F1: In Ferrari, Schumacher at the start.

As summer nights arrive, the chirping of cicadas is gradually replaced by the chatter of people relaxing in the neighborhood.

In the living room of Lao Lin's house, the wall-mounted air conditioner was blowing cold air out.

On the television, CCTV-5 was rebroadcasting the evening sports news.

Lin Feng lay sprawled on the sofa, holding his phone in his hand, his brows furrowed, his expression grave.

The phone screen prominently displays the interface of the "Driving Test Guide".

"What kind of ridiculous questions are these?!"

Lin Feng irritably ran his fingers through his hair, pointed at a multiple-choice question on the screen, and couldn't help but complain.

"When driving on a highway in low-visibility weather conditions such as fog, rain, snow, dust storms, or hail, with visibility less than 50 meters, what is the maximum speed allowed?" A: 20 km/h. B: 30 km/h. C: 40 km/h. D: 50 km/h.

Lin Feng stared at the screen, muttering to himself, "Visibility of fifty meters... In Montreal, during a torrential downpour, visibility was less than twenty meters, yet I still managed to reach 320 km/h on the straight! This question is utterly ridiculous!"

Without hesitation, he chose D, 50 km/h, thinking that the speed was so slow it felt like pushing a cart.

A glaring red X immediately popped up on the screen.

[Incorrect answer! Correct answer: A (20 km/h). Explanation: When visibility is less than 50 meters, the speed must not exceed 20 km/h, and you should exit the highway as soon as possible from the nearest exit.]

"Damn it! At 20 kilometers per hour, the car stalled as soon as I pressed the clutch!" Lin Feng was so angry that he almost threw his phone away.

Lin Guoqiang, who was soaking his feet on the single sofa next to his son, leaned over and glanced at the appalling accuracy rate on his son's phone screen, then snorted in annoyance.

"Don't try to challenge our country's traffic laws with your racing-themed nonsense. On a racetrack, there are crash barriers and seatbelts; on the road, it's a matter of life and death! So what if it's 20 kilometers per hour? Safety first, you know that?!"

Lin Guoqiang picked up the towel draped around his neck and wiped his sweat, then adopted the stern authority of an old father and continued to lecture him.

"Don't think you can get all high and mighty just because you've won a few trophies abroad. The road isn't a racetrack. If you can't pass your driving test, I wonder if you'll be too embarrassed to tell people you're a professional driver!"

"Dad, I'm just trying to get used to the pace of civilian cars." Lin Feng shrank his head and stuck out his tongue. "There are over a thousand questions in this question bank, which is more complicated than the FIA's rulebook."

At this moment, Lin's mother came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly cut watermelon and placed it on the coffee table.

"Alright, Lao Lin, our son finally got a few days off to rest, why are you lecturing him like a coach every day?" Lin's mother glared at Lin Guoqiang, then turned to a smiling face, picked up the sweetest piece of watermelon and handed it to Lin Feng, "Here, Xiao Feng, have a piece of watermelon and take a break. Take your time with those questions, we can just take the test a few more times."

"Thank you, Mom. You still care about me the most." Lin Feng took the bite and ate it.

Lin Guoqiang pursed his lips, took his feet out of the foot bath, and muttered as he dried them, "A doting mother spoils her son. This kid is used to being wild outside, and he needs someone to keep an eye on him when he gets home."

The family of three were bickering casually.

Suddenly, Lin Feng's phone, which he had tossed into the sofa cushions, vibrated, giving a notification of a new message.

He casually picked up his phone, and the screen displayed a voice message sent by Gu Ailing.

Lin Feng was so engrossed in doing practice problems that he didn't even notice that his phone's volume was still at maximum. He swiped his thumb and directly opened the voice message.

Instantly, Gu Ailing's energetic voice echoed throughout the house.

"Boss Lin! I've landed in Beijing! Just finished unpacking. Are you free tomorrow? You promised to take me to eat authentic hot pot! I've already emptied my stomach! Come pick me up at my place at 10 AM tomorrow! Oh right, I almost forgot you don't have a driver's license yet, hahaha! Never mind, I'll drive to pick you up myself tomorrow. Just stay home, get ready, and wait for me!"

