The next day, Hunter slept until almost noon.
Winston was no longer beside him.
Hunter reached out to touch the spot where Winston had been lying. It was still warm, indicating Winston had stayed with him for quite some time.
Before the actual race, a team like Ferrari needed to handle final technical preparations, so Winston couldn’t enjoy the same freedom as Hunter.
On the bedside table, there was a note in Winston’s handwriting: Looking forward to competing with you.
Hunter ran his fingers over the paper, feeling the indentations left by Winston’s writing, and raised the corners of his lips.
Although Hunter wasn’t entirely pleased about Winston’s fingers being inside him, considering how good Winston made him feel… he decided to forgive him.
Hunter went into the bathroom, stood under the running water, and slowly reached behind himself… He couldn’t believe that just Winston’s fingers could make him feel so good that he could float. Plus, there was no discomfort in his body. Yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about the wildness of last night.
It’s just that… if Winston’s massive thing were to actually enter him… it would be really difficult…
But the touch of Winston’s lips, the force of his sucking, the flick of his tongue, and even his fingertips drove Hunter crazy… He was convinced he was under a spell. Despite the danger and potential pain, even if it could one day lead to his death, Hunter still liked Winston and wanted to be with him.
In the afternoon, Hunter followed the team back to the racetrack.
The race was set to start at 8 PM.
The media was covering the pre-race events, and the excitement among the spectators was palpable. It felt as though all of Singapore was jumping along.
Hunter settled into his seat, leaned back, and took a deep breath.
His legs moved as if they were managing the clutch, while his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.
The Marina Bay Street Circuit had its beautiful sides, but it also had its merciless aspects.
The narrow roads and treacherous curves made it easy to lose control at high speeds. If one’s speed was excessive or the brakes weren’t applied in time, there was a real risk of plunging into the sea at the end of the straightaway.
Hunter was determined to finish this race.
He knew that overtaking Winston on a track like this would be meaningful.
As the actual race was about to start, Hunter’s gaze was fixed on the red Ferrari positioned diagonally ahead, his eyes burning with intensity.
If I win against you this time, you can do whatever you want to me as a consolation.
Hunter’s lips curled into a smile, and his eyes sharpened.
As soon as all five lights went out, he surged forward.
Ciel, in pole position, maintained his advantage, slipping into the first corner and holding the lead, not giving Owen behind him any chance to challenge.
Owen drove cautiously but maintained his speed, using a smooth racing line to keep Winston at bay.
Hunter launched an attack on Winston in the narrow curve, throwing all plans and calculations to the wind. Everything was driven by instinct.
The Marcus team thought this was just another one of Hunter’s attempts to overtake on the Marina Bay Street Circuit, but Winston, the one being pursued, knew that Hunter had already begun the fight.
Hunter’s racing line was aggressive. Winston defended with all his might until he almost lost speed due to running onto the curb. Despite this, he managed to stabilize his line and retain his position.
The audience was serious. To them, Winston appeared to be driving recklessly, but Hunter knew very well that this guy was doing it on purpose.
While Hunter planned his overtaking move, Enzo from the Lotus team was right behind him, also looking for an opportunity.
Enzo stayed close to Hunter, having learned from their previous duel never to underestimate this young man’s defensive skills. He knew that if he wasn’t careful, Hunter’s defense could force him to lose the ideal racing line.
On a slow curve, Enzo attempted to overtake Hunter. Hunter swiftly adjusted his line, maneuvered his car, and exited the curve with agility. As Enzo drove over the curb, a large piece of debris fell off his car, almost causing him to drop out of the race.
On lap 17, Ciel made his first pit stop, switching to hard tires. After exiting the pits, he briefly fell behind Owen. In the following lap, Owen and Winston also pitted in succession. When they exited, Owen found himself temporarily behind Ciel.
