The next day, Li Dong skipped school again.
This time, it was not because of business matters, but because Li Dong was going to buy a car.
Fang Qingfei's words yesterday reminded Li Dong that he needed a car now, and it had to be a good car. He needed it urgently!
Buying a car was not for convenience. Li Dong only had one purpose — to show off!
Yes, it was just to show off, or to keep up appearances.
It was almost the end of May, and Li Dong was preparing to go to Beijing to talk to Baidu's top management about the shares. He needed a car that could show off his status.
Today's society was all about looks. Looks did not refer to how handsome you were, but how rich you were.
Money could not be shown by carrying a few bags of cash. A car and a house were the best way to show off one's wealth.
Most people could not see a house, so it could only be shown with a car.
That was how shallow society was. If you said you had hundreds of millions or billions of savings, people would not believe you and would not ask.
They only cared about the superficial things. You are a CEO with a net worth of a few hundred million or even a few billion, and you own a Chery. Unless you are so famous that everyone in the country knows you, no one will take you seriously.
As for Li Dong, he was not so good looking, and he was not so famous that everyone in the country knew him.
If he did not put on a good appearance, he might not even be able to meet Baidu's top management, let alone buy shares.
…
Early in the morning, Li Dong went to the car market.
When he heard that Li Dong was going to buy a car, Sun Tao was even more excited than Li Dong and insisted on tagging along.
Li Dong's refusal to buy a car had always been a thorn in the eyes of the top management Far away. The boss walked, and they drove. Even if they were driving their own cars, they still felt uncomfortable.
Now that Li Dong wanted to buy a car, Sun Tao wanted to introduce all the luxury cars in one go.
Along the way, Sun Tao did not stop talking. "General Manager Li, if it were up to me, I would buy a one-of-a-kind one. I haven't seen a Maybach in Pingchuan for so long. It's not a bad idea to buy a Maybach …"
"General Manager Li, Bentley is actually quite good. Nowadays, rich people like to drive Bentleys."
"General Manager Li, a Porsche is fine too, but it doesn't look dignified enough …"
"General Manager Li, if possible, a Rolls-Royce would be even better …"
Li Dong was annoyed by his noise. For the first time, he realized that Sun Tao was also a chatterbox.
Impatient with Sun Tao's incessant chatter, Li Dong had no choice but to interrupt, "I want the car, do you understand? Can I get the car now?"
Sun Tao immediately shut his mouth. These cars might be available in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but not in Pingchuan.
Even if there was, it was reserved by someone else.
Compared to big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, Pingchuan's car market was no different from the countryside.
Li Dong wanted a car, and a car that could keep up appearances. There were very few choices.
After a short pause, Sun Tao suggested again. "Why don't we go to Beijing to buy?"
Some cars could not be bought in Pingchuan, but in Beijing, as long as you were willing to spend money, you could get any car.
Li Dong said angrily. "I will just pick a passable car. If I really want to buy a Maybach or a Rolls-Royce, are you going to help me pay for it?"
Li Dong's budget was within one or two million RMB. As for those that easily cost tens of millions, forget it.
He had urgent needs for money now. If it was not because he did not want others to look down on him, even a one or two million RMB car would be too expensive for Li Dong.
"General Manager Li, this is not the way to calculate. We will naturally save where we should, but we must not save where we should not. "
When Sun Tao said this, it was obvious that he was referring to something.
What should be saved was naturally the 50 million RMB that Li Dong was going to invest in the stock market. In Sun Tao's opinion, this 50 million RMB was more cost-effective than investing in the stock market.
Should he save money when buying a car?
Of course not!
It was not that he was short-sighted to urge Li Dong to buy a good car, but the car represented the appearance.
How could a 10 million RMB car and a 1 million RMB car be the same?
The 10 million RMB car was not a car, but identity and status, and more importantly, fame.
Far away's CEO was driving a 10 million RMB luxury car. This was not only a face, but also a symbol of strength.
Suppliers would trust Far away more, partners would value Far away more, and the upper class of Pingchuan would also accept Far away.
This was only one of the reasons. More importantly, a luxury car was also a way to protect oneself.
Just like the conflict at the Global Building last time, if Zhu Hongtao saw that Li Dong was driving a Rolls-Royce or a Maybach, would Zhu Hongtao dare to not take Li Dong seriously?
As a gangster, if he saw that Li Dong was driving a 10 million RMB luxury car, he was afraid that he would not be able to hide.
He was a little distressed. Why couldn't Li Dong understand this?
Using 50 million RMB to invest in the stock market was a pain in Sun Tao's heart. He would rather Li Dong use all the 50 million RMB to buy a car!
Sun Tao tried to persuade him, "How about taking out of the 50 million RMB …"
Before he finished speaking, Li Dong said firmly, "No! I have a use for this 50 million RMB. I will not take a dime out. "
Li Dong rolled his eyes. Sun Tao really dared to think.
He was now worried that 50 million RMB was not enough. Sun Tao actually did not give up and wanted to use this money.
He was not really stingy. If the conditions allowed, Li Dong also wanted to buy a luxury car to satisfy his cravings.
He was an ordinary person in his previous life. He naturally yearned for those luxury cars that he had only heard of.
But if he spent 1 million RMB now, it might be 10 million RMB next year, or even tens of millions RMB.
Li Dong naturally would not do this kind of thing. It was already very extravagant for him to buy a one or two million RMB car. No matter how powerful Baidu's higher-ups were, they would not look down on a million RMB car.
This time, Sun Tao was completely speechless.
When he arrived at the car market, he saw Li Dong going straight to the Mercedes-Benz 4S shop. Sun Tao's mouth was full of bitterness.
Although BMW and Mercedes-Benz were branded cars in the eyes of ordinary people, how could it reflect the uniqueness of Far away?
But Li Dong, this stingy old man, was not willing to spend money. It seemed that only these few popular brands could keep up appearances.
Compared to other cars, the Mercedes-Benz was considered passable.
Now, Sun Tao could only pray that Li Dong would not be too stingy. At least he should buy a Mercedes-Benz.
If it was a Mercedes-Benz C or E class, then Sun Tao would definitely be in tears. It would be shameful to buy it.
… …
Li Dong did not know that in Sun Tao's eyes, he was already a stingy old man.
After entering the 4S shop, there was a specialist who quickly came up to serve Li Dong.
Mercedes-Benz was still a big brand in the eyes of ordinary people. Naturally, the service would not be too bad.
Li Dong did not want to waste time and said: "You don't need to introduce the others. Just introduce the S series. If you can pay, you can pick up the car and leave."
Hearing what Li Dong said, the salesperson was overjoyed.
Looking at Li Dong, he did not look like he was here to cause trouble. Since he was not here to cause trouble, then he must be sincere about buying a car.
Moreover, it was a Mercedes-Benz. If this kind of customer was served well, then it would be a hundred times better than ordinary customers.
The salesperson did not waste time and immediately pointed to a black Mercedes-Benz with smooth curves in the middle of the shop. "This is the Mercedes-Benz S350 that just went on the market this year. It uses a brand new V6 engine with an output of 180 kilowatts …"
After the salesperson finished the introduction, Li Dong said directly: "How much is it?"
"Because this is a new model, the import price is 1.28 million yuan …"
The salesperson gave the import price and discount, then considerately helped Li Dong calculate the purchase tax, insurance, and other miscellaneous fees.
In the end, the conclusion was that if Li Dong paid 1.45 million yuan now, the car could be driven home.
Moreover, the 4S shop generously helped him with the procedures and license free of charge. Throughout the whole process, Li Dong did not need to waste any energy.
Even in the end, the salesperson was very considerate and whispered in Li Dong's ear: "If you are sincere about buying, I will go all out and ask the manager to give you a discount. 1.42 million yuan, and you can drive the car home!"
Li Dong rolled his eyes. Go all out, go all out my ass.
However, this price was acceptable to Li Dong. He went forward and touched the luxury car that was worth a million yuan, then went in and sat down. It felt quite comfortable.
In the end, Li Dong could not be bothered to say more. He directly said: "1.28 million yuan, pay on the spot!"
The salesperson looked as if he had swallowed a fly. With a face full of grievance, he said, "Sir, 1.28 million yuan is the import price. Just the insurance and purchase tax …"
"Can I sell it? If not, I will go to another shop. Anyway, it's not like it has to be a Mercedes-Benz. I don't have any requirements for the brand of the car. "
…
Li Dong's purchase of the car was simple and crude.
In the end, it was sold for 1.3 million yuan. The entire process took less than 40 minutes.
When Li Dong drove away, the other employees in the shop were still in a daze.
It was done just like that?
It took less than an hour to look at and buy the car. It was not the fastest in history, but it was really rare in Pingchuan.
The others looked at the salesperson who had just sold the car to Li Dong. Their eyes were full of envy and jealousy.
Why couldn't they meet such a prodigal!
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