Volume Two: Anbei Corporation Chapter Eighteen: Do You Take Me for a Fool?

Once he had the idea, Li Yu wasted no time in putting it into action. He headed straight to the nearby dealership.

As soon as he stepped inside, a warmly enthusiastic staff member greeted him.

"Hello, are you here to buy a car?"

Li Yu nodded.

The staff member continued, "Do you have a specific model in mind? Or perhaps a budget or particular requirements? I can make some recommendations."

This was professionalism in action. Unlike the bumbling salespeople so often depicted in novels, real-life staff earned considerable commissions. Even though many visitors didn’t make purchases, the sheer volume increased the odds of a sale. Salespeople here would never judge a customer by their appearance. Sometimes those who looked shabby were actually wealthy individuals preferring a low profile. And anyone truly fallen on hard times wouldn’t be browsing in a place like this. Those who worked in sales were sharp, adept at reading people, and rarely made mistakes.

“I’m looking for something around a million,” Li Yu replied, glancing around, “I haven’t really looked at specific models—recommend me a few with good performance.”

This dealership was impressive; a variety of vehicles were displayed in the showroom, dazzling the eye.

His gaze was immediately drawn to a sleek black sedan. Li Yu walked right up to it. “How about this one?”

“You have excellent taste. That’s the BMW 750li. The body measures 5250 by 1902 by 1450 millimeters, with a wheelbase of 3210 millimeters. The new model features a 4.0T twin-turbocharged engine, delivering a maximum output of 449 horsepower and a peak torque of 650 Newton-meters, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission,” the staff member explained, listing the car’s virtues one by one, then added, “But the price is a bit over your budget—two million.”

Li Yu studied the staff member: a woman in her twenties, polished and professional. What caught his attention most was her sales ability; she’d listed all the strengths, stirring his desire to buy, only then mentioning the price was a little high. Most people would probably be persuaded to pay extra.

Li Yu glanced at her badge. “I’ll take it. Let me pay by card.”

Huang Li’s eyes brightened—this commission would be substantial. She’d only introduced the car out of habit, and seeing this client, she’d doubted he would commit. Yet he’d decided without so much as a test drive.

It was true what they said—heroes emerge young.

“Please wait a moment. This is the last one in stock; I’ll fetch the purchase contract immediately,” Huang Li said and hurried away.

Li Yu lingered, taking a closer look at the car. The more he looked, the more he liked it.

Just then, a syrupy female voice drifted over.

“I want this one! Please?”

“All right, all right, let’s go take a look.”

Li Yu turned. A young woman in her early twenties was clinging to a man whose hair had turned white. Judging by the direction they were headed, it seemed they had their eyes on the same car.

Were they father and daughter? Their manner didn’t suggest it.

The girl, visibly annoyed, skirted Li Yu and strode straight to the BMW 750li.

Such melodrama—Li Yu thought to himself. Still, Huang Li had already gone to fetch the contract, so nothing could go wrong. Besides, the girl’s attitude did not inspire him to intervene.

“Sweetheart, this car exceeds the price we discussed,” the man said, his brow creasing.

After inspecting the sedan, the pair—who seemed more like lovers than father and daughter, given the age gap—didn’t appear entirely pleased.

The man was the CEO of a company. Though the expense was trivial for him, gifting such a car to his young girlfriend still stung.

“It’s not much over,” the woman cooed, winding herself around his arm, “If it bothers you, I’ll make it up to you in other ways~”

The sight was unbearable.

Li Yu averted his gaze, just as Huang Li jogged over.

He breathed a sigh of relief—time to settle the bill and cleanse his eyes.

“So we’re agreed? I’ve just thought of a few new…” The man, distracted by her charm, started, “Xiao Li, this is the one.”

The staff member beside them nodded and was about to fetch the card reader when Huang Li arrived. He snatched the card reader from her hand and turned eagerly to the CEO, “Mr. Liu, please.”

“Brother Li, this car is already spoken for!” Huang Li protested, confused.

The staff member glanced at Li Yu and said, “Just wait a little. It’s not the only one!”

“There’s only one left,” Huang Li said, troubled. She’d joined the dealership after Brother Li, who had been there over four years and outranked her. He could take the card reader first; she could get another. But there was only one car—if she lost this sale, there might not be another chance this month.

Her commission, as good as a cooked duck about to fly away, was something she couldn’t afford to lose, especially now when she urgently needed the money.

The two began to argue.

Mr. Liu turned, his gaze lingering greedily on Huang Li. How had such a beauty appeared since his last visit? After a moment, he looked over at Li Yu.

He was surprised; he’d expected his rival for the car to be some elite, but it turned out to be a mere youth. “What’s going on here? Is this how you treat longtime customers? Can’t you give me priority?”

He began with flattery, and with such words, Huang Li’s future in the dealership would become difficult.

Huang Li knew Mr. Liu was a major client, but this was her sale. If she let it go, she’d lose her own earnings.

“I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Liu, but this client has already placed the order. The contract is right here,” Huang Li replied.

“So what?” Mr. Liu said dismissively. “He hasn’t signed yet. Hurry it up, I’m pressed for time.”

The commotion attracted the manager, who came over to assess the situation.

Li Yu watched as the manager joined the fray. It seemed the matter would soon be settled, and he wouldn’t need to stand by any longer.

But unexpectedly, the manager immediately scolded Huang Li, then turned and bowed to Mr. Liu.

“Mr. Liu, I apologize. This newcomer is inexperienced; I’ll discipline her later. Allow me to handle your purchase!”

“Hold on. Isn’t it customary to serve customers in order? Do you take me for a ghost standing here?” Li Yu said coldly.

The manager turned back, saw that it was a young man, and was even less impressed. Seeing Li Yu dressed in clothes worth only a few hundred, his contempt grew. “Sorry, sir, this car has already been sold. The new staff member didn’t know and mistakenly introduced it to you. Why not look at something cheaper?”

He emphasized the word “cheaper.”

Mr. Liu had bought seven or eight cars from the dealership; such a big client was treated like a deity. As for the plainly dressed youth, losing him as a customer was of no concern.

“You think I’m a fool?” Li Yu raised an eyebrow.

He’d seen everything that had just happened—wasn’t this plainly bullying him?