Actor: Thank you.

"WELCOME!"

"Welcome to the 2011 Australian Grand Prix."

"Despite many changes, the season has finally begun."

Outside the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Zhang Yuan personally handed over the inner field passes to several friends who had come from afar.

"These passes will grant you access to the interview area, the track area outside of race time, the VIP stands, and the event area."

"If you get hungry, the team will provide drinks and cold meals."

"However, I suggest avoiding the Mercedes team's dining area. It's a British team with a German brand, so you know what the food is like."

"Red Bull's food is better; I can secretly take you there."

As Zhang Yuan handed out the hair clips, he winked at his new friends.

Hugh Dancy from England was a little embarrassed by what he said; British things were indeed... about the same level as German jokes.

"What's wrong?" When Zhang Yuan handed the pass to Elizabeth Olsen, her beautiful eyes behind her brown sunglasses blinked helplessly.

"It's nothing, it's just that we were supposed to go to Bahrain, but we ended up in Australia instead."

"This place is very similar to California; it lacks the exotic charm of Bahrain."

"There's nothing we can do about it." Zhang Yuan had forgotten something.

In theory, since signing an agreement with the FIA ​​in 04, the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain has served as the opening race venue for the Formula 1 Grand Prix on multiple occasions.

This was the arrangement at the beginning of this year as well.

But the anti-government demonstrations that broke out in February grew increasingly larger.

Bomb attacks and street gunfights are happening everywhere.

After weighing the options, the FIA ​​decided to postpone the race, but the issue remains unresolved, forcing another postponement.

Ultimately, it will be forced to be cancelled.

On the surface, this is a sectarian conflict unique to the Middle East, but its roots can be traced back to around 600 AD, more than a thousand years ago.

But the real mastermind behind it all is...

American: Hey hey hey, it's me, your humble servant.

The cause was the "Middle East Spring" that began a few months ago, at the end of 10, and which has been going on for many years.

The purpose of this move is actually very clear: first, the Middle East needs to be thrown into chaos, and only when it's in chaos can we profit from it.

Not only can they profit from it, but they can also plunder and steal, preventing oil-producing countries in regions linked to the US dollar from uniting against them.

Secondly, it is an instinctive reaction inherited from his former biological father, now his godson, Daiying.

They're like conjugate father and son.

The British drama series "Yes, Minister" discusses why Britain was brought into the European Union.
It wasn't about building a powerful Europe, but about causing trouble, disrupting Germany and France, and ensuring that a powerful, unified Europe couldn't be formed.

Throughout history, whenever a country in Europe rose to power, Britain would unite with other countries to oppose it, causing chaos for over a thousand years.

Who orchestrated the anti-French coalition? And who orchestrated the appeasement of Germany?

The chaos it created in the Middle East led to a refugee crisis, which indirectly affected Europe and the European Union.

The world is in chaos, but the Chinese people live in peace and stability. It's not easy.

Zhang Yuan looked at Teacher Xiaobai and thought to himself, "This is what you Lighthouse people are up to."

Fine, I'll tolerate this pretty woman.

I'm reminded of a line from Zhao Benshan's skit.

The world is in chaos, but the scenery here is exceptionally beautiful.

Well, I already went there a few years ago when things weren't so chaotic.

Oceania is at least relatively safe.

Upon entering the inner area, the Mercedes-Benz team was referred to as the "Silver Arrows," using the matte silver-gray finish most commonly seen on Mercedes-Benz vehicles, which looked very high-end and eye-catching.

The drivers are still the famous Michael Schumacher after his comeback, and Rosberg, whose father was a former world champion. Rosberg himself is handsome with blond hair and was jokingly called "Princess" since childhood.

It's only Friday, and the two drivers are busy with media activities. They also have to fine-tune the car, test drive it, and participate in practice sessions later.

Zhang Yuan arranged for several celebrities and drivers to take photos together, have some small interactions, get to know each other, and he also greeted them.

"I have to go to a meeting with the team manager. You guys have fun."

He then jogged away.

