The rich taste of butter immediately alleviated Hunter’s frustration from struggling with the wrapper earlier. Meanwhile, Winston finished the remaining half of the bread.
Hunter stared at Winston’s lips, noticing his tongue peeking out as if nudging the corner of his mouth. He recalled the time they smoked together, how Winston had bitten his finger and used his tongue to play with the cigarette butt. It felt like a grenade exploded in his heart, shaking him to the point where he almost stopped breathing.
Stop looking, stop looking…
Hunter turned his face away, but only a few minutes later, he couldn’t resist and looked back. Winston’s clean, long fingers had already tidied up the trash and food containers, making it seem like they had never been opened.
“What are you looking at?”
Hunter had always thought Winston’s voice was cold, but now it sounded gentle and slow as if it were constantly guiding his thoughts into an unknown crevice.
“No…nothing…” Hunter stroked his chin. “Your mysophobia seems quite severe. Even the food containers on the plane need to be tidied up like that.”
“If I really had mysophobia, I would have banished you like a cockroach long ago.” Winston’s gaze, knowing exactly what Hunter was thinking, swept over him. He held out his hand in front of Hunter, slowly opening his palm, and said nonchalantly, “Were you looking at my hand just now?”
“No… I wasn’t…” Hunter’s heart felt like it had just been shot.
“Oh, really? That’s a shame.”
“What’s a shame?” Hunter became curious.
The corners of Winston’s mouth curved into a smile that Hunter had grown very familiar with. “I could let you touch it.”
“Touch what?”
“My fingers.”
“I… Crazy!” Hunter’s eyes widened. His heartbeat, which had just calmed down, began to race again.
“Or maybe you want to lick them?” Winston’s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, but his eyes held a playful warmth.
“Hey… your narcissism just leveled up.” Hunter rolled his eyes and pulled down his eye mask, intending to continue sleeping. However, from that moment on, he couldn’t help but pay attention to every activity in the airplane cabin, especially the movements of the person sitting next to him.
He thought he understood Winston better than most people, but now he realized it was more than that. He could sense Winston’s breathing, his unique way of flipping through the newspaper, and could even imagine his current expression… the angle of his fingers holding a specific spot on the newspaper…
Then those elegantly masculine fingers would touch his lower lip, slowly and gently slipping between the gap, touching his tongue… stirring his world into chaos.
The flight attendant approached to clear the food container on Hunter’s tray. She grazed his shoulder, startling him into lifting his eye mask.
“Sorry, sir.”
Hunter saw the apologetic look in her eyes. “No… it’s fine…”
Sleep was impossible now.
“What’s the matter?” Winston’s hand moved closer to Hunter, his index finger curling as it was about to touch Hunter’s cheek.
Hunter jerked away as if electrocuted, “N-nothing! I just thought some trash from the food container fell on me.”
“Trash? What trash?” Winston tilted his head, glancing up and down. “You ate everything clean.”
“…I’m going back to sleep.” Hunter exhaled, deciding it was better not to keep looking at this guy. The more he looked, the more he thought.
“Then go to sleep.” Winston’s finger touched Hunter’s eye mask, pulling it down for him.
Hunter held his breath, afraid that even a whisper of his breath touching Winston would reveal something. Winston’s finger brushed past Hunter’s nose as it moved away.
Hunter turned to face the other way. The chaotic thoughts in his head settled after a few minutes, and his breathing became steady. Sleep would help him temporarily let go of all the incomprehensible thoughts.
The plane landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the early morning.
Hunter stood up dizzily and pulled his luggage bag down from the overhead compartment. He yawned, and just as another passenger’s luggage was about to fall on his head, Winston suddenly stood up, stretched out his arm, and pushed Hunter’s head down.
“Ouch!” Hunter found himself face to face with Winston.
“Be careful.” Winston slung his luggage over his shoulder.
Hunter followed behind him and asked, “Hey, where is your team staying?”
“At a hotel near the Yas Marina Circuit.1Yas Marina Circuit is a race track on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The circuit has a unique design with parts of the track passing through the hotel and marina.
”
After getting off the plane, Winston turned to wait for Hunter. “Are you still confident you can make it into the top 5 in this race?”
Hunter smirked, “Of course, why not?”
The Yas Marina Circuit features high-speed straights and consecutive sharp turns, with the main race taking place at night, presenting a tough challenge for the drivers’ skills.
