God Of Racing

Some memories, no matter how hard you try to preserve them, fade with time. Others, even when you don't consciously recall them, have a way of resurfacing, sharing their joys and sorrows. These are the memories that have already taken root in your mind...

"Brother Feng, are airplanes in the sky very big?"

"Yes, they're huge. Like houses, very spacious inside."

"Then how can they still fly?"

"...I don't know. I just know it feels very comfortable sitting in them."

"What does it feel like? Tell me, Brother Feng!"

"I don't know how to describe it. It just feels like 'flying,' as the teacher says. Very comfortable."

"Like 'flying'?"

"Mm-hmm."

"I really want to ride one, but I heard it costs a lot of money. My family doesn't have that kind of money."

"...Then you could ride in a car."

"A car?"

"Yeah! I think if you ride in a car that goes really fast, like the ones on TV, it might feel similar."

"Brother Feng, can you drive? I want to ride in a car you're driving."

"I can't drive yet, but I'll definitely learn in the future. I'll learn to drive really fast cars!"

"Why?"

"Because I want to take you to experience that feeling of flying..."

...

"Brother Feng, we're moving away."

"Why?"

"Because of my dad's illness. We owe a lot of money. They're not only going to beat up my mom and dad, but they also want to take me away. So we have to leave."

"Where are you moving to?"

"I don't know. I'll go ask my mom."

"How will I find you? Will we see each other again?"

"We'll definitely meet again. In the future, I want you to come pick me up in one of those fast cars. I really want to experience that flying feeling you talked about! ... Brother Feng, will you come pick me up in a fast car?"

"I will, I promise! Don't believe me? Let's pinky swear! Now you believe me, right? When are you leaving? I'll come see you off. Tell me where you're moving to, so I can come pick you up when I learn to drive fast cars."

...

"Little Jie... Little Jie..."

"Little Jie, didn't we agree? I was supposed to see you off. Why did you leave like this? Where did you go?...Little Jie..."

"Jie, Little Jie, I can drive now... Where are you?...Jie, don't go!"

"Little Feng, Little Feng! Wake up, wake up!"

Zhuifeng jolted awake, disoriented for a moment before gradually coming to his senses.

"Little Feng, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Huh? Big brother? How did you get here so quickly? How did you get in?"

"Quickly? Look at the time. You're completely out of it from sleeping. I just walked in. Little Feng, you're not a kid anymore. How can you sleep with the door open? If something happened, I... You... I don't know what to do with you. You've been like this since you were little. I think I need to hire a nanny for you, or one day something bad will really happen!"

"Hehe..." Zhuifeng gave a silly laugh.

His brother laughed too, though to Zhuifeng it seemed more like a mischievous grin.

"Little Feng!"

"Hmm?" Zhuifeng felt uncomfortable all over.

"Who's Little Jie?" His brother's grin widened.

Zhuifeng's heart skipped a beat. "What Little Jie?"

"Hehe, playing dumb? I've heard that name from your mouth twice now. Don't tell me you don't know. Come on, tell me. Is she your girlfriend?" He looked at the flustered Zhuifeng with a knowing expression.

Zhuifeng's face turned red. "What girlfriend?"

"Little Jie? Oh, is it a boy. I thought it was a girl. Disappointing! You don't like him, do you?"

Relieved that his brother had misunderstood, Zhuifeng quickly played along. "How could I like him? Didn't you say he's a boy? I don't swing that way."

Seeing Zhuifeng return to normal, his brother secretly found it amusing. Having a girlfriend isn't something to be ashamed of, why won't you just admit it? Do you think I'm an idiot? He was surprised to see Zhuifeng blushing so easily.

"Well, even if you did like men, hehe... I'd still support you. Haha..."

"Bro!" Zhuifeng was speechless. "I asked you to help me prepare for school, not to tease me!"

"Haha... Alright, alright! Let me see what you've packed. Are you staying in the dorms?"

"Yes."

"...Seriously? You've bundled up blankets, sheets, and mats. Were you planning to take all of this? Why don't you just move the whole bed while you're at it? Have you never stayed in a dorm before? Oh right, you always lived at home before."

"..."

Seeing Zhuifeng's face suddenly darken, his brother mentally kicked himself. Why did he have to go bring that up? "Zhuifeng, you..."

"Brother, are you staying in a dorm now?" Zhuifeng forced a smile.

To his brother, that smile was worse than if he had cried. "...I'm doing my master's in Beijing, but I'm renting a place outside campus. Anyway, let's not talk about that. You don't need to bring all this stuff. The school will provide it."

