Chapter 36: Ye Xing Buys a Car
Sister Chen’s Red Phoenix Publishing Co., Ltd. was located in an office building in Ice Sea New City, very close to Ye Xing’s home.
As he was going downstairs, Ye Xing received a phone call. Chen Feng had already driven her car to the main entrance of Ice Sea District Five and was waiting for him.
Ye Xing immediately quickened his pace and ran to the security booth at the entrance of District Five.
A red Dongfeng Teana was parked there. Standing beside the car door was a curvaceous and exceptionally elegant woman—none other than Ye Xing’s former boss, Sister Chen Feng.
Today, Chen Feng was wearing a youthful, orange-yellow T-shirt that highlighted her unique womanly charm. Her slightly tight black skirt perfectly accentuated the curve of her hips, and a pair of seven-centimeter high heels made her well-rounded legs appear even longer and more slender. She wore light makeup, her entire being radiating competence, intellectual beauty, and the confidence of a successful career woman. To top it all off, the designer sunglasses perched on her nose only added to her allure.
"What? It’s only been a month. Don’t you recognize me anymore?" Chen Feng said with a laugh, taking off her sunglasses after seeing Ye Xing.
"Of course I recognize you, Sister Chen. You’re just so beautiful, I couldn’t help but stare a little," Ye Xing chuckled.
"Oh? Still such a sweet talker. You were out on your own for a month and already learned how to be so silver-tongued," Chen Feng said, rolling her eyes at Ye Xing. "Get in!"
Ye Xing immediately opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, and fastened his seatbelt. "Sister Chen, sorry to trouble you today."
"Don’t be so formal with me. If it weren’t for you last time, I would have been drowning in financial problems. Sit tight, I’ll take you to see my old classmate now," Chen Feng said before starting the car.
The red sedan drove off.
Chen Feng was a steady driver, her speed neither fast nor slow.
"By the way, Ye Xing, what brand of car are you planning to buy? My classmate’s dealership specializes in German cars. If you want a Japanese or Korean car, you’ll probably have to go somewhere else," Chen Feng asked as she drove. "Do you like German cars?"
"I do!" Ye Xing nodded. "German cars are great. I’ll go take a look first. If all goes well, I’ll buy one from your classmate’s place, Sister Chen."
"Okay, good. I just called her. The dealership is over at Honghua Square. She’ll personally greet us when we arrive," Chen Feng said with a smile.
The drive wasn’t long. About ten minutes later, Chen Feng pulled up to Honghua Square. This area was home to many automotive businesses, such as 4S shops, auto trading companies, and car rental agencies.
Chen Feng led Ye Xing to one of the auto companies called ’Tenghui Auto Trading Co., Ltd.’ It was an imposing building. In front of it stood two flagpoles, flying the national flags of China and Germany, which billowed in the wind. The building itself was adorned with the logos of brands like Volkswagen, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
After parking her car, Chen Feng led Ye Xing into the ground floor of Tenghui Auto Trading Co., Ltd.
The ground-floor lobby had many large glass windows, allowing sunlight to stream in, making the space feel very spacious and bright. There were tables and chairs arranged in the hall, where many sales consultants were explaining the performance features and pricing of various models to potential buyers. Although there were voices, it wasn’t noisy; the atmosphere was actually quite quiet.
"Chen Feng!" A woman’s voice, tinged with delight, called out from their left.
Ye Xing turned his head and saw a woman in professional attire walking over with a smile. She looked to be about the same age as Chen Feng, around thirty-two or thirty-three.
"Haha, my old classmate! Come, sit, please sit down!" the woman said with great enthusiasm.
"Heh, Ruan, sorry to bother you again," Chen Feng laughed.
Chen Feng shot Ye Xing a look, then followed the woman with him to the manager’s office, where they sat on the sofa by the coffee table.
"Chen Feng, is this young man the friend you wanted me to help pick out a car for?" Manager Ruan asked after pouring them some tea.
"Yes, this is Ye Xing. Ye Xing, this is my old classmate, my desk-mate from high school, and a good friend. You can call her Manager Ruan. She’s the sales manager here and knows every brand and model of German car like the back of her hand," Chen Feng introduced him with a smile.
"Hello, Manager Ruan," Ye Xing greeted her.
"Mm, Little Ye, right? Hehe, so young. You must have graduated recently," Manager Ruan said with a nod and a chuckle. "Where are you working now?"
"Yeah, I graduated four or five months ago. I just quit my job last month. I used to work at Sister Chen’s company," Ye Xing said.
Manager Ruan subtly glanced at Ye Xing’s clothes, then smiled. "In your situation, I’d recommend a Volkswagen Jetta, Bora, or Polo. Those would probably suit you well. With a payment plan, you could get one with a down payment of just thirty to fifty thousand. They’re all pretty good value."
"Uh..." Ye Xing was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled. "Manager Ruan, I don’t know much about cars, but I personally feel that the models you just recommended are all a bit... well, how should I put it... a bit on the low end."
After all, Ye Xing currently had over four million in his bank account. Since he was going to buy a car, getting one for just thirty to fifty thousand would be too shabby. He wanted to buy something worth at least six or seven hundred thousand.
"Oh?" Manager Ruan looked slightly surprised and couldn’t help but glance at Ye Xing again. Her brow furrowed slightly. "Ye Xing, if you’re looking for a mid- to high-end car, the monthly loan payments can be quite high. And you’re unemployed right now!" Manager Ruan had been a sales manager for many years and was good at reading people. She was convinced that Ye Xing could, at best, afford a German car worth around a hundred thousand. After all, it was common for young people to buy a cheap car for getting around using a few tens of thousands given to them by their parents.
"You don’t need to worry about that, Manager Ruan. Just show me the good cars!" Ye Xing said with a laugh.
"Alright then. I’ll take you to see some higher-end cars. Since you think the Bora and Jetta are too low-end, I’ll show you an Audi A4, a Tiguan, and a Magotan. These models are all priced around two hundred thousand. That should satisfy your needs, right?" Manager Ruan stood up, ready to show Ye Xing the cars.
However, Ye Xing didn’t get up. Instead, he shook his head and said, "Manager Ruan, uh... a car in the two-hundred-thousand range still feels a bit low-end to me... Do you have any other, better recommendations?"
Manager Ruan was completely stunned.
’He thinks a car that costs over two hundred thousand isn’t good enough? This kid must just be here to mess around, looking at luxury cars to broaden his horizons. He’ll look at the high-end cars, realize he can’t afford one, and then say he doesn’t like them before picking out a cheap one worth a few tens of thousands. What a waste of my time. Ugh... well, I’ll do it for my old classmate’s sake...’ A trace of disdain appeared in Manager Ruan’s eyes. She gave Ye Xing a cool glance and said, "Fine. I’ll take you to see the Porsches. We just got a few new models in from the head office in Fu City."