Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Because Nan Shuyi had returned too late the previous night and caused that whole mix-up, he slept in until noon. The two of them didn’t arrive at the driving practice location until two in the afternoon.

Jiang Yicen was still quite worried about Nan Shuyi’s hand, but Nan Shuyi himself didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.

After his joint was put back in place, Nan Shuyi only had a fixed brace on his hand—it didn’t affect his finger movement, nor did it interfere with his driving.

Throughout the drive, Jiang Yicen was on edge the whole time.

Nan Shuyi had considered playing the victim to gain Jiang Yicen’s sympathy, but whenever he thought about how he got injured, his pride wouldn’t allow him to act like a weakling—it was just too shameful. If he had known it would turn out like this, he might as well not have come home early.

Jiang Yicen was sharp—he quickly noticed that Nan Shuyi didn’t like talking about his injured hand, and he immediately understood.

To save face for Nan Shuyi, he decided not to bring it up anymore, but thinking about it was still pretty funny.

Nan Shuyi drove into the racing training ground where he usually practiced.

He parked the car on the track and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Jiang Yicen, you’ve been laughing the whole way.”

Jiang Yicen: “No, I wasn't.”

Nan Shuyi: “Get out and switch seats.”

Today, he had specifically brought a manual transmission car for Jiang Yicen to practice.

Nan Shuyi asked him, “I remember you have a driver’s license.”

He had seen Jiang Yicen’s license in the cabinet where they kept their documents.

Jiang Yicen was taken aback. He really hadn’t expected Nan Shuyi to notice that. The original “Jiang Yicen” did have a license, but he himself didn’t.

He didn’t know how to explain this.

Seeing him silent, Nan Shuyi offered the most logical explanation: “Don’t tell me you paid for it during a period when the test wasn’t very strict?”

Jiang Yicen: “Well… I didn’t have time to take the test back in China. But don’t worry, I’ve never actually driven on the road, so I haven’t violated any traffic laws.”

Nan Shuyi was amused by his earnest, slightly nervous expression. “Alright, today I’ll be a strict coach. From now on, you'll set aside one day a week for practice. You won’t drive on the road until I say you’re ready, okay?”

Jiang Yicen nodded: “Okay.”

He thought to himself how kind-hearted Nan Shuyi was, willing to spare time every week to teach him.

They switched places.

As a coach, Nan Shuyi was meticulous and very strict. Jiang Yicen was a good student—he had driven before, just not modern cars. After only two laps, he was already driving quite decently. All he needed now was actual road practice.

What Jiang Yicen didn’t know was that in the track’s surveillance room, a few young people had gathered and were chatting.

“Why did Brother Yi bring an ordinary car? Didn’t he say he needed the track this afternoon?”

“This car is so slow—I could walk faster than it.”

“Is he testing the car’s low-speed performance?”

“Brother Yi only drives fast cars. When has he ever driven slowly? Last time I drove slowly, he mocked me for days, asking if I wanted to play the tortoise and the hare.”

“Looks like there are two people in his car?”

“Is he bringing a new member to the team?”

“Let’s ask the manager—is a new driver joining the team? We haven’t heard anything.”

“Why not just ask Brother Yi directly?”

“Rock-paper-scissors. Loser asks.”

Meanwhile, after half an hour of practice, Jiang Yicen was driving like a pro. He had mastered the basic operations quickly and had no big problems—he didn’t chase speed, only stability.

Back when Jiang Yicen used to drive, the roads weren’t this nice. The roads were poorly built, full of potholes, and very bumpy. He'd never been able to comfortably eat, sleep, watch shows, or even work on a laptop in the car like now.

They used to drive on the left side, with the steering wheel on the right—the complete opposite of now. He needed time to adjust.

Nan Shuyi saw that he was driving well and was really talented. He said to Jiang Yicen, “Slowly increase the speed.”

He almost never sat in the passenger seat. The team had coaches; he didn’t need to instruct others—he only needed to look at the surveillance footage and uploaded data to know where a driver was lacking or needed improvement.

