Sitting in the luxurious backseat of the A8.
Enjoying the seat's massage function and looking at the sunshades on the windows.
For the first time, Zhu Min was experiencing the joys of being rich.
It even felt a little surreal.
'Is this really the kind of life our family can enjoy?'
She watched her tall, handsome son driving the A8.
Zhu Min couldn't resist taking out her Huawei Mate RS to snap a few pictures and post them to her Moments.
"My dear son got an A8. Mama finally has her own personal driver."
Not long after she posted, the likes quickly shot past 99+.
"Oh my god, Sister Zhu, your son is amazing! He bought an A8 at such a young age?"
"Sister Zhu, my daughter is about the same age as your son. We should find a chance for them to meet and get to know each other?"
"I'm so jealous, Sister Zhu. My son still asks me for living expenses every month. They're both sons, so why is the difference so huge?"
...
Qi Sheng, driving the car, had no idea his mom had just used him to show off.
When they arrived at Jianbei Market, Qi Sheng drove into the courtyard of the No. 5 Plastics Factory as if he knew the place like the back of his hand.
It was called a factory, but it was really just warehouses.
Qi Sheng's family sold flooring. They rented a small storefront and a modest warehouse in the courtyard to run a small wholesale business.
Normally, Qi Zhizhong rode a second-hand electric scooter to work, keeping a very low profile.
He didn't have much choice. The atmosphere in the courtyard was one of intense, constant comparison.
There were plenty of people driving Land Rovers and Land Cruisers.
Compared to those major businesses, Qi Sheng's family was just running a small operation to make a living.
But today was completely different.
The luxurious and imposing A8 pulled up and parked in front of a two-story building in the courtyard.
It immediately attracted a lot of attention.
At first, people thought it was some rich person coming to buy goods.
But when they saw Zhu Min get out of the backseat, many of the movers and bosses were stunned.
"Old Qi's wife?"
Zhu Min was five years younger than Qi Zhizhong, and when carefully dressed up, she had a certain elegance.
Coupled with her exiting an A8, people couldn't help but see her in a new, more respectful light.
"Oh, Brother Li, we're here to pick up Old Qi. Our son just got an A8, so we're having a family dinner tonight to celebrate."
Zhu Min had come here often in the past and knew this group of people well.
But before, Zhu Min always drove that Buick Excelle, which never made anyone pay her much mind.
Times had changed. The A8 instantly maxed out their prestige.
Hearing the commotion, Qi Zhizhong also walked out of the building.
When he saw the A8 that Qi Sheng had mentioned yesterday, Old Qi was also taken aback.
A luxury car worth over a million yuan was right there, real as could be, in front of his eyes.
And from now on, it would be a part of their lives.
Tsk. Qi Zhizhong's back instantly straightened.
Money was a wonderful thing. It could help a man reclaim his lost confidence.
Before, Qi Zhizhong had always felt a bit inferior at the market.
Everyone there was a business owner, and it was easy to get asked what kind of car you drove.
To save face, Old Qi had bought his wife a Buick Excelle with borrowed money.
But not buying one wasn't an option. A business owner without a car would be laughed out of town.
Naturally, no one would want to partner with you, let alone refer business your way.
But could the prestige of a Buick Excelle even compare to an Audi A8?
One was an entry-level sedan worth around 100,000 yuan.
The other was an executive-class luxury vehicle worth over a million!
A man's dignity—the A8 would give it to you!
"Haha, this kid made over two million yuan earlier and has been spending it like crazy. He secretly bought this A8, and he even bought his mom and me these Huawei Mate RS phones. One phone costs 12,999 yuan! These phone companies are absolute crooks."
Qi Zhizhong subtly showed off his new phone.
A Huawei phone worth over ten thousand yuan plus a million-yuan A8... it was almost too much face.
You couldn't just call Qi Zhizhong vain. A man lives for his pride.
He was always watching others show off, so why couldn't he get a turn for once?
"Tsk tsk, Xiaosheng is really something else. You should have him talk to my useless brat sometime. You're both young men, you're bound to have something in common."
Li Guorong, who usually looked down his nose at people, was making a rare effort to be warm and friendly to Qi Zhizhong's family today.
