Chapter 149 - 71: Monza

Chapter 149: Chapter 71: Monza

The Italian Grand Prix was held at Monza. As Ferrari’s home circuit, the grandstands were naturally filled with *tifosi*. Red clothes, red hats, and enormous Yue Ma flags surged and fell like a rippling red ocean.

Wu Shi wore a simple T-shirt, while an excited Louise sported a red Rafa hat.

A very high percentage of Italians are *tifosi*, and she was no exception.

Luckily, she didn’t know Wu Shi had rejected Ferrari’s invitation, or she would have been upset for a while. Gazing at the endless waves of red, she couldn’t help but say to him:

"If you join the Ferrari Team one day, all these people will be cheering for you! This will be your home circuit!"

The girl was clearly thrilled today. Full of spirit, she surveyed the circuit as if declaring it their future kingdom.

"Too bad. By the time I join Ferrari, this might not be Rafa’s home circuit anymore," Wu Shi said offhandedly.

"Huh? Is the Monza Circuit going to be canceled?"

Louise was confused. Her studies meant she hadn’t been following racing as closely as she used to. Plus, as an F3 driver, Wu Shi was bound to know some inside information, which was why she asked.

"No, there’s no way Monza Station will be canceled. It’s just that the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Circuit might join the F1 calendar in the future," Wu Shi said.

"No way! How can one country have two stations?" Louise’s off-white hair fluttered in the breeze.

"They’ll just run it under the name of another principality."

That circuit, located in Imola, would be the *true* home circuit for Ferrari if it joined the calendar. It’s only eighty-five kilometers from the Rafa Headquarters—practically on their doorstep.

"Oh, so they can do that," Louise said, not questioning Wu Shi’s words in the slightest.

As they were chatting, Wu Shi’s phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number, but he answered it anyway.

"Hello, is this Wu Shi?" the person on the other end asked immediately.

"Yes, it is. May I ask who’s calling?"

Wu Shi was a little puzzled. ’Did my number get leaked? How did a stranger get it?’

"Ah, I’m Antonio Vivaldi, from operations at the Mercedes F1 Team," Antonio Vivaldi said quickly. "I heard you’re at the circuit as well. Our team principal would like to invite you to watch the race from our Paddock."

"Oh, but I’m not alone."

This was Wu Shi’s subtle way of declining. The Paddock was a restricted area, reserved for VIPs, official journalists, or team personnel. It was extremely difficult for anyone else to get in.

He’d only managed to get into the Paddock back in ’07 thanks to a lot of help from Zhi Shiwei. Otherwise, there was no way a kid like him could have entered; the official rules didn’t allow children in such a potentially dangerous area.

"Alright, one moment..."

Faint voices could be heard from the other end of the line. A moment later, Antonio Vivaldi came back on. "The team principal says bringing a friend is no problem."

"But neither of us is sixteen yet." Even as Wu Shi spoke, Louise was tugging and shaking his sleeve. The girl clearly wanted to go see the pits.

There was another pause on the other end. "We’ll issue you passes," Antonio Vivaldi said. "Where are you right now?"

Wu Shi glanced over and saw Louise blinking her big eyes pleadingly. Her eager expression made it impossible for him to refuse, so he had no choice but to give the man his seat number.

"Great. We’ll have someone come and get you shortly."

With that, Antonio Vivaldi hung up.

Wu Shi stared at the phone number, lost in thought. ’Why is the Mercedes team so eager to invite me to their Paddock?’

Louise, on the other hand, wasn’t concerned with such things. She let out a cheer and wrapped her arms around his, saying happily, "I’ve never watched a race from the Paddock before! This is great!"

For most racing fans, watching a race from the Paddock was a rare opportunity.

"If you wanted to go that badly, you could have just asked Aunt Martina. I’m sure it would have been easy for her to get you a pass for the Ferrari Paddock," Wu Shi said, pinching Louise’s cheek.

