Chapter 122: The Last Twenty Million
Wu Shi's negotiations with Jili Group went just as smoothly as those with Beiben. In a short time, he secured another five million USD in personal sponsorship.
Since this agreement was tied solely to him—and not to any F1 team—there were naturally fewer restrictions.
Even so, Wu Shi knew Jili wasn't giving money without purpose. This was a bridge for future cooperation, not a simple handout.
"We're heading south again tomorrow," Martina reminded him. "Pengcheng Airlines requires us to print their logo on the package."
In just this short trip back to China, three sponsorships had already been secured.
Longteng Technology Group would coordinate with the Mercedes F1 team to place their branding on team uniforms.
The other two sponsors were supporting Wu Shi personally, so they required no public exposure.
But Beiben, despite not requiring advertising, was in fact already advertising him.
"Hm. There shouldn't be any major issues," Wu Shi nodded.
As more whispers spread about him possibly joining an F1 team, his commercial value skyrocketed.
Business departments from various companies circled him like sharks scenting blood.
But he had no intention of accepting every offer—not yet.
Right now, he was only an F3 driver. Even with eight wins already, even as the likely future champion, the title "F1 driver" still carried far more weight.
At this stage, sponsors held most of the bargaining power.
So this rare window of "cheap investment" would be reserved only for companies close to him.
---
The next day, Wu Shi arrived in Pengcheng—returning to a place that wasn't exactly his hometown, but felt like one.
Like most families in Shenzhen, the Wu family had come from elsewhere.
But Shenzhen had a famous saying:
"Once you come to Shenzhen, you become a Shenzhen resident."
(There was also the less glamorous version: "Earn money in Shenzhen, spend it in Shenzhen—don't even think about taking any back home.")
Wu Shi, born here, felt a special affection for the city.
Even though he left at age ten, he still remembered climbing Lotus Hill with his father, visiting Qingqing World, playing in Window of the World, and standing atop the Diwang Building for sightseeing.
Life afterward had been nothing but racing, so those childhood memories were priceless to him.
Like every F1 driver of this era, choosing this path meant spending the best years of youth on the track, accompanied by the smell of engine oil.
Wu Shi felt a wave of emotion—then thought of his friend Charles Leclerc.
While racing in Formula 2, Leclerc lost his father to illness. He had no time to grieve, appearing on track at the Baku Grand Prix just three days later.
---
Wu Shi originally had a meeting scheduled with a leader from Pengcheng Airlines, but Ye Zhongming suddenly called, saying he knew that leader personally and suggested having dinner together.
So the meeting was moved from an office to a private restaurant.
As they entered, Wu Shi could practically smell the "luxury."
"Hello, do you have a reservation?" a neatly dressed waitress asked.
"Yes. Number 888, under Mr. Zhang," Martina said.
"Right this way."
The waitress guided them through a courtyard garden and into a secluded private dining room. She gently opened the door and gestured inside.
The moment Wu Shi stepped through, a young man rushed forward and punched him in the chest.
"Damn it! After all these years, why are you still so rough? Beating me up the moment you see me?!"
Wu Shi clutched his chest.
Ye Zhaohui hadn't changed at all.
"Hahaha! This is how I express overflowing excitement when seeing a friend again!" Ye Zhaohui laughed.
Compared to childhood, he was more approachable now, but that youthful energy still sparkled in his eyes.
"Ningning! Come say hello. Don't you recognize your boss?" Ye Zhaohui called.
Behind him, Ye Ningning approached slowly, hands clasped in front of her, head lowered. Her shy demeanor was nothing like the mischievous little demon she used to be.
"H-hello, Brother Wu Shi," she said in a soft, clear voice.
"Hello," Wu Shi replied with a small wave.
"Auntie, please have a seat. My dad will be here soon," Zhaohui said, pulling out a chair for Martina.
"Thank you," Martina smiled.
About ten minutes later, Ye Zhongming entered with a slightly overweight, buzz-cut man.
Wu Shi and Martina stood to greet them. After a few polite exchanges, everyone sat down.
"Wow, it's been so many years!"
Ye Zhongming looked at Wu Shi with genuine emotion.
"You've grown from a handsome boy into a dashing young man—and achieved so much in racing. Truly remarkable!"
"Thank you, Uncle Ye," Wu Shi said with a smile. "I'm grateful. Without your timely help back then, I wouldn't have had the chance to continue racing for my country."
"Hahaha! Who knew racing drivers could speak so well!"
Ye Zhongming chuckled, then cut straight to the point:
"Pengcheng Airlines has been sponsoring Wu Shi for many years. Now that this is a critical moment, of course we won't fall behind. I've invited General Manager Chen here because he can represent Air China's position. So I hope he takes good care of this young man."
Mr. Chen laughed politely.
"You're too kind, Mr. Ye. It's all thanks to Wu Shi's own hard work and talent. Some pilots who fly European routes often mention him to me. I remember not long ago—at a circuit in the UK—he won three races in a row, didn't he?"
Silverstone.
"Oh yes, Silverstone Circuit."
Mr. Chen smiled kindly.
"You're busy, Mr. Ye, so let's not delay. Here is the contract."
He handed a folder to Ye Zhongming, who skimmed it quickly before finding the key figure.
Twenty million US dollars.
He passed the contract to Martina, satisfied.
Martina accepted it politely and began reading.
The room fell silent.
Waiters entered occasionally to serve dishes, then left without lingering.
"Kids, start eating," Ye Zhongming said. "No need to wait."
Zhaohui and Ningning both exhaled in relief and began eating carefully.
Wu Shi could feel the pressure emanating from Ye Zhongming.
A second-rank official had a presence like a mountain—hard to ignore.
Since the contract was bilingual, Martina had to review the Chinese version and then proofread the English version, which took some time.
Finally, she nodded.
"Thank you for your airline's support. You're incredibly generous."
Hearing this, Ye Zhongming nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Good. Then it's settled. You can discuss the details yourselves. Let's eat."
He clearly had a tight schedule. After finishing dinner in ten minutes and chatting briefly, he and President Chen left.
Once the big figures were gone, the Ye siblings finally relaxed.
"Hey! Why were you holding your breath earlier?" Wu Shi teased Zhaohui.
"Damn! You should've said that five minutes sooner!" Zhaohui snapped.
"What difference does it make?" Wu Shi grinned. "It's still the truth."
"It does matter! The same sentence means different things at different times!"
Zhaohui shot back. "By the way, how long are you staying this time?"
"Not long. I'll head back in a day or two."
"Competition coming up?"
Wu Shi shook his head.
"No. The next race isn't until late May. I need to return to resume training."
"Why not rest a few more days?"
"I don't have the time. My physical condition still isn't good enough. If I drive an F1 car, my fitness will be a bottleneck. So my training schedule is tight."
"Everything's difficult at your level," Zhaohui sighed.
The sponsorship arc was straightforward—mainly groundwork.
Sponsorships never appear out of thin air.
They're all foreshadowed long beforehand.