F1: Absolute Car Feel

Chapter 122 The Last Twenty Million

Wu Shi and Jili's sponsorship negotiations were similar to those in Beiben, and they secured a personal sponsorship of five million US dollars in a short period of time.

Since this type of sponsorship does not involve an F1 team or mention endorsements, it is naturally not subject to restrictions.

However, Wu Shi knew that Jili's sponsorship was not without reason, and there would naturally be deeper cooperation in the future. This was just to build a bridge for friendly communication in advance.

“We’re heading south again tomorrow; the airlines require us to print their logo on the package,” Martina said.

During this trip back to China, three sponsorship deals have already been finalized. In addition to Longteng Technology Group, which will connect with the Mercedes F1 team to print its brand logo on the team uniforms, the other two sponsorships are for Wu Shi personally, so there are no publicity requirements.

However, although Beiben may not seem to be advertising, it has actually been advertising.

"Hmm, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Wu Shi nodded. As more and more details were revealed about his possible joining an F1 team, his commercial value soared, and the business departments of various companies flocked to him like sharks smelling blood.

However, he is not prepared to reach sponsorship agreements with these companies right now.

At this point, he was only an F3 driver. Although he had eight championships and was likely to be the world champion, it was still not as impressive as the title of "F1 driver".

Therefore, when negotiating sponsorship at this time, the sponsors actually have the advantage of negotiating prices, and such a good opportunity can only be given to a few close companies.

The next day, Wu Shi arrived in Pengcheng, returning to this place that was not his hometown.

The Wu family, like most people in Shenzhen, came from other places.

But what is Shenzhen's slogan?
It's said that "once you come to Shenzhen, you're a Shenzhen resident." (Of course, there's also the saying, "Earn money in Shenzhen, spend it in Shenzhen, don't even think about taking a penny home.")
Therefore, Wu Shi, who was born here, also had a unique affection for this city.

Even though he left this place when he was ten years old, he still remembers the scenes when his father took him to climb Lotus Mountain, visit Qingqing World, play at Window of the World, and sightsee on the top floor of Diwang Building.

Since his life afterward consisted almost entirely of racing, these memories became invaluable treasures that he cherished.

Like all F1 drivers of this era, embarking on this path meant that most of my youth would be spent on the track, accompanied by the smell of engine oil.

Wu Shi felt quite emotional, and then he thought of his friend Leclerc.

While he was racing in F2, his father passed away from illness. He had no time to process his grief and appeared on the Baku Grand Prix track three days later, continuing to race.

I had arranged to meet with a leader from Pengcheng Airlines today, but Ye Zhongming suddenly called and said that he knew that leader and that we could have dinner together.

So the meeting, which was originally scheduled to take place in the office building, was moved to a private restaurant.

Upon entering the restaurant, Wu Shi seemed to smell an aura of "luxury".

"Hello, do you have a reservation?" A waiter in a uniform came up with a smile.

“Yes, number 888, Mr. Zhang.” Martina nodded.

"Okay, over here."

The waitress led us through the central courtyard garden to a rather secluded guest room. She gently pushed open the door, gestured for us to enter, and said, "This way, gentlemen."

As soon as Wu Shi stepped inside, a young man rushed over and punched him.

"Damn! After all these years, how come you're so overly familiar with me! You start beating me up the moment we meet!"

Wu Shi clutched his chest; Ye Zhaohui was still reckless.

"Hahaha! This is an expression of the uncontrollable excitement of seeing friends again!" Ye Zhaohui laughed happily.

Compared to when he was a child, this guy has become much more approachable, and the youthful energy in his eyes is undeniable.

"Ningning, why don't you come and say hello? Don't you recognize your boss?" Ye Zhaohui shouted.

Behind him, Ye Ningning slowly walked over, her arms in front of her, her head slightly lowered, her shy demeanor completely unlike the mischievous devil she was as a child.

"Hello, Brother Wu Shi," Ye Ningning said, her voice clear but too low.

