It was a quiet night. Early the next morning, Ning Yifan still got up at six thirty, folded the blanket on the sofa, and put it away.
The weather had turned colder over the past couple of days. A fine drizzle fell outside, gathering on the awning above the house before dripping onto the awning below with a steady patter.
In a densely packed residential complex, even a light drizzle could sound like a downpour because of all that dripping.
His parents were still asleep. Without waking anyone, Ning Yifan changed into his sportswear and headed out.
In the apartment building's hallway, he warmed up with small, careful movements so as not to disturb the neighbors. Then he braved the winter drizzle and set off.
He jogged through the familiar city and along its familiar streets. A fine mist hung in the air, and there were fewer and fewer cars and pedestrians along the way.
He kept going until he reached ZY City's No. 7 Primary School, where he had once studied, then turned around and ran home.
Unfortunately, Chinese New Year was just around the corner, and school was already out. The breakfast shop by the school gates was closed, too.
On his way home, Ning Yifan found a breakfast shop near his place called He's Congee. He bought ten servings of century egg and lean pork congee, along with a big bag of steamed buns in assorted flavors: cabbage, mutton, beef, and soup-filled.
In the cold winter air, steam billowed around the breakfast stalls. A delivery rider heading to work early was warming his hands with his breath as he waited for his first order of the day.
Carrying his congee and buns with their various fillings, Ning Yifan slowly made his way home.
It was past seven by the time he got back.
Perhaps the sound of him opening the door woke his mother.
"You're up so early. Where did you go?" His mother came out of the bedroom with a yawn, looking at Ning Yifan curiously.
"I went for a run to get some exercise. I brought breakfast for everyone, too."
"So that means I can go back to bed for a little while!" his mother said happily.
His mother usually took care of all three meals in the household. Especially when his younger brother had school, she had to get up before dawn every morning to make breakfast.
"Mm. Go get some more sleep, Mom. You can eat when you get up."
His mother went back to her room.
Ning Yifan was alone in the living room again.
He took out the toiletries he'd brought home, went to the bathroom, and washed up. After taking care of his personal hygiene, he returned to the living room and took out his phone to look through the information No. 18 had found.
Buying a luxury car worth over a million yuan often meant waiting, even if you had the money.
In small fourth- or fifth-tier cities like Ning Yifan's hometown, almost no dealerships kept luxury cars worth over a million yuan in stock. Most customers had to place an order, after which the dealership would arrange to get the car.
To buy a car that was already in stock, he would have to go to a big city like Chengdu.
After browsing the information No. 18 had found on luxury cars, one place caught Ning Yifan's eye: a dealership—or rather, a luxury car club.
Nineteen Road Club was a luxury car club that provided its members with all kinds of car-related services, including consultations and buying and selling cars. It had firsthand information from all kinds of sources and could provide members with accurate information.
Instead of visiting dealerships one by one, asking the club about buying a luxury car might be a good option.
However, Nineteen Road Club had a number of requirements for joining. If he wanted to become a member quickly, getting a referral from an existing member seemed like a good choice.
As for finding someone to refer him, Ning Yifan checked the time. It was eight in the morning.
After thinking for a moment, he called the chairman of Changhong Group, whose headquarters was also in Xichuan Province.
The phone rang just once before someone picked up. "Is that Ning Yifan? What are you calling about so early?"
"Uncle Wang, I was hoping you could help me with something. Chinese New Year's coming up, and I want to buy a few decent cars for my family. After looking around, I found a luxury car club in Chengdu called Nineteen Road Club. They have access to a lot of cars, but the fastest way to join is to get a referral from a member. So I thought I'd ask if you might know someone."
The person on the other end paused to think. "Buying cars, huh? Nineteen Road Club... I think my son's mentioned it a few times. Hang on, I'll ask him."
Through the phone, Ning Yifan could clearly hear footsteps on a wooden floor.
A little while later, there was a series of knocks.
"Who is it? It's so early! Can't you let people sleep?" came the faint voice of a young man.
"It's your dad! Open the door. I need to ask you something!"
A moment later, the bedroom door opened.
"Dad, what is it this early?"
"Do you know a luxury car club called Nineteen Road Club?"
"Sure. I'm a member. Most of the people there are car enthusiasts. Why do you ask?"
"I have a friend who wants to buy a few cars through the club."
"Your friend? What does he do? Members of that club are all worth at least several million..."