Indeed, there was an arrangement. His manager, Ross Brown, who was also an old acquaintance, gave him a bunch of documents regarding the team's arrangements.

This includes the schedule, planned expenses and activities, as well as sponsor information.

Brown secretly obtained the sponsor information for him; Mercedes wouldn't allow it and kept it a secret.

Because it's common for racing teams to compete for sponsors.

He wanted this information to see if there was any way he could make money off it.

Also.

"When I agreed to switch the team to Mercedes, the contract stipulated that I should be given advertising space."

"That's right, it used to be the rear spoiler, now it's the lower right side of the side box and the front of the car."

"You can find suppliers for the side box locations; I'll pay the fleet's intermediary fee."

"I will import the brand myself for the front of the car."

“Sure.” Brown pushed up his glasses. “But what brands would you like to bring in?”

"You know, Germans are annoying, rigid, irritating, and extremely demanding."

The British can criticize the Germans without any hesitation.

Mercedes factory team is the brand with the highest requirements for sponsors in the paddock, almost without exception.

The review process is very strict. No matter how much money you offer, companies that contradict the brand image of Mercedes-Benz cannot associate their brand with the car.

In a sense, it reflects the meticulousness of the Germans.

But that's just talk; not everything is strictly accurate. For example, there was the Volkswagen emissions scandal, where emissions were falsely advertised.

"If it's a condiment, a toy, or... a sex toy, I'd say it's difficult."

Zhang Yuan: …

Why would you think I'm looking for ads for sex toys?
Even when it comes to sex toys, you have to go to Brother Qian, not me, because he's the Durex of the billiards world.

"Don't worry, it's a high-tech enterprise from China," Zhang Yuan explained briefly.

Then he pulled the chair closer and began to discuss it with the other party with a smile.

"Is there something else I need your help with?"

"WHAT, my friend?"

"Did you see that fair-skinned, beautiful young woman who came with me earlier?"

"The blond one, the one with the sunny smile?" Brown asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes, she is the youngest sister of the Olsen family."

"Who?"

“Olsen… are those two celebrity sisters from the United States.” Zhang Yuan forgot that the other party was British and not young, and didn’t know anything about them.

"In short, her sisters are all Hollywood stars."

“She also works in Hollywood, and I have some professional interactions with her,” Zhang Yuan said seriously, then smiled. “But I don’t want our interactions to be limited to work.”

"Hmm." Brown stroked his chin, realizing what was going on.

Picking up girls is nothing to be ashamed of.

He's young, rich, and good-looking, so it's perfectly reasonable for him to bring his younger sister to the stadium.

The racing team has seen this kind of thing many times, and the drivers often bring girls to watch their races.

Athletes are people with high adrenaline levels, so they are naturally passionate and often change partners.

Those who are truly loyal in relationships are actually a minority; in the world of fame and fortune, there are too many temptations.

So he understood and opened his hands.

"So, how do you need my help?"

……

"GO, GO, GO!"

More than an hour later, the practice session began, and the new cars from each team started racing on the track in 2011.

Zhang Yuan doesn't care about the competition, especially the practice matches.

Since last year, Red Bull Racing has dominated the paddock, embarking on a winning streak that has lasted for several years.

It wasn't until the Mercedes team developed a cutting-edge engine after a major technical overhaul that the track dominance changed hands.

Only then will the team's market value surge further.

Therefore, he is not in a hurry at all and only needs to wait for the value of his shares to gradually increase.

“Elizabeth, let me introduce you. This is Mr. George, the vice president of Paramount.” Zhang Yuan called out to Xiaobai, who was wearing headphones and watching the race car circling on the monitor.

"Hello."

"I'm sorry, I invited you all here, but I have to leave again."

"I have something to talk to him about."

"It's alright, I'm perfectly fine here," the other person said generously.

"That's good. I'll let you in on a secret: it's about discussing the contract for 'G.I. Joe 2'." Zhang Yuan winked at her.

"I didn't originally want to continue acting, but you said that day that you liked my performance in the film."

