At the climax of the race, the deciding moment between the two cars finally arrived.
High-performance cars come with their perks—but they have drawbacks too.
Ryosuke Takahashi's FC, being heavier and constantly mimicking the AE86's line, had suffered extreme tire wear. By the final stretch, the tires were overheated.
Why didn't the AE86 suffer the same fate?
Simple—it was light. Much lower load. Even pushing at high speed the entire way down the mountain, the stress it placed on the tires was fundamentally different.
So while the FC was ahead, its grip was falling apart. Meanwhile, Takumi's AE86—
In the fan group chat, Yue Xuan quickly sent a message:
"If you know, you know! The five consecutive hairpin turns—that's where the real battle is."
And right then, Takumi remembered something his dad had taught him—the second method for using the drainage gutter.
The first method used the gutter to fight centrifugal force while entering a turn.
The second method was far more aggressive—it used centrifugal force to gain acceleration out of the turn, like a gravitational slingshot.
At the critical curve, Takumi's AE86 dove into the gutter. But midway through the turn, he deliberately exited the groove. The car drifted slightly wide, but coming out of the corner, he surged forward with extra speed, closing the gap to Ryosuke.
Yue Xuan and the other fans felt their scalps tingle.
Jing Yu had shot the whole scene in a single, sweeping aerial take—smooth, sharp, and filled with the artistry of driving.
In the final corner, Shingo Shoji and Takeshi Nakazato returned as guest commentators.
"You can't overtake on the outside—AE86 has to go inside!"
"Outside or inside?!"
"Wait, he's actually going for the outside?!"
The fan group fell dead silent.
Yue Xuan held his breath.
Takumi's AE86 traced a graceful arc along the outside line as Ryosuke's FC drifted alongside.
But halfway through the turn, the FC began to fall behind.
Its tires had finally hit their limit.
They just couldn't provide the grip needed for such high-speed drifting anymore.
By the time they exited the corner, their positions had reversed.
The AE86 was in the lead.
The finish line lay ahead, surrounded by a crowd of hundreds.
And among them stood Natsuki, Takumi's girlfriend.
With the world watching, Takumi's AE86 sliced through the night like a bolt of white lightning—straight into the eyes and hearts of every viewer.
In that moment, even Natsuki admitted: this car was cooler than her dad's Mercedes.
And in homes across the country, there was no doubt—this AE86 was the greatest car on Earth.
Yue Xuan's chest swelled with something beyond words.
It felt more thrilling than the first kiss he'd stolen from a girlfriend in high school.
This was godhood.
Jing Yu's Takumi was a god. The god of Mount Akina.
In the fan group chat:
"I cried watching this!"
"This show's soundtrack is amazing. The plot? Even better. Jing Yu is a genius!"
"No joke—I've never been this stressed during a TV race. More intense than the actual World Cup!"
"Hah! When Great Zhou won the World Cup last year, I felt just like this!"
"Football's only once in a while—but driving? I drive every day. The immersion's real."
"I'm numb. No way I'm sleeping tonight."
"How does this show stay this good every week? How is Jing Yu this freaking brilliant?!"
"Ugh, cried again. Sayuki and Mako were in the crowd at the bottom of the hill—but Iketani was still up top. What kind of twisted writer won't even let them bump into each other?"
"Forget it. Just be happy for the King of Akina. Stop obsessing over Iketani and Mako. Some missed chances never come back."
"Poor Ryosuke. Guess it's time to retire early and inherit his family's billion-yuan hospital empire. Must be devastating."
The episode ended with Takumi and Ryosuke talking under the stars. Ryosuke formally invited him to join the Red Suns.
But Takumi didn't answer.
Everyone watching was satisfied.
Until the next scene.
A few days later.
In the show, Xu Jun, who plays Natsuki, is shown waking up in a hotel bed.
On the wall behind her, the logo of a high-end hotel is clearly visible.
Her pale, slender arm lifted the blanket—
Yue Xuan's eyes widened. His breath caught.
Of course, she was wearing a yukata underneath—otherwise the show would never pass the censors.
Still, the exposed arms and legs gave Yue Xuan plenty of visual stimulation.
He'd never liked Xu Jun as an actress, but to be fair, her Natsuki hadn't disappointed in either looks or acting.
He even found her kind of cute.
But then—the next shot broke him.
There was someone else in the bed.
A shirtless man. Face hidden.
"Thank you... Daddy," Natsuki said sweetly, her eyes turned toward him.
In front of the TV, Yue Xuan's jaw dropped.
His mind went completely blank.
No. No no no no no.
What kind of scene was this?!
A hotel room.
Two people in one bed.
There was no way this could be explained away as a misunderstanding.
Daddy?
Daddy?!
Suddenly, a horrifying idea flashed through Yue Xuan's mind.
The man who drove the Mercedes—the "daddy" that Natsuki kept mentioning for ten episodes—
Was he not her father?
Was he her sugar daddy?
Yue Xuan's eyes glazed over.
All along, he had assumed Natsuki's dad was just her dad.
But now, in the light of that scene, thinking back over all the previous episodes—
It all clicked.
That's why Jing Yu didn't cast Yu Youqing for the role, and instead went with Xu Jun, known for playing morally ambiguous women.
"What the hell, Jing Yu?"
"WHAT the hell are you doing?!"
The episode ended.
Theme song rolled.
Cut to black.
Legendary cliffhanger.
The kind that would keep Initial D fans awake all night.
In the fan chat:
"I'm speechless."
"Okay... maybe a father and daughter can sleep in the same bed... right?"
"Come on, bro. She's 18. And that's a HOTEL ROOM."
"Jing Yu, you absolute menace. You hid this twist so damn deep."
"Why?! Why this route?! Is he her sugar daddy or not?! Just say it, damn it!"
"Jing Yu is the boldest writer I've ever seen. If he confirms this in Ep11, I will kneel. Dude's not scared of fan riots at all!"
"I can already see a green light shining from Takumi's head."
"I can't take this. I loved Natsuki."
"Same. Is Jing Yu just permanently heartbroken? Why does every romance in this show end in tragedy? Itsuki, Iketani... and now even Takumi?!"
"Good thing Yu Youqing didn't take this role. I couldn't bear to see her like this."
"I feel sick. This cliffhanger is evil."
"I'm 100% not sleeping tonight."
"This is a crime. I demand justice."
"I'm heading to the Yunteng TV website to file a complaint."
"You betrayed us, Jing Yu. You betrayed my feelings. My poor Natsuki!"
"There's still hope! Maybe next week there'll be a twist! Maybe this was all a misunderstanding?!"
"...Do you believe that? Really?"
"No. Damn it, no, I don't."
That night, the fans of 'Initial D' were reminded once again of the soul-crushing dread of a betrayal arc...
And the bitterness of being tricked by Jing Yu.