Why race if you don’t have money?

Chapter 47 I Want You to Be My Gun
In the afternoon, the trailer returned to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and Zhang Zhicong's Audi A6 arrived shortly thereafter.

Considering that Zhang Zhicong and Liang Chi were old friends reuniting, and that Huasai Sports had encountered some changes, they probably had a lot of old things to discuss, so Chen Xiangbei did not stay in the repair shop to disturb them.

On the way home, Chen Xiangbei saw Qin Lianjie's Civic Type-R parked on the side of the road from a distance, and he was leaning against the car door smoking.

Almost at the same time, Qin Lianjie also saw Chen Xiangbei. He put out his cigarette, waved, and said, "Xiangbei, can we chat for a few minutes?"

The two had met several times and were relatively familiar with each other. Chen Xiangbei stopped and nodded and replied, "What's going on?"

"Today, Mr. Zhang from Huasai Sports came all the way to Guangzhou and Shenzhen to watch the race. And you said you were going to run the Formula One event. Could it be that you're planning to run a Huasai-affiliated event in Donghai?"

"Yeah, almost."

"The current operating situation of the Huasai event is not good, and its events may not be able to continue."

"You are well-informed."

Chen Xiangbei smiled at Qin Lianjie's kind reminder.

In the eyes of the outside world, there were actually not many signs that Huasai was going to go bankrupt.

After all, at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix in October, the Huasai CFR2000 formula car made a grand appearance. Who could have imagined that it would suddenly collapse?

"My family's business is mainly in the East China Sea. The news of Huasai's broken capital chain is no secret in the industry."

"Isn't that what you want to say?"

"of course not."

Qin Lianjie shook his head and got straight to the point: "Since you're going to Donghai, there's a top underground competition in the country. Are you interested in participating?"

"No."

Chen Xiangbei refused without hesitation. He was going to Donghai to be a professional racer, so why would he participate in street races?
"I will provide a sponsorship of 200,000 yuan."

"Can consider it."

Without any hesitation, Chen Xiangbei succumbed to the temptation of money.

Ideals are built on a material foundation. If Huasai goes bankrupt and becomes insolvent, it's impossible for Liang Chi and I to live on loans in Donghai, right?
Qin Lianjie felt a mixture of laughter and tears at Chen Xiangbei's rapid expression change. This kid was so realistic...

"Since you agreed so readily, why don't you ask what the competition is and who the opponent is?"

"No matter who my opponent is, they can't outrun me."

Chen Xiangbei replied nonchalantly, then added, "If I have to ask you something, it's why did you pay me to run away?"

“Because I can’t run.”

Qin Lianjie replied very frankly.

Since the completion of the Donghai International Circuit in 04 and the successful hosting of the first F1 Chinese Grand Prix, both professional and underground sports have moved from the Pearl River Delta to Donghai, leveraging Shanghai's position as a financial center.

As the number of drivers increases, they will naturally gather in groups. Just like Japan's Wangan and Shutoko, Tokai Central has also formed a similar underground racing atmosphere and hosts an annual underground competition.

Over time, domestic underground racing masters have come to participate in the competition to compete for the title of underground racing king.

It’s just that according to the nature of the domestic “king of competition”, anything related to competition will often be escalated layer by layer later, and the situation will become more and more competitive.

The Donghai Underground Competition is said to be participated by street racers, but in fact, as its fame grows, a large number of professional racers have joined in.

Qin Lianjie's driving skills as a professional goalkeeper are naturally not as good as those of real professional-level opponents.

"If you can't run, then don't run. Why spend money on me to fight for this empty reputation?"

Chen Xiangbei still didn't quite understand. At least from their recent interactions, Qin Lianjie wasn't someone who couldn't stand losing, and there was no need to spend money on a reputation that didn't belong to him. "It's not me who wants this reputation, it's Captain An who wants to make the team famous. You'll be participating as a spot-on driver."

Cao An had previously planned to invite Chen Xiangbei to join the Light Spot Racing Team, essentially intending to have him participate in the East China Underground Race. While this was merely a title for an underground racer, it could impact the entire performance car modification community in China.

Just like after the Akina Mountain car god became popular, Gunma Prefecture in Japan directly became a famous tourist attraction, with countless modification enthusiasts checking in.

Compared to Qin Lianjie, a pure underground racer, Captain Cao An is more of a businessman. He is engaged in the industry of vehicle sales and modification, importing high-performance cars and modified parts to the mainland through Hong Kong Island channels.

The more famous the Light Spot Team is, the more beneficial it will be for his business development.

To be honest, a mere 200,000 yuan can be earned back by selling a few imported cars. It is a good deal to hire Chen Xiangbei as a gun with this little money.

"Well, I see."

"Then it's settled. I'll contact Donghai when the time comes."

Qin Lianjie is not a talkative person. After the deal was done, he drove away in his Civic Type-R.

On the other side, Chen Xiangbei returned home. Because it was the weekend, his mother Zhao Yumei was sitting on the sofa watching TV programs.

Seeing her son come home early, Zhao Yumei casually asked, "Is the repair shop busy today?"

"not busy."

After saying this, Chen Xiangbei sat next to Zhao Yumei.

"Mom, I want to discuss something with you."

"what's up?"

"I want to take a month off to go to Donghai to try out racing."

When Zhao Yumei heard Chen Xiangbei's words, she was so shocked that she dropped the remote control in her hand.

"Why would a student like you go to Donghai to race a car?"

Zhao Yumei sat up straight with a serious expression on her face. The students were not studying well and were always thinking about random things in their minds.

"Racing is my dream. Besides, it doesn't conflict with my studies, and I can still get into university."

"I think you've lost your mind. How are you going to get into college with racing?"

Zhao Yumei thought Chen Xiangbei was talking nonsense. There was no way she would agree to take leave to go racing, let alone for a month.

"Mom, there are many ways to get into college. You can go to a domestic university through the college entrance examination, or you can choose to study abroad."

"If I become a professional racer, I can take the special talent student route and apply to Suzuka International University in Japan. They are currently holding trials in Tokai, and passing them would be equivalent to early admission to university."

Suzuka is the venue for the Japanese F1 Grand Prix. The Suzuka Circuit was the final track of the F1 event in the early years, and it has been the birthplace of countless classic championship events. It can be regarded as one of the world's legendary circuits.

In order to facilitate the testing of vehicle performance and use the Suzuka Circuit to train drivers, Japanese car brands such as Honda and Toyota have reached a cooperation agreement with Suzuka International University and established a racing academy.

The technical partner of the Huasai Formula is Honda HRC (Honda Racing Company). As long as you can pass the trial training and join the Honda Suzuka Racing Academy, you can get a diploma from Suzuka International University. Those with excellent results may even receive a scholarship provided by Honda.

Takuma Sato, a famous Japanese driver who achieved success late in life, graduated from Honda Suzuka Racing Academy. He persevered with the help of scholarships and was eventually selected by an F1 team.

In fact, to be honest, Chen Xiangbei doesn't care whether he can be admitted to university. The highest diploma he really wants to obtain is called "Super Driver's License". The value of this certificate is far more than just a bachelor's degree. If he really wants to study, he can be specially admitted by Peking University and Tsinghua University.

The reason he said all this to explain was more to reassure his mother Zhao Yumei that being a driver was not giving up his studies as she imagined, nor was it the same as being unlearned.

(End of this chapter)