Spring Night Kiss.

Song Qingjia was groggily awakened by the kiss, and frowned as she moved away to the side.

Xu Zhouye kissed her forehead again, his voice low and filled with undisguised doting: "Baby, I'm leaving."

Song Qingjia rolled over, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and mumbled incoherently without opening her eyes, "...Fine, then leave."

She felt his breath pause for a moment on her forehead, followed by a low chuckle: "You little ingrate."

The blanket was tucked in, the corner pressed against her neck, followed by very light footsteps, the sound of the door closing, and a click.

The room fell silent immediately.

Song Qingjia opened her eyes, her gaze now devoid of any sleepiness, filled only with cunning.

She lay there for two seconds, then threw back the covers, humming a song as she went into the bathroom. Her flight was at ten o'clock; she needed to get ready quickly.

Davis arranged for her and the rest of the team to fly to Nice Airport in the south of France, and then on to Monaco.

Inside the terminal, pedestrians hurried along.

Song Qingjia glanced at the time, then got up and took two steps toward the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside the window was a huge tarmac, and further away was the runway, where planes took off or landed every few minutes, making it quite busy.

Her gaze fell on the silver-white business jet not far away. A shuttle bus stopped beside it, and a familiar figure stepped off.

The wind billowed his clothes and messed up his hair. But even so, it did not diminish his handsomeness in the slightest.

He stood by the car and spoke with someone for a while, then walked towards the gangway. As he stepped onto the stairs, he suddenly glanced towards the terminal building.

Song Qingjia suddenly had the illusion that he was watching her.

But the next second he turned around, went up the gangway, and disappeared into the cabin.

As the boarding announcement came on, she looked away.

After the plane entered cruising mode, Song Qingjia began to catch up on sleep.

Last night's commotion was so intense that she even wondered if Xu Zhouye had an engine installed in his waist, how could he keep moving without getting tired?

It was exhilarating, but it was also incredibly tiring.

The one who really put in the effort seemed perfectly fine, and then came the long-haul flight and the high-intensity competition.

There really is a huge difference between people.

I slept fitfully until we landed, then transferred to a bus, and arrived in Monaco at 9 p.m.

Song Qingjia checked into a hotel arranged by the motorcade. The room was small, but the window faced the harbor, where the lights of the yachts shimmered on the water.

She had just finished showering and changed into her pajamas, and sat down on the edge of the bed when her phone rang.

Xu Zhouye's video call.

Before answering, she quickly glanced around the room. The background was white walls with no obvious landmarks, and the curtains were drawn, so she couldn't see outside.

After making sure no one could guess where she was, she pressed the answer button.

The scene on the screen changed, and a handsome face appeared, a smile on his lips, looking intently at her.

The lighting on his side was equally dim, just a hotel bedside lamp, suggesting he had only recently arrived in the room. The man leaned against the headboard, his hair still damp, indicating he had just showered; his bathrobe collar was wide open, bearing traces of her accidental scratches from the previous night.

It wasn't an accident; she grabbed it on purpose.

Song Qingjia discovered that this person was always like this, not dressing properly and deliberately seducing her.

A scheming man.

She spoke before he could, lazily asking, "Have we arrived at the hotel?"

"Yeah, I took a shower." He looked at the screen, his gaze moving from her face to her shoulder, then back to her face. "You're not home over there?"

Song Qingjia paused, unable to help but think to himself, "He really has sharp eyes."

But his expression remained unchanged: "It's probably a lighting issue."

"Oh," he said, drawing out the last syllable, without asking any further questions.

The two of them were silent for a few seconds.

"Are you still feeling unwell?" he suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Last night," his voice trailed off, "didn't you keep saying you'd crashed it?"

Song Qingjia: "...?"

"Xu Zhouye, don't you have anything else to say?" she said irritably.

"Yes. But this topic is more vivid and easier to recall."

Looking at his crooked head and smirking expression, Song Qingjia suddenly felt that this man's obnoxiousness was directly proportional to his appearance.

"You've reminded me," she said flatly. "Be careful not to strain your back. The Monaco circuit has a lot of curves, and driving for a long time can easily cause back strain."

"Don't you know best whether my back is okay or not?"

Song Qingjia opened her mouth, but realized that if she continued to talk about this topic, she would definitely lose.

"Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up."

"Don't hang up." Xu Zhouye's smile deepened as he spoke to stop him, "Let me take another look at you."

Song Qingjia hummed softly, but still listened to him and didn't hang up.

She shrank further under the covers, leaving only her head sticking out: "Then you see."

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

In the past, Xu Zhouye would never have understood such a pointless activity. He would have preferred to spend that time running a few more laps on the simulator.

But now, I have a girl I like, and just looking at her, even without saying a word, makes my heart feel warm.

"While I'm away, make sure you eat well and take good care of yourself, okay?" he instructed with some concern.

"Oh," Song Qingjia replied casually.

"Don't set the air conditioner so low at night, or you'll catch a cold again."

"oh."

"Don't let that silly cat into your room to sleep with you."

Song Qingjia: "...You're so long-winded."

Xu Zhouye chuckled softly: "Remember to think of me."

Song Qingjia blinked, her curled eyelashes fluttering, and responded softly, "Oh."

-

The next day was media day.

The FIA ​​will arrange for major media outlets to conduct pre-race interviews with drivers from various teams, which is also part of the race.

Xu Zhouye was scheduled for the second event, so after leaving the hotel, he went to the team's pit garage first.

The pit room was bustling with people. Engineers were adjusting equipment, and mechanics were pushing tire carts in and out. Everyone was busy making final preparations for the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix.

Despite jet lag, Song Qingjia sat at the control panel, looking at Xu Zhouye's racing data. She reviewed it three times, each time feeling her eyelids drooping. She took a sip of iced Americano, the icy chill jolting her awake and clearing her head somewhat.

She and the engineer beside her were discussing the tuning plan for the exercise when a commotion suddenly broke out at the door.

Turning his head, he saw Xu Zhouye walk in.

He smiled and greeted the staff in the garage before heading to the drivers' lounge.

Suddenly, their steps came to an abrupt halt.