F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 5: Future Choices - It's Just 0 or 1
Is that a drift? It looks like a drift no matter how you look at it!
Shu Xiong felt his heart stop for almost a second. He never imagined that he could experience such a thrilling feeling in such an amateur venue, a feeling that even watching F1 might not provide. But another exclamation from the sidelines, which was not his own, made him wish that his heart would just stop.

"Wife?"

"What old hag! Go check on Mengmeng!"

Zhang Xin gave Shu Xiong a solid slap on the broad back, and then quickly led Gan Mengning's parents, who had just arrived, through the railing and rushed inside.

After pushing aside the dragon's rope, Gan Mengning crashed headfirst into a pile of cars in the open space. She was completely disoriented and was still in shock, her small hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

It took several people a long time to get her off. Thanks to the bear tying her up securely before she got on the bus, Gan Mengning was only a little frightened and not injured at all. After being rescued by the adults, she only needed to calm down a bit before excitedly sharing her experience with her parents.

It's a pity that Shu Long won.

Shulong, right, Shulong!
Shu's parents suddenly realized that they had overlooked someone.

When they turned to look at their adopted son, "Mr. Racing God," who seemed to have won but not quite, was pretending to be indignant as he picked at the debris on the tires with his fingers.

Having just finished driving, Shu Long wasn't as bothered as he seemed about Gan Mengning stealing all the adults' attention again. That short seven-minute, ten-lap session had practically opened a whole new world for him!
An overly safe old car naturally couldn't bring him the so-called "speed and passion," but how can one describe the almost empathetic connection he had with the vehicle?

It's like one day you suddenly find that you've grown wings or a tail or something similar. You feel like this thing doesn't belong to you, but you can control it as freely as you would limbs you were born with, like having a twin brother who can't speak but understands you perfectly.

Shu Long stared at his hands, so engrossed in them that he didn't even think to ask for the forgotten popsicle until he had taken Gan Mengning's family back to their hotel.
Haha~

Upon arriving at the scene and witnessing such a thrilling scene, Zhang Xin naturally wouldn't allow Shu Long to go up and play a second round. In fact, she almost scolded Shu Xiong the whole way, but what she was really complaining about was that Shu Xiong shouldn't have taken other people's children to play around without the consent of Gan Guangchen and his wife. What if something happened?
As for racing, Zhang Xin actually understands and supports Shu Xiong's hobby; otherwise, the two wouldn't have gotten together back then.

Zhang Xin, who graduated with a master's degree in business administration, was a rare high achiever in that era, but she was not a well-behaved person.

My parents and ancestors were all landlords. Although they lost their wealth later, their approach to raising children was quite different from the "low-class" approach that was common in that era.

Almost everyone in the family, from the parents to the siblings, was a teacher. The older siblings had already taken care of most of the beatings, so when it came to the youngest, Zhang Xin, she was pampered by everyone.

Fortunately, Zhang Xin was not spoiled. Beneath her excellent academic performance and well-behaved appearance lay the restless heart of a rebellious young girl.

The most obvious manifestation is that even now that she is a mother, Zhang Xin still often shows the mentality of a little girl, and she and Shu Xiong, who "doesn't want to grow up," are surprisingly a perfect match.

Her parents chose her major in college, but she was secretly obsessed with all kinds of martial arts novels and imported comics. She started by copying and trying to illustrate novel characters, and later she began to find professional books to study. Her dream job is to be an illustrator or a comic artist.

However, Shu Long's maternal grandfather naturally could not allow his daughter to "fall into depravity." Through the connections of many former students, he managed to get Zhang Xin into a company that was booming in Yunnan at the time, which was the Shu family's business.

I heard that the rebellious Shu Xiong was immediately attracted to Zhang Xin's elegant and scholarly air. He even quit smoking in order to pursue her. However, what won over Shu Long's mother's heart in the end was a wild car ride in the mountains. How can you explain this?
Because Shu Xiong is not good at management and business, he even habitually became a hands-off manager before he got married.

