Chapter 276 - 173: Coffee, Tea, or Me?
"How much is this car?" The chubby guy was instantly fired up, eyeing the Urus that stood taller than he did. "Can I drive it away today?"
"The all-in price, including tax, is 350,000 USD on the dot," Chloe said with a ready smile. "Additionally, federal law requires a 75 USD registration fee, but we at Manhattan Automobile will cover that for you. If you sign the papers now, you can drive it away for exactly 350,000 USD."
As soon as she finished, the smile on the chubby guy’s face froze for half a second.
’Sign now?’ His family’s budget for him was only around 1.8 million, which converted to just a little over 250,000 USD! The car allowance his old man gave him wasn’t nearly enough to buy this car outright. If he signed the papers now, his dad back home would definitely chew him out tonight.
He swallowed hard, feeling the suffocating pressure of being caught in an impossible situation.
But then he glanced at Emily out of the corner of his eye. She was looking at him with an intensely expectant gaze.
She was, after all, one of the few pretty white girls he’d met since arriving who didn’t look down on his terrible spoken English. She already had his heart and his dick grabbed firmly in each of her hands.
Even more fatally, the guy next to them, whom he saw as his "broke-ass competitor," was still here.
If he backed down now and said something like, "Heh, I’ll just look around some more," how could he ever show his face again? Could he even still hang around the New York international student scene?!
’Screw it, Dad can suffer a little more,’ he thought. ’Anyway, he’s always going on about working in engineering and running his business, groveling to all those officials like a grandson. Isn’t all the money he works so hard to earn just for me to spend?’
"Okay, I’ll buy it!" He ground his back teeth, forcing himself to keep up appearances. "350,000. But I just got to the United States of America and don’t have a credit history here. I’ll need a 36-month financing plan. I’ll make a 30% down payment, and you can bill the rest to my trust in the Celestial Dynasty."
Hearing this, the smile on Chloe’s face grew even brighter.
Even though it was financing, the commission from this deal was now securely in her pocket.
"Sir, do you have any other requests?" she asked, turning her head to look at Li Wei. "If not, I’ll take this gentleman to sign the papers first."
"350,000..." Li Wei paused. "Do you have anything more expensive?"
Chloe froze for a moment, her professional smile vanishing. Her attitude became strictly business.
"Sir, if you find a 350,000-dollar Lamborghini to be too cheap..." Even though she thought he was messing around, his handsome face and the inexplicable trust he inspired in her colored her tone with indulgence and helplessness. "...then the only thing in the world that can satisfy your request is the Rolls-Royce back there."
"But I’m afraid," she paused, "that for top-tier models over 500,000 USD, company policy requires us to verify funds or confirm your approved financing amount before a viewing or test drive."
There’s a story behind every rule; they’d had more than a few incidents in the past where test-drive cars were stolen by gangsters.
When the chubby guy to the side heard the words "verify funds," the sting in his wallet immediately transformed into the glee of someone ready to watch a good show.
He crossed his arms, eager to see how Li Wei was going to get himself out of this one.
However, Li Wei just nodded with a slight smile, pulled a metal card from his pocket, and handed it to Chloe with one hand.
Chloe took it and murmured subconsciously, "What a high-end credit card..."
"It’s the JPMorgan Chase Palladium Card," Li Wei said. "If you don’t know what it is, you can Google it."
Chloe looked at the heavy metal card in her hand. It was discreetly engraved with a subtle pattern, Li Wei’s name, and the name J.P. Morgan.
She had never seen this type of card before, but she knew the weight the JPMorgan Chase name carried and what a metal card like this signified.
She respectfully returned the metal card to Li Wei with both hands, her face now bearing a genuine smile. "My apologies, sir. That was rude of me."
After telling the chubby guy that Perrier and coffee were available in the VIP signing room, she turned eagerly to Li Wei and said, "Sir, let me show you the Rolls-Royces."
"No need," the chubby guy said suddenly. "I want to see the Rolls-Royces too. Can we go have a look together?"
Li Wei turned to look at the childishly defiant chubby guy, shrugged, and said, "Suit yourself."
And so, Chloe led Li Wei toward the Rolls-Royce display area, with Emily and the chubby guy following behind, the former clinging tightly to the latter’s arm.
Chloe walked at the very front, swaying her hips so much her round bottom looked like it would snap her waist. It didn’t attract Li Wei’s attention, but the chubby guy stared without blinking, only to get a sharp pinch from Emily.
"Last year, Rolls-Royce released its first SUV model," Chloe explained. "They named it after the world’s largest diamond—the Cullinan. It’s no exaggeration to say that this is currently the most prestigious SUV in the world, bar none."
Li Wei looked at the behemoths lined up before him and nodded.
’Now this is more like it,’ he thought. ’A car this size is something I can actually fit in.’
The Cullinan was a full 5.3 meters long—20 centimeters longer than the Lamborghini, not to mention the G63, which was only 4.6 meters long.
