The next day's class was lively, with students starting to gossip during morning self-study, speculating whether the real Han Han would be filled with personality and rebellion as the media once portrayed.
Or were the group of female fans more focused on Han Han's literary talent, his handsome appearance, and how to get that signed book, among other things.
The noise didn't last long; soon, the homeroom teacher Wu Jiang walked into the classroom and announced, "Students, Han Han's lecture is about to start. We should go assemble at the school auditorium now."
"Please don't crowd or stampede during the process, and maintain onsite discipline."
Just as Wu Jiang hadn't finished his instructions, the classroom burst into cheers, and many students sprinted towards the auditorium at full speed.
Compared to the excitement of his classmates, Chen Xiangbei appeared a bit slow and leisurely, only getting up after nearly everyone in the classroom had run out.
By the time he arrived, the auditorium was already packed with students and teachers.
"Xiangbei, why are you so slow? The spot I saved got taken!"
Sitting in the front row, Fatty Wang saw Chen Xiangbei come in and stood up to wave and shout.
He and Zhou Yanjing initially grabbed three front-row seats, hoping they could reserve one for Chen Xiangbei.
But after waiting for a long time without seeing Chen Xiangbei, and since it was an event joined by the whole school, they eventually had no choice but to let someone else have the seat.
"It's okay; sitting in the back is just the same."
Chen Xiangbei casually waved his hand; he wasn't interested in Han Han's literary stories or wanted any signed books.
He was merely there for fun, hoping to confirm the race time in private after the lecture ended.
Then, Chen Xiangbei randomly found an empty seat in the back row and sat down.
Shortly after sitting, he suddenly caught a whiff of fragrance and looked up to see Dong Yuanxi standing nearby, smoothing her skirt before sitting down beside him naturally.
This action surprised Chen Xiangbei, making him subconsciously scan the auditorium, realizing there were still quite a few empty seats.
"What, am I not welcome?"
Perhaps sensing Chen Xiangbei's awkwardness, Dong Yuanxi tilted her head, playfully asking.
"No, the seat isn't comfortable, just moving my neck a bit."
Having witnessed Chen Xiangbei's stubbornness several times before, Dong Yuanxi didn't expose him, merely smiled silently.
"Chen Xiangbei, you should quite admire Han Han, so why are you sitting so far back?"
"I'm not interested in youth literature."
"I wasn't referring to the literary aspect."
Hearing this, Chen Xiangbei turned to look at her and asked, "Then what were you referring to?"
"Professional racing."
"How do you know?"
This genuinely surprised Chen Xiangbei; only Fatty Wang and Zhou Yanjing, his two close friends, knew about his interest in Han Han's racing.
The problem is neither of them has any connection to Dong Yuanxi. Zhou Yanjing, an ultimate homebody, never even goes out after school.
If Fatty Wang could strike up a conversation with Dong Yuanxi, he might drool all over the place and then wriggle excitedly like a worm on his bed at night!
"Because once I saw you stand before an F1 poster for a very, very long time."
The F1 poster Dong Yuanxi referred to was Schumacher's retirement poster, emphasizing his seven-title glory.
Others, seeing this poster, might at most feel the end of a legendary era, yet Chen Xiangbei, from the future, felt an unspeakable sorrow upon seeing Schumacher.
Who would have thought that this legendary racing driver ended up lying on a sickbed?
With this special emotion, Chen Xiangbei stood before the poster for a long time, thinking of another legendary driver Ayrton Senna's famous quote.
[If death comes, let it come suddenly, irresistibly, thoroughly; I don't want to live the rest of my life in a wheelchair.]
For racing legends, perhaps dying at the peak of their life isn't the worst outcome.
"Dong Yuanxi, it seems you know me quite well."
Chen Xiangbei intended to make a joke but was surprised when Dong Yuanxi nodded calmly and said, "That's right, I do know you very well."
What?
Just as Chen Xiangbei questioned whether he heard right, enthusiastic applause erupted in the auditorium as Han Han, the popular writer and now transitioning driver, headed toward the stage center.
In this moment, Han Han was at his most triumphant, using literary achievements to wash away his "bad kid" label from dropping out, earning mainstream societal recognition.
Simultaneously, with dual championships in track racing and rally races, he again shattered doubts about him "just messing around," proving that with passion, nothing is impossible!
Currently, Han Han could be considered a true life winner.
Upon reaching the podium center, as with regular "successful person" lectures, Han Han recounted his past deeds to inspire future students.
But reading completely from a speech script wouldn't make him the once "rebellious" Han Han.
While youth literature is a part of his life, it isn't his entire life.
Han Han knew he loved racing more, so he set down the script, took the mic, and looked at thousands of students and faculty.
Freely said, "Students, when it comes to dreams, I'm sure many of you have read my book 'Speed Like Youth'. The protagonist's prototype, in some sense, has shadows of myself, also considering racing a dream."
"For this seemingly unconventional dream, I invested all my royalties into racing. I was questioned and ridiculed, but I never gave up."
"Eight years later today, I've won the CCC (track) national champion and CRC (rally) event champion, realizing my once unattainable dream."
"The reason I'm sharing this today is that there is a student here who carries the same racing dream as mine. We've already agreed to race at the Zhuhai International Circuit in a formal contest."
Then, Han Han looked afar, smiling as he said, "Chen Xiangbei, I hope you persist in your racing dream, even if it seems out of reach and unrealistic."
"Also, as a racer, going all in on the track is the greatest respect for the opponent; I won't give you a break just because you're a high school student."
"If you want to win, defeat me with your strength!"
As Han Han's words concluded, the entire audience was uproarious; no one imagined a high school student would challenge the national champion on the track.
Those who knew Chen Xiangbei in his class looked at his position with shocked expressions. Surprisingly, they also saw Dong Yuanxi sitting beside him.
Instantly, Chen Xiangbei became the focal point of the auditorium, everyone curious and speculating about who this guy was.
"Dong Yuanxi never gets close to boys; why is she sitting with Chen Xiangbei?"
"Chen Xiangbei is the boy from the video on Tieba, and it's not the first time for Dong Yuanxi. It seems something really is up between them."
"Nonsense, I, the Guangshen Ng, am not happy. Dong Yuanxi didn't look at me, how could she be into Chen Xiangbei?"
Upon hearing this, people immediately cast scornful glances, with one unable to resist taunting, "Chen Xiangbei really has a bit of Edison Chen in him, while if you're Ng, then who am I?"
One group discussed who the real Ng was, while another was more curious about how Han Han, the national champion, would race with a high schooler like Chen Xiangbei.
"What's Chen Xiangbei's background to make Han Han agree to race?"
"Here's an insider's tip: Chen Xiangbei is the current South Cloud Mountain Car God!"
"Don't make things up. Can he outrun Speed Master Qin Lianjie?"
"More than just outrunning; last Saturday, Qin Lianjie didn't even see Chen Xiangbei's taillights."
"Indeed, this has spread across the underground circles; Chen Xiangbei is the new South Cloud Mountain Car God!"
As the students discussed among themselves, many showed expressions of astonishment, never imagining the legendary South Cloud Mountain Car God was in their midst!
ps: Thank you all for voting and supporting. The word count in these two chapters has increased.