Chapter 184: He Plans to Give You 33% of the Shares for Free
Wu Shi returned to his homeland early, flying to China on April 6th.
After years of striving abroad, he still carried an indescribable affection for the land where he was born.
He was eager to go back.
Though he couldn't call it a triumphant homecoming, he had at least achieved something — he was returning with honor.
Yet at the same time, he was afraid.
After being away for so many years, could he still live up to the expectations of his compatriots?
The line of poetry surfaced in his mind:
"The closer I draw to home, the more timid my heart becomes;
I dare not ask the passersby."
Perhaps this was the true state of every wanderer.
His chest filled with tangled emotions. Just as his homeland had given him his body, it also stirred every feeling within him — joy and excitement, anticipation and pride, but also anxiety, restraint, and fear.
Before leaving Oxfordshire, Pat Symonds had told him that the aero package had been optimized.
Andrew Murdoch said the overall performance curve had improved slightly.
Rodrigo Barreira said the simulation cluster had been running Shanghai data since the moment the Malaysian Grand Prix ended.
The entire team was focused on the upcoming Shanghai Grand Prix.
Of course, Wu Shi's home race mattered — but more importantly, his position in the standings had forced the team to rethink its ambitions.
Top three in the Drivers' Championship.
Second in the Constructors'.
Those were no longer impossible fantasies.
So maximizing Wu Shi's qualifying performance and race consistency had become a top priority.
After all, second place was only seven points behind first, third was just three points behind second, and behind that the point gaps became even smaller. Sometimes, a single finishing position at the front could be worth more than the entire weekend's haul of several midfield teams combined.
This was precisely why, after the scoring system changed, competition at the front had become increasingly brutal.
With the whole team pushing like this, Wu Shi gave every bit of feedback he could, holding nothing back.
He often stayed up late.
Two weeks was simply too little time to properly refine a Formula One car.
Sometimes, just analyzing tire pressures across different temperature windows took an entire day — not to mention mechanical balance, aero maps, and differential behavior.
Only by truly participating in development could one understand how complex this "crown jewel of human industry" really was.
And why the barrier to entry kept getting higher every year.
---
This trip to China, Wu Shi traveled with Louise and Sid.
Martina said she had something to deal with and couldn't go, which made Louise pout for half a day.
Wu Shi rubbed Louise's head.
She was still too innocent to notice how some things quietly change.
They flew economy class.
Not because Wu Shi was stingy, but because he honestly didn't care much for such comforts.
If he really wanted luxury, he'd wait until Pan Zi had enough money to buy a private jet.
Louise herself was even more resistant to flying first class.
She had told Wu Shi more than once that neither her mother's money nor Wu Shi's money was hers.
Every penny she spent had to be counted. She refused to rely on affection to spend other people's hard-earned money.
Wu Shi always smiled when he heard that.
Martina's education had clearly taken root — self-reliance and restraint were already part of Louise's nature.
He didn't try to change that.
Values didn't need to be unified among people who lived together.
As long as no one crossed boundaries, peace would come naturally.
Otherwise, even family could grow tired of each other.
Outside the window were endless blue skies and white clouds.
Wu Shi watched them quietly, tapping his finger on his thigh in rhythm with the aircraft's vibration.
At cruising altitude, the plane was flying much faster than an F1 car — but unfortunately, passengers could never feel that speed.
If he really wanted to experience it, he'd need to find a way onto a fighter jet.
"Red Bull seems to be in some trouble," Sid said from the seat to his left.
"What now? Didn't they already deny the Verstappen promotion rumors?"
Wu Shi turned his head.
Verstappen himself had told him those rumors were nonsense.
No matter how much Dr. Marko liked him, he wouldn't promote a rookie after just two races.
Still… when Max talked about it, his eyes had looked strange.
He had quietly mentioned that Marko seemed to regret not paying attention to Sid back then.
Years ago, Sid and Old Verstappen had gone together to see Marko.
Old Verstappen had praised Wu Shi even more enthusiastically than he praised Max.
And Marko had rejected Sid without hesitation.
"It's not about Max. It's about Red Bull's engine situation with Renault," Sid said.
"Right…"
Wu Shi glanced toward the window.
Louise, who had been watching the clouds, had fallen asleep against his shoulder.
Maybe the cramped legroom of economy class had at least one advantage.
He shifted slightly so she could sleep more comfortably, then continued:
"That power unit really is… unreliable."
He had almost said abstract, but Sid probably wouldn't understand that word in this context.
"Newey openly criticized Renault, saying the power unit lacks both performance and reliability and is wasting the RB11's chassis," Sid said.
Wu Shi nodded.
If Red Bull had a strong engine, the paddock hierarchy would look very different.
The so-called "human wind tunnel" was no joke.
"And then Cyril from Renault fired back, calling Newey a liar who spreads misinformation," Sid added.
"I also heard Renault is considering buying Toro Rosso or Lotus and returning as a full works team."
"Yes, but Toro Rosso depends on Red Bull's decision, and Lotus's finances are already in terrible shape."
Sid sighed. Lately, his workload had been increasing sharply.
More and more companies were approaching him, hoping to work with Wu Shi.
Screening contracts, grading partnerships, handling legal reviews — it was all piling up.
Then he added, "Oh, by the way — Bianchi contacted me earlier. He'll be discharged in about three months. The doctors have confirmed he won't be able to return to F1."
Wu Shi fell silent.
Not every driver who survives a serious accident can return to racing.
And even if they do, performance loss is almost unavoidable.
Just like Massa — could anyone really say his 2009 injury had no effect on his career?
F1 pushed not only mechanical limits, but human physiological limits.
Any serious injury could permanently affect a driver's performance at the edge.
"Surviving at all is already a blessing," Wu Shi said softly.
"Yes. And he believes that blessing came partly from you," Sid said, looking at him strangely.
"He believes God allowed you to warn him, which saved his life. So he's extremely grateful."
"I just told him about a nightmare," Wu Shi shook his head. "If tragedy can be avoided, we should try."
"Well… because of that, he plans to start a company focused on karting training and driver scouting. His family already has a racing business in the region, so it's not from zero."
Sid pulled out his tablet and scrolled.
"He'll be a good teacher," Wu Shi said, thinking of Leclerc. Even without anything else, Bianchi had already nurtured one future star.
"He plans to give you 33% of the shares — for free."
Sid handed him the tablet.
"…What?"
Wu Shi froze.
He scanned the document quickly.
This was basically handing him money.
Bianchi's karting operation wasn't a startup — it was an extension of an existing family business, already profitable and well-connected.
"I told him I'd consider it. Since it's still a long way from being finalized, I didn't tell you earlier," Sid said.