F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 48 Enemies are also destined to be together
The video with the most views is indeed quite good.

Not only is the research on Shu Long's competitive career very accurate, but the storytelling editing and dramatic background music make for a full twenty minutes of non-stop entertainment. After watching it, Gan Mengning felt a little teary-eyed.

Especially the crucial match that directly led to the decision by Red Bull's infamous youth training director, Marco, to sign Shulong.

This content creator found the video footage from who-knows-where, from the car accident that broke Shulong's arm to his eventual victory despite the pain, and even included a close-up of the wound and his blood-stained racing suit taken by a reporter on the sidelines. The quality is comparable to a proper documentary.

When Gan Mengning saw this, she subconsciously covered her eyes, but couldn't help but peek through her fingers to see what would happen next. The last bit of purple cabbage on her fork remained suspended in mid-air for half an hour without being put into her mouth.

Such a high-quality video was indeed rewarded with the traffic that F1 deserved. The number of views was almost less than the number of coins that Gan Mengning's early cover video received, and there were only a few hundred comments.

Under videos like these, which are geared towards fans, the comments are almost unanimously positive.

However, two names of Void Seekers were repeatedly tagged, and it's unclear what they said in the comments section. It's probably because the words weren't very pleasant and were reported and removed.

Driven by curiosity, Gan Mengning clicked on the content creator's homepage, wondering if there were any more videos about Shulong's past experiences. She now had a strong thirst for knowledge about this boy who had practically grown up with her.

Unfortunately, this content creator probably only made this one episode out of interest. The rest of their content is about the game League of Legends, with a few episodes occasionally interspersed with shooting games and single-player horror game walkthroughs. With over 300,000 followers, each episode is guaranteed at least 100,000 views, which is in stark contrast to this episode about Shulong.

As if she were suddenly experiencing withdrawal symptoms, Gan Mengning opened several more sections related to Shulong with a sense of loss. She knew that most of what they said was pretty much the same, but she still couldn't help but click on the next one.

Until I saw the time in the bottom right corner of the screen was almost 9 PM
"Oh no! I forgot to start the broadcast!"

Gan Mengning's broadcast schedule is uncertain. Sometimes she has two or three days off a week, and other times she can broadcast every night for a whole week. So she always posts a preview of her broadcast on her social media before each broadcast.

Of course, sometimes I'll do a surprise live stream depending on my mood, but there's never been a case before where I've given a preview but haven't logged in yet.

Her usual live stream content isn't anything special. She usually starts by chatting for a while, then logs into her account and plays a couple of games, and occasionally sings a few songs in response to requests from viewers.

Perhaps because she was encouraged by her fans to play Resident Evil a few times, Gan Mengning seems to have a particular fondness for shooting games, from CF, CS, and Overwatch to PUBG, Battlefield, and Call of Duty.

He basically dabbles in everything, but he's terrible at everything; his main strength is his addiction to games with poor skills.

The audience isn't there to watch her show off her skills and kill people. Every time she gets ambushed at the respawn point and gets slaughtered, the chat is full of "hahaha".

"Hahahaha~"

Shu Long also typed out the same string of text, and the "Dou Ke Dou" sign behind the name that had been silently passing by was clearly visible.

Despite being very wealthy, he is stingy. This brand was a gift he received when he was charging his phone on a whim. He managed to reach level 17 by liking and commenting on every live stream.

This content creator named Douke was a treasure he discovered by chance. It all started when he came across a video titled "Compilation of Female Streamers Being Killed." The girl in the video, who kept getting killed but never gave up and was so frustrated that she kept rushing to her death, made him laugh.

I just casually clicked "follow" at the time, but later I found that I felt uneasy if I didn't check on this fluffy little white ball of fur every day. What was that saying again?

"You've messed with me, haven't you? You've kicked a cotton ball!"

I don't know when it started, but it gradually became a habit in my life. Even when I'm abroad and have to bypass the Great Firewall, I still occasionally open her live stream to relieve the negative emotions caused by the pressure from Marco every now and then.

I put my phone on a stand to the side and let it play in the background, while I started another game of League of Legends ARAM on my laptop.

I used to play this game mostly with Teng Weifeng, and occasionally I would invite Yu Mujie to play together. But after going abroad, I didn't have that much time and couldn't find friends to play with, so I was forced to quit for two years.

