Chapter 128 - 53: Returning to China

Chapter 128: Chapter 53: Returning to China

When Toto decided to sign the contract with Wu Shi, he had already considered the various consequences.

Anyone truly following the situation would understand. By setting a nearly impossible precondition for obtaining the Mercedes-Benz seat, Toto was really just doing Niki Lauda a favor, while also showing Wu Shi his high regard and good faith.

After all, how could a driver who had only ever raced in F3 possibly get a good result the first time he drove an F1 car?

Anyone would have thought it was a joke.

The contract was only ever meant to give Wu Shi a chance to drive the Mercedes-Benz in a practice session. The real main event was still the matter of him coordinating a seat for Wu Shi with Williams.

But now, even though some people realized the contract’s conditions were nearly impossible to fulfill, most people chose to believe what they wanted to believe. They thought that even if Wu Shi failed, Toto would find a way to circumvent the clause and make him an official Mercedes-Benz driver regardless.

The fallout from this was so significant that the Daimler board even raised objections and convened a board meeting.

Toto was forced to guarantee at the meeting that if Wu Shi didn’t meet the conditions, he would not get the Mercedes-Benz seat!

Although he had convinced the board, the affair still had a major impact on the team’s internal operations.

After all, in the eyes of most of the team, both Hamilton and Rosberg were a million times better than Wu Shi.

Hamilton’s skill was already proven, and his victory in Spain yesterday only added to his glory.

Rosberg also possessed top-tier skill. And most importantly, he was German!

And Mercedes-Benz is a German automaker!

Every team in the paddock with a clear national identity hoped to assemble a team purely of their own countrymen!

Ferrari was even willing to let all hell break loose internally over this very issue.

So, it was easy to see why the team personnel considered Rosberg to be even more irreplaceable.

Facing the overwhelming tide of public opinion, even Toto began to doubt whether he had made the wrong decision.

Back then, Niki Lauda had told him just one thing: "Wu Shi could become the most dominant driver the paddock has ever seen, and he’s very young."

Of course, Toto understood what Niki Lauda meant. Wu Shi’s results in karting and F3 were simply out of this world. He was certain that besides him, every other team must have had their eyes on this exceptionally brilliant man from Hua Country.

’If that talent translated to F1, what kind of driver would emerge?’

Toto’s mind went to Schumacher, the racing legend who had been instrumental to Mercedes-Benz upon their return to the paddock.

In his prime, Schumacher could win a championship in the second or third fastest car on the grid. That was the power of a truly dominant driver.

And what Niki Lauda was implying was that Wu Shi’s talent would be even greater than Schumacher’s.

This meant that if Wu Shi wasn’t driving for Mercedes-Benz, then even with a fast car, they could still be threatened by this kid.

What’s more, Wu Shi was very young. He would have a longer peak than other drivers. The Mercedes-Benz car couldn’t stay the fastest forever, but in ten years, the kid would only be in his mid-twenties—right in his prime.

It was conceivable that with Wu Shi at Mercedes-Benz, he could absolutely serve as the team’s backstop.

But after all this thought, the most crucial prerequisite was that Wu Shi could translate his demonstrated talent to F1.

Toto suddenly recalled Niki Lauda’s original pitch: give Wu Shi a chance to join Mercedes-Benz. He sat up a little straighter. ’If this kid really manages a pole-position lap time in a practice session, then...’

He didn’t dare to imagine it, because the moment he did, his heart would start pounding.

So, he took out the *real* supplementary agreement.

Sid took it and read it over. Unlike the one in Spain, this one was a true supplementary agreement, stipulating in greater detail the responsibilities for confidentiality, the liabilities for leaks, and matters concerning the practice session.

"So we can sign this one?" Sid asked.

"Of course," Toto said, taking a deep breath and nodding.

...

On May 15, Wu Shi landed in the Capital. Returning to his home country after a long absence, he felt completely refreshed.

"The main reason for this trip back is to secure thirty million US dollars in sponsorships," Martina said the moment they landed, having switched effortlessly to Chinese. "The interested parties are Sky Eye Group, Longteng Technology Group, Beiben, and Geely Group. Their offers are very generous."

"Oh."

Wu Shi had some recollection of this. Sky Eye Group had been in contact with him for a long time. In fact, its subsidiary, Big Eye Media, had already finalized a three-million-RMB sponsorship deal.

Longteng Technology Group was the company where his father, Wu Zhenlin, worked. It had a very wide range of businesses, including two related to the automotive industry: vehicle intelligent solutions and parts manufacturing.

Beiben was a given. It was a joint venture between Daimler and the Capital Automobile Corporation. Riding the wave of the country’s fast-growing economy, its growth in recent years had been particularly explosive.

Their interest in Wu Shi this time was also due to the rumors about him and the Mercedes-Benz F1 seat.

Geely Group was another one of the country’s major automakers. It owned numerous brands and had already shown its ambition to expand into overseas markets with its acquisition of the Volvo Company in March 2010.

This time, they were also taking Wu Shi’s growing international reputation into account.

Their strategic plan to establish a new performance car brand, in particular, made them even more keen to consider a partnership with Wu Shi.

The two left their luggage at the hotel and, that afternoon, arrived at the reception hall of the Longteng Technology Group.

As a manufacturing giant, Longteng Technology Group was one of the most competitive enterprises to emerge from Hua Country in recent years, and it was highly favored by foreign investors.

Unfortunately, Longteng Technology Group was a private company, giving foreign investment groups no way to get a piece of the pie.

This was Wu Shi’s first time visiting his father’s workplace. Longteng Mansion occupied a prime location in the Capital, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

"This is the Dragon’s Lair of West Avenue," Wu Shi suddenly commented. "The west corresponds to the White Tiger Position. The White Tiger governs metal and embodies aggression. It’s quite fitting for Longteng Technology Group. But if that’s the feng shui, why isn’t ’Tiger’ in the name?"

"Huh?" Martina had no idea what the young man was talking about.

Instead, it was the staff member there to greet them who smiled and said, "You know quite a bit about these things for a young man."

"I saw the massive porcelain mural on the lobby ceiling."

Wu Shi chuckled, pointing to the enormous portrait of a White Tiger above them. He did, in fact, have a genuine interest in such esoteric matters.

After crossing the lobby and passing some exhibits of incredibly complex mechanical structures, the group took an elevator to the 48th floor.

"Alright, the conference room is right here," the staff member said. "President Zhenlin mentioned he must recuse himself to avoid a conflict of interest. Our group’s President An will be here shortly to speak with you."