Chapter 394: Chapter 186: After the Race
But they also know their work is special, so even if they want to call, most of the time they can’t get through, so usually, they leave messages for Qin Miao on WeChat.
After seeing these messages, Qin Miao naturally returns their calls one by one when he has the time.
This has basically been the standard procedure for Qin Miao after entering F1, after each Grand Prix ends.
The first call Qin Miao makes when he gets home is definitely to his mom.
The phone rings briefly, and it’s immediately picked up, his mom’s familiar voice coming through: "Hello, son."
"Hey, Mom."
"Are you back in the UK?"
"Yes, I’m back."
"Good, now that you’re back, rest well. Don’t be discouraged by one failure. There are many races in a year, and we’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future. I, along with our neighbors, fully support you."
"Alright, I know, Mom."
"You and Meng should take good care of each other abroad. If anything comes up, discuss it between the two of you. I’ve heard conditions abroad aren’t great, so be safe."
"Okay..."
"The team won’t hold any grudge against you for retiring from the race, right?"
Qin Miao laughed: "You don’t have to worry about that. The retirement this time was a team issue. To be strict, the team needs to give me an explanation."
"As long as there are no issues in that regard, I’m relieved. Just be careful and cautious abroad."
"Will do, Mom."
"Alright then, you’ve finished the race and caught a flight today, so I won’t keep you chatting. Rest early when you’re done."
"Okay."
...
The conversation between mother and son was roughly like this.
Adjusting his emotions, Qin Miao then called his other relatives and friends.
After about half an hour, having called Zhou Guanyu, Leclerc, and the others, he considered himself mostly done.
He said ’mostly’ because there was still someone Qin Miao hadn’t contacted.
After opening a bottle of coke, Qin Miao went to his backyard. Sitting on a bench, he called Boss Zhou.
The phone rang three times before it was answered.
"Hello, Qin."
"Hey, Uncle Zhou, it’s me."
"How does it feel to retire from a race for the first time?"
Qin Miao took a sip of coke and laughed bitterly: "It doesn’t feel great. After all the efforts went to waste, I feel empty, lost, hollow, powerless, and even a sense of despair."
"Didn’t expect you’d have such vivid memory of that feeling." Boss Zhou teased, then continued, "As long as you’re racing, you’ll face this sooner or later.
Plus, with your character, the frustration will only last a while. By now, you might have already adjusted."
Indeed, as Boss Zhou said, as long as he didn’t dwell on retiring from the race, Qin Miao had found inner peace again.
"I won’t say more to console you. I trust you can adjust on your own.
As Romantic Roland said: There’s a kind of heroism in the world that is to love life after seeing its truth.
This applies to the race track too. A true racer can regain their passion and love for racing despite setbacks on the track."
Qin Miao’s mouth twitched with a response.
Actually, after returning home, Qin Miao had already gotten over the retirement incident on the track, but then all these calls came, bringing it up again.
It’s like each call opened a small wound on what was almost healed in Qin Miao’s heart.
Not wanting to recall the feeling, Qin Miao quickly interrupted Boss Zhou’s monologue: "Uncle Zhou, actually, I have some questions I’d like to consult someone with more worldly experience on."
"Oh?" Boss Zhou became interested: "Tell me about it."
"Well, as my fame grows, people are starting to approach me for collaborations and endorsements. I initially had Qimeng handle it all, and she’s done well.
But ever since winning in Imola, the number of people approaching us has surged, and now Qimeng is struggling to keep up. I was thinking of starting a company to help relieve some of the stress from her."
Boss Zhou had a brief pause, then asked: "Are you starting the company mainly to relieve Meng’s stress or for business and endorsement convenience?"
"Both, but the main reason is I see she can’t keep up on her own and it’s too much for her."
On the other end, Boss Zhou nodded thoughtfully: "Starting a company is fine, but the equity structure must be negotiated between you two. As for the company’s location, hiring, that’s a bit troublesome...
I suggest opening abroad since once it’s up, you’ll need someone trustworthy to manage it. You probably won’t have the time, so chances are Meng will manage it, and if the company is set up in the country, you two might not see each other much all year, especially with the current situation so tense, flying around isn’t safe."
Qin Miao nodded in understanding; he wasn’t very knowledgeable in this area, and since Boss Zhou said so, it must be well-reasoned, so Qin Miao took note. Furthermore, at Qimeng’s request, Qin Miao’s phone is always in recording mode, meaning all his call logs are recorded so he can simply replay them for Qimeng later.
Of course, the phone recording isn’t Qimeng monitoring Qin Miao’s privacy or anything; it’s mainly due to his current identity. Many have their sights on Qin Miao, and recording calls can avoid many troubles.
...
"Alright, noted, sorry for bothering you."
"No problem! The photos and autographs you gave me were a huge face-gain among my friends, advice like mine is nothing serious in return.
Oh, about gaining face, I prepared a gift as thanks, but it’s not ready yet. I’ll send it when it is."
"Well, thank you in advance." Qin Miao didn’t think much of it.
For one, he knew Boss Zhou is quite wealthy, so gifting isn’t a big deal for him, and for another, he didn’t expect any extravagant gifts.
With Qin Miao’s current worth, even gifting a watch worth hundreds of thousands wouldn’t be too pressuring.
"Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up."
"Okay."
After hanging up, Qin Miao recalled if he had contacted everyone he needed to, and once sure he did, pocketed his phone and returned to his room, with the gift from Boss Zhou already out of his mind.
The next day, Qin Miao officially started his vacation, turning off his work phone and setting his daily contact phone to silent mode.
Absolutely no one will find me until I decide to reach out first!
Of course, to gain more influence, Qin Miao knew he needed more fan interaction.
So, Qin Miao thought about it, then booted up his computer, logged onto CSGO, and took a photo during the match matching phase, posting it with the text: "Not happy, playing games to cheer up."
It’s worth mentioning that since Qin Miao’s account used to be managed by Qimeng, photos posted were always officially taken in the team gallery looking very neat and clean, presenting an excellent demeanor.
However, the photo on Qin Miao’s post clearly seemed casually taken, not professional at all.
Precisely due to this unprofessional look, fans following Qin Miao’s account began speculating:
[This must be a casual photo taken by Qin Miao himself]
[Probably, previous photos weren’t this unprofessional]
[Qin Miao plays GoGo?]
[I play CSGO, Qin Miao plays CSGO, so I’m equal to Qin Miao]
[Qin Miao is an old CSGO player. Back in F2 with fewer races, he and Zhou Guanyu would battle fiercely in FPL. I heard Navi’s youth training contacted them but gave up furiously after learning about their worth and jobs]
[Setting Qin Miao aside, with Zhou Guanyu’s family background, if he wanted, he could directly buy entire Navi’s CSGO division]
[@Driver Qin Miao, Qin! It’s okay to fail in competitions, but don’t play games alone. You should do a live stream so we brothers can learn your skills]
[I knew what you were up to the moment you mentioned it]
[Thoughts are ulterior!]