Xiaolang led Yang Hui to the vehicle delivery area!
"Mr. Yang, this is your car!"
All the paperwork was complete. He could drive it away now.
He couldn't suppress his excitement. This was the first car he had ever owned. The saying that a car is a man's second wife wasn't an exaggeration at all.
He lovingly stroked every part of the center console, utterly satisfied.
The moment his fingertip pressed the crystal start button, the entire cabin seemed to come alive with magic. The 64-color ambient lighting slowly illuminated from the footwells, like the most expensive booth in a nightclub suddenly opening up just for him.
The dual 12.3-inch screens on the dashboard glowed with a faint blue backlight, the Berlin Audio system played a deep startup chime, and even the air conditioning vents automatically adjusted to "Gentleman Mode."
Gently pressing the accelerator, the black Mercedes-Benz E300L slowly pulled out of the dealership, like an elegant gentleman gradually merging into the flow of traffic.
The leather-wrapped dragonfly-style steering wheel was slimmer than he'd expected, and his thumbs fit perfectly into the grooves of the metal paddle shifters behind it.
'A new chapter in my life has begun.' Yang Hui suddenly recalled something a client had once said during a chat: "Once you've driven a Mercedes E-Class, every other car is just a compromise."
While a bit of an exaggeration, there was some truth to it. For the average person, this car was already the stuff of dreams.
It was already 5:20 PM. If he headed to Qingzhou Eighth Middle School now, he could pick up the little girl right as school let out.
Just as he parked the car, his phone rang.
"Brother Chun!"
Zhang Chun's deep voice came through the line.
"A Hui, you quit your job?"
"How did you find out so quickly?"
"Yes, President Tian told me. You rascal, you didn't even tell me about something this big."
Yang Hui chuckled, but he felt a little strange. 'Why isn't Brother Chun the least bit surprised that I quit right before I was about to be promoted to general manager? His question feels like a mere formality.'
"What are your plans now? Let's see if I can help."
"Brother Chun, I actually have two things I was hoping you could help me with. I have a kid at home who's a first-year at Qingzhou Eighth Middle School. I want to transfer her to the No. 7 Middle School Main Campus. Is there any way to do that?"
'Even if I bought a house, it would take a while to transfer the little girl's household registration. And No. 7 is a famous school in Qingzhou, notoriously difficult to get into.' That's why he had thought of Zhang Chun, the most influential person he knew and the big brother who always went out of his way to help him.
"No problem. Leave it to me. Just send me the kid's detailed information later. What's the other thing?"
"Now that I've quit, I want to start my own business. I'm thinking of opening a store, but I don't know which brand would be a good fit. Could you give me some advice? It would be even better if you could make an introduction!"
Zhang Chun roared with laughter. "That's a small matter! Your old brother here still has some clout in the business world. Just tell me which brand on the market you want to work with. Even if they aren't offering franchises, I can make it happen for you. And don't you worry about the store location. Let's put it in Xinyue Square. I'll get you the best possible rental terms, definitely better than any deal Ruijing Commerce could offer!"
After ending the call with Zhang Chun, he knew the little girl wouldn't be out for a few more minutes.
He reclined his seat and lay back, thinking over the bits and pieces of his relationship with Zhang Chun since they'd first met.
It was back when Yang Hui had interviewed for the Operations Supervisor position at Ruijing Commerce. His performance had been mediocre, and his competitors were several girls with industry experience who were better suited for operations management. Believing his chances were slim, he had been walking down the street in low spirits.
A Buick GL8 had slowly pulled up beside him. The window of the second-row seat rolled down, revealing a square, dignified face that radiated integrity.
"Young man, are you in a bad mood?"
Yang Hui, new to the professional world, shook his head warily.
"I'm feeling a bit down today myself. Care to find a place and have a couple of drinks together?"
Perhaps it was that dignified, trustworthy face that made Yang Hui lower his guard. Or perhaps it was because he had nothing of value and, being a man, had nothing for anyone to covet. For whatever reason, he found himself joining the man for street barbecue and drinks that night. From then on, the two became friends despite their age gap.
Gradually, he learned that the man was the Regional Director of Xinyue Group, a powerful and influential figure.
It was truly a connection that had appeared out of nowhere. Inexplicably, he now had an older brother figure who cared for him meticulously.
Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve such attention from a man of Zhang Chun's stature. He couldn't explain it, and he had even asked Zhang Chun about it.
Zhang Chun's explanation was: "It's just a feeling. Do you believe in fate?"
'Thinking back on it now, something feels off. It was as if he was waiting specifically for me that night. But I didn't know him at all back then.'
He couldn't ask him about this suspicion directly. Besides, knowing Zhang Chun, even if it were true, he would never admit it.
'I'll just have to unravel this mystery slowly over time.'
Students were already starting to stream out of the school. He waited in the same spot where he had picked up Wenren Du'Er yesterday.
The little girl came out with a classmate, chatting as they walked. Upon seeing Yang Hui, she happily ran over to him.
"Dad, you're here so early! Won't this interfere with your work?"
He took her heavy backpack. 'Kids these days really have it rough.' This bag had to be at least 10 kilograms.
"It's fine. Come on, let's go home!"
As he opened the back door of the Mercedes E-Class, Wenren Du'Er whispered, "Dad, you ordered such a nice car. You're spending too much money again!"
She clearly thought he had hailed a premium rideshare. But when she got in and saw that there was no driver, and that Yang Hui was sitting in the driver's seat, her jaw dropped wide enough to fit an apple.
"I bought it. From now on, I'll use it to take you to and from school. That way I can save myself from your lectures about wasting money, right?"
He started the car. In the rearview mirror, he saw the little girl counting on her fingers, muttering, "Save 30 yuan in the morning, save 30 yuan in the evening... that's 60 yuan a day. There are 22 school days in a month, so that's a savings of 1,320 yuan!
Dad, that almost covers the rent!"
Yang Hui couldn't help but laugh out loud. Then he heard Du'Er ask worriedly from the back seat, "But... how long will it take to save up enough to pay for the car?"
Her little face was scrunched up with worry. Yang Hui shook his head, drove directly to a large supermarket near their home, and took Du'Er inside to pick out a few sets of underwear. He had bought her outerwear during the day, but for undergarments, he had to take her to the store and ask a sales assistant to help her choose.
Back home, Wenren Du'Er saw her luggage and seemed to get lost in thought, her little face filled with sorrow.
"Du'Er, here are the clothes I bought for you. Go try them on in a bit!"
Not wanting her to dwell on the past, he spoke up to interrupt her thoughts, tossing her the two FILA tracksuits he had bought during the day.
"And this. You can use it to contact your aunt and let her know you're safe."
He also tossed her a foldable Huawei Pocket 2 phone. The number was linked to his as a family plan.
The little girl was deeply moved. "Dad, you've spent so much money on me again!"