Zhang Xin, who handled everything so well, reminded Old Master Shu of his ex-wife. Without hesitation, he immediately agreed to the marriage of the two young people, fearing that his son, whom he had neglected so much, would let such a rare and good girl go.

Today, many of the trademarks and mascot images of the company's products are actually Zhang Xin's work, which can be considered as an explanation for the slightly regrettable dream from back then.

"Sigh, what were you saying about our son when we were eating just now?"

Having drunk quite a bit of alcohol, Shu Xiong, who just wanted to turn off the lights and go to sleep, suddenly perked up and jumped out of bed.

"Let me tell you, our little rascal is absolutely a genius! With the right training, he could very well be China's Schumacher!"

Proud parents often have a kind of blind confidence in their own children. At this time, no amount of comparison to "other people's children" will work. No one is as good as our child!

Zhang Xin remembered that Schumacher had won the Chinese Grand Prix last year, and was an extraordinary super driver. However, she didn't have any special feelings for this long-faced German. In comparison, she preferred to pay attention to those who were more handsome, such as Jensen Button.

Shu Xiong described his son's incredible abilities with great enthusiasm and spittle flying for a long time. Finally, feeling that he had laid enough emotional groundwork, he tentatively unfolded the final map of the Yan Kingdom, sensing Zhang Xin's expression.

"I'd like to send Shulong to receive more professional go-karting training. Could you put in a good word for me with my dad?"

"That's hard to say. Coach Dou wants Xiaolong to participate in table tennis competitions, and I think the old man might be more willing to support that."

"Well, that's different!" Shu Xiong slammed his fist on the pillow in frustration. "Shu Long can only be described as having some talent in table tennis. There are hidden talents all over the country. He often gets humiliated even in a youth center. Even if he achieves great things in the future, he'll probably struggle to get into the provincial team. But his talent for driving is really, really."

Even the nearly insane Shu Xiong dared not imagine that almost impossible thing, that he would be an unprecedented pioneer, a figure like Liu Xiang or Yao Ming!
A completely new field means that you are likely to face unprecedented resistance, but it also makes it relatively easier to become the best. But which pioneer in any field throughout history hasn't gone through this process?
"I remember go-karting training isn't cheap, is it?"

The fact that she started asking for specific details meant that Zhang Xin was beginning to soften her stance, and at this point, Shu Xiong was a little unsure how to broach the subject.

It's not cheap; in fact, it's quite expensive!
For most families, this level of luxury is equivalent to tearing down their own house to make dolls play with building blocks—expensive and meaningless.

"No future, no money, and just a drain on the family's savings." "Alright, alright, look at you, what could be more expensive than the cars you've been modifying?" Zhang Xin chuckled and kicked the burly man on the bedside table. "But we definitely can't persuade the old man with just our words. How about we secretly enroll the child in a class in his spare time? That way, we'll have some confidence when he actually achieves good results."

In fact, it might cost more than modifying a car.
We can afford it, but the problem is that a large amount of money will definitely arouse the old man's suspicion, so we've come full circle back to the original issue.

However, this method is feasible. It only costs a lot of money to travel around in China. Once you achieve results, you can enter a larger circle abroad, and the old man will probably be much more agreeable.

Shu Xiong nodded silently, resting his chin on his hand, but he soon realized a very serious problem.

"There don't seem to be any professional go-karting clubs around here. Forget clubs, we can't even find a decent go-kart track!" Shu Xiong clicked his tongue in frustration. "If we want proper training, we might have to transfer schools."

Two days later, Zhang Xin apologized to Coach Dou over the phone for the possibility that Shu Long might not be able to continue attending the table tennis class and competitions. The couple then took Shu Long on a trip to Guangdong and Guangxi.

Transferring schools is out of the question. No matter how much you praise him, Grandpa Shu would never agree to let Shu Long transfer schools.

Years of hard work and struggle have led the old man to the conclusion that academic qualifications are more important than anything else. Moreover, the school in Shulong has already made the old man indebted to someone. What would happen if he just left like that?

