Chapter 129 - 54: An Impossible Task

Chapter 129: Chapter 54: An Impossible Task

A large corporation like Longteng Technology Group has quite a few vice presidents. For an outsider, it’s hard to know the exact division of their responsibilities.

A short while later, a tall, slender, and scholarly-looking middle-aged man wearing glasses walked in, followed by an assistant.

Martina and Wu Shi stood up. After shaking his hand, she said, "It’s a pleasure to have this opportunity to discuss this collaboration with you. I am Martina Catacia, the general manager of Hpeng Company, and also Wu Shi’s agent."

Hpeng Company was an agency Martina had founded herself to manage race car drivers. Wu Shi was currently under its banner; in fact, you could say the company was established specifically for him.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you both as well. I’m An Yan’ang."

President An greeted them politely, then turned to Wu Shi with a smile. "I’ve only ever seen Young Master Wu in photographs. It’s great to finally meet you in person, you handsome young man."

"Hehe, I’ve often heard my father mention you, Uncle An. He said you have the integrity of bamboo but a heart full of ambition. He even told me about your glorious deeds, how you once led a seven-man team to carve out a new world for yourselves in Southeast Asia."

Wu Shi chuckled, a bit embarrassed but still polite.

"Hahahaha! You’re an even smoother talker than your dad." An Yan’ang laughed heartily.

Once the pleasantries were over, the atmosphere became more relaxed. An Yan’ang continued,

"I’ve seen quite a few media reports in Europe about you and a seat with the Mercedes F1 Team. I won’t ask about the details, but let’s just say hypothetically."

"Hypothetically, if you were given the opportunity mentioned in the news, could you seize it and secure that seat?"

An Yan’ang’s question was cleverly phrased. On the surface, he wasn’t asking them to leak any secrets, but in reality, he was trying to probe for the actual situation.

This was perfectly normal. After all, Longteng Technology Group’s interest in sponsorship was based on two things: first, the high probability of Wu Shi joining an F1 team, and second, the possibility of him getting a seat specifically with Mercedes-Benz.

All sponsorships are driven by clear interests; no one offers money for no reason.

Martina was silent for a moment before speaking. "President An, I must state that all recent news reports are just rumors and speculation."

An Yan’ang nodded. "I understand. There are only the four of us here. Everything we discuss today will be kept completely confidential."

With that, he produced a non-disclosure agreement. The terms were quite simple: it pertained only to today’s meeting. Whoever leaked information would be liable for damages, and the penalty amount was equal to the total sponsorship fee.

Presenting this NDA was, in a way, telling Wu Shi and Martina that they were showing sufficient sincerity.

Martina read the contract carefully. With her years in the legal profession, she could naturally tell that the contract was valid and binding.

"Alright, I understand. I’ll let Wu Shi answer this question himself."

Martina looked at Wu Shi.

An Yan’ang also looked at Wu Shi, raising an eyebrow as if to tell him not to feel any pressure.

"Huuu, alright, I’ll be honest."

Wu Shi did a quick assessment in his mind. ’Although I haven’t driven an F1 car in this life, I still have the memories from my previous one.’

If he were put directly into an F1 car, he wouldn’t be like a complete rookie who needed to consider every little thing.

As the pinnacle of circuit racing, F1 cars handle very differently from other race cars.

The main difference is downforce. With a normal race car, you might need to slow down significantly to get through a corner smoothly.

But with an F1 car, for certain corners, you actually need to *increase* your speed to generate more downforce, allowing you to take the corner even better.

It’s a very counterintuitive concept, and many drivers new to F1 overlook this detail.

With his relevant driving experience, Wu Shi was confident he could adapt to these issues quickly.

’Of course, it’s only 2014 right now. F1 cars still primarily use aero packages for downforce. I might need to adjust my driving habits from the ground effect era.’

’The difference between the two is quite significant; there’s a risk of misjudgment.’

"I’d say my odds of fulfilling the agreement are about fifty percent. A fifty-fifty chance," Wu Shi finally said.

An Yan’ang glanced at his assistant, who remained silent.

"Fifty percent, huh."

He tapped his fingers on the table, thinking for a moment before speaking.

