F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 92 Striving for Collaboration
By the time the plane landed, the discussion with Alonso's agent had reached a conclusion.

Regardless of whether Tou Ge's past record as a team selection genius is convincing, at least for Shu Long, who is the rookie of the paddock, this personal connection and network is what he needs most right now.

Therefore, coordinating the cooperation was actually quite quick, and it was similar to the brokerage contracts of most drivers on the market, so it didn't have a strong binding force on Shulong himself.

However, Shu Long's direct contract agent is not Alonso himself, but is affiliated with KIMOA, an agency founded by Alonso himself.

Of course, the results are not much different. When it comes to discussing matters, everyone in the paddock knows who the focus should be.

This contract will primarily cover brokerage matters related to the team, with some commercial involvement as well.

When there are high-quality, large orders, the company is naturally willing to take a commission, which is a win-win situation. At the same time, the company can also improve its resume. Of course, KIMOA will definitely prioritize resources for Alonso in this regard, so it doesn't seem to be that important in the contract.

The plane flew directly to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and as soon as they landed, Shu Long's father picked them up in his car and took them to the hotel.

A few days ago, my son told me that he seemed to have been met privately by someone from the Bahraini royal family. Shu Xiong and Zhang Xinhun were almost scared out of their wits. They were so worried when they returned to China that they decided to follow up on everything involving dealing with the authorities.

One of the most important was a special interview co-hosted by several commentators from CCTV and Five Star.

Having conducted many similar interviews before, it's clear they wanted to make the style less formal and serious. This episode's script was more humorous and relatable, and it was primarily intended for various social media platforms rather than dedicated television channels.

However, as professionals in the field, they also know that there are many questions they cannot ask. Even if they do ask Shu Long and Zhou Guanyu, they will only give perfunctory answers.

In the end, it all boils down to the same old classic set.

Both Shu Long and Zhou Guanyu, who had worked together seamlessly, felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

Although they told us in advance that we could relax and be casual, it was such a formal stage after all, and not just anyone could let loose like that. It was already quite difficult not to put on airs.

Of course, there is another thing besides that: since the first season of Drive to Survive aired this year, CCTV seems to be more than just a profile program; they also want to make a personal documentary.

It could be a series or a movie; we'll have to wait until filming is nearly complete before we can decide.

In any case, according to CCTV, a film crew will likely be bothering him frequently during his competitions and even his daily life.

They said they wouldn't excessively invade his privacy, but that meant his already limited vacation time was now being further strained.

"Sigh~ Why is driving so difficult?"

"Haha~"

Unable to bear the gloating look on the opposing team Renault's face, Red Bull kicked the brat right in the backside.

"What are you laughing at! Your good days are yet to come, so are you sure you don't want to fly with me again? I've already looked at that plan beforehand, it's definitely more fun than this one."

"Forget it, I won't steal your thunder. What if the audience stops watching you?"

"Go to hell with you, you shameless bastard!"

Since Zhou Guanyu was unwilling, Shu Long naturally did not force him, and turned around and boarded a plane to Guangdong.

In fact, apart from invitations from major TV stations, every time Zhou Guanyu and Shu Long appear together on screen, it's not a good thing for him.

Judging from the patterns of online public opinion, whenever the two are put together, a comparison and denigration are inevitable.

Especially considering that Shu Long, who has officially become an F1 driver, used to have such inhuman achievements, Zhou Guanyu is always at a disadvantage when compared to Shu Long.

They don't care if there are any hidden reasons or how many difficulties you've encountered or how much effort you've put in. They're easily swayed by others' biased thinking, and they'll just praise you to the skies and criticize you to the ground.

The team's engineers will naturally evaluate the driver's ability and skill level, but the team's management will also consider the driver's economic and market value. These negative public opinions diminish Zhou Guanyu's bargaining power in the race for a seat.

Shu Long expressed his complete understanding of this, because the filming he was going to participate in this time included many similar "competition" segments.

After the plane landed, Shu Long finally remembered that he needed to worry about where to stay.

The original apartment has now been rented out. After Shu Long officially became a reserve driver last year and started to have his own regular salary, Shu's parents said that they bought another property to invest in his future.

