Chapter 19: Damn! That Came Out of Nowhere!

“Mr. Chu, this is Ms. Qiu, our 4S dealership’s resident bank representative specializing in auto loans. She can help you process your loan in the fastest manner.”

Not long after signing the contract, Li Qian brought over a middle-aged woman dressed in a bank uniform.

Nowadays, car loans are an important business for banks. In places like Huizhong Street, where luxury car dealerships are clustered, every bank has stationed representatives here, and it’s up to each to secure business as best they can.

Getting a car loan at the Porsche dealership was straightforward. The key was just going through the formalities—verifying identity information and reviewing bank statements.

After signing the loan contract, it took only ten minutes for the funds to be disbursed.

This astonished Chu Lin.

Could it really be this fast?

It was completely different from the loan process he’d known about, which should have taken three to seven days.

Beside him, Li Qian’s eyes lit up.

Having seen so many car loans at the dealership, she knew full well: the more financially secure the client, the faster the funds were released.

Clearly, Mr. Chu belonged to the very powerful category.

She didn’t forget her responsibilities: “Mr. Chu, the procedures are basically complete now. What’s left is the license plate. Due to current restrictions, getting a plate takes some time and you’ll need to select a number via the system.”

“However, if you’re willing to pay an extra one hundred thousand, we have a few reserved ‘little leopard’ number plates at our dealership. We could get one for you within the next couple of days.”

“Get one for me, I’ll pay by card,” Chu Lin replied. When it came to license plates, as long as he could afford it, he naturally wanted a good one.

He’d already spent over 1.88 million on the car; another hundred thousand didn’t bother him at all.

After all, he was earning forty thousand a day.

Still, he couldn’t help but sigh at the situation.

If these plates were supposedly reserved, why did it still take two days?

The answer was simple. With new license plate regulations, it was no longer possible to reserve plates in advance.

Moreover, new plates could only be assigned randomly by the traffic authority’s system or by online selection—what you got depended on luck.

So this so-called reservation was obviously handled through unofficial channels, not entirely in line with the regulations.

Some things, even if officially prohibited, could still be resolved with money for a price.

“Please wait a moment, Mr. Chu.” Li Qian was delighted to see Chu Lin willing to spend even more.

Another commission to be made.

This Mr. Chu truly was generous.

Plenty of young heirs bought Panameras at their dealership, but few were willing to pay an extra hundred thousand for a license plate.

As Ms. Qiu often said, after seeing enough of these types, you realize that young heirs might not have much money themselves. They were swiping their parents’ credit cards, which had monthly limits, and the parents paid them off.

Li Qian took the card to the cashier. She saw Ms. Qiu already binding documents, and, smiling, sidled up and asked in a feigned casual manner, “Cousin, how did Mr. Chu get his loan approved so quickly?”

Ms. Qiu produced Chu Lin’s account information. “He’s got financial strength, that’s why. There’s nearly four million in his account, and several other transactions. Look at this five hundred thousand—it was transferred to the Fisheries Bureau’s account. Plus, Zhi Zhen transfers over forty thousand to him every day lately. Clearly, he has his own stable business.”

“I see.” Li Qian nodded.

Ms. Qiu glanced at her cousin thoughtfully, and teased, “When verifying his ID, he’s single and unmarried!”

“What???” Li Qian was stunned.

Why did her cousin mention that specifically?

…

Soon after.

Having paid and completed the license plate authorization, Li Qian returned the card to Chu Lin, smiling, “Mr. Chu, I’ll notify you when the plate is ready. This car sale earns me a hefty commission. Let me treat you to dinner when it’s done.”

“Alright!” Chu Lin smiled.

Flirting, after all, usually involves an invitation to dinner. Now that she was taking the initiative, there was no reason to refuse.

Not long after, Chu Lin drove the Panamera out of the 4S dealership. As he pulled into the public parking lot, Huang Bin came over and got into the passenger seat. “Come on, take me for a spin in your new car before it loses its fresh-from-the-dealer feel.”

“Is it really that dramatic?” Chu Lin chuckled.

Huang Bin rolled his eyes. “I saw the look that saleswoman gave you. She even offered to treat you herself! Look at you: handsome, rich, generous, single—no wonder you're irresistible. A couple of dinners and it’s in the bag.”

Chu Lin teased him, “Huang Bin, why do I sense a hint of jealousy in your words?”

“Cut the crap and drive.” Huang Bin grumbled.

Chu Lin shook his head, started the car, and asked, “Where do you want to go?”

“Do you even need to ask? The Art Institute is just nearby! You bought a Panamera, you have to cruise around there!”

“You really can’t let go of that place, can you?” Chu Lin glanced at Huang Bin, shaking his head.

That place was, after all, where Huang Bin had his heart broken.

…

Soon after.

Chu Lin parked the car on a street outside the Art Institute.

The Min City Art Institute was indeed a great place; the art students there were fun.

It was during one of these outings with Huang Bin that he met Yiyi.

Yiyi was materialistic, but she was flexible, gentle, and exceptionally attractive—a girl worth seeing for a while.

Unfortunately, after only two dates, she was already asking him to buy her a twenty-thousand-yuan handbag on credit. She was obviously taking him for a sucker.

So he decisively deleted and blocked her.

In retrospect, he felt a tinge of regret.

Twenty thousand was nothing to him now—barely half a day's earnings.

If he hadn’t acted so quickly, he wouldn’t have been without any female company lately.

He remembered Yiyi wanted to introduce her best friend to him, but he hadn’t even met her before things ended.

But the beautiful saleswoman he met today was in a different league from Yiyi.

Too long without the company of a woman wasn’t healthy either.

With this in mind, he took out his phone and snapped a picture of the street outside through the car window, then posted to his Moments:

“Just picked up my new car—took it for a spin. Drives beautifully. The saleswoman was very professional and incredibly pretty!”

He didn’t bother with a cliché shot of the car’s logo.

The last two lines of his post were the most important.

Because this post was meant for Li Qian.

There wasn’t a girl who didn’t like being complimented. Complimenting her looks directly would be too much, but adding ‘professional’ made all the difference.

Sure enough, as soon as Li Qian saw that post while idly scrolling, it would boost her affection for him.

If she liked it, or left a comment, it would mean she was genuinely pleased.

Soon, the post got likes and comments:

‘Chu Lin, congratulations on your new car! Can you take me for a ride? My husband annoyed me again today, I’m so upset!’

Chu Lin almost wanted to retort.

It was his first girlfriend again.

He ignored the plaintive married woman’s comment and soon saw Li Qian had liked his post.

Back at the 4S dealership.

Li Qian was in a great mood. She’d just made a big commission, and met a handsome, wealthy, single customer.

Casually checking Moments, she saw Mr. Chu’s post praising her as both professional and pretty.

A wave of delight surged in her heart, and she immediately hit ‘like.’

Then, she commented: “I’ll make sure to get your license plate sorted as quickly as possible!” and added a shy emoji.

Chu Lin naturally saw the comment, and couldn’t help but smile.

Still, he put the phone down without replying.

This was the art of interaction—knowing when to stop.

If you reply too quickly, or keep replying endlessly, you risk getting labeled a simp.

It could even give the impression of desperation—becoming a true simp.

He would never make such a rookie mistake.

The car door opened.

Huang Bin returned with two cans of drink, tossing one to Chu Lin and gulping down the other.

Suddenly, he had an idea. “Chu Lin, why not put a can on the roof for fun?”

Chu Lin laughed, immediately catching the reference.

When you’re broke, you hang around night markets, checking out shoe sizes and eating cheap noodles.

When you’re rich, you park your luxury car at a college gate and put a drink can on the roof, ready for action.

In the internet age, everyone knows what that means.

But then he said, “Huang Bin, this isn’t the first time I’ve come here with you. Are you sure you’re here to put a can on the roof, and not because of Lin Nian?”

Lin Nian was the class beauty from their high school who broke up with Huang Bin. She went to the Min City Art Institute.

Chu Lin didn’t believe in love anymore, not after everything he’d been through and the hardships of his family.

Huang Bin’s family wasn’t poor—his obsession came from being so abruptly blocked and deleted in the past.

“…” Huang Bin fell silent, then stubbornly replied, “No way! I, Huang Bin, am destined to be a playboy. How could I pine for a woman?”

As they spoke, suddenly the back door opened and a waft of perfume filled the car as a stunning girl slipped inside.

Chu Lin was dumbfounded.

The girl quickly apologized, “Sorry, wrong car!”

Wrong car?

Chu Lin and Huang Bin exchanged glances. Were there any other Panameras nearby? This was the only one.

They looked at each other, recognizing the mischief in each other’s eyes, then both turned to the girl. But as soon as they saw her, they froze.

Or rather, they were stunned.

“Lin Nian!” Chu Lin exclaimed.

He couldn’t believe it—what a coincidence! They’d just been talking about her, and here she was.

This was the very girl who turned Huang Bin into a playboy.

“Chu Lin? Huang Bin? Sorry, wrong car,” Lin Nian stammered, just as surprised. She quickly exited, flustered.

“Lin Nian!” Huang Bin panicked, hurrying out after her.

Chu Lin shook his head at the sight.

What a situation.

He honestly hoped his friend wouldn’t catch up to her.

Wrong car?

Not even a ghost would believe that.

As Chu Lin was thinking this, the car door opened again, and another flamboyantly dressed girl got into the passenger seat. “Handsome, how much for this drink?”

“What?” Chu Lin looked over. Wasn’t that the drink Huang Bin had been drinking just now?

Damn!

When had that guy put it there?

…

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