By the time Derek Su returned from running his errands, it was nearly ten o'clock.
Not seeing Stella at home startled him. After searching everywhere, he finally found her fast asleep in the warehouse—collapsed beside a mountain of empty ice cream tubs.
"No wonder they call you the Ice Cream King," Derek Su sighed helplessly.
She must've eaten herself into a sugar coma. Even asleep, she held onto the last half-finished tub like treasure.
The next morning—
Derek Su was jolted awake by knocking outside the recycling yard.
He stood up and saw Stella still curled up on the floor, having rolled over in her sleep. Her face was pressed against a cold tub of melted ice cream, her butt sticking into the air without the slightest awareness.
Any normal girl would've woken up freezing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Anyone home? Derek Su?"
"Here! Here! Stop knocking!" Derek Su shouted back.
Stella jerked awake instantly, sprang up with a backflip, and—still half-asleep—fell into a fighting stance, shouting in a drowsy, babyish voice:
"Uuugh! Prepare to die, ice cream thief!"
Derek Su: "…"
To avoid being taken out by a headbutt meant for an imaginary thief, he pressed himself against the wall, slipped around Stella, and opened the door.
Standing outside were three people: the flashy, pink-clad, sunglasses-wearing Mr. Ming—the Hello Kitty racing-suit sponsor with a mouthful of gold teeth; the Module shop owner; and Kyle Zhang, the yellow-haired kid from Ascend Club.
"Yo! Our King of Knox is out!" Mr. Ming waved enthusiastically.
"Mr. Su, I truly underestimated you last time. I came specifically to apologize today," the shop owner said with a smile plastered on his face, holding a box.
Kyle Zhang looked painfully awkward, eyes darting everywhere. He seemed like he wanted to speak but couldn't, only letting out a defeated sigh.
His injuries were healed, but all his money had gone into his treatment.
"What are you all doing here so early?" Derek Su glanced sideways at Kyle Zhang. The guy was pretty pitiful—basically made a clown by Jade-786—so Derek Su refrained from mocking him.
"Derek Su, I'm here to discuss sponsorship." Mr. Ming jerked his chin at his bodyguards, who snapped open two black cases. Inside were stacks of cash.
"Two million!" He flashed a peace sign, then pulled out a bright pink racing suit and handed it to Derek Su. "Wear this in all your races from now on, and the two million is yours. And for every advanced race you win—up to the provincial level—I'll double the amount!"
The offer was tempting, but Derek Su had principles.
Besides, the suit had been upgraded. The old Hello Kitty design was gone—replaced with nothing but giant sticker-like photos of Mr. Ming's daughter from every angle.
The last time Derek wore one of these at the airport, people already thought he was a lolicon. If he switched to this version, he'd never live it down.
"Mr. Ming, it's not about the money. I just want to wear something normal…" Derek Su pushed the suit back, trying to refuse politely. "And… there are simply too many photos of your daughter…"
Before he could finish, Mr. Ming bent deeply at the waist, voice trembling:
"Mr. Derek Su, I know you don't care about the money, but I still beg you—please accept my sponsorship." His voice cracked. "My daughter… her dream is to become a driver. But she has stage IV heart failure—there's no cure. She lies in bed every day… barely able to move…"
The two bodyguards beside him were already wiping tears.
Derek Su pressed his lips together, heart sinking as he looked at the smiling girl printed on the racing suit.
No wonder the photos were all close-ups—and she looked so frail. She probably couldn't sit up long enough for full-body shots anymore.
This world could mend severe injuries, even reattach limbs, but heart disease and cancer were still as difficult to treat as in his previous life.
If Mr. Ming's daughter truly had stage IV heart failure… she probably didn't have much time left.
"I want you to take her with you—let her see the world through your races. Even if she can't compete, watching you walk onto the track wearing her photos… that would be the happiest moment of her life." Mr. Ming bent even lower, unable to lift his head. In Derek Su's memory, he'd always been lively and bold, full of bravado. It was hard to reconcile that image with the sorrowful figure trembling before him now.
He was a father—willing to cast aside pride for his daughter.
"Why'd you only make a suit for Master? Why not one for me?" Stella poked her head out from behind Derek Su, upset. "Master must be rejecting you because you didn't make me a suit too! How could you not give a cute pink racing suit to a genius Mecha Girl like me?!"
Mr. Ming froze. Tears and snot still on his face, he stared at Derek Su.
"M-Mr. Su… is that really why?"
"Mhm." Derek Su nodded. "Leaving out my Mecha Girl is a bit unfair."
The surprise hit Mr. Ming so hard he looked between his bodyguards in a panic.
"I—I was only afraid of offending your Mecha Girl… And honestly, from a design standpoint, this suit… it's really not very attractive, so I…"
"No, I think it's beautiful," Stella said, nudging Derek Su. "Right, Master?"
Derek Su looked at the smiling girl on the suit, his eyes softening.
"Yes. It's beautiful."
This suit carried a father's love—how could it be ugly? It was the most meaningful suit in the world.
"Mr. Ming, if you're willing to make a suit for my Mecha Girl as well, I'll accept your sponsorship."
"Willing! Of course I'm willing!"
Mr. Ming scrubbed his face with both hands, then yelled to his bodyguards:
"What are you waiting for? Bring the truck!"
Truck? What?
Derek Su and Stella exchanged confused looks.
Moments later, under their stunned gazes, two bodyguards drove up a truck stuffed full of racing suits.
No one knew how many sets there were, but for competition use alone, it was enough for Derek and Stella to wear for a century.
"Mr. Derek Su, you and your Mecha Girl can wear these however you like. They're high-end, auto-vacuum-fitted suits—use one a day and toss it. If you run out, just call me and I'll send over two more trucks!"
Derek Su glanced at Stella. "…"
He'd felt touched earlier, but that feeling was evaporating fast.
He had originally planned to lower the sponsorship amount for Mr. Ming. That thought vanished instantly.
...
Mr. Ming left in high spirits.
Derek Su and Stella stood silently, staring at the mountain of racing suits.
"Um, Mr. Derek Su…" The Module shop owner wiped sweat from his forehead and approached cautiously.
But Derek Su rolled his eyes, ignored him entirely, and walked straight to Kyle Zhang.
The shop owner turned pitifully toward Stella. Stella weighed two pineapples in her hands, staring up at the sky while whistling an oddly off-key tune.
"Hey, Kyle Zhang. What do you want from me?"
Derek Su stared at him expressionlessly, his eyes devoid of warmth.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser