Chapter 19: Why Buy a Passat
In a daze, Su Shanglin suddenly felt someone grab him.
Standing behind him, Su Shiming spoke with a complicated expression, “Dad, don’t do anything foolish.”
Su Shanglin shook his head blankly. “I have nothing left now. This is karma, damn it. I’ve let you and your late mother down!”
“I myself feel I’ve been ignorant and muddle-headed all these years. Shiming, do you still want to call me your father?”
Su Shiming sighed. “A father and son share a lifetime bond. What grudge can’t be let go? Just try to move on.”
Su Shanglin stood there, stunned for a long time...
See that? This is the difference between a true son and a bastard!
“I have no face left to return to the Su family, nor to face my daughter-in-law and granddaughter.”
Su Shanglin said dejectedly, “Shiming, send me to a nursing home.”
Su Shiming nodded deeply. “Brother-in-law, could you help me find the best nursing home in Pearl City and take my father there? The Su Group is in utter chaos right now, I need to sort things out quickly.”
Lu Ye raised his hand in an OK gesture. “No problem.”
Pearl City People’s Hospital, Intensive Care Unit.
Lin Bei rushed in, only to be stopped outside the door. Through the glass, he could only see his father lying on the bed, his face pale, already connected to a ventilator and monitors, his chest riddled with tubes...
Lin Bei turned to the middle-aged man beside him and asked, “Uncle, my dad was fine when I left this morning. How did he suddenly end up in the ICU?”
“Acute stroke combined with a sudden cerebral hemorrhage, plus various complications. If I hadn’t found him in time, the consequences could have been much worse.”
Had Lu Ye been present, he would have been surprised to see that Uncle Lin was actually Lin Zhongze—he and Lin Bei’s father were cousins.
Lin Bei breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Uncle. How is my dad now? Is his condition stable?”
Lin Zhongze shook his head. “The doctors say the outlook isn’t good. There’s a lot of blood pressing on his brain tissue. Your dad may not wake up. You need to prepare yourself mentally.”
“What the hell is wrong with these lousy doctors? How can they not even wake a person up!” Lin Bei immediately lost control, shouting and yelling in the hallway.
A few passing doctors and nurses looked on with visible displeasure.
Lin Zhongze scolded, “Calm down!”
But Lin Bei thought, How am I supposed to be calm? The old man hasn’t even had time to write his will!
He also had a married sister. Even though the Lin family’s assets were intended for Lin Bei alone, without a will, if his father passed away...
According to inheritance law, his sister could take half the estate!
“Uncle, you have lots of connections. Do you know any famous doctors? As long as someone can wake my dad, I’ll pay any price!”
A famous doctor, huh?
Lin Zhongze thought carefully. He really didn’t have any doctor friends. But suddenly, Lu Ye’s name popped into his mind—maybe he could help!
“I don’t know any famous doctors, but I do have a sworn brother who’s quite remarkable. That strange illness I had recently? He’s the one who cured me.” The strange illness he referred to was the corpse rot poison. Many had watched him decline day by day, yet, inexplicably, he had suddenly recovered in the past couple of days.
“If Uncle recommends him, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Where is he now?” Lin Bei was desperate, willing to try anything.
Lin Zhongze said, “Don’t worry. Let me call him.”
He immediately took out his phone and called Lu Ye.
“Brother, can you treat a patient with cerebral hemorrhage and stroke?”
On the other end, Lu Ye replied, “Yes.”
“Here’s the thing. My cousin had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage this morning, collapsed from a stroke, and has been unconscious ever since. He’s now in the ICU at the People’s Hospital, and the doctors here are at a loss.”
“Brother, do you have time to come and take a look? Money is no issue.”
Lu Ye was currently fulfilling his father-in-law’s request, personally escorting Su Shanglin to a nursing home on the outskirts of the city. He replied, “Sorry, I can’t get away just yet. I’ll be free around noon.”