On lap 19, Hunter executed a brilliant pit stop and set off in pursuit of Winston on the narrow track. The tension was palpable as they fought for position; Hunter would gain a slight edge in the corners, only to be overtaken by Winston again. The audience was on the edge of their seats.
At this moment, Hunter seemed to lose sight of the competition. Winston’s skillful decisions and mastery of the racing line were thrilling, and Hunter relished every moment.
Dueling with this man heightened Hunter’s senses, making him more alert and sharper than ever.
Despite several fierce battles in the corners, Winston always managed to gain the upper hand at the last moment. The two even broke the fastest lap record of the race!
Hunter’s excitement grew with each passing lap, and it became increasingly clear that he was a significant threat to Winston.
“He’s grown so much. The more he drives, the sharper he gets. He’s already breathing down Winston’s neck.” Audrey Wilson sighed from the press box.
“That’s right. Who would have thought that this kid, who spent three consecutive races in the lower ranks when he first entered Formula 1, would now be unsettling the big teams?” Mr. Cacho showed a look of admiration.
As the battle between Winston and Hunter was electrifying, with both drivers seemingly on the brink of forcing each other onto the white line, Owen suddenly spun on the curb in front of them. His car was sideways at the apex of the corner, just as Winston was entering it.
In the heat of competing for the apex with Hunter, Winston delayed his braking and was about to crash into Owen at full speed.
Hunter, trailing closely behind Winston, widened his eyes and shouted, “Winston—”
Winston reacted swiftly, adjusting his direction to narrowly avoid Owen. However, Owen’s car spun again, its front suspension malfunctioning, and was now on a collision course with Hunter.
Hunter gritted his teeth and quickly adjusted his direction, but the corner was not wide enough; there might not be enough room to dodge!
Winston, who had originally been safe, suddenly turned his car and collided with Owen. Winston’s right side slammed into Owen’s front wing, sending fiber debris scattering. Winston used his car to push against Owen, forcing him towards the run-off area and clearing a path for Hunter.
The moment Hunter drove through the corner, he felt the weight of pressure Winston was bearing. The world seemed to shatter before his eyes.
The front wing of Owen’s car appeared to hit Winston’s body. Hunter felt an unbearable, excruciating pain throughout his body as if sharing Winston’s pain.
In the brief instant he passed by the other car, he saw Winston gesture towards him: Go!
Hunter’s heart tightened. He didn’t have time to look back.
What about Winston? How was he?
The only thing Hunter could think about was to see him! He accelerated like crazy, determined to finish this lap quickly so he could find out how Winston was!
Winston… Winston…
In Hunter’s mind, the image of Winston using his car to shield Owen’s out-of-control vehicle replayed over and over. The sight of debris felt like it pierced through his nerves repeatedly.
It hurt! It hurt so much!
Ciel, who was leading, sensed something happening behind him. When he felt a frantic pursuit, he realized it was Hunter closing in!
Hunter seemed intent on pushing Ciel off the track but managed to stay within the boundaries to avoid a penalty. However, this aggressive pursuit made Ciel grit his teeth.
Having lost to Hunter in the previous race, Ciel was determined not to lose this time!
Even though the track required more focus on stability than speed, Ciel didn’t hesitate to increase his speed to block Hunter.
Get lost!
Get lost, all of you!
Hunter was consumed with the need to return to the scene of the incident.
He felt like he had gone mad, thinking only of breaking through every constraint to get back to that man.
For the first time, Ciel felt genuinely pushed to his limits, nearly driving off the white lines multiple times. He didn’t know what had just happened to make Hunter disregard everything, but even in such a state, Hunter could still drive with the same speed and precision as before. Ciel felt that this kid was terrifying.
Finally, Hunter reached the scene of the incident.
Owen and Winston’s cars were in a terrible state, shattered and broken. There was no one in the cars anymore in the run-off area.
Where was Winston?
Hunter gritted his teeth, his mind going blank. The road ahead lost its significance.
