F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 283: The Chief Shopkeeper

Horner could certainly understand Shu Long's meaning from the obvious excuse, but he couldn't find any logical fault with it.

Currently, there are only two companies handling Shulong's brokerage affairs.

One is Shu Long's own company, Fuyun Tengxiao, and the other is Alonso and A14 behind him.

The scope of their responsibilities is not clearly defined, but they each have some degree of focus. The former is more responsible for the commercial terms of the enclosure, while the latter is mainly responsible for managing the various miscellaneous affairs within the enclosure.

Having spent so many years navigating the paddock, Alonso no longer needs to rely on his network of connections within the paddock for many things.

But Shu Long is a sentimental person. Even though he has now become a driver who can stand on his own, he is still willing to maintain the rare relationship that he built up with each other during the most difficult period.

Even if the cost is that he has to pay an additional, not cheap, commission every year.
But when it comes to favors, sometimes even if you're willing to spend money, you can't just buy them.

Horner spent a lot of time trying to persuade him, but Shu Long kept rambling on and on, maintaining the same attitude: he wanted to wait until Alonso had some free time before discussing the contract renewal in detail.

This is no longer the time when we had to compromise with the team. Now the team needs to do everything they can to keep Shulong, and the treatment they offer is naturally the best in the paddock. At most, there will be some further discussion on certain binding responsibility details.

With the team showing this attitude, what difference does it make whether Alonso comes or not? Even if Alonso talks himself hoarse, Red Bull can't come up with a better offer!
As for Shu Long's family's brokerage company
Please~ This company is owned by the Shu family, how can a father be controlled by his child?

Horner had tried to get in touch with Shu Long privately before. When he was helping Shu Long with his Monaco property, he tried to get some information from them. The general consensus was that they respected Shu Long's personal wishes.

So whether or not this contract can be signed is really just a matter of whether Shu Long agrees or not.

Anyway, Shu Long himself is not in a hurry at all. Whether Alonso can play a role is not important. What is important is that Alonso needs to play his role!

As long as the time isn't right, Alonso can stay "very busy" indefinitely. It doesn't matter if he's done with Alpine; he can always go and work at Aston Martin, right?
"Sigh~ Never mind. I'll just confirm a few more questions, and then I won't rush you. In short, I don't think there's any team in the paddock that would be a better fit for you than ours."

"Uh-huh!"

Shu Long finally looked relieved and quickly straightened up from his slumped position in the chair.

"."

Horner was almost speechless at this shamelessness. He forced a smile for a while before recovering and preparing to continue the topic they hadn't finished discussing.

"Do your current thoughts have anything to do with what Geely officially announced?"

"Hmm? Ah—this? You can rest assured, boss. I only found out about their entry into the paddock after I got off the plane here."

Horner didn't say anything, but gave him a look that said, "Guess if I believe you."

"Tsk~ Really!"

Horner's expression softened slightly, but his eyes clearly indicated that he hoped Shu Long could explain things more clearly.

"They didn't tell me in advance because they knew they had a long time to go from building the team to winning the championship. They didn't want to add any unnecessary psychological burden to me and waste my peak period with them. It would actually be more beneficial for them if I stayed with a competitive team and continued to expand my influence."

This is right.

Talking about feelings and ideals is too empty and fake. Only when it comes to interests is the most eternal truth. At least the reason that Shu Long is giving can convince Horner to some extent.

From this perspective, Geely is truly serious about entering the Weichang project, rather than rushing to squeeze every last drop of value from Shulong to save itself. The key point is that they are not stupid.

It's easy to distinguish which is more auspicious: a golden egg or the goose that lays it.

If a competitive car cannot be built, it would be futile to forcibly bring Shulong along. On the contrary, it would completely ruin its reputation by "ruining the hope of Chinese motorsports." It would be better to let Shulong develop on its own and continue to contribute to the popularization of motorsports culture.

Besides, there's Zhou Guanyu, another Chinese driver, isn't there?
Of course, this doesn't mean Horner will lower his guard against Geely, but it's clear that this topic can be temporarily set aside, and pressing it further won't yield any more valuable answers.

Ferrari.
This team is ridiculous lately. Given Shulong's current booming momentum and its own practical interests, there's no need for them to go to the circus and cause trouble. They can't compare to Red Bull in any way.

"So it's Toto? Has he tried to contact you recently?"

"Toto? No, no, that's not it! Well, or rather, Toto has been trying to talk to me about where he'll be in 23 years, but that's not why I'm hesitant."

"What's that for?"

Shu Long and his team leader stared at each other across the table for a long time, opening their mouths several times but not knowing how to organize their thoughts.

“There’s a very famous play in our area called ‘The Best Restaurant Under Heaven.’ I’ll look for a translated version later. If not, I’ll ask someone to make one. After you see it, you’ll understand why I’m not in a hurry to renew my contract.”

"Can't you give me a general overview of the plot?"

"I said, then there's no point, is there? Perhaps after reading this, you'll have a clearer understanding of your current situation."