As a big boss worth tens of millions, he was one of the few truly wealthy people in the entire Jianbei Market.
Of course, it wasn't that he couldn't afford a million-yuan luxury car himself.
Rich people were practical. Seeing that Qi Sheng's family was on the rise, it cost nothing to be a little friendlier.
"There'll be a chance. But I'm heading to Chengdu in a little while. When I have time around the New Year, I'll be sure to stop by Uncle Li's house for a cup of tea."
Qi Sheng was poised and confident, even more so than his parents.
'As the man chosen by the System, what's a few tens of millions?!'
'A net worth in the hundreds of millions is just my starting point.'
'Right now, I'm still just in the warm-up phase before the race even begins.'
...
Sitting in the A8's backseat, Qi Zhizhong let out a long sigh.
If his son hadn't made it big, he never would have had the chance to sit in a luxury car like this in his entire life.
The car was over five meters long, and the space in the backseat was extravagantly large.
Crossing his legs was no problem at all.
All sorts of advanced features: seat massage, ventilation, heating, and so on.
Every detail showcased the opulence of a top-tier executive land vehicle.
After riding in a car like this, who would ever want to go back to their own Excelle?
Qi Zhizhong didn't snap out of his reverie until the car stopped in their residential community.
He hadn't realized they had arrived so quickly.
He had to admit, the backseat of a million-yuan A8 was ridiculously comfortable.
Paired with the top-of-the-line B&O sound system, it was pure bliss.
They entered Grandma's apartment. It was quiet and felt a bit deserted inside.
Grandpa had passed away early, leaving the old woman all by herself.
She usually lived alone, with her children visiting her periodically.
The old woman was pleasantly surprised to see her eldest grandson, Qi Sheng.
After Zhu Min helped Grandma change her clothes, the family went downstairs.
"Minmin, whose car is this?"
Although Grandma was over seventy, she wasn't the least bit senile.
Looking at the luxurious A8, the old woman was also a little dazed.
"Mom, Ah Sheng bought this. You can sit in the front passenger seat."
Zhu Min proudly helped her mother-in-law, her beaming smile incredibly infectious.
"Oh my, my dear grandson is so successful!"
Grandma was overcome with surprise and joy. It was only natural for the elderly to hope their descendants would be as successful as possible.
It wasn't that she wanted anything from them; it was simply the age-old hope for one's children and grandchildren to prosper.
Besides, Qi Zhizhong was her youngest son, and Grandma had always been exceptionally partial to him.
Sitting in the comfortable and spacious passenger seat, Grandma was also filled with emotion.
Just from the comfort of the seat, not to mention the high-end wood grain trim and leather wrapping visible all over the interior...
...this car definitely wasn't cheap.
"Minmin, how much does this car cost?"
Grandma turned to look at her daughter-in-law. The two of them got along quite well.
"Mom, this car cost 1.3 million yuan," Zhu Min replied with a smile.
"How much?"
Grandma was floored. "1.3 million?"
"That's right. Your grandson earned 2.4 million yuan in college and spent 1.3 million on this car. Oh, and this is some spending money from Ah Sheng for you. You can buy whatever you want with it."
As Zhu Min spoke, she took out a red envelope she had picked up on the way.
Inside was 10,000 yuan she had just withdrawn from an ATM.
Its bulging thickness showed that it was by no means a small sum.
"I can't take this. There's no reason for the younger generation to be spending money on the elderly."
Grandma tried to refuse. Qi Zhizhong and the others already gave her money for living expenses.
All by herself, she could never spend it all and even managed to save quite a bit.
"Please, just take it. This is a token of Ah Sheng's affection. Your grandson is successful now, and he wants to show his filial piety."
After some persuasion from Zhu Min, Grandma finally accepted it.
'I'll just wait for my future granddaughter-in-law to visit, and I can give it to her then,' she decided.
It was a good thing Qi Sheng didn't know, or he'd be forced to let the old woman experience the wickedness of the human heart.
Giving a ten-thousand-yuan red envelope to a single granddaughter-in-law? He'd probably empty out all of Grandma's life savings.