1Wang Lijun immediately panicked, "Bro, don't get mad yet, this is my fault. How about you find a place to rest first, and I'll be right there to apologize to you in person."
"Don't bother with the apology, just give me a straight answer, can I get the car or not? If not, I'll go somewhere else."
"You can! Even if you were to set that store on fire today, I'd only hand you the matches," Wang Lijun declared emphatically.
"Alright then! Hurry up, my wife is tired."
Having said that in a calm manner, Xiao Ming hung up the phone, immediately hunched over and shrank his neck, his face all smiles in an attempt to make amends, the commanding air of "bro" gone, more like a eunuch.
"I was hoping to save some haggling time by going through someone I knew, but I didn't expect things to get screwed up, now we have to wait a bit longer.
My dear wife, I've failed to maintain my pride, and I'm embarrassed. You won't despise me for this, will you?"
Jiang Xue smiled and scolded, "Being dramatic again, it's not a big deal, what's there to be embarrassed about?
Besides, you asked someone for a favor, no matter how it turned out, it's the thought that counts. How can you be mad? Just now, the tone of your phone call seemed off, who is this Jun?"
"He's a younger brother of Siyi and Dachuan, his family owns a car dealership, and that Audi you have was bought from him."
"Since he's a friend, then there's no need to make things ugly. After all, buying a car is always a joyous occasion for the family, being happy is what's important."
"Hmm, you're truly my wife, with just a few simple words you've extinguished all the anger in my heart. How do you do it?"
"Oh stop it! You just know how to sweet-talk me all day long."
The couple joked and left the showroom to rest in their car.
On the other side, Wang Lijun immediately headed out the door after ending the call, and got into his car. Still feeling uneasy, he called Shen Siyi.
"Shen, you've got to save me..."
After hearing his account, Shen Siyi asked, "What's up with your uncle?"
"I haven't had the chance to ask yet," said Wang Lijun with a pained expression, "I was worried Ming would really get mad, so I quickly reached out to you."
Shen Siyi couldn't help but laugh, "Don't worry, Ming isn't that petty. At most, he's just a bit dissatisfied. Next time we eat, just pour a glass of wine for him, and it'll be as if nothing happened.
But speaking of which, you know full well Ming's net worth; twenty-odd thousand is a drop in the bucket for him. He's asked you for help probably because he wanted to avoid the hassle.
He's willing to owe you a favor over such a small amount; he doesn't see you as an outsider.
But you, you beat your chest and promised the moon, yet you haven't delivered. Isn't this just jerking him around?"
"Bro, you're not scaring me are you? You just said it was fine!"
Wang Lijun was on the verge of tears, "The key point is, I had emphasized to them beforehand that Xiao Ming is my bro and they must treat him with due respect. Who knew such a small issue would crop up."
"You didn't mention Ming's status?" asked Shen Siyi.
"No," Wang Lijun replied, "Ming likes to keep a low profile, I wouldn't dare to broadcast his great achievements willy-nilly."
"Then I can pretty much guess what happened. Probably your uncle thought of Ming as just another young man who fools around with you, didn't take him seriously at all."
"Dammit! The old bastard! How dare he look down on me? If it wasn't for my dad covering for him, he'd still be selling cold noodles on the street!
No way, I can't let this go. I need to get some people over there."
After some thought, Shen Siyi said, "Call your dad and explain the situation clearly. It's his old buddy, don't make your old man lose face."
Wang Lijun was taken aback, then replied in surprise, "Shen, ever since you became the chairman of the group, you've changed, man. You never used to be this attentive."
Shen Siyi chuckled, "Everything I've learned is from Brother Ming. Without him, let alone being a chairman, I would have lost my life a long time ago."
Outside the 4S car dealership, Xiao Ming, having told various jokes for a long time, finally made Jiang Xue laugh enough to fall into his arms. Just as he was about to take advantage of the moment to indulge in some affection, he suddenly saw two people walking out from the showroom door.
It was a man and a woman. The man was middle-aged with a potbelly, his bald head as shiny as a Khitan's.
The woman was young and beautiful, with a curvaceous figure, and she wore a pair of toad sunglasses on her head—she was the very driver of the Mercedes who had snatched the parking space earlier.
The middle-aged man scanned the area, and upon seeing the Audi on this side, he immediately jogged over. The woman curled her lip in disdain and followed, taking her time in her high heels.
When Xiao Ming helped Jiang Xue up, she was still surprised at how her husband had suddenly become so serious. She was puzzling over this when suddenly, there was a knock on the window, and turning her face to see someone outside, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
As the window rolled down, the middle-aged man didn't even glance at Jiang Xue and instead smiled directly at Xiao Ming in the passenger seat, "Mr. Xiao, I'm the manager of this 4S shop, He Jianfeng.
I'm really sorry, I've been busy and didn't have time to inform the staff after receiving Jun's call. You arrived before I could. Please forgive our neglect."
Xiao Ming sneered, "So, you're saying that we arrived too early?"
"Not at all, no matter what, it's our service that was at fault. That sales representative who was disrespectful to you earlier, we will deal with her strictly, and there will be no tolerance."
Seeing the middle-aged man bowing and scraping, Jiang Xue tugged at Xiao Ming's sleeve.
Xiao Ming smiled at her and then opened the door to step out, leaning against the car hood and lighting a cigarette.
At that moment, the girl had also walked over. Seeing him smoking, she immediately frowned, took a couple of steps back and waved her hand to fan the air, muttering, "So uncultured!"
Xiao Ming raised an eyebrow and asked He Jianfeng, "What is this supposed to mean?"
"It's like this," He Jianfeng said awkwardly as he rubbed his hands, "The sales of MaiTeng in our store have always been hot, and today, we only have three new cars left in stock.
Unfortunately, this lady happens to need three cars, and she wants to take them away today as well.
Both of you are esteemed customers of our shop, and I am at a loss. So I thought it would be good for you both to meet and discuss this.
I can assure you that we will have new cars delivered to the shop by tomorrow morning, so as not to delay your precious time."
Xiao Ming laughed.
He had not seen this woman inside the showroom earlier; it was clear that He Jianfeng was personally attending to her.
This meant that the guy had not taken him seriously from the start and only planned to leave him hanging before appearing to say there was no stock and it would only be available the next day.
Probably after receiving another call from Wang Lijun, He Jianfeng realized he wasn't someone to mess with, so he brought the woman out, transferring the conflict and letting the two of them dispute it, thereby trying to extricate himself from the blame.
A cunning and common businessman's trick, but sadly, it was used on the wrong person.
"I see! Well, there's no trouble then. Sell the car to whomever you want; we'll just go elsewhere."
Having said this, Xiao Ming turned to leave, but he heard the girl snort contemptuously, "Manager He, I told you you're making a big fuss over nothing, and you didn't believe me.
It's just someone driving a crappy Audi, acting as if they're a big shot.
My time is extremely valuable. Wasting a single minute, these poor wretches couldn't afford it, you know?"
Xiao Ming stopped in his tracks, looked down at the car logo, and thought to himself if he had been too low-key. Even if the Audi was old, he had spent over a million on it, and now to be called a pauper upon stepping outside was just too damned unjust.
"How may I address the lady?"
"What for?" The girl glared at him, "You think your status is worthy of asking my identity? Have a look in the mirror first."