Hunter felt his cornering judgment and timing had significantly improved since he first entered F1. Additionally, Shen Chuan and Shen Xi had enhanced his car, boosting his confidence like never before.
“Then I guess I should start preparing my striptease,” Winston said with a slight smile.
He rarely smiled with the media or his teammates, but with Hunter, his smile was no longer unusual. Even so, Hunter unconsciously examined it carefully, wanting to etch Winston’s smile into his memory.
“Exactly.” Hunter walked past Winston with his lips curled up, “Ah… it’s better not to set your goals too high.”
“Why’s that?” Winston sauntered behind Hunter.
“Because you’ve got Ciel from Mercedes and Owen from Red Bull competing for the championship. They’ve dominated Formula One for over a decade, and you’ve been outperforming them. They might join forces to give you a taste of your own medicine. I think it’ll be difficult for you to win this race.” Hunter’s voice had a hint of glee.
The next second, Hunter’s collar was grabbed, nearly causing him to bump into Winston’s chin. “At worst, I’ll dance for you.”
Winston’s lowered gaze seemed to weigh on Hunter’s heart. He let go, and Hunter stumbled back a step. “Hey! Don’t ambush me like that!”
Winston walked away nonchalantly.
Hunter felt a bit disappointed. This time, the Ferrari team chose a different hotel than the Marcus team. He heard that Ferrari’s hotel was across the racetrack, which sounded impressive. Hunter sighed, wondering when Marcus’s team would be as generous.
“If you think that hotel is interesting, you can come and sleep with me.”
“I don’t want to sleep with you. I’ll book my own room! Even better than yours!”
“Really?” Winston glanced at Hunter like he was looking at a kindergartener.
Hunter was instantly discouraged.
During the Grand Prix, hotels near the racetrack would obviously be fully booked. How could he find a room!
“I promised Miss Wilson that I would come to the hotel for an interview.” Hunter said while reading a text message on his phone, “I wonder if she’ll be staying at the same hotel as you.”
“The free practice session doesn’t start early. Why don’t you ask Marcus if you can arrange the interview with Audrey Wilson at my hotel?”
“Hey, I didn’t expect Miss Wilson to tell me she wants to do a joint interview. She wants to write a special article about us two. This idea is really interesting, your team has no problem with it, right?”
“If I agree, they won’t have a problem.”
How could Hunter forget? Winston has a lot of influence on the Ferrari team.
When Hunter called Marcus, Marcus sounded anxious.
“Hunter… answer me a question honestly.”
“What question?”
“Is Ferrari trying to recruit you?”
Ever since Owen from Red Bull tried to poach Hunter, Marcus had been on high alert.
Hunter suppressed a laugh and replied in an exaggeratedly shocked voice, “How… how did you know?”
Marcus exploded, “What!? It’s true? How much are they offering you per year?”
“Two… two million…” Hunter covered his mouth, about to burst out laughing.
“What?” Marcus was surprised. After thinking it over, he realized that Hunter had been performing exceptionally well in recent races, even competing with Ciel on the Suzuka Circuit. If Hunter joined Ferrari, he might have greater development opportunities. “So… what about you? What do you think?”
“I… I’ve decided to stick with you! So, Marcus, you’d better treat me well! Hahahaha! As if any team would offer two million to sign me!” Hunter laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
“You brat! You want to die, don’t you? Get your ass back here!”
“Can I accept Miss Wilson’s interview with Winston?”
“You’re not with Ferrari, so why would you be interviewed with Winston!”
Marcus didn’t seem to take Hunter’s words as a joke.
“Because it’s interesting! And it’s my first time doing this kind of interview!”
“Get back here!”
“There are questions you don’t want me to answer, or you don’t want me to answer in my own way! Send the PR manager to keep an eye on me! Or you can come to supervise yourself!”
“You… you…” Marcus almost stuttered in anger, “I let you go to the hot springs with Vann Winston once, and now you want to be interviewed together? Do you need to date each other as well?”
Hunter’s heart felt like it was scratched by something—a bit of elation mixed with a touch of disappointment.
Hunter unconsciously looked at Winston, who was talking to someone from his team. Judging by his expression, the Ferrari team had probably received Audrey Wilson’s interview invitation.
After hanging up with Marcus, Hunter shrugged helplessly, “It seems my joke upset Marcus. He didn’t agree.”
“In fact, Mr. Miller, the Ferrari team director, did consider poaching you. But the annual salary he planned to offer you wasn’t two million—it was three million.”
