Soaring Past the Constant Star [Rebirth] - Chapter 6

Eighty thousand dollars or rather, 800,000 yuan, is actually not much for an F1 driver with an average annual salary in the eight-figure range. In fact, many of the custom luxury watches gifted to Duan Xingheng by his sponsors are worth far more than that.

Although Jiang Yue’s current salary sits in the lower-middle range among the twenty drivers, having just moved past the “pay-to-drive” entry level, scraping together 800,000 wouldn’t be difficult. The fact that Qin Yun hadn’t made a more outrageous demand made him even more suspicious that she had a hidden motive.

Qin Yun: [Transfer the money, and I promise I won’t bother you again before the race.]

Qin Yun: [I’m sorry. I really do love you, but I have no other choice.]

The warm glow of the hotel room lamps fell across Jiang Yue’s face, but his expression remained ice-cold.

Qin Yun was undeniably shameless. Whether her passionate pursuit of Jiang Yue had been sincere or merely a play for the spotlight that comes with being a driver’s girlfriend, whether her post-breakup actions were purely for clout or a genuine attempt to force Jiang Yue back through public pressure, Jiang Yue might have been curious once. Now, he simply saw her as a pathetic attention-seeker who disgusted him to his core.

And now, she was speaking such nauseating words, attempting to touch the only thing Jiang Yue truly valued.

Jiang Yue stared at the chat box. Qin Yun was a fanatic who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Since she had gone this far, she wasn’t giving Jiang Yue any room to refuse.

With the race imminent, he couldn’t waste energy on this mess. He had already retired from one race this season, and his performance in the opening rounds had been mediocre. If he couldn’t secure points at the Japanese Grand Prix, he would find himself in an extremely unfavorable position, both within the team and in the eyes of the public.

But would a transfer even help? Who could guarantee this wouldn’t become a new piece of blackmail in Qin Yun’s hands?

After thinking for a long time, Jiang Yue simply blocked her.

Only after doing so did he realize his hair was half-dry and he was still wrapped in a bathrobe. The last message in Duan Xingheng’s chat was from ten minutes ago.

Realizing that Duan Xingheng should have arrived by now, Jiang Yue felt a sudden wave of frantic energy.

He had just hurriedly pulled on an athletic tank top when his phone buzzed again.

Ignoring the fact that one arm wasn’t even through a sleeve yet, Jiang Yue checked the screen:

Duan Xingheng: [Sorry, something urgent came up. I can’t make it over today.]

Attached was a dejected emoji.

Even though he knew Duan Xingheng was busy, Jiang Yue, whose mood was already a wreck thanks to Qin Yun, felt a strange pang of disappointment.

He replied with a quick “It’s fine,” finished putting on his shirt, and ruffled his messy hair. Then, he tossed the phone aside and threw himself onto the bed.

**

Perhaps because of Qin Yun, Jiang Yue finally fell asleep, only to be plagued by a night of chaotic dreams.

He had thought that, having lived five extra years, his psychological resilience would be stronger, and he wouldn’t let such trivial matters keep him up. Little did he know that even if he could consciously clear his mind, his subconscious would not let him go.

He dreamed of fragments from his past life.

Duan Xingheng had died in an avalanche. After recovering from a serious injury, he had stopped racing and turned his passion to skiing instead. No one knew why he hadn’t gone with a companion that day, choosing instead to go to Mount Cook alone.

The last person to see him was the helicopter pilot, an old friend of his.

When Jiang Yue saw Duan Xingheng again after three years, he was nothing more than a black-and-white funeral portrait.

Many people came to offer their condolences, including numerous celebrities and businessmen. Even the owner and executive director of the Silver Snake team at the time attended in person to pay their respects. When Duan Xingheng was at his lowest, no one stood by him; only after his death did these people show up at his funeral to shed seemingly sincere tears.

The media heavily covered Duan Xingheng’s death. For a time, it was as if the public mockery and insults had never happened. People finally remembered Duan Xingheng’s incredible talent and achievements, mourning the fall of a legendary driver.

Jiang Yue didn’t cry at the funeral.

Duan Xingheng’s death was too sudden. Sometimes people have the illusion that they can just set something aside for a while, and as long as they have time and are prepared later, it will still be there.

Restoring contact with Duan Xingheng was the thing Jiang Yue regretted most, the thing he had delayed the longest.