It is located in Gaoming District, right in the Midea Luhu Forest Resort.

The price was reasonable, roughly in line with the budget Shu Xiong had promised his son for buying a car, but the surrounding environment was quite comfortable.
However, since the family's factory is mainly located in Yunnan, and the brokerage firm is located in Guangdong but generally operates online, the house is still basically in brand new condition.

Shu Xiong still frequently travels to Guangdong and Guangxi, but he's too lazy to clean the house every time he comes, so he usually stays in hotels.

Like his father, Shu Long won't stay in Guangdong for more than a few days this time; he's really too lazy to make a fuss.

"Hey Mom? Have you stayed at any of the houses in Guangyue recently? If not, I'll book a hotel."

"So all you do is call your mom when something happens, right?"

"You're here too, Dad? The first phone number I found was my mom's. I was too lazy to keep looking, so I just called her."

"Why don't you reflect on why your mother's number is always available, while your father's number has reached the point where you can't even be bothered to look at it? Do you still want the gift?"

"Actually, I can afford it myself now."

"Um?!"

"I'll think about it!"

"You little brat. Someone's coming to pick you up. Figure it out yourself. If you can't figure it out, then walk!"

Is someone coming to pick me up?

Could it be Wang Jie? That would be too embarrassing.

We had exchanged contact information when we met last time, and the plan for this shoot was sent via WeChat. Shu Long even had it reviewed by Red Bull.

Basically, there were no problems. On the contrary, Shu Long felt that Red Bull seemed quite interested and had been intentionally or unintentionally testing the status and response of the platforms where the video was about to be released in China.

Shu Long asked them if they planned to join the platform, and the answer was that they did have that idea, but the overall plan would have to wait for the planning department to come up with a specific plan before it could be implemented.

The shoot was rather rushed. Apart from requiring Shu Long to wear clothing with Red Bull elements during the shoot, Red Bull didn't make any further requests.

Thinking about his tasks for the next two days, Shu Long followed the crowd to retrieve his suitcase.

This time was different from previous years. The publicity surrounding Shulong during the competition was completely different from usual, and he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be recognized and surrounded. However, his disguise consisted only of a wide-brimmed fisherman's hat and sunglasses. At this time of day, it was already unbearably hot in Guangdong, so he didn't stand out too much in the crowd.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened, but even after finding his luggage, Shulong still hadn't sent the message in his phone's chat box.

What if it's not them who come to pick me up at the airport?
At that point, it wouldn't just put others on the hot seat of "social etiquette," but it would also be quite awkward for him and the person who actually came to pick him up, and it would cause a lot of trouble.

I racked my brains for about three minutes, searching around but couldn't find a sign at the airport that could hint at anything about him.

Yes, before leaving Shanghai, I specifically emphasized that I should travel in a low-key manner, so there was no way there would be a scene like when celebrities greet each other at the airport with a big banner.

However, in order to avoid delays, the person who comes must be very familiar with Shu Long.

No way.
Just as an answer popped into my head, a tiny, stealthy creature suddenly pounced onto Shulong's back.

Looking down, all you can see is a pair of plain-colored sneakers with pointed swooshes, and behind the light blue slouch socks, a pair of pinkish-white calves tightly wrapped around the waist.

Startled, Shu Long remained calm, glanced at the men's restroom next door, and carried Gan Mengning inside.

"Aaaaah! Are you trying to kill me? Put me down right now!"

Shu Long made a feint at the door, but in return, he was bitten on the shoulder again. He then stopped teasing her and carried the girl to a quiet, secluded spot before putting her down.

One glance was enough to nearly scare him half to death. It was the same old three things he used to wear at the driving school, wrapped up more tightly than a ruthless bandit.

He reached out and touched the back of the girl's neck; fine beads of sweat were clearly seeping out there.

"Aren't you hot? Aren't you afraid of getting heatstroke? You're making a bigger show than me. Are you afraid people will recognize you or what?"

"I was about to say something to you too! You're so bold as to do such a perfunctory job. I'm afraid you won't be able to leave this airport today, you know that?"

That's unlikely. When I went to the race with my schedule clearly stated, the fans I encountered at the airport were quite restrained.

