Chapter 33: To Outrun Him, I Don’t Need to Wait Until I’m Grown Up

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: To Outrun Him, I Don’t Need to Wait Until I’m Grown Up

Wu Shi’s arrival drew the attention of many people. Some were coaches and parents who had attended all four previous stops and had become familiar faces.

Another group recognized the boy, not yet ten years old, from the massive promotional campaign by Big Eye Sports Media.

"Boss!" Ye Ningning shouted, scurrying forward. She then pointed at Louise and said, "Boss, you have a sister? Boss, are you mixed-race?"

After hearing this, Wu Shi glanced at Louise, only to see the girl guiltily clinging to the railing, pretending to watch the track.

"I’m not mixed-race, but Louise is indeed my sister," Wu Shi said.

Louise’s little ears twitched when she heard that.

"Ohh~"

Ye Ningning didn’t quite understand this strange relationship. ’If her Boss isn’t mixed-race, how could he have a sister who looks like a foreigner?’

She blinked her big eyes, about to ask more, when Ye Zhaohui walked over and said, "Ningning, don’t go prying into other people’s family matters."

"Hey, hey?" Ye Ningning glared fiercely at her brother.

Wu Shi smiled at Ye Zhaohui. To explain his relationship with Louise, he would have to explain their parents’ relationship. From a normal person’s perspective, prying into why a child’s parents separated was undoubtedly inappropriate.

Therefore, Ye Zhaohui’s actions were a sign of high emotional intelligence.

"Look how fast other people’s brothers are! Why is my brother so slow?" Ye Ningning vented.

"???" Ye Zhaohui was at a loss for words.

"Brother~" Hearing this, Louise suddenly skipped over to Wu Shi’s side, wrapped her arms around his, and called out happily.

"..."

Ye Zhaohui looked back and forth. After a moment of speechlessness, he mimicked Ye Ningning’s tone and said, "Look how cute other people’s sisters are! Why is my sister so unruly?!"

"Aiyah! Ye Zhaohui! What did you say?!" Ye Ningning reached out and gave Ye Zhaohui’s waist a vicious pinch.

"AHHHH!!!" His scream, like a pig being slaughtered, made many people turn their heads.

A smile appeared on Wu Shi’s face. ’Now this is what siblings who grew up together are like. It’d be strange if they didn’t bicker.’

"Ye Zhaohui, you’re the one who lost to this guy?" a discordant voice suddenly cut in.

They looked over and saw a teenager of about fifteen or sixteen. At over 160 cm, he towered over them like a giant.

"Chen Lin, do you get some kind of kick out of coming over here to needle me? Don’t tell me your snot-nosed little cousin went crying to you again?"

When dealing with Ye Ningning, no matter how fierce Ye Zhaohui acted, he seemed like a paper tiger. But facing this older boy, he let out a genuinely ferocious aura.

"Tch. You can’t even win in the lower division. What are you even doing racing?" Chen Lin said with contempt.

"Oh? I don’t recall Young Master Chen winning many championships in the lower division either, did he? What can you do besides use your age to talk big?" Ye Zhaohui retorted sarcastically.

"Heh, I have nothing to say to a loser."

After speaking to Ye Zhaohui, Chen Lin turned to Wu Shi and said, "Don’t think winning a few races means you can go pro. F1? Keep dreaming. Talk to me when you get promoted to the upper division and actually beat me."

Wu Shi frowned. He remembered this guy muttering sarcastic comments about him from the sidelines when he entered the venue today.

He had no intention of holding back. He opened his mouth and cursed, "What kind of moron is this? Spouting all this bullshit."

"What the fuck did you just say?!" Chen Lin strode forward and grabbed him by the collar.

"I said you’re a moron. You think I need to be in the upper division to beat you? Give me the same kart, and I’ll beat you so bad your own mother won’t recognize you." Wu Shi was usually gentle, but he wouldn’t back down from a provocation.

"Fine, fine, fine! If you’ve got the guts, let’s race a lap after the competition!" Chen Lin said viciously.

"Why should I race you?" Wu Shi shot back.

"You!" Chen Lin was so choked up he couldn’t speak.

In 2007, the Chinese internet was a wild place, but its verbal combat skills were far inferior to later years. After all, in an era with few banned words, cursing was just cursing. But in an era where everything was a banned word, passive-aggressiveness was king.

"If you win, I’ll apologize to you." Even Chen Lin’s breath came out hot; he was clearly furious.

"Is your apology that important?" Wu Shi retorted again.

Chen Lin’s fists clenched, and his whole body trembled.

"Chen Lin! I’m telling you, if you hit him, you’re hitting us! I’ll tell my grandpa!" Ye Zhaohui shouted.

Chen Lin held back when he heard that. Although his own grandfather’s status wasn’t low, if this guy tattled, he was guaranteed to get a lecture.

"Coward."

He let go, gave Wu Shi a shove, and turned to leave.

"Boss, can you really beat him?" Ye Ningning suddenly called out.

"Hm?" Wu Shi had no idea what the little girl was plotting.

"If you beat him, I’ll go tattle to Grandpa Chen and tell him that guy can’t even outrace a little kid. He can forget about ever coming to the track again," Ye Ningning said, hands on her hips, still fuming.

"Heh! Let’s see him beat me first! He’s just a little brat who talks big. And you call him ’Boss’? That’s hilarious!" Chen Lin turned back, roaring with laughter.

Wu Shi shook his head. ’It’s just a war of words, not worth getting so worked up... As if!’

"You two seem to really hate him?" he asked the Ye siblings.

"Yeah! He’s always bullying me and my brother. He’s a big bully!" Ye Ningning nodded.

"What, you really think you can beat me?" Chen Lin said with a smirk. ’This Ye Ningning is so dumb, does she really think Wu Shi can win against me?’

"It’s not about thinking I can. It’s about knowing I can." Wu Shi looked toward the track and said, "After the competition, I’ll show you how I win."

"HAHAHA!!! Good, you better not back out!" Chen Lin roared with laughter.

"Chen Lin, do you get some kind of kick out of bullying a little kid?" someone from the upper division nearby said, shaking his head.

"What the hell do you know? I’m just teaching this little brat who doesn’t know his place a lesson, to show him what a pipe dream he was talking about last week."

Chen Lin didn’t care what others thought. All he knew was that he was pissed off. Pissed that this guy was favored by Big Eye Sports Media, pissed that he even got taken into the Paddock Club to talk with an F1 driver!

He could ask his elders to pull some strings and get into the Paddock Club too, but that would just be using connections, not earning it. He didn’t care about that! What he craved was recognition for his identity as a racer!

"Hey kid, don’t let him get to you. You don’t have to race him."

Some people came to advise Wu Shi. They were kind-hearted racers from the upper division. It wasn’t that they were afraid Wu Shi would lose—losing wasn’t a big deal—but they were mainly worried about a safety incident.

The horsepower difference between a lower-division kart and an upper-division one was significant. If he wasn’t used to it, he could spin out and hit a wall with one step on the gas.

"Thank you, big brothers, but like I said, I don’t need to wait until I’m grown up to beat him," Wu Shi said, shaking his head.

"Fine, you’ve got guts!" Chen Lin spat, then left the viewing hall.