"Oh, right! Haha... So what should I bring, big brother?" Zhuifeng laughed awkwardly.

"Just bring some change of clothes and basic daily necessities. That should be enough. If you're missing anything, you can always buy it later. No need to bring everything."

That costs money! But Zhuifeng didn't say it out loud. "Mm-hmm."

"Looking at what you've packed, it seems about right... Oh! It's Mom calling. Hello, Mom... Yes, I'll be back soon. You can start eating without me... Okay, I'll be right there. Bye!" He hung up and looked at Zhuifeng. "Little Feng, um..."

"Brother, they're calling you home for dinner, right? Go on. Didn't you say I've packed everything I need? Hurry back, or they'll call again."

"Well then, Little Feng, I'll be going. I'm leaving in a few days too. If you need anything, go to Shen Hong's company. He's been briefed on everything."

"Okay. Brother, you go ahead. I won't see you off."

"Just take care of yourself, no need for goodbyes. Okay, bye?"

"Bye." Leaning against the door, Zhuifeng watched his brother's retreating figure. His previously calm face slowly gave way to tears. Once his brother was out of sight, he gently closed the door, threw himself on the sofa, and sobbed silently. Why? Why are Mom and Dad so good to my brother but so cold to me? And brother, why are you so kind to me? So kind that I can't even bring myself to hate you...

Forget it. From now on, I'll just live my own life. Isn't everything from before irrelevant to me now?

Could Zhuifeng really say goodbye to his past? Perhaps...

Maybe due to exhaustion from the past month, Zhuifeng gradually drifted off to sleep again.

The next morning, he got up early and called a taxi.

"To Chongqing University!"

"Wow! Young man, are you going there to study? Alone? You're bringing all this stuff?"

"Yeah! Is this a lot? I've already tried to pack light!"

"Not a lot? You call this packing light? If this is light, I'd hate to see what you'd bring if you weren't trying to pack light! I've never seen anyone going to school with three large suitcases before."

"Hehe..."

...

"What? Just me?" After completing the complicated enrollment procedures and arriving at his dorm room, Zhuifeng looked around. "Damn, I should have kept driving for a few more days. This is going to kill me."

The room was filthy. He couldn't just ignore it, could he? Zhuifeng was a clean person, so he took off his shoes, grabbed a broom, and started cleaning.

"Why am I so unlucky?" After finally finishing the cleaning and unpacking, Zhuifeng collapsed on his freshly made bed like a pig and fell asleep again.

When he woke up, it was already past 5 PM. Looking at the still empty room, he felt bored. "Might as well go for a walk. It's better than just sitting here like an idiot."

Strolling along the campus paths, enjoying the evening breeze, Zhuifeng felt content. "This feels nice!" He decided to lie down on a nearby bench...

Seriously, like a pig, he could sleep anywhere. Impressive! But his sleep was destined to be disturbed. After such a hot day, who wouldn't want to come out for a walk and get some fresh air in the evening?

"Hey, can you sit up?"

Actually, Zhuifeng had been awake for a while, roused by the chattering voices nearby. But because they were discussing his favorite topic—racing—he hadn't moved.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" He couldn't keep pretending to sleep now, so he quickly sat up.

"No problem, no problem!"

The group sat down next to him and continued their conversation...

"What you were saying earlier isn't that impressive! Let me tell you, the racing level in Chongqing is really something!" said a guy with glasses.

"Cut the crap! You're exaggerating," someone immediately retorted.

"Exaggerating? Do you remember the road we took to Nanshan today?" Glasses guy glanced at him.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Let me tell you, that road is Chongqing's famous 'Death Route.' It's also the headquarters for Chongqing's street racing crowd!"

"I know, the race between Sichuan and Chongqing last year was held there! But, hehe, what was the name of your guy again?" Another person interrupted.

"Liu Tang, right?" Zhuifeng chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah, Liu Tang. In the end, he didn't win! ... Glasses, stop bragging. I know all about Chongqing's driving skills."

"That's because you haven't seen anything. Let me ask you, when our Brother Liu lost to Sichuan that time, did he accept it? No, right? Hehe, let me tell you, just this summer, our Brother Liu lost again..."

"He lost and you're still bragging about it?" The Sichuan guy mocked.

Glasses ignored him. "But this time, Brother Liu accepted the loss gracefully. He even gave up his title as Chongqing's Racing King, right there on the 'Death Route'!"

"Really?" The Sichuan guy had heard about Liu Tang's temper and personality. "Liu the Bull really accepted it?"