Chapter 130 - 55: The Final Twenty Million

Chapter 130: Chapter 55: The Final Twenty Million

Wu Shi’s sponsorship negotiation with Jili went similarly to the one with Beiben. It didn’t take long to secure a personal sponsorship of five million US dollars.

Since this type of sponsorship didn’t involve an F1 team or mention any endorsements, it naturally wasn’t subject to any restrictions.

However, Wu Shi knew that Jili’s sponsorship wasn’t without reason. There would naturally be deeper collaborations in the future; this was just building a friendly bridge for communication in advance.

"We’re heading south tomorrow. The airline wants us to print their logo," Martina said.

On this trip back to the country, they had already secured three sponsorship deals. Besides Longteng Technology Group, which would coordinate with the Mercedes F1 Team to print its logo on the team uniforms, the other two were personal sponsorships for Wu Shi, so they didn’t have any promotional requirements.

However, while it seemed like Beiben wasn’t getting any promotion, they actually already were.

"Mm, that shouldn’t be a big problem."

Wu Shi nodded. As the news about him potentially joining an F1 team became more detailed, his commercial value was skyrocketing. The business departments of major corporations, like sharks smelling blood in the water, were all starting to circle.

But he wasn’t planning on reaching sponsorship agreements with these companies just yet.

After all, he was still just an F3 driver. Although he had eight championships and was the likely overall champion for the year, it ultimately didn’t carry the same weight as the title of "F1 Driver."

Therefore, negotiating sponsorships at this time meant the sponsors had the upper hand in driving down the price. Such opportunities could only be given to a few close companies.

The next day, Wu Shi arrived in Peng City, returning to this hometown that wasn’t quite his hometown.

The Wu Family, like most of Peng City’s population, had come from elsewhere.

But what was Peng City’s slogan?

It was "Once you come to Peng City, you’re a Peng City person." (Of course, there was also the saying, "What you earn in Peng City, you spend in Peng City; don’t even think of taking a penny home.")

So Wu Shi, who was born here, held a special affection for the city.

Even though he had left at the age of ten, he still remembered his father taking him to climb Lotus Mountain, wander through Qingqing World, visit the Window of the World, and go sightseeing on the top floor of Diwang Mansion.

Because his life afterward was almost entirely consumed by racing, these memories had become precious treasures that he often revisited.

’Like every other F1 driver of this era, once you set foot on this path, most of your youth is destined to be spent on the racetrack, accompanied by the smell of engine oil.’

Wu Shi felt a wave of emotion, his thoughts turning to his friend, Leclerc.

When Leclerc was racing in F2, his father passed away from an illness. He had no time to process his grief; three days later, he was on the track at Baku Station, racing once again.

He was originally supposed to meet with an executive from Peng City Airlines today, but Ye Zhongming had suddenly called, saying he knew the executive and that it would be a good opportunity for them all to have a meal together.

So, the negotiation, which was originally set to take place in an office building, was moved to a private kitchen restaurant.

The moment Wu Shi stepped into the restaurant, he could practically smell the "luxury" in the air.

"Hello, do you have a reservation?" a smiling hostess in a uniform asked as she approached.

"Yes, room 888, for a Mr. Zhang," Martina replied with a nod.

"Of course, this way please."

The hostess led them through a central courtyard garden to a secluded private room. She gently pushed the door open, gestured for them to enter, and said, "Right this way, you two."

As soon as Wu Shi walked through the door, he saw a young man rush over and punch him in the chest.

"Holy shit! I haven’t seen you in years, and you’re still so damn familiar! Punching me the second you see me!"

Wu Shi clutched his chest. That guy, Ye Zhaohui, still didn’t know how to hold back.

"Hahaha! This is just me excitedly expressing my uncontrollable excitement at seeing my friend again!" Ye Zhaohui laughed happily.

Compared to when they were kids, the guy had become much more charismatic. The vibrant energy in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"Ningning, why don’t you come say hello? Don’t you recognize your old boss?" Ye Zhaohui called out.

Behind him, Ye Ningning slowly walked over, her arms held in front of her and her head slightly lowered. Her shy demeanor was a complete departure from the little terror she had been as a child.

