"Don't worry, you'll get to race this time."
Lin Yan patted Zhang Ningyu's shoulder to comfort him. He had his reasons for not letting him race earlier.
"How's your training going?"
"Uh... it's okay, my lap times are improving every day."
These past few days, Lin Yan had Zhang Ningyu test the new moto3 factory bike. The reason was simple: Jiang Qimo had told Lin Yan he wanted to be in the same team as her sister in WSBK. Lin Yan agreed, so the task of partnering with Yan Xiaoqiang fell to Zhang Ningyu.
"Good, keep up the good work. Let's go to the track, I want to see your training results."
Lin Yan took Zhang Ningyu to the track. Noon was a great time for training. Dozens of riders from the 27 Academy were on the track for their daily practice. Lin Yan spotted Yan Xiaoqiang and Jiang Qiyan among them.
"Come on, get on the bike, let me see what you've got."
The two went into a pit box. Lin Yan changed into his leathers and mounted a moto3 factory bike. Zhang Ningyu, who was behind him, quickly got ready and also got on his bike. It was a great honor for him to spar with the legendary Lin.
A technician started the engines of their bikes. Lin Yan gunned the throttle and led the way out of the pit box, with Zhang Ningyu immediately following.
There were no formalities or official starts. As soon as they hit the track, Lin Yan let Zhang Ningyu go ahead and then followed behind him, observing.
Feeling Lin Yan behind him, Zhang Ningyu felt immense pressure and focused intently, gradually increasing his speed.
Lin Yan followed closely, also picking up the pace.
From Lin Yan's perspective, Zhang Ningyu's cornering was very smooth, and his lines were excellent. After observing for a while, Lin Yan decided to make a move.
With a heavy brake into the inside line, Lin Yan's bike easily pulled alongside Zhang Ningyu, and he then hugged the inside line into the corner.
At the corner, the two bikes were side-by-side, both extending their legs, braking, and leaning into the turn with their knees scraping the asphalt.
Zhang Ningyu was startled by Lin Yan's sudden overtake. A moment later, at the next corner, he accelerated and reclaimed his position with an inside pass.
One of the reasons moto3 races are so intense is that overtaking is relatively easy. The small displacement bikes are highly agile, offering diverse lines through corners. As long as there's enough space and the riders are of similar skill levels, overtaking is entirely possible. Lin Yan was definitely holding back while battling with Zhang Ningyu. If he had completely blocked the lines, the other rider would have had no chance, and he wouldn't be able to assess his skill.
After a fluid overtake, Lin Yan felt no surprise. He made another move in the next corner, and Zhang Ningyu, anticipating it, executed a cross-over.
This kid's race experience was better than Jiang Qiyan and Yan Xiaoqiang. His skill was also superior. Yan Xiaoqiang, who was also training on the track, was a bit surprised to see Zhang Ningyu holding his own and battling with Lin Yan for nearly a minute. He realized that this newcomer had been saving his strength all along!
Another lap passed. After Lin Yan's continuous testing, the kid's skill had indeed improved significantly since the beginning.
"That's enough. Get ready, you can race this week."
Lin Yan said as he got off the bike.
Hearing this, Zhang Ningyu was very excited. He could finally race.
Yan Xiaoqiang was currently ranked around fourth or fifth from the bottom in moto3. Lin Yan estimated that Zhang Ningyu would perform slightly better than Yan Xiaoqiang. The team had now entered a profitable state, completely moving away from its previous deficit.
All of this was naturally thanks to Jiang Qiyan's contribution. Lin Yan had underestimated the influence of her good looks. Jiang Qiyan had become incredibly popular after just a few races. Endorsements and advertisements were flooding in, but Lin Yan had rejected them all. The Lin family's own advertisements were already overwhelming, covering cosmetics, women's products, women's riding gear, and more. They simply didn't have time for external clients.
Of course, the "deficit" referred to the daily training expenses of the team being fully covered. As for the cost of building the facilities and the track, it would likely take a very long time to recoup. However, Lin Yan wasn't in a hurry. To use his own words, this complete industrial chain was slowly beginning to take shape.
Amidst Zhang Ningyu's profuse thanks, Lin Yan changed his clothes and walked out of the pit box.
"Boss, some people from the national team came by a few days ago..."
As he reached the entrance, he bumped into Zhou Xianyong, who was rushing over. In three months, Zhou Xianyong had lost quite a bit of weight, clearly indicating that he had also been training on the track a lot since joining the club.
"The national team? What do they want?"
Lin Yan glanced at Zhou Xianyong and asked, cluelessly, completely forgetting his previous promise.
"Boss... it's about the training session before."
It was only after Zhou Xianyong reminded him that Lin Yan remembered. He hadn't forgotten intentionally; it was just that too many things had been happening lately.
"Tell them to come tomorrow. Have Ren Fei go and give them a good lesson."
After giving the instruction, Lin Yan turned and left.
When Lin Yan returned to the villa, Lin Guoxiong had already left. As the chairman, Lin Guoxiong had many matters to attend to that day. Fu Qingyun and Su's parents stayed behind to look after Su Mojin.
"Honey, can you do me a favor?"
With his mother and mother-in-law busy in the kitchen, Lin Yan sat cross-legged on the sofa, keeping Su Mojin company.
"What favor?"
"I heard that Su Chen seems to be dating. Can you have someone keep an eye on him? I'm afraid he might meet the wrong person."
Su Mojin held Lin Yan's hand, gently stroking the calluses on his palm as she spoke softly.
Meet the wrong person?
Although he was a bit puzzled about a grown man dating and potentially meeting the wrong person, Lin Yan still nodded.
"Don't worry, I'll have someone keep an eye on him."
He figured Su Mojin must have heard some rumors, otherwise she wouldn't have told him. Su Chen is dating? Could it be that little girl Chen Qianqian?
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Su Mojin suddenly look a bit down, Lin Yan asked with a smile, reaching out with his other hand to stroke her hair.
"It's nothing. I just think you have more calluses on your hands."
Su Mojin took Lin Yan's large hand and spread it out on her lap. Compared to three months ago, there were more calluses on Lin Yan's palms, especially around the knuckles.
Lin Yan smiled at this, finding it normal for training to result in calluses.
"It's normal. When you ride, your hands will get calluses. If you learn to ride and spend a lot of time on the track in the future, you'll get them too."
"Oh? I will too? Then, if I get calluses, will you dislike me?"
"No."
Lin Yan shook his head. It was the truth. After decades as a rider, he felt unaccustomed to not having calluses on his hands when he first transmigrated.