It's a pity that the profile pictures of my once familiar friends are now all black and lifeless. I numbly click on the next game but can't feel much fun. Now I just want to reminisce about the feeling I used to have.

"Ugh, I don't want to play anymore! This game is so boring! Why is everyone targeting me to kill?"

Huh? What's going on? The Hundred-Death Goddess of War, Dou Ke, has broken through the defenses?

My youth is over!
Shu Long grabbed his phone, about to exit the live stream and find a playlist to listen to, when he heard the little white furry ball in the chat say, "I have to continue practicing driving early tomorrow morning, so I'll chat with you guys for a little while longer before I log off."

Oh, you're learning to drive too? Now that makes it more relatable, right? Well then, let's keep listening.

"Hey, let me tell you something. Something really abstract happened to me today!"

Shu Long listened absentmindedly, his hands smoothly manipulating the blue-haired rocket launcher madman, dodging a thousand of the opponent's skills in the process. The enemy team was cursing in the public chat for having a script.

Given his current physical attributes, playing these games is somewhat of a disadvantage.

However, he has never been interested in ranking up, mainly because he doesn't want to use his brain and just wants to kill the enemy as soon as he meets them and then play on his phone.

I've come here to relax, and you still want me to use my brain? Wouldn't that be a waste of my time relaxing?
"I was so scared! I didn't even know if he recognized me or not. Luckily, I was smart enough to delete him from my friend list and add him back right then and there."

What? They recognized you? Did Douke go to meet up with people in person?

Just as the Sword Saint was chasing and killing him, Shu Long picked up his phone and looked through the comments from earlier, trying to recall what he had missed because he was distracted.

Most of the comments were meaningless "hahaha," with a few occasional people persistently asking whether the friend was male or female, followed by quick replies to those questions.

"It must be a guy. What girl could pull the handbrake so hard that no one can let it go?"

What handbrake? Wait a minute, why does this story sound so familiar?!
Shu Long quickly opened WeChat on his phone and glanced at the new friend he had added that day. The ID was "Dousha Le," and the white-haired, big-headed doll with its head covered and crying out in the profile picture looked strangely familiar.

Blanch it, then put it in a box!

Is this something that can happen in real life?

I glanced at my Moments and saw that, apart from a couple of firework emojis I posted a month ago to celebrate finishing the college entrance exam, this place was as monotonous as Shulong's own Moments.

No one even liked or commented on her post; she looked so pitiful and pathetic.

But why would she say she recognized me? Do I know her?

Because Gan Mengning is always afraid of being recognized by her classmates online, and doesn't want her fans to treat her like a naive little girl, she usually deliberately uses a slightly more mature voice during live streams, which sounds a bit like Yan He at first glance.

Furthermore, after the sound was filtered by the equipment and sound card, Shu Long really couldn't hear even a hint of familiarity.

Do you really not recognize me?
Thinking about it carefully, I really didn't see what the other person looked like at all today. Among the female friends that Shu Long has added as friends since childhood, well, even if you broaden the scope to include women, the number is very small.
Gan Mengning?! It must be her! This is unbelievable, what a small world!

Shu Long suddenly remembered his mother's meaningful smile before they parted. If there was nothing fishy about it, he would write his name backwards from now on.

I almost fell for her?! Pshaw! What do you mean, "fell for her"? That's more like a heart attack!

The next morning, Gan Mengning had just arrived at the driving school when she spotted a figure leaning against the car.

Because of her frequent computer use over the years, she is actually a little nearsighted, but because the degree is not high, she doesn't usually wear glasses.

Even though she couldn't see the face clearly, Gan Mengning could guess who it was just by looking at Shu Long's rather tall stature, which was quite remarkable for someone from the south.

How to do?
After adding each other as friends yesterday, Shu Long didn't even send a greeting. His attitude was so familiar it was outrageous. I don't know if he recognized me or if he just treats every girl like this.

Everyone says that many people go wild when they go abroad without parental supervision, but how come this guy is still like an idiot after being abroad for several years? Yesterday, when he stood in front of those girls, he could barely speak.

