Chapter 113: |
Wearing a slightly undersized white shirt, layered with a thin vest, striking a balance between professionalism and aesthetics, paired with a short gray skirt that was indeed a bit short, but such dressing had become quite common nowadays.
Jobs were hard to come by now, and everyone was working hard.
Lin Qi took a glance at the woman, nodded slightly, and then glanced at the woman's chest… badge, which read "Sales Manager," perhaps the cheapest privilege an ordinary person could enjoy.
In addition to this title, there was also a name, Beth, a very common name.
She held a clipboard in one hand, with a pen on the clipboard, giving off a professional vibe while also inquiring about Lin Qi's car preferences.
This was a common tactic; recording a customer's preferences in front of them would make the customer feel valued. In reality, this sense of "value" would often be quickly resold to consulting firms, survey agencies, and automobile manufacturers. Perhaps it was indeed a form of value, but it was one that could be sold for profit.
For customers like Lin Qi buying luxury cars, their "value" would fetch a higher price.
Lin Qi mentioned several points of demand: the car should be aesthetically pleasing, elegant, have a touch of seriousness, and exude a sense of nobility.
As he stated these requirements, the woman suddenly became even more enthusiastic. She led Lin Qi to another showroom where some well-known luxury cars from the federation were parked, mostly sedans.
People's understanding of multi-purpose vehicles often stemmed from their suitability for family use. So even though multi-purpose vehicles were not inferior in materials and technology to sedans, they often differed greatly in price because they were not considered formal enough.
Seeing a large number of luxury cars together, Lin Qi was somewhat surprised that the woman could confidently name them and their manufacturers. To Lin Qi, these sedans all seemed quite similar.
Perhaps limited by current industrial processes or perhaps due to issues with people's aesthetic standards, sedan styles generally did not differ much. Some different brands of cars may not even be distinguishable from each other based on appearance alone.
This also reduced Lin Qi's desire to choose a vehicle; after all, they all looked similar, and the only difference was probably just their logos.
Lin Qi casually ran his hand over the paint of a nearby car, finding it satisfactory. Then, he turned to the sales manager and inquired, "Do you have any good recommendations?"
A fleeting expression of joy passed over the sales manager's face. Customers as generous as this were becoming increasingly rare. With a hint of anticipation and cautiousness, she inquired, "Sir, what is your budget?"
Lin Qi smiled, his handsome face radiant with sunlight, dazzling Beth's eyes. "I want something that can meet my requirements, preferably of high quality, not those entry-level cars," he said without directly addressing the budget request.
Beth understood his requirements almost immediately. She promptly led Lin Qi to a bright silver car that stood out from the others. Its front engine compartment was slightly longer, giving the entire body a more elongated appearance.
Though it should have felt disproportionate, it exuded an indescribable beauty, perhaps due to its mirror-like silver paint.
"This is the latest and most luxurious model in the House luxury sedan series. Some domestic celebrities and dignitaries have purchased it as soon as it came out. Moreover, its price is less than a hundred thousand, making it the most suitable choice for you," Beth explained.
Lin Qi took a brief look and, with Beth's guidance, experienced the fully upholstered leather rear seats with reclining function. It even came equipped with a record player and radio function. Listening to the radio in the car was a luxury only high-end cars could offer.
"How much?" Lin Qi asked, tapping the car body. He added, "There are some things I don't like. Can you customize it here?"
After a friendly negotiation, Lin Qi finally bought the car for twelve hundred thousand. After rejecting the sales manager's request for home delivery, Lin Qi left the car dealership directly, heading to the bank to find Joegleman.
When he found Joegleman, he was chatting with his subordinates. He had been in a good mood lately, as the state headquarters had praised him twice in telephone conferences for his outstanding performance during this period, asking everyone to learn from him.
Some people even proposed that he might be considered for the position of local bank president. Once this thing, which he had never dared to think about before, became a reality, he would immediately enter the upper echelons of society, and all of this was brought about by the young man called Lin Qi.
When he heard that Lin Qi had come to visit him, he immediately dismissed the others in the office and personally went to invite Lin Qi in.
He opened the box on the table, picked out a solid-colored Colofu, and handed it over, asking casually, "What can I do for you?"
There was an air of closeness and joy in his words and demeanor. As Lin Qi cut off both ends of the Colofu, Joegleman immediately took the initiative to light it for him.
Lin Qi casually tossed the proof of his car purchase onto the table, prompting Joegleman to raise an eyebrow and carefully examine it.
Although he appeared easygoing and accommodating, once he got into work, he would become serious and meticulous.
After reviewing the documents and complete tax certificates, he looked up at Lin Qi. "If you want to buy a car, you can come to me. I know local dealers, and they can give you a better price."
Selling cars, especially luxury cars, wasn't as easy as people think, especially for some luxury cars. Except for some particularly popular models, most luxury cars were in a state of unsalable.
The automobile manufacturers and dealers were facing a backlog of a large number of cars, which couldn't be quickly liquidated and were weighing down their liquidity. To address these issues, they often pledged these cars to banks, using collateral loans to alleviate the financial pressure.
Joegleman could easily get a very low discounted price, and those people who wanted loans from him, who wanted to reduce the handling fee, would definitely have to show some appreciation.
This kind of operation, which was not considered illegal, wouldn't be questioned by anyone. It was just one of the many benefits enjoyed by people in the banking industry. They always had good relationships with businesses.
Lin Qi shook his head and exhaled smoke. "I'm applying for a low-interest loan. For a car worth twelve thousand, how much can you give me?"
Joegleman looked at the documents in his hand, then left one of them behind and picked up the phone to instruct his secretary to prepare a pledged loan contract.
After hanging up the phone, he smiled and said, "I'll try to give you a reasonable price. We are friends, right?"
Lin Qi nodded, waving the Colofu in his hand, affirming Joegleman's words, "We are friends."
Bank valuations often wouldn't follow the retail price of a commodity. Something worth a hundred bucks in their hands would often end up being valued at fifty or sixty bucks.
But there were areas where manipulation was possible, such as valuation errors, real-time price fluctuations, and many methods that could introduce discrepancies between the valuation and the final result. This was normal; the annual bad debt index was there to deal with these situations after all.
If these indexes were used, no one would blame Joegleman for work-related mistakes, and the loan department itself would carry significant risks.
A few years ago, a one-carat Walcedo Gemstone (瓦尔西多) was priced at around two thousand bucks. However, with the sudden discovery of a local mine boasting a huge reserve of Walcedo Gemstones, the market price plummeted from two thousand bucks per carat to just two hundred bucks per carat.
This was something that nobody could reverse with their personal abilities. Certainly, the banks also suffered significant losses from this. Jewelry had always been the most popular collateral; however, no bank was heard criticizing the people who handled the pawning of these gems.
The bank wouldn't praise Joegleman's risk management even if these indexes were not used; they'd just consider it something he should do. So, whether they were used or not wouldn't have any practical impact on him. So why not use them?
No one would pursue these permitted errors; as long as they didn't go too far, as long as they didn't exceed a tacitly accepted threshold, no one would discuss these work-related matters.
Soon, Lin Qi signed a pledged contract, and then the twelve thousand in cash went directly into his account. He needed to pay the bank one hundred bucks in interest each month until he paid off the money or couldn't afford it anymore.
This method wasn't invented by Lin Qi. In fact, it had been widely used in various industries before. Otherwise, Joegleman wouldn't have known what Lin Qi wanted to do without Lin Qi having to remind him.
For Joegleman, he once again strengthened the connection between him and Lin Qi through this insignificant matter.
And for Lin Qi, he bought a luxury car worth a hundred thousand for a hundred and fifty bucks a month.
No one was at a loss.
After discussing these trivial matters, Lin Qi brought up his true purpose: He planned to sell the current site of the Sabin City Professional Rugby Club.Please vote for this novel at https://www.novelupdates.com/series/blackstone-code/There are advance chapters available nowAccess will be granted 24 hours after the donationTier 1: 7 Advance chapters Link
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