It wasn’t until a few days after witnessing Duan Xingheng’s burial that a man claiming to be a lawyer found him, stating that he was Duan Xingheng’s designated heir.

Amidst his shock, he finally realized with crushing clarity: this person would never appear in his life again.

A long time passed.

Duan Xingheng’s grave went from being surrounded by flowers to becoming increasingly deserted. The groundskeeper seemed to know a world champion rested there, so he kept the tombstone exceptionally clean.

Jiang Yue visited the cemetery every two months. On the third visit, as he stared at the portrait on the tombstone, he finally burst into tears.

The next day, Jiang Yue woke up with a start in his hotel bed. The suffocating sadness from the dream lingered in his chest. He felt an urgent, desperate need to see Duan Xingheng.

He didn’t even remember how he got up to wash, went downstairs, and hailed a taxi. By the time he regained his senses, he was standing at the door to Duan Xingheng’s room.

It wasn’t until the door opened and Duan Xingheng appeared that he felt certain the events after his rebirth weren’t just another dream.

Seeing Jiang Yue, Duan Xingheng didn’t even have time to be surprised before he was met with a firm, solid hug.

He held the slightly damp, rain-scented “kid” in his arms and closed the hotel door. His first instinct was that his kid had been bullied by someone.

One had to understand that Jiang Yue was usually quite stubborn and had always admired a “tough guy” style. To have the kid take the initiative to hug him twice in a single month, and to say so many emotional things, while it made him happy, it also made him worried.

Duan Xingheng rubbed the fuzzy head near his neck and asked softly:

“What’s wrong?”

Inhaling the familiar scent of the man in front of him, Jiang Yue’s sense of insecurity finally settled. He opened his mouth to say it was nothing, but the words took a turn at the tip of his tongue:

“Qin Yun came looking for me.”

He felt the arm around his waist tighten. Duan Xingheng’s tone was unreadable:

“What did she say?”

Jiang Yue stepped back and calmly pulled up the screenshots of his chat with Qin Yun to show him.

He had thought about it for a long time the night before.

If it were the Jiang Yue of five years ago, he would never have revealed this to anyone, especially not Duan Xingheng. But the current Jiang Yue weighed the pros and cons and knew that his pride wasn’t worth a thing compared to resolving the issue completely.

Qin Yun was like a bomb that could go off at any moment. He knew nothing about manipulating public opinion and currently lacked the resources to handle it. If he left it to the team, efficiency couldn’t be guaranteed, and it would likely drag on until after the race. Instead of letting it fester and affect his performance, asking Duan Xingheng for help was the best choice.

His former self would have overthought it: This will trouble Duan Xingheng. A champion driver is busy all day. Why would he have time for this? I’m the one who didn’t listen and dated her in the first place, so why should I ask him to clean up my mess…

However, once he crossed that mental hurdle, he realized his old concerns were just self-imposed limitations.

As expected, Duan Xingheng’s face turned as cold as stone as he stared at the screen.

Some people naturally make everyone around them feel on edge when they stop smiling, and Duan Xingheng was that type. He was gentle and easy-going with Jiang Yue, as if he could tolerate anything the younger man did. But when facing someone he loathed, he never bothered to hide his hostility.

Even Jiang Yue felt the atmosphere solidify and couldn’t help but sit up straighter.

This slight movement was caught by Duan Xingheng, whose expression changed faster than flipping a page in a book. He handed the phone back to Jiang Yue and asked casually:

“How did you handle it?”

“I blocked her.”

Upon hearing this, Duan Xingheng reached out and squeezed Jiang Yue’s shoulder.

“Well done. Next time something like this happens, remember to tell your brother immediately.”

Jiang Yue’s ears turned red, though he didn’t notice.

“What happens next? I’m worried she has another move planned. She’s so insistent on meeting, she must be plotting something.”

“You don’t need to worry about her. Just focus on the race.”

Duan Xingheng didn’t seem interested in discussing the specific details of dealing with Qin Yun.

“But…” Jiang Yue started to speak, but felt his nape being rubbed twice, sending a wave of goosebumps down his neck.

“It’s not a big deal.”

A trace of contempt flickered in Duan Xingheng’s brow, but when he met Jiang Yue’s eyes, that predatory intensity vanished instantly. He soothingly massaged the base of Jiang Yue’s hair.

“Leave it to your brother.”

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