"I think it's better not to say anything, it'll be more interesting that way," Lin Yan said. Revealing too much too soon would spoil the fun; it was better to maintain some mystery.
Su Mojin nodded her little head, agreeing wholeheartedly.
"Madam, look at the late hour, shouldn't we be doing what we should be doing?" Lin Yan pulled Su Mojin into his arms and said with a mischievous smile.
Su Mojin was wearing a form-fitting pajama set, her flushed little face appearing exceptionally beautiful and captivating under the moonlight.
...
Time flew to the next morning. The first thing Lin Yan did upon waking was his usual workout. After showering and dressing, Lin Yan and Su Mojin went downstairs for breakfast.
As soon as they descended, Lin Yan saw the woman from yesterday talking to one of his team's drivers. The driver looked very resistant, while the woman was chattering away incessantly.
Lin Yan waved his hand, signaling Li Wei to go and drive the woman away. This person was trying to poach his talent right under his nose. How audacious!
Arriving at the restaurant, Lin Yan and Su Mojin each took a breakfast. As soon as they sat down, to their surprise, the woman approached them again.
This time, she came right up to Lin Yan, only to be blocked by his bodyguards. Listening to her very broken Chinese, Lin Yan frowned. The woman's general meaning was that he had too many drivers, making it difficult to give each one adequate attention. She desperately needed a driver and could offer the best education.
"I have a complete educational system. Besides, this is my business, not yours?" Lin Yan had Li Wei chase her away again. If she weren't a local, Lin Yan would have taught her a lesson. How annoying!
While Lin Yan was eating, other team members also came downstairs. Zhou Xianyong and Matt were present, as was Hao Dong, who was responsible for the commentary. Hao Dong had a large fan base now and could help promote his team.
Lance was injured and unable to participate, so he remained at the base. Lin Yan was not involved in the competition matters; Zhou Xianyong was leading the team throughout. Zhou Xianyong had participated in the Genius Youth Cup back in the day and could explain the competition rules to the team members.
After hearing the rules, Jiang Qiyan and Yan Xiaoqiang both wore solemn expressions. Many of the participating drivers came from racing families, making this a tough battle for them.
After a simple meal, Lin Yan took the drivers to the competition venue. After Lin Yan and his group left, the woman Lin Yan had chased away returned to the restaurant, this time accompanied by the man who had been beside her yesterday.
"Hey Rona, you told me not to go up and ask yesterday, why did you go? Do you think I'd get beaten and you wouldn't?" the man asked, looking at the woman with amusement. He had witnessed her being driven away just moments before.
"No, you don't understand my passion for female drivers. I've always had the idea of forming a female racing team, but it's been difficult to find drivers, so it hasn't been realized. I finally encountered this opportunity, and I won't give up," said the woman, Rona. Female technicians could be trained, but drivers had innate limitations.
The man cupped his hands in a gesture. A team composed entirely of women was, in his eyes, a very weak existence. He couldn't understand why Rona wanted to create such a strange combination.
...
In the morning, the sun shone brightly over Tar City, casting a warm glow on this northern city. In the heart of Tar City, within a massive racetrack, over a hundred drivers were engaged in warm-up exercises in the pit area.
All these drivers were under eighteen years old, the youngest being only fourteen. However, as expected, most of them had Asian features. In one pit box labeled "Ls27 Racing Academy," Jiang Qiyan, Yan Xiaoqiang, and Jiang Qimo were stretching. Behind them were six already modified 250cc race cars, with Matt conducting the final checks.
Today's qualifying rounds were divided into five groups, with each group containing twenty to twenty-five drivers. The top six drivers from each group would advance to the main race. Unfortunately, Jiang Qiyan and another teammate were assigned to the first group. As it was their first time participating in such a large competition, being in the first group was certainly not lucky, as there were no preliminary testers.
"Yan Jie, go for it, you can do it!" Yan Xiaoqiang cheered for Jiang Qiyan before the qualifying session began.
Jiang Qiyan nodded, her nervousness dissipating significantly.
"Qiyan, don't be nervous. Mom and Dad are watching you in the audience, cheering you on!" Jiang Qimo also came up to his sister. Father and Mother Jiang had also come for this competition, but not with Lin Yan's group. They were currently seated in the spectator stands.
Although the Genius Youth Cup had lower viewership, there were still over sixty thousand people in the stands, with helicopters and safety cars fully equipped. Lin Yan and Su Mojin sat in the first row of the spectator stands, right at the starting line.
"Honey, I'm a little nervous!"
"If I'm not nervous, why are you?" Lin Yan smiled upon hearing Su Mojin's words.
"I'm afraid Jiang Qiyan and the others might lose. You see, if they lose, you'll definitely be unhappy, and if you're unhappy, I'll be unhappy too. That's why I'm nervous."
"Alright, you're so sweet-mouthed!"
"Of course!" Lin Yan pinched Su Mojin's cheek.
While Lin Yan and Su Mojin were bantering, the qualifying session for the first group had already begun. To save time, these five groups' qualifying rounds did not use the new rules; it was the old method, one lap.
Lin Yan roughly assessed the strength of the drivers on the track. The drivers in this first group were generally average, but there were still geniuses. Lin Yan's gaze fell upon a boy starting in twentieth position. This boy was also riding a Honda 250rr, the same model as Jiang Qiyan and the others. His race number was 38, but his cornering fluidity seemed even better than Jiang Qiyan's, clearly indicating he was also a genius. Lin Yan's eyes followed this boy until the end of the qualifying session.
Seeing the boy return to the pit box after finishing his qualifying run, Lin Yan was taken aback by the name of the pit box: "Mountain Rat Team." He had heard of this team; they were quite famous, among the top in Asia, which explained why their driver was so skilled.
After the qualifying session concluded, Jiang Qiyan ranked third, and another driver ranked seventh. The first place was taken by the driver Lin Yan had been paying close attention to.