Chapter 103: I Thought It Would Be Much More Expensive!

Zhang Dexing’s somewhat insincere voice echoed throughout the entire Porsche showroom, drawing the attention of many curious onlookers. Even some sales assistants from nearby stores drifted over, captivated. After all, this was the Porsche 918—the pinnacle of Porsche’s sports cars!

Seeing the growing crowd of spectators, a smug smile spread across Zhang Dexing’s face. The more people there were, the more embarrassing it would be for Xue Tian’ai. He was eager to witness the expression of utter humiliation that would surely cross Xue Tian’ai’s face. How ridiculous, how utterly farcical it would be!

At that moment, the Porsche sales manager quickly stepped forward. If someone was truly interested in purchasing a Porsche 918, this was a major deal—they could not afford to be dismissive.

“Good afternoon, sir. Are you interested in purchasing the Porsche 918?” The manager approached Xue Tian’ai and Zhang Dexing but, without even glancing at Xue Tian’ai, respectfully addressed Zhang Dexing.

“Hm, it’s my friend here who’s interested, not me,” Zhang Dexing replied with a dismissive shake of his head, gesturing toward Xue Tian’ai, who was intently eyeing the sleek black Porsche 918.

The sales manager looked at Xue Tian’ai and immediately felt disappointed. To be honest, it was hard to imagine someone dressed in cheap sporty casual wear like him having any serious connection to a Porsche 918—it just didn’t add up.

Still, maintaining professional decorum, the manager addressed Xue Tian’ai with a measure of respect, though his tone was noticeably cooler. “Hello, sir. This Porsche 918 model has been out of production for quite some time, so the two we have in the store are primarily for display purposes…”

Noting the woman by Xue Tian’ai’s side, the sales manager decided to tread lightly, giving the man some dignity—a way out, so to speak. After all, no man wanted to lose face in front of his girlfriend.

“For display only? But they’re still for sale, right?” Xue Tian’ai turned and raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t this Porsche 918 available for purchase?”

“Well, sir, technically these two units are for sale, but they come at a price much higher than the original MSRP. You see…”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s more expensive. Mr. Zhang and I will each buy one and take both 918s off your hands. Perhaps you could offer a reasonable discount?” Xue Tian’ai looked sincerely at the sales manager, subtly including Zhang Dexing in the proposal.

“Mr. Zhang, didn’t you say earlier you wanted to buy a Porsche or a Maserati? How about we each take one, clearing out the two cars on display? We can even go for a drive together sometime. What do you think?”

Xue Tian’ai’s sudden shift in conversation caught Zhang Dexing off guard. A Porsche 918 costs nearly twenty million yuan—far beyond his means. Yet here, in front of Su Jiaqi, he had to keep up appearances.

So Zhang Dexing feigned agreement with a nod. “Yes, Manager, if Mr. Xue isn’t buying, then I won’t either. So please, give us a generous discount.”

He left himself an easy exit: if Xue Tian’ai failed to afford the car and fled embarrassed, Zhang Dexing could gracefully bow out, leaving all the shame to Xue Tian’ai.

“Alright, alright. I’ll do my best to offer you both a satisfactory price. I won’t waste your valuable time,” the sales manager sighed softly, with little hope, and turned to fetch the pricing sheet.

“Xue, I’ve already lost all my dignity today. Don’t think you’re walking away unscathed—I swear I’ll make you pay for this!” Su Jiaqi muttered, resigned to the coming humiliation but promising herself to settle the score later.

“How do you know you’ll lose face? What if I make you proud instead? Will you owe me a favor?” Xue Tian’ai leaned close to whisper in her ear, then playfully blew warm breath against her earlobe.

“You… you’re driving me crazy!” Su Jiaqi fumed, exasperated by his fearless teasing.

“You two are quite the pair. I’m sure Ms. Su will be thrilled once Mr. Xue buys the Porsche 918 for her,” Zhang Dexing sneered, jealousy bubbling beneath his fake smile. At least he had the fantasy of Xue Tian’ai’s public embarrassment to soothe his bruised ego.

“Ha! Then I’ll hold you to that, Mr. Zhang,” Xue Tian’ai said, releasing Su Jiaqi’s shoulder and turning his attention to her. “Jiaqi, what do you think of the white one?”

Su Jiaqi was at a loss for words, unable to respond.

Just then, the sales manager returned, handing the pricing sheet to Xue Tian’ai. “Sir, here is the price list I compiled. Please take a look and consider it.”

Xue Tian’ai glanced over the figures, his brow furrowing sharply before he exclaimed, “What? This Porsche 918 costs over fourteen million?”

“Mr. Xue, if that’s too expensive, we do have the Porsche 911 as an option,” Zhang Dexing lowered his standards slightly. He could just about afford a 911, but he doubted Xue Tian’ai could.

This way, he could appear understanding, not wanting to put his friend in a bind, boosting his own image in the process—and best of all, causing Xue Tian’ai to lose face twice.

“No, no, I’m not complaining about the price,” Xue Tian’ai said with a sly smile. “After listening to Mr. Zhang’s glowing introduction, I thought it would be much more. Fourteen million is almost too cheap!”

