Chapter 115: Buying a Car

The next day, Li Dong skipped class again. This time, it wasn't due to business matters; rather, Li Dong was preparing to buy a car.

Fang Qingfei's remarks the previous day had reminded Li Dong that he needed a car, and not just any car, but a good one—an urgent need!

The purpose of buying the car wasn't convenience; Li Dong's only goal was to show off!

Yes, it was just to show off or, in other words, to maintain appearances.

As May was approaching, Li Dong planned to visit Beijing in the coming days to discuss stocks with high-level executives at Baidu. He needed a car that could reflect his status and enhance his image.

In today's society, appearances matter. This appearance isn't about how handsome you are but how much money you have.

Money isn't something you can flaunt just by carrying large amounts of cash; cars and houses are the best ways to display wealth.

Houses are often out of view for most people, so cars become the primary means of showing off.

Society is that superficial. If you claim to have hundreds of millions in savings, others may not believe you or ask about it.

What people care about is the surface level—if you're a multi-millionaire but drive a Chery, unless you're famous nationwide, no one will take you seriously.

As for Li Dong, he wasn't strikingly handsome nor nationally known.

If he didn't dress up his image properly, not only would it be difficult to buy stocks, but even meeting with Baidu's high-level executives would be in question.

---

Early in the morning, Li Dong went to the car market.

Upon hearing that Li Dong was buying a car, Sun Tao was even more excited than Li Dong and insisted on accompanying him.

Li Dong's lack of a car had always been a thorn in the side of the high-level executives at Yuanfang. Their boss walked while they drove; even if they drove their own cars, it never felt right.

Now that Li Dong was buying a car, Sun Tao was eager to introduce every luxury car he could think of.

Throughout the journey, Sun Tao's chatter was incessant. "Mr. Li, if it were up to me, I'd say buy a unique one. I haven't seen a Maybach in Pingchuan. A Maybach would be great…"

"Mr. Li, Bentley is also quite good. Nowadays, rich people prefer driving Bentleys."

"Mr. Li, Porsche is also an option, although it's not very dignified…"

"Mr. Li, if possible, a Rolls-Royce would be even better…"

Li Dong was annoyed by his constant chatter. He discovered for the first time that Sun Tao was quite the talker.

Frustrated with Sun Tao's incessant recommendations, Li Dong had to interrupt, "I need a car that's available now. Do you understand what 'available now' means? Can you drive any of these cars off the lot right now?"

Sun Tao immediately fell silent. While these cars might be available in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, they were practically non-existent in Pingchuan.

Even if available, they would be pre-ordered.

The car market in Pingchuan was almost as limited as that of a rural area compared to the major cities.

Li Dong wanted a car that was not only available immediately but also suitable for maintaining his image. The options were indeed very limited.

After a brief pause, Sun Tao suggested, "Why don't we go to Beijing to buy one?"

Some cars might not be available in Pingchuan, but in Beijing, if you're willing to spend, you can get any car.

Li Dong replied impatiently, "I just want a decent car. If you want to buy a Maybach or Rolls-Royce, are you going to pay for it?"

Li Dong's budget was for cars within one to two million yuan. Those that cost hundreds of millions were out of the question.

He had urgent uses for his money. If it weren't for wanting to avoid being underestimated, even a one to two million yuan car seemed expensive to him.

"Mr. Li, budgeting isn't that simple. We should save where we can, but we definitely shouldn't skimp on things that matter."

Sun Tao's remark seemed to have a hidden meaning.

What should be saved was naturally the fifty million yuan Li Dong planned to invest in stocks. To Sun Tao, spending that amount on opening branches or buying properties was more worthwhile than investing in stocks.

Should the car budget be saved?

Absolutely not!

It wasn't that Sun Tao was trying to push Li Dong into buying an expensive car for the sake of it. The car represented status.

A ten-million-yuan car is not the same as a one-million-yuan car.

A ten-million-yuan car is not just a car; it represents status, position, and even fame.

A high-level executive's car is a ten-million-yuan luxury car. This isn't just about face; it's a symbol of strength.

Suppliers would trust Yuanfang more, partners would value Yuanfang more, and Pingchuan's upper class would accept Yuanfang.

And that's not all. More importantly, luxury cars are also a form of self-protection.