"Hello, Brother Wu Shi," Ye Ningning said. Her voice was clear but very quiet.

"Hey," Wu Shi said with a wave.

"Ma’am, please have a seat. My dad will be here soon." Ye Zhaohui proactively pulled out a chair.

"Thank you," Martina said with a smile.

About ten minutes later, Ye Zhongming walked in with a slightly heavyset man who had a buzz cut.

Martina and Wu Shi naturally stood up to greet them. After a few pleasantries, they all sat down.

"Well now, it’s been years! Not only have you grown from a handsome little boy into a handsome young man, but you’ve also achieved so much in the world of racing. It’s incredible!"

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

"Thank you for the praise, Uncle Ye. It’s all thanks to your good fortune. Without your timely help back then, how would I have had the chance to continue racing and bringing glory to our country?" Wu Shi replied with a smile.

"Hahaha! I never knew someone who’s good at racing could also be so good with words!"

Ye Zhongming laughed heartily, then got straight to the point.

"Peng City Airlines has been sponsoring Wu Shi all along, and now that we’ve reached a critical moment, they certainly won’t be left behind. I’ve specifically invited President Chen today because he can also represent the opinion of the National Airline. So, President Chen, I’ll ask you to take good care of him."

President Chen chuckled and said,

"You’re too kind, Mr. Ye. This is all due to young Wu Shi’s own efforts and his formidable strength! When I talk to some of our pilots who fly the European routes, I often hear them mention his name. I remember it was just a few months ago, right? At some circuit in the United Kingdom, he got a hat trick of wins!"

"Silverstone Circuit."

"Oh, yes, yes, that’s the one, Silverstone Circuit." President Chen’s eyes crinkled when he smiled, giving him a very amiable appearance. He continued,

"Mr. Ye, I know you’re busy, so I won’t say much more. Here is the contract."

President Chen took a stack of papers out of his briefcase. Ye Zhongming took it, glanced over it, and quickly found the key section.

Twenty million US dollars.

Satisfied, he passed the contract to Martina.

After politely accepting it, Martina began to read. No one spoke during this time, and the atmosphere grew a little tense. The servers who occasionally came in to deliver dishes did so with their eyes fixed forward, leaving the room as soon as the food was placed on the table.

"You kids go ahead and eat. Don’t let it get cold," Ye Zhongming said.

At that, Ye Zhaohui and Ye Ningning seemed to let out a sigh of relief and began to eat in a very refined manner.

Wu Shi could feel the powerful aura emanating from Ye Zhongming. He was a Second-Grade Official, after all. It made even him a little uneasy.

Because the contract in her hands was bilingual, in both Chinese and English, Martina’s workload was significant. She had to read the Chinese version and then verify it against the English, which took quite some time.

After finishing, she nodded and said, "Thank you for your airline’s support. This is incredibly generous."

As soon as she said that, Ye Zhongming smiled and nodded. "Alright, let’s consider it settled then. If there are any further details, you two can communicate on your own. For now, let’s eat."

Ye Zhongming’s schedule was clearly very tight. After finishing his meal in ten minutes and making small talk for a few more, he and President Chen left.

With the big shots gone, the two younger members of the Ye Family finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whoa, how come you didn’t dare to breathe a moment ago?" Wu Shi was the first to pipe up, teasing Ye Zhaohui.

"Damn! I wish you’d had the guts to say that a few minutes earlier," Ye Zhaohui said disdainfully.

"What’s the difference if I said it earlier or later? It’s the truth either way," Wu Shi said cheerfully, picking up a piece of braised duck tongue with his chopsticks.

"Of course there’s a difference. The same words can have a different meaning depending on when you say them. Anyway, how long are you staying this time?" Ye Zhaohui asked.

"Not long. I’ll probably head back the day after tomorrow."

"For a race?"

Wu Shi shook his head. "The next race isn’t until the end of May. I’m going back to keep up my training."

"Not going to rest a few more days?"

"Don’t have the time. My physical conditioning is still too poor. If I drive in F1, my stamina could hold me back, so my training schedule is very tight," Wu Shi said.

"Nothing comes easy, huh?" Ye Zhaohui remarked with a sigh.