Chapter 372

Chapter 372: Expedition Automobile

Lin Mo heard his father, Lin Yuanfang’s voice calling from afar.

“Xiao Mo! You’ve arrived! I’ve been waiting for you! How come you’re only just here? Have you had lunch?”

There was likely a sense of anxiety rooted in the long absence from his son, even though he was no longer with Lin Mo’s mother.

“We’ve already had lunch, Dad. We ate out. This is my college classmate, Qi Fei—the ‘Qi’ in teamwork and the ‘Fei’ in the Philippines. She treated us today.” Lin Mo quickly introduced the girl beside him, but he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist.

Sss!

Lin Mo sucked in a breath of cold air, trying to act like nothing was wrong. That little hand was surprisingly strong; she could easily become an assassin!

Then he heard Qi Fei’s lovely voice beside him, “Hello, Uncle! I’m Qi Fei, ‘Fei’ from ‘the April flowers fade away.’”

“Oh, Qi Fei! Nice to meet you! Come in and sit down! Have some water!” Lin Yuanfang was particularly warm toward the girl beside his son, even showing an unusual glint in his eyes.

This girl looked rather charming; his son really did inherit his father’s good taste—very good!

“Why not say ‘Fei’ for a maid?”

As Lin Yuanfang turned to lead the way, Lin Mo heard a whisper only he and Qi Fei could catch. Great, this girl really had no sense of reason.

“Liu Feng, bring two bottles of afternoon red tea. This is my son Lin Mo and his classmate Qi Fei! Also, please bring me the latest product catalog.”

As the general manager of Expedition Automobile Sales Co., Lin Yuanfang treated his son’s classmate’s visit with more importance than a usual customer.

Once they entered the specialty car store, Qi Fei either out of curiosity or her professional habit looked around, trying to find something.

“Have a seat! Come on, tell Uncle what kind of car you want. The price and after-sales service will definitely not be a problem.” Lin Yuanfang was determined to impress his son, ready to go to any lengths, even taking a loss on a sale.

This level of personal service from the manager was rare in the industry. Even when Lin Yuanfang’s new wife, Yang Lian, brought important clients to buy cars, he usually just sent the retail manager Liu Feng to handle things.

“Dad, we’ll look around first! Help us narrow down our options.” Lin Mo had no intention of sitting down. He was a seasoned Fighter Pilot, but when it came to the automobile industry, he felt like a total novice, unable to even distinguish between a few brands.

“Alright, Uncle, we’ll look around!”

Qi Fei had a bit more knowledge about cars and pulled Lin Mo along. She was just using this opportunity to seek a good, genuine car to boost the image of the Moonlit Lotus Design Center and to make her own transportation more convenient.

Lin Yuanfang waved towards the spacious showroom and said, “Here, I mainly represent three brands: Buick, Volkswagen, and BMW.”

“Dad, didn’t you used to only do BMW 4S stores? How did you end up with two more brands?”

Lin Mo asked, puzzled. In his original world’s memories, Lin Yuanfang had been running a BMW 4S specialty store before he became a pilot.

These specialty stores typically had a single brand monopoly and did not allow others to enter; otherwise, they risked losing their franchise rights. It was quite strange for a showroom to have more than one brand.

“It’s just that competition is too fierce now. The car business isn’t as easy as it used to be. The market is like a battlefield. Several old competitors have stolen my share, resulting in me losing my dealership rights. If it weren’t for a friend helping me by providing two additional brands for retail, I might not even have the few BMW models left. Now I had to change from a brand-specific store to a multi-brand dealership.”

Lin Yuanfang forced a smile, but his tone couldn’t hide a hint of sadness. The harshness of business was a silent killer, full of schemes, where brand thievery was common—even siblings could fall to backbiting in business.

In this commercial turf war, everyone inevitably experiences a bit of a downturn.

However, seeing the concern in his son’s eyes, Lin Yuanfang didn’t want to let Lin Mo worry too much and brightened his tone: “Don’t worry! The total sales amount of the three brands we carry is still not lower than before.”

Though what he didn’t say was that while the sales amount hadn’t decreased, the profit margins had significantly shrunk. Could the profit from a Buick compare to that of a BMW?

With the sharp decline in sales profits and rising operational costs such as labor and utilities, Lin Yuanfang felt troubled, far from the spirited passion he had when starting out.

“Lin Mo, what about your dad’s Spada Codatronca? The one you showed off last time?”

Qi Fei whispered in Lin Mo’s ear, her breath tickling him.

