Kai's heart clenched. "Mom…" he whispered.
But Jiang Mo was exceptionally calm, terrifyingly so. "I have never stopped you from participating in extracurricular activities. Even with racing, I have never said the word 'no'."
She paused, her voice deepening, still raspy from her earlier outburst, and tinged with exhaustion.
"The issue right now is that you lied and skipped school to go racing. So, what's next? Are you going to suspend your studies? Then drop out?"
"Kai, do you know why I've always insisted that you study?"
"Is it because I'm worried you won't find a job? No. I'm not worried about that. You are a smart kid, smarter than your father and me. I have no doubt you can make a living on your own. In the worst-case scenario, your father's garage can always feed you."
"Studying isn't for a job, and it's not for a university diploma. It's about shaping the way you understand the world. It's so you can learn to see people for who they are, to tell the difference between right and wrong."
"That's why I don't want you to give up on your education. No matter what happens, you cannot abandon your studies. You need to learn how to properly view life and the world. Otherwise, you could be earning millions a year and still be a complete bastard, a scourge on society. And that would be our failure as parents."
"But look at you now."
Her words stopped. The gentle rain had replaced the raging thunderstorm, but the disappointment in her voice was far more cutting.
Sometimes, disappointment is worse than anger.
Kai started to panic. "Mom, I understand…"
Of course she knew he understood. Her son was sharp, and it wasn't just a shallow cleverness; he had a deep-seated wisdom. That was precisely what made this so much more frustrating for her.
She didn't say any more. She thrust the phone back into Lu Cheng's hand and walked away.
Lu Cheng fumbled. "Jiang Mo…"
But she was gone. He put the phone back to his ear. "Kai, your mom just went to her room."
Kai's shoulders slumped, his dejection palpable. "Dad, please tell Mom, I get it. I won't give up my studies. Really. I'll finish my homework right now. And I already told the academy here that I have to go back for my final exams…"
Lu Cheng let out a long sigh, his temples throbbing. "Kai, she's furious right now. I'll talk to her in a bit."
He didn't want to scold his son, because he knew he was also to blame. If he had wanted to prevent this, he should have acted like a responsible guardian and put a stop to it the moment he suspected Kai was street racing.
But deep down, Lu Cheng also knew that a passion like that doesn't just die. The desire for speed, like the human desire to fly, is branded into our bones.
His own mind was a mess, overloaded with information he couldn't process.
Finally, he found his rational footing, though the angel and demon on his shoulders were still at war. "Kai... the trial at Ferrari today. Was it fun?"
Kai looked up at the ceiling, exasperated. "Dad, is this really the time...?"
Lu Cheng let out a wry laugh, but he pressed on. "What did they have you test? Did you use the simulator? Or did you drive a real Formula car?"
Kai was speechless, in no mood for small talk. But despite himself, the corners of his mouth began to turn up. "Just the simulator. And only F4 mode."
"It felt a bit like karting, especially the rhythm in the corners, but it was also completely different."
"How do I put it… a kart is like a street dancer. It's free, unrestrained, and your body can directly feel what every tire is doing. But the F4 car is like dancing in a suit. You can feel the suit restricting your every move, so your actions have to be precise. You can't just mess around."
"But once you master the rhythm, it becomes something else entirely."
"The feeling… it's really different."
He kept talking, and even through the lingering anxiety, you could hear the joy in his voice.
More importantly, Lu Cheng was no amateur. He could hear the talent hidden in his son's words. And this was only his first time in a simulator.
Lu Cheng took a deep breath and glanced toward the bedroom door. "Kai, you should stay in Maranello for now."
Kai was stunned. "Dad…"
"I'll handle your mother," Lu Cheng continued. "Isn't that why you called me in the first place? To use your old man as a human shield?"
Kai let out a sheepish "heh."
"Your mom is just worried about you. Don't be upset…"
Kai hung his head, kicking at a small pebble on the ground, and mumbled an affirmative.
"You stay in Maranello for now, and we'll see how things go. But you cannot let your studies slide, do you understand me? This isn't just your mother's rule, it's mine too. Kai…"
Lu Cheng desperately, desperately wanted to see his son's talent flourish. Ferrari! This was Ferrari! But because he wanted it so much, he was torn, afraid of the potential loss. He had been through it all himself—the spark of hope, and the crushing despair when it was extinguished.
Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he wondered if it would have been better to have never hoped at all.
Moreover, he never wanted to be like Jos Verstappen, forcing his own unfulfilled dreams onto his son. If he couldn't achieve it himself, what right did he have to burden his child with that yoke?
(Jos Verstappen, a former F1 driver, had been Schumacher's teammate at Benetton in 1994. He never won a race, let alone a championship, and so he pinned all his hopes on his son, Max.)
But Kai loved this. He was immersed in it, finding his own joy.
He should support his son's dream, shouldn't he?
"Seize this opportunity. Enjoy your time there. No matter what happens, Dad will always have your back," Lu Cheng said, his decision finally made.
He felt a little tremor of fear, but more than that, he felt an irrepressible excitement.
After a few more words of comfort, Lu Cheng hung up, his mind racing. He stood in place, taking a few deep breaths, trying to plan his conversation with Jiang Mo. He knew she needed time and space. Trying to talk to her while she was still this angry would be useless.
The problem was, Ferrari was waiting for a signature. Kai was a minor; he needed a guardian's consent. They couldn't wait. Time was the one thing they didn't have.
Lu Cheng's temples throbbed. He'd made a promise to his son, but he had no idea how to follow through. As he was pacing, the landline in the bedroom rang. And was answered.
Lu Cheng froze, then hurried over. He saw Jiang Mo hanging up the phone, and at the same moment, the fax machine whirred to life.
The contract!
It hit Lu Cheng in a flash. The Ferrari academy was moving fast. They must have been incredibly impressed with Kai.
But a second later, he realized this was a disaster. He had no time to be happy. His wife seeing the contract right now? This was walking directly into the line of fire. It was adding fuel to an already raging inferno.
They couldn't have waited?! Lu Cheng thought, horrified.
(Marchionne: ???)
Lu Cheng lunged forward, trying to intercept it, but he was too late.
Jiang Mo was already standing over the fax machine, reading the first page as it came through.
She didn't tear it to pieces. She didn't throw the machine out the window. She just stood there, her professional calm returning as she began to read, line by line.