“What?” Hunter’s eyes widened, and he grabbed Winston’s shoulders, “Then what? Why haven’t I heard about this before?”
Could it be that Marcus blocked it?
“I told Mr. Miller that if you joined Ferrari, I wouldn’t be able to race well,” Winston replied.
“Why? Wouldn’t it be great if we became teammates? We could even train together during daily practice sessions!”
Hunter didn’t really want to join Ferrari, but hearing Winston say that he would be affected, he felt an inexplicable pang of sadness.
“Because if that happened, you would be under Ferrari’s control. A big team like that isn’t as simple as your current team. Your abilities combined with the performance of the Ferrari car would make catching up to Owen and Ciel within reach. They might ask you to block them for me to protect my position as the champion. I don’t want that to happen,” Winston explained.
Hunter’s mouth opened slightly as he suddenly understood everything.
“When you achieve success, most people will praise the superiority of the Ferrari car, elevating you to the ranks of top drivers, but your abilities will be underrated. However, if you’re with Marcus’s team, things will be completely different. In the eyes of the media and the public, your talent will outshine the car’s performance.”
Hearing Winston say this, Hunter no longer felt any anger.
“And there’s one more important thing.”
“What is it?”
“If you become my teammate, I’ll have an excuse to take care of you. No matter where you are, I’ll want to wait for you and protect you. But you’re an independent person, and if I keep looking out for you on the track, you’ll definitely get so angry you’d explode.”
For some reason, Hunter’s ears turned red. He lowered his head, kicking the ground with his heels.
“Actually, you already take good care of me now.”
“Then let’s go. Since Marcus didn’t agree to the joint interview, I’ll explain to Miss Wilson.”
“Haha, that’s right. If you explain, she’ll definitely understand.”
Because she has a crush on you!
After leaving the airport and traveling to Yas Island, Hunter said goodbye to Winston and met his team at the hotel. As soon as Marcus saw him, he rushed over and hugged him, “Oh my God! I thought Vann Winston had tricked you into joining Ferrari!”
“Almost! He even said he wanted to give me a Ferrari supercar!”
“I can give you one too!”
“When?”
“For your twentieth birthday! I promise it’ll be the latest model!”
“You’re so mean! My twentieth birthday… then I’ll have to stay with the Marcus Team for another year!”
“You could also use your year-end bonus to buy one yourself!”
Seeing Shen Chuan approaching from the opposite direction, Hunter smiled broadly and reached out to hug his shoulders, “This is the main reason I’m staying with the Marcus Team! Wherever Dr. Shen goes, I’ll follow!”
Shen Chuan shook his head and chuckled, “Don’t drag me into this.”
Shen Xi popped her head out and said, “Hey, didn’t another team offer us a third more of our annual salary to poach us? Hunter, you want to go with us too?”
Marcus clutched his head, “Alright, alright! I know you guys are trying to drive me to the brink of death!”
“Make sure to give me a big bonus at the end of the year!” Hunter laughed as he walked to his room.
From his room, Hunter could see Yas Marina, and the racetrack was just a short distance away, opposite Winston’s hotel.
Hunter couldn’t help but think: if he used binoculars, could he see Winston?
What was that guy doing now? Ah… since he loved to be clean, he was probably showering right now.
Hunter thought for a while and then texted: I came to your door to find you, but there was no response after knocking for a long time, so I came back!
Unexpectedly, within two seconds, Winston replied: You liar, you never came here.
Hunter covered his mouth to laugh and quickly replied: Oh, you’re not showering?
Winston’s message came: Do you want to come over tonight?
Hunter was about to reply but then remembered his appointment with Audrey Wilson, so he texted back: Let me check Miss Wilson’s interview schedule first. If I have time, I’ll visit your room.
Winston replied: OK.
Hunter called Audrey Wilson, and to his surprise, she was staying at the same hotel as the Marcus Team. They arranged to meet at the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. Audrey specifically requested that Mr. Marcus not let the PR manager or assistant join them, as she wanted Hunter to be in the most relaxed and natural state for the interview.
The PR manager and assistant came to Hunter’s room and found him sitting on the bed in jeans and a T-shirt, engrossed in playing a matching game. They both showed expressions of utter exasperation.
“Hunter! If you accept an interview with a well-known journalist, you should wear a suit!”
“Didn’t Miss Wilson say she wanted me to be as relaxed as possible for the interview? Besides, you’ve already gone over everything I’m not supposed to say, and I still remember it all!”
