52: Chapter 52 Carrying Two Volleyballs with Him?

Upon hearing Jiang Li's words, Bai Ling could no longer laugh.

She was regretting it so much now that her guts were turning green; why on earth did she have to provoke Yuan Yan?

She'd been slapped in the face again!

From high school until now, a full dozen years had passed, and yet she had never once won against Yuan Yan.

She had originally thought that today, the timing, the location, and the people were all on her side...

Yuan Yan had fallen on hard times, while she was about to buy an Audi; God had finally opened his eyes and yielded the center stage to her.

Yet, halfway through, she realized that the one who had crashed was herself...

But things had already reached this point; for her to slink away with her tail between her legs was simply out of the question.

Yuan Yan probably wouldn't go around gossiping; she understood Yuan Yan, and that woman never liked to wag her tongue.

But what if she did?

Fanxing County was too small.

It was small enough that you could run into three acquaintances just by going out to buy groceries, and any news would quickly spread through everyone's social circles.

A while back, when she heard that Yuan Yan wasn't doing well, she had even made a point of broadcasting it all over their alumni circles.

If her former classmates found out about today, she really wouldn't be able to show her face in Fanxing County ever again.

"I... I don't like Land Rover!"

Bai Ling bit the bullet, scanned the showroom, and finally locked her gaze onto a red Cayenne.

The down payment for that car was 200,000.

That was exactly the amount she had saved up to buy a used Audi in full.

As for the monthly payments that would follow...

Bai Ling did a rough calculation; her parents gave her a few thousand yuan in living expenses every month, and her work as a local guide brought in about 6,000 a month.

If she bought fewer clothes and fewer bags, and gritted her teeth... she should be able to afford the payments, right?

Either way, she couldn't lose face right now!

She would rather go back and eat instant noodles for half a year than be belittled in front of Yuan Yan.

Once her mind was made up, Bai Ling actually felt a sense of relief.

So what if Yuan Yan bought a Land Rover? Her Cayenne was impressive too!

The class was no different, and when she drove it out in the future, her friends would still look up to her.

As for how to pay the monthly car loan...

Forget it, she wouldn't think about it; she had to get through this hurdle first.

Bai Ling straightened her back, clicked over to the Cayenne in her high heels, gave it an up-and-down inspection, and put on a fairly satisfied expression.

"The Cayenne still suits my temperament better. I'll take this red Cayenne."

"Very well," Xiao Zhou said, walking up with a smile. "How would you like to pay? Would you like to set up an installment loan? If you opt for a loan, we can offer a discount of a few thousand on the price of the car."

This was exactly what Bai Ling had been waiting to hear.

Of course she wanted a loan; she couldn't afford it without one!

But she kept up her act.

"A loan makes it cheaper? Then I'll take the loan. I was planning on paying in full... I didn't expect there would be such a discount."

Xiao Zhou's mouth twitched; she nearly choked trying to hold back her laughter.

This person was too good at putting on airs!

"Then should I help you set it up for full payment?" Although Xiao Zhou wanted her to take the loan, she chose to be sarcastic to vent some frustration for Yuan Yan.

"For a wealthy person like you, that would certainly be more convenient."

"No, no need!" Bai Ling hurriedly interrupted. "Let's just do the loan."

Yuan Yan was curled up in Jiang Li's arms, her whole body shaking as she nearly burst out laughing.

If someone like Yuan Yan, who usually had a very high threshold for humor, could be driven to this point, one could only imagine the quality of Bai Ling's performance.

One moment she was arrogant, and the next, Xiao Zhou's mention of "full payment" had her nearly breaking character.

Jiang Li had Xiao Zhou take Bai Ling to sign the contract and pay the deposit, then patted Yuan Yan on the waist.

"You head home first. I still have to go to the Gym this afternoon, so remember to cook dinner for me tonight."

"Mm!"

Yuan Yan stood on her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on Jiang Li's cheek.

After the kiss, her face flushed red, and she lowered her head and hurried out of the showroom.

She already knew how to drive; she had only sold her car before moving back to Fanxing County from Shanghai.

Now, sitting in the driver's seat of the Land Rover, touching the leather texture of the steering wheel and smelling the faint scent of new leather, an indescribable feeling welled up in Yuan Yan's heart.

Jiang Li hadn't even blinked before gifting her such an expensive car.

Yuan Yan felt as if something she had lost was being found again, bit by bit, by Jiang Li.

She gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath.

She absolutely, definitely had to cook him a delicious meal today!

After Yuan Yan drove the Land Rover out of the Car Dealership, Jiang Li didn't rush off; he stayed in the office for a while, flipping through documents on car models.

The ten-order task had only just begun, and his knowledge of cars was still superficial. If he wanted to complete the subsequent business, he at least needed to learn a bit more.

Counting Du Aoting's Ballet Cat, Yuan Yan's Land Rover, and the Cayenne that Bai Ling had just signed for, that made three orders.

Seven more to go.

He had to admit, the real-life version of Monopoly was indeed much more fun than the one on his phone.

On the phone, it was just numbers jumping around, but in reality, it was real money being spent, and every order came with unexpected side quests.

When Wang Qiang heard that Jiang Li was still there, he scurried to the office and personally brewed a pot of Jinjunmei tea to bring over.

"President Jiang, would you like to try this? A friend brought it back from Wuyi Mountain."

"Come in," Jiang Li said, waving his hand to signal for Wang Qiang to sit.

He was actually quite interested in chatting with this manager; he seemed like an interesting guy.

Just as the two of them were chatting casually about the recent business at the Car Dealership, the door was suddenly knocked.

Bai Ling pushed the door open and entered.

Jiang Li raised an eyebrow.

Why was this woman here again? Had he not been excessive enough just now?

Was she truly not afraid of losing face, or was she, like Du Aoting, a bit of a masochist?

"Is there something you need?"

Bai Ling stood at the doorway, clutching the hem of her shirt. She looked like a completely different person from the arrogant woman in the showroom just a moment ago, looking at Jiang Li timidly.

She had just carefully recalculated her finances outside...

After the down payment, the monthly payments would be over 8,000. After deducting her living and daily expenses, her meager income simply wouldn't cover it.

If she didn't come to find Jiang Li, she'd be starving by next month.

"Um... I miscalculated earlier. I forgot to account for my own living expenses... Could you help me lower the price by 20,000?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang immediately set down the teapot without a word.

"President Jiang, you two go ahead and talk. I just remembered that I have a document to sign over at the finance department!"

He turned on his heel and left, shutting the door behind him.

His movements were so nimble, he didn't seem like a man in his forties or fifties at all.

Only the two of them were left in the office.

Bai Ling took two steps forward, getting closer to Jiang Li. Her eyes were pitiful and filled with a hint of pleading.

She looked exactly like the expression in those adult films after hearing the line, "Madam, you wouldn't want your husband to lose his job, would you?"...

Jiang Li nearly laughed out loud.

The car could have been discounted by another 25,000, but she had been too busy putting on airs to haggle, and now she was regretting it.

However...

This girl had been so arrogant in front of Yuan Yan earlier, calling the car an "old man's toy" at every turn; letting her off so easily would be too generous.

"Talk to Wang Qiang about the car price later. I need to go to the Gym, so I won't be keeping you company."

"Don't go, President Jiang."

Bai Ling panicked.

She clenched her fists, as if she had made some incredible decision.

She gritted her teeth and squatted down on the floor.

"I also brought some Gym equipment with me. Why don't you try them out?"

Jiang Li was stunned for a moment, not quite grasping the situation.

The next moment, he saw Bai Ling unzip her jacket a little.

Good grief.

She really was carrying two volleyballs around with her.