Liang Wu had made an appointnt at Magic Capital’s rcedes-Benz AMG Center, located on Hunan Highway in the Pudong New District. The place was quite large.
When they arrived at the dealership, the salesperson they had arranged to et was already waiting at the door.
She was a petite young woman, exuding charm, who introduced herself as Ms. Liu, the sales manager of the AMG Center.
She led the four of them into the showroom. A middle-aged, portly man not wearing a work uniform erged from inside and imdiately asked, "May I ask which of you is President Han?"
Liang Wu promptly stepped aside, bringing Han Lie into prominence.
"I am," Han Lie replied.
As Han Lie spoke, the portly man had already rushed over, eagerly extending both hands.
"Ah, President Han! It’s an honor to et you, truly an honor! Your visit graces our humble establishnt. I am Chen Debao, an old subordinate and friend of President Dou..."
Oh! Han Lie had a sudden realization.
Dou Mingde was quite influential in Magic Capital’s auto industry, despite his shortcomings in other areas.
Although his annual salary was only in the high hundreds of thousands, his rank was genuinely at the deputy-departnt level. He was often a distinguished guest on the main platform at industry-wide seminars.
Fatty Chen, besides dealing in rcedes-Benz, also operated other dealerships selling SAIC Motor products. He practically revered Dou Mingde.
If Han Lie hadn’t set his sights on the Phaeton or the Imperial Emperor Escalade, he wouldn’t have needed to co in person. A single word from Old Dou could have had a top-spec new car delivered right to the company building.
"President Chen, a pleasure. Thank you for taking the trouble," Han Lie said.
Han Lie, generally polite to those not directly tied to his interests, shook hands and exchanged a few pleasantries before the group headed straight for the showroom.
"President Han, the models you’re interested in, I’ve already prepared them," Chen Debao said. "They’re all top-spec new cars. If you find one you like, you can drive it away imdiately..."
These were indeed the two models Liang Wu had ntioned: the US-spec S550 and the S63 AMG.
Han Lie first examined the US-spec S550. It was nearly identical to the S500 sold dostically, both featuring a 5.5L V8 engine. However, the dostic S500’s displacent was reduced to 5.0L due to import taxes, making it slightly less powerful.
But this could actually be modified...Therefore, buying the US-spec S550 didn’t make much sense; its cost-effectiveness was too low.
As for the S63 AMG, it was visually striking and the rcedes-Benz model most aligned with Han Lie’s aesthetic preferences.
However, Han Lie didn’t examine it in detail. After a cursory glance, he sat in the rear to experience the ride comfort.
The version Fatty Chen had prepared was a four-seater executive model with exceptionally comfortable and spacious seats.
Han Lie glanced at the S65 parked nearby and saw no discernible difference. He casually asked, "What are the specific differences between the S63 and S65? And how do they compare to the S550?"
Fatty Chen glanced at Manager Liu. The young woman imdiately understood, stepped forward, and began to explain in detail.
"The S65 uses rcedes-Benz’s classic M279 engine, a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12. It’s incredibly powerful, but being rear-wheel drive, its 0-100 km/h acceleration is 4.2 seconds. The 2013 S63, on the other hand, has a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine with 4Matic all-wheel drive, achieving 0-100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds. The S63 offers lower fuel consumption, stronger performance, and a better driving experience. The S65 is equipped with a 5-speed automatic transmission because its imnse power is too much for the latest 7-speed transmissions. Without a skilled driver, it can be quite uncomfortable to drive yourself. As for the S550, it holds no advantages when compared to these two AMG models."
Curious, Han Lie personally sat in the driver’s seat of the S65 to get a feel for it. HMM... he didn’t notice anything particularly distinct.
"You take the S63 for a test drive," Han Lie gestured to Liang Wu, indicating for her to get behind the wheel, leaving Cheng Shi aside.
Liang Wu discreetly took the S63 for a spin. Han Lie remained in the driver’s seat of the S65, silent.
Cheng Shi appeared very nervous but didn’t dare utter a word.
Upon her return, Liang Wu proactively reported, "It drives very smoothly. The power delivery is steady, and the gear shifts are seamless."
"Alright, the S63 it is then," Han Lie decided.
He didn’t deliberately opt for the more expensive S65. After all, when it cos to cars, suitability is paramount.
Besides, if it turned out that the driver, Cheng Shi, wasn’t suitable, Liang Wu could manage the S63 well enough to drive for Han Lie. The S65, however, would be considerably more challenging for her.
Once the decision was made, Han Lie left with Liang Wu directly.
He didn’t need to handle the purchasing procedures; that was Financial Manager Liu Xiaofang’s responsibility.
Cheng Shi was left behind to drive the car. Han Lie instructed him, "Drive it directly to the company building. I won’t need it over the weekend."
Cheng Shi was clearly reluctant, but he ultimately just nodded in acknowledgnt.
Only when they were back in Liang Wu’s small car did Han Lie ask, "This Cheng Shi, through whose connections did he co here?"
"Dou Mingde," Liang Wu replied crisply, then voluntarily revealed the connections of other staff mbers. "Not ntioning President Zhao’s people, Financial Manager Liu Xiaofang was brought in by President Huang. Cashier Lin Xiui is Principal Zhang’s relative, and Office Director Li Dahai is connected to Jin ilun..."
Han Lie chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Well, well. Add Jiao Fangyan to the list, and it’s practically an Eight-Nation Alliance..."
This kind of situation was quite normal. With so much money entrusted to Han Lie, it was only natural for each stakeholder to send their own people to supervise and keep each other in check.Regardless of who sent them, none would dare cause trouble or, even less, offend the real BOSS.And Han Lie didn’t need to pay them any mind at all; he just needed to focus on himself.
Liang Wu shared this sentint. She dismissed the notion with a disdainful sniff and declared confidently, "What Eight-Nation Alliance? It’s more like envoys from all directions coming to pay tribute! Office politics, workplace infighting, managent difficulties—they’re all insignificant before you."
"Impressive, Manager Liang!" Han Lie chuckled, giving her a thumbs-up. Then he asked, "In your opinion, is Cheng Shi trustworthy?"
Liang Wu truly was a peculiar talent, always rising to the occasion during tests, and her words invariably hit the mark.
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