A hug. This was not something Kai was good at. Just the thought of it made his skin crawl.
But Leclerc had told him it was the most effective way to break down barriers, more powerful than any words.
Kai had been hesitant.
Still, considering the two months of time and distance, and the new storm he was about to unleash, he'd decided to give it a shot. After all, if he failed, what was the loss?
It turned out Leclerc was right. The hug had said more than a thousand words, and the tense, confrontational atmosphere he had been dreading simply melted away.
The tension in Kai's own shoulders finally eased. His eyes darted to the side, where he noticed his father, Lu Cheng, had been completely left out.
Lu Cheng was standing there awkwardly, clearly wondering if he should join in, but ultimately deciding against it. He took a small step back and stared up at the ceiling, looking like a schoolboy being punished.
Jiang Mo, collecting herself, gently patted Kai's arm. "Let's not stand here blocking everyone. We'll talk at home."
Lu Cheng stepped up, looking around. He noticed Kai was only carrying a small backpack, with no luggage. A look of understanding crossed his face. Kai really had just planned for a quick trip.
He teased, "You lived there for two months and didn't acquire any more luggage?"
"It was always a short-term stay," Kai said, carefully watching his mother's expression. "No need to add burdens."
He saw it immediately. The brief joy of their reunion had passed, and his mother's face had settled back into a cool, calm reserve. It was the same attitude she'd had on the phone: she would ask about his health, but she would not, under any circumstances, discuss racing. She was completely ignoring the Ferrari part of his life.
His mom was definitely still angry.
Which is fair, he thought. They still hadn't had a real, sit-down conversation about it. Before the Lunar New Year, they would have to.
But not now.
Kai knew his number one priority. He had to ace his final exams. Everything else could wait. So, if his mom didn't want to talk about racing, he wouldn't either.
Instead, he started telling her about life in Italy, comparing the tourist experience from the summer camp to his time living in the non-tourist town of Maranello. He even showed off some of his new Italian.
He could tell she was pleased. She even engaged, asking him about the food. When Kai mentioned Rosana and her Sicilian home cooking, Jiang Mo's interest was piqued. She turned slightly in the passenger seat, listening intently.
Seeing this, Lu Cheng chimed in. "You're a lucky kid. Your Auntie Qiaomu heard you were coming back today and she's been cooking all morning. A whole feast, just for you. All your favorites."
Zhang Qiaomu. Jiang Mo's best friend, Song Bo's mother, and their next-door neighbor.
In the past, when his parents were busy, Kai would always go home with Song Bo, and Auntie Qiaomu would feed them both. They always joked she knew Kai's tastes better than his own mother.
It was just like with Rosana in Maranello. It seemed he was destined to be taken care of by kind women. No wonder his mother was so interested.
Kai laughed. "What time is it? The 'Doctor' must be starving. He's probably squatting downstairs banging his rice bowl on the pavement."
A small smile touched Jiang Mo's lips. "Not for lunch, for dinner. Did you get a gift for your Auntie Qiaomu?"
Kai grinned. "Of course. I know there was that perfume she always wanted. I bought it ages ago."
It was "Feast of the Epiphany," the same perfume Malèna had been wearing. His aunt had always wanted it but could never bring herself to buy it. The moment he'd arrived in Rome, it was the first thing he'd bought.
Jiang Mo glanced at him in the rearview mirror, her eyes crinkling with pleasure. But then her gaze lingered. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it, but... her son seemed older. There was a new, almost imperceptible layer of thoughtfulness, of melancholy, hidden behind the smile in his eyes.
She turned her gaze back to the window, lost in thought.
That night, Song Bo's parents, Song Yan and Zhang Qiaomu, hosted a massive welcome-home feast. The two families, six people in total, were crammed into their tiny, 60-square-meter apartment, the room buzzing with laughter and noise.
Their homes were in an area of Shanghai right on the border of the inner and middle rings, a neighborhood of "old public housing." The buildings were old, the apartments were cramped, but they were convenient, close to the city center, and full of life. Kai and Song Bo had grown up running through these alleys, and the crowded, happy room felt like home.
Kai's biological clock was a complete mess, still stuck somewhere between Maranello's rigid schedule and Shanghai time. But he had no time to adjust. The most important exams of his life started the next day. He had to prove to his mother that he could keep his word.
"Kai!"
"Kai! Zhi! Zhou!"
Song Bo's voice echoed from the hallway early the next morning. A few moments later, Kai appeared, his hair a mess, his eyes red and barely open.
Song Bo acted as his seeing-eye dog, dragging him down the stairs. He fished two skateboards out from their hiding spot, and the two of them shot off down the street.
The school was right across from their complex, not even a five-minute walk, so they always skated. They stashed their boards with the owner of the corner store and ran the rest of the way.
"So, you're telling me you didn't see Vettel or Räikkönen?"
"Did you see the new car? They're testing it at Maranello, right?"
"Who's in the academy? What's the training like? Just simulators? You can't drive a real car yet, right?"
Song Bo was a non-stop chatterbox, peppering him with questions, barely breathing. Kai would only answer one out of every four, but Song Bo didn't seem to care, his excitement building until he did a little spin move right into the classroom.
He crashed straight into someone. "Song Bo! What are you doing? Watch where you're going!"
Song Bo quickly turned to apologize.
But the commotion had already drawn the attention of the entire class. A sarcastic voice cut through the noise.
"Well, well, who is this? If it isn't our school's pride and joy, the one and only Ferrari driver, Kai Zhizhou!"
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