Chapter 270: Chapter 146: Life Is Unpredictable, Sausage in Sausage
After gulping down a bellyful of water, Qin Miao and Toto gathered their things and walked out of the cafe.
There were few pedestrians on the street at this moment.
Turning back, Toto patted Qin Miao on the shoulder and once again brought up serious matters: "Starting tomorrow, Mercedes will officially begin negotiations with your agent. Although it’s not my place to say too much, I still want to remind you: find a good team of lawyers, ensure your interests in the contract, stick to your choices, both sides are interested, so you can test the waters a bit more."
Qin Miao looked at Toto unexpectedly.
The other party smiled but did not explain the reason for his actions.
Putting on his black mask again, he said: "Initially, I wanted to invite you to our factory to have a look, but you’re rather in the spotlight in the paddock now, it’s not convenient for a while, but there’ll be plenty of time in the future. I hope you’ll like our factory’s work environment then."
Qin Miao nodded to show his understanding.
Then Toto turned to Qin Miao: "Well then, goodbye, we’ll keep an eye on your performance in F2."
Qin Miao nodded: "Goodbye, Toto."
Toto nodded and then walked towards the Maybach parked at the roadside. But before getting in the car, Toto turned back to Qin Miao and said: "Oh, even though you and Zhou have a good relationship, I still want to advise you: business is business."
After saying this, Toto didn’t explain further and left after starting the car.
Leaving Qin Miao alone at a loss.
Qin Miao really didn’t understand what connection there was between Zhou Guanyu and business.
But Qin Miao still kept Toto’s words in mind, planning to ask Qimeng when he got back.
Normally, when something big happens, Qin Miao would usually call his mom at home to inform her, so she’d have a basic understanding of his work and life abroad and feel more at ease.
But there’s a seven-hour time difference between England and China, and it’s now just past 4pm in England and 11pm in China, where his mom is probably already sleeping.
However, Qin Miao knows that his other benefactor, Boss Zhou, is actually still awake, probably still playing on his simulator in the shop at this point.
So, standing by the roadside, Qin Miao didn’t leave immediately but instead pulled out his phone to call Boss Zhou.
Quickly, the call connected,
"Qin." Boss Zhou’s voice sounded a bit surprised over the phone.
"Hey, Uncle Zhou."
"If I’m not mistaken, today is your rest day, right? How come you’re not playing your game at this hour, but have time to call me?" Boss Zhou joked from the other side of the line.
Qin Miao felt a bit embarrassed, touched his nose: "Does that mean I’m not professional enough in your eyes?"
"Definitely, you basically play a few rounds of CSGO on Steam every night, you think I haven’t noticed online?"
"Cough, cough." Qin Miao awkwardly coughed lightly, then said: "I called this time to let you know, my contract might change soon."
"Hmm?"
Looking in the direction Toto’s car departed, Qin Miao said: "I just met with Toto."
There was a pause on the other end, then Boss Zhou’s voice came through: "You mean... you just met with Toto? The Toto you met is the one I think it is?"
Qin Miao nodded: "If you’re thinking of the one from Mercedes, yes, it’s him."
"Hiss~" The sound of someone gasping came from the other end of the phone.
The line went quiet for a moment, then came the sound of a lighter flaring up, and after a deep exhale, Boss Zhou’s voice sounded anew: "I’ve watched almost every one of your F2 races, and I must admit, your performance is quite extraordinary. But Mercedes itself is a championship-contending team, why would they bother with you? And don’t you have a contract with Ferrari?"
"I can’t say about that, but I can tell you that I should enter F1 next season. It’ll be either Mercedes or Williams."
"I see~" Boss Zhou’s voice sounded a bit wistful on the other end.
Though Boss Zhou doesn’t have much talent in racing, he loves it, or else he wouldn’t run a racing simulator experience shop that makes no money. He’s also somewhat of a Ferrari fan.
His original hope for Qin Miao was for the kid to someday join Ferrari, realizing his childhood dream in his stead.
This feeling is somewhat like how parents have aspirations for their children.
But now this fantasy is completely shattered, Qin Miao entering the Mercedes system next season is already a done deal.
Then again, as long as Qin Miao gets into F1, what more could you want?
If Qin Miao performs well enough, and directly joins the Mercedes team in the new season, there’s indeed a possibility that he could become the first Chinese driver to win a championship in a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Thinking even bolder, what if he wins his first F1 race?
With this thought, after removing his Ferrari fan lens, Boss Zhou was delighted: "That’s good news! Next year I might have the chance to see you on the F1 podium!"
Qin Miao humbly said: "Not necessarily, I might have to spend a year training with Williams."