A Clumsy Drift

As the garage door rose higher, an Audi A4 slowly came into Zhuifeng's view. Moonlight gleamed off its silver body, instantly filling Zhuifeng with a rush of excitement.

"Uncle Wang, how can I ever thank you?" Looking at his spotless beloved car, Zhuifeng found himself missing Uncle Wang.

Gripping the steering wheel he hadn't touched in over a month, images of his teacher's accident on TV flashed through his mind. He couldn't help but wonder, "If I hadn't gone racing with Liu Tang, maybe none of this would have happened. Sigh..."

As he pressed the accelerator, the engine's roar grew louder, and a spark returned to Zhuifeng's eyes. "It's up to you now, buddy," he said to the car.

Just as he pulled onto the road, he spotted a slender woman fidgeting by the roadside. Zhuifeng slowed down beside her and lowered the window. "What are you still doing here? Didn't you leave with Teacher Chen?"

"Do you know the way?" she asked.

"Well, hop in then." He realized he actually didn't know how to get to Bashan Mountain. How embarrassing!

"That settles it then. Good thing the teacher was farsighted, otherwise with your racing... Hey, why aren't we moving?"

Zhuifeng glanced at her: "Seatbelt."

"Oh... Hey, I haven't fastened it yet! Hey... Whoa... Wait, you're going the wrong way, we should go that way."

"Uh... I need to get gas."

"There's a gas station over there too."

"..." Zhuifeng checked the rearview mirror. "Hold on tight." He locked the rear wheels, gave it gas, and sharply turned the steering wheel. A loud screech of tires followed.

"Ahh!" The sudden maneuver caught the girl completely off guard, and she screamed. Good thing she had fastened her seatbelt, or her face would've been pressed against the window.

Why do girls always scream? Zhuifeng frowned. Although he had successfully pulled off the 180-degree drift, something felt off. The tail had swung out too far. Had he braked too late?

Just as he was figuring it out, his phone rang at this crucial moment, frustrating him further. "Damn it," he muttered.

The woman, startled again, looked at the man who had turned her evening upside down. She was puzzled. Besides being a good driver and handsome, what was so special about him that had so many people she'd never even met infatuated with him?

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Zhuifeng asked, uncomfortable with her stare despite her beauty. "Didn't you say there was a gas station up ahead? I don't see it."

"It's just after the next left turn," she replied, snapping out of her daze. "Oh, your phone is ringing. Aren't you going to answer it?"

Zhuifeng didn't bother answering such an obvious question. He eased off the accelerator, turned the wheel slightly right, then sharply left... smoothly pulling into a gas station parking spot. Zhuifeng was bewildered. Clearly, it wasn't a matter of rusty skills, but why did the tail keep swinging out beyond his intended position?

"Here, fill it to 80% of the tank."

Taking the money, she asked, "Where are you going?"

"Don't be silly! I'm going outside to take the call. You can't use phones at gas stations, didn't you know?"

"Oh."

.....

"Brother Liu, what's going on? Why hasn't the boss sent any word yet?" 

Looking at the increasingly out-of-control scene, Yellow was worried: "Nothing's happened to the boss, right?"

"I don't know. The phone's ringing now, but no one's answering." Liu Tang hung up and looked at the scene, gritting his teeth. "If the boss doesn't show up by midnight, I'll go take on that little twerp myself."

"But what about now? Hear what they're shouting? They're calling for Wind God. Brother Liu, we've never raced like this before, how can we compete?"

"Damn it, this really is a spanner in the works. We've never even tried Zero-Four racing in Chongqing." Liu Tang was at a loss.

"It's over, Brother Liu. I just called my dad, but he said they have some operation tonight. Sending these police officers is already their best effort, they can't dispatch anyone else."

"..." Just as everyone was about to despair, Liu Tang's phone rang. "Waaah... We're saved! It's the boss."

"Then answer it quickly! Why are you standing there like an idiot?"

Sweat! "Boss..."

"Damn! Why did it take so long to answer?"

Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black? We've been waiting for you all this time. "Well..."

"How's the situation now? I've decided to come race, but it might take a while before I get there."

"Boss, didn't you agree to come earlier?"

"Did I?" Zhuifeng was confused.

"That's not important now. What's important is how long before you get here, boss?" Looking at the crowd about to break through the police line, Liu Tang was sweating profusely. "I'm afraid by the time you arrive, this place will be a bloodbath."

Zhuifeng's back was sweating too. "When did I become so important?"

"What should we do now?" Although Liu Tang was a teacher, he was at his wit's end.

Zhuifeng pondered for a moment, then sighed: "Can you find the event host now?"

"Mu Xin?" Liu Tang was stunned. "Boss, you want to...?"

"Sigh, since my classmates all know my identity now, there's no point in keeping it secret. Go find him quickly."

"Wind God come out! Wind God come out! Wind God..."

"Dear viewers at home, the atmosphere here is unprecedentedly high, but despite everyone's calls, our Wind God has not appeared. However, we've now managed to contact him... Hello?"

