"Alright, Ye Qiu."
"Thank you, Fatty!"
Ye Qiu looked at the newly replaced tire and thanked Fatty.
"No need to thank me, we're buddies after all. If anything, I should be thanking you, Ye Qiu. If it wasn't for you saving me back then, I wouldn't be alive today. This is just a small thing!" Fatty punched Ye Qiu in the chest.
Ye Qiu nodded, saying nothing more, just keeping Fatty's kindness in his heart.
This fatty's name is Cheng Jie, a friend Ye Qiu made in Z County after returning from the United States.
When Ye Qiu was around four or five years old, he moved to the United States with his mother, so he didn't have many friends in Huaxia. Cheng Jie is now his only friend.
Ye Qiu experienced a lot in the United States, which made him very silent upon returning to Huaxia. So even when his father, Ye Xiong, brought him back home and sent him to school, he remained alone and didn't talk to his classmates, nor did they approach him.
So Ye Qiu didn't have any friends, except for Luo Bing, whom he met today, and Teacher Xu Lei.
The reason Cheng Jie thanked Ye Qiu for saving him was because one day, Ye Qiu was driving his pickup truck out from home to deliver goods to H City, and then to school.
As he was speeding on the Minshan Highway as usual, upon reaching a big downhill turn at Minshan, he saw a POLO car with its entire rear crashed through the guardrail, fallen by the mountainside.
At that moment, Ye Qiu didn't think twice and immediately drove his old pickup truck over, bumping Cheng Jie's POLO away from the cliff and saving him.
After that, Fatty Cheng Jie became friends with Ye Qiu, and over nearly a year of interactions, Ye Qiu recognized Cheng Jie as a true friend, the only one he could talk to over the past year.
"Oh, by the way, Ye Qiu, I have some good news for you."
After changing the tire for Ye Qiu, Fatty Cheng Jie washed his hands, grabbed two bottles of Coke, tossed one to Ye Qiu, and said.
"What's the good news?" Ye Qiu asked after taking a swig of Coke.
"I passed the professional racing driver license test a couple of days ago, I'm now a G-level professional racing driver too."
"That's great news." Hearing Fatty Cheng Jie's words, Ye Qiu broke into a genuine smile: "Wow, Fatty, I didn't expect you to pass the test, that's not easy, not easy at all..."
"What do you mean by that?" Fatty Cheng Jie feigned annoyance, then excitedly said, "So how about it, Ye Qiu? I'm ahead of you now, haven't you taken the test yet? You don't have a driver's license, do you?"
"Nope," Ye Qiu nodded, "No rush."
"Don't say no rush, who in all of Huaxia doesn't want to become a professional racing driver now?"
Ye Qiu asked, "Why does everyone want to become a professional racing driver?"
Cheng Jie replied, "Why? Because you not only get to drive the best cars but also make loads of money, have countless fans cheering for you, and most importantly, have gorgeous women flocking to you. Wow, just think about those long-legged car models, it's thrilling..."
Watching Cheng Jie's eyes light up with fantasies of beauties, with drool at the corner of his mouth, Ye Qiu shook his head, thinking, "It's not that easy. To have all that, you need to work hard. Only through effort can you achieve success..."
"So Ye Qiu, hurry up and go to the Automobile Guild for the test," Cheng Jie said. "If you pass, we can form a team and dominate the Huaxia car world, no, the world car scene. We can call ourselves the... Fat and Thin Team... Yes, the Fat and Thin Team."
Ye Qiu almost stumbled, looking at the hopeful, imaginative Cheng Jie, shook his head, then looked at the time, knowing it was time to deliver goods, so he told Cheng Jie and turned to leave.
But when he reached the car door and saw the newly changed rear tire, he said to Cheng Jie, "Fatty, I'll owe you the money for this tire for now, I'll pay you back when I have the money..."
"OK." Cheng Jie's chubby hand made an OK gesture.
This auto repair shop is owned by Cheng Jie's dad, so Cheng Jie has the final say.
"Thanks!" Ye Qiu thought silently but said nothing, got in the car, and started the pickup truck headed to H City to deliver goods.
After delivering the goods, Ye Qiu found a place to have breakfast, then went to school, met Xu Lei, Luo Bing, and others, but didn't see Wang Jie, which puzzled him.
After school, he made another appointment to meet Luo Bing on Saturday. Luo Bing told him she would give him a backdoor pass for the driving test, which made Ye Qiu both laugh and cry.
After saying goodbye to Luo Bing, he met Xu Lei, who tried to give him the keys to a Porsche. Ye Qiu didn't accept them, saying Xu Lei didn't have a car to drive yet, as her BMW 3X was still being repaired, so he told her to keep it for now.
After some hesitation, Xu Lei agreed. Lastly, Ye Qiu drove his pickup truck back to Minshan County.
He still maintained the same speed as yesterday, 39 minutes, a few seconds faster than yesterday, letting Ye Qiu know his limits could still be broken.
After returning home and having dinner with his father, Ye Xiong, Ye Qiu cleaned up the dishes and went back to his room to sleep.
At 2 AM, Ye Qiu's phone alarm went off. He quietly took his car keys and sneaked out like a thief.
As he left, the light in Ye Xiong's room turned on. Ye Xiong stood by the window, watching the pickup drive away, a smile of pride forming on his stern face, mumbling, "That boy is putting in the effort. He must've been inspired by something, but that's good. With his talent, it'd be a waste if he didn't race..."