Chapter 393: Sports Cars and Cats

Chapter 393: The Sports Car and the Cat

Wu Tong still needed to remain in the Imperial Capital for three to four days before returning to Hangzhou. Consequently, Meng Fan decided to take a trip to the training base in Qinhuangdao first, and then return to accompany Wu Tong back to Hangzhou. As for the Olympic weightlifting trials, they fortunately happened to be hosted in Hangzhou, which saved him from the trouble of traveling back and forth.

Hu Cunyong was overjoyed when he heard Meng Fan say he would return to Qinhuangdao with them.

Meng Fan’s trip to Qinhuangdao was ostensibly to familiarize himself with the training base and to train, but in reality, it was to provide guidance and engage in exchanges.

The athletes from both the wrestling and judo teams who had previously undergone special training with Meng Fan at the Fengji Budo Gym in Hangzhou had returned to Qinhuangdao right after Meng Fan left to compete in Doha.

During Meng Fan's competition, the authorities at the training base had naturally witnessed the transformations in these wrestling and judo athletes before and after the training. They had further researched the techniques and tactics the athletes brought back. Regarding Meng Fan's training methods, they were naturally at their wits' end and unable to replicate them, but the techniques and tactics held many merits. Consequently, they naturally entertained the thought of dispatching more athletes to follow Meng Fan for special training. Of course, if Meng Fan could personally visit the training base, it would be the absolute best outcome.

Ordinarily, for an outstanding athlete like Meng Fan—an athlete exceptional enough to contend for three Olympic gold medals—the leadership of the Weightlifting, Wrestling, and Judo Administration Center would certainly not squander Meng Fan's time or allow him to distract himself by guiding other athletes. In fact, they should have been eager to provide Meng Fan with every convenience to ensure he could train with peace of mind. However, Meng Fan was rather unique.

First of all, no coach in either wrestling or judo could actually train him; on the contrary, he possessed a supreme coaching caliber capable of training other athletes. Secondly, they knew that even if Meng Fan had spare time, he did not spend it on training. His daily training hours were fixed, which, to them, meant there was an "exploitable opportunity." Out of both public interest and private regard, they naturally hoped he could dedicate his spare time to assisting with the training.

Of course, the premise of everything remained Meng Fan's voluntary consent. There was no helping it; setting aside the signed contract for a moment, the crucial point was that his achievements spoke for themselves, and in any field, the strong commanded respect. Furthermore, the top leaders of the Weightlifting, Wrestling, and Judo Administration Center knew full well that back when the contract was signed and Meng Fan alone was allowed to join three separate teams, the decision was only finalized because a higher authority had given the nod. To put it plainly, he had backing from above, so even if one wished to label him or exploit righteousness to coerce him, it was utterly impossible.

In truth, Meng Fan himself had long harbored the intention to visit the Qinhuangdao training base. Many national teams resided and trained here, making it the most vital comprehensive training base for the Olympic cycle. Many national teams would gather here from single-sport training bases for intensive and special training; for instance, heavy athletic sports basically gathered here.

In other words, the number of athletes from combat sports such as wrestling, judo, and boxing gathered here was immense. To Meng Fan, these were all experience point minions for his [Thousand-Man Slayer] achievement!

Presently, after the chaotic brawl at the Kyoto Dome, the challenge to the South Korean dojos, several competitions, and his time at the Zhejiang Sports Institute, the [Thousand-Man Slayer] achievement had barely reached 300 experience points, leaving another 700 people to be farmed.

Wishing to defeat so many combat athletes through competitions was fundamentally impossible. In a single tournament, even if wrestling had two disciplines, it would at most provide 10 experience points. Relying solely on official competitions to finish the grind would take until the year of the monkey.

Therefore, Meng Fan was absolutely bound to visit this kind of training base where combat athletes concentrated; it was merely a matter of sooner or later. This time just happened to coincide with his free time, and the base also had a need in this regard.

As for how to throw athletes from sports outside of wrestling and judo?

That was a problem!

He couldn't very well shamelessly march up and force a throw, could he?

Hmm, that actually seemed like a viable method!

"I heard you guys want to be thrown and lifted high by me? Well, bring it on!"

Meng Fan felt this was an excellent opening line. As for where he heard it—listening to the voice of his own heart counted as a form of hearing.

On February 25th, Meng Fan returned to Hangzhou. Aside from his traveling companion Wu Tong, he brought back over 200 experience points, pushing the [Thousand-Man Slayer] experience past 500.

The wrestling and judo teams would naturally continue to dispatch athletes to Meng Fan’s side for training and sparring. However, they would have to wait until Meng Fan finished participating in the Olympic weightlifting trials. If they increased Meng Fan’s workload during this period, President Zhan would inevitably give them late-night phone calls.

"Mr. Tie!"

After leaving the airport and making a brief trip back to the university, Meng Fan and Wu Tong returned to their residential community, only to be called out to by the community security guard at the gate.

The guard stepped out from the security booth and said with a smile, "A few days ago, a... package arrived for you. The package is massive, so it definitely couldn't fit into the express delivery lockers. We could only place it in the property management warehouse. You head on up first, and we will deliver it up to you shortly."

"No need to trouble yourselves, I'll go over and pick it up,"

Meng Fan said, gesturing for the guard to lead the way. He then turned to Wu Tong and smiled, "It’s likely the gifts sent by that Middle Eastern tycoon have arrived. That guy is an interesting fellow. Not only did he give me quite a few things, but many items were also meant for you."

Wu Tong naturally knew about what had transpired with Meng Fan in the Middle East, and she had heard Meng Fan recount the amusing anecdotes between him and that Middle Eastern tycoon.

Before long, they arrived at the property management office and quickly spotted the large package the guard had mentioned. It was indeed massive, housed in a large crate over a meter in height, width, and length. The crate's material was of safe-deposit box grade, requiring a password to open. Being so large, even if Meng Fan could lift it, it would be awkward to move. He could only call Liang Qing first to ask for the password before opening it to carry the contents up.

Upon opening it, there were individual boxes packed inside, obscuring what lay at the very center. Meng Fan could only trouble a few guards to assist him, and only then did they manage to move everything into the apartment.

"Mr. Meng!"

At that moment, the property manager hurried over, holding a small box in his hand. He handed it to Meng Fan and said, "Two days ago, someone drove a car over and said it belonged to you. The car is currently parked in your residential parking space. This is the key he asked me to keep safe. Oh, right, there is also a business card. He said if the car ever requires any maintenance or servicing, you can contact him."

"There's a car too?"

Meng Fan took the box and looked at it. Though he didn't recognize much else, he certainly recognized the Ferrari logo. He recalled that when he asked Liang Qing what items there were, he hadn't heard mention of such a car.

"Thank you. Oh, right, what number is my parking space? I've forgotten."

When this apartment was purchased, it came with a complimentary parking space, which, truth be told, was now worth more than an ordinary car.

Meng Fan said to Wu Tong, "Let's go downstairs to check out the car first before coming back up to unpack the boxes."

Wu Tong nodded. To tell the truth, she was also quite curious. This Middle Eastern tycoon's generosity was simply a bit too lavish. Wu Tong didn't know much about cars either. Although the box had "Ferrari 488" or something written on it, she didn't know the exact price, though she estimated it must be worth at least three million yuan. The plotline of a Middle Eastern tycoon gifting a luxury car was actually happening right beside her; it did feel rather surreal.

Descending into the garage, Meng Fan quickly located the vehicle using the number provided by the property manager. After all, a bright red supercar was bound to be eye-catching no matter where it stood.

"It really is a sports car!"

Seeing that it was indeed a Ferrari supercar, Meng Fan scratched his head and placed another call to Liang Qing, "Mom, why did Asali send me a Ferrari sports car as well? Why didn't you mention this to me beforehand? It feels a bit too much."

"You've seen the car?"

Liang Qing chuckled on the other end of the line, "Don't flatter yourself. This car wasn't given to you by Asali; it was given to your mother by his mother! I don't use cars much over here, so I shipped it back to the country. Having it sent to Hangzhou wasn't for you to drive, either. Is Tongtong beside you? Give the phone to her."

Meng Fan could only hand the phone over to Wu Tong.

Knowing it was Liang Qing, Wu Tong called out somewhat bashfully, "Mom."

As early as before New Year's Day, Liang Qing had intentionally and unintentionally guided her to drop the word "God-". In any case, calling a godmother "Mom" was not something particularly out of the ordinary.

"Mhm, okay. Thank you, Mom."

Wu Tong responded a few times to conclude the call, then returned the phone to Meng Fan and smiled, "Godmother said the car was sent for me to drive."

"So after all that twisting and turning, it has nothing to do with me," Meng Fan teased again. "Weren't you just calling her 'Mom' just now? How did it become 'Godmother' again?"

Wu Tong ignored him and examined the car with meticulous detail. Although the exterior lines leaned towards the fierce and handsome side, Wu Tong still quite liked it; perhaps if it were truly a pink, overly feminine style, she might not have liked it.

Taking the key, she opened the door, slid inside, and then gestured for Meng Fan to get in, "Big sister will take you out for a spin."

Meng Fan didn't immediately climb in, "Wait, are you sure you can handle this?"

Wu Tong gave him a look that dared him to ask one more time, and Meng Fan could only risk his life to accompany the lady.

The cabin space of the Ferrari 488 was decent enough; sitting inside with Meng Fan's height and weight posed no major issue.

