"No, thank you. I'm not really interested in car racing."
Even if Yun Zijin had zero sense of self-preservation, she wouldn't go to a car race with a guy she'd just met, whose name she couldn't even be sure was real.
"Come on, it doesn't matter if you can't race. You just need to sit in the passenger seat and cheer me on.
Don't worry, I'm definitely not a bad guy. If we finish late, I'll drive you straight home."
"Do you think a normal girl would go to a car race with a stranger she'd just met?"
Yun Zijin's words were very blunt, and Sheng Yang was suddenly at a loss for how to respond.
'Why am I suddenly thinking she has a point?' he wondered for a moment.
In all his life, this was the first time Sheng Yang had been rejected so bluntly by a girl, and he suddenly found himself even more interested in Yun Zijin.
"Alright, I get your concerns. But our meeting is fate. If we're not going to the race, then we can at least add each other on WeChat, right?"
Sheng Yang took out his phone, pulled up his personal QR code, and presented it to Yun Zijin.
Not wanting to get too involved with him, Yun Zijin took out her phone, scanned the code, and added him as a friend.
"Done."
Seeing the friend request from the WeChat name "Qingqing Zijing," Sheng Yang happily tapped "accept."
"I'm going to go look at cars now. See you next time. I hope you'll agree to come to a race with me then."
Racing was practically a regular occurrence; someone was always organizing one every few days. It was all about the thrill.
Yun Zijin forced a smile. 'We're from two completely different worlds,' she thought. 'The chances of us meeting again are basically zero.'
Yun Zijin waited in the lounge area for about 40 minutes before Lilith came jogging back in her stilettos.
"Miss Yun, your license plate and all the purchase paperwork have been processed. If you have your driver's license, you can drive it off the lot right away.
Here are the car keys, along with the relevant invoices and documents. Please keep them safe."
Lilith handed the car key and the spare key to Yun Zijin, then passed over a file folder.
Yun Zijin took the keys, put one in her purse, and kept the other in her hand.
Only then did she start to inspect the file folder Lilith had given her. After checking and confirming the invoices and other documents inside were all in order, she tidied them up and fastened the folder's clasp.
"Everything looks good. Thanks for running these errands for me. I'll be going now."
With a car, commuting to and from work would be much more convenient for Yun Zijin from now on.
"Like the rain that falls when clouds hang low, my heart was moved when you sang softly..."
Yun Zijin was just about to drive out of the Auto Museum City when her phone rang.
Seeing it was an unknown number, Yun Zijin subconsciously assumed it was Xia Zhiyun who had borrowed someone's phone to call her again.
She watched the phone ring for a long time without answering, until it finally disconnected on its own.
Lilith, however, happened to glance at the caller ID. 'Why does that number look so familiar?' she wondered.
But she was just a saleswoman, so she didn't dare say anything at a time like this.
When the phone rang a second time, Yun Zijin finally answered.
"Hello, am I speaking with Miss Yun Zijin?"
Confirming that the person on the other end wasn't Xia Zhiyun, Yun Zijin relaxed.
"This is she. And you are...?"
"Hello, Miss Yun. My name is Wu Yutang, and I'm the director of the Dijing Southern Suburb Auto Expo City. I just received word that you've purchased all the real estate for the Auto Museum City, including the land. About the lease agreement..."
It was July, which was exactly when the third quarter's rent was due.
Wu Yutang was afraid that Yun Zijin had other plans for the Auto Museum City property, so he had called in a panic as soon as he heard the news.
"The sale doesn't break the lease. The rental contract has been transferred to my name, and the original landlord should have told you this already. Mr. Wu, you just need to follow the contract and pay the rent to me on time.
However, I heard that the contract Mr. Wu signed with the original landlord expires at the end of this year.
If you wish to renew the lease, Mr. Wu, you'll need to inform me one month in advance."
'If Wu Yutang doesn't renew, I'll have to find another tenant,' she thought. 'Giving me a month's notice is a must.
After all, finding a new lessee for such a huge property is no easy task.'
"Of course, of course. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we will definitely be renewing. Thank you, Miss Yun, for making things convenient for me."
Hearing her words, Wu Yutang knew that Yun Zijin wasn't the type of landlord who would be unreasonable or cause trouble.
'Then again,' he thought, 'it makes sense. Someone who could quietly acquire the entire Auto Museum City's real estate probably doesn't care much about my five hundred million a month in rent.'
That's right. The entire Auto Museum City's monthly rent was 500 million, which came to 6 billion a year.
This price was entirely because the Auto Museum City was in a remote location with little foot traffic. But you couldn't argue with its size—the place was huge, carried a full range of car brands, and many wealthy people specifically came to the South Suburb Auto Museum City to buy their cars.
"You're welcome. It's mutually beneficial. The original landlord should have told you, and you should have seen the lease transfer agreement. My bank account information is on it. Just deposit the third quarter's rent into my account before the 5th of this month."
"Rest assured, I will definitely pay the rent on time."
Although he could tell from her voice that Yun Zijin was probably not very old, for some reason, Wu Yutang couldn't bring himself to harbor any ill intentions toward her.
"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up. I need to drive now."
Because of that call, Yun Zijin had wasted another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, Sheng Yang had also picked out a car, but the dealership didn't have it in stock. He had to place an order and wait half a month for delivery.
As Sheng Yang came out after signing the purchase contract, he saw Yun Zijin just hanging up her phone.
"Qingqing!"
Hearing Sheng Yang suddenly call her Qingqing, Yun Zijin didn't react at first. It took her a moment to remember that this was the name she had just given him.
"Mr. Sheng."
"What's with the 'Mr. Sheng'? It's so formal. You can call me Sheng Yang, Qingqing. Or 'Brother Sheng Yang' works too."
Sheng Yang struck what he thought was a very handsome pose for Yun Zijin in an incredibly showy manner.
Yun Zijin almost threw up last night's dinner.
"I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Yun Zijin gathered her things and quickly walked out of the Porsche dealership. She soon saw the Ice Plum Powder that had just been unloaded by the staff at the entrance.
It had to be said, there was a reason the Ice Plum Powder finish was one of the most popular choices for luxury cars among women.
Regardless of what anyone else thought, Yun Zijin was stunned the moment she saw it.
When she sat in the driver's seat, she felt as if she were a princess in a fairy tale.
Yun Zijin hadn't touched a car since getting her driver's license. Fortunately, it didn't take long for her to get the hang of it, and she drove quite steadily.
She drove safely all the way back to Danxingyu Mansion and registered her license plate with the gate guard, so she wouldn't need to register every time she entered or exited in the future.
Yun Zijin drove the car into the underground garage of Villa No. 1. After a few tries, she finally succeeded in reverse parking into the spot.
Back home, as soon as Yun Zijin turned on her phone, it started chiming with a flood of notification sounds.
There were not only WeChat messages but also text messages and several missed calls.
Yun Zijin found it a bit strange. She tapped open one of the text messages to read it.