Chapter 50: Chapter 47: I Want to Hire You as a Ringer
In the afternoon, the tow truck returned to Guangzhou-Shenzhen, followed closely by Zhang Zhicong’s Audi A6.
Considering that Zhang Zhicong and Liang Chi were old friends reuniting, coupled with Huasi Sports undergoing upheaval, it seemed likely there’d be many old matters to discuss, so Chen Xiangbei didn’t stay at the repair shop to intrude.
Walking home, Chen Xiangbei saw Qin Lianjie’s Civic Type-R parked by the roadside from afar, while he himself leaned against the car door smoking.
Almost simultaneously, Qin Lianjie saw Chen Xiangbei and extinguished his cigarette, waving: "Xiangbei, can we chat for a bit?"
Having interacted several times now, the two were relatively familiar, so Chen Xiangbei nodded as he stopped and replied, "What’s up?"
"Today, President Zhang from Huasi Sports came to Guangzhou-Shenzhen specifically to spectate, and you talked about racing Formula cars. Are you planning to go to East Sea to race under Huasi’s events?"
"Yeah, more or less."
"Huasi’s current operations aren’t doing well, their events might not continue."
"You’re quite well-informed."
Chen Xiangbei smiled at Qin Lianjie’s kind reminder.
Huasi’s potential collapse appeared without much warning to outsiders.
After all, during October’s F1 Chinese Grand Prix, Huasi’s CFR2000 Formula car was showcased prominently, who would have thought it would suddenly crumble?
"My family’s business is mainly in East Sea, the news of Huasi’s financial chain rupture isn’t a secret in the industry."
"Is this what you wanted to say?"
"Of course not."
Qin Lianjie shook his head and got straight to the point, "Since you’re going to East Sea, there’s a top domestic underground race there, interested in participating?"
"No."
Chen Xiangbei refused without hesitation, he’s headed to East Sea to be a professional racer, not for some street race!
"I’ll offer a 200,000 sponsorship."
"I can consider."
With no hesitation alike, Chen Xiangbei yielded to the temptation of money.
Ideals are built on a material foundation, if Huasi does collapse and is insolvent, he and Liang Chi can’t possibly just borrow to survive in East Sea, right?
Faced with Chen Xiangbei’s swift change in attitude, Qin Lianjie found it both amusing and frustrating; this kid is really realistic...
"Agreeing so quickly, aren’t you curious about what kind of race it is, or who the opponents are?"
"No matter who the opponents are, they can’t beat me."
Chen Xiangbei responded nonchalantly and added, "If I must ask something, it’d be why you want to spend money for me to race?"
"Because I can’t beat them."
Qin Lianjie replied very frankly.
Since the completion of the East Sea International Circuit in 2004 and the successful hosting of the first F1 Chinese Grand Prix, leveraging the financial center advantage of the Magic City, whether professional or underground races, they all shifted from the Pearl River Delta region to East Sea.
The number of racers surged, naturally forming clusters, similar to Japan’s Bayshore and Capital High, East Sea’s central ring also developed a similar underground racing atmosphere, hosting an annual underground competition.
Gradually, underground racing experts from all over the country came to race, going after the King of Cars title.
However, aligning with the country’s competitive nature, anything related to competition would gradually escalate, becoming increasingly competitive.
The East Sea underground race claimed to be joined by street racers, but as its reputation grew, a huge number of professional racers got involved.
Naturally, someone like Qin Lianjie, a professional goalie, couldn’t outpace truly professional-level opponents.
"If you can’t beat them, you can just avoid racing, why spend money for me to chase this vanity?"
Chen Xiangbei still didn’t quite understand, at least from recent interactions, Qin Lianjie didn’t seem like someone who couldn’t bear losing, and there’s no need to spend money chasing a vanity that doesn’t belong to him.
"It’s not me who wants this title, Cao An wants to make the team’s name known, you’ll be racing as a Light Point Team driver."
Cao An previously planned to invite Chen Xiangbei to join Light Point Team, the idea was to have him race the East Sea underground championship. Even though it’s just an underground racer title, it can influence the domestic performance car modification circle.
Just like after the deity of Qiuming Mountain became famous, it directly turned Japan’s Gunma Prefecture into a well-known tourist spot, with countless tuning enthusiasts visiting.
Compared to Qin Lianjie, a purely underground racer, Cao An, the team captain, leaned more towards the businessman identity. His business was vehicle sales and modification, importing performance cars and modification parts into the mainland via Hong Kong channels.
The louder the Light Point Team’s name, the more beneficial it is for his business development.
Honestly, 200,000 yuan can be earned back by selling a few imported cars, this small sum is worth hiring Chen Xiangbei as a gun.
"Alright, I understand."
"Let’s agree on this, contact in East Sea then."
Qin Lianjie also wasn’t someone who talked excessively. After negotiating, he drove his Civic Type-R straight away.
On the other side, Chen Xiangbei arrived home; due to the weekend break, his mother Zhao Yumei was sitting on the sofa watching TV.
Seeing her son return early, Zhao Yumei casually asked, "Not busy at the repair shop today?"
"Not busy."
After saying that, Chen Xiangbei sat down next to Zhao Yumei.
"Mom, I want to discuss something with you."
"What is it?"
"I want to take a month’s leave to go to East Sea for racing trials."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yumei was so surprised that she dropped the remote control.
"You’re a student, what are you racing in East Sea?"
Zhao Yumei sat up straight, her expression turning serious, a student not focusing on studies, always having wild thoughts.
"Racing is my dream, and it doesn’t conflict with my studies, I can still go to university."
"I think you’ve lost your mind, how can racing lead to university!"
Zhao Yumei thought Chen Xiangbei was purely talking nonsense; she couldn’t possibly agree to take leave for racing, let alone for a month.
"Mom, there are many ways to get into university, you can attend domestic universities through college entrance exams, or opt for studying abroad."
"If I become a professional racer, I can pursue the path of a special talent, applying to Japan’s Suzuka International University. They’re currently conducting trials in East Sea, passing is equivalent to being pre-admitted to university."
Suzuka is where the Japanese F1 Grand Prix is held; the Suzuka Circuit, once the final track of the F1 events, has birthed countless classic championship races, worthy of being called one of the world’s legendary circuits.
Honda, Toyota, and other Japanese car brands, to facilitate vehicle performance testing and driver training at Suzuka Circuit, reached a cooperative agreement with Suzuka International University, establishing a racing academy.
Huasi’s technical partner for Formula racing is Honda HRC (Honda Racing Corporation). As long as one passes the trials and joins the Honda Suzuka Racing School, one can obtain a degree from Suzuka International University, and exceptional performers might receive scholarships from Honda.
The famous late bloomer, Japanese driver Sato Takuma, graduated from the Honda Suzuka Racing School, relying on the scholarship to persist, ultimately being selected by an F1 team.
Honestly, Chen Xiangbei didn’t care about being pre-admitted to university, his true goal was to attain the highest credential called the "Super Driver’s License," the worth of this certificate far surpasses that of undergraduate degrees, if one truly wanted to study, Qingbei could even offer special admissions.
He explained this mostly to assure his mother Zhao Yumei; being a racer isn’t what she imagines, abandonment of studies, nor does it equate to being a no-good.