"We currently have three Cullinans in stock in the showroom," Chloe said, walking up to the first one, a dark blue model. "This is the base model, optioned with the Starlight Headliner and the four-seat configuration. The on-the-road price is around 550,000 USD. For many clients new to Rolls-Royce, this is a very solid choice."
Li Wei only gave it a single glance without even opening the door. He nodded, but his expression wasn’t very enthusiastic.
Hearing this price, the corner of the chubby guy’s mouth started to twitch. He was already going to get an earful from his dad over the 350,000 USD Urus; this base model alone was already beyond his limit.
He couldn’t help but glance at the composed Li Wei, a question bubbling up in his mind.
’My family’s net worth is around A9.3, and I hang out with the rich international student crowd in New York. How come I’ve never heard of a badass this handsome and rich before?’
Chloe’s gaze on Li Wei grew more intense, and her smile widened. She immediately introduced the second car. "This one is a bespoke version, with a custom sound system and a full rear-seat infotainment suite. The interior uses Hermes orange genuine leather, and the on-the-road price is around 630,000 USD."
"I don’t like white," Li Wei said, shaking his head. "I think the black one next to it looks good."
"That isn’t black, sir," Chloe said immediately. "If you look closely, it’s actually a special ink-green pigment. It’s a special, hand-polished paint finish called ’Black Diamond.’ This is the Black Badge edition, sir. This one is 740,000 USD."
Li Wei’s interest was piqued. "Tell me more," he said. "The specs."
’This car is 740,000 USD, but if I don’t spend it, I’ll have to pay over 300,000 in taxes next year.’
’Better to just spend the money than hand it over to the Internal Revenue Service,’ Li Wei thought. ’I’ve already paid them more than enough tax.’
’Chloe, hold it in. Don’t scream,’ Chloe told herself. ’The commission on a 740,000 USD car is more than two months of my base salary!’
"This car... I can say with full confidence, sir," Chloe said in a reverent tone, "this might be the only ’fully-loaded’ model in stock in all of New York. And its curb weight is 6,089 pounds, which perfectly meets your tax deduction requirements."
"The front of this car and the entire front grille are made of high-gloss black chrome. The interior is full of carbon fiber panels." Chloe pressed the key fob, and the heavy, coach-style suicide doors slowly opened. "The Starlight Headliner has 1,344 individual fiber optic strands creating a meteor shower effect, 18 bespoke speakers, the Cullinan’s unique Viewing Suite, and the trunk is equipped with two leather folding chairs and a cocktail table."
"This is truly maxed-out on specs, sir," Chloe said, looking at Li Wei expectantly. "I’m afraid no dealership besides Manhattan Automobile Company can meet your needs."
Li Wei walked around the car, a satisfied expression finally appearing on his face.
740,000 USD. Used as a tax-deductible asset and factoring in his high combined tax rate of 53.1%, this car would actually save him nearly 390,000 USD in taxes. That was equivalent to getting a fully-loaded Rolls-Royce for an actual cost of only around 350,000 USD.
This was a much better deal than the chubby guy next to him financing a 350,000 USD Lamborghini.
"This is the one." Li Wei took out his Palladium Card and handed it to Chloe. "Just run the card for the full amount. I need the invoice and all the tax deduction documents right now."
"Right now?" Chloe was stunned. "Are you sure you don’t want to think it over?"
"I took a cab here specifically so I could drive the car away immediately," Li Wei said with a wave of his hand. "Go on. The limit on this card won’t trigger any fraud alerts from the bank."
Chloe’s heart was about to leap out of her throat. She quickly walked up, her body halfway pressed against Li Wei, her collar a little more open than before, her voice lowered to a whisper.
"Mr. Li, we’ll have all your tax and vehicle delivery paperwork ready within an hour. To celebrate your new car... I was wondering if I might have the honor of buying you a drink tonight?" Her breath was fragrant as she spoke, and she bit her bright red lip. "I know a very private rooftop bar in Manhattan... and there’s a hotel right downstairs."
Li Wei raised an eyebrow.
"Miss Chloe, your offer is very tempting," he said with a shrug. "Unfortunately, I’m not 21, so I can’t drink."
This move left the other three people present completely stunned.
The chubby guy wanted to scream, ’Fuck, is this really about drinking or not?!’
But then he looked at Li Wei’s face and figured that with his looks, build, and wealth, he probably hadn’t had an empty bed since he turned 18. He had to have understood what Chloe meant.
Chloe immediately gave an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, I see... Would you like some tea?"
"No, thank you," Li Wei said, pulling out his phone to check the time. "Can it all be done in an hour? I have things to do."
"Yes, we can. We’ll issue you a temporary license plate right away, valid for 30 days," Chloe said professionally. "You can also pick a license plate number here, and my colleague will contact the DMV to have it mailed to you."
An hour later, the chubby guy had also finished his paperwork with Emily. He looked at Li Wei standing in the delivery bay next to the unspeakably expensive behemoth, then looked again at Li Wei’s face and features, and suddenly asked in tentative Chinese:
"Friend," he said, "are you one of the Celestial Dynasty People?"