All the Pieces in Place (1)
"What's the matter?" Feeling the person next to him struggling, Commander Song whispered with deep 'tenderness': "Don't worry, Xiao Feng will be alright."
Xiao Liji, trying to free herself from Commander Song's 'grip of doom,' couldn't help but feel a chill upon hearing this. She shot him a quirky glance, "Could you let me go, please?"
"Oh..." It was only then that Commander Song realized the awkwardness of their posture. Embarrassed, he quickly released his hands.
"Thank you." Her cheeks flushed slightly with a touch of red as she swiftly returned to face Song Jinfeng. "So... are there any other requests?"
Song Jinfeng was taken aback, "You have someone in mind?"
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In front of Little Frog Disco on Zheng Street, Jiulongpo District
Xiao Tian, bored, grumbled, "Hey, man, isn't this too unfair? It's already full inside, so why are we just standing around here doing nothing?"
"Seriously? Isn't that better? Getting paid for just standing around without having to bow to guests? You can't be complaining about that, can you?"
He kicked an empty can, which landed neatly in a nearby garbage bin. "…Woohoo." Then, dejectedly, he continued, "I mean, since it's full, shouldn't we be inside already..."
His buddy gave him a knowing smile, "I bet you just want to watch the race, right?"
"Hehe, you really get me." Xiao Tian scratched his head, "Of course, I wouldn't want to miss any race as a racing aficionado, especially when it's our Chongqing folks accepting a challenge. How thrilling!"
Seeing his eager expression, his friend sympathetically patted him on the shoulder, "Don't be too bummed out. Listen, I just went inside and found out that the TV broadcast has already stopped..."
"The race is over? Who won? Did Wind God leave the Japanese driver several car lengths behind? I'd assume it was at least five...?"
Seeing the anxious look on Xiao Tian's face, his friend sighed helplessly, "Can you let me finish speaking? The race hasn't ended; they just paused the broadcast. Apparently, there's an issue with the television station, so there's no result yet..."
"So, what's happening inside now? Is there a disco going on?"
"Probably not; I don't think there's even any music playing."
"Oh... Hey, look, what's that?" Xiao Tian suddenly shouted excitedly, pointing ahead and jumping up.
Following his gaze, "Isn't that just a sports car? What's there to make a fuss about?"
Xiao Tian didn't bother to pull him but just stared intently at the car getting closer, inevitably moving toward it, "Is it really him? Is it really? God, I'm about to lose it, please be kind to me and just stop the car so I can sneak a peek, would you?"
"Screech..." Coincidentally, today really seemed to be his lucky day; the car came to a halt right in front of him.
Xiao Tian was stunned—this happiness came a bit too suddenly, didn't it? "Excuse me, can I help you with something?" Luckily, the kid hadn't completely lost himself, realizing that heaven wouldn't bother with such minor matters. Noticing the car window rolling down, he immediately leaned close and said softly. If it weren't for his hands sneakily trying to touch the car's fuel cap, you'd almost think of him as the Good Samaritan of the 21st century.
The driver blinked in surprise. Are all Chongqing folks this hospitable? "Hey, could you tell us how to get to Tianlong Road?"
"Tianlong Road?" Xiao Tian's eyes widened immediately because Tianlong Road wasn't just a street. The road's end leads directly to the only exit of Bashan Mountain Road. What really caught him off guard was Shuangshuang's face, an unparalleled beauty, lively yet quietly exceptional. He didn't even know why he would describe it in such a way, for her face was something of a melon shape, but paired with fiery red hair, it rendered the often ogling Xiao Tian utterly entranced.
"Hey, are you even listening?" Shuangshuang gingerly looked at him, no, sympathetically eyed her beloved car now drenched in his drool, her eyebrow arched, "You asking for trouble or what?"
Seems I didn't misjudge; it's not liveliness but fiery after all. Xiao Tian quickly regained his composure, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Evidently, he realized his faux pas, hastily wiping away his saliva with a sleeve: "Tianlong Road, right? Just go straight from here, follow the main road towards Shapingba, there's a tunnel that directly leads to Shangqiao, and at the end, you'll find Tianlong Road… Wow, she didn't even say thanks before leaving, what a pity, and she's so beautiful yet has no manners." He looked wistfully at the sports car that sped away. If only he knew Shuangshuang sped off because she couldn't stand his ogling, what would he have thought? But Shuangshuang might have been a bit harsh on Xiao Tian.
"Xiao Tian, I know that girl was pretty, but why are you still staring at her car?"
"Scoff." Xiao Tian retorted with disdain, raising his middle finger, "Though I've yet to encounter anyone more beautiful in real life, I'm sure I will someday. I'm looking at the car!"
"The car?"
Xiao Tian nodded, "Yeah, if I'm not mistaken, that car must be a Mercedes C-class!"
Baffled, his friend assumed a mock suicide pose, "You don't know even this? I'm speechless... But since I'm in a good mood today, I'll give you a free lesson... The Mercedes C-class is a DTM race car, and if I'm not wrong, Wind God's also driving a DTM race car.
"The Mercedes C-class first appeared on the DTM racetrack in 1994, driven by Klaus Ludwig of the AMG team.
"With the outstanding performance of the Mercedes C-class and Ludwig's remarkable skills, they secured 11 victories out of 24 races that year, again winning the annual driver's championship.
"In 1995, Ludwig's teammate Schneider once again leveraged the Mercedes C-class's extraordinary capabilities to take the lead in 16 out of 23 races, obtaining the driver's championship, and also winning the International Touring Car Championship (ITC). Meanwhile, the AMG-Mercedes team retained the annual team championship.
"As a result, AMG became the most successful team in DTM history, and the Mercedes C-class undoubtedly cemented itself as the champion car."
Xiao Tian took a deep breath, "But due to many teams being unable to shoulder the financial burden of converting DTM race cars for the DTM league, the series had to discontinue, and the Mercedes C-class slowly faded away from the tracks and public view..."