Vroom!

Once the car started, Meng Fan began a thrilling joyride.

On the return journey, they switched and Meng Fan drove. There was nothing thrilling about it, because he wasn't even moving faster than an electric scooter. Liang Qing possessed foresight after all; if this car were truly given to Meng Fan to drive, it would be somewhat of a waste.

Comparatively speaking, Wu Tong's driving skills were far better than Meng Fan's. She still drove occasionally, whereas Meng Fan had barely driven since obtaining his license. As for his driving test back then, it was a sorrowful past best left unmentioned. If given enough time, perhaps relying on his current various attributes, he could rapidly improve his driving skills, or even trigger some sort of quest.

Completing a loop, they switched back to Wu Tong driving as they headed towards the Damei Studio over at the Xizihu Cultural and Creative Park.

Wang Yanan and the others sitting by the window were instantly drawn by this fiery red stallion. Subsequently, they watched as the driver's side door opened, and a pair of long legs stepped out first.

"Wow! It's a woman!"

And then, naturally, they saw Wu Tong. Wang Yanan, who was already well-acquainted with Wu Tong, immediately sprinted outside. Upon stepping out, she saw Meng Fan leisurely alighting from the passenger seat.

"A Ferrari 488! This car must cost at least four million yuan on the road! Wu Tong, I couldn't tell, but you're actually a wealthy lady!"

Wang Yanan's family ran a 4S dealership, so she understood cars far better than Wu Tong and Meng Fan. To say she wasn't envious would be a lie.

Wu Tong shook her head and looked towards Meng Fan.

Wang Yanan's eyes widened even further, "Did Meng Fan give it to you?"

Meng Fan shook his head, "Where would I get that much money? My mom gave it to her, it has nothing to do with me."

These words were absolute showing off.

Wang Yanan's expression grew even more exaggerated, "Heavens, please give me a whole bunch of mother-in-laws like this! No, just one is enough!" Right after, she instantly forgot about the Ferrari, pulling Wu Tong along with a face full of gossip, "Have you two really met each other's parents?"

Wu Tong mentioned the matter of raising a cat, and Wang Yanan instantly forgot about the gossip once again.

"Sister-in-law, can I take the car for a spin?"

Almost everyone in the studio had come out, including Chen Daqiang. Though Chen Daqiang seemed quiet, he was truly a car enthusiast. Among all, besides Xing Tage himself, Chen Daqiang drove Xing Tage's Highlander the most, taking it out for a spin whenever he had time.

When he saw the Ferrari 488, his hands and heart itched. After hesitating for a long time, he went over to ask for the keys, then, with a rare, slightly lecherous excited chuckle, rubbed his hands together, carefully got in, and then, well, just drove a lap around the area, very slowly—even slower than Meng Fan. He didn't dare accelerate, purely to feel the car.

Zhang Zhouwei was also there, standing beside Meng Fan with a bitter expression, frowning: "Meng Fatty, don't go too far with some things! Whether you're flaunting your wealth or showing off your love, why do you have to drag your mother into it? Doing this, what are other mothers-in-law supposed to do?"

Meng Fan laughed: "Oh, it's not actually my mom who bought it for Wu Tong. Actually, it was a gift from a wealthy Middle Eastern woman to my mom, and my mom passed it on to Wu Tong."

Zhang Zhouwei wanted to hit him: "That's too much!"

After the tease, Meng Fan said: "That Middle Eastern tycoon who keeps tigers sent me a lot of gifts. There's quite a bit of stuff—cologne, belts, leather slippers, fountain pens, and so on. Oh, and there should be some tycoon-exclusive headphones, keyboards, mice, etc. I can't use some of them. Come to my place tonight and take what you want."

Zhang Zhouwei now wanted to kiss him: "Holy crap, really? Is the keyboard gold? That's all I want!"

Meng Fan gave a 24K pure gold eye roll, then walked toward the studio.

Clearly, the matter of keeping cats in the studio had received cheers from all members, especially the women. They had already been thinking about getting a cat since the studio got on track this year, after all, with Wang Yanan, that cat-crazy fanatic, "encouraging" them. The image of one, two, three, four, five... lazy cat masters lounging around the studio was something they had long yearned for.

As for the guys, they really had no say in Damei Studio.

Seeing no objections, Meng Fan waved his hand: "Since everyone agrees, let's go buy a cat. Whatever breed you want is fine."

Wang Yanan stopped Meng Fan and said: "Actually, I have an idea. Instead of buying, why don't we adopt? It's not to save you money, but I think it's the best way. What do you think?"

Meng Fan smiled: "Of course, that really is the best way. No need to go elsewhere to adopt. Doesn't our school have quite a few stray cats? How many do you want?"

(End of chapter)