“Spada? What’s that?” Clearly, Lin Mo had completely forgotten about it.

“The Spada Codatronca! The black sports car you took me for a ride in last year! I found out online that it’s worth four hundred million!”

Qi Fei was frustrated. Initially, she had planned to borrow it from Lin Mo and show off for a few days, but to her surprise, he didn’t seem to care at all.

“Oh! Oh!” Lin Mo suddenly remembered. That car wasn’t made of Gold Coins; it was purely a concept car, shocking that it was priced like a fighter jet! There wasn’t one in all of Asia. How could he find it?

Last time, Lin Mo had lied, using Lin Yuanfang as a shield. He couldn’t come up with another excuse to get his father to cover it up, so he couldn’t show even a hint of a flaw. Staying calm, he whispered back to Qi Fei, “That car was taken back a long time ago. My dad didn’t get the dealership rights, so he’s a bit upset about it. Don’t bring it up to him.”

Lin Mo knew he had to cover his tracks; otherwise, it might lead to trouble.

“Oh!” Qi Fei replied, understanding, flipping through the promotional material she had just received, completely drawn in by Lin Mo’s deception.

Though Lin Mo felt a cold sweat down his back from this unexpected situation, the pressure felt far worse than facing a battle in a foreign land. One lie required a hundred more to cover it up. If the topic continued, it would surely lead to endless troubles.

“Have you found anything you like? For under a hundred thousand, you could consider the Buick ‘Excelle,’ even though it’s been discontinued, the 2012 version is still quite mature. For over a hundred thousand, the Volkswagen ‘Sagitar’ and Buick ‘Excelle’ are options. If you’re looking for something over two hundred thousand, the Volkswagen ‘Passat’ would be suitable, and the ‘Tiguan’ above that. Many girls prefer larger vehicles, especially the ‘Tiguan’ with off-road capabilities, as it gives a greater sense of safety. If you want something more upscale, you could pick a BMW. I don’t carry the Brilliance BMW, but I have the imports in stock. The 530 is available, and if you need a 745, I can arrange it. Even though I lost the 4S franchise, I still managed to retain some models. I personally recommend the sedan versions, which have more space and are easier for girls to handle…”

As Lin Yuanfang spoke about cars, his professional instincts kicked in, making him even more talkative than an average sales manager. It was like opening a floodgate, as he compared the pros and cons of various vehicles, all while observing Qi Fei’s expressions to tailor different options for her.

At the end, he winked at Lin Mo, signaling that he was laying the groundwork for him; now it was up to Lin Mo to take the next step. Lin Mo rolled his eyes in response.

“Uh!”

Qi Fei blinked. Although she had researched quite a bit about cars before buying one, she didn’t expect that in front of a professional, her knowledge was still insufficient. This was her classmate’s father, revealing various insider insights.

For instance, the Excelle didn’t have battery charge indicators, the Excelle with turbo increased fuel consumption significantly, and some car models used plastic foam instead of metal for crash protection.

If it were a regular car salesperson, they would have likely led her on a wild goose chase, making her dizzy and coaxing her into placing an order before she even knew it.

“Lin Mo, don’t look blank. Help me out with some advice.”

Qi Fei nudged the dazed Lin Mo; he seemed wowed by his dad just like she was. Though both were industrial machines burning fuel, the variety of cars was far greater than planes, revealing layers of complexity.

“I… I have no idea?” The Dragon Knight found himself completely out of his depth; if they were talking about fighter jets, he could keep up, but cars were beyond him. He could only respond to Qi Fei’s questioning gaze, “It depends on how much money you have. If you have a hundred thousand, there’s one way to buy it, and if you have a million, that’s another.”

“You’re so useless…” Qi Fei had hoped the Fighter Pilot could help her but was disappointed that even though he was adept at handling complex fighter jets, he couldn’t manage a simple car purchase.

“This cross-industry gap is too big,” Lin Mo grimaced, feeling like a bitter melon. He realized that even Gold Coins, known for their search capabilities, couldn’t help here.

“Xiao Mo is right, Qi Fei. What’s your budget?” Seeing his son lost for words, Lin Yuanfang chuckled, speaking calmly. “You need to consider where you’ll use the car. If it’s for city commuting, then anything under one hundred thousand, around a 1.4-litre engine should suffice. If you’re driving away, a car between one hundred and three hundred thousand is more suitable. If you plan on traveling occasionally, aim for over a 2.0-litre engine, with a higher chassis, brighter lights, and some off-road capabilities. If it’s for business purposes, for impressive appearances, you should choose a BMW or Mercedes.”