"So I reconsidered," he said, offering a pretext.

"Really?" Teacher Xiaobai believed it.

She bit her lip, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Young girls are so easy to fool...

Zhang Yuan smiled, nodded, and turned to leave.

He invited the Paramount people over to show off his wealth. I'm very busy and have a lot of assets, so it's impossible for me to spend so much time with you for a small fee.

Take it or leave it. If you don't ask me to take pictures, I'll just focus on playing with cars.

To deal with foreigners, you have to be forceful and speak politely, but they won't understand.

Seeing that he was playing such an advanced game, the other party understood.

They ended up eating and chatting in a rather informal setting, but they managed to negotiate a $300 million salary for him, plus a 2% increase in the copyright revenue share.

Even so, Zhang Yuan remained indifferent, as if he thought it wasn't enough.

But the more you do this, the more the other party feels it's worthwhile, believing that their negotiation was effective, that they lowered the price, met their demands, and that they finally reached a consensus after a difficult journey.

If things go too smoothly, people will think you're easy to bully.

"Eve." After discussing it, he called her by her first name.

"I think you'll see me play Storm Shadow again on screen later, and I hope you'll like it."

"That's fantastic." The other person was quite pleased.

I just mentioned it casually, and they took care of it.

Zhang Yuan slightly opened his arms, and the other person gave a soft "oh" before hugging him in celebration.

Zhang Yuan didn't make any physical contact; he politely patted the other person's back gently, without going too far.

Physical contact is the first step in building a relationship.

"Zhang." Just then, the first practice session ended, and the drivers and cars returned to the garage. The mechanics began to fine-tune the cars based on the track data they had just collected.

Brown waved to him, as agreed, and called him to a "meeting" at this time.

"The first batch of vehicle data is out."

"How is the result?"

"We are slower than Red Bull, McLaren, and even Ferrari."

Brown, harboring resentment towards the Red Army, would occasionally stomp on the Ferrari.

"Why is this happening!" he raised his voice.

"Come on, let's go take a look at the car together." Zhang Yuan said, looking at Cage and the others: "Do you want to come and see the actual car up close?"

Of course they want to see it; such opportunities don't come around all the time.

An F1 car costs far more than any expensive, limited-edition vehicle they can buy.

"Okay, let's go together."

"Is it okay?" Zhang Yuan asked Brown.

The older man nodded, feigning reluctance, "For your sake."

"Apart from the team members, ordinary people are not allowed to get close to the cars."

Special treatment.

These four words flashed through everyone's minds, and they all understood that this treatment was because of Zhang Yuan.

The situation became exciting because it was unusual.

But this is only the beginning.

Upon arriving at the vehicle, it had already been lifted up, and the technician was adjusting the suspension.

"How much slower are we?" Zhang Yuan asked, clenching his fist.

"Same tires, 0.3 seconds slower per lap than Red Bull," Brown replied cooperatively.

"Our engines are inferior to their Renault engines?"

“No, our engine is the best,” Brown replied firmly.

That's actually true. Mercedes engines are not only fast, but also extremely stable. The Germans really know how to build machines.

From 2010 to 2012, all race cars using Mercedes engines only experienced engine failures twice, demonstrating an extremely low failure rate.

“Since it’s not the engine, then it must be a problem with the aerodynamic design.” Zhang Yuan raised his hand and touched the carbon fiber body.

He crawled under the car again and took a look at the aerodynamic duct on the chassis.

"The airflow is guided through the side boxes of the vehicle to the rear of the body and through the rear wing."

"The rear wing of the vehicle now conforms to the wash-out effect."

"In other words, if we adjust the pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces of the rear half, we can reduce the vehicle's drag."

"At the same time, reduce tail turbulence on straight sections."

"Give me that pen and paper," Zhang Yuan said casually, seemingly quite focused on observing the vehicle, while muttering to himself.

Brown readily agreed and picked up the paper and pen that had been prepared on the workbench.

