But in the era of the financial crisis more than a decade ago, even if they sold everything, they couldn't gather such an amount. The negotiations with the Huali Group had hit a stalemate, and delaying further with the global economic recovery, there was a good chance that a change may occur if they waited too long!

However, Chen Xiangbei had the advantage of a historical and god-like perspective. He knew there was a company even more eager than Huali Group in the Volvo acquisition case, and that was the seller, Ford Group, desperate to shed its burden due to huge losses.

For Ford Group, the Volvo brand was not exactly a premium asset in this era. Sales had been continuously declining, and its value had dropped more than 70% compared to the $6 billion acquisition years ago.

Ford Group was eager to offload this money-losing hot potato while there was still some residual value. Fortunately, Huali Group was hoping to leverage Volvo for its technology and enhance its brand value, thus the two sides were perfectly aligned!

As negotiations went on, Ford's asking price kept dropping, yet Huali Group still couldn't scrape enough money together to make the purchase, which indeed gave Ford executives a headache.

Through information disclosed by Qin Lianjie, Chen Xiangbei learned that the Huali Group's acquisition case had reached the final stage, with just $200 million left.

Given that Huali didn't have the money and Ford was anxious to sell, the idea was to pull off a clever trick: have the seller finance the purchase themselves.

Indeed, this final $200 million was to be provided by Ford itself!

Staler had a very deep personal friendship with Ford's president, Bill Ford. It was thanks to his connections that Huasi Sports had secured the supply of Ford's engines for racing events; otherwise, the CFR2000 car could not have been built.

Upon learning about the acquisition case from Qin Lianjie, Chen Xiangbei immediately contacted Staler in the United Kingdom, hoping he could mediate and persuade Ford's president to loan money to Huali Group for the Volvo brand acquisition.

Initially, Staler completely disagreed with Chen Xiangbei's far-fetched idea, thinking it was nothing more than a daydream.

To his absolute surprise, upon contacting Ford, the other side was indeed interested!

Staler had no idea how Chen Xiangbei managed it, deducing Ford Group's urgency internally. Regardless, this deal was mysteriously and miraculously negotiated. Moreover, as an intermediary, he invited Huali Group's President Li to Australia's East Bay Circuit to watch Chen Xiangbei race.

In the early days of founding the Huasi Formula, the Huali Formula organized by Huali Group was effectively Staler's main competitor. He knew very well about the company's internal racing gene and their ambition and desire for Formula racing.

Now that Huasi Sports was a thing of the past, former competitors could bury the hatchet with a smile and sit down to watch the future star of Chinese racing, potentially even reaching another cooperation agreement.

Chen Xiangbei, of course, was unaware that so many eyes were watching him from above the racing building.

Neither Zhang Zhicong nor Staler informed him of their plans to watch the race, to avoid affecting Chen Xiangbei's pre-race preparation.

Even though Chen Xiangbei had already proven his strong mindset, it was best for racers facing important competitions not to be distracted by external matters.

After the team members arrived at the P-room, Odetto led the strategy group members to the control area to adjust various equipment. As for Liang Chi, he led the technician group members to conduct pre-race checks of the F3 car, ensuring that nothing was overlooked.

The only relatively relaxed person there was Lu Xiaoman, who wore multiple hats.

Today, however, there was an extra figure beside her, Dong Yuanxi, invited by Chen Xiangbei to the P-room to watch the race.

Dong Yuanxi wasn't very familiar with racing sports, and this was her first time at the P-room watching a formula racing event.

To be honest, she had always been curious about how Chen Xiangbei would differ, having become a professional racer. Today, she would finally uncover this mystery.

Compared to the image of him as a schoolmate, Chen Xiangbei now appeared much more stable. He was speaking fluent English, communicating with the foreign team members.

When a man is focused on something, he always exudes a unique charm.

"Yuanxi, don't you think a man looks most handsome when he's serious?"

Noticing Dong Yuanxi's gaze fixed on Chen Xiangbei, Lu Xiaoman, standing beside her, couldn't help but tease.

"Sister Man, no way..."

Dong Yuanxi hurriedly denied, but the blush spreading across her face betrayed her inner thoughts.

Witnessing this, Lu Xiaoman shook her head and sighed, "Ah, eighteen-year-old youth is so pure and beautiful. I hardly remember what being shy feels like anymore."

To this, Dong Yuanxi didn't know what to say, so she just smiled shyly to cover it up.

After confirming the strategy plan, Chen Xiangbei headed to the drivers' lounge and emerged wearing a full set of racing gear.

Seeing Chen Xiangbei dressed in his racing suit, Dong Yuanxi couldn't help but focus her gaze on him again, feeling a unique sensation arising in her heart.

Compared to the impression of the young boy in a school uniform etched in her mind, the current Chen Xiangbei seemed more mature and confident. It wasn't just a change in attire; it was a transformation in aura.

In this moment, Dong Yuanxi finally realized that Chen Xiangbei, unnoticeably, had become a complete professional racer.

"Does it feel unfamiliar?"

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