Becoming a life winner from infancy

During the time the children grew up, Meng Qing was one of the few adults who knew about the existence of the secret base "Paradise."

Of course, the way she was taken to the secret base remained the same as before; she had to be blindfolded to enter Paradise.

"I forgot to bring a blindfold today, so I have to use this instead."

Xia Nuo took out a pair of black over-the-knee socks from his bag, which he hadn't used since he bought them, and handed them to Fang You, "You help Sister Meng Qing—"

"Wait, let me do it!"

Luo Xianyu now had a billion tiny trust issues with Fang You.

[How did Sister Meng Qing come to know the secret of Paradise? Luo Xianyu's distrust of you is still rising, emotional energy +20*10]

Luo Xianyu actually wasn't very good at tying knots; when she was younger, the shoelace bows and such were all tied by Xia Nuo and Fang You, so she just folded the socks a few times—ensuring they wouldn't fall was good enough.

Seeing Luo Xianyu's action toward Meng Qing, Xia Nuo was deeply moved and whispered to Fang You, "Ayu knows you're too strong-handed, she's afraid you'll hurt Sister Meng Qing."

"I'll lead the way."

Luo Xianyu volunteered to take Meng Qing by the hand and head up the mountain to the secret base in Paradise.

What an enthusiastic child!

Why did You You tell me before that Ayu was very shy and asked me to be more understanding?

She's really so cute!

[Meng Qing is very envious of your childhood surrounded by so many loving girls, emotional energy +10]

While Luo Xianyu remained vigilant, making sure Meng Qing didn't get too close to Fang You, Meng Qing's fondness for her shot up dramatically.

The four of them arrived at the secret base—Paradise.

"Okay, that's enough."

Luo Xianyu removed Meng Qing's sock blindfold, and the colorful, blooming scenery in front of them took Meng Qing by surprise.

"This place... it's like a haven unaffected by the outside world!"

This place had already unlocked many functions under Fang You's planning, and this plan wasn't limited to the cabin itself; even the area outside the cabin could be DIY remodeled.

To conduct special training without attracting attention, Fang You created a dirt slope here, very similar to a competition field, mainly because there were no mosquitoes to bother them, and the temperature was also suitable—it was quite comfortable to be in.

"Humph, impressive isn't it? But the most amazing thing is still inside the cabin..."

"Have you guys redecorated your dormitory too? Take me for a visit, please."

"?"

Luo Xianyu frowned and glared at Fang You, then pulled Xia Nuo aside and murmured to him:

"Nuo Nuo, you don't keep an eye on You You! How could you let him bring outsiders into our secret base and even let them see the inside."

"Ay, this happened so many years ago, You You told me he wanted to do special training and discussed it with me."

Xia Nuo had an equally good memory, but Fang You hadn't triggered [In the Name of the Father] to share [Extraordinary Memory] with her.

"So, I'm the only one who didn't know!" Luo Xianyu bit her lip, showing a look of grief and indignation.

So, in the end, it's just me, Ayu, who has been abandoned!

"You knew about it. I told you that year, didn't you just forget it yourself?"

Xia Nuo explained, "Back then you kept talking to me about the coral reefs in Star Harbor, maybe you weren't listening carefully?"

"Ah, so that's what happened..."

Luo Xianyu scratched her head but still felt a bit uneasy, then she asked Meng Qing:

"What secret training have you and You You done here in our secret base!"

"Ah... let me think, mainly martial arts combat training, and also... I even took a nap here."

"You! You actually slept here?"

Luo Xianyu was a bit nervous, "Then, whose bed did you sleep in back then?"

Only the people of Paradise can sleep in Ayu's bed!

"She slept in Ling Nai's bed."

Fang You said.

"Ah, that's fine then."

Luo Xianyu breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay, I have nothing else to ask, you can come in with us! Although I still have a lot I want to ask you, you are after all a guest, and we can't just keep you standing outside. The people of Paradise wouldn't be so ignorant of hospitality."

"Okay... then thank you for your hospitality!"

Luo Xianyu took the lead, heartily guiding an excited Meng Qing into the cabin.

Seeing that the formerly introverted buddy had become so articulate all of a sudden, Xia Nuo hadn't realized that Luo Xianyu was attempting to assert her strength and show sovereignty, and couldn't help but exclaim:

"You You, look, Ayu has really grown up so much!"

Xia Nuo tugged at Fang You's shirt over his chest, looking extremely excited, "I'm about to cry!"

"Alright, alright..."

Fang You patted Xia Nuo on the head, "She has grown up, all right, but it's normal, isn't it? As people grow, they mature. You don't have to be so happy about it..."

"No... it's not that... I am not exactly that happy about it!"

Xia Nuo wiped away the tears that had overflowed, showing a slightly complex expression:

"To be honest, I was more used to her relying on us... Now Ayu seems a bit unfamiliar, and I'm really not comfortable with that."

"Ah... this."

That was true indeed.

Fang You remembered.

Nuo Nuo didn't like change.

She liked everyone to be the most familiar versions of themselves, the most familiar ways of interacting.

Watching Xia Nuo witness Ayu growing up probably felt similar to how Uncle Xia watched Nuo Nuo grow up...

Right now, Fang You wasn't sure whether she was genuinely sad or confused, but he decided to first pat her head and give her a hug.

