Chapter 121: The Impossible
Large companies like Longteng Technology Group have many vice presidents, and those who aren't industry insiders rarely understand their responsibilities or divisions of labor.
Shortly after, a tall, thin, bespectacled, refined-looking middle-aged man entered the room with an assistant.
Martina helped Wu Shi stand up, shook the man's hand, and said,
"I'm very happy to have the opportunity to discuss this cooperation with you. I'm Martina Cataqia, general manager of Hpeng Management, and also Wu Shi's agent."
Hpeng is a driver-management company founded by Martina herself—strictly speaking, it was created for Wu Shi, and Wu Shi alone.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm An Yan'ang."
After a round of polite greetings, President An turned toward Wu Shi with a warm smile.
"I've only seen you in photos until now, Mr. Wu. Today I finally get to meet the handsome young man himself."
"Hehe… I often hear my father talk about you, Uncle An. He says you're upright like a bamboo stalk, with a will of steel. He even told me about your glorious exploits—how you led a seven-man team to open up a new market in Southeast Asia."
Wu Shi smiled awkwardly, but politely.
"Hahaha! Your mouth is even smoother than your father's!" An Yan'ang laughed.
Once the small talk warmed the room, An Yan'ang got to the point:
"I've seen plenty of European media reports about you and that rumored Mercedes F1 seat. I'm not asking about anything confidential—I'm speaking purely hypothetically."
"If the opportunity mentioned in the news did appear, could you seize it? Could you secure the seat?"
It was a cleverly phrased question: outwardly harmless, but clearly probing for real information.
And it was normal. Longteng Technology Group wanted to sponsor Wu Shi for two reasons:
First, his high likelihood of entering Formula 1 soon.
Second, the possibility—no matter how slim—of him landing a Mercedes seat.
No company sponsors a driver without expecting real returns.
Martina paused briefly, then said,
"President An, I'd like to clarify that all recent media reports are rumors and misinformation."
An Yan'ang nodded.
"I understand. There are only four people here today, and everything we discuss remains confidential."
He produced a confidentiality agreement. It was simple: if anyone leaked information about this meeting, they would compensate the others with an amount equivalent to the sponsorship sum.
Presenting such a contract was itself a show of sincerity.
Martina skimmed through it. With her years in the legal field, she quickly confirmed it was valid and watertight.
"Alright, I understand. Wu Shi should answer this question himself."
She turned toward him.
An Yan'ang raised his eyebrows at Wu Shi, a friendly gesture telling him: Don't feel pressured.
Wu Shi exhaled softly.
"Then I'll tell you the truth."
Although he had never driven an F1 car in this life, he still retained the memories of his previous one.
Give him an F1 car now, and he wouldn't approach it like a rookie.
Formula 1—the pinnacle of circuit racing—drives completely differently from every other category.
The most important factor is downforce.
In normal race cars, you slow down to get through corners faster.
But in an F1 car, certain corners require increasing speed to generate more downforce, which then allows the car to corner properly.
It's counterintuitive, and most newcomers struggle with it.
Wu Shi, equipped with relevant experience, could adapt quickly.
Of course, it was still 2014. The cars relied heavily on aerodynamic surfaces rather than the ground-effect concepts that would return in later eras.
His instincts might cause some misjudgments.
"I'd say I have a 50% chance of fulfilling the agreement. So let's call it fifty-fifty."
An Yan'ang glanced at his assistant, who said nothing.
"Fifty percent…" An tapped the table lightly, thought for a moment, and then smiled.
"That's more than enough. Besides, even if you don't join Mercedes, you'll likely join another F1 team next year anyway, correct?"
Wu Shi didn't respond. Instead, he looked at An and said:
"I already have a signed F1 seat. You might not know this, but before this season began, I reached an agreement with Ferrari—provided I take 21 wins in this year's FIA F3 Championship."
"And as you can see, I already have eight wins. Barring any accidents, the 21st is just a matter of time."
Clap clap clap!
An Yan'ang applauded with genuine admiration.
"Incredible. Ambitious! Then I won't waste time. For my young nephew here, we've prepared USD $10,000,000 as the base sponsorship."
Ten. Million. Dollars.
If successful, that alone would cover a full third of their funding target.
"This base sponsorship follows the same terms as all standard deals—we only ask for co-branding and related collaborations. Nothing restrictive."
An paused, then smiled.
"And I have another ten million at my personal discretion."
Both Wu Shi and Martina were stunned.
As expected of a manufacturing giant—the scale was extraordinary.
"I'd like to hear the details," Martina said immediately.
The extra ten million clearly came with conditions.
"After you enter F1, we take 20% of your income for three years, or 10% for five years," An said calmly.
Upon hearing this, Martina understood instantly.
All the earlier probing about Mercedes was simply a smokescreen.
What they truly sought… was this.
But she did not reject the proposal.
After all, ten million dollars in additional support was exactly what Wu Shi needed most right now.
"I think that's a matter we can negotiate in detail," Martina replied.
Negotiation was an indispensable part of the process. Unlike when he was a child listening to adults talk business, Wu Shi now paid full attention.
Not because he expected to master negotiation techniques—but because he refused to remain ignorant about matters that directly shaped his career.
Important contracts are often settled quickly. Within half an hour, Martina and President An finalized everything.
"Not bad. You're a young multimillionaire now," An joked.
Wu Zhenlin appeared only after the contract was finalized and Longteng Group held a celebratory dinner.
The next day, Martina brought Wu Shi to Beiben.
Unlike Longteng's lavish treatment, the representatives Beiben sent were only at business-department-general-manager level.
Still, they were straightforward: a USD $3 million sponsorship with no strings attached.
Receiving this, Wu Shi actually felt the offer was quite generous.
Without stopping, the two flew directly to Lin'an that evening, where a meeting with the Jili Group awaited.
On the plane, Martina couldn't help but praise him.
"It seems you've learned a few negotiation skills."
"Huh?" Wu Shi blinked. "Which part?"
"The fifty percent," Martina said. "You didn't exaggerate and claim seventy, eighty, or one hundred percent. But you also didn't tell the truth—that the real chance is only ten percent."
"…Wait. You think I only have ten percent chance of fulfilling the Mercedes contract?" Wu Shi sat up straight.
Martina looked at him, puzzled.
"Isn't that the case? Honestly, even ten is generous. I'd say there's barely a one percent chance."
"And it's not just me—everyone thinks that. You can't adapt to an F1 car as quickly as you adapted to F3, can you?"
"You did take to F3 very quickly, but that was after a long testing period. Mercedes isn't giving you that luxury in their F1 practice sessions."
Seeing her so serious, Wu Shi finally understood.
It wasn't just Sid emphasizing the Williams contract.
It wasn't just Toto agreeing to Niki's proposal.
It wasn't just Daimler approving the deal.
It wasn't just the fact that the contract leaked entirely, down to every detail.
The truth was—
No one believed he could do it.
To everyone else, the Mercedes contract was impossible.
Wu Shi relaxed, almost amused.
Honestly… if he were them, he wouldn't believe it either.