Zhou Guanyu was this close to cracking.
At the last second, he reined himself in. Seeing Alesi standing there, stunned and speechless, Zhou seized the opportunity, slipping out of the hostile group and hurrying over.
"...Are you looking for the academy office?"
He had a distinctively Asian face, with a gentle charm. But the dark circles under his eyes gave him the distinct look of a lovable panda. He offered a shy, reserved smile, revealing a small, sharp tooth.
Kai returned the smile.
It was the same smile, but with a subtle shift in his eyes, his entire demeanor changed. The "keep your distance" aura from a moment ago vanished, replaced by genuine friendliness. "Excuse me, could you show me the way? It's my first time here, and I'm a bit lost."
Encouraged, Zhou quickly replied, "Of course."
He stepped forward to lead the way, and Kai immediately fell in step beside him. Just like that, Alesi and his crew were left behind, standing awkwardly in the hot sun as if they were being punished.
They stared at each other, completely baffled as to what had just happened. Alesi felt the world spin.
Zhou was secretly sizing Kai up, his mind buzzing with curiosity. This guy had appeared out of nowhere, and his arrival had shaken the entire Maranello base. And just now, with a few simple words, he had completely defused a crisis.
And it wasn't just that he'd defused it. Zhou could already picture the fallout: every one of those "golden boys" would be holding their breath, not daring to start trouble in the hallways, but secretly sharpening their knives, desperate to prove themselves on the track. Otherwise, wouldn't they be admitting they were scared of a total outsider?
Zhou was no rookie. He'd been fighting his way through the European circuit for years, signing with the Ferrari Academy in 2014, working step-by-step toward his F1 dream. But only he knew the private bitterness and hardship. In the European-dominated world of F1, how hard was it for an outsider to break through? In all these years, there had really only been one Lewis Hamilton. Countless others had tried to replicate that miracle, paying an unimaginable price in the process.
Never mind Alesi—everyone in the Ferrari Driver Academy was a "chosen son," each backed by unimaginable financial and political power. The back-stabbing and rivalries were a "Hunger Games" where no one was safe.
And today, when Kai fell from the sky, the academy had, for a rare moment, united against a common enemy.
Yet, Kai had walked away completely unscathed.
How on earth did he do that?
Kai turned and looked over. Zhou instantly straightened his posture, pretending he wasn't just staring. His parents had taught him it was rude to stare. (Of course, secretly sizing someone up was just as rude.)
Kai could see the tension in Zhou's shoulders. No matter how mature he seemed, he was still just a kid.
"Thanks for the assist back there," Kai said, breaking the silence.
Zhou's composure cracked. "No, I didn't, I didn't really help."
Kai just smiled. "I'm Kai. Kai Zhizhou."
"You... you are?!" Zhou's spirits soared, and he switched immediately to familiar, rapid-fire Chinese. "Zhou Guanyu! I'm from Shanghai!"
Kai tipped his chin. "Me too."
"Ha!" Zhou let out a happy laugh, looking like he might actually jump. "I can't believe I'm meeting someone from back home here!" But his excitement quickly cooled, and he glanced nervously over his shoulder. "You should be careful of those guys. They... don't really like making friends."
Kai didn't even bother looking back. "Really? I thought they were very friendly."
Zhou was stunned.
Kai shrugged. "They all came out as a group just to welcome me. I'm honestly flattered by the reception."
Zhou started waving his hands, trying to explain that it wasn't a welcome... but he was half a beat too late. He saw the completely relaxed look on Kai's face, remembered Alesi's dumbfounded expression, and finally got the joke. A huge grin spread across his face, and he clapped his hands and laughed.
As they talked, they arrived at their destination.
Just as Zhou was pointing the way, the office door opened and a cheerful, heavyset woman in a beautiful floral dress emerged. Despite her pear-shaped figure, it was clear she took great care in choosing her clothes. As she turned, her skirt swirled around her.
"Rosana!" Zhou called out.
Rosana looked up. "Hey, Zoo! What brings you here?"
Kai looked confused. "Zoo?"
Zhou leaned in and whispered. "Zhou... Zoo. It's a pun. Get it?"
Kai got it.
Rosana bustled over. "Hey, young man, you must be..." She squinted at the file in her hand.
Kai helped her out. "Kai. Kai Zhizhou. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Rosana beamed. "Rosana Nicoletta! I'm in charge of all your room and board while you're in Maranello. Anything you need, you come to me. You can call me Rosana."
"Wait, I need some help. Can you teach me how to say your name?"
Kai could see she was genuinely trying. "Zhi. Zhou."
Rosana stumbled through it, her thick Italian accent mangling the sounds. But she didn't give up, patiently trying several times and even scribbling a phonetic note on her file—using Italian syllables, of course.
It reminded Kai of how he used to write English words using Chinese characters. The world really is the same all over, he thought.
With her boundless Southern Italian enthusiasm, Rosana never let the conversation drop. She led Kai to his new apartment, a beige three-story building less than 500 meters from the base, with a window overlooking the entire facility.
It was a dormitory-style setup, with single apartments for all the academy drivers, though it wasn't mandatory. If you had the money, you could rent your own place.
"...Ah yes, the visa," she was saying. "Fill out all these forms and get them back to me with your passport. I'll handle the rest."
"What else... Oh! Meals! How could I forget? The canteen is on the base. Zhou knows where it is, just follow him."
As she spoke, she noticed the miserable look on Kai's face. She blinked. "What's wrong?"
Kai let out a heavy sigh. "It's not going to be pizza again, is it?"
~~----------------------
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