"A fifty percent chance is more than enough. Besides, even if you don’t join Mercedes-Benz, you’ll most likely join another F1 team next year, right?"

Wu Shi didn’t nod. He completely ignored the mention of "Mercedes-Benz" and said instead:

"I already have a contract for an F1 seat. You may not know this, but I reached an agreement with Ferrari at the start of the season. As long as I achieve 21 victories in this F3 championship..."

"As you can see, I’ve already secured eight wins. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, those 21 victories are as good as mine."

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

An Yan’ang applauded enthusiastically. "Impressive! Very ambitious! In that case, I won’t beat around the bush with my young friend. We have prepared 10,000,000 US Dollars for a basic sponsorship."

Ten million US Dollars!

’If I can secure this, it’ll get me one-third of the way to my goal!’

"This basic sponsorship is like any other. All we ask for is co-branding and similar collaborations. The specific terms aren’t harsh."

Here, An Yan’ang paused, then said with a smile, "And I have another ten million in my budget."

Wu Shi and Martina were both surprised to hear this. ’As expected of a tech and manufacturing giant. So generous!’

"We’re listening."

Martina said, deducing that this second ten million US Dollar sponsorship would come with conditions.

"After you join F1, we want either twenty percent of your income for three years, or ten percent for five years," An Yan’ang stated.

Hearing this condition, Martina instantly understood. The previous discussion about the team seat had just been a smokescreen; this was what they were really after.

Though she had picked up on this sharply, Martina wasn’t about to reject the offer.

After all, it was a ten million US Dollar sponsorship, and financial backing was what Wu Shi needed most right now.

"I think this is something we can discuss in more detail," Martina said.

Haggling was also an important part of the negotiation process. Unlike when he was a child and would tune out such things, this time Wu Shi listened intently.

He wasn’t just waiting to see the result; he was trying to learn the techniques and approaches involved. He didn’t have to be an expert in this field, but he couldn’t afford to be completely ignorant either.

Major contracts often don’t take long to negotiate. In just half an hour, Martina and An Yan’ang had finalized all the details.

"Not bad. Now you’re a young multi-millionaire," An Yan’ang joked after the contract was signed.

Only after the contract with Longteng Technology Group was finalized did Wu Zhenlin appear and arrange a dinner for that evening.

The next day, Martina and Wu Shi arrived at Beiben’s headquarters.

Unlike the courteous reception they received at Longteng Technology Group, the person Beiben sent was merely the general manager of a business department.

However, the good thing was that they were very direct: a three million US Dollar sponsorship with no strings attached.

Given this outcome, Wu Shi felt that Beiben’s hospitality was actually quite good.

Without resting, the two flew directly to Lin’an that same day. Their meeting with Geely Group was scheduled for that night.

On the plane, Martina couldn’t help but praise Wu Shi. "It seems you’ve picked up quite a few negotiation tactics yourself."

"I have?" Wu Shi was confused, not sure what Martina was referring to.

"That ’fifty percent’ you told President An," Martina said. "You didn’t boast and claim seventy, eighty, or even a hundred percent, but you also didn’t tell the truth and say it was only ten percent."

"Wait! In your eyes, I only have a ten percent chance of fulfilling that agreement and getting the Mercedes-Benz seat?" Wu Shi interrupted.

Martina turned her head, looking puzzled.

"Isn’t that the case? Even ten percent is too aggressive. It’s more like a one percent chance."

"And it’s not just me; everyone thinks so. You don’t think you can adapt to an F1 car as quickly as your current one, do you?"

"I remember you adapted to the F3 car quite fast, but that was after a very long testing period. The F1 practice session Mercedes-Benz is giving you won’t be nearly that long."

Seeing how serious Martina was, Wu Shi finally understood. It seemed no one believed he could fulfill his contract with Mercedes-Benz.

’No wonder Sid was so insistent on the Williams contract.’

’No wonder Toto went along with Nikki’s idea and signed this contract back then.’

’No wonder the Daimler Company board approved this contract.’

’And no wonder the contract leak was so thorough later on, with every detail exposed.’

’So that’s how it is. Nobody took it seriously! They all thought it was impossible!’

Wu Shi felt a sense of relief. If he were in their shoes, he wouldn’t believe it either.