"Hmph, but I don’t want to go by myself." Louise puffed out her cheeks like a little pufferfish, her standard defense against his cheek-pinching.

"Didn’t Ophelia come with you?"

"No, she doesn’t even like racing. I always had to drag her along before, that’s the only reason she came to watch with me," Louise said.

"You two must be really close," Wu Shi remarked with a sigh.

"Hehe! Of course we are!" Louise said cheerfully.

While the two were waiting for the Mercedes staff member to bring their passes, a group of young men and women came down the aisle.

When Louise saw them, she immediately pulled the brim of her hat low and turned to hide her face against Wu Shi’s chest.

"Classmates of yours?" Wu Shi asked after a quick glance.

"Mhm." Louise nodded. The tips of her hair poked through the cotton of his T-shirt, tickling him slightly.

Wu Shi didn’t know if Louise was shy about meeting her classmates in a place like this, or if she had some other reason for not wanting to be recognized. He didn’t press the issue, figuring he’d ask her about it later when they had a moment.

However, whether they had already spotted her or her silky, off-white hair was just too eye-catching, a few of the students at the front of the group suddenly called out, "Louise?!"

Louise buried her face even deeper. Wu Shi didn’t even glance at them, instead resting a hand on Louise’s head to help shield her from view.

"Hey! Louise, I knew it was you! Didn’t you say you weren’t coming to the race?"

"Yeah! Turns out you’re on a date!"

"Whoa! Aren’t you going to introduce us to your boyfriend?"

Students are an intensely gossipy bunch. The boys’ teasing was tinged with jealousy; after all, Louise’s beauty and excellent grades made her extremely popular at school.

The girls, for their part, seemed to be venting, and they started sizing up Wu Shi even before the boys did.

"Hey! Not even a hello? Isn’t that a little rude?" one of the classmates said.

"You’ve got the wrong person. Please don’t bother us," Wu Shi said bluntly.

"Whoa, listen to that attitude. Let me tell you something! This is Italy. Go on, crawl back to whatever slum you came from!" one of the boys shouted.

Wu Shi turned to look them over, his sharp gaze holding a dangerous glint.

As he turned to face them, several of the students suddenly gasped, covering their mouths as if they’d seen something unbelievable.

Just as he was about to speak again, Louise suddenly stood up beside him. She pointed at the students in the lead and said:

"Are you all just a bunch of classless degenerates? Your vile words are disgusting! I want nothing more to do with any of you! Get out of here!"

Louise’s upbringing was too proper; even when pushed this far, she didn’t use any real profanity.

Wu Shi stood up as well and waved toward the aisle behind the group.

The students in the lead were confused and turned to look.

A tall man in a Mercedes team uniform was making his way through, repeatedly saying "excuse me." He squeezed past the students, spotted Wu Shi, and said, "Hello, it’s nice to finally meet you in person. Here are the passes we prepared for you."

"Great, thank you. Thanks for coming all this way."

"Of course. Let’s head down now."

Antonio Vivaldi saw the students crowded around them. He might not have known exactly what had just happened, but it was impossible not to know that *something* had just happened.

"Excuse me, everyone!"

That was why his tone was so forceful. And as for the students, while some of them were troublemakers, they went to the same school as Louise and were smart kids. Seeing the situation, none of them were foolish enough to press the issue and escalate the conflict.

After Antonio Vivaldi led the two of them away, the students who had gasped earlier began to chatter excitedly amongst themselves.

"It was really Wu Shi?!"

"It really was him! How does Louise know him? I’m so jealous!"

"Wow! I can’t believe that just happened the first time we see him!" the girl said, glaring daggers at the boys in front of her.

The boys who had led the confrontation were also dumbfounded. After all, people who watch F1 don’t necessarily follow the junior formulas. Besides, they had just come as a group to watch the race; some of them weren’t even fans, but simply enjoyed group activities.