CYNTM CHAPTER 46

After three rounds of free practice, Hunter emerged from the restroom, humming a tune with his hands in his pockets, only to collide with Owen. Hunter vividly remembered this guy’s notorious reputation.

Before joining F1, Hunter was filled with admiration for top racers like Owen. But now, he just rolled his eyes at him.

He intended to brush past Owen, but the other man stopped him.

“Little Hunter, it’s rude to walk away without saying hello,” Owen said with a mocking tilt of his head.

“I’m not familiar with you.” Hunter cast a sideways glance at Owen coldly. As he lifted his gaze, he saw Ciel approaching.

The sight of Owen made Ciel’s face turn sour. In the F1 world, Ciel was the quintessential blond, blue-eyed man, reminiscent of handsome actors like Jude Law or Leonardo DiCaprio. His flamboyant personality and bad temper had often made him the target of media controversy in his younger days, yet he always proved them wrong with his skills.

Donald had previously told Hunter that Owen had messed with Ciel. Now, seeing them meet unexpectedly in the restroom, Hunter secretly wished they would start a fight. Ciel’s temper would surely lead to him smashing Owen’s head!

Hunter planned to eavesdrop outside the restroom, but Owen teased, “Little Hunter, why don’t you stay and join the fun?”

“Fun? What fun?” Ciel’s displeased eyes darted sideways.

“Threesome!”

“C-crazy!” Hunter flipped his middle finger and hurried away.

Ciel clicked his tongue and watched Owen tilting his chin up. “Since when did you get so close to that brat?”

“Why? Are you jealous? Darling, don’t be like that. You’ll always be my favorite.” Owen spread his arms as if to embrace Ciel.

“Really? I wish you would spread your love around more so the whole world could share in the misfortune.” Ciel snorted.

“Say, aside from the racetrack, have you ever thought about teaching Winston a lesson in another way?”

“What do you have in mind?” Ciel asked coldly.

“Why don’t you seduce Winston right in front of that brat?”

“Hah?” Ciel frowned. “Did you forget to take your medication this morning?”

“Or, you could seduce the brat in front of Winston?”

Ciel sighed, patting Owen’s shoulder. “I think you’re not tormenting Vann Winston; you’re tormenting me.”

With that, Ciel walked away.

Owen stroked his chin and muttered, “What a pity!”

The qualifying session followed immediately after the free practice. The tension within the team was palpable. For the first time, the spectator seats outside the Yas Marina Circuit were completely filled. An online survey highlighted two major points of interest in this race.

The first matter: Can Winston maintain his championship under the pressure from Owen and Ciel? The second matter: Can Hunter, the racer steadily climbing the ranks, continue to compete with masters like Ciel?

As the qualifying session was about to start, Hunter gripped the steering wheel tightly and exhaled. The starting position was crucial on the Yas Marina Circuit. Hunter pressed his lips together, his nerves on edge.

In Q1¹Q1 = first qualifying round. F1 qualifying is conducted in a three-stage “knockout” system, with the stages called Q1, Q2, Q3., Winston secured pole position, with Owen and Ciel constantly on his tail. With his car’s performance fine-tuned, Hunter unleashed his full potential, overtaking both Penny and Duchovny to break into the top four.

Marcus clenched his fists and nodded repeatedly, “His driving is becoming more mature.”

“Did you know, every time he gets behind the wheel of our car, there’s this feeling of anticipation, a hope that he’ll surpass expectations. And that hope grows stronger and stronger, almost turning into greed,” Shen Chuan said.

“We are the best racing team, and any greedy dream can come true.” Marcus looked at Shen Chuan, smiling.

As Q2 began, the dynamics changed. Winston’s lap speed dropped, allowing Ciel to overtake him with Owen right behind. Hunter maintained his fourth position, while the ranks below fifth place were constantly changing.

The excited cheers from the audience seemed to heat the air.

