Financial Independence through Cracked Apps-Chapter 65: Picking Up the Car

POP—!

As the colorful confetti burst before him, Lin Shen experienced for the first time the profound effect of a good mood.

A sense of ease washed over him, his calm state of mind tinged with a faint joy.

"Thank you."

Lin Shen smiled and shook Li Mo’s hand, then stepped aside to wait for him to remove the balloons and promotional signs from around the car.

Just then, he spotted a familiar figure in a corner of the showroom, not far away.

"President Zhang, here is your contract."

The saleswoman, sitting on the sofa, handed the contract to the middle-aged man with both hands. She leaned forward, her smile utterly enchanting.

"Congratulations on becoming a distinguished Land Rover owner! Would you like me to take you for a test drive?"

"That won’t be necessary."

The saleswoman, in her hip-hugging skirt and black stockings, kept crossing and uncrossing her beautiful legs. Her suggestive winks and glances made her intentions perfectly clear.

But the middle-aged man completely ignored her advances and got up to leave.

Just then, a surprised voice called out from the side.

"You’re Brother Zhang, right?"

?

Zhang Guodong turned his head. He froze for a second upon seeing Lin Shen, but his expression quickly turned to one of utter surprise.

"Lin Shen!?"

"Yeah."

Lin Shen smiled and extended his right hand.

"I saw you from a distance and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I can’t believe we’re running into each other again after parting ways at the basketball court."

"This is too much of a coincidence!"

Zhang Guodong quickly shook Lin Shen’s hand, overjoyed.

He truly hadn’t expected to run into the young man he’d met during a casual basketball game at a random residential complex here at a car dealership!

"Are you here to look at cars?"

"I’m here to pick up my car."

Lin Shen raised the bouquet of flowers in his hand, which made Zhang Guodong feel genuinely happy for him.

"Congratulations! I can’t believe a young lad like you is already getting a Land Rover. You have a bright future ahead of you!"

"I didn’t get a Land Rover."

Lin Shen pointed to his own beloved car in the pickup area.

"It’s a Jaguar."

"Oh?"

Zhang Guodong followed the direction of Lin Shen’s finger, and his eyes widened abruptly.

"Isn’t that the Jaguar I ordered before?"

Huh?

Zhang Guodong’s words completely baffled Lin Shen.

He knew that the only reason he could get his car so quickly was because some big boss had given up their original order.

’And it turns out that sucker was Zhang Guodong?’

A strange, absurd feeling that ’it’s a small world’ suddenly popped into Lin Shen’s head.

’How could something this coincidental actually happen to me?’

"It really is!"

After walking around Lin Shen’s new car to admire it, Zhang Guodong looked at him with a gaze full of astonishment and admiration.

"I had originally ordered this exact car. But after playing basketball with you, I felt I should go and fulfill a long-held dream of mine."

"So I canceled the Jaguar and got the Land Rover I’d always longed for. My salesperson then told me that this fully-loaded Jaguar XFL I had configured had already been sold."

"I never would’ve guessed that the buyer was you!"

"I didn’t expect it either."

Lin Shen smiled, feeling as if fate had somehow orchestrated their meeting.

"To think the guy I played basketball with was a big boss."

"Oh, I wouldn’t say I’m a big boss. I just came to Modu to do a little business."

Zhang Guodong stepped forward and clapped Lin Shen’s shoulder affectionately.

"You’re the one who’s truly impressive, getting a car worth four or five hundred thousand at such a young age."

"I bought it on a loan."

Lin Shen said humbly, but Zhang Guodong just laughed heartily.

"That’s still amazing! The down payment on this Jaguar XFL must be at least two hundred thousand, right? For a young guy like you, it’s not easy to come up with that kind of money."

"Since fate has brought us together like this, how about we add each other on WeChat? Something came up last time on the court and we missed the chance. You can’t turn me down this time!"

"No problem."

Lin Shen readily agreed. After adding Zhang Guodong on WeChat, they exchanged a few more pleasantries.

"I’m leaving Modu for Capital City soon. If you ever come to visit, make sure to contact me. I’ll treat you!"

"Okay."

Waving goodbye to Zhang Guodong, Lin Shen was filled with emotion.

Sometimes, when fate wills it, you don’t even have to actively seek out connections; they come knocking on your door.

Lin Shen had a faint feeling that he would have more dealings with Zhang Guodong in the future.

*

*

"Mr. Lin, we’re giving you a full tank of 98-octane gas. Have a safe trip!"

"Thanks."

At 3 p.m., Lin Shen finally sat in the driver’s seat of the Jaguar XFL he had dreamed of.

He adjusted the seat and turned on the air conditioning.

Placing his hands on the soft, delicate leather steering wheel, Lin Shen joyfully caressed the interior as if stroking his girlfriend.

For a guy, a car is his beloved mistress.

Lin Shen pressed the ignition button, and the roar of the engine sent a thrill through him.

He turned the crystal gear selector and lightly pressed the accelerator.

Watched by Li Mo, Lin Shen drove out of the dealership.

The trees on both sides of the road flew past, and one skyscraper after another was left behind.

Lin Shen drove his beloved car cautiously, afraid of making any mistakes.

Fortunately, a car worth over four hundred thousand offered an incredibly smooth driving experience and handling.

On top of that, there were very few vehicles in the suburbs of Modu, which made Lin Shen gradually grow bolder.

He tried flooring the accelerator to increase his speed, feeling the thrilling tension as his heart pounded.

Finally, he couldn’t help but let out a cheer.

"Woohoo!"

After fully experiencing the Jaguar XFL’s driving performance, Lin Shen drove back to his residential complex and had the security guard register his license plate.

He had already rented a parking spot in the complex beforehand, so he was quickly let through.

Parking the car downstairs, Lin Shen sat inside for a long time, unable to calm his excitement.

He took out his phone, snapped a picture from behind the steering wheel, and thought about posting it to share his joy.

But after thinking it over, he decided against it and only sent the photo to his university roommates’ group chat.

Replies came back quickly.

[Zhao Ye: ?]

[Guo Haoran: ?]

[Qi Junxian: ?]

Seeing the row of three question marks, the corners of Lin Shen’s mouth curled up.

[Lin Shen: Bros, I got my car!]

[Zhao Ye: Holy shit, man! A Jag? Which model?]

[Lin Shen: XFL]

[Qi Junxian: Jaguar XFL, official MSRP of 499,800 yuan.]

[Guo Haoran: ???]

[Guo Haoran: You fucking got a 500,000 yuan car? Did you rob a bank?]

[Lin Shen: Not 500,000. After discounts, it was only a bit over 400,000.]

[Zhao Ye: What do you mean "only"?! Where the hell did you strike it rich? You gotta bring your bros along!]

[Lin Shen: Let me get properly established first.]

Lin Shen smiled knowingly. He knew that this group of friends were the only ones who would be genuinely happy for him getting a new car.

As for the mixed bag of contacts on his WeChat, he wasn’t sure if it would just stir up jealousy or even attract trouble.

’I’ll wait until I’m truly rich to show off.’

After getting out, Lin Shen just stood there looking at his Jaguar XFL, reluctant to go upstairs.

Just then, a JD Express courier arrived to drop off a package and was about to make a call.

Seeing this, Lin Shen walked right over and asked.

"Hi, do you have a delivery for Room 403?"

"Room 403, let me see... Yes! You must be Mr. Lin, right? Could you please sign here?"

"Sure."

Lin Shen took the package from the courier. After signing, he hefted it in his hand, and upon confirming it was the camera, his heart leaped with joy.

It looked like the [Camera and Album] task was about to be completed!