Horner was indeed intrigued by the dragon's binding.

Despite the team's unprecedented strength in terms of both car competitiveness and driver lineup recently, Horner felt more depressed than ever before, and didn't know who to confide in.

There are quite a few people in Red Bull who are waiting to see him fail.

Although it's not incomprehensible, it doesn't stop Horner from occasionally letting out a self-deprecating bitter laugh.

Everyone has two sides. Sometimes, when Horner looks back on some of his actions, he feels that he deserves his current situation, but he also feels sorry for the person he used to be who swallowed all his bitterness and carried Red Bull forward despite the infamy.

Horner reached out and pulled the string of Chinese characters that Shu Long had written on the paper, then searched for it on his phone and was surprised to find the results immediately.

"Is 'The First Under Heaven' the title?"

So it really does exist!
"I think so? I don't know if it's the same one."

This was something our Chinese teacher showed to us over several classes when we were in junior high. Shu Long wasn't sure if there was an official overseas translation of the play. If there was, it would be much more authoritative than something he made up himself. He was originally thinking of finding someone to make a copy so he could check it out first.

Horner swiped his finger across the screen a few more times, then held up one of the cover images for Shu Long to see.

"It's probably correct. I think I've heard of this description before. I'll take a look at it myself later."

It's a pity that it's ultimately just a translation; the essence of many lines from the original work will likely be difficult to convey through English.

Aside from the contract, there wasn't anything else of great importance. Feeling that he had said everything he needed to say, Shu Long wondered if he should find an excuse to leave for a while. He shuffled around the office, looking around.

"go Go."

Shu Long almost turned and left, but he only lifted his buttocks to feint before falling back down.

"Then I'm really leaving?"

"Adrian's meeting is at 3 p.m. Before that, you can take a look around the R&D department. We've recently hired a lot of new people, and there will be a visit for them this afternoon. You should be interested in that."

interested?
Shulong is much more lively in the team now because everyone has become familiar with each other. He doesn't care about strangers—completely strangers he's just met by chance. Here, strangers specifically refer to those with a high probability of future interaction. He still acts very socially awkward.

Does exchanging greetings mean we know each other? If we bump into each other on the street, do we have to wave and say "Hi" every time? Pretending not to see each other would be a bit impolite, wouldn't it? This is just the most basic acquaintance. If we get to know each other more deeply, Shulong starts to worry about what to do if we can't find common ground.
Even now, he is still very bad at breaking social ice and is very resistant to developing a social relationship that he sees as completely unnecessary.

Having worked together for so long, Horner should be well aware of his past management style towards employees. Why would he suddenly want Shu Long to join in the fun of a new employee visit?

Could this be retaliation for refusing to sign the contract earlier?

Filled with doubt, Shu Long hesitated for a while at the toilet door, wondering whether he should relieve himself before going to see the person.

He picked up his phone again and hesitated for a while, wondering whether he should call Gan Mengning over to keep him company and give him some courage.

Just as he was scratching his head in frustration, a stealthy figure emerged from the bathroom behind him.

The initial movement seemed like an attempt to push Shu Long in the back, but then it occurred to them that this man was quite valuable, and it wouldn't be appropriate to injure him.
After gesturing for a long time without coming up with a suitable solution, and seeing that Shu Long still didn't notice him at all, he slapped the thickest part of his shoulder deltoid muscle with a "pia".

"Hey!"

"Holy crap! Which guy is using a piece of elm wood?!"

Being too sensitive can sometimes be a bad thing; it makes one easily startled. Shu Long, who was texting Gan Mengning, almost jumped onto the ceiling and refused to come down.

Just as he was about to slap her back, his quick reflexes, having just messed things up, suppressed the violent impulse that had just begun to surface.

Although we haven't seen each other for a while, we still occasionally play games together with Teng Weifeng and a few others, and sometimes we'll have a group video chat in a small group.

Shu Long was extremely familiar with this person, both in appearance and voice. Who else could the tall young man in the Red Bull T-shirt behind him be but Yu Mujie, his childhood friend?
"What?! Don't tell me you've come to Red Bull looking for a job? Didn't you say last time that you got into graduate school and were planning to go for it?"

As a result, Yu Mujie simply gave a gesture to calm down, saved the scene he had just captured on his phone, and went back to find Teng Weifeng, that bastard, to cash in on the bet.

"Yes, I'm pursuing a master's degree. I'm currently working with my advisor, and this is part of my academic studies."

"what?"

Shu Long was a bit bewildered. Although he had never been to university, Gan Mengning often talked to him about things at school, so he didn't think he was completely ignorant about this topic.

I took the postgraduate entrance exam at the end of last year and completed the interview and contacted my supervisor at the beginning of this year.

You should have just graduated from your senior year of college, right? How come you've already jumped all the way to Red Bull with a project?!

This is the part that Shu Long didn't know. Yu Mujie did initially apply to domestic universities, but after watching Shu Long's match at the Shanghai International Championship home stadium in 19, his previously uncertain plans for the future suddenly became clear.