Hunter was sweating profusely, feeling restless inside. He had to give his all to stay composed and wait for the crucial moment.

When Q2 ended, Owen had overtaken Winston, placing him in third while Hunter remained fourth.

The tension remained high as Q3 presented a new challenge. Penny began to threaten Hunter’s position, and in the final half lap of Q3, Hunter had to push hard to widen the gap with Penny.

The whole race was filled with tension, with Ciel losing the pole position to Owen, but Winston managed to protect his third place until the end of the qualifying session.

The main race was set to start at midnight.

Hunter listened intently to the team’s strategy, even paying attention to the opponents’ previous performances on this track.

After the meeting, Marcus shared his thoughts, “In just a few months, Hunter has really grown up. He was clearly a problem child before.”

Shen Chuan smiled, “Hunter may seem childish at first glance, but he’s actually serious. Moreover, once he sets his mind to something, nothing can stop him.”

Marcus pressed his hand over his eyes. “Yes… nothing can stop him.”

With more than an hour to go before the main event, Hunter found a place to sit down. As he looked up, he could see the setting sun. He squinted and raised his head as if sensing something.

“It’s rare to see you not finding a place to smoke.”

Hearing this voice, Hunter’s lips curled up, as if some small wish had just come true. However, he remained motionless. “I was going to, but I left my cigarettes at the hotel.”

A small shadow cast over Hunter’s head. He slowly opened his eyes and slightly tilted his head back, finding it leaning against someone’s leg. The scent of Winston wafted over him.

Hunter suddenly wanted to remain leaning against this person forever.

The man behind him leisurely opened the aluminum cigarette case, lit one, and placed it between his lips. He took a gentle puff, causing the tip of the cigarette to glow red. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as smoke rings drifted from his lips, his eyes seemingly in a dreamy state.

Hunter was immensely fond of this version of Winston. He exuded a sophistication and sensuality that was uniquely masculine. Everything Hunter desired, Winston possessed.

Without saying a word, Hunter continued to lean against Winston’s leg, looking up at him.

Winston leaned down and slowly approached but kept his legs still, allowing Hunter to rest against him.

Winston’s nose, the loose strands of his hair, and every subtle, delicate movement made Hunter’s heart flutter. But Winston’s left hand blocked Hunter’s gaze.

“​​You’re tilting your head like that. Be careful not to hurt your eyes. The sunlight here at sunset is still quite strong.”

Feeling the heat from Winston’s palm, Hunter felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. He wanted to be even closer, inch by inch.

Something brushed against his lips. It was the cigarette.

Hunter instinctively held the cigarette with his tongue. Knowing it had been in Winston’s mouth made Hunter even more restless. He took a drag, lightly biting the cigarette, and exhaled smoke through his teeth. As Winston reached to take the cigarette back, Hunter turned away. “It’s mine now.”

Winston just chuckled.

“Hey, let me tell you… I finally stayed right behind you in an official race.” Hunter beamed.

“You’re always behind me, never ahead.” Winston sat down next to Hunter.

Losing his headrest annoyed Hunter, but Winston’s remark about “never ahead” annoyed him even more. Hunter angrily kicked Winston and continued to smoke with his eyes narrowed. “If I can keep this position until the end, you’ll have to strip for me! What color underwear are you wearing?” Hunter winked and asked as his face lit up with a mischievous grin.

“Black,” Winston replied frankly.

Hunter was immediately disappointed, “Tell me… is there anything that could make you even a bit shy?”

“Do you really want to know?” Winston asked, tilting his face.

“Of course!”

“I’ll tell you after I finish stripping.”

That was the familiar smirk Hunter knew well on Winston’s lips.

As he stood up, Winston reached for the cigarette still in Hunter’s mouth.

Hunter clenched his teeth tighter, but Winston used his other hand to pinch Hunter’s cheeks, forcing him to release it.

“Hmph!” Hunter turned his head in dissatisfaction.

