in a regional go-kart competition when he was seven years old, the dormant passion in his heart was quietly rekindled.

Unfortunately, reality remains cruel.

The cost of systematic training and competitions was really high, far exceeding the affordability of this ordinary family. Watching helplessly as the property they had worked so hard for over the years was mortgaged to the bank, Lu Cheng finally regained his composure and showed decisiveness and courage, stopping the training when his son was ten years old.

Because Lu Cheng understood that this was like gambling; people would rush headlong into a flame for a sliver of hope, but the outcome was often not so pleasant.

However, Lu Zhizhou's enthusiasm did not die out. He began to use his spare time to help out at the car repair shop, and gradually came into contact with modified cars and street racing culture.

Later, Lu Zhizhou and a group of friends secretly went to an abandoned industrial area to practice driving skills. Things got out of control, and he began to use his weekends and nights to familiarize himself with high-performance vehicles, stumbling into the world of street racing, and making a name for himself with his excellent car sense and judgment.

Lu Cheng was not completely unaware; after all, he knew the condition of the high-performance vehicles in the repair shop like the back of his hand.

Lu Cheng was very conflicted about this.

On the one hand, he hoped his son would settle down, go to university, and live a stable life. He believed Lu Zhizhou was a smart boy and that getting into a top university would be no problem.

On the other hand, he understood all too well the thrill of sitting in a racing car and speeding along, that desire, that fervor that wouldn't easily dissipate.

In the end, he chose to turn a blind eye.

"Studies come first." Lu Cheng subtly reminded her privately, "You know, as long as your grades don't drop, everything will be fine, otherwise your mother will worry."

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Lu Zhizhou understood perfectly and shouted, "Study hard and make progress every day!" This was the only guarantee that he could continue street racing.

But now——

The situation is slightly dangerous.

To be honest, if Marchionne hadn't been such an outstanding player, Lu Zhizhou would have already turned around and left Maranello decisively.

He glanced at his phone and calculated the time difference.

It's not even five o'clock yet at home, which means Lu Cheng is still at the auto repair shop, and his mother is probably still at the company and hasn't come home yet.

opportunity!

Taking a deep breath, Lu Zhizhou pressed the dial button without further hesitation.

　Thank you so much for your support, fellow readers! This fledgling racing author earnestly requests your continued support and to keep reading! Once the new book's release period ends, a major update is guaranteed! Thank you everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)