Addiction to Temptation: His Mischievous Sweetheart Captivates Him-Chapter 269: Zane Thorne Is Still a Legend

In the early spring when the weather is erratic, Natalie Vaughn tightened her clothes cautiously, not daring to relax for a moment.

The moment Zane Thorne stood by the car, his aura changed. Even from a distance, Natalie could almost see the confidence and wildness in his eyes.

She had once felt that version of Zane Thorne up close.

What was she thinking back then?

It was the absolute charm brought by talent and confidence. In the field of racing, Zane Thorne was the absolute conqueror, the controller who could easily manipulate every situation.

Natalie zoomed in with the camera, watching as Zane’s hands, which had held hers before, slowly put on his helmet and meticulously adjusted the car’s interior.

"Losing a race to Zane Thorne is an honor."

This sentence echoed in her mind again.

Everyone in the club’s various positions treated this impromptu race with seriousness, and this scene once again made Natalie feel the immense influence Zane Thorne had in the racing world.

She seemed to draw closer to that godlike figure on the racetrack.

The referee waved the flag, and the three cars started their engines simultaneously.

The engine roars came one after another, and the cheers from the crowd grew restless along with them. It didn’t feel like early spring anymore; it was like a summer night, with the strongest winds, the heaviest rains, and a group of people going wild on the grass. They shouted freely in the rain on the hottest summer night, liberating their souls.

Natalie swallowed, her eyes refusing to blink for fear of missing any exciting moment.

The clouds dispersed, and the sun came out, as if also wanting to watch the race. The prolonged engine noise heightened the tense atmosphere.

The flag waved down, and the three cars shot out at once like untamed horses.

Zane chose the car he loved the most back in the day. Although it was somewhat old and perhaps not the most high-tech in terms of performance, with Zane, the man and the machine seemed to become one.

Like the closest of friends, familiar with each other.

Subconsciously, Natalie held her breath. She couldn’t see Zane; all she could do was keep her eyes on that car. She felt that this time, unlike the last, was because of Reun.

Everyone said Reun was the second Zane Thorne. Even Zane himself said Reun was a second him.

But Natalie felt that Zane was unique—how could there be a second Zane Thorne?

Though the man said nothing, he surely wanted to compete against this young contender.

The three cars raced side by side, evenly matched, with almost identical speeds on the straight, showing no difference.

In such a track race, the key test was the skill of cornering. The first consideration in cornering was "the quickest line through the turn," which was a crucial point for the racer to consider.

The shortest route through a bend might cause a significant drop in car speed, adversely affecting acceleration out of the corner, so it wasn’t always the fastest way through a turn.

On the racetrack, using the width of the track effectively was essential to finding the ideal route.

The entry point, apex, and exit point of a corner were the three theoretical points a racer had to define while cornering, and the determination of these points decided the quality of the cornering line.

Jay Sterling was most familiar with this track. Being young, in an attempt to gain ground in the bends, he entered the turn a bit too swiftly, causing a slight error in the apex choice, and this small mistake was caught by Zane, who overtook him directly.

Zane’s years of racing experience made him adept at cornering, with fluid lines and speeds. His ability was evident as he demonstrated solid skills in the very first corner, making even a five-year hiatus seem irrelevant to the ease with which he handled the track race.

Reun was close behind. After all, Jay was a product of Zane’s mentorship too. Despite a small mistake causing him to fall behind momentarily, he quickly adjusted his mindset, staying closely behind the two in front to minimize the gap.

On the second turn, Reun chose to stay close to Zane’s car, using the slipstream technique common on the track to let the car in front block the wind resistance, reducing pressure and then using the slipstream effect to close the distance when accelerating.

Despite his youth, Reun had strong skills too. He used a late braking technique to hold the inside line, staying neck and neck with Zane before the apex.

Zane raised his eyebrows and glanced at the side, and then swiftly increased his speed upon exiting the turn, quickly widening the gap by a fraction of a second.

At that moment, the spectators went wild. As professionals, they could see the subtle differences in handling between the two within the narrow margin. Natalie couldn’t grasp these nuances but it didn’t hinder her excitement when she saw Zane fend off Reun’s overtaking attempt.

The red and black racing suit and red-black car tearing up the track was like a black panther on the plains.

Its wildness erupted, the unique boiling blood of the racetrack making the air hot.

Two more turns remaining.

If Reun wanted to surpass Zane, only these two turns provided any possibility.

All he could do was seize any mistake by Zane or gain an advantage while tailing.

Yet, besides his extraordinary talent and technique, Zane was famous for his rare errors. Like a machine, he could achieve the optimal solution in every maneuver.

On the rare occasions when he did err, everyone would be amazed by his stunning recovery afterward.

Reun knew where his chances lay, and Zane knew where Reun’s opportunities were.

During the turn, Zane changed his cornering style from the prior two turns, quickly taking the inside line before entering, blocking Reun’s idea of tail overtaking. But Reun’s reaction was swift, immediately adapting his entry strategy.

Although his distance behind Zane was greater, he gained a speed advantage coming out of the turn, almost leading out of it. Yet, Zane suddenly floored the gas, accelerated, and barely scraped the inside line out, dangerously close.

Everyone gasped sharply.

At that exit position, accelerating to that speed was like dancing on the edge of a cliff, any slight misstep could flip the car.

That is to say.

Zane deliberately left an opening, only to leverage his sheer capability to regain control.

None of the subsequent turns held such surprises, and when crossing the finish line, Zane and Reun were simultaneous, with Jay trailing slightly.

Once out of the car, Zane took off his helmet and turned to look toward Natalie’s direction, though he couldn’t see her clearly. He gestured at her.

In the instant she saw him finish the race and turn towards her, Natalie felt a pang of emotion.

She wanted to cry.

She waved at Zane, forming a heart with her hands.

Zane smiled briefly, then withdrew his gaze to look at the two who were getting out of their cars.

He looked at Reun.

"Not bad."

He had intentionally been that way on the third turn just to see Reun’s impromptu responses on the track.

And Reun’s performance was as anticipated.

Reun pressed his lips.

"There’s still a lot of room for improvement."

He knew that if it were an official race, Zane wouldn’t show any flaw, and he wouldn’t have such an opportunity.

Zane raised an eyebrow but didn’t continue speaking, instead looking at the dejected Jay Sterling.

"Tch, weren’t you the one boasting before the race? Why are you deflated after it’s over?"

Jay was silent.

"I thought I’d at least be left behind at the third corner."

Who would have thought he’d be overtaken at the first one?

Zane chuckled.

"You were too eager and exposed a flaw, who’s to blame for that?"

Jay: ...

Losing and then being laughed at, it’s exhausting.