CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 37: SWEAT

Driving a race car for a long time can be addictive, especially when Qin Miao is driving such an exceptionally maneuverable Formula car.

When Qin Miao’s familiarity with the Shanghai circuit reached 30, he could roughly visualize all the bends of the track in his mind.

He clearly remembered the entry points, apexes, and exit lines of every corner.

After achieving this level, Qin Miao entered a state that wasn’t overly tense but still quite focused.

In this state, Qin Miao felt that driving was a very enjoyable experience.

His mind was free from unnecessary distractions, and as the distractions decreased, Qin Miao’s reactions became extremely sharp, allowing him to handle many details that he couldn’t deal with in a tense state.

No changes in the car escaped his notice, and he could smoothly navigate every corner on the track, achieving the ideal angle for each turn.

This state is mysterious yet real, and for drivers, it’s a rare and elusive experience.

People commonly refer to this state as: "Man and Car Unity."

Qin Miao was immersed in this state at the moment, with new tires and a car that was extremely comfortable for him to drive. Everything felt so comfortable and pleasant for Qin Miao that even when the G-force hit, he didn’t feel much pressure but rather a unique thrill.

When playing games, time always seems to slip away quickly without you noticing. That’s how Qin Miao felt; he hadn’t had enough yet and didn’t feel tired.

Just as he eagerly wanted to continue to the next lap, Qimeng’s voice pulled him out of that rare state.

"Three segments are up, BOX."

No matter how many times he heard it, Qin Miao always found Qimeng’s voice very pleasant, soft, making him want to protect her.

However, hearing Qimeng’s voice in this state, even though they had just confirmed their relationship and were in the honeymoon phase, Qin Miao still felt a bit annoyed.

Of course, this wasn’t Qin Miao being unreasonable; it was just an excessive emotional response stimulated by high adrenaline levels.

Although driving felt comfortable and pleasant to Qin Miao, he was still driving a car on a track, capable of reaching 170 km/h.

It’s not surprising for such feelings to arise when the sense of speed is at its peak.

But Qin Miao quickly recovered from the adrenaline rush, though he still felt somewhat reluctant.

He felt like he hadn’t completed many laps, so how had time passed so quickly?

However, Qin Miao accepted the reality and, after slowing down the car, shifted his focus to the system. His familiarity with the Shanghai track had reached 66.

Without noticing, Qin Miao had already completed 35 laps after sitting in the F4, and starting from the first practice lap, he hadn’t faced any distractions or lapses in concentration. He gained familiarity in every lap.

After exiting that extremely comfortable competitive state, Qin Miao quickly felt physical discomfort, the most severe being thirst.

He had only been on the track for just over an hour, but he was driving an F4 car with up to 2G of force in the turns, while wearing a not-so-well-fitting and breathable racing suit, and a helmet. Sitting in the car, he was sweating almost constantly.

While driving, Qin Miao felt no discomfort; the comfortable driving state made him ignore most of his body’s negative feelings until now.

Moreover, Qin Miao’s discomfort wasn’t just limited to thirst; his hands ached, his bones felt weak, and his legs trembled from exhaustion.

Without Qin Miao realizing, his stamina had reached its limit. If he had to go through one more session, he would definitely collapse from exhaustion in the car.

When Qimeng informed Qin Miao, he had just passed the main straight for a start and leisurely circled the track before driving back to the pit area.

Guided by team staff, once he parked the car, Qin Miao didn’t exit immediately. He waited until they lifted the car and pushed it back to the garage before unfastening the headrest behind his head.

After Qin Miao’s car was parked in the garage, Qimeng hurried over.

Before Qin Miao could say anything, Qimeng opened his helmet visor and handed him a bottle of warm, lightly salted water with a straw.

Qin Miao was very thirsty and, seeing the bottle Qimeng handed over, he grabbed it without a second thought and drank it down quickly.

Though the taste of the water wasn’t ideal, and it was warm, Qin Miao was too thirsty to care, finishing it all in one go.

After drinking the bottle of water from Qimeng, Qin Miao felt emotional; she wasn’t just a girlfriend; she was an angel!

Got to find a way to marry her...

"Back to life..."

Qimeng couldn’t hear Qin Miao’s mumbling clearly, but seeing him finish the entire bottle yet not getting out of the car, instead leaning back in the driver’s seat, she asked concernedly: "Are you okay? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?"

Qin Miao: "Yeah, a bit tired, can’t get out, help me..."

Qimeng quickly put down the empty bottle and, with the help of team staff, pulled the slightly exhausted Qin Miao out of the driver’s seat.

After Qin Miao got out, Qimeng and the other team staff saw the clear sweat patterns on the back of Qin Miao’s racing suit.

Qin Miao’s sweat had soaked his entire back, and even the sweat-absorbent fireproof undergarment he was wearing couldn’t fully absorb it. These sweat patterns were extremely prominent on the blue-and-white race suit Qimeng had chosen for Qin Miao.

There was a moment when Qimeng felt very distressed.

Why push himself this hard?

After the staff helped Qin Miao out of the car, they handed him over to Qimeng.

Utterly exhausted but truly satisfied with today’s accomplishments, Qin Miao draped one arm around Qimeng as they headed to the rest area, while Qimeng’s mind was filled with wild thoughts.

Is driving a race car this tiring? Maybe it’s better to have Qin Miao return to the simulator; after all, he’s a complete genius there, and it’s not nearly as exhausting...

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While Qimeng and Qin Miao were changing clothes in the lounge, in the team’s monitoring room, team owner Li Yi, who had been waiting there for quite a while, eagerly asked the team manager, looking at the data in front of him: "This guy’s got skills, what’s his background?"

Li Yi was looking at the data Qin Miao set while driving the F4, not his lap times.

After all, Qin Miao’s car engine power was restricted, so the lap times weren’t of any reference value.