The radio in his car crackled with Marcus’s voice, “Hunter! Listen to me! Don’t be impulsive! Winston is fine. He just called us to specifically tell you to finish this race for him!”
At that moment, Hunter’s scattered thoughts returned, and the world came back into focus.
He could imagine Winston’s calm and composed demeanor as he spoke on the phone, his eyes slightly lowered.
Hunter, finish this race for me.
Hunter took a deep breath and clenched his teeth.
I will finish this race.
I will come to you at the fastest speed!
The Marina Bay Street Circuit, with its ups and downs, demanded maximum performance from the car.
As Hunter relentlessly pursued Ciel through the narrow sections of the track, Enzo from Lotus also had an accident behind them. His car scraped against Penny’s from Renault.
Penny’s rearview mirror shattered from the impact, and the side of Enzo’s car was damaged, forcing him to withdraw from the race.
With the race only two-fifths complete, the high withdrawal rate surprised many media outlets.
On the narrow street circuit, Hunter continued to threaten Ciel, trying to overtake him. The distance between their cars was so small that Marcus almost cried.
“What is that stupid kid trying to do? Didn’t I already tell him Winston’s okay? Finish the race for him, not die for him!”
“Trust him, Marcus. Hunter knows what he wants and what he should do. When other drivers get excited, they might make irrational decisions, but when Hunter gets excited… he does things beyond our imagination,” Shen Chuan reassured, standing beside him.
Another lap passed, and Hunter remained the driver putting the most pressure on Ciel.
Even though, in the first five laps, Ciel felt that this kid was insane, he only felt fear now. What made this brat, who joined the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the first time, so flawless and aggressive with his racing lines and braking? Every duel in the corners felt like a death warning to Ciel, and Hunter showed no signs of backing off.
Ciel and Hunter entered the pits for the second time in sequence.
This allowed Donald, who was behind, to take the lead temporarily. But two laps after Ciel exited the pit, he managed to reclaim first place.
Next to pass Donald was Hunter, whose overtaking line made Donald lose his temper.
“Alright! Go ahead, kid. Safe travels!”
Hunter felt a power building within him, lap after lap. His thoughts were like waves crashing against the shore, having traveled through storms from afar, yet losing none of their strength as they hit the cliffs.
At another slow corner, Hunter stubbornly attempted another overtake. Ciel gritted his teeth, maintaining his advantage. As the two cars exited the corner nearly side by side, Ciel pulled ahead on the straight but couldn’t shake off Hunter. This led them into another intense battle in the following corner.
The friction of their speeding tires seemed to ignite the ground, and the media’s attention was wholly focused on the championship battle between Ciel and Hunter!
“This is too terrifying! Driving like this… that kid is going to cause an accident! He needs to calm down right now!” Audrey Wilson clenched her fingers. She had seen that Winston had safely avoided Lawrence Owen in a split second, but his subsequent actions clearly indicated he had deliberately shielded Hunter.
There was only one reason for doing this: to protect Hunter, who was following behind.
But everything Hunter was doing now seemed entirely irrational, almost wasting Winston’s sacrifice for him.
“No… Evan Hunter isn’t the type to be rattled and lose his cool on the track. On the contrary, his driving has been flawless up until now. Pay attention to his braking and racing lines. This is the Marina Bay Street Circuit, and his car’s ground clearance1This is the height from the ground to the lowest point of the car’s underside. It’s crucial in racing as it affects the car’s aerodynamics and handling. is even lower than that of other drivers. He’s going to take down Ciel. He knows exactly what he’s doing.” Mr. Cacho rested his chin in his hand, his eyes filled with unconcealed admiration.
The race entered its final eight laps, with Hunter still closely following Ciel. His braking into corners was increasingly aggressive, even brushing against the white line as he turned. This made the seasoned Ciel realize that this brat was adapting to the track at an astonishing speed. Every corner and every straight had been conquered by Hunter’s driving skill. He wasn’t thinking about technique anymore; he was relying purely on instinct.
