How Did I Become an F1 Driver?-Chapter 74 - 68: Neighbors

After lunch, the two didn’t stay long in Changsha and drove back to their hometown.

It had been more than a week since they returned home, and even despite Qin Miao’s mom’s usual easygoing nature, she called during their lunch to ask why they hadn’t returned yet.

After explaining with much effort, they finally promised to be home before the evening, and only then did Qin Miao’s mom let him off the hook.

However, thinking about his Ferrari, Qin Miao began to have a headache again.

Although the way he acquired the car was completely legitimate, with no issues whatsoever, Qin Miao was now troubled about how to explain it to his mom.

And with Qimeng by his side, after a trip, he came back not only with over 20 million in the bank and a Ferrari but also a girlfriend.

Qin Miao felt inexplicably anxious.

Even though he vaguely thought it was no big deal, it still unsettled him.

Moreover, Qin Miao continued to feel this surreal, dreamlike quality about everything, which was disorienting for him, let alone for his mom who wasn’t prepared for any of this.

But there was no way around it, and the longer it was delayed, the harder it would be to explain to his mom.

The journey home was smooth and uneventful, and Qin Miao stopped worrying about how to explain everything to his mom.

There would always be a way forward; when the time came, he would just be honest and straightforward about everything.

Temporarily putting aside his worries, Qin Miao focused on contemplating one thing on his way back: whether to stay home over the summer to hone his skills to a certain degree before officially getting into racing, or just go to the race team after a few days at home, get a GT3 car through the team’s channels, and use it to improve his skills.

On the road, Qin Miao asked Qimeng’s opinion on this issue.

However, while Qimeng might have insights on other matters of life, when it came to professional racing knowledge and training, she was quite clueless, and as an outsider, she didn’t dare to give random advice.

Having no expectations from Qimeng, Qin Miao considered consulting with Boss Zhou.

But knowing Boss Zhou’s own limited competence, Qin Miao decided it would be better not to bother him after all.

So Qin Miao figured he’d probably have to figure this out on his own.

Checking his system attributes, he saw no changes except for a noticeable improvement in his endurance for long-distance races, which had increased from 21 to 31 after the last race.

Still, Qin Miao thought that rather than improving other attributes, it would be better to focus on improving his most crucial attribute, his stamina.

Even though a stamina score of 56 didn’t seem low, ranking among his top three attributes, the sensation of sweat soaking through his clothes and the exhaustion to the point of not wanting to lift his arms after a race was not something he wanted to experience again.

Crucially, Qin Miao felt that the only reason he managed to finish his previous races was because of his passion and excitement for racing at the time.

Even when his stamina was at its limit, he could hang on purely out of interest and passion until the race was over.

But running more real-life races, once that initial excitement wore off, he worried that he could lose control of his body completely if he ran out of stamina, potentially causing the car to go out of control on the track.

Therefore, Qin Miao decided to spend the summer not thinking about anything else, focusing on improving his stamina at home, while using a racing simulator to achieve 100% track proficiency for all F1 circuits.

Qin Miao was also quite curious about how many times he could win the Purple Lottery out of the twenty or so tracks.

...

They had rested a day in Changsha as a transit point, and the way back home was short and comfortable without any issues.

Qin Miao originally planned to drop Qimeng off at her house since both were tired from the journey and needed a good rest at home, postponing meeting the parents for later.

But this gal, Qimeng, insisted on not resting, wanting to meet Qin Miao’s mom instead.

Qin Miao was bewildered; weren’t TV couples typically nervous and reluctant about meeting each other’s parents for the first time? Why was Qimeng so eager? She wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Seeing Qimeng’s determination, Qin Miao didn’t say anything further and took her to his family’s community.

This was an old neighborhood, not large, with about thirty households. The community existed before Qin Miao was even born, filled with many of his childhood memories, familiar with every corner.

The neighborhood didn’t have any security, so Qin Miao drove in unhindered and found a spot to park under his building.

Almost instantly, Qin Miao’s conspicuous Ferrari attracted a lot of attention.

It was only natural, as a Ferrari’s luxurious appearance and the deep yet thunderous sound of the engine inevitably became the focal point wherever it went.

