Two days remain until Wu Zhiming officially takes over as the family head.
Everyone, from the Wu family members working out of town to those based locally, is eagerly waiting to witness Wu Zhiming's rise to power.
Surprisingly, Shen Hongyue has become unusually low-key, with no visible actions or movements. However, everyone knows that she won't just give up. Shen Hongyue is a strong-willed woman, something she demonstrated clearly when Wu Zhennan was still alive. So, many speculate that she must be planning something big behind the scenes.
At 2:30 in the afternoon, Wu Zhiming pushed open the door to Yao Jing's office.
Yao Jing was on the phone with a business partner. Seeing Wu Zhiming come in, she motioned for him to stay quiet.
Wu Zhiming couldn't help but chuckle. In the entire company, Yao Jing was arguably the most diligent worker. Her level of dedication sometimes made him feel a bit guilty, as if he was exploiting her, even though she was his wife.
The phone call dragged on for about seven or eight minutes.
Wu Zhiming wandered around the office, yawning. This office originally belonged to Dong Jian, but now Yao Jing had completely revamped it.
The office's design was very simple and functional. There was a desk with a computer and some office supplies like a printer. Next to it was a bookshelf filled with neatly labeled folders.
"At 4 PM, we have a major client coming in," Yao Jing said.
"An hour and a half is enough time to buy a car," Wu Zhiming responded.
"But the time is really tight," Yao Jing pointed out.
"No worries," Wu Zhiming smiled. "We hold the cards now. If we don't keep them waiting for half an hour to an hour, they might start thinking too highly of themselves."
Hearing this, Yao Jing paused for a couple of seconds before saying, "So, you do understand a bit about business tactics, huh?"
"Just a little," Wu Zhiming grinned. "Come on, let's go look at some cars!"
Yao Jing nodded and followed Wu Zhiming out of the office.
Yao Jing had already realized that trying to stop Wu Zhiming from spending money was impossible, so she could only try to make sure he spent it wisely.
When Wu Zhiming asked what kind of car she wanted to buy, her first thought was a business vehicle.
Both she and Wu Zhiming already had sedans, and buying a business vehicle could be useful for company needs, making it more practical than another sedan.
But Wu Zhiming shot down that idea.
Then Yao Jing suggested getting a pickup truck. With the upcoming school district housing project, a pickup could be handy for transporting people and materials, again proving its utility.
This idea was also vetoed by Wu Zhiming, and he finally decided not to ask Yao Jing for suggestions anymore, worried that she might even suggest getting a truck.
### Chapter 36: Moving a Car
Yao Jing is a practical person, but Wu Zhiming isn't keen on buying something too practical. To him, practical means boring.
"As the executive assistant to the company's CEO, you should have a flashy car, something that stands out. The less practical, the better. It shows that our company has the means to indulge in luxury," Wu Zhiming said, parking the car in front of a Porsche dealership.
"When it comes to flashy, Porsche is second to none," Wu Zhiming added.
Yao Jing glanced up at the Porsche logo. Honestly, if she were buying a car, Porsche wouldn't even cross her mind. Like Wu Zhiming said, it's too flashy.
She frowned slightly. Over the past few days, Wu Zhiming had been on a spending spree—buying bags, jewelry, clothes, and now, a car. Everything he's bought has been a luxury item. What's his endgame? When he bought the bags and clothes, it was understandable—they were for her class reunion. But what's the reason for this?
Yao Jing could sense that Wu Zhiming was dressing her up, but she couldn't figure out why.
"Come on! What are you waiting for?" Wu Zhiming urged.
"Alright," Yao Jing nodded and followed him into the dealership.
It was a large dealership. Right at the entrance was the latest model of the Porsche Cayenne. Its sleek and stylish rear design screamed luxury.
There were plenty of cars inside. To the right of the Cayenne was the smaller Macan, and to the left was the sporty 718.
The dealership was bustling with people checking out and test-driving cars. Everyone was dressed to impress. After all, if you can afford a Porsche, you probably have some money.
"Take a look around. See anything you like?" Wu Zhiming smiled.
"I don't like Porsches," Yao Jing replied.
"It's okay if you don't like them. It just needs to be flashy. At your age, you should be driving something that turns heads! Picture this: you, in a mini skirt and high heels, driving a Porsche sports car. How cool would that be?" Wu Zhiming teased.
"You can't drive in high heels," Yao Jing pointed out.
"True. Then you can drive barefoot," Wu Zhiming joked.
"Are you trying to be funny?" Yao Jing shot back.
Wu Zhiming just chuckled and scratched his head.
At that moment, a salesperson approached them.
He was a good-looking, energetic young man with slicked-back hair, dressed in a sharp suit, and wearing a professional smile.
"Good afternoon, sir and madam. My name is Zhuo Zhiyong, and I'm a sales consultant here at Porsche. May I ask your names?" he said.
"My last name is Wu. I'm looking to buy a car for my wife," Wu Zhiming replied.
"I see. Do you have any specific requirements for the car model or price range?" the salesperson named Zhuo Zhiyong asked.
"No specific requirements. Whatever she likes will do," Wu Zhiming replied.
"No specific requirements?" Zhuo Zhiyong's heart sank slightly upon hearing this. Generally, people buying cars like Porsche are very focused. They usually know which model they want as soon as they enter the dealership. Only those who are not serious about buying, just browsing around, would say they have no specific requirements and that liking the car is enough.
Thinking of this, Zhuo Zhiyong lost some interest. He glanced at Yao Jing—her beauty was certainly rare in his life. Then he looked at Wu Zhiming again, who seemed decent but not dressed in a way that suggested he was wealthy. It seemed clear: a beautiful woman with an average guy looking at luxury cars together only had one explanation.
This was a setup.
A setup, known as a "car cannon" scheme, was a popular tactic nowadays. An average guy takes a beautiful woman to see cars, implying he can buy her a car. After she picks a car, he puts down a deposit or something similar to secure the car. The woman gets the luxury car, naturally satisfying the guy's desires, such as intimate relations.
Afterward, once their desires are fulfilled, the guy returns to the dealership to return the car and walks away as if nothing happened. The deposit then serves as payment for the encounter.
"At Porsche, we offer high-end car models with very modern and trendy styles, perfect for a handsome guy and a beautiful woman like yourselves," Zhuo Zhiyong said with a smile. Deep down, he still held some hope. Who knows, maybe Wu Zhiming was a wealthy person who preferred to keep a low profile? These days, there were many who pretended to be poor while actually being rich.
"Take a look!" Wu Zhiming said.
Yao Jing nodded and walked away to the side.
Just then, another salesperson walked in from the entrance of the 4S dealership.
"Whose Hyundai Elantra is parked at the entrance? Could you please move it?" the salesperson called out.
Hyundai Elantra?
The people in the 4S dealership couldn't help but look around. Everyone who came to see Porsches usually drove cars worth hundreds of thousands. And now, someone drove a Hyundai Elantra? They were curious to see who owned it.
"It's mine!" Wu Zhiming raised his hand.
"Please come out and move it," the salesperson insisted.
"I remember you just parked your car in a parking spot, right?" Yao Jing asked.
"Yes, I'll go take a look!" Wu Zhiming said, walking through the lobby under everyone's gaze and heading to the entrance.
Wu Zhiming's Hyundai Elantra was parked right at the entrance.
Next to Wu Zhiming's Elantra was a Porsche 911, its engine emitting a deep rumble.
"Wasn't I parked in the parking spot?" Wu Zhiming frowned.
"That's correct, sir. Our parking spots are full, and we can't accommodate the cars behind. We need you to move," the salesperson explained.
"Why should I move? Shouldn't others wait outside if the parking spots are full? Why am I the one who has to move? Why doesn't anyone else move their car?" Wu Zhiming asked sternly.
Upon hearing Wu Zhiming's words, the salesperson couldn't help but chuckle before replying, "Sir, why don't you see for yourself which car here is suitable to be moved?"
Wu Zhiming looked at the parking spots in front of him. Apart from his Hyundai Elantra, the other cars were mostly Mercedes, BMWs, Audis, Land Rovers, and the like.
The salesperson's words were clear enough: these were all luxury cars, and his Hyundai Elantra was the odd one out. Therefore, it had to be him who moved.
"Interesting. Even parking spots can become a case of 'the underdog being looked down upon.' I'm not moving my car," Wu Zhiming said with a cold smile.
"Hey, move your car quickly, you're blocking the way!" urged the owner of the Porsche 911 nearby.
This car owner was a young man, around seventeen or eighteen years old, chewing gum with sunglasses on and dressed in a very fashionable style. At a glance, he seemed like the type who enjoyed prioritized mating rights at school.
In Wu Zhiming's eyes, such a person was just a kid.
"Sir, this young gentleman is a valued customer of our company. Please understand," the salesperson said.
"Understand? Why don't you understand me? I parked first, just because he has a luxury car, I have to move? What kind of reasoning is this?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"Hey, are you going to move or not? Don't you know my time is precious?" the young man in the 911 said impatiently.
"I really won't move," Wu Zhiming replied coldly.
"Sir, since you're causing such a fuss, we have no choice," the salesperson said.
"Fuss? Who's causing a fuss?" Wu Zhiming asked.
Ignoring Wu Zhiming, the salesperson turned to the young man and said, "Young master, come, park here!"
After speaking, the salesperson pointed to the spot in front of Wu Zhiming.
The young man spat out his gum, then turned the steering wheel sharply and parked horizontally in front of Wu Zhiming, blocking his car.
"I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it," the young man said coldly, then pushed open the door and got out of the car.
"Well, let's see how long this lasts," Wu Zhiming smirked sarcastically. He could leave his car here indefinitely, and it just so happened he could use a new one.
Just then, Yao Jing walked out of the 4S dealership.