Two days later, on November 8th, Saturday.
Chen Xiangbei arrived early at Liang Chi's repair shop. At this point, the Subaru Impreza was already loaded onto a flatbed trailer, ready to be transported to the Haizhu International Racing Circuit.
After all, this car had been heavily modified; running on mountain roads or streets at night was fine, but driving openly on the highway during the day was too conspicuous and could easily be caught for illegal modifications.
If the car got impounded, the race would be over before it even started.
Before setting off, Chen Xiangbei made a call to Qin Lianjie, as he had promised to inform him when racing with the team, fulfilling his commitment.
Just as Chen Xiangbei and Liang Chi were about to start the car, an Audi A6 pulled up to the repair shop and parked directly in front of the flatbed trailer.
The car door opened, and out stepped a middle-aged man dressed in a shirt with a "wolf haircut" from the driver's seat.
"Great timing."
Liang Chi muttered to himself, then turned to Chen Xiangbei and said, "Get out, your benefactor is here."
"What benefactor?"
Chen Xiangbei was a bit puzzled; he didn't know this middle-aged man at all.
"Zhang Zhicong, the founder of Huasi Sports."
After saying this, Liang Chi opened the trailer driver's side door and jumped down.
Chen Xiangbei had only heard of Zhang Zhicong's deeds but had never met him in person.
Because of the 2008 CFR2000 accident at the F1 Chinese Grand Prix debut, Huasi Sports collapsed, and Zhang Zhicong, with his formula racing dreams, disappeared thereafter.
Could it be that the person Uncle Liang mentioned asking for help is indeed Zhang Zhicong, the founder of Huasi?
With this doubt, Chen Xiangbei also got out from the passenger seat and walked over to them.
Seeing Chen Xiangbei approach, Zhang Zhicong pointed at him and asked, "Old Liang, is this the young man you mentioned with great racing talent?"
"Yes."
Liang Chi nodded and then beckoned to Chen Xiangbei, "Kid, greet your elder."
"Hello, Uncle Zhang, I am Chen Xiangbei."
Chen Xiangbei politely greeted him, understanding the importance of social etiquette, especially since he would need help to enter the formula racing world.
"Hello."
Zhang Zhicong nodded slightly, not showing any enthusiastic demeanor. In fact, Chen Xiangbei could vaguely sense a kind of disappointment in his eyes.
In a sense, Chen Xiangbei's intuition was not wrong.
Although Liang Chi had informed Zhang Zhicong of Chen Xiangbei's current foundation and age over the phone,
when he actually met Chen Xiangbei, his rational mind kept emphasizing that this high schooler with such a late start had no future in formula racing, even if he possessed the racing talent mentioned by Liang Chi.
Frankly, who in formula racing doesn't have talent?
Even comparing to the top-level F1, many drivers eliminated at the F2 and F3 levels often dominate in other less competitive events.
Not to mention examples from foreign drivers; even domestic racers like Cheng Congfu, Ma Qingye, and Ye Yifei make a clean sweep in national events!
Moreover, in the formula racing world, which places extreme importance on age advantage, showing talent at eight years old and being able to achieve results is what true talent is.
Talent at eighteen might already be worthless.
However, out of respect for Liang Chi, Zhang Zhicong still came, even if he wasn't hopeful.
At this moment, Liang Chi lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and then said, "Old Zhang, I already told you once on the phone, and now I'm emphasizing it again."
"This kid is pretty formidable, and with proper training, he might become the hope of Chinese racing."
Faced with Liang Chi's "recommendation," Zhang Zhicong glanced at Chen Xiangbei and then replied, "Whether he's formidable or not can only be known after he beats Han Han, but I still hope you remain realistic. At his age, there's no time to start with go-karts and then move to formula racing."
"If you want him to join touring car races, I can introduce him to some teams for trials."
"Why would I need to find you if I wanted him in touring car races?"
Liang Chi waved his hand, his emotions gradually getting agitated, "Whether age is an issue, at least he should try to know. Why can't you be idealistic for once and believe this young man can create miracles?"
"Old Liang, you're still as impulsive as ever."
Zhang Zhicong's calm response seemed to ignite the powder keg inside Liang Chi.
"Am I impulsive?"
"It's precisely because of your so-called rationality that led to the complete failure of the CFR2000 formula, destroying so many people's dreams!"
Faced with Liang Chi's accusation, a bitter smile appeared on Zhang Zhicong's face.
"Old Liang, you understand car building but not capital; investors need returns."
"If we followed your thinking and slowly crafted the CFR2000, Huasi would have long gone bankrupt due to breaking the funding chain."
"You may think the failure of CFR2000 was because I rushed things and destroyed many dreams, forcing an unfinished car to test and debut."
"But at least I gave the CFR2000 the chance to be on the F1 Chinese Grand Prix stage, rather than dying quietly like countless obscure competitors."
"Can you understand this?"
Though Zhang Zhicong's tone remained calm, Chen Xiangbei still noticed his eyes turning red.
Back then, there was an internal dispute within Huasi Sports, one faction led by Liang Chi, the racing engineer, and another led by Zhang Zhicong, the management side.
The argument stemmed from the shortage of R&D funds and whether to prematurely showcase the CFR2000 to attract new investments, leading to intense conflicts.
The final outcome was obvious; the technical side, led by Liang Chi, was ousted.
Now, Liang Chi was angry at the fate of the CFR2000's debut and swan song, but as the founder of Huasi and someone who personally led the formula car development, Zhang Zhicong wasn't feeling any better.
Their viewpoints differed due to their different positions.
But one thing was the same; they both hoped China could have its own formula racing event.
It's just that this dream is now shattered.
Liang Chi didn't say anything further, as he understood many truths; he just didn't want to accept the reality.
One puff of smoke after another until it burned down to ashes.
"Get in the car, let's head to the Haizhu International Circuit first. Watch Chen Xiangbei race once before making your decision."
After saying this, Liang Chi threw down the cigarette butt and stomped it out, then returned to the driver's seat of the flatbed.
Seeing this, Zhang Zhicong also sighed and returned to the driver's seat of the Audi A6.
Confronted with this scene, Chen Xiangbei was left standing awkwardly. He initially wanted to explain a few things but found that the two had dragged the conversation onto the CFR2000 car.
The entangled grievances were something Chen Xiangbei couldn't involve himself in.
Left with no choice, Chen Xiangbei swallowed his words back and sat in the passenger seat of the flatbed truck.
The two vehicles started their engines again, heading towards Haizhu, and during the journey, Liang Chi appeared rather solemn, lacking his usual jovial attitude.
It wasn't until they were close to reaching the Haizhu International Racing Circuit that Liang Chi finally spoke, "Kid, run well, make me proud."
"The CFR2000 made me lose once; this time, I don't want to lose in front of Old Zhang again."
Today, the two stood on opposite sides of reason and emotion, and Liang Chi wanted to win this time.
"I will."
Chen Xiangbei nodded; whether for Liang Chi or to prove himself, he would give his all in this race.
PS: Thanks to brothers for the tips and votes.