Speed ​​God

Chapter 102 White Lies
Lu Zhizhou dislikes hospitals. He never has.

He still remembers that year, when he was six or seven years old, an ambulance arrived at his doorstep in the dead of night. Amidst the chaos, he groggily got up and stood in the darkness. In the red and blue lights, he could see Jiang Mo covered in sweat and looking pained, as well as Lu Cheng's panicked and anxious figure. The noise and turmoil seemed to engulf them like a tidal wave.

Then, Lu Cheng carried him in one arm, followed the ambulance, and headed to the hospital.

Even now, he still doesn't know what happened to Jiang Mo that night. He only remembers the doctor saying in the hospital corridor with lingering fear, "Fortunately, everything was done in time. If it had been five minutes later, it would have been too late."

That night, he curled up on a chair in the hospital corridor, half-asleep and half-awake. His memory was already blurred, only the pungent smells, the cold air, and the tired and fearful faces blurred into a blur of light and shadow, inadvertently awakening those painful memories deep in his heart.

Perhaps, for some, a hospital is a place to save lives; but for Lu Zhizhou, it was always a place where he almost lost his mother.

Standing here, I feel a sense of powerlessness, the powerlessness of a child shrouded in the shadow of death.

Sincerely, Lu Zhizhou hoped that Hervi could leave this place in good health.

Not long after, the other two boys from the Leclerc family came out. They stood across the hallway, their eyes meeting Lu Zhizhou's awkwardly, but neither of them spoke.

The occasion was so unusual that they didn't have a chance to formally introduce themselves.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Zhizhou took the initiative to break the silence, "I am Lu Zhizhou, Xia Er's friend at the academy."

The long-faced boy with messy hair looked over, his eyes full of stubbornness. He only glanced at Lu Zhizhou before immediately looking away. "I know you, you won two titles at the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, but Charles is better than you."

Lu Zhizhou chuckled. His face was a bit thinner and longer than Leclerc's, with noticeable pimples on his forehead. "I guess you're Arthur."

Leclerc had three brothers: Lorenzo, Charles, and Arthur. Lu Zhizhou remembered Leclerc saying that all three brothers ran go-karts, but the older brother had given up, while the younger brother was still persisting.

Beside him, Lorenzo Leclerc ruffled Arthur's hair. Arthur sullenly turned his head away in protest, grumbling about not messing up his hair. He looked directly into Lu Zhizhou's eyes and said, "Sorry, ignore him. He thinks the Ciel is the best in the world."

Lu Zhizhou smiled and looked at Arthur, "I also think that Charles is extremely outstanding. Extremely outstanding."

Arthur turned his head away, ignoring Lu Zhizhou.

Just as Lu Zhizhou was about to speak again, the ward door opened once more, and the nurse and Pascal came out one after the other, with Hervé's excited voice coming from inside.

"...Pole position? Haha, I knew it, Charles, you can do it. One day in the future, you will enter F1 and you will win the Monaco Grand Prix."

The joy didn't last long; the conversation shifted, and the voice involuntarily lowered.

"But I don't know if I'll be able to see that day with my own eyes."

The air seemed to freeze. Pascal stopped in his tracks, turned to look at the ward, and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Then, Leclerc's voice came from inside, "Dad, I've signed with the F1 team. The contract is ready, and Nicolas is reviewing it. It should be signed by next week at the latest."

Pascal was stunned.

Not only her, but Leclerc's other two brothers were also stunned. The older brother subconsciously looked at Lu Zhizhou, but Lu Zhizhou didn't know how to respond. The air fell into a brief silence, and all that could be heard was Hervé's joyful voice, which he tried his best to suppress but still couldn't control his joy and happiness.

"Really, Ciel?"

“Pascal, did you hear that?” “Oh God, thank God, Charles, you did it. I knew you could do it, my boy, this is wonderful! You’re going to be an F1 driver.”

As he spoke, Hervé began to cough violently, laughing loudly as he coughed. Even though his body couldn't withstand the strain, nothing could stop his happiness.

Pascal finally couldn't hold back and turned back to the ward. "Hevy, you should rest. You scared us all half to death today."

Not long after, Pascal and Leclerc left the ward and returned to the corridor.

Pascal looked at Leclerc quietly. She wanted to say something, but after glancing at Lu Zhizhou and then at her other two sons, she managed to control herself. Tears welled in her eyes, and she finally nodded slightly to Lu Zhizhou with an apologetic smile. She then turned and pulled Leclerc toward the fire escape. Behind the creaking door, her reproachful voice could be heard.

“…Charles Leclerc, you shouldn’t have lied…”

"But, Mom..."

“No buts. I understand…I get it…but lying is wrong. Do you know what you’re doing? You’re sacrificing your honesty…No one can guarantee an F1 seat…no one…You shouldn’t promise something you can’t do…”

That slightly trembling voice was filled with too many emotions, like a sandcastle struggling against the onslaught of waves, barely managing to control itself to avoid falling apart. Then Leclerc's voice disappeared, leaving only Pascal's stern voice faintly audible.

The corridor was completely silent.

Arthur glanced defiantly at Lu Zhizhou, only to find Lu Zhizhou with his head down, the heaviness and complexity between his brows barely visible, and he was stunned.

Then, Pascal and Leclerc reappeared in the hospital corridor, both looking unwell, with Pascal's eyes even slightly swollen.

Lu Zhizhou didn't wait any longer. He took the initiative to break the silence, giving them a way out to ease the awkward atmosphere, and indicated that he should leave.

This time, Pascal did not try to persuade her to stay. After expressing her gratitude repeatedly, she asked Leclerc to escort Lu Zhizhou away.

But she refused to look Leclerc in the eye.

Leclerc wanted to say something, but not seeing her mother's eyes, she turned around angrily and started walking away, while Lu Zhizhou fell behind and had to hurry to catch up.

The two young men left the hospital in silence, neither of them uttering a word.

As soon as they stepped outside, the sweltering air, a mixture of seawater and the smell of burning tires, hit them. The noise and merriment of the crowd were everywhere, still in the midst of revelry, a stark contrast to the somber atmosphere in the hospital. The scene before them reminded them that the climax of Monaco's weekend was far from over.

However, they were unsure whether they would still be able to enjoy the revelry.

Lu Zhizhou glanced at Leclerc, just about to send his friend back. At this moment, Leclerc probably wanted to spend more time with Hervé.

Leclerc kept his head down and remained silent, the sound of suppressed sobs carried on the breeze. Lu Zhizhou truly could not imagine the pressure he was under.

But how should he comfort Leclerc?
Leclerc raised the back of her hand and wiped her cheek haphazardly. She looked up at Lu Zhizhou, a stubborn glint in her eyes, and subtly straightened her back. "Do you also think I did something wrong?"

In the howling wind, Leclerc stared intently at Lu Zhizhou, waiting for an answer.

　Second update today.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)