What's there to be afraid of? But this doesn't seem so bad, does it?
For some unknown reason, Gan Mengning's facial muscles, hidden under her mask, seemed to twitch as if she were about to draw some pleasant lines, and she inexplicably stood in front of Shu Long.

Then he discovered that the other person was looking down at him from a very imposing height.

How to do!
Should I say hello now? We didn't exchange a single word yesterday. Is this attitude a bit too forward? Will he think I'm being inexplicably friendly?

Good morning!

Stop shaking! Damn voice!

"Good morning. Oh, by the way, thank you for adding me to the group yesterday. I forgot to ask for your name, so I can make a note of it here."

It's here, it's here, it's here! It's bound to happen, there's no escaping it!
"No, it's not necessary, is it? I... I actually have a boyfriend now, it wouldn't be good if he found out. You can delete me."

"Oh, you have a boyfriend, right?"

"Um"

"You deleted it, right?"

"Uh-huh!"

You've become addicted to it!
Gan Mengning, whose tone became increasingly self-righteous, raised her head like a proud victorious general. But the next second, the sunglasses she had named "Mystery" were snatched off by Shu Long.

"Gan Mengning, stop pretending. Aren't you bored? After you asked my name yesterday, were you hiding under your mask laughing? Are you just teasing me?"

"I don't!"

"Not yet, you want to delete and add again? Do you think I'm stupid? Let me tell you, take off your mask first! What kind of sun is this, what's there to hide? I can't help but laugh just looking at it!"

Gan Mengning, like a primary school student being scolded by the headmaster, obediently shrank her neck and reluctantly took off the "security lady" mask from her face.

Even though Shu Long had prepared himself mentally, when he saw this face that was more unfamiliar than familiar, he couldn't help but wonder if his heart had just punched him hard in the chest.

There are countless standards for beauty, but the feeling of beauty is the same for all humankind. The moment you see it, you know in your heart that it is the right answer.

Her delicate, fair face exudes a rich collagen glow, and her exquisite features resemble a meticulously designed painting, making her seem like a character from an anime or game who has stepped directly into reality.

The overall impression is more accurately described as "cute" rather than "beautiful".

There's a saying that goes something like this...

"I wouldn't even dare to build a model like this, and you actually dared to make it look like this?!"

Shu Long originally wanted to settle old scores with Gan Mengning, but now seeing her looking so pitiful with her pouting lips and chubby cheeks, he was speechless for a moment, let alone saying anything harsh.

Shu Long had never felt this way before, even when the racetrack had shattered the dreams of so many people. It was probably the first time in his life that he felt guilty.

"Wait a minute! How did you know I deleted you and added you back? You definitely didn't notice yesterday. If you had, you would have ripped my glasses off right there and then!"

"Of course! I watched it all yesterday, uh, I read what my mom said in the message she sent me!"

"What did you watch, huh? My live stream, right? I never would have guessed that you, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are actually one of my loyal fans."

"Pah! I just happened to see it when I came across it. I saw someone getting killed and crying for their parents, so I just went in to take a look!"

The balance of power has shifted to Yixing 2.0, where someone has exploited their weakness, and now Gan Mengning is the one who is arrogant and overbearing.

The tiny creature exuded an aura of three or four meters tall, overwhelming the weak, pitiful, and helpless Shulong and forcing it to retreat step by step.

"Take out your phone so I can check it. I want to see what level of brand you have with me!"

The awkwardness of not seeing each other for many years was worn away without her noticing. In a daze, it felt like she had returned to her childhood. Gan Mengning suddenly pounced on Shu Long and tried to take his phone.

Unfortunately, she no longer has the overwhelming advantage of height. The aggressive Gan Mengning was immediately suppressed by Shu Long, who pressed her head down with a single palm strike, making her howl like a cat with its fur standing on end.

"Hey, stay away from me. What will your boyfriend think if he sees this?"

"I have nothing to say! Give it to me!"

Even though he knew from the other person's WeChat Moments yesterday that the guy was probably just making things up, hearing the definite answer with his own ears still made Shu Long feel much better.

You can be as stubborn as you want in public, and you might be able to fool others, but you can never fool yourself.

"Cough, cough!"

The cold morning sunlight froze the air. The two souls who had simultaneously chosen to run away from home stood beside Ge Miaomiao and Li Yurun, who were dumbfounded.

(End of this chapter)