F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 68 You're so naughty, but I love it! (4K3)
Choosing a car is something that can't be decided in a short time.

Shulong doesn't have much time to stay in China throughout the year, so even if he buys a nice car, it can only sit in the warehouse, and it feels almost the same as not having one.

Shu Xiong thought his son made sense and decided to wait until after the season to properly get a car from abroad that he could use regularly.

In fact, the cars that Shulong was interested in and wanted to own since he was a child were all in his father's garage. Most of them were due to his childhood feelings about racing anime. Unfortunately, many of these old cars could not be registered and driven on the road, and could only be driven around the streets of Guangdong occasionally.

The inclination to buy a car is definitely more towards sports cars, but there is no need for a car that is too extreme for track use and will affect normal travel. If you have to be careful even when going over a speed bump, it would be too tiring to drive.

There are a few models that I like quite a bit, such as the 991 TurboS. It has a cool look while retaining the cute feel of a Beetle. The key is that its design is classic and will never go out of style.

There's also the Audi R8, whose design is quite in line with Shulong's own personality.

At first glance, it doesn't have the same ostentatious presence as other sports cars, and it doesn't seem much different from an ordinary Audi used for grocery shopping. However, upon closer inspection, you can feel its imposing presence, which is absolutely in no way inferior to other prestigious sports cars.

The key point is that this is Iron Man's vehicle.

The last one is the GTR R35 Nismo, which inherits the consistent style of Nissan JDM, especially since its overseas price is much lower than the two mentioned above.

Shu Long originally liked this model quite a bit. After all, the phrase "I want to buy a GT!" is a childhood memory for many people. For a long time, Shu Long thought that the GTR was synonymous with a good car.

Unfortunately, he already has quite a few GTR series tethered bears, and he plans to buy this one for himself later. As for his son, he'll let him drive other cars. Maybe the father and son can take turns playing with them in the future.

The highest price of these cars, converted to RMB, hovers around two million, which is still far from the three million that Shu Xiong has set. So, the rest can be used to get a car in China for daily commuting and fun.

Shu Long didn't intend to spend the entire budget, and after thinking about it, he decided to ask his father for a GT86.

The number 86 itself carries a certain sentimental value. Another reason is that since Shulong started getting involved in racing, apart from the KZ go-kart, all the others have used paddle shifters. Now he wants to get a pure manual transmission sports car that offers more driving fun and try something different.

Moreover, since the car isn't too expensive, you don't have to worry about damaging it if you occasionally want to drift around.

Shu Xiong felt that using this car to woo girls was a bit beneath him, but as a fellow Initial D fan, he thought it was understandable. In terms of driving pleasure alone, the 86's price-performance ratio was indeed unbeatable.

Shu Xiong already had a wide network of contacts in this field and knew many parallel import car dealers. Within a few days, he finalized an order for a brand new all-black GT86.

Originally, Shu Xiong was planning to get his son a fiery red car, saying that if the car was cheap, they should make up for it elsewhere, and that the color was so beautiful and perfect for pursuing girls.

However, Shu Long absolutely refused to agree. He would never have the courage to drive that car on the street if he bought it; it was too eye-catching!

"Alright! Now that the car is sorted out, your dad is officially giving you a task: drive it to visit Mengmeng these next few days, understand? Otherwise, the remaining two million yuan budget for the car will be for nothing."

"She's different from me; she's still in school. Universities in China haven't even started their summer break yet!"

"I don't care! It's your skill to get her to come out. Besides, I already asked Gan Guangchen. Mengmeng doesn't have many classes in her first year. As long as you're willing, you'll have plenty of opportunities."

Shu Long clutched his head in anguish. Why did these parents seem even more anxious than they were? Weren't they afraid of pushing their kids into rebellious behavior?

While verbally agreeing with "Okay, okay," he started packing his own things.

The last time we met was during summer driving lessons. We usually only video chat occasionally. One of them seemed very impatient, but was actually looking forward to it.

"Oh, by the way, don't disturb Mengmeng's work when you get there. I heard from Gan Guangchen that Mengmeng seems to have some kind of legitimate job now?"

"What kind of legitimate job does she have? Doesn't she just spend her days idly being a content creator on Bilibili, uploading videos to the platform?"