When a driver races purely on instinct, it becomes terrifying.
But Hunter… Owen and I represent an era.
Our era won’t let you pass us that easily.
Ciel and Hunter exchanged the lead repeatedly, leaving the audience screaming. The track seemed on the verge of being torn apart by these two cars, both of them breaking lap speed records one after the other.
The duel finally reached its last lap.
Other drivers on the track became mere extras, as the focus was solely on Ciel and Hunter.
Blood pulsed at Hunter’s fingertips as if it might burst from confinement. His breath caught in his throat. A third of the lap had passed, and Hunter still hadn’t overtaken Ciel. But just when everyone thought the race’s outcome was decided, Hunter increased his speed through a slow corner, widening his racing line. As it looked like he was about to crash into the run-off area, the audience stood up, Audrey Wilson shielded her eyes, and time seemed to flip upside down…
Hunter’s heart felt like it had dropped from a great height, plunging into the calmest ocean in Winston’s eyes. His hands jerked the steering wheel, the world spun around him, and he miraculously made the apex, taking the corner ahead of Ciel and charging into the long straight!
Marcus stood up wide-eyed, mouth agape, as the entire audience seemed ready to explode.
Hunter raced down the straight as if breaking through the shackles of time. Ciel pursued at high speed, and the two cars nearly crossed the finish line simultaneously!
The moment they passed, the world fell silent. The roaring engines were drowned out by the stunned gazes in an instant.
Hunter’s hearing and vision seemed to scatter at that moment.
His heart raced and his breath surged.
Then Marcus’s frantic shouting came over the radio, “Hunter—Hunter! You’re the champion! You beat Ciel by 0.4 seconds! You won! You won!”
At last, Hunter realized what had been building up inside him.
It was his tears.
He leaned his head against the steering wheel, his helmet filling with uncontrollable tears.
“Hunter! You have to drive to receive the trophy! Hunter! We’ll pop the champagne to celebrate! Hunter… Oh… Hunter… I never thought in my entire life that this day would come…” Marcus babbled incoherently.
Hunter spoke in a hoarse, choked voice, “Winston… where is he? I want to hear him speak…”
He wanted to hear him call his name softly.
He wanted to be picked up by him.
He longed for the sound of his racing heartbeat in his chest.
Everything about him… Hunter missed him so much it hurt.
“Winston… he’s in the hospital…”
Hunter suddenly jerked upright from his seat.
“What… what did you say?”
His heart went cold. The madness that had made him struggle to breathe on the racetrack was now frozen in place.
Fear overwhelmed him instantly.
“Don’t be nervous, Hunter. Listen to me… It looks like Owen’s front wing fell onto Winston’s car and struck his shoulder, but Winston managed to dodge it… It just seems like his shoulder or arm is sprained… It’s nothing serious! Not a drop of blood! The team doctor just thought he should get a check-up. This is certain! We’ve been in constant contact with the Ferrari team, and if anything comes up, they’ll tell us first.”
Hunter could barely keep his grip on the steering wheel.
Winston was injured? His shoulder…
The most critical thing for a driver is their physical strength and reflexes. Even a small injury could impair a driver’s ability, posing a risk to their career.
Hunter was about to drive back. He didn’t want to receive the trophy. He wanted to go to the hospital!
At that moment, Winston’s voice came over the radio. Marcus had called him on the phone and put it through. The voice was low, with the sound of the team’s celebration in the background.
“Hunter, congratulations on winning the championship,” Winston’s voice came through. Even though the world was so noisy that it was deafening, Hunter could easily filter out everything and find his voice.
Hunter opened his mouth, only to find he couldn’t speak a single word.
“Hunter, you have to attend the award ceremony, stand on the highest podium, and say hello to Ciel on my behalf,” Winston’s voice was as calm as ever, but it carried warmth that made Hunter’s eyes burn.
“…Alright.”
