After returning home, Chen Xiangbei went straight to his room, combining the training experience from his past life, and began to develop an initial muscle strength training plan.
Without the aid of professional equipment, what Chen Xiangbei could do for now was to use his body weight or simple tools, starting with the simplest neck bridge exercise.
Actually, fitness doesn’t involve too many flashy techniques; the core point lies in the word "persistence." Even if there’s a gym at home with all kinds of equipment, it won’t help if you fish for three days and sunbathe for two.
Fortunately, Chen Xiangbei’s willpower was beyond ordinary; in his past life, he went to the European Driver Academy for Formula training, and he was arguably the one with the weakest foundation among his peers.
It’s not that Chen Xiangbei was incompetent, but that the overall level of Formula races in China truly fell short compared to the top European Driver Academy.
Even though Chen Xiangbei had already swept various kart racing championships in China, upon going to Europe, he realized he was the weakest chick!
But through effort and perseverance, Chen Xiangbei still managed to defeat competitors step by step in F3 and F2, finally standing before the peak of the Formula pyramid, the F1 Paddock.
Of course, there’s no need to elaborate on the outcome afterward...
Exhausted after the workout, he fell asleep, and when the alarm woke Chen Xiangbei the next day, he found his neck muscles were still a bit sore. It seemed the intensity on the first day was a bit much, and recovery time wasn’t enough.
However, being young was the biggest advantage. Chen Xiangbei washed up and went out to school, as usual stopping by the breakfast stall at the community gate to buy breakfast to eat on the go.
But from a distance, he saw a familiar figure. Hu Lingfei, as she did yesterday, was holding a breakfast in hand, signaling to him.
"Hey, I said there’s no need to be so polite."
Chen Xiangbei sighed helplessly. This girl was truly sincere; in a few years, she might become a prime target for telecom fraud.
Still, despite what he said, he didn’t hesitate to take the breakfast.
"I really don’t know how to thank you, so this is all I can do."
Hu Lingfei replied shyly. Though relatively simple, she wasn’t stupid.
Seeing Ma Minghan’s true colors, she understood that without Chen Xiangbei’s help, she might have fallen into a nightmare.
She wanted to thank Chen Xiangbei but didn’t know what to do, so she stood at the gate waiting for him to buy breakfast.
"What’s there to thank for? What’s past is past."
Chen Xiangbei remained carefree and walked towards the school after speaking.
He never acted for gratitude, not even for Hu Lingfei; he simply couldn’t stand Ma Minghan’s disgusting behavior and would have stepped in for anyone else as well.
Watching Chen Xiangbei’s departing figure, this time Hu Lingfei caught up and walked alongside him: "But won’t the words said yesterday have an impact on you?"
By now, almost the whole school knew Chen Xiangbei had been rejected by her, and thinking of it made Hu Lingfei feel guilty.
"It hardly matters, couple of days and everyone will forget."
Chen Xiangbei replied nonchalantly, like Fatty Wang who would forget it on the same day!
"Chen Xiangbei, if... if it does cause trouble, I’m... sorry..."
Just as Hu Lingfei was timidly trying to say something, Wang Yidong suddenly appeared, hugging Chen Xiangbei’s neck warmly: "What did you chat with Uncle Liang about last night, was it about car modifications?"
"Damn fatty, take it easy!"
Wang Fatty, nearly 170 to 180 pounds, was normally something Chen Xiangbei could handle. Still, after last night’s neck muscle workout, this sudden pounce almost wrenched his neck.
"Chen Xiangbei, are you okay?"
Hearing Chen Xiangbei’s cry of pain, Hu Lingfei immediately asked nervously.
Hearing a girl’s voice from the other side, Wang Yidong finally noticed Chen Xiangbei wasn’t alone; there was a girl going to school with him.
A closer look, wasn’t this Hu Lingfei from Class 5, the one who slapped Ma Minghan in the face? Could it be that scene yesterday wasn’t just Chen Xiangbei acting, and this guy tried to woo her but failed?
"No worries, just slept wrong last night."
Chen Xiangbei casually explained, feeling no need to publicize driver muscle training.
"You’re Hu Lingfei from Class 5, right? Are you two really involved?"