“Hunter… you weren’t like this before! You were so eager for an interview with Audrey Wilson, you even said she was your dream goddess!” The PR manager was at a loss for words.
Hunter was stunned…
That’s right; getting a direct interview with Audrey Wilson made him very happy, but this feeling of happiness was completely different from the overwhelming anticipation he had felt before. While he was pleased, his state of mind was calm.
“I didn’t bring a suit.” Hunter looked at the PR manager.
“Oh… my god…” The PR manager covered his eyes.
So in the end, Hunter went to the rooftop restaurant wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
The hotel’s balcony was fully glass-enclosed, and Audrey Wilson had reserved a spot where the two of them could talk without being disturbed.
She wasn’t dressed too formally either, with her shirt tied into a knot at her waist and jeans below. Her light makeup gave Hunter a sense of familiarity. Hunter was once again glad he didn’t wear a suit. If he had, it would have looked ridiculous compared to Audrey.
Next to Audrey was a photojournalist holding a camera.
“The light here is beautiful, no need for a reflector,” Audrey said with a smile.
Hunter sat down and smiled at Audrey.
“What are you smiling about?” Audrey asked curiously.
“I… just suddenly remembered that a friend once said they liked to see me in well-lit places. Seeing you here in such a bright place, where all your features are clear, I suddenly understand what my friend meant.”
Audrey tilted her head and smiled, “I think I understand how your friend feels. Because, Hunter, when you smile brightly, even if there’s no light around, everything seems to shine.”
Hunter’s face turned red immediately, and even his ears blushed. He lowered his head and touched his nose.
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Please answer my questions seriously and honestly. Now no PR manager or any team staff is supervising you, so feel free to vent a little.”
Audrey’s questions mainly focused on Hunter’s plans in F1, his strategies and decision-making on the track, and the direction of FIA2FIA is an association that oversees many racing events worldwide, including Formula One. reforms that he hoped to see…
No matter what Hunter said, Audrey listened with an attentive and serious posture. When Hunter struggled to articulate his thoughts, Audrey could grasp them with just one sentence.
Hunter was grateful for this understanding.
“Alright, that’s it for the technical questions. Now let’s talk about something the fans are interested in. Almost all F1 fans know that Vann Winston from Ferrari is always aloof in public and has never been heard of socializing with anyone. Yet, now you are officially recognized by the Ferrari team as Winston’s friend. How did you two meet?” Audrey asked curiously.
This question suddenly stumped Hunter.
That’s right, how did they meet?
It seemed the first time they talked was in the restroom after the Spanish Grand Prix.
“What’s wrong, Hunter?”
“Probably… because I’m trustworthy, so Winston took the initiative to talk to me?”
Surely he couldn’t say that he forgot to zip up his pants while confronting McGrady in the restroom, and Winston had to remind him?
Audrey took out her phone and laughed, “Actually, I interviewed Winston before you. The questions were the same for both interviews. Do you know what Winston said?”
“His response?” Hunter’s heart skipped a beat. No matter how embarrassing the situation might be Winston, that guy, could say anything without a hint of shame. If the incident in the restroom at the Spanish Grand Prix were exposed, Hunter felt he wouldn’t be able to show his face anymore.
“Winston said…” Audrey’s smirk gave Hunter a bad premonition. “He said it was unbearable to see you about to walk out of the bathroom with your pants unzipped, so he reminded you.”
Hunter immediately covered his face with his hands. “Did he have to be so brutally honest!”
“The second question: Have you ever thought that one day you and Winston would work on the same team?”
Hunter raised his head. He had just discussed this with Winston earlier at the airport.
“Yes, of course, why wouldn’t I think about it? If we were on the same team, we could train and compete together. I would have more time to learn and talk with him. But… I’m three or four years younger than Winston. To him, I’m just a kid. If we were on the same team, he would definitely take care of me and protect me, and I wouldn’t be able to mature. That’s why I prefer to remain his competitor on the track. That’s the only way I can grow.”
Hunter held a glass of water in front of him, speaking seriously.
The author has something to say:
Winston: Actually, I don’t want you to be my teammate because I’m afraid I won’t be able to restrain myself.
Hunter: Restrain yourself from what?
Winston: From making you cry until you pass out every day.
Hunter: … How many dark thoughts do you have in your head?
Winston: Many. Would you like to take a look?
![The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-11_143139.png "The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao")
