Back home, Song Bo—who had always been a slacker, giving up on everything after three minutes—had, for the first time in his life, found a true mission. He was studying with a newfound, desperate intensity.
But he hadn't told Kai about his new project. Kai was busy. He was dizzyingly, overwhelmingly busy.
It was, in the most literal sense, a real job. And it was a critically important one:
Testing a race car.
In F1, the rules change every year. Technical directives can even be issued mid-season, redefining the boundaries of the rules. This means teams must design a new car every single year. If the changes are major—to core components like the engine or aerodynamics—a team might start designing the car one or even two years in advance.
Design, production, assembly. Then, the car is tested during the winter break.
Problems inevitably arise during testing, and the car must be sent back to the factory for adjustments. The schedule is packed solid in the lead-up to the season opener in March.
This testing is split into two parts: simulator testing and real-world track testing. It's a complex, grueling process.
The reason Monfardini had summoned Kai back was that the 2016 F1 car's real-world winter tests had not met expectations. The window for the team to make corrections was now very small; a full redesign was impossible.
So, the team had split into groups. One part was handling the on-track car, another was analyzing data, and a third had returned to the Maranello base to re-test in the simulator, to find the problems and develop solutions.
This simulator work wasn't just about the current car; it was about the next one. The data they gathered would become a crucial reference for next year's design. It was a "walk one, see three" strategy, and its importance couldn't be overstated.
This was where the academy's young drivers became invaluable. The testing process was also the perfect way for them to gain experience and bridge the gap to F1.
Of course, not just anyone was suitable. Every engineer had their preferred drivers, and Monfardini was no exception.
On one hand, the workload was immense. The F1 season started in March and F2 in April, meaning those drivers were already deep in their own preparations. GP3, however, didn't start until May, so Kai had time.
On the other hand, they needed a driver who was sharp, sensitive, and, most importantly, an excellent communicator—someone who could help the team gather data and provide precise feedback.
The first name that popped into Monfardini's head was Kai.
It wasn't just favoritism. The engineers at Maranello loved working with Kai.
He was still inexperienced, but he was humble and never ashamed to ask questions. And when he did ask, his questions were always insightful, often sparking new ideas. The engineers found that they, too, learned something from their conversations.
In fact, the team enjoyed their sessions with Kai. They were efficient, and they always led to new discoveries. The process itself was grueling—being on the receiving end of Kai's relentless interrogation was exhausting—but afterward, the tension would always break, and the stories of his "mad genius" would become the stuff of legend.
So, when Monfardini suggested Kai, the engineering team unanimously agreed.
Monfardini's only concern was whether Kai would be willing to do it.
To his surprise, Kai had enthusiastically agreed. A chance to be involved in the testing and development of an F1 car was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
Lu Cheng and Jiang Mo, after discussing it, also gave their blessing.
Jiang Mo had already decided they needed to go to Maranello anyway. As his guardians, they needed to sign the ART contract in person, see his living conditions, and meet with the academy staff.
At first, she had planned to just send Lu Cheng, but Kai managed to convince her. They could spend the Lunar New Year together as a family, and besides, she hadn't taken a real vacation in years. An opportunity to tour Italy... in the end, she couldn't refuse her son.
And so, the family of three, one after another, arrived in Maranello. It was their first time spending the holiday in a foreign country, and the feeling was completely different.
The moment he landed, Kai was thrown straight into the F1 simulator, busy from day one.
When his parents arrived, he was so swamped with work that he couldn't even meet them. The person who picked them up from the Milan airport and acted as their host was a familiar, smiling face: Rosana.
The enthusiastic Rosana played the role of host to perfection. She gave them a full tour of the Maranello base, showed them the living facilities, and, on New Year's Eve, insisted on hosting the entire family for dinner at her home.
"I love the culture of the Lunar New Year!" she'd declared. "It's so special, so happy! You could say, it's very Italian."
"Just as we would never let family spend Christmas alone, we cannot let you spend your New Year alone. We must celebrate together!"
She gave them no chance to refuse.
By the time they arrived at her home, it was too late—a massive, sprawling family of over fifty people was there to welcome them.
Kai's family had never seen anything like it. They were in Maranello, but it felt like a chaotic, wonderful, alternative New Year celebration, filled with laughter and joy.
Jiang Mo and Lu Cheng didn't stay long. Work was waiting back home, and the holiday was ending. Besides, Kai was working, too.
In a whirlwind trip, Jiang Mo met with the ART team to sign the contract, had a formal meeting with Marchionne, and met the F1 test team Kai was working with, charming them all by handing out small gifts of Peking Opera mask fridge magnets. After she had personally inspected Kai's apartment, the canteen, and his morning running route, she and Lu Cheng were on a plane home.
As they left, Jiang Mo gave Rosana a huge, warm hug and genuinely invited her to visit their "humble home" in Shanghai.
After that, Kai's life settled into a new, intense rhythm. He had truly become a member of the F1 test team, getting his first look at the world behind the curtain.
And just as Monfardini had expected, Kai was a constant source of surprises. His innate, "absolute car feel" was a priceless tool, allowing him to sense abnormalities that the data sometimes missed. He was, in less than three months, a real, contributing member of the team.
Busy times always fly by. It felt like the F1 season opener was just yesterday, and now, the GP3 season was about to begin.
It was time for Kai to leave Maranello and step onto a real racetrack.
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