Chapter Eight: The Gift

To everyone's surprise, as Mo Shu pressed closer and closer, Car No. 1 did not adopt any aggressive defensive tactics in advance but simply followed its own racing line in a disciplined manner, as if there was no intention to block Mo Shu at all.

Geng Hua’s approach made Mo Shu suspicious.

"Could this be a trap? Maybe he’s waiting for me to get close, holding steady, only to pull some trick and trip me up?"

Once bitten, twice shy. Mo Shu, still a rookie driver, was hesitant, and that hesitation ended up restraining him. His fierce advance came to a sudden halt, trailing Geng Hua for nearly a full lap.

Mo Shu’s fans were anxious, and Zhang Aimin was beside himself, scratching his head and pacing restlessly.

"Mo Shu, don’t stall! If he tries to force you out again, I’ll lodge a complaint with the race committee, accuse him of unsportsmanlike conduct. Go for it, catch up and overtake him, bring home the championship!"

Mo Shu’s unconventional overtaking techniques were something Geng Hua likely couldn’t figure out in the short term, and Zhang Aimin knew this well.

Whatever—just go for it! Success or failure depends on this moment! Mo Shu was frustrated with his own indecision.

The race’s big screen flashed a reminder: the qualifiers had entered the final lap.

The current standings: Geng Hua in Car No. 1 was first, Mo Shu in Car No. 32 was second, and Wang Yining in Car No. 6 was third.

The gaps between the three cars were razor-thin. Geng Hua’s vehicle remained steady and fast; though Mo Shu had finally overcome his psychological barriers and was giving chase, each time they exited the first few corners, Geng Hua would pull away again with his precise racing lines.

Only half a lap remained. The three cars were nearly nose-to-tail, and the entire crowd held their breath.

Turn 5! Turn 5 again!

It seemed the final showdown would take place here. Mo Shu wrestled with himself; where you fall, you must rise. Fate’s arrangements are always mysterious and coincidental, with only the positions of the two rivals now reversed.

Geng Hua was first to swing his car to the side, adopting Mo Shu’s drifting technique to enter the corner—a driver with astounding learning ability!

Indeed, sacrificing grip for wheel speed was almost the best strategy for a stock car.

But Geng Hua could never have guessed: Mo Shu was a driver who seemed blessed with supernatural skills.

As Geng Hua was still at the apex, preparing to accelerate out of the corner in a drift, Car No. 32 shot forward like a white bolt of lightning, hugging the inside line at extraordinary speed.

"This guy is too reckless—he’ll flip for sure if he doesn’t slow down," Geng Hua actually found himself worrying about Mo Shu’s seemingly suicidal driving.

If it were anyone else, such a maneuver would terrify the team manager, the track engineers, and everyone involved.

But this was Mo Shu—the miracle driver who had kept surprising everyone from qualifying to now.

Flipping, losing control—such words were worlds away from Mo Shu.

Car No. 32 dove into the corner from the inside, scraping the inner line at high speed. As the car began to understeer, Mo Shu used the lack of steering response to drift, overtaking perfectly in the hairpin.

Behind him, Geng Hua was left stunned, not even having the chance to accelerate before Mo Shu was already approaching the next corner.

"Mo Shu... Mo Shu, keep it steady, the championship is yours! You’ve got more than an eight-second lead over Geng Hua!" Over the team radio, Zhang Aimin could no longer contain his excitement.

At the finish line, the checkered flag was already waving.

Zhang Aimin couldn’t hold back any longer; he rushed out of the pit box, sprinted to the trackside barrier, clenched his fists, and raised both arms triumphantly toward Car No. 32 as it crossed the line, tears streaming down his face.

"Oh my... Uncle Zhang is all heart again..." It was clear Zhang Aimin truly loved the sport, and Mo Shu blinked away the moisture in his own eyes.

After the race, Wang Yining grabbed Mo Shu, puffing with indignation: "Didn’t you say you’d upgrade my car so I could beat Geng Hua? In the end, I still finished third!"