Everything was fine just now, but as soon as Shu Long said something about not doing his job properly, Shu Xiong immediately got angry.

She earnestly advised her son not to underestimate the power of traffic in the current era of self-media, and to learn to keep up with the times. She said that being able to stand out in such an era is a remarkable personal ability.

Shu Long originally thought his father was afraid he would look down on Gan Mengning's job, but just as he was about to leave, Shu Xiong suddenly remembered something and insisted on introducing him to some old friends.

"Who on earth is doing this so mysteriously?"

"Let me give you a heads-up: their job is to submit high-quality content to mainstream video platforms. Don't think it's just any job. After all, a few young people have supported a company with their own abilities."

It was rare that Shu Long had been so intrigued, but when he actually met the people Shu Xiong had mentioned, there was no need for much introduction, because the two sides had already known each other indirectly through the internet.

It means I know who you are, and you know who I am, but I know you might know me, and you didn't expect that I also know you.

"Hello, hello! It's such an honor to meet you for the first time! I never imagined that China's first F1 race car driver would actually be Lao Shu's son."

I was so excited I forgot to introduce myself. We're setting up a video account studio...

"You're so naughty, but I love it!!"

"You know us? We're a video blog that mainly produces car-related content. Oh right, that used to be the content we did for that car-related column. Wow, I suddenly feel so honored!"

It was clear that the other party was genuinely pleasantly surprised, because they had only restarted the account this year, and their follower count was less than 300,000. In terms of scale, it was actually similar to Gan Mengning's, who was just doing it for fun.

Coincidentally, Shu Long was one of the first people to pay attention to this.

"I know, I saw the video of your 'Speed ​​Partners' account joining a long time ago this year, and I still watch it often whenever I have time."

The reason why Shu Long was so determined to buy a GT86 was largely because of Wang Jieke, who was standing in front of him.

With his titanium alloy mouth, he managed to exaggerate the GT86's counterpart in Subaru, the BRZ, to an incredible degree. It was just an ordinary, affordable sports car, but he made it sound like some rare and priceless treasure.

Of course, the most classic line is "7200 RPM, let's go!"

Shu Long followed this account because he vaguely saw his father's shadow in the hosts of the program; they all had a pure love for cars.

According to their own account, when they first started this car segment, the theme for a while was JDM (JD.com, the world of automotive electronics).

Unfortunately, they were just starting out, lacking brand recognition, money, and resources. A promising project almost died before it even began. In the end, they sought help from everyone they knew, eventually reaching Shu Xiong's friends. These friends knew about Shu Xiong's collection, which was comparable to a small museum, and immediately recommended him to Shu Xiong.

After borrowing cars a few times, everyone got to know each other. Later, when Wang Jieke and the others quit the car hobby and prepared to start their own business, Shu Xiong invested in them after Zhang Xin reminded him. Now he is also one of the shareholders of the studio behind this account.

With the widespread adoption of 4G networks, the rise of short video platforms was actually a foreshadowed trend of the times, and now it seems like an unexpected but ultimately successful outcome.

Knowing that his son doesn't particularly enjoy public appearances or marketing activities, Shu Xiong's current plan is to leverage the recent signing of an F1 official driver by Shu Long to boost the popularity of these young people. Once the accounts are established, it will essentially provide his son with a free promotional channel.

Both are related to cars, and the content of the show "Fast & Furious Buddies" is more in line with the fast-paced lifestyle of today than the one or two-hour F1 races. In terms of popularity, it is definitely more easily accepted by the public than F1 alone.

In short, this is a two-way investment, which indirectly paves the way for Shulong's future commercial value. Even if it leaves the Red Bull system, it may be easier to attract sponsorships.

Of course, at this stage we're just getting to know each other a little.

The main issue is that the relevant content hasn't been planned yet. In addition, after the previous issue with Anmuxi's sponsorship, Shulong is now a little worried that appearing in other people's content might violate the commercial terms of his contract with Red Bull.

Shu Long even sent an email to Tost to inquire about this, but Tost said that the initiative in the contract was not with Red Bull and told Shu Long to go to Horner or someone in Red Bull's legal department to confirm.

Fortunately, Horner gave a positive response. Red Bull's restrictions in this regard are relatively lenient compared to other major teams, otherwise they wouldn't be so enthusiastic about the DTS project.

