Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Is Someone Hiding in the Light Computer?

Seeing Takumi win, the members of the Flying Team erupted in cheers.

“That was awesome! I knew Takumi would win!”

“Aaaah! Skill is what racing is all about!”

Gu Tianyou was once again lifted high into the air and tossed by his teammates.

“Exactly! Just like Brother Tianyou, who beat a T900 with a T500 today.”

It had to be said, even though they only took second place today, the race where Gu Tianyou beat the Empire to take first had given everyone a huge morale boost.

The members of the Flying Team shed yesterday’s gloom, their fighting spirit renewed and burning brighter than ever.

Bai Mufeng and Lan Shaoyu didn’t join the revelry. They simply leaned back on the sofa, the corners of their mouths lifting into faint smiles.

’It’s good they have some spirit. Much better than being so listless.’

…

Several more races were held over the next few days.

The Federation Team was no longer always finishing last; they occasionally managed to snag a first or second-place finish.

In stark contrast to the Federation Team’s soaring morale, the racers from the Empire and the Myriad Races looked increasingly grim.

Although the Federation wasn’t racking up a ton of points, being repeatedly overtaken by what they considered obsolete Flying Cars was an undeniable, humiliating slap in the face.

As a result, they weren’t happy even when they won.

The public, in particular, grew more and more critical. They suspected their own teams weren’t training hard enough, which was why the Federation people were managing to surpass them.

People were even calling on the Star Network for the current ten-person roster to be completely replaced for the next tournament.

This sentiment didn’t change right up until the end of the Flying Car races.

To figure out why the Federation people’s skills had suddenly improved so dramatically, the Flying Car teams from the Empire and the Myriad Races both investigated the anime everyone was talking about.

Namely, *Initial D*.

But they didn’t believe an anime was the reason the Federation’s Flying Car Drivers had suddenly had a breakthrough.

There had to be another reason!

They just didn’t know what it was.

No matter. The Empire’s Flying Team couldn’t be bothered to investigate why the Federation Team was winning anymore.

After all, they had already won the championship.

The Federation, on the other hand, had merely stopped finishing last and had only taken second place.

They were still a long way from surpassing the Empire.

By the next tournament, when their K1 model Flying Cars were released, the gap between them would only grow wider.

That’s right—the Empire’s Flying Car Drivers were, in fact, feeling a little uneasy.

Therefore, they planned to recommend to the Imperial Family that they continue to sell only T500-compatible energy cells to the Federation before the next racing season.

***

Today was the day the finals concluded.

Jiang Qin, Xie An’an, and their bodyguards had all managed to get tickets.

They were now gazing at the awards podium, their eyes full of anticipation.

As the captain of the Federation Team, Bai Mufeng accepted the runner-up trophy on stage on behalf of the Federation.

Finally! No longer last place!

The people of the Federation were more than satisfied.

They cheered, chanting the names of the Flying Team’s members.

Though Jiang Qin was usually quiet, she got swept up in the atmosphere and couldn’t help but join in the cheering for a bit.

When it was all over, she left the stadium still feeling a lingering sense of excitement.

Back at the hotel, she decided to celebrate by releasing all the final episodes of *Initial D*’s first season.

After some hesitation, she finally opened her Light Computer.

She sent a congratulatory message to a contact she had added but barely spoken to:

[Mr. Bai, congratulations.]

Bai Mufeng was just about to watch the new episodes of the anime with his teammates. He didn’t think much of the notification tone and casually opened the message.

But when he saw the flashing chat window labeled “Jiang Qin,” his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

He quickly tapped open the conversation and saw her message.

Gu Tianyou, who was sitting right next to him, noticed he was looking at his Light Computer instead of the anime and leaned over for a curious peek.

Since Bai Mufeng hadn’t activated the privacy screen when he opened his Light Computer, Gu Tianyou immediately spotted the name that piqued his curiosity.

“Huh? I thought you said you didn’t know Miss Jiang very well.”

Bai Mufeng casually pushed him away and activated the privacy screen.

Then he began to ponder how to reply.

’Would just “thank you” be too cold?’

’What if I say: “Thank you for the congratulations, Miss Jiang. Part of the credit for us taking second place belongs to you”?’

’No, that sounds a little too formal…’

For the first time in his life, Bai Mufeng felt that making conversation was truly an art form.

He’d never been this vexed over something so simple.

Normally, he was a man of few words. He rarely spoke, and when he did, he was direct and to the point.

But he didn’t want Jiang Qin to think his reply was dismissive and end the conversation.

’After all… he wanted to be her friend.’

’Of course, it wasn’t just to see the sequel to the anime. He simply found her to be a very interesting woman.’

’She was like a book, with something new on every page.’

’It was really hard not to be curious about her.’

After some thought, Bai Mufeng decided not to overthink it and just went with his gut:

[Thank you.]

[The anime you made is excellent, Miss Jiang. Will there be a sequel?]

’Jiang Qin was surprised. Someone like Bai Mufeng, who seemed like the epitome of a cool, aloof heartthrob, actually liked anime?’

She was a little taken aback.

After all, he seemed so mature.

But despite her surprise, she didn’t hesitate to type back.

She replied instantly: [Yes. Once I’m back in the Federation and have the time, I’ll produce and release the sequel.]

Bai Mufeng’s heart sped up slightly. He pressed his lips together and continued to type.

Using the content of *Initial D* as a starting point, the two of them fell into a back-and-forth conversation.

When he finally looked up, he realized both of his friends were staring at him with probing, amused expressions, as if watching a good show.

“Well, well, well. Finally willing to tear your eyes away from your Light Computer? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were hiding someone in there,” Gu Tianyou teased.

Lan Shaoyu chuckled beside him, apparently eager to hear his response.

But this was Bai Mufeng they were dealing with.

His greatest talent was his unshakable poker face, so they were destined for disappointment.

“You seem to have a lot of free time. In that case, you can handle the arrangements for our return to the Federation.”

Gu Tianyou shot back, “Hey, hey, are you changing the subject? Hmph! Fine, I’ll handle it. It’s not a big deal anyway.”

Although he wanted to tease him a little more, he didn’t really think much of it.

’After all, this was Bai Mufeng.’

’How could the same Bai Mufeng who wouldn’t even accept comforting possibly develop feelings for a woman he barely knew?’

So, he figured they were probably just talking about something else.

’However…’

’Thinking of the anime…’

Gu Tianyou thought that becoming Jiang Qin’s partner wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.

At the very least, he’d get to be the first to see her new projects and hear her new songs.

Besides, other than her somewhat low Spiritual Power Level, you could say Miss Jiang was flawless.

She was beautiful, had a lovely singing voice, and a calm personality.

She was much easier to get along with than many of the spoiled, hot-tempered women out there.

The more he thought about it, the better the idea seemed. He suddenly turned to his two friends and said, “What do you guys think? Should I pursue Miss Jiang?”

Lan Shaoyu chuckled. “If you can convince your family.”

As for Bai Mufeng, he just shot him a cool glance. Nothing more needed to be said.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep