Half an hour later, Qin Chuan and his brother-in-law walked out of the bank.
“Sister Ru, no need to see us off!”
Yang Conglong said to Zhou Ru affectionately.
“Young Master Long, Young Master Qin, farewell!”
Zhou Ru waved enthusiastically, radiating a charming and seductive aura.
In the Ferrari, Qin Chuan played with the card in his hand, which shone with a golden light against a white background. He chuckled at his brother-in-law, who was driving, “Can this be considered me tagging along?”
“Tagging along, my foot! Your capital of over ten million is enough for the bank to upgrade your card to a distinguished Platinum Card user!”
Yang Conglong chided him with a laugh.
Qin Chuan sighed inwardly. The current era was truly great. A capital of over ten million could get the bank to proactively upgrade his card to Platinum. If this were in later years, ten million wouldn't even be enough for that, at best just a Gold Card.
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, he grinned at Yang Conglong and said, “Brother Long, this mere Platinum Card might be precious to ordinary people, but it's nothing to you, right!”
“You’re not thinking about that female manager named Zhou Ru… hehehe”
Qin Chuan didn’t finish his sentence, but his lewd chuckle implied everything.
Yang Conglong, driving, glanced at him and unceremoniously cursed, “Am I that superficial? Do I want to sleep with every pretty woman I see…”
“But that female manager Zhou Ru is a mature and beautiful woman, isn't she exactly your type?”
Qin Chuan teased.
Yang Conglong blushed, a rare occurrence, and retorted, “Stop talking nonsense!”
Amidst their playful banter and bickering, the Ferrari drove towards the most famous car street in the provincial capital.
It was lined with numerous 4S dealerships – Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Wuling, Buick, Audi… In 1998, many luxury car brands hadn't yet been officially introduced into China. Sports cars like the Ferrari Yang Conglong was driving required special procedures to acquire.
Brands that would become famous in later years, such as Land Rover, Toyota, Porsche, and Jaguar, were extremely rare in China at this time and also required special permits.
“Qin Chuan, I’ve been meaning to ask, what price range are you looking at for a car?”
Yang Conglong suddenly asked.
“Hmm…”
“I haven’t really decided yet!”
Qin Chuan replied honestly, “This time, besides buying a car for myself, I’m also planning to buy a few for the company.”
As his business grew, vehicles were becoming almost essential, whether they were trucks or sedans.
So, Qin Chuan thought, now that his pockets were full, he might as well buy a few more at once.
His own car, of course, needed to be a good one. After all, he was the big boss, and it represented his image when doing business.
If he didn’t have a decent car, it would be too low-profile. He himself would feel uncomfortable about it, even if no one else said anything.
However, he genuinely hadn’t decided on the specific price range for his car.
He had indeed made a lot of money this time, but he was still a bit nervous. If he were to follow others and buy a luxury car worth over a million, Qin Chuan felt a pang of reluctance.
When Qin Chuan explained his situation to Yang Conglong, the latter also wore a thoughtful expression.
His impression of Qin Chuan had improved significantly, reaching a new level.
He pondered how someone who could help him earn twenty million, yet adamantly refused a two million finder’s fee, could not earn his respect.
If Qin Chuan were already wealthy, it would be one thing. But Yang Conglong had discreetly investigated Qin Chuan’s background. The situation Qin Chuan had described at his home that day was entirely accurate.
He had truly started from scratch. His parents and all his relatives were ordinary farmers, with no connections whatsoever.
Yet, under such circumstances, Qin Chuan had managed to amass millions in assets in just about half a year.
Anyone with a good business sense or economic acumen knew that the most challenging phase of one’s ascent was usually the initial stage.
Going from zero to one million was undoubtedly the hardest. Doubling that one million was far less difficult than the early stages.
From Yang Conglong’s perspective, millions in assets weren't a huge sum. However, it was precisely because of this that when Qin Chuan firmly rejected the two million finder’s fee, Yang Conglong’s goodwill towards him grew even further.
A young man who wasn't tempted by money and stayed true to his principles was truly rare!
“Qin Chuan, from a practical standpoint, besides buying myself a new car, for other vehicles like trucks and sedans, we can completely consider buying those seven or eight-year-old used cars!”
Yang Conglong finally said.
“Cars are consumables, and their depreciation rate is very high. Especially for trucks that frequently travel to construction sites and for transportation, the wear and tear are more severe. So, as long as the quality is decent, used cars are the most cost-effective.”
Qin Chuan’s eyes lit up, “Brother Long, do you have any channels for used cars?”
“You underestimate me, don’t you!”
Yang Conglong rolled his eyes. “While I don’t personally know anyone dealing in used cars, a friend of a friend does. Leave it to me!”
As they spoke, the Ferrari pulled up in front of a Mercedes-Benz 4S dealership.
“Let’s go, get out!”
“A few of the shops around here are run by a buddy of mine. How’s that?”
Yang Conglong casually introduced.
Qin Chuan looked up at the luxurious 4S dealerships nearby, almost all of which were high-end brands: Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi.
If these three brands were all managed by the same person, the friend Yang Conglong mentioned would have considerable influence.
Indeed, it proved the saying that birds of a feather flock together. With Yang Conglong’s high status, he naturally associated with elites of the same caliber.
“Welcome, Young Master Long!”
As they entered the Mercedes-Benz 4S dealership, several beautiful young women in uniform immediately greeted them warmly. It was evident that Yang Conglong was a regular here.
“Mm… is your boss here?”
Yang Conglong asked.
“The boss just arrived, he’s on the second floor…”
Before the uniformed young woman could finish speaking, a man in casual attire walked down the stairs from the second floor.
He looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, around the same age as Yang Conglong, with a stubble that accentuated his masculinity. He was dressed neatly and exuded confidence.
“Conglong, you’re here!”
The man greeted him.
Yang Conglong, with Qin Chuan in tow, walked over and gestured to the man. “This is Huang Qi, my sworn brother since childhood.”
He then introduced Qin Chuan to Huang Qi. “This is Qin Chuan, here to buy a car today.”
“Mr. Qin, nice to meet you!”
Huang Qi proactively extended his hand, a characteristic businessman’s smile on his face.
“Boss Huang, hello!”
Qin Chuan extended his hand, and they shook hands briefly.
“Come, let’s sit over here. We can chat while having some tea.”
Huang Qi invited them to a lounge area. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Huang Qi asked, “May I know what brand of car Mr. Qin is interested in? I manage Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi.”
“I’m not particular about the brand. All three are excellent. However, I don’t like cars with low ground clearance because the roads where I come from aren’t very good. So, I’m looking for an off-road SUV.”
Qin Chuan replied after some thought. Then, his voice suddenly lowered, “Boss Huang, since you’re so resourceful, do you happen to have any Land Rovers?”