"Big Eye Sports Report. Capital time, May 12th. The second stop of the 2007 National Karting Championship, held at the Sanshui Forest Racing Circuit in Yangcheng, has concluded.
"In the NCJ-A group, Wu Shi has claimed another victory! Does this signify the rise of a new karting star? Let's go to our interview with racer Wu Shi."
Ye Zhongming read the words aloud from his computer screen, one by one.
Reporter: "I hear this is your first time on this track. How did you manage to get such a great result? Do you have some kind of secret?"
Wu Shi: "A secret? I don't think there is one. Everyone has their own driving style. I just drove the kart my way. I'm very happy I was able to get this result."
Reporter: "Driving style? That's a term we haven't heard from the other young racers. What's your understanding of it?"
Wu Shi: "Well, I think that as a reporter, you have your own interviewing style. Whatever your understanding of 'interviewing style' is, that's my understanding of 'driving style'."
Reporter: "Haha~ You're a sharp one, kid. One last question: as this season's rising star, will you compete in the entire season? And will you participate in higher-level competitions afterward?"
Wu Shi: "Of course. I've already registered for the whole season, so I'll finish it. Otherwise, the registration fee would be a waste, right? As for higher-level competitions, I'm not thinking that far ahead right now. I think it's more important to focus on the current races."
After reading the interview, Ye Zhongming stretched and turned to his son, Ye Zhaohui. "This kid is something else."
"He's too fast! I was confident I could take on the guy in second place, but against him, I don't have a chance," Ye Zhaohui said, dejected.
"Hahaha, and before the race, you were saying no one here in Sanshui could beat you! Now you know there's always someone better out there, huh?"
Ye Zhongming patted his son's back and said seriously,
"Zhaohui, life is full of setbacks. If you really want to do something, you can't let a setback discourage you."
"I know, Dad! I've decided—I'm going to finish the whole season too!" Ye Zhaohui clenched his fists.
"Good, now that's a true son of the Ye Family! Full of spirit!" Ye Zhongming applauded.
"Daddy, Daddy! Do you think my new dress is pretty?" Just then, a little girl in a light pink dress ran in.
"It's beautiful, so beautiful. Who took you to buy it?"
After asking, Ye Zhongming saw the person behind his daughter and immediately stood up. "Dad, what are you doing here?"
"What? Am I not allowed to come?"
"Of course not! Weren't you resting at the nursing home?"
"Yes, I was resting there. But I've been hearing some things about you recently."
"Oh! Dad, I can handle it. Don't you worry." Ye Zhongming quickly helped his father to a seat.
"I was worried about you, my youngest, but after hearing what you said to Zhaohui, I'm not worried anymore. That's right! Life is long and full of countless setbacks. You must never lose heart!"
...
Inside a Grandpa's Fried Chicken restaurant, Wu Shi, Ling Kang, Zeng Tianyi, and their parents sat around a large table piled high with fried chicken, burgers, and fries.
"Tianyi, what's wrong?" Ling Kang asked, gnawing on a chicken wing.
"Sigh, it's nothing." Zeng Tianyi shook his head.
"Tianyi, do you plan to dedicate your entire life to the racetrack?" Wu Shi suddenly asked. He had rushed over after getting a message from Ling Kang right after his interview.
Ling Kang and Zeng Tianyi both looked over, but it was one of the parents who spoke first.
Zeng Tianyi's mother said, "You little rascal, you always sound so old and serious when you talk! Eat first. The chicken wings won't be good if they get cold."
"Xiaolin, I told you, didn't I? Out of the three of them, Wu Shi is the most mature. Sometimes, talking to him feels like talking to a peer," Ling Kang's mother said.
"That's right. And Xiaowu, I don't want you all to be under so much pressure at such a young age. Childhood should be a happy time, shouldn't it? Tianyi said he liked go-karting, so I brought him here to do it. That's all," said Zeng Xiaolin.
"Yes, I feel the same way," Wu Zhenlin nodded.
Only Zeng Tianyi kept his head down after hearing this.
"Auntie, I understand. If it wasn't for the love of it, who would sit in a rattling plastic shell?" Wu Shi nodded, then looked at Zeng Tianyi and continued,
"But that's exactly why we need to distinguish between a hobby and a goal you strive for. Otherwise, that hobby will eventually become a burden, and maybe even something you end up hating."
Zeng Xiaolin opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for a rebuttal.
"I want to," Zeng Tianyi said, answering the earlier question.
"Don't just want to. Plan to," Wu Shi said.
"Yes, I'm willing. I want to dedicate my life to the racetrack!" Zeng Tianyi clenched his fists.
A smile appeared on Wu Shi's face. "That's more like it. The road ahead is long. Who doesn't face hardships and setbacks? If you lose heart and slack off at the first sign of trouble, how can you talk about dedicating a lifetime to it?
"If you can't face every race with a resolute mind, then even if your skills are unparalleled, you'll eventually fall into an abyss of failure you can never escape from when the time, place, and people aren't on your side.
"In racing, the mind comes first!"
Ling Kang froze, a chicken wing still in his mouth.
Zeng Tianyi looked up, his eyes red. He sniffled and said, "I... I get it! It was just one loss. It's not like I've never lost before!"
"That's the spirit. Even though there's always someone better out there, the significance of relentlessly pursuing what you love is greater than anything else."
Wu Shi took a sip of his soda. 'This was a lesson from his past life. He hadn't been a genius at the start. It was only after failing, failing, and failing again that he seemed to grasp something.'
'Even so, when facing the geniuses on the track, he still struggled to keep up. He had to be like an unkillable cockroach, tenaciously holding on until he finally made it to the F1 circuit.'
'He just wanted to win! So he disregarded his own life, pushing to the absolute limit every single time.'
'After surviving those limits time and time again, he came to understand two things: first, you can't succeed without chasing the limit; and second, the limit is always expanding!'
'He also knew that surviving at the limit was, in itself, a kind of talent and luck that not everyone possessed. But you at least have to try, don't you?'
After dinner, Wu Shi headed back to Peng City with his father.
On the way, Boss Chen, who was in the passenger seat, said, "Xiaowu, you should accept all the interviews from Big Eye News. They have immense resources behind them. If you go on to international competitions in the future, their sponsorship would be a great help."
"Okay, thank you for the advice, Uncle Chen."
"Big Eye News? Is that part of Sky Eye Group?" Wu Zhenlin asked.
"Yes. It was spun off specifically to handle all kinds of news reporting. It was only founded a few years ago," Boss Chen nodded.
"Sky Eye Group?" Wu Shi, on the other hand, wasn't familiar with it.
"A corporate behemoth whose main business covers a wide range of fields, including computer chips, photovoltaics, the internet, surveillance cameras, and more," Boss Chen explained.
After hearing this, Wu Shi decided he should go back and learn more about this group.