ABT ### Chapter 0088: A Little Episode

Li Fanyu hadn’t eaten since getting off the plane. After a half-hour taxi ride, he finally arrived at Zhou Qingyu’s place. Just as they greeted each other, Zhou Qingyu heard his stomach growl.

So, she dragged Li Fanyu to a rather secluded Chinese restaurant. The restaurant's location didn’t seem great, but the interior was very elegantly decorated. Zhou Qingyu, wearing a mask, led him directly to a private room on the second floor.

This season, the mitten crabs in Pu City were in their prime. Watching Li Fanyu clumsily disassemble the crab while mumbling about his recent experiences, Zhou Qingyu didn’t touch her chopsticks. She just rested her chin on her hand, smiling as she watched him.

It seemed Zhou Qingyu had lost some weight in the month they hadn’t seen each other.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Li Fanyu asked, leaving a table full of crab shells.

Zhou Qingyu lowered her arm and picked up a napkin from the table, handing it to him. “I just ate. Don’t mind me, keep eating. What happened next?”

Li Fanyu took the napkin and wiped his greasy hands. “Then I won, and the sponsor gave me an invitation, so I came to Pu City. I feel awkward eating alone; I enjoy it more when others compete with me for food.”

Zhou Qingyu smiled and said, “You have quite a few quirks. Fine, I’ll eat. Keep talking.” She then picked up a crab and elegantly used the tools to open it. Holding her hair back with one hand, she took a small bite of the crab roe.

Only then did Li Fanyu continue devouring the food, “Then I ran into Director Ma. He told me you were also in Pu City, so I called you immediately.”

Zhou Qingyu wiped her hands and wrinkled her nose, saying, “So, if you hadn’t run into Director Ma, you wouldn’t have called me?”

“Oh, come on, I thought you were busy. You're a big star, surely you have a lot on your plate.”

“Stop flattering. By the way, help me come up with an idea. The event starts tomorrow, and I still haven’t figured out how to raise funds.”

Li Fanyu chewed on a crab claw and mumbled, “Why bother? Just do as I said and charge for photos.”

Zhou Qingyu snatched the crab claw from him and scolded, “No way. This fundraising event will be broadcasted as a reality show. If I did what you suggested, how could I show my face in public afterward? Help me think of something, or you’re not allowed to eat.”

Zhou Qingyu always gave Li Fanyu the impression of an elegant and quiet cat, independent and graceful. Seeing her playful side now, he was genuinely surprised.

“How about this? You could paint and set up right across from Director Ma.”

“But I can’t paint.”

“No worries, Director Ma isn’t that great either... Hey, don’t call Director Ma! Let me think... Apart from walking the runway and acting, what else can you do?”

Zhou Qingyu furrowed her brows, thinking, “I can play the violin, but I haven’t practiced in a long time…”

Li Fanyu slapped his thigh. This idiot!

He had always envied people who could play instruments like the piano, violin, or harmonica. Unfortunately, he had no musical talent. When he was sixteen, his mom bought him a hulusi, but after less than two weeks of practice, the neighbors complained so much that he had to stop.

At that time, every evening after school, Li Fanyu would play his hulusi according to the music sheets, and a newly adopted husky upstairs would howl along. There was a rumor in the neighborhood for a long time: two major nuisances in Building 13—Li Fanyu in 301 and the dog in 401.

When he was in high school, he was captivated by the scene in Jay Chou’s “Sunny Day” MV, where Jay played the cello in a park covered in fallen leaves. He was incredibly envious.

He immediately said, “Alright, then you should play the violin in front of a church or in a park, with an iron box at your feet…”

“I… I’d be embarrassed. Besides, can playing the violin really work?” Zhou Qingyu blushed.

"Hey, it's all for charity. It's not like you're actually busking; there's nothing to be embarrassed about," Li Fanyu reassured her, grabbing another crab.

Seeing his half-hearted expression, Zhou Qingyu squinted and said, "Then accompany me."

"Huh? I can't; I have a race tomorrow."

"No problem, I'll wait for you."

In the end, Li Fanyu couldn't avoid it and was eventually swayed by Zhou Qingyu's crab dish. However, he figured that it was for a good cause, so he should do his part. They agreed to meet after his race.

With that settled, Zhou Qingyu, feeling relieved, called the waiter to settle the bill. She immediately went to prepare her violin and outfit after parting ways with Li Fanyu. He, on the other hand, went back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep, recharging for the next day's race.

Early the next morning, Li Fanyu arrived at the F1 International Circuit in Anting Town, East District. Due to Alonso's huge popularity, the venue was already crowded with ticket-holding spectators waiting to enter.

After showing his invitation at the entrance, Li Fanyu was allowed into the massive five-square-kilometer venue. He wandered around, amazed at everything—the command center, the rescue center, the news center, the security center... It took him over ten minutes to reach the preparation area.

To ensure fairness and accommodate the racers from afar, the event provided standardized race cars. More than twenty kart drivers from all over the country had mostly arrived and were registering with the organizers, waiting to receive their karts for a test run.

As Li Fanyu completed his registration and collected his car, a small commotion in the preparation area caught his attention.

He pushed through the crowd to find that there had been a mix-up. The karts for the race were borrowed from a karting club in Pu City. The rules stipulated the use of single-cylinder two-stroke engines. However, due to either oversight or a mistake, it was discovered that one of the last two karts distributed had a four-stroke engine.

While it might seem like the more strokes, the better, in karting, this isn't the case. Two-stroke engines, despite their simple structure, provide direct power and excellent acceleration. In contrast, four-stroke engines have weaker acceleration but better speed maintenance. On a track with many straight sections, two-stroke engines have a clear advantage.

Naturally, no driver wanted the kart with the four-stroke engine. But with the race less than an hour away, there wasn't time to swap it out.

The organizers, in a very local fashion, proposed a solution—drawing lots. Whoever drew the short straw would drive the four-stroke kart.

In their minds, this was just a showcase event, a fun way to sell tickets and raise funds for charity. Winning or losing shouldn't matter.

But when Li Fanyu had registered, he saw a group of eager young racers. In their excited and determined eyes, he saw their ambition to compete against the king of racing!

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