Chapter 6: An Otaku's Dream Comes True

After calculating the balances of his various savings cards and discovering that the cumulative funds across more than 30 cards had reached several hundred million yuan, Wang Fan immediately planned to purchase the first property and the first private car of his life. As a guy with a "homebody" attribute, he had felt the urge to buy a house as early as six months ago; now that the money had suddenly appeared, he could no longer control himself. "I want to buy a house, I want a big house." Driven by such urgent emotions, Wang Fan quickly arrived at a real estate project he had long been eyeing: the sales office of Xingshang Diamond Mountain.

Xingshang Diamond Mountain was located on the west side of Weijin North Road in the Nankai District of Jinhai City, adjacent to the Olympic Sports Garden. It covered an area of 120,000 square meters with a total construction area of 180,000 square meters. The overall planned product was low-density townhouses supplemented by 70,000 square meters of supporting public facilities. It featured an 80-meter all-season heated swimming pool, a squash court, a gym, a wine cellar, a cigar lounge, a cafe, an art gallery, a piano room, and more. To borrow a phrase from a certain person, it was a place built for the rich; it had nothing to do with the poor.

"Hello, welcome to Xingshang Diamond Mountain," a sales lady at the office greeted him politely. Entering such a high-priced and luxurious sales office for the first time, Wang Fan felt a bit nervous. He took a careful look at the sales lady opposite him; she wasn't as stunningly beautiful as described in many fantasy novels. She was 165cm tall with long hair, but instead of letting it hang loose, she had tied it into a beautiful ponytail. Her makeup was somewhat heavy, but not to the point of being repulsive. She had large eyes surrounded by smoky eyeshadow and wore a decent professional outfit—black on the outside and white on the inside. Her attitude wasn't exactly enthusiastic, but it wasn't cold either; she didn't look down on him for his ordinary clothing as described in books.

"Hello, I'd like to see the houses here. Could you give me an introduction?"

"It is my great honor to be your property consultant. This way, please."

The two arrived in front of a model sand table shimmering with small colorful lights. The first impression the sand table gave was one of exquisite craftsmanship; several finely made villa models immediately conveyed a sense of beauty to the visitor, while the models of green flowers and trees surrounding the villas enhanced the peaceful, leisurely, and romantic atmosphere.

"These are the five exterior styles of our Xingshang Diamond Mountain villas. Each one can be opened layer by layer to observe the interior room design and decoration style. Beside this is the villa distribution diagram. The villas surrounding the artificial lake are priced higher, while those closer to the road are lower. Which villa are you interested in?"

"What are the areas? And what is the price per square meter?"

"The areas are 180, 240, 300, and 360 square meters respectively. The unit price near the lake is 26,000 yuan per square meter, and near the road is 20,000 yuan."

Before coming here, Wang Fan's restless heart had gradually calmed down upon entering the sales office, and his demeanor had become much more steady. Although the sense of inflation from his overnight wealth had once dominated his brain and thoughts, the cautious and conservative personality traits he had cultivated over many years still influenced his way of thinking. "If I pay in full, is there a discount?"

"A one percent discount, 1%."

"Oh, are there model homes?"

"We don't have model homes, but the ready-to-move-in houses are all available. You can view the actual properties."

"I quite like that 300-square-meter one. I'd like to see it, is that okay?"

Wang Fan chose a villa slightly further from the artificial lake, located in the southeast corner of the entire community. People entering and exiting the community wouldn't necessarily pass by it, making it quite quiet.

"Sir, it's like this: to view the actual houses, you need to present a proof of deposit of over 1 million yuan. This is our company's regulation, please understand!"

"Haha, no problem!" Wang Fan thought to himself that there really was a threshold here. He had always heard rumors that everywhere you went to view houses, they required proof of deposit and discriminated against the poor; he had indeed encountered it this time. Of course, the real estate company's reasoning was very sound: reduce costs; customers without actual purchasing power are not our target customers, and since they don't bring profit, they naturally cannot enjoy "God-like" treatment.

After going to the bank to check his card balance, Wang Fan finished touring the villas under the sales lady's service, which was much more respectful than before. They were very good—fully decorated in a Nordic minimalist style, ready for immediate move-in. Thus, he signed the contract, swiped his card, and completed the procedures. An hour later, Wang Fan held the keys to his house. For the 6.72 million yuan he spent, he received VIP service. His first feeling: how refreshing!

Having a house, he naturally needed a car. Before his unexpected encounter, Wang Fan had always had a dream: to own a Volvo S80. Why did he like Volvo? The reason was somewhat complex. Originally, it was because he was conquered by a single sentence: "People who can afford a Volvo can also afford a Mercedes, but those who choose a Volvo are more reserved!" Wasn't Wang Fan's "homebody" attribute the ultimate expression of being reserved? At least Comrade Wang Fan insisted that he was a "flower of the motherland" with quality, cultivation, goals, and pursuits.

Of course, the intellectual Wang Fan wouldn't be so blindly devoted just because of a slogan. He chose Volvo also because its main selling point was safety. A car company dedicated to building the world's number one safety brand, which had been acquired by a car company from the Yanhuang Republic a few years ago, further solidified Comrade Wang Fan's determination to buy. *I buy a car, I am patriotic; I resolutely will not buy a Japanese car!*

What Comrade Wang Fan had his eye on was the flagship of the Volvo S-series, the Volvo S80. Its elegant curves, paired with silver paint, made it look like a silver elf gliding down the road. Every time he saw a silver Volvo S80, Comrade Wang would stop to watch for three seconds (actually, he could watch longer, but he was worried about being looked down upon by others).