Comforted by Fang You, Xia Nuo slowly started to feel better.

"Alright, let's get on with the important stuff."

Under the effect of "Time Freeze," many facilities in the park hadn't changed much from three years ago. The original beds had also been sized for adults, as Fang You knew he would grow quickly, so he'd simply opted for the larger ones.

In addition to the previously acquired furniture, there was also a refrigerator, a new computer (Xia Nuo needed it for things, which we can discuss later), and a workbench that Fang You had recently assembled to build a race car.

Luo Xianyu handed Meng Qing a can of fruit soda, and now with her mood adjusted, Xia Nuo came over to the workbench, lifted the curtain from it, and revealed their recent work to Meng Qing—

"Ta-da! Here it is! The second combat sequence's Bee-class Sentinel Fighter on the Splendid You Nuo!"

There was a rule for the 30-second soapbox car show, stating that the scene performance should have no dialogue scripts. All the plots had to be shown through body movements, so they needed to rehearse a little mime act. The costume props had to be ready as well.

Of course, Xia Nuo had also sketched the concept drawings for the COS costumes, and the capable costume designer Luo Xianyu had refined them:

"We have four suits in total. You You and I will wear the interstellar combat uniforms, and the rest of you will wear these fleet uniforms. Meng Qing, you will give orders at that time, so you need to wear this captain's suit."

Xia Nuo seriously added details about the uniform settings, "Though it may look like a common naval officer's uniform, it actually comes with a miniature life monitor and a breathing support system, and it boasts excellent breathability and fire resistance."

"That is to say, if the oxygen supply inside the Splendid You Nuo falls short, an alarm will sound to warn you that you're nearly dying."

"Just an alarm? I would have thought there might be some sort of emergency rescue device popping out or something..."

"Ah, the other uniforms have that, but your captain's suit doesn't."

Xia Nuo said earnestly, "You are the captain of the Splendid You Nuo, and your mission is to live or perish with this ship. The person lives with the ship; the person dies with the ship. In dire moments, you must sink with your ship to prove your courage and responsibility. There's no turning back."

"Being a captain is a bit tough, huh..." Read new chapters at empire

Meng Qing had already tried to lower her IQ to play along with the children. After all, no matter how mature they looked, they still had the mindset of children.

"I've got the specifics now, so the actual content of the performance is—"

"Listen up, the script goes like this..."

Team leader Xia Nuo, Luo Xianyu, and Meng Qing started discussing the script for the performance, while Fang You continued to adjust the detachable bike frame he had assembled.

Theoretically, there shouldn't be any problems, but the performance on the actual race track changes in the blink of an eye, and there were many uncontrollable factors.

...

Better rehearse more.

After two weeks of rigorous training, the day of the soapbox design competition in Mei City arrived quickly.

As a rare novelty competition, it attracted a large number of spectators to the event.

As for Fang You and Xia Nuo's support team, it was naturally very strong; everyone who should come was there, apart from Fang Guanghui.

In addition to them, many students from Jingji Children's Martial Arts Hall were also present because they heard their coach would participate.

The hosts, one in a bull head costume and the other in a green pepper costume, stood together in the center of the stage.

"Fun every day, courting death to no end, welcome to the 38th Green Bull Cup soapbox car race in Mei City, I am your host, Super A Niú!"

"Hello, everyone, I am your host, Super Xiao Lǜ!"

"Green, long time no see! Last time, I feel like we met on the bridge of Naihe."

"Niú, I really didn't expect that we'd still be alive to commentate such an easygoing competition."

"Exactly, haha! Last time we combined bungee jumping and cliff diving commentary, I really thought I was dead."

"Yeah, but you know the salary is so high—over thirty thousand a month for just one event. Naturally, such an easy job comes with its risks."

"Ah, wait a minute, you get over thirty thousand a month? How come I only get twenty thousand!" Super Xiao Lǜ protested, "I'm your senior; how can my salary be lower than yours."

"After all, I am a bull. It's normal for me to be a bit more expensive!"

After a familiar banter of nonsense that the regular audience knew well, Super A Niú and Super Xiao Lǜ began their spiel: "Well, enough of that, before the race begins, let's warm up for the competition!"

"Today we will introduce several car models, including the Bee Car, the 19th Century Retro Airplane Car, the Banana Pineapple Car, the Carrot Car, and the Future Sci-Fi Fighter Car. Our car betting is legal, everyone can use your Green Bull coins to bet on the overall district champion before the race. The winner will get lots and lots of Green Bull coins, isn't that amazing!"

"...so after hosting for so long, what exactly can Green Bull coins be used for, I still don't get it."

"Of course, it's for betting on the next Green Bull Cup daredevil competition! Being the audience member with the most Green Bull coins is a great title, isn't it!"

"So it's basically like fun tokens, right!"

"Alright, all right, let's move past these barriers together, aiming to score the highest and strive to become the champion of the Mei City district, and compete against other districts for the national title!"

"Ah? Directly from district champion to national champion? Isn't this competition moving too fast?"

"What do you mean fast? Isn't it already pretty slow? Previous competitions used to physically eliminate contestants right there and then! But don't forget, our soapbox car race also emphasizes brutality. Almost no cars or drivers can safely walk away from the track!"

"So, will the reality really be so grim? Let's wait and see—"