Except for a few persistent individuals who will follow you around asking for autographs, most people don't crowd around you to the point where you can't move.

"By the way, why are you picking me up? Aren't you going to class? I thought you'd only ask for leave before the tournament started."

"Never mind, there's a surprise!"

"What a surprise! How do we get there? Should we take a taxi?"

The response to Shu Long was a smug sneer, and then the man was led to a carbon black GT86 that looked quite familiar.

"Don't tell me you can actually drive?!"

"Wow! We both got our driver's licenses together and you're saying I can't drive?!"

To be honest, Gan Mengning's performance when she was learning to drive was actually quite good.

Aside from the fact that she often had to put a small cushion under her bottom because of the seat's angle, which looked a bit comical, she was the most outstanding among the students in that car in terms of overall car feel and learning speed.

However, for some reason, Shu Long's stereotype of Gan Mengning's driving skills is still based on the Haigeng incident more than ten years ago, when he was hit by a torpedo on the back of his car and he will probably remember it for the rest of his life.

With skillful clutch control, she started the car. After leaving the airport and driving onto the Daqing-Guangzhou Expressway, Gan Mengning glanced sideways at the stiff-looking man in the passenger seat and couldn't help but feel speechless.

"Just how worried are you about me? Is it really necessary for an F1 driver to be so nervous just riding in a car?"

"You don't understand!"

Shu Long tried to loosen his grip on the armrest slightly, but quickly and anxiously gripped it back. Holding on gave him a clearer sense of the car's dynamics, and it made him feel safer!

Over the years, he had ridden in other people's cars before, but this was probably the first time he felt so uncertain.

It wasn't that he was worried about the car or that the girl might crash it; it was just that he never expected that beneath the seemingly delicate and obedient exterior lay the heart of a rebellious loli!

Gan Mengning actually drove quite well, even exceptionally well.

Overall, the control over the vehicle's dynamics is quite stable and precise, and the heel-and-toe maneuvers are very smooth, not at all like someone who has just started driving a high-horsepower rear-wheel-drive car.

But for some reason, her driving style seemed to reveal a hint of mania, and she would occasionally step on the gas pedal to try to break through the rear wheel's grip, making Shu Long feel uneasy.

The key point is that it seems like she did it on purpose!
Every time Shu Long gasped, the girl would giggle happily beside him.

The extremely sharp car feel brought by [Friction Control] and [Tai Chi] doesn't seem to be a good thing now. As long as the steering wheel isn't in his own hands, Shu Long will have almost 100% distrust of the driver next to him.

"You wait for me!"

As it turns out, Shu Long's harsh words came too early.

When they arrived at the Machong Circuit as agreed the next day, they saw Gan Mengning casually putting his arm around the arm of a tall, elegant woman, and they knew there was something fishy going on!

"Hello, hello, our most important guest has finally arrived!"

Wang Jieke was the first to jump out and shake Shu Long's hand. If it weren't for the fact that Shu Long's father was one of the shareholders of Speed ​​Partners, it would have been unthinkable for a small, newly established account like theirs to be able to invite Shu Long.

"Our shooting style here is that there is a basic outline for the process, but the specific details are all improvised, so just treat today as playing a game."

"I understand, I'm a long-time fan of yours."

"Hiss~ Did you hear that?! I feel like I'm about to have atrial fibrillation!"

Before officially starting today's filming process, Wang Jieke also introduced to Shu Long the other automotive bloggers he had specially invited this time.

"This is the leader, and this is the hall master."

At first glance, it might sound like we've stumbled upon a gathering place for some kind of gangsters, but these two are actually well-known automotive bloggers who have recently emerged with the booming development of social media. Besides car reviews, they are also quite skilled drivers who frequently work on racetracks.

"This is Nana, she's now an unofficial member of our Speed ​​Buddies team, and she's also a very skilled driver, uh, a girl!"

Then there's the last one, the beautiful woman in the racing suit that Gan Mengning ran over and hugged at the beginning, who is also one of the most well-known and skilled female drift drivers in China—

"Ah, I know, I know, Sister Xuan!"

(End of this chapter)