In fact, Red Bull Group originally intended to open up more markets in China, and had already planned to set up shop on major video websites for promotion. Now, Shulong is just helping them explore the path.

In general, as long as it doesn't involve promoting other commercial products and is simply about creating content-driven videos, Shu Long can decide for himself whether or not to appear on camera.

If the content relates to Red Bull itself, such as emphasizing Shu Long's identity as a Red Bull F1 driver, then Shu Long needs to maintain a good brand image, which means he should ideally wear clothes that reflect his identity.

If the interview program involves team affairs, it is best to include a disclaimer such as "This is only a personal opinion and has nothing to do with the actual situation of the team." Of course, Shu Long himself must also be clear about what can and cannot be said.

To avoid conflict with Red Bull's own brand as much as possible, it's best to submit a content outline to the team before each program, and the team will also provide a written certificate with practical benefits.

With a general direction in place, planning the content becomes much easier. All that's left is to wait for Shulong to have some free time so they can cooperate with the filming.

After a slight delay of two days, the person who had been eagerly waiting was finally ready to embark on a journey alone in their car.

"Remember to stay there for a few more days, and it's best if you don't come back until the holiday is over!"

"Okay, I know! So where am I supposed to stay? Sleep in the car?"

“Go find your own hotel! Stop pretending with me. Your dad will reimburse you for how much it cost to come back. If you’re so capable, just stay at someone’s house and nobody will object.”

"Pah! I'm leaving!"

"Go on, go on. Hey, wait a minute! What are you doing putting this thing behind you?"

"Oh, don't mind me, this is a gift I prepared for someone!"

Having said that, without giving his father a chance to continue nagging, Shu Long stepped on the gas and sped away.

He even went to a gift shop to have the big gift he had prepared for Gan Mengning carefully wrapped up, making it look like a birthday cake from the outside.

Shu Longyi knew where the apartment Gan Mengning rented was a long time ago. He had lunch with his father and then set off, arriving just in time at five o'clock in the afternoon.

Having gotten used to driving super-powerful Formula One cars, he found it quite fun to drive a GT86 with just over 200 horsepower, which was more like a grocery-getter among sports cars. He didn't find the journey boring at all.

There's a mentality where when you can't afford designer brands, you only think about pursuing them, but when you can actually afford them, you don't care as much anymore.

Before actually driving an F1 car, Shu Long always felt that racing cars other than F1 were inferior and not worthy of being discussed. Now that he has broadened his horizons, he can view the joy of driving itself with a more peaceful mindset.

This may have rekindled his initial interest in racing.

Back then, there was no need to worry about competing with anyone on the track; simply experiencing the process of driving was already the greatest satisfaction in the world.

Following the navigation to Gan Mengning's address, Shu Long took the gift box he had prepared and went up to the address according to the house number.

It's lunchtime now, let's go out for a meal first, it's been a long time since we've seen each other, and this is a good excuse to ease the awkwardness.

After knocking on the door a few times, the awkwardness didn't lessen; instead, it seemed to slowly form a small puddle in the hole he'd dug with his toes.

The girl who opened the door was a complete stranger to Shu Long. She also seemed surprised that there was a strange male outside the door. After letting out a scream, she slammed the door shut right in front of Shu Long.

What's going on? Did I go to the wrong place?

Before Shu Long could even begin to question his own "photographic memory," he heard a faint sound coming from behind the door as the peephole was being pried open.

"Excuse me, may I ask who you are?" Seemingly noticing the gift box Shu Long was holding, the girl behind the door added weakly, "No one here has placed an order."

What the heck? I'm not here to deliver takeout.
Wait a minute, didn't you just say "we"? Are you roommates? Is the other person's last name Gan?

"You are...you are her boyfriend?!"

I'm sorry, I can't answer this question either, because I don't know the answer myself right now.

Originally, he had planned to prepare a surprise, but now it seemed to be completely ruined. After thinking for a while, Shu Long took out his phone and decided to call the person himself to ask where they were.

The number had just been dialed when the girl inside suddenly slammed the door open, pointing at Shu Long's face in astonishment, speechless for a long time.

　Thank you to Shanhesuopo, Book Friend 20190228192200236, WaltHK, Maozhaimengmengda, Book Friend 20190828202838 and Shan-Gui for your monthly ticket donations.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)