As Qin Shiya pressed the key fob, the Ferrari's headlights flashed, and its doors swung open.
"Get in!"
Qin Shiya slid into the driver's seat first, and they both fastened their seatbelts. With a soul-stirring roar from the engine, she drove away.
Two hours later, having finished their meal, they arrived at a coffee shop. Xia Liang stirred the coffee on the table with his right hand, his other hand propping up his head as he gazed at Qin Shiya across from him.
"So, can you tell me now?"
Qin Shiya nodded. She pondered for a moment before speaking. "What do you plan to do with that Boeing 747 you bought?"
"What am I going to do with it?" Xia Liang repeated.
Qin Shiya blinked. To be honest, he hadn't thought of a plan either. He could only sigh. "What can I do? I'll just let it sit for now. It's not like I know how to fly it. Anyway, it's valuable, so it makes for good eye candy."
Very good! This was so typically Xia Liang!
Qin Shiya had now witnessed Xia Liang flex his wealth in creative ways twice, but this time was still just as stunningly unexpected. A plane bought for 3,210 Yuan was just going to be left on display. She didn't even have the energy to comment anymore. After recomposing herself, she said, "What I mean is, if you're not using it, you could lease it to us. The price is negotiable."
Lease a plane? The request took Xia Liang by surprise.
"What's the matter? Your airline is short on planes?"
"We are! Of course we are!" Seeing the curiosity in Xia Liang's eyes, Qin Shiya began to explain. "Aside from the major airlines that own a couple hundred planes, most other airlines have very few. Some only have a handful. Our Qinhang Group just recently reached a total of twenty."
"Twenty planes? That's not bad at all," Xia Liang remarked, taking a sip of his coffee. "That's worth 120,000 RMB!"
At this, Qin Shiya shot him a glare. "What are you thinking? You don't actually believe airlines buy all their planes, do you?"
This time it was Xia Liang's turn to be startled. "They don't? If you can't even afford that much, why bother running an airline?"
Seeing the look on Xia Liang's face, Qin Shiya felt a blaze of frustration rise within her. She quickly took a sip of coffee to calm herself. "What are you talking about? Even the big airlines rarely purchase planes. Most are obtained through financing leases or are leased directly from banks. After all, airline profit margins aren't high, and planes are so expensive that even a full year's profit isn't enough to buy a single one."
After she finished, it was Xia Liang who was stunned, finding it hard to believe. "You mean your company doesn't even make 3,210 Yuan in a year?"
Barely suppressing the urge to strangle him, Qin Shiya nodded, speaking through gritted teeth. "That's right."
...
My goodness! An entire airline couldn't even earn 3,200 Yuan in a year, yet he could earn the equivalent of sixteen planes in a single month. In that instant, Xia Liang once again grasped just how obscenely wealthy he was.
He took another sip of coffee to calm his nerves. Seeing his reaction, Qin Shiya spoke again. "So, what are you thinking?"
"Lease it! Of course, I'll lease it! It's just sitting there anyway. Might as well let it make some money and recoup some of the cost."
Xia Liang's words delighted Qin Shiya. This was the very reason she had gone to such lengths today, practically groveling. Of the Qinhang Group's mere twenty planes, several were already approaching retirement age. The group had run into some trouble, causing problems with their financing leases. Although it was just one aircraft, it could solve their immediate and pressing need. Furthermore, with Xia Liang's financial power, there was potential for much deeper cooperation in the future.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Qin Shiya immediately took out a contract. "So, this is how the Dragon Country Bank lease contract works: for leasing one airplane, the rate of return is..."
"Wait! Stop, stop, stop!" Looking at the densely packed text, Xia Liang couldn't imagine how much trouble it would be to go over everything. "I don't need to hear all that. Just tell me directly, what's the annual net profit for one airplane?"
Clutching the contract, Qin Shiya was a bit stunned, not understanding his approach, but she answered instinctively. "A large passenger jet makes a profit of about three hundred Yuan a year. What's wrong?"
"Three hundred Yuan?" Xia Liang repeated, incredulous. "Just three hundred Yuan?! Damn it!" He was dumbfounded. If you bought one, it would take at least ten years just to break even. Now he finally understood why airlines always leased their planes.
Seeing his reaction, Qin Shiya nodded. "That's actually quite high. You have to remember that a plane has a lifespan of twenty years. You can basically recoup the cost in the first ten, and the next ten are pure profit."
Although what she said was logical, Xia Liang still found it hard to accept.
Twenty years, just to earn 3,000 Yuan... The monthly salary the System gave him was equivalent to what the Qinhang Group would have to work hard for eighteen years to earn. Okay, this was all because of the skewed prices. If converted to the old currency, that would be three billion. Thinking of it that way made it a little more bearable.
"Let's do this," Xia Liang said, deciding to keep it simple. "I can't be bothered with the details. We'll use your number: the plane makes a profit of 300 Yuan a year. You transfer me 18.75 Yuan every month for twenty years, and you can do whatever you want with the plane during that time. How does that sound?"
...
"This..." Qin Shiya was left speechless. While leasing from Dragon Country Bank was also complicated, it was nothing like this. Xia Liang's approach felt more like renting an apartment. It was strange, yet somehow exhilarating. She quickly did the math and realized this deal was actually more profitable for them than the one with Dragon Country Bank.
She made her decision on the spot. "Deal! Let's go print the contract right now."
Saying this, as if afraid he would change his mind, she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the coffee shop. In the presence of the Qinhang Group's legal department, the two formally signed the contract.
It wasn't until evening that Qin Shiya finally drove Xia Liang home.
"If I had known it would be this much hassle, I wouldn't have leased it!" Xia Liang grumbled to himself before slowly opening his laptop.
He hadn't forgotten that his mission for the month was to become an Anchor. He immediately turned on the computer and clicked the Feiyu TV icon. But when it came time to register, choosing a name stumped him.
Call myself Master of Emotions? No, that title is lame. Viewers would see it and have zero interest.
Success is never an accident. Before you make a name for yourself, you need an eye-catching title to draw viewers into your stream. Without a refreshing title, people won't even bother to click, let alone stick around and become fans. It's like, if a guy is really ugly, would you even care to find out what his personality is like? So, the 'hardware' is what's most important. After a moment of thought, Xia Liang nodded decisively. His slender hands danced across the keyboard as he typed out his title and description.
Room Title: [The Most Irritable Emotions Anchor on the Net. Snowflakes, Stay Out.]
This title played perfectly on herd mentality and contrarian psychology. It would compel anyone who glimpsed it to come take a look. After all, aren't all young people full of fighting spirit these days? You say you're irritable? Well, I'm even more irritable than you!