Jiang Yicen shifted from first gear to second, then to fifth, and then varied the speed—fast to slow, slow to fast.

Nan Shuyi didn't skimp on praise: “You’re driving very well. You’re the smartest student I’ve ever taught.”

Jiang Yicen asked, “May I ask how many students you've had, coach?”

Nan Shuyi leaned comfortably against the seat back and said, “Just you.”

He turned his head to admire Jiang Yicen’s focused driving expression. Being a coach was pretty easy, wasn't it? He really didn’t understand why so many people failed their driving tests.

Jiang Yicen said, “Then I'm honored.”

At first, he only followed instructions and didn’t dare to chat with Nan Shuyi, afraid of getting distracted. But once he got the hang of it, it was actually pretty simple. As he became more proficient, he could afford to chat.

Nan Shuyi thought to himself that a Formula racing champion teaching him was a waste of talent, but he was happy to do it.

He leaned closer to Jiang Yicen in the driver’s seat. “Since I’m teaching so well, shouldn’t Student Jiang pay some tuition?”

Jiang Yicen immediately got the hint—his hands started to heat up. “Tuition?”

Nan Shuyi’s gaze was fixed on him. “Yeah, tuition.”

Jiang Yicen recalled that Nan Shuyi had kissed him many times, but those were always at home.

He hadn’t yet gotten used to this open new world. “But… we’re outside…”

Nan Shuyi knew he was shy, so he made the first move. Cradling Jiang Yicen's cheek, he pressed his lips to Jiang Yicen’s.

Jiang Yicen closed his eyes, not knowing where to put his hands, so he rested them on Nan Shuyi’s shoulders.

They hadn’t seen each other for a few days, but the familiarity was still there. The moment Jiang Yicen parted his lips slightly, Nan Shuyi seized the chance to deepen the kiss.

Nan Shuyi put all his longing for Jiang Yicen over the past few days into that kiss. He didn’t know why Jiang Yicen always attracted him so much, and it was only growing stronger—like a magnet to another magnet.

People always want more of what they enjoy. Nan Shuyi felt that if he could be a keychain, he’d be happy to hang on Jiang Yicen.

Until his phone rang, Nan Shuyi reluctantly broke away. He even felt like chucking the phone—he'd had to work so hard for that deep kiss from Jiang Yicen. Did he have it easy?

Who had no sense of timing?

Jiang Yicen was dazed from the kiss, his lips darker and more swollen than before. He covered his face with one hand, turned to look out the window, and took a deep breath.

Nan Shuyi is absolutely insane!

He actually did these things with Jiang Yicen outside in broad daylight.

Nan Shuyi didn’t want to answer, but the caller kept ringing, so he finally picked up.

He held the phone with one hand and stroked Jiang Yicen’s nape with the other to soothe him: “What’s up?”

The caller: “Brother Yi, what are you doing on the track? Is there a new member joining?”

He had already left the team, but he still had a good relationship with the members. The caller was Zhang Ying from the “WISH” team, the youngest member, often used as a sacrificial lamb by the other teammates, and the thing was, this kid had no idea.

Nan Shuyi glanced at Jiang Yicen’s red ear: “No, I’m practicing driving.”

Zhang Ying: “Who are you practicing with?”

Nan Shuyi: “Have you shaved even one second off your time? And you still have time to gossip here?”

Zhang Ying’s voice trailed off: “Not yet, I’ll work harder.”

Nan Shuyi watched Jiang Yicen skillfully shift gears and casually replied to Zhang Ying: “Are you all in the monitoring room?”

Zhang Ying: “Yes, the coach is here too. We were practicing on the other side today and just came down for a summary meeting.”

He ended Zhang Ying’s call. Knowing that a group of people was watching them, he figured Jiang Yicen had practiced enough and could use a break.

Nan Shuyi: “My former team members are here. Want me to introduce you to them?”

The blush on Jiang Yicen’s face faded: “So should we call it a day?”

Nan Shuyi: “You just started practicing today. Take a break first.”

Jiang Yicen: “Okay.”

Nan Shuyi gave him a quick kiss on the cheek: “A reward for you.”

