By the time Derek Su returned, Stella was already curled up on the bed, fast asleep.
Soft, animal-like breaths slipped from her lips.
He couldn't tell whether she was truly asleep or just pretending.
Looking at her back, he climbed into bed stiffly. The moment he slipped under the covers, a wave of heat wrapped around him, like an electric blanket that had been left on all night.
"Is it really that hot?"
Derek Su reached out and touched Stella's shoulder.
She didn't wake, but she was scorching.
If he didn't know Mecha Girls couldn't get sick, he would've thought she had a fever.
Maybe she was just too shy.
Thinking back to what had happened earlier, he settled on that explanation.
He swallowed and pulled the overheated quilt over himself.
As for what he was supposed to do now, he had no idea.
In his previous life, he had been the Track Emperor—the ultimate boss in his rivals' eyes. Countless women had wanted to share his bed, his villas and mansions, and the fleet of luxury cars in his garage that he could rotate daily. But his focus had always been on improving his skills. He trained relentlessly, competed without pause. Where ordinary people found passion in tangled sheets, his passion was the blood-pounding rush of pushing speed to its absolute limit on the track. Moves that were deadly dangerous to other drivers were nothing more than muscle memory to him.
There had been no room for women in his heart. Behind the wheel, he had been untouchable.
Only in the instant he was sent off a cliff by a dirty hit did regret finally crash over him.
He had lived more than half his life…
And never even had a proper relationship.
So after coming to this world, he no longer resisted the idea of love.
But not resisting didn't mean he knew what he was doing.
He let out a slow breath.
The best way to deal with awkwardness was simple: sleep.
Since Stella was already "asleep"…
He closed his eyes as well.
Exhausted from the day, he drifted off within minutes.
Unaware that Stella, still facing the wall, had her eyes wide open.
Her gaze was damp and glistening, her face so red it looked like it might start steaming.
...
The next morning, Beto Ming got up early. He didn't go to the office, instead personally preparing breakfast for Vanessa.
The night before, Derek Su had already sent him the details about Blazing Wind.
When he learned that Blazing Wind's special ability might allow his daughter to step onto the track, he'd been so excited he hadn't slept at all.
But he didn't dare tell Vanessa everything.
He only said that he would take her to see Blazing Wind today.
"Daddy, won't we be bothering Blazing Wind? She has training to do too!"
Vanessa really wanted to see Blazing Wind. She liked everyone at the Stella Club. To her, that place was the far shore of her dreams. But she didn't want everyone to stop what they were doing just to revolve around her.
"Today, Blazing Wind is the one who wants to see you."
Beto Ming pushed her wheelchair forward, smiling. "She's been missing you."
"Oh? I didn't know Blazing Wind was so clingy."
Vanessa Ming puffed out her cheeks in mock complaint, though the corners of her lips lifted.
If Blazing Wind wanted to see her, then she'd just treat it as fulfilling her little wish. Maybe they could meet outside the club.
She held a small fish tank in her hands.
Inside was a tiny turtle.
Yesterday, when they left the Stella Club and Beto Ming saw she was in low spirits, he'd taken her to a pet market.
They had meant to buy a cat or a dog, but Vanessa had only liked the turtle. She named it Mimi.
When Beto Ming asked why she chose that name, she had simply grinned and stared happily at the little turtle in the tank.
Seeing his daughter so cheerful, he didn't ask further.
...
When the father and daughter arrived at the club, Derek Su asked Blazing Wind to stay with Vanessa first.
He then pulled the sponsor into the next room alone.
After considering his words, he spoke seriously.
"Sir, after the desert incident, Blazing Wind unexpectedly awakened a special ability. I tested it last night. It can enhance the driver's body and mind, keeping them in an absolutely calm state. The physical and mental burden is shared between the driver and the Mecha Girl… I think this might be Vanessa's chance to get on the track."
Beto Ming was visibly moved, but deep worry lingered in his eyes.
Suppressing his expectations, he asked gravely, "Are you sure? You know Vanessa's condition. If there isn't complete certainty, I don't want her taking the risk."
"Complete certainty is impossible," Derek Su said honestly. "Based on my own experience, there's a seventy to eighty percent chance it will work. But you should think about this—this is Vanessa's dream. And the one helping her realize it is the Blazing Wind she loves most."
Beto Ming fell silent.
Vanessa often said that living without a dream was no different from being dead.
Much of her usual cheerfulness was an act, something she put on for him as her father.
He knew she wasn't truly happy.
At an age when other children went to school, she could only lie at home.
In spring, while children flew kites in the square, she could only watch from the window. In summer, when everyone went swimming, she could only sit in her wheelchair with a water gun, barely participating. Autumn was probably the season that suited her best—she could sit beneath a tree, watching red leaves drift down, quietly waiting for dusk until the last glow of sunset faded. And in the bitter winter, activities like skiing were completely out of reach. She could only sit by the fireplace and gaze at the endless white world beyond the window.
Because of her condition, she had almost no friends.
No one wanted to play with someone who could only watch from the sidelines.
Bodyguards and nannies could keep her company.
But it was always superficial. They were adults, after all. Pleasing the young mistress was a rule ingrained in them.
If he thought about it, Blazing Wind might be Vanessa's only real friend—even though they had known each other for less than a day.
Beto Ming had always known what his daughter wanted.
He wanted to give her wings.
He dreamed of it.
And now the chance was right in front of him.
Was he supposed to just give it up?
No.
Beto Ming gritted his teeth and nodded.
The hesitation in his eyes disappeared.
"Then let Vanessa try."
He had brought enough emergency medicine today.
If anything went wrong, he would give it to her immediately.
But after this, they would never attempt something like this again.
...
Once the plan was decided, Derek Su discussed the details further with the sponsor.
The most important thing was that Vanessa couldn't know what was really happening yet. If she did, she might not be able to handle it the moment she got into the cockpit. She needed to ease into it gradually.
So they decided Blazing Wind would deploy inside the club. With everyone gathered around Vanessa and no race-like atmosphere, there would be no sense that she was about to drive a lap. She would simply sit in Blazing Wind's cockpit and feel it out.
What happened next would depend entirely on how Blazing Wind's ability affected her.
After they finalized everything, Derek Su moved quickly.
He cleared the clutter near the club's back entrance, leaving only the rolling shutter door.
If Vanessa proved capable of driving Blazing Wind, he would open the shutter and let Blazing Wind take her out for a short run.
Before the plan began, he pulled Blazing Wind aside and handed her a box of medicine.
"Blazing Wind, this is Vanessa's emergency medication. If anything happens, immediately cancel deployment and give it to her. Don't waste even a minute."
Blazing Wind looked at the box in her hands, took a deep breath, and nodded seriously.
"Don't worry, Boss. I'll protect Vanessa with my life."
Her assurance was steady and firm.
Derek Su glanced around.
Stella, Imperial Scale, and Tunbao were all in position. Absolute Shadow had already called in the medical team, who were on standby in the backyard.
"Daddy, what are you going to show me?"
"You like race cars, don't you? I'll show you Blazing Wind's deployment mode."
"Oh! Yes, yes! I've never seen it before!"
The father and daughter's voices drifted in from outside.
The door opened.
The little angel sat in her wheelchair.
The sponsor pushed her inside.
...
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