F1: The Speed Legend

Grade 11, Class 6.

”Wang Lin...”

Wang Lin stood next to the teacher’s desk, shoulders hunched, head down, trying to sneak a peek at his homeroom teacher’s expression. He was bracing for the inevitable storm.

He’d known this was coming. He had completely bombed his finals. This Lunar New Year was going to be a disaster, just a non-stop barrage of lectures from all sides. The teacher was just the first wave.

And yet...

”You can go.” The teacher looked like he was about to say more, but in the end, he just swallowed his words.

Wang Lin froze. He knew what that look meant. Utter disappointment. The teacher was so done with him, he couldn’t even be bothered to scold him. He had zero expectations left.

He should have been relieved to escape a lecture, but as he took his report card, he just shuffled back to his desk, dejected. The force of gravity felt heavier than ever, crushing his shoulders. He sat down and buried his head in his arms.

A moment later, the teacher’s voice called out again. ”Song Bo. And here, take Kai Zhizhou’s exam papers and report card back for him.”

Kai Zhizhou.

The name struck a nerve. Right, that guy! He’d ditched again! He shows up for the exam and then vanishes!

Wang Lin wasn’t the only one. Curious whispers rippled through the classroom.

The teacher slammed his hand on the desk. ”Quiet! All of you!”

Wang Lin could tell from his tone that the teacher wasn’t angry with Kai. In fact, his voice was almost... proud. He was clearly protecting him.

A new surge of anger flared up. Wang Lin sat bolt upright and shot his hand into the air. Before the teacher could even call on him, he was already shouting.

”Teacher, what about the winter homework? Is Song Bo just going to take all of his homework to him, too?”

The teacher shot him a sharp glare. ”Just worry about yourself.”

But this time, Wang Lin wouldn’t back down. ”So he just doesn’t have to do it?”

The teacher didn’t even pause. He waved his hand dismissively. ”If you can get first place in the entire grade after skipping two months of class, then you can skip the winter homework, too.”

Gasp.

The classroom, which had been buzzing with chaos, was instantly silenced. Students just stared at each other, unable to believe what they’d just heard.

Kai?

After disappearing for two months, he mysteriously reappears, destroys the final exams, takes the number one spot in the entire grade, and then vanishes again?

A true legend, hiding his merit and fame.

What on earth was going on?!

Even Song Bo was a little surprised. He’d always known Kai was smart, and that he rarely ever tried his hardest at school. But this time, he couldn’t afford to fail. It was probably the most serious Kai had ever been about an exam in his entire life. And the results showed it.

That’s my boy!

Song Bo’s chest puffed out. He took the thick stack of papers from the teacher, turned, and strode back to his desk with his head held high.

As he passed Wang Lin, he leaned in. ”Remember, it’s Platform 7 1/4. Don’t get lost.”

Wang Lin just stared, his brain failing to compute. But the other students who heard it burst out laughing.

The teacher tried to regain control, but Song Bo was already back in his seat, triumphant. He had finally gotten his revenge.

It didn’t take long for the story to become a school-wide legend.

The mystery of Kai Zhizhou, the kid who had vanished for two months only to return, ace his finals, and disappear again, was all anyone could talk about. The rumors were even crazier this time, a full-blown creative writing competition.

Song Bo, as ”the man closest to the legend,” enjoyed his new popularity, though he got tired of fending off questions from total strangers.

But his fifteen minutes of fame didn’t last. The bubble burst when people realized he was sticking to his ridiculous story about the Ferrari Driver Academy instead of, say, Hogwarts.

Some believed him. Some doubted. Most just laughed.

This time, however, the students found evidence. They partially confirmed Song Bo’s story.

Kai Zhizhou signs with ART Grand Prix, will compete in the 2017 GP3 Series.

While there was no news about the ”Ferrari Driver Academy,” the official ART announcement proved Song Bo wasn’t just making things up.

But... that was it.

In China, racing fans tended to focus only on F1. No one knew anything about F2, GP3, or F3. Even hardcore fans couldn’t tell the difference. Two years ago, when Zhou Guanyu had signed with the Ferrari Academy, it had only caused a small stir among the most dedicated fans.

After all, they knew the truth: the road from the academy to F1 is a long one. The burden is heavy, and the road is long.

Kai’s signing with ART, a mere GP3 team, made even less of a splash than Zhou’s Ferrari announcement. It was buried in the ocean of online information almost immediately.

And when the students found the news, it completely ”demystified” him.

GP3 or Ferrari Academy? They’d all pick the latter. In their eyes, GP3 was just some amateur league.

The mystery was solved, their curiosity satisfied. The buzz died down, and the mockery returned. He was just a slacker, chasing some obscure, dead-end sport. It wasn’t even as cool as street racing.

Song Bo was furious. These guys wouldn’t know real talent if it hit them.

He complained bitterly to Kai over the phone, so angry he couldn’t even eat. (He’d gone from three bowls of rice per meal down to only two... plus a family-sized bag of chips.)

”I’m wasting away over here!”

Kai just found it hilarious. He let him vent, then tried to cheer him up. ”You can’t be losing weight, ’Doctor.’ If you lose any more, you won’t be the ’Doctor’ anymore.”

But Song Bo couldn’t let it go.

He started doing his own research, diving deep into everything he could find about motorsport and GP3. If people weren’t paying attention, he’d make them. He would be the pioneer, the one to open the door and show everyone what Kai was doing.

Maybe... maybe I could make some videos and upload them?

His mother, Zhang Qiaomu, quickly noticed that her son was actually home for the holiday, not running wild. He was on his tablet all day, but when she snatched it away, expecting to find a game, she was shocked to see it was full of English-language racing articles.

She immediately put her hand on his forehead, checking for a fever.

Song Bo dodged her hand, exasperated. ”Mom! This is the first time in my life I’ve ever found something I actually want to do! Can you please not discourage me?”

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