God Of Racing

"Boss, why didn't you..." Back in the private room, Ling Cheng looked at Zhuifeng in confusion."

Zhuifeng turned around. "Hey, Ma Ji, now that you've heard the whole story, isn't it time to order some food? I'm starving!"

Ma Ji's family must be well-off, as he ordered a lavish banquet for just four people. It rivaled the feasts at home. 'Home? Do I even have a home anymore?' Thinking about this, Zhuifeng channeled his emotions into his appetite and began eating voraciously.

"Let me say a few words first," Ma Ji began. "There's an old saying that 'fate brings people together from a thousand miles away.' I think it's quite fitting. Look at us four, coming from all corners of the world, yet here we are together. If this isn't fate, what is? Let's not say more, but raise a toast to whoever coined this phrase."

Seeing Ma Ji raise his glass with such formality, Zhuifeng wanted to laugh. However, at the mention of drinking, he quickly shook his head and refused: "I don't drink!" He thought to himself, 'Surely no one in the racing world drinks? It's taboo. One day of bad luck, and you could drink your life away!'

"Come on, it's our first time meeting as a 'family.' How can we not drink?" Ma Ji insisted.

"I really can't drink. Can I use tea instead?"

"No way! You can't refuse the first toast."

"I'll drink for the boss," Ling Cheng, who was allowed to use tea instead of alcohol due to his singing career, quickly stood up to help Zhuifeng.

"No, Ling Cheng. Your voice is your livelihood. If you damage it, I'll be hunted down by your fans. I'll drink it myself, but just this one!" Zhuifeng reluctantly picked up the glass, realizing he had no choice.

"That's more like it. Cheers!" Ma Ji downed his drink in one go, showing off the empty glass.

"Damn! Why is this stuff so spicy? I really don't understand how people get addicted to it," Zhuifeng cursed, lacking Ma Ji's grace. He drank it all in one gulp but started complaining within seconds.

"That's why we say we're not enjoying the drink, we're suffering through it!" Ma Ji laughed.

Qiu Nuo and Zheng He also finished their drinks in one go, but they turned their glasses upside down on the table.

Ma Ji was surprised. "Huh? You guys... Never mind, that's no fun. Let's eat."

As the meal progressed, Ma Ji stood up again. "Hey, now that we're all here, shouldn't we establish a hierarchy like in those online novels? You know, big brother, second brother, and so on?"

Qiu Nuo shook his head. "No need. That's just in books."

Ling Cheng agreed, "I think we don't need to. I'll just call Zhui... I mean, boss, as boss."

"No fun!" Ma Ji's eyes lit up with another idea. "How about this: Zhuifeng is the boss, and we rank the rest of us? How does that sound?"

"Whoa! I might not be older than you guys," Zhuifeng quickly demurred.

"But you accepted when Ling Cheng called you boss," Ma Ji waved his hand authoritatively. "It's decided. Let's rank the rest. I'm 18 this year. How old are you all?"

Everyone laughed when they realized they were all 18. After comparing birth months, the ranking was established: Ling Cheng as fifth, Zheng He as fourth, Qiu Nuo as third, and Ma Ji as second.

"Hey, Ma Ji, why do you look so upset? Didn't we just establish the rankings?" Zhuifeng, fulfilling his role as the boss, showed concern for his brother.

"Boss, can I switch positions with someone? Even Ling Cheng would do."

"Why? You're second-in-command, just below me. Switching with fifth would be a loss for you. Wait..." Zhuifeng started to understand. "Second brother? Oh... Hahaha! I get it now. You didn't expect to end up in this position, did you? Well, you brought this on yourself!"

The others, now understanding, laughed at Ma Ji's sour expression.

"Come on, guys..." Ma Ji said weakly.

"Ma Ji, you said you'd pay the bill. Go on," Zhuifeng reminded him.

"I'll pay, but can I please switch positions with someone?" Ma Ji tried one last time.

"No way!"

After the meal, the group stumbled out of the private room. Whether due to the alcohol or something else, Zhuifeng was particularly excited, almost bouncing as he walked.

"Geez! The boss really can't hold his liquor. One drink and he's like this. Please don't make a scene!" Ma Ji prayed, but his prayers went unanswered. Seeing Zhuifeng stumbling around, Ma Ji covered his face. "Oh God, this is embarrassing! Please don't notice us!"

However, it's hard not to notice when two or three people are supporting a drunk person.

"Look, Little Jie, it's them," Li Ling, who was eating in the main hall with her friends, pointed out.

Zhao Jie glanced up. "Ignore them. Let's eat."

But as the faint smell of alcohol wafted over, Zhao Jie's nose wrinkled.

"They look like students. How dare they drink? Little Jie, what's wrong?" Li Ling, noticing Zhao Jie's expression, worried she might be feeling ill.

