F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 287 Appreciation for both refined and popular tastes
"What is this?!"

Rewinding to early this morning, Shu Long, who was leading Gan Mengning out the door, stood at his own door and let out the above wail.

"A BMW M4? Don't you, a race car driver, recognize it?"

This is Shu Long's gloating father.

But this isn't a question of whether we know each other or not!

It's just a class reunion; there's something wrong with driving a car like this to show off!
The regular BMW M4, apart from its two-door design and relatively powerful styling that give it a performance car feel, actually looks quite understated, more like a typical street car.

What about the one in front of us?

The G82 M4 Competition high-performance version is also equipped with a series of M Performance original performance kits, such as a large rear wing, front lip, side skirts and rear diffuser. Even though the original color is a low-key matte dark gray, these things make it impossible to be low-key.

Saying
"Is this your car?"

"no."

Just say it!

Shu Long didn't even know how many cars his father owned, but he clearly remembered that he had only seen one old E36 before, which Shu Xiong had bought specifically to modify for drifting.

While I can't say I completely dislike high-performance German cars like the new M4, I mostly lack the desire to spend a lot of money to buy one.

But Shu Xiong's next words immediately froze Shu Long in place.

"This car is yours, it's registered in your name."

So you don't even need to ask my opinion when buying me a car anymore!
A car worth over a million RMB is only worth around 20 Euros, which is just a fraction of what Shu Long can earn in a single match.

A side-by-side comparison will make it clear: someone earning 6000 a month can easily spend a small amount of spare money on a 648 yuan top-up in a moment of impulse, just by pressing their fingerprint and it's gone. There's really no need to treat it like a big deal.

Moreover, Shulong's monthly income is not just "6000". In months with a dense schedule like July, the prize money alone is close to 7.3 million euros.

Although the two major projects in Monaco have made it seem like Shu Long is now working on a loan, this doesn't mean that his smaller expenditures like this will be greatly affected.

It's truly unbelievable that the price of a year's worth of European go-karting races when I was a kid would be so painful, but now the equivalent of that price can be described as "small amount"—a rather arrogant term.
There's no need to even touch the driver's income; the dividends from Shu Long's previous investment in Film Hurricane alone would have been more than enough to acquire such a car.

Moreover, as their business has expanded, the initial investment was really just a drop in the bucket. Last year alone, they received nearly 400 million in dividends.

Not to mention that the family's other businesses and investments also generate revenue, and this car was actually paid for with Shu Xiong's own money.

After all, less than half of the budget promised to his son for buying a car has been spent. His son is getting more and more impressive, and if the old man doesn't give away the red envelopes in his hand soon, the brat will start to look down on him.

A friend in the car circle happened to mention that he had access to a rare custom-colored car, and I bought it on the spot without much thought.

That's the intention, but...
"Where's my Yaris?"

"It's with me~"

Gan Mengning weakly raised her hand; the little car that Shu Long had specially left for her to use for transportation before he left.

"What about 86?"

Shu Xiong raised his eyebrows but didn't bother to answer. Shu Long also realized that the car was still parked at the Midea Luhu Villa.

The Highlander that came to pick us up yesterday was indeed quite low-key. The problem is that Shu Xiong borrowed that car from a colleague at the factory to avoid attracting attention at the airport, and had it driven back that night.

"Oh right! What about my grandpa's Wrangler?"

"Not here!"

Shu Long didn't want to listen to his father's nonsense at all, and turned to go to the garage. Shu Xiong didn't stop him at all, and even handed over the garage key.

There was no sleek Jeep, only a pure black GT-R35, and when I turned around, I was met with Shu Xiong's malicious grin.

"If you want to drive this car, you can borrow it from Daddy to go out and have some fun!"

What's the difference?!
"grandfather!"

Ugh? !

Why can't we afford to play this game?

Shu Xiong visibly panicked and turned to look at his father sitting in the armchair in the courtyard.

The old man, holding a porcelain teacup, watched the father and son fooling around with a smile. The child had grown up and he had grown old; nearing seventy, his temper had softened considerably compared to his younger days.

However, since his eldest grandson needed his help—

"Oh dear, just give the kid whatever he wants! He rarely comes back, or I might not pour you tea in a couple of days!"

"That won't do! Your old car has been dead for ages. You had it towed for maintenance this morning, didn't you see it?"

The grandfather was at a loss, and Grandpa Shu gave his grandson a helpless look.

If all else fails, take a Didi (ride-hailing service)!

Shu Long had this idea for a moment, but Shu Xiong saw through it in time and pulled him aside to whisper a few words in his ear. Gan Mengning didn't hear what he said, but everyone saw the result.
"Ah~"

Someone deliberately dressed up in a Red Bull AlphaTauri short-sleeved shirt and shorts to keep a low profile. The weather in August wasn't particularly unusual, but Gan Mengning dressed up very carefully.