“You must smile with full confidence because I’ll be watching you. I’ve asked Miss Anne to take pictures of you.”
“Okay,” Hunter replied forcefully.
“Don’t make a peace sign; it looks silly.”
“Okay.” Hunter let out a small laugh, but tears still flowed heavily from his eyes.
“Remember to put your arm around Ciel’s shoulder. That’ll make him pull a sour face.”
“…You’re so bad.” Hunter laughed even more.
“I was never a good person to begin with,” Winston replied.
At that moment, Ciel drove up beside Hunter, flipping him off in frustration and roaring, “You brat! You’ve been staying there too long! Everyone’s waiting for you!”
Hunter grabbed the steering wheel and shouted back, “Why are you in such a rush! You’re not the champion!”
“Shit! Do you want to die!” Ciel was so furious that he was practically on fire.
“Then come and punch me!”
“Just be smug about it! In the next race, I’ll make you cry!”
This wasn’t the first time Hunter had stood on the podium, but it was the first time he’d stood on the highest spot.
He had made history this Formula 1 season, being the first driver from a mid-to-small team to win a Grand Prix.
Second place went to Ciel, and third place went to Donald, who burst into tears at the announcement of his rank.
During the photo session, Hunter put his arm around Donald, who was grinning from ear to ear. When Hunter reached out with his other arm to hug Ciel, the guy predictably gave a grumpy shrug of his shoulder.
“You brat! What are you doing? Get your arm off!”
“Taking a photo!” Hunter replied matter-of-factly.
“You can take a photo without putting your arm around my shoulder!”
“That way, the media might say we don’t get along,” Hunter whispered.
“We don’t get along to begin with!” Ciel’s eyebrows nearly flew off his forehead in anger.
“They’ll also say you’re a sore loser and can’t accept me beating you.”
Ciel knew he wasn’t imagining things. Hunter’s voice really did sound spiteful. He had no choice but to let Hunter’s arm press down on his shoulder.
“You brat, you’re so damn smug!”
“…What’s there to be smug about… the most important person to me isn’t by my side.”
It was a very soft sentence. Hunter thought Ciel didn’t hear it, but Ciel turned his face away, and his eyes seemed to be getting red.
Right. He had forgotten how Owen had been involved in the incident. They had been rivals for over ten years, and he must be worried sick now.
Once the award ceremony was over, it was time for interviews.
But Hunter wasn’t in the mood. He walked up to Marcus, barely opening his mouth before Marcus patted his shoulder. “Why are you still standing here? Winston’s done with his medical check-up, and he just has minor injuries. It definitely won’t affect his driving career! But the collision totaled the Ferrari. That Miller guy must be crying his eyes out by now.”
Hearing that Winston was alright, Hunter finally managed to smile without having to pretend.
“He’s back at the hotel. Let me and the PR manager handle the post-race interviews! I’ve arranged a car to take you there! Hurry!”
At that moment, the Marcus team was completely surrounded by the media.
Hunter quickly changed out of his racing suit and into mechanic’s overalls that his assistant handed him, pulling a baseball cap down low and weaving his way through the crowd with several mechanics.
He then saw Shen Chuan waiting for him in a car.
“Hey, Hunter! I know you’re a great driver, but this time I’ll be the one to drive you.” Shen Chuan waved.
Hunter’s heart warmed. Everyone was looking out for him, whether it was Marcus or Shen Chuan. They must have been worried that the incident might have shaken him up and he might have an accident on the way.
Hunter couldn’t stop worrying. He didn’t know what to say when he saw Winston.
Just “thank you”?
The phrase “thank you” felt too shallow. Just “thank you” couldn’t compare to the deep feelings Hunter had for Winston.
Hunter’s toes twitched, and his fingers kept fiddling with the edge of the window, twisting his wrist. He looked restless.
The author has something to say:
Hunter: There’s another place that’s more important to me than the championship podium.
Winston: Where?
Hunter: Your heart.
![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")
