A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

Once outside the city and onto the suburban national highway, Fu Yan dared to truly step on the gas. The acceleration of the 599 wasn't a push-back feeling; it was as if he was being shoved into the seat by a giant hand—620 horsepower, a 6-liter V12, this thing wasn't for everyday driving; it was born for the racetrack.

But Fu Yan didn't dare to go too fast, after all, it was a new car and he still needed to break it in. Plus, there were quite a few cars on the national highway, so he only drove about 70 or 80 miles per hour to get a feel for the handling.

"Was it good?" Fu Yan asked.

"Great! Faster!"

"It's a new car, don't rush."

Xu Wenshu pouted, then suddenly said, "Let me try driving it."

Fu Yan glanced at her sideways and asked, "Do you have a driver's license?"

"Yes, they passed the exam in their senior year."

Have you ever driven a car?

"……No."

Fu Yan almost slammed on the brakes.

"If you've never driven a car before, why are you driving a sports car?"

"That's precisely why we're opening it! There has to be a first time!" Xu Wenshu said matter-of-factly. "Why don't you just sit next to me and teach me?"

Fu Yan stared at her for three seconds. Xu Wenshu blinked, her eyes filled with the words "Let me try," and another unwritten line: "If you don't let me drive, I'll bite you."

"……OK."

Fu Yan found an open space by the roadside to park, and the two switched places. Xu Wenshu got into the driver's seat and adjusted it first—she had long legs, so she had to move the seat forward a little to reach the pedals. Then she gripped the steering wheel with both hands, in the standard 10 o'clock position, her back ramrod straight, her expression as serious as if she were broadcasting the evening news.

"Clutch on the left, brake in the middle, accelerator on the right," Fu Yan recited the commands from the side. "Shift into first gear, slowly release the clutch..."

Xu Wenshu loosens the clutch.

The car stopped.

"Too fast, slow down and loosen up~"

The second time, when it was halfway released, the car suddenly lurched forward and then stalled again.

The third time, it finally moved, but it walked with a wobbly gait, like a cow burping.

Fu Yan's face was frozen.

"Don't loosen it too quickly. It looks like you have a grudge against that clutch..."

"Don't speak, I get nervous if you do!"

Fu Yan shut up.

The 599 slowly moved forward on the national highway, the speedometer needle just past thirty, the engine roaring as if it had a belly full of fire, the temper of the V12 was suppressed and turned into the sound of a tractor.

A farm tricycle came up behind and sputtered past. The driver looked back at the red Ferrari, his eyes filled with confusion.

Xu Wenshu didn't care at all, and even waved at the tricycle, laughing like a child: "Look, I can drive now!"

"Speeding like lightning!"

Fu Yan leaned back in the passenger seat, looking at the speedometer—28 mph. A V12 Ferrari, 28 mph? Where did that lightning speed come from?

He closed his eyes and silently did the math in his mind: at this car's current speed, it cost about two yuan per second. At that speed, he'd rather walk.

But Xu Wenshu was very happy.

She gripped the steering wheel, glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror, and suddenly burst out laughing: "Fu Yan, don't you think I'm cool?"

Fu Yan opened his eyes and looked at the smile on her profile. Sunlight streamed in through the car window, making her eyelashes look like individual strands.

"Cool! Absolutely cool!" he said against his will.

Xu Wenshu stepped on the gas again, and the speedometer jumped to thirty-five.

That tricycle was long gone.

After letting Xu Wenshu have a couple of rides on the outer ring expressway, Fu Yan finally switched cars and drove home.

The moment he got behind the wheel, his speed changed instantly—the 599GTB was a 599GTB after all; the force he exerted when he stepped on it was completely different from what Xu Wenshu produced. Xu Wenshu sat in the passenger seat, tilting his head to watch the roadside trees rushing past outside the window, a smile playing on his lips.

Are you happy?

"Yeah, I'm so happy." Xu Wenshu turned her head, her eyes sparkling. "This car is so much fun."

Fun? A V12 engine, 620 horsepower, 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds, she drove it like a middle-aged woman on the street—she said it was fun.

Fu Yan didn't correct her, just smiled and glanced at her, a thought already forming in his mind: This girl likes driving so much, why not buy her one to practice with? A Ferrari 599 is definitely out of the question; those things lurch forward if you're not careful when starting, and with her skill level, she'd be wrecked in ten minutes. He needs to buy one that's easy to drive, safe, and not too ugly—he'd have Lin Xiaochen look into it later.

The car drove into Yandaixie Street and stopped in front of the courtyard house. Fu Yan turned off the engine and listened as it slowly quieted down from its roar, like a beast that had just run down and was panting.

After Xu Wenshu got out of the car, she looked back once more. That look—Fu Yan recognized it all too well; it was exactly the same look she had when she saw a coat she liked in the mall.

Okay, we need to get the car sorted out quickly.

-

April arrived in the blink of an eye. The weather warmed up, the willows turned green, and tourists began to enjoy boat rides on Houhai Lake.

Fu Yan is a restless person; if he's idle for too long, he's prone to causing trouble. That evening, he was browsing aimlessly on his computer when he somehow clicked into a QQ group for road trips. The group was called "Yanjing Cars," which sounded quite down-to-earth. It had about a hundred people who discussed things like where to go for mountain driving, which roads had the best scenery, and which cars were suitable for which sections of road.

Fu Yan scrolled through the chat history, found it quite interesting, and applied to join.

On the first day of joining the group, the group admin posted an event notice: April 7th, a self-driving tour in the Fangshan mountain area, 80 kilometers one way, all mountain roads, same-day trip, limited to 15 vehicles, first come first served.

Fu Yan signed up without even thinking about it.

He originally wanted to take Xu Wenshu with him, but unfortunately, CCTV has been extremely busy lately with things like the closing program for the Two Sessions and the spring program revamp. Xu Wenshu has been working overtime even on weekends, so taking leave is impossible.

"Are you going alone?" Xu Wenshu asked during breakfast.

"Yeah, just to clear my head."

"Then be careful, mountain roads are not like city roads."

"Don't worry, I'm not like Xu Wenshu who drives a Ferrari."

Xu Wenshu paused, looking up at him. Fu Yan immediately raised his hands in surrender: "Hehe, just kidding, just kidding."

I've had my Land Rover Defender for so long, but aside from driving around the city, I haven't really put it to the test. This time, I'll give it a run on mountain roads, which is exactly what this car is for. Constantly stuck in traffic on the Second Ring Road is like sending Usain Bolt to the market—a waste of its potential.

Fu Yan began preparing for this event two days in advance. Tents, sleeping bags, first-aid kits, trekking poles, flashlights, walkie-talkies, and a whole case of bottled water and snacks—Zhao Gang, looking at the trunk crammed full, asked, "Mr. Fu, are you going on a road trip or fleeing a disaster?"

"Better safe than sorry." Fu Yan stuffed the last box of compressed biscuits into the box. "If something happens in the mountains, we can't just sit and wait."

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Gang quietly added a set of car repair tools and a tow rope to the car.