Wang Yidong didn’t care much about whether he slept wrong or not; his attention was entirely on Hu Lingfei, his gossipy fire in full blaze.
"Don’t stir up trouble; we’re just neighbors from the same community."
After saying this, Chen Xiangbei turned to Hu Lingfei and said: "You should head to school first."
If he didn’t let Hu Lingfei go first, with Wang Yidong’s nature, he’d surely keep asking, and Chen Xiangbei was not in the mood to explain further.
Feeling a bit shy about Wang Yidong’s gossip, Hu Lingfei nodded and quickened her pace towards school.
"So, really just community neighbors?"
"Isn’t it obvious? Want to investigate our community?"
"Then why didn’t I see you hang out with Hu Lingfei before?"
"Wasn’t I busy chasing Xue Meiting before?"
Upon hearing Chen Xiangbei’s response, Wang Yidong had an epiphany: "Oh, I see!"
Then Wang Yidong said seriously: "Chen Xiangbei, I think your current prowess in wooing girls has long surpassed the realm of a simp and deserves a brand new title."
Chen Xiangbei was momentarily speechless; this damn fatty really knew how to come up with words.
"Fatty Wang, if you have the energy to pay attention to this, you’d better focus more on your family’s Corolla."
"Uncle Liang doesn’t have time to fix it during the day, seems the repair will be delayed."
Upon hearing this trump card from Chen Xiangbei, Wang Yidong immediately adopted a whining tone: "No way, I already promised my dad the Corolla would be fixed in the next few days."
"Why don’t you go help at Uncle Liang’s repair shop after school and see if you can speed things up."
"But I don’t know how to fix cars."
After throwing out this line, Chen Xiangbei couldn’t be bothered with Wang Yidong anymore and also quickened his pace to school.
Arriving in the classroom and sitting down, it was rare to see Zhou Chenshu not arriving just on time; he was fiddling with his phone at his desk.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Chen Xiangbei patted Zhou Chenshu’s shoulder and casually asked.
"Reading news about the F1 Chinese Grand Prix; today, Friday, is the first practice session. Several drivers are neck and neck in points; I wonder who’ll clinch the WDC (World Drivers’ Championship) this year."
The reason Chen Xiangbei, Wang Yidong, and Zhou Chenshu could become friends was their shared interest in racing.
However, unlike Fatty Wang, who had no sense of self-awareness and always aimed to be a driver or even a "car god," Zhou Chenshu clearly recognized his identity as an otaku, content with being a racing enthusiast.
"Who do you think is more likely?"
Without hesitation, Zhou Chenshu gave his answer.
"Why not McLaren’s Hamilton? He’s currently leading in points and missed last year’s championship by just one point. He’s already showcasing a champion’s demeanor this year."
Even though Chen Xiangbei knew the result, he still didn’t choose to spoil it and only guided a bit.
"No reason, it’s a childlike Ferrari dream!"
Chen Xiangbei nodded convincingly; the Ferrari Team truly was the spiritual totem of F1 history.
While the two discussed this year’s WDC ownership, Shai Minghui materialized out of nowhere, appearing in front of Chen Xiangbei.
"Chen Xiangbei, I’ve found someone to race with you. Let’s set a time."
"I said I wouldn’t race; you don’t understand human speech?"
Faced with Shai Minghui’s persistent pestering, like a sticky plaster, Chen Xiangbei was exasperated.
Usually, such a response from Chen Xiangbei would indicate the end of the conversation, and Shai Minghui would drop it, wondering what went wrong.
But today was different, with a stern look, Shai Minghui spoke: "Chen Xiangbei, didn’t Qin Lianjie offer three thousand to race against you?"
After hearing this, Chen Xiangbei was about to refuse when a light bulb went off in his head.
"Sure, but pay me upfront, and arrange the payment before the race; that way, we can be sure."
And with those words, Chen Xiangbei was not worried about being outwitted since he wasn’t exactly a newbie.
Once he had this foolproof idea, he no longer felt hesitant and jumped on Shai Minghui’s monetary temptation with the response, "Alright, but transfer the money before the race. Also, get everything in writing."
"Huh?" Googlᴇ search 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩
"If you’re cool with that, I’ll run this race," said Chen Xiangbei. "Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare for today."