Sometimes, being overly humble can be seen as arrogance and condescension, while being deliberately low-key can be perceived by others as a form of showing off and looking down on others.

The most normal approach is to conform to the stereotypes others have of you. You're not some masked superhero saving the world and afraid of being exposed. A race car driver driving a performance car probably won't make people think too much.

Although his father loved to talk nonsense in front of his son, Shu Long felt that some of Shu Xiong's words made a lot of sense.

Even if Shu Long's original intention was not to attract attention, Gan Mengning's preparations were so serious, and her constant casualness and perfunctory attitude was a bit too much of a disregard for her partner's feelings.

"Hey? Isn't that Shen Qian and the others? They're here so early!"

Following the direction his girlfriend pointed, Shu Long quickly confirmed the identities of his old classmates. He obediently rolled down the car window, letting Gan Mengning greet everyone first, while he exchanged a glance with Yu Mujie over his sunglasses.

However, Zhang Jinhua clearly didn't see it that way.

The person in the driver's seat was a bit hard to see from his angle; he was wearing sunglasses and he didn't recognize him at first glance, but his general outline gave the impression that he was quite young.

But the girl who peeked out from the passenger seat was really cute!

"Holy crap, that's our classmate too?! How come we never discovered such a gem in our class before? What a blunder!"

That would be your turn!

If anyone in the world had the superpower to read minds, standing here might just deafen them.

"On How to Offend All Five Girls in One Sentence" Zhang Jinhua was oblivious, his gaze following the alluring tail wing and exhaust pipe as they disappeared around the street corner, shaking his head and making a series of regretful "tsk tsk" sounds.

"Wow! This car probably costs at least 120 million RMB. Who in our class is it again? They're so lucky to have hooked up with a rich guy right after graduation!"

What does this have to do with you?!

However, being a big mouth is sometimes a good thing; you can ask whatever comes to mind without any shame, making you more likely to become someone's mouthpiece.

Back in school, whether it was a lot of homework or not, or a place to go on spring or autumn outings, most people were too embarrassed to ask, but Zhang Jinhua would just ask a couple of questions and get the answers out of them.

Apart from Shen Qian and Yu Mujie, who already knew the answer, everyone else present, whether male or female, was very curious about the answer to the question.

Before coming, many people reviewed their old graduation photos. Although the reunion would create a sense of unfamiliarity due to the changes in people and things, they could also find some familiar features in each other.

But I don't remember that girl from earlier?
Everyone turned their attention to Shen Qian, since she was the only one who had responded by waving.

But our class monitor just shrugged innocently.

"I don't know, I didn't recognize them from so far away. I just saw them waving at us and I replied. What if they were our classmates?"

That makes sense; quite a few people were called over by the class monitor in the same way just now.

Several more people arrived while they waited, but the two people from the sports car were still nowhere to be seen. Shen Qian dealt with a few more messages on her phone, and then simply took the classmates who had already arrived to the store to choose a script to play later.

As someone in the know, she wouldn't misunderstand anything; it's just that Gan Mengning told her on her phone earlier that she was a little hesitant to come over because Shu Long was standing on the street.

With people coming and going, and with fame not what it used to be, the risk of being recognized must be avoided.

And then——

When he was a child, Shu Long dreamed that when he made a name for himself, he would show off to his classmates who used to tease him every day with the biggest fanfare.

My dad just said something similar: "Wealth and honor not returned to one's hometown are like wearing embroidered clothes at night; who will know of them!"

Although I didn't know my father was so cultured, and I don't know where he pulled out such a classic quote, the principle is indeed correct.

After all the hard work to achieve this, wouldn't it be a shame not to show off and flaunt it?
Now that the opportunity is truly in front of him, the problem is that Shu Long feels so uncomfortable with it.
What he wasn't used to was becoming the center of attention, leading Gan Mengning into the small room where they were acting out a script. From the moment he heard Zhang Jinhua's surprised yet somewhat complicated "Holy crap, a racing god?!", Shu Long felt a constant itch all over his body.

Honestly, as long as you're around, it's impossible to maintain any airs!

haha~
After laughing and joking around, I couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of my current little thoughts of being different from others.

Embroidered clothes worn at night?

That's an old story from a time when information was scarce. These days, if you pay attention, you'll never find out about people wearing embroidered clothes at night.

From the moment they discovered that the person who came was Shu Long, many of their previous doubts suddenly became clear. Their former classmates probably knew more about Shu Long's gossip and anecdotes than Shu Long himself did.

Although Shu Long felt that he had been separated from everyone for nearly ten years, he had never actually been out of sight of his classmates.