"Hello." Zhuifeng finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Hello everyone, I am the Wind God you've been calling for."

The crowd's uproar suddenly stopped. Everyone stared blankly at the screen showing Mu Xin on a phone call. The police officers, who had been struggling earlier, couldn't help but marvel at Wind God's influence. Just a moment ago, they were like a pack of wolves, and in the blink of an eye, they all turned into obedient lambs. Incredible!

However, Mu Xin didn't seem to entirely believe him: "Do you have any proof that you're Wind God?"

"That's simple. The first time I raced was against Liu Tang, whom most of you know. He can verify whether I'm Wind God or not." Honestly, I wish I wasn't Wind God! Zhuifeng was torn between laughter and tears on the other end of the phone.

The camera panned, and Mu Xin handed the microphone directly to Liu Tang, who was already waiting nearby. "Ahem, I'm Liu Tang. I believe most racers here know me. I'm not afraid to lose face. Yes, he is Wind God. I'm the one who lost to him..."

Seeing that he seemed to have more to say, Mu Xin quickly signaled the director to cut back to him. "Dear viewers, now that we've confirmed Wind God's identity..."

"Why did you switch the camera so quickly? Didn't you promise me a one-minute close-up earlier?" Huge sweat drop!

"I've seen on TV that many spectators came specifically to support me. I'm very grateful for that. However, I need some time to prepare, so I can't come right away. Could everyone please be patient and wait for another hour?... Sorry, I have another call coming in. That's all for now, see you later. Bye!"

The mountaintop, silent for just a moment, erupted again after someone shouted "Wind God!" Fortunately, there were no extreme actions this time, otherwise, those riot police would have been overwhelmed.

Gradually, the chant of "Wind God" resounded throughout the mountaintop. Young hearts are the easiest to ignite, and soon even those from other provinces joined in...

A gentle breeze seemed to answer the call, slowly spreading this name, soon to be etched in racing history, to all corners...

"Xiao Jie, don't be nervous!"

Zhao Jie, clutching her clothes tightly, was blushing furiously. "I don't know what's happening. My heart is beating so fast. I've never been to a live race before. Is this the difference between TV and being here in person?"

"Sigh... relax a bit. I think you're just worried that this Wind God isn't your brother, right? Hehe, but there's no use thinking about it now. You'll see him soon enough, won't you?"

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Originally, saying he had another call was just an excuse, but Zhuifeng didn't expect a call to actually come in right after he hung up. Seeing the number, his worried face unconsciously broke into a happy smile: "Gu Deping?"

"Hehe, it's me. It's done. What exactly do you do? How did you know about this modification?"

"What do you think?"

"Modified like this, it's not something an ordinary driver can handle. You said last time you were into cars, looks like you've got quite the skills. Oh, right, I just saw on TV that Wind God is about to arrive there. So, are you challenging that little Japanese guy or waiting for him to lose and then challenging Wind God?"

"Hehe, if you don't get the car there quickly, Wind God won't have a chance to beat the little Japanese guy."

"That's true. With Wind God's race car, I think his chances of winning in Zero-Four aren't... aren't high... You... you..." He finally realized something was off and started to stammer.

"Hehe, I am Wind God. Hurry over, I'll be there soon."

"You... I... Okay, okay, I'll be right there." After hanging up, Gu Deping was stunned for a moment, then suddenly shouted like a madman: "Yeah!" Good thing there was no one else in the Zhongshen team garage at this time, otherwise, I think he'd have to find another job. After all, no boss would hire a madman to work for them. ^_^

Not long after Zhuifeng and his companion left the gas station, a dark gray Toyota sedan followed. If it were the usual Zhuifeng, he would definitely have found this car familiar, as it had appeared in his sight no less than two or three times in just the past few hours. But who could blame him for being distracted and absentminded that afternoon?

The person in the car was the "Little San" mentioned by the Japanese people on the tree-lined path that morning. "Hey, boss, he's here. Looks like he not only wants to take on Yamamoto but also wants to deal with Koizumi before that... Alright, I'll retreat immediately... Okay, see you later then."

Zhuifeng was at a loss. Are all women like this? Looking at the girl who was just crying in fear but now overly excited, Zhuifeng was sweating profusely: "Sister, please, don't make such a fuss. Any racer can do this."

"Well, I wouldn't know, because I've never been in a car driven so thrillingly... Wow, here we go again! It's so exciting, just like riding a plane - we're flying!"

Looks like it's not helping much! It's just drifting, right? Zhuifeng's expression changed, and he couldn't help but think of Zhao Jie again. Little Jie, I promised you I would make you fly, and I will!"

"Hey, I'm asking you something. Teach me, okay?" She pouted, "Don't be so stingy."

Zhuifeng suddenly understood what the TV phrase "women are so annoying" meant. "Hey, Liu Tang, I'm almost there. Come down and help me out."

"..." Seeing everyone's expectant eyes, Liu Tang deliberately paused, "Hehe, the boss is here. Let's go meet him!"

"Yay!!!"