"Hello." Wu Shi waved.

"Auntie, please sit here for a while. My dad will be right there." Ye Zhaohui took the initiative to move a chair for her.

"Thank you," Martina said with a smile.

About ten minutes later, Ye Zhongming and a slightly overweight man with a buzz cut walked in. Martina and Wu Shi naturally stood up to greet them, and after a few polite words, they sat down.

"Wow, it's been so many years! Not only have you grown from a handsome young boy into a dashing young man, but you've also achieved such great success in the racing world. That's incredible!"

Ye Zhongming looked at Wu Shi with deep emotion, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Thank you for the compliment, Uncle Ye. I am truly grateful to you. Without your timely help back then, how would I have had the opportunity to continue winning glory for the country on the track?" Wu Shi replied with a smile.

"Hahaha! I didn't know that people who are good at racing could be so eloquent!"

Ye Zhongming smiled broadly, then got straight to the point, saying:

“Pengcheng Airlines has been sponsoring Wu Shi all along, and now that it’s a critical time, they will naturally not fall behind. We specially invited General Manager Chen here today because he can represent Air China’s opinion, so we would like to ask General Manager Chen to take care of us.”

Mr. Chen chuckled and said:

"You're too kind, Mr. Ye. It's all thanks to Wu Shi's own hard work and strong abilities! When I talk to some pilots who fly to Europe, I often hear them mention Wu Shi's name. I remember it was just a few months ago, on some track in the United Kingdom, he won three consecutive championships!"

Silverstone Circuit.

"Oh, right, right, it's Silverstone Circuit." Mr. Chen smiled, his eyes narrowing, but he looked very amiable. He continued:

"Mr. Ye, you're busy, so I won't say anything more. This is the contract."

Mr. Chen took out a stack of papers from his briefcase. Ye Zhongming took them, glanced at them, and quickly found the key part.

Twenty million US dollars.

He handed the contract to Martina with satisfaction.

Martina politely accepted the item and began to read it. No one spoke during this time, and the atmosphere was a little oppressive. The waiters came in from time to time to serve the dishes, but they did not look at the food and left the room after placing the dishes.

"Children, eat first, don't waste time," Ye Zhongming said.

Ye Zhaohui and Ye Ningning seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and began to eat their meal very politely.

Wu Shi sensed the imposing aura emanating from Ye Zhongming; after all, he was a second-rank official! He felt somewhat uneasy.

Because the contract was in both Chinese and English, Martina had a lot of work to do. She had to read the Chinese version and then proofread the English version, which took her a lot of time.

After reading it, she nodded and said, "Thank you for your airline's support. You are so generous."

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhongming smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, let's settle this then. You can discuss any further details yourselves. Let's have dinner first."

Ye Zhongming was clearly in a hurry. After finishing his meal in ten minutes and chatting for a few minutes, he and President Chen left first.

With the big boss gone, the two little ones from the Ye family finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, why were you holding your breath just now?" Wu Shi was the first to jump up and say to Ye Zhaohui.

"Damn it! You should have said that a few minutes earlier." Ye Zhaohui scoffed.

"What difference does it make whether I say it sooner or later? It's all the truth." Wu Shi said cheerfully, picking up a braised duck tongue.

"Of course there's a difference. The same sentence can have different meanings at different times. By the way, how long are you going to stay here this time?" Ye Zhaohui asked.

"It won't be long; I'll be going back in the next day or two."

"Contest?"

Wu Shi shook his head and said, "The competition isn't until the end of May. Go back and keep training."

"Why not rest for a few more days?"

"I don't have that much time. My physical condition is still too poor. If I were to drive F1, my physical fitness would likely hold me back, so training time is very tight," Wu Shi said.

"Everything is difficult," Ye Zhaohui remarked.

　The sponsorship storyline is relatively straightforward; it mainly serves to set the stage. Most sponsorships don't appear out of nowhere; they're all foreshadowed.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)