"Enough. Let me put it this way: my friend's worth at least ten billion, and he controls the production of the main components for the Phantom Projector, which we make for Changhong Home Appliances and several other home appliance companies. You know Shenma Technology Company, right?"
"Shenma Technology Company? The one that beat Changhong and several other companies badly in the TV market with its Phantom Projector, then licensed it to us and the others for production and overseas sales, sending our stock price soaring?"
"That's the one."
"Got it, got it. He's a big shot! Don't worry, Dad. I'll make sure he's satisfied. I'll call the club and tell them to look after him..."
The problem was solved. Ning Yifan didn't need to join the club. Of course, if he was interested, they would be more than happy to have him. Nineteen Road Club had plenty of rich members, but none like Ning Yifan: a wealthy young man who controlled a top-tier manufacturing company.
No. 18 had searched the internet for property listings, too, but there were only two houses priced over five million. He would have to ask a real estate agent about those...
About half an hour later, the rest of the family finally began to get up.
Ning Yifan set the reheated century egg and lean pork congee and the buns with assorted fillings on the table, then called out, "Grandpa, Dad, Mom, little brother, breakfast is ready!"
The whole family sat around the coffee table in the living room and dug in...
They were used to living frugally. Even over an ordinary breakfast, Grandpa started lecturing him. "If you want congee, we can make it at home. It doesn't take much effort. A cup of this stuff must cost two or three yuan, right?"
"Five yuan a cup," Ning Yifan corrected him.
"See? Ten cups cost as much as a whole bag of rice! We could make enough congee at home to last us half a month!"
"Come on, Grandpa, just eat. I've made money this year. I can afford this much."
"What do you mean, you can afford it? Making money isn't easy. You should be careful with it. You save money by spending less."
"Yes, yes. Want another cup?"
"Mm, I have to admit, this five-yuan breakfast tastes pretty good!"
As they ate, Ning Yifan turned to his father. "Dad, are you free today? Could you come with me to Chengdu to buy some New Year's gifts? Mom can come, too."
His father asked in confusion, "New Year's gifts? What do we need to buy? Your mom's already got most of the food ready. She made a lot of sausages a while ago, so you can take some with you when you leave next year.
"She also bought two free-range chickens for the New Year from your uncle. And it's easy to buy anything else these days. We can get whatever we want when the time comes."
Ning Yifan shook his head with a smile. "I don't mean food. Chinese New Year's coming up, and I made a little money this year. I want to buy you and Mom some gifts. Chengdu's a big city, so it'll be easier to find things there."
His mother chimed in, "Let's go, then. It's not every day our son shows us this kind of filial affection. Are you planning to buy me and your dad two outfits each, kiddo?"
Ning Yifan nodded. "I'll buy clothes, and a few other things, too!"
His mother was delighted. "Our boy's all grown up. He knows how to take care of his parents now. But your grandpa was right: you should be careful with your money. We can just buy a couple of outfits here in Ziyang. There's no need to go all the way to Chengdu."
Ning Yifan shook his head. "Wouldn't it be more convenient to go to Chengdu? It's not far, and Ziyang's too small. I'll drive, so it won't take long."
"All right, then. We'll make a day of it," his mother agreed.
After breakfast, his younger brother cleared the table. His parents went to change before heading out, while Grandpa sat in the living room watching the TV drama he'd been following lately, The War Against the Japanese.
Ning Yifan stepped onto the balcony, took out his phone, and called the number for Nineteen Road Club that the Changhong chairman had sent him. He confirmed the arrangements for their visit.
After the call, he took his parents out.
He drove the old Santana, which was over ten years old, and used his phone's navigation to head toward their destination.
He didn't particularly like driving, but he had gotten his license during college. With his excellent memory and coordination now, driving was easy for him.
He was a little rusty for the first kilometer or two after leaving the complex, but after that he was flying.
The car sped toward its destination. After a little over an hour, Ning Yifan arrived at Nineteen Road Club with his parents.
By the roadside, Ning Yifan took out his phone and called the club's representative again.
"Hello, this is Ning Yifan. I'm at your club now."
"Got it." A young man came out of the club. He looked surprised when he saw Ning Yifan holding his phone. There was nobody else around. He glanced at the old Santana Ning Yifan had driven over.
Rich people really did have strange hobbies. This one was on another level—he was into retro cars. But this one looked like it was in pretty rough shape!
Even so, the staff member greeted Ning Yifan warmly. "Hello. Are you Mr. Ning Yifan?"