Since he was studying mechanical engineering, the school had relatively abundant teachers and resources. In his second year, Yu Mujie began to teach himself simulation software such as Matlab and Simulink, and tried to build models for simulation design.

He then successfully gained admission to Oxford Brookes University based on his excellent undergraduate transcript and his own design achievements. However, he was caught up in the pandemic and took online classes at home for a year before officially enrolling in the university in the second half of last year.

During the online period, he joined a student team, which was introduced to him by a senior from the same school.

He is also Chinese. Yu Mujie calls him Dom, and his English name is Dominic. He is currently working as Zhou Guanyu's brake and tire performance engineer for the Alfa Romeo team.

Speaking of which, this veteran also worked at Toro Rosso, but Shulong mainly moved between bases in the UK and Austria at the time, and didn't have much interaction with Dom, who was mostly based in Faenza, Italy.

When Shu Long joined the Toro Rosso team, the team had already moved to Arro. He had only heard Tost and Hamelin mention a Chinese colleague, but Shu Long didn't even know what the person looked like.

The key point is that the person's abilities are exceptionally strong.

With such a senior student guiding and imparting experience, Yu Mujie has been doing quite well. He later participated in a college student formula design competition and won an award. Before graduating, he was spotted by his mentor and led to work on a project.

You don't actually learn much in school for a major like this. Those who make a name for themselves are usually the most self-taught and academically gifted. They learn more from practical experience than they do from the blackboard in school.

So, I sent my resume to Red Bull just to give it a try.
Of course, Red Bull should be voted for. Yu Mujie came specifically for Shu Long. Everyone knows Shu Long's status at Red Bull right now. When it was placed on the desk, Horner glanced at it casually and immediately agreed.

The original idea was to get Shu Long to renew his contract, and recruiting some Chinese engineers into the team would give him a greater sense of belonging.

It's not just Yu Mujie.

The sound of flushing water came from the bathroom. A moment later, a young man with a rather comical appearance came out, pulling up his pants and pausing for a moment when he saw the two people at the door.

"Oh my, you're lucky! I've been here for over a month and haven't seen Master Shulong, and you just started your visit and you've already run into him?"

"Uh, actually I..."

"Well, that's normal. When I came here, they were still competing all over the place. Now that summer break is coming up, it's normal for them to come back for a visit."

Shu Long's eyebrows twitched twice. This was the first time he had met this person. If Horner hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have known that the team had gained another Chinese engineer.

He seems to have a cheerful and interesting personality, but that slightly sleazy and goofy vibe always reminds Shu Long of a certain old friend.

Seeing that the other party was going on and on and it seemed like he wouldn't stop anytime soon, Shu Long quickly finished Yu Mujie's sentence, which had been interrupted earlier.

"Actually, we grew up in the same courtyard since we were little."

A slightly suspicious look lingered between the two brothers for a moment. "This is a rare opportunity, could you sign a few autographs for me?"

It's not a matter of success or failure; it's just something that happens easily.

Although he had only been at Red Bull for about a month, this goofy guy was the person in charge who was specifically responsible for showing Yu Mujie around today. He thought that since they shared the same mother tongue, it would be easier for them to integrate. However, this guy wasn't very familiar with the headquarters yet.

In the end, it turned out that Shulong was leading these two clueless scatterbrains on a tour, chatting along the way and making a new friend.

The man doesn't look very young, but he's actually quite old, about the same age as Shu Long and Yu Mujie.

I also created an account on Baidu for the free cloud storage feature, named "Teacher George Makes an Engine".

As can be seen from their IDs, these two guys were assigned to Red Bull's newly established power unit department because of their professional expertise. Their main task is to participate in the development of the new 26 engine, for which an outline has already been proposed.

hiss--

Even though each newcomer is only responsible for a portion of the development of the power unit, they can't take much secret with them if they run away.

But how could Geely dare to make such an arrangement at a time when it has already announced its entry into the market?
Shu Long was unaware of the deeper meaning behind this, but he felt that Horner was much more generous than he had imagined, and was truly willing to invest whatever his purpose might be.

The fact that Chinese engineers were immediately put into Red Bull's most important future power unit R&D department made Shu Long even think for a moment that staying with Red Bull in the future wouldn't be a bad idea.
That cunning old fox!
The afternoon meeting was divided into two parts: one was Newey's summary of the upgrades to the car throughout the first half of the season, and the other was some adjustments to the direction of future upgrades.

Most of them had been mentioned in meetings more than once, but there were some that Shulong had never heard of before.

Horner then made arrangements for some work before the factory was officially shut down for the summer break.

As drivers, Shu Long and Verstappen have many simulator testing targets to meet, in addition to these regular tasks required of their roles as drivers.
Social media accounts like Red Bull's on platforms like Alibaba haven't uploaded any decent Red Bull-style promotional content for a long time, aside from some routine interactions in the paddock.

Sure enough, all bosses are the same; even though it's almost holiday time, they still try to exploit their employees!

(End of this chapter)