Chapter 158: MK4

Two days later, Wang Yining embarked on her long journey to Europe.

Because Vermin owned a private jet, the entire customs clearance and security inspection process was extremely simple and smooth.

No boarding passes were needed, no checked luggage, no long queues; they breezed right through the VIP channel straight onto the plane.

Not until the aircraft began to taxi down the runway did Mo Shu finally feel his suspended heart drop back into place.

He had expected them to weep in each other's arms when parting, but the boarding process had moved so fast that the young couple hadn't even had time to process it.

Better this way, Mo Shu comforted himself; crying and wailing was just too embarrassing anyway.

Besides, Wang Yining had said that Mo Shu had to go visit her in Europe every three months.

Three months—if one lived life to the fullest, it would pass in the blink of an eye.

"Let's go, we still have plenty to keep us busy back in the city," Wang Yu gently reminded Mo Shu. It was time to head back, as they still needed to prepare for Geng Hua's seventh-day memorial service.

On the way back, Wang Yu drove while Mo Shu sat in the passenger seat with a gloomy expression.

"What's wrong? Still thinking about Wang Yining?" At a time like this, Wang Yu didn't really know how to comfort his friend.

"Yeah, I miss her. I miss both of them..." Mo Shu's voice sounded somewhat melancholic.

"Sigh..." Wang Yu sighed; he had guessed that Mo Shu was actually thinking of Geng Hua.

After a brief silence, Mo Shu said with a heavy heart, "Old Wang, I don't want to race anymore, brother."

"What do you mean?" Wang Yu was astonished.

"I mean, I want to retire temporarily."

"Are you kidding me? The bright future of the Pantheon Racing Team is waiting for you to push it forward."

"I'm not kidding. Look at where we are now—Wang Yining has gone to Europe, Geng Hua has left us, the Four Major Gods have essentially been halved in the blink of an eye, and the team is shattered. On top of that, the downhill race was ruined by Crown Destroyer, and your dad's investment in us has gone down the drain. You tell me, how could I still have the heart to race? I want to take a break. I want to temporarily retire." Mo Shu's words sounded as though they came from the mouth of a middle-aged man well past his prime.

Indeed, given Mo Shu's current age, he had truly experienced far too much compared to his peers.

Wang Yu gave Mo Shu a sympathetic glance and said nothing more.

It wasn't that he didn't want Mo Shu to rest, but rather that he worried this fellow had suffered too much of a shock and would never recover from the blow.

Yet Mo Shu's current state was deeply concerning; he desperately hoped this guy wouldn't do anything rash and plunge into depression.

After pondering for a long time, Wang Yu finally spoke slowly: "All right. If you want to take a break for a while, that's no problem. For the upcoming ERC races, I'll have Wang Qing find a co-driver to run them herself. As for your schedule, I'll cancel all of it. But at the very least, you have to attend the press conference and personally announce the news of your temporary retirement."

Hearing such a considerate reply, Mo Shu gave Wang Yu a grateful look and said tiredly, "Thank you, brother."

"Heh, don't stand on ceremony between brothers. Once you've regained your vitality, we'll take on the martial world again."

"Right, hopefully..."

After Geng Hua's funeral arrangements were concluded, the Pantheon Racing Team promptly held a press conference to announce various developments.

Mo Shu's retirement sent massive ripples through the racing world. For three consecutive days, the headlines of racing magazines, weeklies, and websites were entirely dominated by Mo Shu.

However, in today's era of exceptionally rapid information pacing, it took less than half a month for the news to fade from the public eye, and the name Mo Shu would soon be left behind in people's memories.

Mo Shu's life became thoroughly quiet. He rarely went out, only occasionally meeting up with Wang Yu.

Even when they met, it was solely to resolve lingering issues related to the downhill race. The moment matters were settled, Mo Shu would bid farewell, never engaging in the enthusiastic discussions about grand life plans with Wang Yu as he used to.

Wang Yu often called Mo Shu to invite him out for meals, but Mo Shu would either claim he was sleeping at home or say he was just zoning out on the rooftop.

At first, Wang Yu had been quite nervous, terrified that Mo Shu going to the rooftop meant he was contemplating ending his life.

After it happened many times, Wang Yu simply grew accustomed to it, only offering verbal reminders for Mo Shu not to climb up high and mess around with dangerous stunts.