The crowd, including Zhang Dexing, Su Jiaqi, and the sales manager, was stunned. Fourteen million “too cheap”—was this guy joking? Had he been stunned into silence by the price?

“But I quite like this car. I’ll pay by card right now. I want the white one. The black one can be Mr. Zhang’s!” Xue Tian’ai pulled out a black platinum card and waved it at the sales manager, then looked at Zhang Dexing.

“Mr. Zhang, you should get your card ready too. Let’s just pay together.”

Zhang Dexing was dumbfounded. Seeing the card and the confident smile on Xue Tian’ai’s face, a terrible feeling crept over him.

“Uh, alright, I’ll just look for mine first. Manager, please process Mr. Xue’s payment,” Zhang Dexing said, pulling out his wallet and pretending to search. He still didn’t believe Xue Tian’ai could afford the Porsche 918 and decided to stall.

Once the manager processed Xue Tian’ai’s card, he would be exposed.

“Okay then, Manager, please proceed with the payment,” Xue Tian’ai said, handing over the card.

“Sir, will you be paying in full or making a down payment?” the sales manager asked, somewhat taken aback.

“Full payment, of course. Who buys cars on installments these days?” Xue Tian’ai replied, feigning confusion.

The sales manager hurried off with the card, curious to see if the man really had that much money.

Meanwhile, Su Jiaqi sensed something had changed. The previously clueless and dazed Xue Tian’ai now bore an expression of calm cunning and confident charm—the same look he always wore when teasing her.

Could it be…?

Before she could ponder further, Xue Tian’ai returned to her side, gently wrapping his arm around her slender waist, interrupting her thoughts.

Zhang Dexing continued fumbling through his wallet, stealing glances at the sales manager, silently begging for a quick resolution.

The manager soon returned, his face etched with seriousness.

Seeing this, Zhang Dexing’s heart leapt—surely Xue Tian’ai had failed to produce the funds! Emboldened, he straightened his posture, preparing a scornful retort.

But the sales manager bowed slightly before Xue Tian’ai and said with utmost respect, “Mr. Xue, your full payment of fourteen million two hundred thousand has been successfully processed. The white Porsche 918 is now yours. When would you like to complete the paperwork?”

“Mr. Zhang, haven’t you found your card yet? Let’s finish the payment and head to the paperwork,” Xue Tian’ai said with a grin, turning to the stunned Zhang Dexing.

Zhang Dexing’s mind reeled. This young man had really bought the Porsche 918—paid in full? Was this some kind of dream?

Cold sweat poured down Zhang Dexing’s back. His own card was in his back pocket, but he had nowhere near that amount. His earlier bravado was all a bluff. He had expected Xue Tian’ai to embarrass himself, but now it seemed he was the one losing face.

“Ahem, I... I seem to have forgotten my card today,” Zhang Dexing stammered, deflated, like a proud rooster stripped of its feathers. His once lofty demeanor was completely shattered.

“So... I guess I won’t be buying after all.”

“Oh, what a pity. Honestly, I think the black Porsche 918 would suit an outstanding businessman like you perfectly! Such a shame. But thank you anyway! Without you, it might have taken me ages to find my dream car!” Xue Tian’ai said casually.

He gently patted Su Jiaqi, who had been staring at him like he was an alien. “Jiaqi, what are you standing there for? Go thank Mr. Zhang.”

“Ah, thank you, Mr. Zhang...” Su Jiaqi mumbled, dazed.

“No, no need to thank me... it’s my pleasure,” Zhang Dexing muttered, his face a mask of utter humiliation, unable to meet the burning gazes around him.

But little did Zhang Dexing realize, most eyes were fixed on Xue Tian’ai and Su Jiaqi—filled with shock, envy, and even desire. Several young women were already contemplating approaching Xue Tian’ai for his contact information.

“Mr. Zhang, are you sure you don’t want the black Porsche 918?” Xue Tian’ai asked, feigning regret.

“No, no, I just remembered I have something urgent. I won’t hold up you and Ms. Su any longer,” Zhang Dexing said, grabbing his bag and hurriedly making his escape.

Who would casually pay full price for two Porsche 918s? Who wouldn’t know about Porsche or Ferrari? It turned out he was the only fool here. Xue Tian’ai had been toying with him like a clown all along.

“Alright then, Manager! I’ll take the black Porsche 918 as well, full payment, but you must give me a discount!” Xue Tian’ai declared.

With a thud, Zhang Dexing collapsed to the floor in shock.

“Mr. Zhang? Are you alright?” the manager asked, concerned.

But Zhang Dexing had no courage left to respond. He scrambled up and fled as fast as he could.

Truly, only a rare few could afford to buy two Porsche 918s outright. Zhang Dexing had been outmatched from the start.

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(Author’s note: A bit of an aside—this marks 100 consecutive days of updates. Writing has become a habit and a source of joy for me. What brings me the greatest happiness is knowing a handful of readers continue to follow my work. Thank you all. I hope you’ll accompany me for the next 100 days as well. Good night!)