Even though it was Thursday afternoon and most adults were still at work, all schools were already on summer break, so most students stayed home or played with their friends in the community.

Just as Qin Miao parked and with Qimeng took out the small gift she bought for Qin Miao’s mom in Changsha from the front trunk, a voice suddenly rang out from a group of kids peering at his car from a distance, "Whoa! Sanshui?"

The kids were playing happily but suddenly noticed a Ferrari approaching, naturally drawing their attention.

The group of kids were originally just peeking from afar, envying the stunningly handsome Ferrari no matter how they looked at it.

When Qin Miao got out of the car, they were all stunned because the person driving the Ferrari was none other than the big brother from the neighborhood they’ve been playing with since they were little.

Originally just a bit curious, they immediately ran towards Qin Miao.

If this car belonged to a stranger, they might want to look, but surely wouldn’t gather too close while the owner was still around.

But now that they were sure the driver was someone familiar, the kids had no such concerns and rushed over.

"Slow down, slow down, don’t fall," Qin Miao exclaimed, quickly scooping up a little girl who was about to stumble.

After all, living in the same community, most of those kids have grown up under his watch, so naturally, he wouldn’t stand by and watch them fall.

Soon, eight or nine kids gathered around Qin Miao’s Ferrari, but they were well-behaved and didn’t reach out to touch anything, just curiously looking around.

One of them even lay down on the ground to inspect the car’s undercarriage curiously.

Qin Miao helplessly lifted the kid off the ground, patting the dust off his clothes, saying, "The ground’s dirty."

The kid, however, paid no mind to his dusty clothes, and curiously asked Qin Miao, "Sanshui, is the car’s undercarriage flat like my toy car?"

Qin Miao scratched his head helplessly, "I don’t know either."

Just then, a few women carrying children also came over.

"Xiao Miao? Is this your car?" One of the women in her thirties holding her child looked at Qin Miao in surprise, then noticed Qimeng beside him.

"Is she your girlfriend? When did you meet? Where does she live?" freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Several other middle-aged women holding kids also leaned in with curious expressions, eager to hear gossip about Qin Miao.

They didn’t harbor any malice, nor any jealousy, just pure curiosity and looking for fun.

But seeing the growing crowd, Qin Miao was nervous, so he just said to the woman who first spoke, "Mrs. Li, I need to go to the bathroom. Let’s chat later."

After speaking, Qin Miao quickly turned to the kid who first realized the car was his, saying, "Zicheng, watch them a bit, make sure they don’t damage my car, I really need to go to the bathroom."

This kid was the leader among the children, and instead of instructing each one, it was easier to rely on him.

Zhong Zicheng nodded quickly, then asked expectantly, "Sanshui, this car is so cool! Is it yours? When did you buy it? Can I try sitting in it?"

Qin Miao feigned a stomachache, saying, "I need to deal with a personal issue first; just keep an eye on the car for me, and I’ll take you all for a ride later."

"Yes, yes." Zhong Zicheng nodded enthusiastically, then ran to the kids to relay Qin Miao’s instructions.

Knowing they could sit in the car soon to experience it, the kids cheered one by one.

After Qin Miao pulled Qimeng away, the women didn’t return to their chatting spot but moved their table closer, just near Qin Miao’s car.

On one hand, they could help watch his car, preventing the kids from causing any damage, and on the other hand, the Ferrari was indeed nice to look at, even from afar.

"Didn’t expect it, Xiao Miao found himself a rich lady, after all."

"How can you tell? Could he not have succeeded on his own?"

"Right, we all watched Xiao Miao grow up; don’t we know what kind of person he is?"

"Well, you know, you can know a person but not their heart. Even if Xiao Miao is successful, can he suddenly buy a Ferrari? But still, Xiao Miao managed to land himself such a wealthy woman."

"This matter should be talked about among ourselves secretly, don’t let it spread."

...

Qin Miao took Qimeng upstairs.

This was an older apartment building with just two units per floor, facing one another. Qin Miao’s home was on the second floor.

Walking up the concrete stairs, already marked by time passing, and past the green paint gradually peeling from the iron railings, they reached his home’s entrance.

Qin Miao took out the key and opened the door.

Today was Thursday, and his mom was still at work, so no one was home.

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