"Yes."
"You're here to buy some luxury cars, right?"
"That's right."
"Great. Let's go!"
"Would you like to park your car inside the club first?"
"Sure. Mom, Dad, get out. We'll ride over in someone else's car!"
"What's going on?" His parents were completely confused.
"First, we're buying Dad a gift!"
"I don't understand. Is this your friend?"
"Sort of. Come on, don't ask so many questions. You'll find out soon enough!" As Ning Yifan spoke, a Mercedes-Benz van drove out of the club.
"Get in!" he called, climbing into the van first.
His parents still didn't understand what was going on, but they followed him into the van rather than questioning him in front of the staff.
The van sped along the road. On the way, the Nineteen Road Club representative made several calls to arrange things.
Before long, they arrived at a large luxury car dealership.
The Nineteen Road Club representative coordinated with the dealership's sales staff.
As soon as Ning Yifan got out, his parents stopped him and demanded an explanation.
"Why did you bring us here?"
"Didn't you say we were going to buy clothes?"
"We can buy clothes this afternoon. This morning, we're buying Dad a gift!"
"What are you buying him?"
"A car, of course!"
"Where did you get all that money? The cars here don't look cheap!"
"Kid, you haven't done anything illegal, have you? Where did you get that much money? None of these cars look cheap. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Audi—luxury brands everywhere!"
"Dad, do I look like someone who'd do anything illegal? You really don't have much faith in your son!"
His mother looked at Ning Yifan's face, then suddenly said, "Son, just tell us. Did you get a girlfriend? You're still young. There'll be plenty of chances later. Give the money back to her and find a nice girl to settle down with!"
"What on earth are you talking about?" Ning Yifan was speechless. What was his mother imagining?!
"I made a little money at work this year. I can definitely afford a car."
"Afford it? This morning I told you to be careful with your money! If you spend it so recklessly, how are you going to manage in the future? You should save it for a house and a wife!"
"Come on, Dad, don't start. I'm still young, and I'm definitely going to buy a house. Let's not talk about that now. We're here to buy a car!"
As they spoke, the Nineteen Road Club representative finished coordinating with the dealership and returned.
"Mr. Ning, this way. I'll show you the cars you wanted to see. As you requested, these are all in-stock vehicles, so we can get the paperwork done as quickly as possible. The prices are fair, too. You have Nineteen Road Club's guarantee on that."
"No problem. Lead the way."
"Of course. Please come with me. The first car we'll be looking at today is a Mercedes-Benz G63 Time Engraving Edition. It has a V8 engine with 585 horsepower, goes from zero to one hundred kilometers per hour in 4.5 seconds, and has a maximum torque of 850 newton-meters. It's equipped with twin turbochargers, a nine-speed automatic transmission with manual mode, permanent four-wheel drive, and three differential locks.
"Its timeless appearance, three legendary differential locks, solid build quality, exquisite interior, powerful performance, and wealth of features are sure to satisfy everything you could want in a car. Driving it and dominating the road is an experience in itself!"
His mother, who didn't know much about car brands and models, wasn't impressed by the Mercedes-Benz G63 Time Engraving Edition. His father, though, was starting to sweat.
The G-Wagon was legendary in the car world. He'd never looked into the price because it had always seemed far beyond their reach, but it had to cost several million yuan!
Was his son out of his mind? He looked perfectly normal!
Could he really have found himself a rich older woman?!
No. He'd have to keep a close eye on him.
His father secretly decided that if Ning Yifan did anything unusual, he'd take him to a psychiatric hospital.
Soon, they reached the display platform. Under the lights, a large black SUV with a boxy shape stood quietly on display.
"Dad, what do you think of this Mercedes-Benz G63 Time Engraving Edition?" Ning Yifan asked, turning around.
"It looks pretty good," his father replied after glancing back at it.
"Then it's settled."
"By the way, where's the restroom?"
"Follow me. I'll show you."
Once they reached the restroom, his father quickly called Ning Yifan. "Yifan, listen to me. It's normal to feel some pressure at work. Stop dreaming and face reality!"
"Dad, what are you talking about?" Ning Yifan sighed. It seemed his father still didn't believe him.
"All right, Dad, hurry back. We're getting ready to sign the contract and pay. I figured you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you, so I brought you here to buy the car and show you. I didn't think you'd still doubt me."
"You haven't had some kind of breakdown?" his father asked in surprise.
"Definitely not!"
"How is this possible? You only graduated from college a year ago. How could you have made this much money? I'd never even imagined it. I've worked my whole life, and I know how hard it is to make money in this world."
"For ordinary people without connections or backing, it's practically impossible!"
Still somewhat suspicious, his father returned to the showroom.
By then, however, Ning Yifan had already paid and signed the contract. The dealership's official seal was stamped on the paperwork, and every detail was there in black and white.
It didn't look fake.
"Dad, give me your ID card."
"W-what for?" his father asked blankly.
"To register the car, of course!"
"Oh. Right."
The dealership's sales representative took the ID card his father handed over and nodded to Ning Yifan. "All right. I'll go and handle the vehicle registration for you now. Please wait. By around noon, I should have the luxury car tax and vehicle purchase tax paid, and the temporary plates issued."
"Okay, sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble at all." The dealership representative took the paperwork, got in his car, and drove off.
Before long, another sales representative from the dealership took his place.
Ning Yifan didn't plan to buy just one car that morning!
"Come on, Dad. Let's keep looking at cars!"
"This is real?"
"Of course it's real. It's all there in black and white, and they've already gone to register the car! We'll drive it away around noon. That's why I specifically looked for one that was in stock. It's much faster to pick up!"
"Don't worry about the money, either. Actually, let me tell you something. Can you guess how much income tax I paid for my company this quarter?"
"how much?"
"One hundred million?"
"No, guess again!"
"Fifty million?"
"Why are your guesses getting smaller? Guess higher!"
"Five hundred million!"
"Forget it, I'll just tell you. I paid over 3.15 billion in taxes!"
"How much?"
"Over 3.15 billion..."
"I still think this kid might be crazy. Maybe we should just take him home later and get Ning Yifan some medicine?"
"Our kid's perfectly fine. You're the only one who won't believe him. You can check the tax payment records in the Individual Income Tax app. Count it yourselves."
Ning Yifan took out his phone, opened the Individual Income Tax app, and held it out for his parents to see.
The long string of numbers confirmed it was real!
After his parents finished looking, Ning Yifan opened the messages on his phone again and pointed to the newest one. "That was the tax payment record for Shenma Technology Company this quarter. Now, you can check the balance in my personal account and tell me how much is left after the car payment of over three million just now."
"More than six billion! You couldn't get that kind of money even by robbing someone!"
"Even if you did something illegal, you couldn't make that much! At that rate, nobody could resist the temptation!"
His parents checked again and again. They were still utterly shocked, but they were gradually able to accept it.
"All right, that Mercedes-Benz G63 Time Engraving Edition was just the beginning. When you've made money, you've got to spend some of it!"
"Dad, take another look and see what cars you like. Let's try to buy them all in one go!"
With the sales rep from the luxury car dealership leading the way, Ning Yifan and his parents continued browsing. They looked at a BMW 760L Shadow Special Edition, an Audi Q8 Luxury Dynamic Type, an Audi A8L, and a long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz V260L Prestige Edition.
This time, his parents were no longer uneasy. Instead, they were interested in checking out all the different features. His dad even looked up car reviews online. Now they both regretted not taking a closer look at the Mercedes-Benz G63 Time Engraving Edition earlier. They'd let Ning Yifan buy it without thinking twice!
They spent the whole morning at the luxury car dealership, looking at dozens of cars. It was obvious that his dad liked a lot of them!
If he liked them, then they'd buy them all!
Ning Yifan had a photographic memory, so he called over the salespeople from Highway 19 and the luxury car dealership and ordered luxury cars like he was picking dishes off a menu.
A BMW X7, a BMW 760Li, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a Mercedes-Benz V260L, a Mercedes-Benz S500L, an Audi Q8, and an Audi A8L. They got one SUV and one sedan from each of the three luxury brands!
With the addition of an MPV business vehicle, that made seven cars in total. Including insurance, luxury car tax, purchase tax, and other fees, Ning Yifan paid more than fourteen million yuan by card!
He'd managed to buy everything in one place in just a single day. Going to Highway 19 to buy cars had definitely been the right choice.
Some of the cars weren't in stock and would take a while to arrive, but that wasn't a problem. The cars they already had would be more than enough to keep his dad driving happily for a while!
Spending money like water!
Young, handsome, and so rich!
From the way Ning Yifan talked with his family, it was clear he was a self-made man!
"How are we supposed to live with this? We're all in our twenties, but other people are already buying luxury cars like they're cabbages!"
Before you continue