For example, if Zhu Hongtao had seen Li Dong driving a Rolls-Royce or Maybach, would he have dared to disrespect Li Dong?

As a mere thug, if he saw Li Dong in a ten-million-yuan luxury car, he'd probably be too scared to even approach.

Sun Tao found it frustrating that Li Dong didn't understand these points.

The fifty million yuan for stocks was a sore spot for Sun Tao; he'd rather Li Dong spent it all on a car!

Sun Tao tried to persuade, "How about taking some out of the fifty million…"

Before he could finish, Li Dong firmly said, "No way! I need that fifty million. I won't spend a single penny of it."

Li Dong rolled his eyes. Sun Tao was really daring to think that way.

He was already worried that fifty million might not be enough. Sun Tao still wasn't giving up and trying to get his hands on that money.

He wasn't being miserly to the extreme. If conditions allowed, Li Dong would also want to buy a luxury car for himself.

In his previous life, he was an ordinary person and naturally longed for those luxury cars he'd only heard about.

But now, spending a million yuan might be equivalent to ten or even twenty million in the future.

Such an expenditure was something Li Dong wouldn't make. Spending one to two million yuan on a car was already quite extravagant. Even if Baidu's executives were impressive, they wouldn't look down on a car worth over a million.

Sun Tao had no more to say.

Upon arriving at the car market, seeing Li Dong heading straight to the Mercedes-Benz dealership, Sun Tao looked disappointed.

While BMW and Mercedes-Benz might be considered luxury brands to ordinary people, they didn't reflect Yuanfang's uniqueness.

But for someone as frugal as Li Dong, these were the only prominent brands that could make a decent impression.

Compared to other cars, Mercedes-Benz was passable.

Now, Sun Tao's only hope was that Li Dong wouldn't be too stingy and at least get a high-end model.

If he ended up with a Mercedes-Benz C-Class or E-Class, Sun Tao would definitely be in tears—buying one of those would be embarrassing.

---

Li Dong was unaware that he was seen as a tightwad by Sun Tao.

Entering the 4S store, a sales representative quickly approached to assist Li Dong.

Mercedes-Benz was still a major brand in the eyes of ordinary people, and the service was naturally decent.

Li Dong didn't want to waste time and directly said, "Don't show me anything else. I want an S-series model. If you can get it today, I'll take it. Show me what you have."

Hearing this, the sales representative was delighted.

Li Dong didn't seem like someone just browsing; if he was serious about buying, especially a high-end model like the S-Class, this was the kind of customer who should be well taken care of.

The sales representative immediately pointed to a sleek black Mercedes-Benz in the center of the showroom and introduced, "This is the new S350 just released this year, featuring a new V6 engine with a power output of 180KW…"

After the introduction, Li Dong asked directly, "How much?"

"Since this is a new model, the import price is 1.28 million yuan…"

The sales representative then listed the import price, discounts, and also thoughtfully calculated the purchase tax, insurance, and other miscellaneous fees.

In the end, it came to 1.45 million yuan to drive the car home immediately.

The 4S store generously offered to handle the paperwork and license plates for free, requiring no effort from Li Dong.

The sales representative even leaned in and said, "If you're truly interested, I'll make an effort to get the manager to give you a discount. You can take it home for 1.42 million!"

Li Dong rolled his eyes. What kind of effort was that?

However, the price was acceptable. Li Dong went up to the car, touched it, and sat inside. It felt quite comfortable.

Finally, Li Dong didn't want to negotiate further and said directly, "1.28 million, payment on the spot!"

The sales representative looked as if he had swallowed a fly, his face full of grievance, "Sir, 1.28 million is the import price. Just the insurance and tax…"

"Can you sell it at that price or not? If not, I'll go to another place. It doesn't have to be a Mercedes-Benz; I'm not particular about the brand."

---

Li Dong's car buying process was straightforward and decisive.

The final deal was struck at 1.30 million yuan, and the entire process took less than forty minutes.

As Li Dong drove away, the other employees in the store were still in a daze.

Was that it?

Buying a car in less than an hour? It was not only the fastest ever but also extremely rare in Pingchuan.

Other employees looked at the sales representative who had just sold the car with envy and jealousy.

How come they never met such a big spender!