Of course, some might ask why he didn't buy a Phaeton, which was of better quality and more pragmatic and low-key. The reason? Weren't there various "miraculous encounters" rumored to happen after buying a Phaeton?

For instance, a big brother bought a W126.0 Phaeton, which triggered the following events One day, as the big brother was entering a parking lot and using automatic parking, the attendant shouted at him, "Hey, drive that Passat carefully! Don't hit that new BMW 3 next to it, you can't afford the damages!" The big brother roared, "My car is worth five of those!"

One day, the big brother was at a gas station. In a moment of distraction, the gas station girl aimed a 93-octane nozzle at his car. The big brother broke into a sweat and yelled, "I want 97! Who told you to take the initiative to pump 93!" The girl kindly replied, "Big brother, it's absolutely fine to put 93 in a Passat. I pump 93 into so many Passats every day. 93 saves money; there's no need to use 97 for a Passat or a BMW."

One day, the big brother went to a nightclub to pick up a girl. After picking out a beauty, they agreed to go out for late-night snacks and then the second half of the party. Seeing the big brother's extraordinary temperament, the beauty walked with him to the parking lot. As soon as she saw his Phaeton, she turned and walked away, saying, "You have the nerve to ask me for late-night snacks while driving a Santana? If I had known, I would have gone with the guy in the Camry..."

One day, the big brother invited a high-ranking government official to dinner and drove to his house to pick him up. The big brother respectfully opened the car door, but when the official approached and saw it, he said, "I think I'll just have my driver bring out the A6."

One day, the big brother went to pick up a friend. There were many unlicensed "black taxis" at the entrance of the community. While waiting in the car, he heard the drivers discussing: "Such a good car is out working for fares too?" Another said, "Maybe it belongs to a company, but a Passat must use at least 8 liters per 100km." The big brother rolled down his window and roared, "My car uses 17 liters per 100km!!!"

One day, an important friend of one of the big brother's friends was getting married and needed a heavy-weight lead car. Being a generous man, despite his immense love for his car, the big brother lent it out. When the friend returned the car, the big brother asked proudly, "How was it? Did it make you look good in front of your friends?" The friend sighed, "Don't even mention it. My friend insisted it was just an old model of a Passat and wasn't flashy enough. In the end, he spent money to rent a current red sports car for the wedding procession. Your car was relegated to the very last spot in the convoy, specifically to pick up the elderly and children."

One day, as the big brother had finished parking and was about to walk away, he heard two young men talking behind him. One said, "Look, wow, a Phaeton!" The big brother felt a sense of satisfaction; finally, someone who knew quality. Just as he was feeling great, he heard the other young man say, "Damn, who would be an idiot enough to buy that?"

Therefore, to avoid looking for trouble in the future, Wang Fan decided on the S80. The Volvo S80 4S dealership was on Xianyang Road, not far from the Xingshang Diamond Mountain sales office. So, he hailed a taxi—go with his style!

But what our protagonist didn't know was that after the pretty girl who received him (to be polite, let's call her that) saw him leave, she woke up from her dream of her monthly bonus increasing by 30,000 yuan and lamented, "They say truly wealthy people are low-key. I've received so many people and never noticed, but this time I really met one. He keeps taking taxis back and forth; so low-key!"

Upon arriving at the Volvo 4S dealership, Wang Fan took a careful look. He had to admit that before, because he lacked the strength to buy one, he mostly focused on the cars driving on the road and paid no attention to 4S stores. Now that he had the ability, he observed the showroom decor closely. His first impression was cleanliness, and his second was minimalism. The two-story 4S store was blue and white, making it particularly eye-catching amidst a sea of burgundy buildings.

Entering the store, he found that besides Volvo's standard blue and white, there was also Sweden's most classic yellow. The warm yellow color scheme made the entire showroom feel harmonious and cozy. On one side of the large showroom were the Volvo display cars, and on the other was the after-sales service and reception area. Wang Fan's clothing fabric was cheap and could not be called sophisticated. Consequently, although the guide greeted him proactively, Wang Fan could still see a sense of routine-based perfunctoriness in her eyes. Comrade Wang Fan was no longer angry about this; he understood that in this consumerist society, people naturally divide customers into different tiers when pursuing profit!

When he requested to see the Volvo S80, the guide led him to the actual vehicle. Upon his first careful observation, the S80 was truly beautiful. The wide radiator grille, paired with the muscular V-shaped lines on the hood, successfully created a visual focal point. The high waistline design had a highly fashionable, mixed-style feel, and the smooth curves made the lines appear more concise and dynamic. The elegant taillight assembly, supplemented by a piano-black rear end, brought the word "elegance" to mind instantly.

The interior was clean and simple. The navigation system above the center console featured a full Simplified Chinese interface with a retractable screen, capable of precise positioning via the GPS satellite system. The floating center console extended all the way to the rear seats, allowing for the storage and connection of auxiliary devices like an iPod. The 12-channel Dynaudio speakers provided an exquisite audio experience. There were two curtain airbags on the sides and four airbags in the front; from the front and sides, they would form a tent-like protective airbag bag, ensuring the safety of the driver and passengers during travel.

After requesting a test drive, the guide paused for a second—perhaps because he was the only customer in the store—but she agreed. She led Wang Fan to a small lounge area in the first-floor showroom, had a colleague have him sign an agreement, and then went to find a test driver to prepare the car.

The test driver she found was indeed professional; he gave Comrade Wang a thorough experience of 0-100 km/h acceleration and emergency braking, and his explanations were professional and on point.

Alright, to affirm the guide's "verbal" labor, Wang Fan signed the contract, swiped his card, picked up the car, and left. Having spent 360,000 yuan, he officially joined the ranks of car owners.