Jiang Yicen pushed his face away: “No.”

Nan Shuyi laughed: “Little antique.”

Jiang Yicen could now drive by himself; he learned quickly. Nan Shuyi even suspected that he was pretending not to know, but soon that thought was shattered because Jiang Yicen didn’t yet know how to reverse park or parallel park. He realized Jiang Yicen was simply a fast learner – a really sharp kid.

Nan Shuyi had never imagined that one day he would willingly introduce his friends to someone; he actually wanted Jiang Yicen to fit into his circle.

This was the team’s daily training center. When they were on the track, Jiang Yicen felt the track was empty, but when they arrived at the training center, he found that there were quite a few staff members in the building.

Jiang Yicen suddenly realized: “So that’s how many people it takes to run a team behind the scenes?”

Nan Shuyi: “Of course, training a driver is not easy.”

Jiang Yicen: “No wonder Zhong Zixing needs sponsorship; running a team means supporting that many employees.”

Nan Shuyi frowned: “Zhong Zixing? The person you just met yesterday?”

Jiang Yicen: “Yeah, didn’t we just buy their new car?”

Nan Shuyi’s voice sank slightly: “You think pretty highly of him.”

Jiang Yicen, not noticing Nan Shuyi’s slight annoyance, said: “He’s always been dedicated to developing domestic cars; I think we should support him more. Too bad I’m broke.”

Nan Shuyi wanted to make his feelings more obvious, but before he could react, a group of people in racing suits rushed over.

“Brother Yi!”

“Brother Yi!”

“Brother Yi!”

They were a bunch of young faces, each radiating lively and positive vitality. Jiang Yicen looked at them with a hint of satisfaction and a touch of kindness.

Nan Shuyi asked: “Why are you all here today?”

Everyone answered him in unison; basically, they were testing a new technology today, so all members were present.

The team manager who came down after them couldn’t help asking: “And this is?”

Everyone knew Nan Shuyi was married; the team members had also attended the wedding banquet, but they had a competition at the time and left after a quick bite, so they hadn’t met Jiang Yicen.

Nan Shuyi: “My partner.”

Jiang Yicen greeted them warmly and politely.

Everyone thought Jiang Yicen looked very young and had a youthful face, their expressions curious—was Brother Yi kinda robbing the cradle?

The team manager, Mr. Fang, since he rarely saw Nan Shuyi, had a lot to say to him: “Got a moment? Let’s chat in the office for a bit?”

Nan Shuyi looked at Jiang Yicen: “I’ll be right back. Sit here for a while.”

Team leader Yang Yi said: “Brother Yi, go ahead. We’ll take care of Mr. Jiang well.”

Once Nan Shuyi and the team manager left, the break room suddenly went very quiet.

The team members were familiar with Nan Shuyi but not with his new husband.

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi hadn’t talked much about the team, and he didn’t know these members, let alone feel familiar with them. At that moment, it was rather awkward.

Jiang Yicen smiled at them. Actually, aside from the captain, the other four were all young people.

There were two official drivers and three test drivers in the team.

Zhang Ying whispered: “You’re so handsome, even more handsome than the celebrities we’ve seen.”

Jiang Yicen replied: “Your profession is also very cool.”

Captain Jian Xiangyu: “Would you like something to drink?”

Jiang Yicen shook his head: “Thanks, I’m not thirsty.”

Zhang Ying: “How old are you?”

Jiang Yicen: “I’m twenty-two. And you?”

Jian Xiangyu really wanted to drag Zhang Ying, that idiot, away: “I’m the oldest here. Zhang Ying is the youngest, and he’s also twenty-two.”

Jiang Yicen: "Then it's impressive that you all can get together. What do racers usually do?"

Zhang Ying: "We usually train all the time."

Wan Xiaotong: "Duh, of course we train. We have tons of stuff to do."

Jiang Yicen: "I don't know much about it."

Compared to the other team members, Jian Xiangyu was clearly more composed: "Zhang Ying, Xiaotong, why don't you show Mr. Jiang around? I'll head to the office for a bit."

As soon as Jian Xiangyu left, everyone became more lively.