After the audio finished playing, the air suddenly became quiet.

Lin Feng's hand froze in mid-air, half a watermelon still dangling from his mouth, his eyes widening suddenly.

He turned his head instinctively.

Lin Guoqiang, who was sitting on the single sofa, stopped wiping his feet abruptly, and the towel fell to the ground. Lin's mother, who was standing next to the coffee table, was still holding a piece of watermelon rind that she hadn't had time to put down, and her eyes suddenly shone with an extremely dazzling light.

"Xiao Feng!" Lin's mother threw the watermelon rind into the trash can, rushed to Lin Feng's side and sat down, grabbing his arm tightly with both hands. Her voice was excited, "Was that from Ailing? That girl is back in Beijing?!"

Lin Guoqiang didn't even bother to put on slippers, and came over barefoot, his mouth practically stretched to his ears in a grin.

"You brat! Ailing came back to China and you didn't even tell us! She flew all the way back from the United States, how could you let a girl drive to pick you up? You're such a bad boyfriend!" Lin Guoqiang started scolding him.

Lin Feng swallowed the watermelon in his mouth and slapped his forehead in despair.

Ever since his parents officially met Gu Ailing at the Shanghai Grand Prix paddock, they couldn't be more satisfied with their beautiful, cheerful, generous, and outstanding future daughter-in-law. For the past six months, every time they called him, two out of three sentences were about Gu Ailing.

"Mom, she just arrived in the country too. Besides, I don't have a driver's license, right? She has a car, so it's normal for her to come pick me up," Lin Feng tried to argue.

"Normal my foot!" Lin's mother slapped Lin Feng's thigh. "That girl is just being considerate of you! You better not sleep in tomorrow, get up early and get ready, dress smartly! You can't go to see her empty-handed, have your dad go to Daoxiangcun to buy two boxes of pastries first thing tomorrow morning, and you take them to her!"

"Yes, yes, buy those ox-tongue pastries and hawthorn flatbreads. Girls love these sweet and sour treats." Lin Guoqiang chimed in enthusiastically, even pacing back and forth in the living room, planning for tomorrow's arrangements.

"Dad, Mom, we're just going out for hot pot, not visiting relatives. Why are you bringing snacks?" Lin Feng rolled his eyes helplessly, feeling like a silly boy about to be sent on a blind date.

Lin's mother completely ignored his protests; her thoughts had already jumped to the next stage.

"How can we just eat hot pot? Nothing outside is as clean and hygienic as home-cooked food!" Lin's mother's eyes became incredibly firm. "Xiaofeng, you can take her out for a walk tomorrow, but you must bring her home for dinner tonight! I'll go to the morning market first thing tomorrow morning to buy an old hen and a sea bass. Last time in Shanghai, I noticed she really liked eating fish."

"No, Mom, it's not easy for them to come back to China. They must have their own friends to see and things to do. Please don't make things difficult for them." Lin Feng tried to stop his mother's enthusiastic hospitality.

Lin's mother was displeased upon hearing this and glared at him.

"What do you mean by 'causing trouble'? Even an ugly daughter-in-law has to meet her in-laws, let alone our Ai Ling, who is as beautiful as an angel. Last time in Shanghai, we were too busy with the competition to properly entertain her. This time, she's finally in Beijing, how can we not invite her over for a simple meal?"

As Lin's mother spoke, she leaned closer to Lin Feng and lowered her voice.

"Xiaofeng, Mom's asking you, you two have been together for over half a year, and your relationship seems pretty stable. What are your plans?"

"What? What are your plans?" Lin Feng was completely confused and subconsciously shrank back. "Just... a normal relationship. We're both in the prime of our careers right now, and we're both incredibly busy every day. It's not easy for us to even get together to see each other."

"Can you even call it a plan if you're just dating normally?!"

Lin Guoqiang, who was standing nearby, couldn't listen anymore. He put his hands behind his back and adopted the demeanor of a patriarch.