Whether through news reports or competitions, the path of Shu Long's transformation from a go-kart driver to an F1 driver over the past decade has always been clear and unambiguous in their eyes.
So what they're used to is the envious look Shu Long gets when faced with that moment, just like other ordinary car enthusiasts do, but what they're even more familiar with is the teasing that follows.

Zhang Jinhua was still his usual boisterous self, maintaining a polite distance from his female classmates while his male classmates continued to push their luck, yet there was an inexplicable closeness between them, perhaps stemming from familiarity.

Actually, Shu Long didn't initially intend to participate in the script-based murder mystery game. He always felt a bit too reserved, and playing house with a righteous and serious attitude would be too awkward. On the contrary, Gan Mengning was quite interested because she was used to voice acting.

But these bastards kept egging him on, so Shu Long had no choice but to take on the role of a butler. As the game progressed, he got into character and acted more passionately than anyone else.

They all know each other inside and out, so there's no need for so much mystery filter. Sometimes, people just like to add drama to their lives, and in the end, they don't even recognize themselves anymore.

Upon careful consideration
Weichang may sometimes be just another theater, where Shulong has long been accustomed to playing the role that should belong to him. Isn't it just another kind of large-scale house-making game standing on the world stage?

Sometimes he doesn't want to be tough, but he can only force himself to act tough.

Sometimes he is not innocent, but he can only make himself appear innocent for the sake of his own interests.

Verstappen can clearly distinguish between things on and off the field, and Shu Long also hopes that relationships between people can be as pure as that, so he forces himself to make his handling of things on and off the field even purer.

Even though you seem genuinely indifferent, you're constantly tormented by your conscience. Even though you feel you've become very open-minded, you can't help but feel uneasy about your own changes.

The question he had asked Verstappen a year ago echoed in his mind once again.

What was the initial motivation for embarking on the path of racing?
Is it because you think race car drivers are cool and stylish? Or is it the thrill of battling speed and friction? Or is it for the glory and to make a name for yourself in history? And what about the overwhelming sense of satisfaction that fills your heart when you cross the finish line?

At that moment, it felt like Max was being inspired to fight, or like a dragon looking in a mirror, questioning itself.

Perhaps they are all of them, or perhaps neither.

In the afternoon, at Shu Long's suggestion, everyone drove to the go-kart track in Haigeng, ready to relive one of their most memorable childhood experiences.

The track looks a bit older than before; the white lines on the surface markings have turned grayish, and the paint is gradually showing cracks. However, the variety of race cars is greater and newer, and their performance is much stronger than those cheap recreational cars from before.

Old Wu, my elementary school homeroom teacher, also came.

When we were kids, we called him Lao Wu just for fun. Now, Lao Wu has really become Lao Wu. His hairline has receded quite a bit, but he's still very lively. He picked a race car and messed around with his former students on the track for quite a while.

Shu Long was also surprised to find that he could drive in such a "business" way, and that even losing a car could bring him such pure joy.

So what was I really like before?

Before the evening classmate banquet ended, Shu Long also announced his engagement. A few people wanted to go and join in the fun, but after the others declined due to scheduling conflicts, no one bothered him.

But if you ever decide to get married in the future, don't forget your old classmates.

Yu Zijing and Zhang Jinhua were the most enthusiastic in teasing him. Just looking at them made Shu Long's head throb and his brows twitch, but he couldn't help but smile. He promised that he would notify them in advance so that things wouldn't be as rushed as they were now.

Holding his fiancée's hand, he set off from the go-kart track where he first became involved with racing. However, this time, there was none of the jealousy and rivalry that he felt as a child; instead, there were many more bittersweet blessings.

It didn't seem to make much difference, but I felt even more proud than when I used to show off my driving skills.

They walked along the way, retracing the steps they had taken together, presenting betrothal gifts, changing their address to each other, and serving tea. After exchanging engagement rings and signing the marriage certificate, Shu Long couldn't help but ask himself the same question again.

What was I like in the past? And have I remained true to myself now?

What am I like now? How much of this steadfastness will I be able to hold onto in the future?
Perhaps you are still yourself, but you are no longer yourself. When you wear a mask on your face for too long, isn't that mask also a part of yourself?

What we call change may have another name: growth.

There's no need to yearn for your past self, no need to deny your present self, and no need to anticipate your future self.
After the engagement ceremony, the summer break was coming to an end. Gan Mengning, who had officially become his fiancée, was sent to school, and Shu Long officially returned to his post as a race car driver.

I met Verstappen again, who seemed to be carrying complex emotions. He didn't seem to care about the current competitive landscape, but after seeing the engagement ring on Shu Long's hand, he smiled and said:
"You came back so early because of such good news? Congratulations!"

".ah."

(End of this chapter)