Night had settled in deeply.
The city slept. Noise and chaos sank beneath the surface, as if the world had slipped into an entirely different layer of reality.
Lu Cheng sat down across from Jiang Mo. His eyes drifted to the lone sheet of paper on the table. After a moment, he understood.
It was Kai's final exam report.
This time, his performance had slipped. Seventh in class. Twenty-second in the grade. A visible drop, impossible to ignore.
No wonder Jiang Mo could not sleep.
Lu Cheng exhaled softly.
"Jiang Mo, you know Kai has already done everything he can, right?"
"Ever since Ferrari announced the contract last September, the entire world has been watching him. Every small movement becomes a talking point."
"Races, training, constant travel. Even sleep is precious. And winter training was worse. There were days he could not even move afterward."
Kai had always been independent. He never complained, never shared hardship. He carried pressure on his own shoulders and spoke lightly over the phone, always optimistic.
But Rosanna had quietly stayed in contact with Lu Cheng and Jiang Mo, updating them on Kai's schedule. He had only just turned eighteen. Still a child. She did not want his parents worrying and kept them informed.
Those updates were brutal.
The intensity and volume of training were beyond imagination.
Lu Cheng understood. He knew motorsport. He knew what it meant to step into F1. Kai had leapt from street racing to GP3 to Formula One in a single year, trying to catch up on a decade of experience in months. Winter break had to be spent pushing limits.
Jiang Mo was different.
Even photos and brief notes left her uneasy. Seeing Kai lying motionless in sweat, unable to lift a finger, she had turned away more than once to wipe her eyes.
So she had already prepared herself.
With training this intense, how could there be time left for exams?
"You know," Lu Cheng said gently, "even this result exceeds expectations."
Jiang Mo closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. After a long silence, she nodded.
"I know."
"I also know that Kai already has a future. Ferrari. A clear path. Even if he skipped the exams entirely, no one would blame him."
"Look at the school. The principal and homeroom teacher both assumed he would not even sit the exams."
She knew the truth. Kai kept studying, kept testing himself, only because of her.
Jiang Mo pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and slid it across the table.
Lu Cheng opened it.
A check.
One million euros.
He looked up, stunned.
Jiang Mo's eyes reddened. She took several deep breaths before steadying herself.
"Kai gave it to me. He saved everything. The academy bonuses, ART prize money. He lived frugally in Europe and saved his first million. Before leaving, he sealed it in an envelope and handed it to me."
Her voice broke.
Jiang Mo had always known her son was sensible.
To outsiders, Kai's actions looked reckless. Street racing. Charging into Rome alone. All madness.
But she knew better.
Behind the defiance was clarity. He always knew what he was doing.
And yet, as a mother, she could not stop worrying. She clung tightly to the string, afraid that one moment of inattention would let the kite vanish into the storm forever.
"Lu Cheng," she asked quietly, "do you think I'm wrong? Too stubborn?"
"Kai is grown now. He earns more than we will in a lifetime. He has a future. Ferrari, of all things."
"And I am still clinging to a high school diploma."
Lu Cheng felt the weight of the check in his hand.
He shook his head.
"No. I understand why you insist."
Jiang Mo's voice turned heavy.
"This is a world obsessed with money. As long as you earn enough, everything else becomes meaningless."
"But is that really true?"
"F1 is ruthless. Even Räikkönen, a world champion, was pushed out overnight. Sauber's drivers raced for two or three years, then suddenly found themselves unemployed."
"Motorsport is a young man's game. F1 even more so. A Ferrari seat has no guarantees. Everything he has could vanish tomorrow."
Lu Cheng tried to interject, but Jiang Mo continued.
"And now it's not just about him."
"You saw the chaos at school. CCTV. Sports channels. He's no longer just a driver."
"He's becoming a symbol."
"Racing is not just a job. He could become a role model for countless young people."
"Like Spider-Man says. With great power comes great responsibility."
"When Kai put on Ferrari red, whether he wanted it or not, responsibility followed. He has to know right from wrong. He has to hold his line under pressure."
"That is what we taught him growing up."
"Studying was never about money. It was about learning how to be a person worthy of respect before gaining power."
That was why she wavered.
Not because of rankings.
But because she feared that fame might change him.
Lu Cheng lifted the check slightly.
"Then we should trust him."
"He plans ahead. He tried his best on the exams. He is trying to stay grounded."
"Right now, more than ever, he needs us behind him."
"He's not the only one being tested."
They sat in silence.
…
March arrived.
Fans stirred with anticipation. The new F1 season was approaching.
Before the season opener, winter testing began. Two weeks in Barcelona. Ten teams. Twenty drivers. Promotional shoots, group photos, media content. The paddock buzzed like a festival.
For teams, it was the first real test of new machinery.
For fans, it was the first glimpse of the new cars in motion.
Lap times drew attention, though they meant almost nothing.
Testing was about mileage, not glory.
Barcelona remained the standard. Balanced. Comprehensive.
Yet this year brought disaster.
Rain. Cold snaps. Even snow.
Testing schedules collapsed. Teams struggled. FIA headaches multiplied. Calls resurfaced to move testing to the Middle East.
Mercedes even built a snowman in the garage and named it Karl, stealing attention online.
Amid the chaos, one target stood out.
Kai.
Why?
Because he was the only rookie to jump straight from a single GP3 season into Ferrari.
Others struggled for years just to secure midfield seats.
And he walked into red.
FIA had bent rules again. Super license fast-tracked.
After Bianchi. After Verstappen. Promises broken.
Online outrage erupted.
When Kai's lap times hovered ninth and tenth in the rain, the knives came out.
Mockery flooded timelines.
"Baby driver."
"Bring back Kimi."
"Ferrari disaster."
"Get him out before the season starts."
Memes exploded.
"Baby, don't cry."
And when the sun finally returned, the jokes stayed.
Few noticed that Kai had run every tire compound. That most hard-tire data came from him. That Ferrari was hiding pace.
Mekies understood.
Clear. Calm. Patient.
Kai was building his foundation.
Lap times meant nothing.
Adaptation meant everything.
While the internet screamed, the Ferrari garage stayed quiet.
By the end of testing, Kai ranked eighth overall.
Unremarkable.
Perfect.
Because his season had not even begun.
And now, Melbourne awaited.
The lights would go out.
And the real world would finally begin.