"Dating without the intention of marriage is just playing around! You're a public figure now; you must be careful about your conduct!"

Lin Feng almost spat a mouthful of blood onto the ceiling.

"Dad! What are you talking about?! I'm only twenty! She's only twenty too! We're not even old enough to drink in America! You're talking to me about marriage? Have you been watching too many cop movies?!"

Lin Feng protested at the top of his lungs, his eyes practically rolling to the sky.

"So what if you're twenty? Twenty is a good age to settle down!" Lin's mother retorted fiercely, launching into a full-blown attack. "Look at your second uncle's grandson, he's about your age, and he's almost ready to have his second child! And look at you, always driving around in circles with a bunch of foreigners, when will this ever end?"

Lin Feng was stunned by his mother's remarks.

"Mom, that's F1, the world's top racing competition! And the legal marriage age in China is 22 for men. Even if I want to get married, the Civil Affairs Bureau won't process it for me!" Lin Feng tried to defend his single status using laws and regulations.

Lin's mother waved her hand dismissively, completely ignoring the legal obstacles: "We can't get a marriage certificate, but we can get engaged first! Let's establish our status! Ailing is such a wonderful girl—beautiful, academically gifted, and an Olympic champion. Do you know how many eyes are watching? What if she gets snatched away by someone else one day? You'll have nowhere to cry then!"

"Exactly!" Lin Guoqiang nodded emphatically from the side. "On the racetrack, you're all about cutting inside and braking late. It's the same principle in dating! When a good opportunity arises, you have to act decisively and without hesitation! Get the engagement settled first, and when you're of a certain age, just get the marriage certificate and have the wedding banquet!"

Lin Feng sat on the sofa, covering his face with his hands, deeply experiencing what it meant to be "a scholar encountering a soldier, unable to reason with him."

"Dad, Mom. I beg you, please let me go, okay?" Lin Feng lowered his hands, looking at his parents with a face full of despair.

"How can this be called not letting you off the hook? We're just worried about your life's most important event!" Lin's mother was completely absorbed in the moment, even starting to plan the engagement banquet in her mind. "Old Lin, if we're going to have an engagement banquet, should we go to the Beijing Hotel, or book a large hall at Quanjude? All the good hotels are fully booked now; we need to book a year in advance!"

Lin Guoqiang stroked his chin and analyzed seriously, "The Beijing Hotel is grand, which suits their current status. But Quanjude is more down-to-earth. This matter depends on what the in-laws think. Oh, by the way, Xiaofeng, did Ailing's mother come back to China this time? How about our two families find a time to meet and finalize the betrothal gifts and the three gold pieces?"

"A bride price? Three gold pieces?" Lin Feng's eyes widened like saucers. "Dad! Are you crazy?! Do you know how much she earns in endorsement fees in a year? Do you know how much money is sitting in my bank account right now? You're talking to me about three gold pieces? Are you planning to make her a steering wheel made of gold bricks?!"

"The money in your card is yours! The bride price is a token of our parents' goodwill! It's the custom! We can't let people think that our family doesn't know etiquette!" Lin Guoqiang glared, his neck stiffened, and he wouldn't budge an inch.

Lin Feng was completely devastated. If he continued to sit there, the old couple would probably start planning which kindergarten their grandchildren would attend.

"If I can't afford to mess with them, can't I at least avoid them?"

Lin Feng sprang up from the sofa, grabbed his phone and charging cable, and dashed toward his small bedroom as if he had oiled his feet.

"Um... I suddenly remembered, the question bank for the driving theory test has been updated! I still have 500 questions to practice! Let's postpone tomorrow's date, I'm going to study now! For road safety! To become a qualified driver!"

Lin Feng shouted incoherently as he rushed into the bedroom.

"Bang!"

The wooden door was slammed shut and locked from the inside.

Outside the door, Lin's mother knocked on the door twice, still unwilling to give up.

"You brat! We're talking about serious matters, why are you running off like that! Remember to have her come over for dinner tomorrow! If you dare come back alone after eating your fill, I'll break your legs!"