However, after secretly consulting with Shu Long, the couple decided to use the remaining month or so of summer vacation to find a professional go-karting club for Shu Long to try out.
-
The Guangdong region developed earlier and is more tolerant of motorsports culture compared to inland areas. Because of frequent business dealings, Shu Xiong, who also has a passion for motorsports, is considered a local bigwig in the area.

Why is it described as half a strip?
Aside from not being a local, Shu Xiong would most likely not admit that his wife is keeping a close eye on him, and his sense of responsibility towards his family makes him stay away from things like underground racing.

To get his hands dirty from time to time, the surrounding racetracks and go-kart tracks became almost his only option.

Sanshui Forest Circuit is one of the earliest professional five-star karting tracks in China. It can host international C-level and national A-level karting championships and is also the organizer of the annual National Karting Championship.

Shu Xiong has several familiar coaches here, and even a go-kart stored here for maintenance and management. In terms of both infrastructure and professionalism, this is undoubtedly the most suitable choice at present.

"Master Han!"

Upon hearing this unusual form of address, a friendly man who was helping a student analyze data looked up and, mimicking the gesture, replied with a Cantonese-accented "Master Shu".

"Hey~ It's been months! Your car's been sitting here for ages, it's practically rusting. Have you been thinking about speeding around since you came here?"

"Rusty? That cost tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance fees!"

The two began to exchange pleasantries in hushed tones.

Aside from the initial greeting, the two older men spoke Cantonese the rest of the time. Shu Long, who often came here as a child, could understand some of it, but when they spoke faster, it sounded almost like gibberish to him.

These past two days, Shu Long has not yet gotten over the withdrawal period of his first experience with driving. He watched a lot of racing videos that Shu Xiong had collected at home, but he still felt itchy. After standing on the sidelines for a while, he felt bored, so he went out to the racetrack by himself.

As he surveyed the layout of the track, he involuntarily began to imagine what route he would choose if he were on the track, but he soon realized that he was doing so in vain.

Even the most casual two-seater cars on the field have an acceleration power that the old men on those cars in the park a few days ago could not match. The louder roar of the two-stroke engine and the sharp screech of the tires scraping the road surface are all tickling the most sensitive itch in his heart.

First, Han Li pointed out several braking mistakes made by the young student in front of him, then printed out a form from the computer and handed it to the student who was frowning from the scolding. Only then did Han Li have time to take care of this older and big-spending customer.

"What's the plan? Are we still putting on new tires and running a few rounds today?"

Shu Xiong nodded apologetically to the child's parents, put his hand on the coach's shoulder, and pulled Han Li into a corner.

“I’m not here to run today,” Shu Xiong said, then paused, biting his lip and hesitating for a couple of seconds. “Forget it, I’ll just enjoy a couple of sessions later. I’m mainly here for my son today. Can you help me see if he has the potential to run more professional races?”

"Help you take a look?" Coach Han found it somewhat amusing, glancing over Shu Xiong's shoulder at Zhang Xin, who was smiling in their direction. "Even your wife came along this time, are you sure you still need me to help you? You're just here to show off, aren't you!"

Shu Xiong laughed shamelessly twice. This old friend he had known for many years understood him best. Usually, he would sneak over here to slack off without Zhang Xin's knowledge. Today, with both his child and wife around, there must be something fishy going on.

As a long-time member, Shu Xiong may be more interested in researching and tinkering with ingeniously structured and wildly powerful machines, but his driving skills are not bad either.

Considering factors such as weight, body weight, and weight, it's undeniable that Shu Xiong's control over vehicle dynamics and top speed are somewhat affected in the small go-kart, but he should still have some basic eyesight.

"Is it really as amazing as you make it out to be? You only drove one recreational go-kart session. Don't tell me it's a scam."

"Why would I lie to you? I've been here for so long and I've never seen a brat like that. You'll see when he runs a lap!"

As Shu Xiong spoke, he became a little impatient and turned around to look for his brat. When he saw Zhang Xin gesturing towards the outside, he realized that Shu Long was already engrossed in watching from the sidelines.

　I chose Sanshui because I played there when I was a kid, but the coach and other names were all made up; the main point was to avoid offending anyone.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)