CLICK~
Boss Chen lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said to Wu Zhenlin,
"President Wu, 45.101. Do you have any idea what that number means?"
"Boss Chen, would you mind putting that out?" Wu Zhenlin gestured toward his son.
"Oh, my mistake, my mistake."
Boss Chen threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. Wu Zhenlin himself didn't mind smoking or drinking, so Boss Chen had gotten used to it during their previous business discussions. He'd completely forgotten a child was present today.
"Thank you," Wu Zhenlin said, stroking his son's head.
"I can't say I'm an expert in this area. Looking at your records, aren't many of them faster than this?"
"That's where you're mistaken. Those times were set by much more powerful cars. The two karts I prepared for them are NCJ-A class, which have lower performance and are meant specifically for kids."
Boss Chen tried to recall the fastest lap time for this class from the competitions held over the past few years.
Last season's winner completed 15 laps in something like eleven minutes and change. He couldn't remember the single fastest lap, but a 45-second lap was, without a doubt, astonishing.
He looked at Wu Shi again and said earnestly,
"I rarely make judgments about the kids at this track, but there's something different about him... assuming this really is his first time in a go-kart."
Before Wu Zhenlin could reply, a loud wail erupted from behind him.
"WAAAAHHH!!!"
Louise, having taken off her helmet, was bawling her eyes out. On her pale little face, her eyes looked like two glistening, red-rimmed jewels. She walked over, rubbing them as she went.
When she saw Wu Shi, her wails grew even louder as she mumbled indistinctly,
"Cheat! Cheat! Cheat!"
"Huaxia people are pretty good," Wu Shi retorted in simple English.
'He understood?'
Wu Zhenlin thought to himself. 'My gut feeling was right. The kid really did understand her.'
"Louise, stop your sniveling! You should be the one apologizing to Wu Shi!"
Martina's voice cut in. She wasn't one to coddle her daughter, even when she was upset.
"No!" Louise practically shrieked.
"You are being held accountable for your actions. No matter how angry you are, you need to understand that you were the one who challenged him to a race, and you were the one who provoked him."
Martina continued, realizing from Wu Shi's retort that the boy understood English perfectly. He was calling Louise out on her rude provocation.
"Now, now, Louise didn't mean any harm. It's all in the past," Wu Zhenlin said, trying to smooth things over.
"There's no way this is his first time in a go-kart! He's a cheater!" Louise continued to yell.
Louise's high-pitched, cracking voice made Wu Shi's head buzz. He figured that as the "adult" in the situation, it was probably best for him to back down and put an end to the argument.
"Okay, okay, I'm so sorry."
The moment he said that, the little girl's crying instantly stopped.
Martina walked over, bent down to look him in the eye, and said in accented Mandarin,
"Wu Shi, you don't need to apologize when you haven't done anything wrong."
"Mm, I know. But I just want Louise to stop crying. If an apology solves the problem, isn't that for the best? Besides, you're also, well…"
Wu Shi scratched his head. 'It's all Dad's fault for not being clear. I can't just come right out and say it. What if she and Dad haven't made things official yet? It would be really awkward if I just blurted it out.'
A hint of surprise flickered in Martina's eyes. 'This child is incredibly precocious.' A smile spread across her face as she patted Wu Shi's shoulder.
"You're very thoughtful. I must say, I'm quite envious that your father has a son like you."
Then, she stood up and glanced at Louise. 'As expected, you just can't compare your own kid to others.'
'Although,' she mused, 'soon enough, we should all be one family, right?'
"Mom! What did he say to you?" Louise asked, wiping the tears from her cheeks and tugging on Martina's arm.
"First, answer my question. Have you realized your mistake or not?" Martina countered.
Normally, Louise would never have backed down, but her curiosity about what her mother and Wu Shi had discussed quickly overpowered her stubbornness.
She nodded and said, "I'm sorry. I was being unreasonable, and I apologize for being rude earlier."
"Good. As long as you understand."
"I already apologized! Can you tell me what you two were talking about now?"
"Of course. I told him he didn't need to apologize since he didn't do anything wrong. And he said…" Martina paused.
"What did he say?" Louise's eyes widened, desperate to know the answer.
"He said that big brothers should look out for their little sisters," Martina said with a smile.
"Huh?!" Little Louise's eyes grew even wider.
'?'
A giant question mark appeared over the head of Wu Shi, who had overheard the entire exchange.
"Ahem. Anyway, President Wu, have you given any thought to letting Xiaowu go pro?"
Boss Chen asked Wu Zhenlin, seeing that the kids had settled down.
"That's up to him. Besides, a single lap doesn't necessarily prove he has exceptional talent."
In truth, Wu Zhenlin didn't want Wu Shi to go pro.
Race car drivers were athletes who constantly brushed with death; it was far too dangerous. But, just as he'd said in those first four words, it was all up to what Wu Shi himself wanted.
"Xiaowu, how about it? Want to become a professional racer? I have a really good feeling about you!"
Boss Chen was full of energy. He trusted his eye for talent; not only was Wu Shi gifted, but more importantly, the Wu Family wasn't short on cash.
You can't get into motorsports without money.
Wu Shi lowered his gaze. 'Should I really go back to the racetrack?' Now that he was actually standing at a crossroads in his life, he hesitated.
"If you're not sure, you could always just try one year in the CKC—the China Karting Championship. If your results are outstanding, it won't be too late to decide then," Boss Chen added.
"I think he should give it a try. Watching that last lap was truly breathtaking."
Martina chimed in. She wasn't hung up on whether this was truly Wu Shi's first time in a go-kart. A single season would be enough to show what kind of talent he possessed.
Hearing Martina's assessment of Wu Shi, Wu Zhenlin couldn't help but wonder, 'Is my son's talent really that incredible?'
'Good enough to make even Martina of Rafa's motorsport division see him in a new light?'
"Son, what are your thoughts?" Wu Zhenlin asked Wu Shi.
"If you become a famous driver, it would be a huge help to your father's business, you know~" Martina chimed in unexpectedly.
Wu Zhenlin frowned. Just as he was about to speak, he heard his son's voice:
"I'll do it."
"Son?"
"I want to do it," Wu Shi said, his head lowered, not meeting his father's eyes.
He had been teetering on the scales of hesitation, but Martina's words gave him a firm push toward becoming a race car driver.
'Dad has always been the best to me. If that's the case, then I'll do this—not just for me, but for him, too.'
He was willing to return to the track.
"Excellent! Get your racing license before April, and I'll cover all your registration fees for the season!" Boss Chen exclaimed, overjoyed.
"No, no, you're being far too generous," Wu Zhenlin said, quickly waving his hands in refusal.
"Hey, President Wu, think of it as an investment, all right?" Overjoyed, Boss Chen started to reach for a cigarette again, but then he saw the two children and silently put it away.
"Let's head upstairs to talk," Wu Zhenlin said, clapping his hands. 'We've gotten so sidetracked, I almost forgot we came here to discuss a partnership.'
"No problem!"