Zhang Yuan picked up a pen and started writing and drawing, then reached out and touched the car body and under the car several times.

Then he held a pencil and pretended to be thinking.

They didn't even realize they had engine oil on their hands and had smeared it on their cheeks.

"If the design of the tail fin is modified in this way, and openings are made at the bottom of the side boxes, the airflow can be guided to accelerate through."

"Like this, and like this again..."

According to Bernoulli's equation, P + 1/2PU + PGH = C...

The others watched quietly as he and Brown exchanged technical information, speaking in a bunch of words that liberal arts students couldn't understand.

"Yes, if that's the case, it can indeed improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the race car."

"Zhang, you're a genius."

The two talked for more than ten minutes, and Brown looked at what he had written and sincerely admired it.

He's acting like Zhang Yuan is the team's savior, even more professional than our senior designers... Yeah, right.

This is the favor Zhang Yuan asked him to do.

His exact words were roughly as follows.

"I want to show off my tech genius skills in front of my little sister."

And then, this "performance" came about.

For Brown, a manager with a technical background, it's an expert when it comes to showing off his professional skills.

He taught Zhang Yuan a bunch of technical terms that ordinary people wouldn't understand.

You're quite clever and have a good sense of humor...

Zhang Yuan told him that girls nowadays like men like Tony Stark.

Not only do you need to be rich, you also need to be smart.

A popular saying in Europe and America is that intelligence is the sexiness of the new era.

Stark's mechs are very appealing when they're high-tech.

Of course, the prerequisite is that you have to be rich, very rich, and handsome.

Women might not be interested in watching a fat, nerdy guy doing tech stuff.

Now I'm rich and handsome, all I lack is skill.

Brown thought to himself, "I'll play along and let you pretend, okay?"

What Zhang Yuan had to do was pretend that he didn't understand the technical terms the other party was using at all, and that he was completely different from the other party in terms of air force.

He even deliberately wrote Bernoulli's equation incorrectly, making a foolish attempt to imitate it.

Brown believed that he was trying to deceive the girl.

He didn't know that Zhang Yuan was actually lying to him.

You have to make the other person think that you don't know anything, that you're just a big talker pretending to be rich, before they'll lower their guard.

"Then let's do it."

“Okay, I’ll take it to the chief designer.” Brown picked up the paper with his scribbles and doodles, intending to throw it away later.

"Zhang, your face." He returned to his group of friends, and Teacher Xiaobai pointed to his cheek.

"what?"

Zhang Yuan wiped his hand with the back of his hand, leaving his hand covered in black ink.

"Let me help you." Teacher Xiaobai took out some tissues from her bag and stepped in front of him.

The two quickly closed the distance between them. She raised her hand to cup Zhang Yuan's face and gently wiped the dirt off his face with a tissue.

"Zhang, you've given me some more surprises."

"I didn't know you also knew about racing. You're very smart."

"I participate in this sport because I love it."

"I'm sorry to have shown you my hands and face covered in engine oil. I'm dirty and undignified."

"No, not at all." Teacher Bai looked at him with a smile in her light gray eyes.

"Men should do what men should do. I think the way you handle racing cars is cool."

"Thank you. Your words have made me more confident. I always thought that in girls' eyes, repairing and using tools were things that only uncouth people could do."

“Not only that,” the other person said, gently shaking their head after wiping. “I also admire people who are good at their jobs.”

“You know, my family wasn’t that well-off when I was a child. My father was a real estate agent, and he would build me a treehouse and repair my bicycle by himself.”

“Then your father must be a very remarkable person,” Zhang Yuan replied in a similarly gentle tone.

"Mmm." She smiled and nodded gently.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before looking away.

Teacher Xiaobai smoothed her long golden hair, stepped aside, and pretended to watch the car.

Zhang Yuan turned his head and saw Brown and Cage, two middle-aged men, nodding at him while trying not to laugh.

You're really good at having fun!
He then observed Elizabeth's condition, as well as Brown's condition.

Great, first step complete.

Next, we will proceed to the second step. (End of Chapter)