Until one time, when Mo Shu seemed to be drinking alone on the rooftop, and only after getting drunk did he muddle-headedly pour his heart out to Wang Yu over the phone.

He said that up on Summit Peak, Geng Hua had originally intended to leave, but Mo Shu himself had persuaded Geng Hua to stay. If he had known it would come to this, why act as he did back then? He believed he was indirectly responsible for Geng Hua's death.

He also said he frequented the rooftop not to commit suicide; he still wanted to keep living to accompany Wang Yining. Going to the rooftop was simply so he could feel a little closer to Geng Hua.

Wang Yu's heart broke listening to it, yet he could say nothing at all.

Mo Shu's problem couldn't be solved with a few comforting words; he had blamed Geng Hua's accident entirely on himself.

Negative emotions came in many forms, and the kind of guilt and self-blame Mo Shu was harboring was extremely prone to causing psychological internal injuries.

Wang Yu had tried numerous efforts. When he couldn't counsel him himself, he even invited a psychological consultant to come over and diagnose Mo Shu at home.

To his surprise, upon hearing this, Mo Shu not only bolted his doors tightly shut, but from then on refused to see any visitors whatsoever.

As time dragged on, Wang Yu had truly run out of solutions, and with Wang Yining far away in Europe, she couldn't possibly return home to fix this.

Ultimately, he simply had to persist in taking Mo Shu out to various places to clear his mind every single week.

And so, persisting like this, a full year passed.

Another weekend arrived, and Wang Yu appeared punctually downstairs at Mo Shu's building.

Today, he had deliberately driven an older-model MK4. This was a car model Mo Shu had dreamed of owning back when he was a student.

Wang Yu's intention was glaringly obvious: he was attempting to reawaken Mo Shu's long-lost passion for cars from his youth.

After lingering for goodness knows how long, Mo Shu finally strolled out of the building entrance belatedly.

Upon seeing the light-gray MK4, Mo Shu was visibly startled. That expression was naturally caught by Wang Yu, but regrettably, the flash of surprise vanished in an instant, and the light in Mo Shu's eyes dimmed right back down again.

"How about we go tear up the track at the speedway today?" Wang Yu tried to hook Mo Shu's interest.

Yet Mo Shu replied with a cold expression, "You know as well as that I haven't touched a car in ages."

"Then... would you mind if I just went to revisit the track myself?"

"..." Mo Shu fell silent for a long time before uttering a single word: "Whatever."

"Thanks for giving me face!" Wang Yu praised while starting up the MK4.

Although this MK4 had been produced through a joint venture by a Huaxia manufacturer, it had inherited almost the pure, unadulterated bloodline of German engineering.

Even though the 2004 model Wang Yu was driving was only equipped by the manufacturer with a 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine and a five-speed manual transmission, because of its relatively small size and meticulously tuned chassis, the MK4 boasted strong power, low fuel consumption, low emissions, effortless handling, and a remarkably approachable price tag. Without a doubt, these advantages deeply catered to the tastes of car buyers across all social strata.

Consequently, the global sales figures for the MK4 back in the day were quite astonishing; hence, it had long been crowned by the vast community of car enthusiasts with the prestigious title of the "Progenitor of Hot Hatches."

In the present era, over a decade had passed since the MK4 went out of production, yet there were still plenty of car lovers in society desperately hunting down used MK4s, drawn purely by its peerless performance and as a tribute to a classic.

Back then, Mo Shu had not only been obsessed with the MK4, but was also intimately familiar with the entire MK model lineup.

During his student days, across countless nights, Mo Shu would hide under the covers with a flashlight, reviewing the past and present of the MK series over and over again.

Even in his dreams, he had countless times imagined driving an MK4 roaring across various racing tracks, but reality was always so cruel—by the time he finally had the money to buy a car, the MK4 had already been out of production for several years.

Heaven knows what connections Wang Yu had used to abruptly dig up a 2004 MK4, which fully demonstrated the deep thought and care Wang Yu had invested in Mo Shu.

The two of them sat inside this nearly scrap-worthy car, driving all the way toward the Nanshan Racing Circuit.

Just as they were about to reach their destination after making a U-turn, they heard a sudden swishing shadow flash past their window, and the MK4's right rearview mirror was almost clipped off by the neighboring car.