Winston’s fingers held the cigarette to withdraw it and slowly bring it to his lips. His tongue touched the spot where Hunter had licked and lightly pressed down.

For Hunter, this race was crucial. Securing a top-four finish would guarantee him a spot in the top eight on the leaderboard.

The official race began after sunset. The evening breeze gradually cooled the otherwise hot and dry atmosphere of the day. All the racers were in their starting positions, and Hunter squinted at Winston, who was slightly ahead of him.

This is the closest I’ve ever been to you. I promise I won’t lose sight of you!

The roar of engines filled the air, kicking up road dust. Hunter’s nervousness turned into a calm that carried a hidden strength. The moment Winston shot forward, Hunter felt as if a planet had exploded inside him, breaking all constraints.

The first turn was crucial for maintaining position. Hunter calmly dealt with Duchovny’s attack from behind, staying close to Winston, like two stars on a trajectory. He smoothly navigated the turn, widening the gap with the pursuers behind.

“Good… good…” Marcus stared fixedly at Hunter as he pulled away. It was only the first corner, yet he could feel that this kid had truly matured. Comparing the first three races since joining F1, where Hunter was still clueless and flustered, he now resembled a seasoned veteran.

After just one lap, Winston began a relentless battle with Ciel. Hunter also had to face Penny’s pursuit.

The battle for the top five was electric from the start. Winston nearly overshot a slow corner, but Ciel blocked his optimal exit, creating a heart-stopping near-collision that left the audience on the edge of their seats.

Hunter sensed Penny’s intention to overtake on the long straight. He accelerated into the corner, leaving no chance for Penny to approach. Before entering the corner, he calmly braked, maneuvered smoothly, and then quickly accelerated again, closing in on Winston.

He seemed to hold his breath, creating a sense of tension among the audience, as if he were chasing Winston so closely that he was almost touching him. At the sharp corner following the straight of the eighth lap, Hunter pushed his car’s performance to the limit and matched Winston’s speed! The audience jumped to their feet, and Marcus couldn’t help but murmur, “Oh my God…”

When the two cars matched speeds like that, the victory would go to the driver who was braver and had better skills. Winston’s racing style appeared stable but became sharp at crucial moments, while Hunter’s was like a tidal wave aiming to drown his opponent.

In the apex of the corner, Hunter nearly collided with Winston, making the viewers’ hearts pound. The two cars exited the corner almost simultaneously, but Winston timed it perfectly, overtaking Hunter and maintaining his lead.

“Such a shame…” Marcus sighed but couldn’t hide the admiration on his face. Even though Hunter hadn’t overtaken Winston, it had been a long time since any racer had “forced” Winston like this on the curves beside Owen and Ciel.

Hunter narrowed his eyes. For him, the previous attempt was just a probe, regardless of the outcome. He hadn’t really expected to overtake Winston. But from what had just happened, he could see where he lagged behind Winston—not in cornering or braking, but in exiting the corner. It seemed like he almost overtook the opponent, but upon closer inspection, Winston always managed to get out of the corner ahead of him!

Don’t rush, Hunter. Don’t rush.

Hunter had imagined the moment he would overtake Winston thousands of times. He had considered countless scenarios, but none were as simple and sharp as the one just now, without any hesitation yet enough for him to feel how distant a fraction of a second could be.

But no one saw the fleeting smile that crossed Winston’s lips as he sped down the long straight.

The fierce battle between Ciel and Owen ahead was still ongoing, with Ciel overtaking Owen at the Hairpin turn, only for Owen to reclaim his position at the next slow curve. These maneuvers right in the heart of the turns and at the exits stirred the spectators’ emotions intensely.

The audience’s nerves were simultaneously tense as they watched Hunter make his second attempt to overtake Winston.

Before the turn, Hunter was nearly driving parallel with Winston. For Hunter, this feeling was extremely exhilarating because he no longer had to watch Winston’s back but could now drive side by side with him.

