Chapter 66: Chapter 63: The Strength of a Professional Racer
"Xiangbei, you’re still able to laugh?"
Seeing Chen Xiangbei’s relaxed expression, Lu Xiaoman really didn’t know what to say. This guy has nerves of steel, right?
"What else, should I cry?"
Chen Xiangbei replied with a smile. Having experienced the Monte Carlo night race where the brake discs were brighter than the brake lights, this was nothing but child’s play.
"I give up."
Lu Xiaoman finally understood Liang Chi’s point. As long as it’s related to racing, Chen Xiangbei is like a heartless machine that never considers what danger means.
He wouldn’t even know the word "fear"!
After chatting a bit about the underground races in East Sea, Chen Xiangbei continued his reaction training with Lu Xiaoman.
However, since Chen Xiangbei’s base reaction speed was too fast, simple ball-catching training wasn’t effective, so Lu Xiaoman switched to more complex coordination training.
For example, having Chen Xiangbei deliberately catch balls with his backhand, while constantly asking distracting questions, or making him solve math problems, and perform quick squats, etc.
Basically, the more complex, the more exhausting, the more anti-human, the better!
These training activities don’t just increase reaction speed, but also enhance the driver’s memory and limb coordination. Since Chen Xiangbei is like an unfeeling racing machine, they pushed the limits as hard as a machine’s standards!
As night fell, Chen Xiangbei finished his day’s training and returned to his room, feeling his muscles aching all over.
Although Lu Xiaoman initially said that considering his body’s recovery, she didn’t plan to conduct high-intensity strength training.
But as they trained, the layers kept adding up, and finally, the coordination training didn’t differ much from the intensity of aerobic training.
To be honest, Chen Xiangbei hadn’t experienced this kind of near-exhaustion from professional training in a long time.
But Chen Xiangbei has one advantage, and that is he can endure hardship!
In his past life, he was far behind the foreign karting drivers of the same age, but relying on hard work and perseverance, he defeated countless competitors step by step, finally standing at the doorstep of the highest palace of racing.
Still the same old saying, talent never represents everything.
Most people don’t work hard enough to even compete for talent.
Take the most famous Red Bull driver Verstappen for example, media often highlight his talent and his racing family background to attract attention.
In fact, Verstappen became a four-time champion and has the qualifications to compete as a goat in the racing world, mostly due to his consistent efforts over the years, dedicating almost all his time and energy to racing.
Even a little spare time off-season, Verstappen would still choose to practice on a simulator.
Why do drivers of the same era feel despair when facing Verstappen, and see him as an insurmountable mountain?
The reason is that he is more talented than you and works harder than you, truly living for racing.
In this situation, the idea of surpassing him defies logic!
Chen Xiangbei understands this principle well, and he never complains about the hardships of training; rather, the intensity of professional training is the foundation of his strength and the biggest difference from street drivers.
That is why one should never use a hobby to challenge someone else’s profession, because what they’ve given is far more than you!
After showering and lying in bed, before sleeping, Chen Xiangbei picked up his phone and saw several missed calls from Fatty Wang and Zhou Yanjing.
Since he needed to change racing suits, Chen Xiangbei usually didn’t bring his phone during professional training. Fatty Wang and Zhou Yanjing must have noticed he missed school and called anxiously to ask what was going on.
Seeing this, Chen Xiangbei called them back to inform them that he was currently undergoing racing training in East Sea and didn’t elaborate further.
Otherwise, considering Fatty Wang’s big mouth, it would eventually be "known to the whole city."
After hanging up, just as Chen Xiangbei put down his phone and was about to sleep, a QQ message notification popped up on the screen showing that the sender’s name was Dong Yuanxi.
[Xiangbei, why didn’t you come to class today?]
Almost three years into high school, this was the first time Chen Xiangbei received a proactive QQ message from Dong Yuanxi, which indeed surprised him.
[I’m at East Sea for racing training.]
Dong Yuanxi was one of the first girls in the school to know that he liked professional racing, so Chen Xiangbei chose not to deflect or hide the truth.
[How long will you be training?]
[I don’t know.]
Seeing the answer on her phone screen, Dong Yuanxi sitting at her desk instinctively pouted. Is Chen Xiangbei brushing her off?
After hesitating for a while, Dong Yuanxi typed out a message:
[Good luck! Stay safe.]
[Thank you.]
Still responding very politely and formally, Dong Yuanxi glanced at it and frowned slightly, then simply locked the screen and set the phone aside.
But after a moment, she picked it up again and sent another message.
[Can you come back for New Year’s Day?]
On the other side, upon seeing Dong Yuanxi’s QQ message, Chen Xiangbei also felt a bit puzzled.
In his impression, Dong Yuanxi was the cold goddess type, surrounded by admirers but never paying much attention. Yet today she not only reached out first but seemed to act strangely; could it be her account got hacked?
However, she didn’t ask to borrow money or send any spam links!
[Is there something you need?]
Chen Xiangbei, unwilling to guess any further, simply asked directly in his straightforward manner.
[It’s my birthday that day.]
Reading this response, Chen Xiangbei was momentarily stunned; he hadn’t anticipated this reason.
Could it be that Dong Yuanxi is hosting a birthday party and inviting classmates over?
Or possibly inviting him exclusively?
Considering these possibilities, Chen Xiangbei ultimately couldn’t bring himself to ask, as assuming too much could lead to awkwardness.
If not a driver, he might consider befriending a "sugar momma."
[I’ll try to come back.]
Chen Xiangbei couldn’t give a definite answer as plans couldn’t keep up with changes; many outcomes were beyond his control.
For instance, awaiting news from the Honda Suzuka Racing School – heaven knew when they’d finish analyzing the racing data, approve his application, or when he’d head to Japan for training.
[Good night]
[Good night]
The two set their phones aside after exchanging goodnight messages. Due to the exhausting training earlier, Chen Xiangbei drifted quickly into sleep.
Dong Yuanxi, however, propped her chin with her hand, gazing at the moonlight from the window, lost in thought.
The next morning, after waking up, Chen Xiangbei began executing the 8-hour training plan that Lu Xiaoman had prepared.
It involved two hours of track driving, two hours of simulation driving, and four hours of physical training.
Given that physically, Chen Xiangbei’s shortcomings were more significant compared to his driving skills, the early stages emphasized physical training.
During the morning track-driving session, Chen Xiangbei managed to improve the track record by another second, recording a time of 1:23.77.
This result astonished Miyamoto Shigeru, who initially thought that the adjustments made by Chen Xiangbei and his team were more of a psychological comfort, a "futile effort." Yet, this new Chinese talent managed to uncover some things, elevating the CFR2000 car to a new height.
It proved that drivers and cars are always complementary; without excellent drivers, technical directors and racing engineers alone can’t fully evaluate a car’s performance.
Similarly, without a good enough car, drivers can’t showcase their talents and speed.
It echoed what Chen Xiangbei initially said about the CFR2000: it was a case of being born at the wrong time!