The car pulled up steadily in front of the restaurant. After getting out, Alex Sun and Guanyu Zhou headed straight to the second floor and entered the private room they had reserved in advance.
Guanyu Zhou leaned in with a grin. "Rebecca Lin set this up for you again, didn't she? You've really got it good. She takes such good care of you."
Alex Sun smiled and nodded. "Of course."
He casually ordered two iced drinks. Instead of talking about anything else, the two of them happily imagined what life would be like once they made it into F1.
After a few exchanges, Guanyu Zhou seemed to think of something and turned to him. "Do you think once we get into F1, we'll still have as much free time as we do now?"
"From what I see, those drivers have their schedules packed every single day."
Alex Sun snorted. "You're overthinking it. The ones drowning in events are the star drivers. The backmarkers are not that busy. But that said, with the attention we'll be getting, we'll probably be a bit busier than most."
After a brief pause, he patted his chest with mock pride. "But don't worry. I will draw all the attention so you have plenty of time to train and improve."
Guanyu Zhou immediately punched him. "Why can't it be me drawing attention while you focus on driving?"
"Do not doubt it. Want to make a bet?" Alex Sun raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"Fine, let's bet." Guanyu Zhou's interest was instantly piqued. "What are we betting? Do not bring up that 'call me Dad' nonsense again."
"Relax, not that." Alex Sun waved it off. "Let's bet on whether I can win every one of the next five races."
"No way, that's too easy." Guanyu Zhou shot back. "At the very least, we should bet on who wins the Drivers' Championship."
Alex Sun's smile grew even more confident. "Do we even need to bet on that? With how things are going, that is already mine."
"If anything, let's bet on whether I can clinch it early. I say I will wrap up the title one race ahead of schedule."
"You wish." Guanyu Zhou scoffed. "Fine, I am in. Do not sulk when I end up taking the championship. So what is the stake?"
A sly glint flashed in Alex Sun's eyes. "I want a promise. If I need it later, you will come be my number two driver for a year."
"You have not even made it into F1 yet. Even if you do, you might end up as the number two driver yourself. Who knows when you will become number one. And you are already thinking about using me?"
Guanyu Zhou complained, but his tone was full of competitiveness. He reached out his hand. "Alright, I am taking that bet."
The smile in Alex Sun's eyes deepened. He grabbed Zhou's hand, and the two shook firmly, sealing the wager.
Just as they let go, there was a knock on the door. Leclerc pushed it open and walked in, wearing a cap and sunglasses, his face showing post-race fatigue.
After closing the door and making sure it was secure, he took off his cap and sunglasses and set them on the table. His gaze swept over the two of them, and he teased with a grin, "What are you two up to?"
"Alex, didn't you ask me to introduce you to some pretty girls before? Why are you suddenly sticking so close to Guanyu?"
Guanyu Zhou flushed and waved his hands. "Lec, what are you thinking? We were just making a bet."
Alex Sun chuckled. "Do not get the wrong idea. Just messing around with Zhou."
But Leclerc's eyes still carried a teasing glint, clearly unconvinced. Growing impatient, Guanyu Zhou blurted out the details of the bet and the stakes all at once.
Unexpectedly, the moment Leclerc heard the word "bet," he let out a low laugh. A knowing, mischievous look flashed in his eyes, and his expression clearly said that Guanyu Zhou had been played. He stared at Guanyu Zhou without a word, and that gaze made Zhou feel a chill of unease.
Guanyu Zhou shifted uncomfortably under his stare and felt uneasy. He leaned in and pressed, "What is it, Leclerc? Say something. Did Alex trick me again? Hurry up and tell me."
Only then did Leclerc slowly turn to Alex Sun. "Can I tell him?"
Alex Sun nodded with a smile, his tone certain. "Yes. We are just one final application away. Everything else is basically ready."
Standing to the side, Guanyu Zhou listened to their cryptic exchange, completely lost. He frowned, clicked his tongue, and finally slammed his hand on the table. "Can you two stop being so secretive?"
Just as Leclerc was about to explain, there was another knock. Verstappen pushed the door open and walked in.
He was still wearing a cap and sunglasses, his presence sharp and restrained. After closing the door, he removed them, revealing the fatigue on his face and the lingering frustration from his tire blowout retirement. He walked straight over to Alex Sun.
"Sorry, Alex. I am late."
Alex Sun smiled and waved it off, then stood and gestured toward Guanyu Zhou. "It is fine, we just got here. Max, let me introduce you. This is Guanyu Zhou, my brother. He is in F2 with me and aiming for F1 as well."
Guanyu Zhou quickly composed himself, stood up, and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Super Max. I am Guanyu Zhou. You were incredible out there today. It is just a shame about the incident."
Verstappen shook his hand lightly, his tone as direct as ever. "Nice to meet you. That is racing. Incidents are part of it. When they happen, there is nothing you can do. You just check everything more carefully next time."
After the four of them sat down, Guanyu Zhou could no longer hold back. He turned to Leclerc. "Come on, tell me already. What was that about? Did Alex trick me?"
That immediately caught Verstappen's interest. He raised an eyebrow at Leclerc. "What were you talking about before I got here? Why so secretive?"
Leclerc smiled and shook his head. "Nothing much. Alex and Guanyu Zhou made a bet. I was just teasing him."
Verstappen looked even more curious. "A bet? What kind of bet? Do not keep us guessing."
Alex Sun spoke calmly, his tone steady. "There is nothing to hide. As long as I win the F2 Drivers' Championship this year, I will have enough Super Licence points. Once I secure the title, I will officially enter F1 next year."
Guanyu Zhou froze, then quickly leaned closer, his voice urgent and incredulous. "Why? Which team have you been talking to behind my back?"
"Do not tell me it is Alfa Romeo. My agent just told me they have started contacting drivers. You did not take their seat, did you?"
The moment he finished speaking, Guanyu Zhou realized he had slipped. His expression stiffened, and he hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, no. Nothing is confirmed yet. Please keep this confidential. Do not let it get out."
Leclerc could not help but laugh. "No, you are overthinking it. He has not talked to any existing teams. It is his own team."
"With F1 expanding next year, his team will enter the paddock as a Scuderia Ferrari customer team."
Alex Sun picked up the thread. "That is right. Everything is basically ready. We have already reached an agreement with the FIA. We are just waiting for the expansion window to open so we can submit the official application."
Dividing line.
First of all, thank you to everyone who has been following along and reading up to this point. Your constant support has given me the motivation to keep writing Alex Sun's story.
As I have been writing, I also realized that the earlier chapters had some issues with paragraphing and that I used too many descriptive modifiers. I will gradually revise the earlier chapters to make them smoother and easier to read.
You are also very welcome to go back and revisit the earlier chapters.
Finally, if you have read this far, I hope you will leave a comment. Thank you.
...
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