The viewers, seeing this scene, broke out in a cold sweat for Hunter. Technically, Hunter had the right to use the racing line²The leading car has the right to use the racing line when entering a turn if the trailing car isn’t parallel to them, making overtaking impossible. However, if both cars enter the turn nearly parallel, the leading driver must allow space for the trailing car to overtake safely., but if a collision occurred, all the responsibility would fall on him.

Hunter’s overtaking maneuver wasn’t aggressive. The arcs traced by the two cars carried a thrilling sense of tacit understanding, leaving the audience both anticipating Winston’s defense and hoping for Hunter to break the deadlock.

Hunter’s nerves were extremely tense and focused, his breathing as thin as a thread that could snap at any moment. He knew very well that he had to maintain a half-car distance from Winston as they approached the braking point and the turn entry. Otherwise, if Winston maintained a greater than half-car length advantage, he would take the track, and Hunter would lose the right to overtake.

The duel unfolded in less than half a second, with Winston breaking away from Hunter like a cocoon shedding its silk, leaving Hunter with no chance to overtake.

“Fuck…” Hunter cursed under his breath.

Winston continued to drive ahead of Hunter. This made Hunter suddenly feel a strange sensation… as if he had just been toyed with by the other guy. Every overtaking attempt felt like a kiss; each time Hunter tried to take control, he was suppressed by Winston.

Damn it! The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became!

Ciel and Owen ahead took turns entering the pit stop, signaling to Hunter that it was also time for him to change his tires.

Marcus grew anxious, “Quick, quick, quick! Hunter is going to change his tires!”

This was the moment when the Marcus team’s mechanics worked their magic. From the time Hunter entered the pit to when he got back on the track, it only took 2.1 seconds, setting their fastest record!

After leaving the pit, Hunter accelerated like a rocket, with his lap times getting progressively faster. Winston temporarily fell behind Hunter after his pit stop. Hunter knew he had to seize this opportunity to extend the gap, so he quickly charged toward Ciel ahead.

Ciel sneered, having long wanted to teach this brat a lesson.

Deep down, Hunter knew that for the Marcus team, maintaining their current position and advantage was incredibly valuable. If he risked it all against the veteran Ciel, he might end up off the track. Yet he couldn’t… resign himself to just maintaining this position.

Moreover… Shen Chuan and Little Xi³This is Shen Xi. Hunter sometimes calls her Little Xi would definitely want to know if their car could compete with the performance of the Mercedes team!

Hunter increased the horsepower, engaging head-on with Ciel at a slow corner. The two were like two sharp blades clashing with a flash of cold light. Ciel was secretly amazed and tightened the racing line, narrowly avoiding Hunter’s attempt to seize the overtaking point.

Hunter gritted his teeth, ready to continue the pursuit, but his tunnel vision on Ciel left him vulnerable to Winston, who had closed in from behind and overtook him in one swift move at the corner leading to the straight!

For the first time, Hunter felt the urge to shout out curses. This guy did it on purpose! He absolutely did it on purpose!

He could even imagine the upturned corners of Winston’s lips and the hint of smugness in his eyes!

Thus, the race completely turned into Hunter chasing Winston, Winston clashing with Ciel, and Ciel aiming to overtake Owen.

A series of risky overtakes ensued, and even the commentators remarked that this was the most skillful Grand Prix race of the year.

Hunter attempted to overtake Winston eight times, including four failed attempts at the corner exits.

The top three positions changed as quickly as the weather, with different results every second.

In the last six laps, it became evident that Ciel had given up trying to overtake Owen, shifting to defending against Winston. On the final lap, Owen was the first to cross the finish line, with Ciel and Winston almost simultaneously crossing, and Hunter closely following. The audience roared wildly, and the entire track seemed ablaze.

The final results were announced: Owen was the champion of this race, Ciel beat Winston by 0.04 seconds to take second place, Winston came in third, and Hunter held onto fourth.