Zhang Ying said to Jiang Yicen, "Brother Jian admires Brother Yi the most. Every time Brother Yi comes, he goes over to chat with him for a while."

Wan Xiaotong gave him a light kick: "Don't talk nonsense."

Jiang Yicen just smiled and didn't ask further.

Jian Xiangyu was indeed a particularly tall, handsome guy with a bit of Western blood. He had big eyes, a high nose bridge, and dark brown hair—fashionable and handsome, instantly looking like a cool, charismatic guy.

The team's rewards were all clearly listed, so Jiang Yicen could see them. They didn't know what else to do with him, so they went to the recreation room, where all the entertainment equipment was related to racing.

Zhang Ying told Jiang Yicen, "All the game consoles in the recreation room were sponsored by Brother Yi. What games do you know how to play?"

Jiang Yicen shook his head: "I don't know any of them."

Zhang Ying said whatever was on his mind: "Wow, you look like a really well-behaved student."

Wan Xiaotong patted Zhang Ying on the head: "Don't talk nonsense."

Jiang Yicen smiled. He really liked Zhang Ying's sincerity; it was different from Zhong Zixing's, but both had the same passion for things.

Zhang Ying: "Want to race us on this sim game?"

Jiang Yicen looked at the two machines: "Sim racing? Sure, how do we play?"

Zhang Ying: "I'll teach you. The fastest record here is still held by Brother Yi. It's actually pretty simple—you just have to do this..."

Jiang Yicen listened carefully as the other explained how to play the racing game. The machine simulated the car's accelerator, brakes, steering wheel, and gear shift. The game screen showed maps, and different maps had different roads. The rule was: whoever reaches the finish line first wins. In the upper right corner of the screen, there was a ranking list.

Zhang Ying created an account for Jiang Yicen, using his full name in pinyin.

Jiang Yicen got the hang of it after just one practice round.

Nan Shuyi finished discussing recent team issues with the manager. He wasn't here to talk about team problems today. Nan Shuyi was worried Jiang Yicen might feel out of place with his former teammates, so he went to find him.

Jian Xiangyu told Nan Shuyi that Jiang Yicen and the others had gone to the recreation room.

When the two arrived at the recreation room, they heard shouts of excitement from inside.

"Whoa!"

"He won again!"

"Break it! Break it! Break it!"

Once Nan Shuyi stepped forward, he knew what they were doing. They were playing the sim racing game. He had always been number one on the leaderboard, and the younger members had been trying to beat his record, but he still remained unmatched at the top.

At that moment, everyone was gathered around Jiang Yicen, watching him race.

Nan Shuyi was also curious whether Jiang Yicen could break his record. Jiang Yicen was very calm, with skillful handling and lightning-fast reactions—he had all the qualities of an excellent racer.

There was no doubt that Jiang Yicen excelled in every way.

"He broke Brother Yi's record!"

"Awesome."

"How did he do that? We've been playing for ages and couldn't break it."

"Just find the trick—it's actually pretty simple." Jiang Yicen thought it wasn't that hard—he was just calm enough—but it was only a game.

When he looked up, he saw Nan Shuyi looking at him: "Bro."

Nan Shuyi praised him: "Nice job."

Jiang Yicen laughed: "I was just playing around."

Nan Shuyi said to the others: "We'll head back now. We'll come play another time."

Everyone was reluctant to see Nan Shuyi leave, which showed how highly respected he was in the WISH team. Nan Shuyi told them not to bother seeing them off, and the two went downstairs.

As they went downstairs, Jian Xiangyu suddenly ran out and asked Nan Shuyi: "Brother Yi, are you coming back to the team?"

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi both turned around. Jiang Yicen suddenly remembered that Zhang Ying had casually mentioned Jian Xiangyu's special feelings for Nan Shuyi. He quietly took Nan Shuyi's hand.

He thought he was a little jealous.

Nan Shuyi looked down at his tightly held left hand, then glanced at Jiang Yicen.

He chuckled to himself and replied to Jian Xiangyu: "I'm not coming back."

He had more important things to do right now.