"It's nothing. I just dislike alcohol. Let's eat, Sister Ling. We need to rest after this. We're all waiting for you to finish!"

"Sorry!" Li Ling realized she was the only one still eating and quickly focused on her food.

Zhao Jie lowered her head, staring at the remnants in her bowl. She remembered her father's behavior after drinking... Due to medical debts, her father had taken to drinking after his recovery. When drunk, he lost all reason, often beating and cursing at her and her mother. Once, he even mistook her for her mother and almost... almost... Even so, he was still her father, but she despised how alcohol had taken over his life.

The sight and smell of it made her nauseous, especially after her father, drunk, rushed into traffic and was hit by a car...

Her grip on the chopsticks tightened, her knuckles turning white and her face pale.

"Little Jie, Little Jie..."

"Little Jie, what's wrong? Don't scare us." Hearing her roommates' calls, Li Ling looked up from her bowl and was startled by Zhao Jie's appearance.

Coming back to her senses, Zhao Jie saw the concern on her roommates' faces. She finally let out the breath she'd been holding and shook her head weakly. "It's nothing. Sister Ling, are you done? I want to go back and rest."

"Yes, I'm done. Let's go. Do you need us to help you?"

After trying to stand, Zhao Jie smiled helplessly. "Yes, please. Thank you."

....

"Wow! Looks like coming to Chongqing for school wasn't a mistake after all!" Ma Ji suddenly shouted while reading the newspaper.

"Why's that?" Zhuifeng, who had been sleeping off his hangover, finally got up.

"Look, the Zhongshen Racing Team has set up base in Chongqing and even built a dedicated racetrack. Awesome!"

"Really?" Zhuifeng took the paper. "Damn! I thought the media was supposed to be the most informed. How come we're only finding out now that the Zhongshen Racing Team has everything set up?"

"It's understandable. With enough money, you can accomplish most things, especially just keeping some news under wraps," Zheng He (nicknamed 'Fatty') commented nonchalantly.

"True," Zhuifeng finished reading and tossed the paper back to Ma Ji, looking dejected. "Sigh... Even with the Zhongshen Racing Team in Chongqing, I don't think it's a big deal."

"Why not?" Ma Ji was puzzled. "They've built a racetrack. At least you can go watch races live now, unless you're not into that."

"Do you think it's exciting to watch races organized by foreigners where Chinese people are just supporting actors? And right in our backyard too. Does that really fill you with a sense of pride?" Zhuifeng said emotionally, then leaned on the desk and closed his eyes.

"...That's not what I meant," Ma Ji had never considered this perspective. "I..."

"Forget it, I didn't mean anything by it either. Ma Ji, imagine if we organized our own top-tier international racing events. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

Ma Ji smiled wryly. "...How is that possible? Do you know how much it costs to organize a top-tier international racing event? It's a loss-making venture at first unless you plan to run it long-term. How many Chinese companies have that kind of cash flow? Besides, there's no guarantee of profit in racing. Boss, you should stick to daydreaming about this one."

"Not necessarily!" Zheng He, who had just lain down, sat up again. "What about the Oriental Group? They certainly have the capability."

"Oriental Group? Sure, they're in the global top 50 companies, so they have the resources. But aren't they an American company? We're talking about an event organized by Chinese people," Ma Ji shook his head.

"No, no! You're only half right. Oriental Group is registered as an American company, but can't you tell from their name where they originally came from?"

"Are those rumors true?" Ma Ji stared at Zheng He.

"What rumors?" Zhuifeng, typically unaware of news unrelated to racing, asked.

"Some tabloids reported that Oriental Group was founded by Chinese owners, but for some reason, no one could confirm it. Is it really a Chinese company? Then why are they operating factories abroad?"

"With a name like 'Oriental' Group, of course it's a Chinese company. As for why they operate factories abroad, it's simple! By setting up in the U.S., they can directly earn money from foreigners," Zheng He explained.

"Couldn't they earn foreign money by exporting from China too?" Zhuifeng asked, not understanding the logic.

Zheng He gave Zhuifeng a complex look. "I'm not sure about that, but I'll tell you a secret: Oriental Group is planning to move their headquarters back to China. In fact, they're already working on it." With that, he lay back down.

"Really? But I don't think Oriental Group would be interested in organizing racing events. I feel like that's just a daydream. Ugh... my head hurts. I'm going to sleep for a bit. Second brother, wake me up for dinner!" Zhuifeng also went to sleep.

"Damn! You're all such pigs. This is so frustrating! You won't be able to sleep like this once school starts the day after tomorrow. Third and Fourth, are you really not going out to play instead of just sleeping?... This is so annoying. Fine I'm heading out."