"Audi's engine wins gold!"
"First and third place!"
"A Chinese-developed engine beats Europe and Japan!"
By midnight, headlines like these had already dominated Dongche.com, one of China's highest-traffic auto portals. Car buyers and fans flooded the comments.
"666, is this real?"
"Audi just slapped the foreign brands!"
"I'm buying an Audi tomorrow. No cap."
"Where are the haters now? Say something!"
The hype only escalated from there. On Shark Live, the official Ward's stream had five million viewers when the results dropped. The moment Jaime Medina announced the winners, the chat exploded. "666" flooded the screen in a virtual barrage. Thousands sent gifts at once. Phones crashed. Laptops froze. Even Alienware rigs stuttered under the graphical onslaught.
"My 1080T just died, man."
"Mine too!"
"Stop bragging about your PC. Praise the engine!"
No one had expected it. No one had believed Audi China could pull it off. But they had. And now, the internet has crowned them heroes.
In Yanjing, Ye Guohua had just gotten home when his phone rang.
"Good! Good! Good job!"
The caller was ecstatic. For good reason, Audi China secured first and third place on the Ward's 10 Best Engines list. That wasn't just a personal win. It was a national one.
Ye Guohua puffed out his chest, pride flooding in.
"That brat didn't embarrass the Ye family after all."
His wife, Fang Peiru, glanced over. "Why are you smiling like a fool?"
He grinned and shared the news. She beamed, "Xiao Feng, good work!"
In New York, Haifeng had barely slept. He said goodbye to Andy Na in the early morning, boarded a private jet with the Audi team, and flew back to Piaocheng.
After eight hours in the air, they landed.
Company buses were already waiting at the airport. Haifeng gave the team the day off.
"You've all worked hard. Go home, rest. We'll celebrate tomorrow."
"Thank you, President Lu!"
"Yay! Day off!"
While the others were shuttled home, Haifeng headed back solo. It had been weeks since he last saw his family. His little sister was the first to greet him.
"Bro, you're in trouble. Grandma called again."
Haifeng paused. "Grandma?"
Yup. That tiny storm of a woman. Sweet on the surface—but terrifying when angry. Even Old Man Ye wouldn't dare cross her.
"She says you've gone heartless," his sister grinned. "Didn't visit her for over a year. You've got ten days to show up or else!"
Haifeng rubbed his temples. "Got it. We'll go to Yanjing soon."
Right now, he just needed sleep. Last night's adrenaline rush had drained him.
The next morning, he was already at the factory.
The mood? Electric. Audi China had done what no other local carmaker had managed: secure not one but two top slots in the world's most prestigious engine competition.
Haifeng called a company-wide executive meeting. But first, he dialed a number—Wang Cheng, an old connection in central government circles.
"Old Wang! Long time no see. Missed you, brother."
On the other end, Wang laughed. "Congrats, you show-off!"
"Too much praise! My face is red!"
"You're back already? Coming over soon?"
"I'll be waiting."
Once Wang arrived, the rest would follow. With state backing and media hype, funds would flow. Lab debts could be cleared. The OLED screen factory could finally break ground.
At the front gate, Haifeng personally waited for Comrade Wang—not just to welcome him, but to start the next chapter.