“How about this—you bring the patient to Cantonese Cuisine Restaurant at noon. I have a lunch appointment there; I’ll examine your cousin while I’m there.”
Lin Zhongze agreed without hesitation. “Alright, see you at noon!”
“See you at noon.”
After hanging up, Lin Zhongze relayed Lu Ye’s message to Lin Bei.
Lin Bei immediately frowned. “Uncle, is your sworn brother reliable? Why does my dad have to be taken to a restaurant?”
Lin Zhongze smiled calmly. “He’s a man of extraordinary abilities—not someone you can judge by ordinary standards!”
...
After settling Su Shanglin comfortably in the nursing home, Lu Ye drove alone to the Porsche dealership, leaving Su Qianqian’s Panamera there for repairs.
The dealership’s efficiency was truly infuriating. All they had to do was replace the windshield, doors, and hood with new parts, but the staff claimed they didn’t have spares and would have to order from overseas, so it would take at least half a month.
Wouldn’t that mean being without a car for half a month?
After thinking it over, Lu Ye decided to buy a new car himself! After all, he hadn’t spent a single cent of the six million he’d earned a few days ago, so buying another Porsche would be more than affordable.
However, Lu Ye thought Porsche was too ostentatious—not in line with his understated, cultured style.
Right next door was the Volkswagen dealership, so Lu Ye simply walked over.
The saleswoman there had just seen him drive the Porsche into the neighboring lot. Realizing she was dealing with a big spender, she greeted him warmly, “Hello, sir. Is there a particular model you’re interested in?”
Lu Ye didn’t even bother to look. He handed over his bank card and said boldly, “I want a black Passat, top of the line, full payment!”
The saleswoman’s eyes widened. “You want to take delivery today?”
Lu Ye nodded, calm and unfazed. “Yes. Money’s not a problem—just charge whatever you need.”
“If paying in full affects your commission, I’ll make up the difference with a tip.”
Damn, pretending to be a nouveau riche really does feel good.
Sure enough, the saleswoman accepted his card with tears of gratitude. “Wonderful! Sir, please wait a moment. I’ll handle the paperwork right away!”
Perhaps it was the rarity of such an easy customer or the promise of a big tip, but within twenty minutes, she had completed all the formalities for Lu Ye.
Lu Ye slid into the driver’s seat, patted the steering wheel with satisfaction. “Not bad. Let’s skip the delivery ceremony—I’ll just drive off.”
The saleswoman smiled at him with adoring eyes. “Take care, sir. Have a safe journey.”
...
Yi Ren Group, lunch break.
Lu Ye drove his brand-new Passat to the company entrance to pick up Su Qianqian and head to Cantonese Cuisine Restaurant together. Zhang Yunjie had said the night before that he would host a banquet there to apologize to both Lu Ye and Su Qianqian.
Today, Su Qianqian was especially radiant. The moment she stood at the entrance, the women around her seemed to fade into the background...
Lu Ye hurried out of the car, opening the passenger door to welcome Su Qianqian inside.
Su Qianqian looked surprised. “Hey, why’d you buy a Passat?”
Lu Ye grinned. “What do you think?”
“I’ve seen crash test videos from the China Insurance Research Institute. The airbags in this car don’t seem to protect your head.”
Lu Ye froze for a moment. “This car is pretty high-end!”
Su Qianqian repeated, “But its airbags don’t protect your head.”
Lu Ye insisted, “But the sound when you close the door is nice!”
Su Qianqian pursed her lips. “Still, the airbags don’t protect your head.”
Lu Ye choked up, “Enough! I’ll sell it this afternoon and buy a Camry instead!”
Su Qianqian said, “Don’t bother. Even used car dealers don’t take Passats anymore.”
“Why? Mine’s brand new—hasn’t even gone ten kilometers!”
Su Qianqian smiled. “Because its airbags don’t protect your head.”
Lu Ye was on the verge of tears after being roasted, silently disabling the airbag system as he drove Su Qianqian to the Cantonese Cuisine Restaurant...