Marcus’ team cheered loudly.

Marcus turned to look at Shen Chuan beside him, only to find he was no longer there. He was with Shen Xi and other mechanics, analyzing the performance data from the race.

“That lunatic… he should be celebrating with everyone right now!”

Hunter looked at the red Ferrari in front of him, suddenly feeling his eyes heat up. Winston had won the previous two races but this time he lost to Owen and Ciel. He wondered if Winston was upset.

But Hunter felt happy. Finally, he had been able to compete with Winston.

For the first time, he felt the strength of this man—controlling every moment, measuring every distance, and the decisiveness that seemed to cut through time. Everything Hunter aspired to have, Winston possessed.

Winston was the invisible force that guided Hunter forward. He admired him, appreciated him, and yearned to be like him. Even Winston’s defeat ignited a fire within him.

Hunter reached out, wanting to grasp Winston’s back. At that moment, Winston turned his head to look at him.

Hunter couldn’t see Winston’s face through the helmet and fireproof mask, but when their eyes met, Hunter felt as if his soul was pulled away in an instant.

It seemed like Winston smiled.

Hunter stood still for a long time, unable to calm down, until Winston had moved far away.

After receiving his award, Ciel was preparing for a post-match interview when someone suddenly hugged him from behind.

“Hey, thank you.”

Ciel paused, then sneered, “It’s rare to hear Lawrence Owen say thank you. I hope your gratitude is sincere and without ulterior motives.”

“Thank you,” Owen repeated, “I know if you hadn’t held back Winston, I wouldn’t have clinched the championship this time.”

“If that’s the case, you don’t need to thank me. I had to hold him off anyway. Though we may not get along, I’d rather you win than Vann Winston.” Ciel lowered his head slightly, his voice devoid of its usual arrogance, now sounding calm and steady.

“Because you and I represent the same era.” Owen smiled.

“And our era shouldn’t be easily overturned.”

Ciel turned around and fist-bumped Owen.

“We’ll rematch in the next race.”

“Of course.”

Back at the team, Hunter took off his helmet and rushed over to lift Shen Chuan who was holding a tablet. “Dr. Shen, you’re amazing! I really love your car!”

Shen Chuan helplessly patted Hunter’s shoulder, “Hunter! Hunter! Put me down!”

Hunter firmly put Shen Chuan back on the ground, “This is the first time I’ve competed with top drivers like Winston and Ciel! Our team’s car is awesome!”

“So, you shouldn’t have said ‘I really love your car,’ because the car you’re driving includes the efforts of all chassis mechanics, instrument mechanics, suspension mechanics, and many other mechanics…”

“I know, I know! It should be ‘our car’!” Hunter laughed.

“Next year’s Grand Prix, we’ll make sure to design a car for you that can truly compete with the big teams!” Shen Chuan smirked.

But Hunter’s gaze swept past Shen Chuan’s shoulder, meeting Shen Xi’s eyes. She stared at Hunter as if expecting something.

Hunter felt a bit scared. He remembered Shen Xi had once said she would strike him with lightning!

“Um… Little Xi, what’s up?”

“I’m also one of your mechanics, yet you don’t hug me like you hug my brother,” Shen Xi said in a serious tone.

The author has something to say:

Hunter: Excitedly running in circles! I made it into the top 4!

Winston: Mm.

Hunter: Striptease! Striptease!

Winston: Okay.

Hunter: Why are you taking off my clothes while dancing!

Winston: Because it’s a striptease!

• 1
  Q1 = first qualifying round. F1 qualifying is conducted in a three-stage “knockout” system, with the stages called Q1, Q2, Q3.
• 2
  The leading car has the right to use the racing line when entering a turn if the trailing car isn’t parallel to them, making overtaking impossible. However, if both cars enter the turn nearly parallel, the leading driver must allow space for the trailing car to overtake safely.
• 3
  This is Shen Xi. Hunter sometimes calls her Little Xi