"Hey, big sis—no, beautiful lady, don’t be mad. The reason’s simple: he upgraded his car too, secretly installing coilover suspension. If I hadn’t been curious why Geng Hua was so fast and steady through the corners, I might have forgotten I have ‘Mechanical Insight’ as a skill."

"He upgraded his car too? How did you know?"

Wang Yining wouldn’t let it go, determined to get to the bottom of it, but fortunately, Zhang Aimin arrived with a mysterious smile to rescue Mo Shu.

"Yining, look at the bigger picture. You two can be sweet later!" Zhang Aimin winked at Wang Yining, then dragged Mo Shu straight toward the team headquarters.

"Uncle Zhang, the race committee hasn’t announced the final results yet, and there’s no awards ceremony?"

Mo Shu hadn’t had a chance to savor his victory.

"They don’t give awards for the qualifiers. The prize I’ve prepared is the real big one!"

"What? You’re giving me an award?"

"Haha, I’ve prepared a big gift... uh... well... you’ll know once we get back to the team..." As they say, men grow more like children as they age; Zhang Aimin, at the peak of excitement, was eager to reveal his secret to the world.

At the entrance to the Stellar Racing Team, Wang Yu and the staff had long been waiting.

"Wang, my debut in professional racing and you didn’t come to cheer me on, that’s not cool!" Mo Shu joked with mock annoyance.

"I had more important things to take care of. Next time, I promise—I’ll be there with you."

"Come on, what could be more important..."

Wang Yu just pursed his lips and stayed silent, his face wearing the same mischievous, mysterious smile.

What were these strange people up to?

With a grand gesture from Zhang Aimin, the garage shutter behind them slowly began to rise. The first thing visible was a pair of slender, elegant legs.

No way, Uncle Zhang—is he giving me a beautiful woman?

Mo Shu cast a wicked glance at Zhang Aimin, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.

Wait—something’s off. That’s... Wang Yining!

Once the shutter was fully raised, Mo Shu saw clearly. Every time he saw Wang Yining, he was so nervous he could barely speak. Now, in front of everyone, he was about to embarrass himself again, his face burning bright red.

"But... Uncle Zhang is giving Wang Yining to me? No, wait, is he matchmaking me with the goddess?" As Mo Shu thought this, he couldn’t help but drift gleefully into daydreams.

Wang Yining smiled charmingly and floated gracefully to Mo Shu’s side, her voice soft and captivating: "Mo Shu, stop fantasizing. I’m just here as a guest car model."

What?!

Wang Yu nearly doubled over with laughter, as if he could hear the sound of Mo Shu’s heartbreak.

"Hehe, the real gift is inside, Uncle Zhang prepared it for both of us," Wang Yining grinned mischievously, delighted to have pranked Mo Shu.

What greeted them inside the garage instantly banished Mo Shu’s earlier embarrassment. His gaze was magnetized, unable to look anywhere else.

There, an orange and a white supercar lay waiting, like two slumbering beasts. Mo Shu began circling them in awe.

It was an Italian-made Bull RT500 supercar: 6.5L engine, 750 horsepower, naturally aspirated V12, 0-100km in just 2.6 seconds—noble lineage, superb performance, and a hefty price tag!

"You two, pick your colors," Zhang Aimin said, delighted by how Mo Shu was even more enthralled by the cars than by Wang Yining.

Was he serious? Mo Shu cast a stunned, questioning look.

Zhang Aimin laughed heartily: "To welcome you both to the team, on behalf of Stellar Group and Stellar Racing Team, I present this gift to you, hoping we’ll work together, and create brilliance!"

"Come on! Left hand, smack the right!" Wang Yu mischievously encouraged everyone to applaud his uncle.

Mo Shu, still lost in disbelief, hadn’t yet recovered when Zhang Aimin announced loudly, "Anyone without urgent matters tonight, don’t go home yet—I’m treating! Let’s all go out and celebrate!"