How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 466

The Gift for Arnold—What’s Wrong with a Ride-Hailing Driver Having Some Money?

Star Investment enjoys a worldwide reputation, so Xu Yang naturally knows about it.

However, he doesn’t believe the boss of such an impressive investment company would be so accessible. [Accessible here meaning easy to meet or approach.]

Mainly because you can’t find photos or videos of Yang Chen, the boss of Star Investment, online. No one knows what he looks like.

However, to be cautious, Xu Yang still smiled and shook Yang Chen’s hand, saying, “So you are President Yang from Star Investment. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Gao Minmin asked with a puzzled face, “What does Star Investment do?”

Xu Yang: “A few months ago, they shook up the global oil industry and the US banking industry. Even Buffett took a hit. These were all major moves by Star Investment. As the behind-the-scenes boss of Star Investment, President Yang must be very powerful in terms of investment ability and capital.”

Yang Chen: “You flatter me. You guys go ahead; we’re going to buy something too.”

At this moment, a girl passed by and suddenly stopped, frowning as she looked at Yang Chen. Then she said, “You’re a ride-hailing driver, right? I’ve been in your car. I remember it very clearly. That day, I was dumped and had a few drinks. I asked you if you believed in love, and you actually told me it was 500 if I threw up in the car. Am I wrong?”

Yang Chen’s memory is top-notch, and he quickly recalled the incident.

“Oh, right, right, right, I remember now. Judging by your accent, you’re from Hai City [a major city in China]. What are you doing here?” Yang Chen said with a smile.

Girl: “I came to visit Beijing. You’re the strange one. Aren’t you driving a ride-hailing car in Hai City? Why are you in Beijing? Could it be that you made money driving a ride-hailing car and you’re taking your girlfriend to SKP [a high-end shopping mall in Beijing] for a shopping spree?”

Yang Chen: “Haha… You’re right, I did make some money. My girlfriend has been good, so I’m taking her to buy something.”

Girl: “Your girlfriend is so pretty! But you’re also very handsome. You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. It’s only right that you have such a beautiful girlfriend. Well, we’re leaving. We won’t disturb your time together.”

Yang Chen: “Okay, thank you. I wish you a pleasant shopping experience too.”

The girl pulled her best friend into SKP, still discussing how Yang Chen and Zhuo Wenjun were a handsome couple, so pleasing to the eye.

This girl didn’t have any malice. It was just that Yang Chen’s impression on her was too deep. Now that she met him at the entrance of SKP, it was only natural to say hello.

If a man met an impressive female driver in another setting, he would definitely chat with her.

But!

Xu Yang and Gao Minmin next to him didn’t see it that way. They were good at grasping the key points: Yang Chen is a ride-hailing driver.

He pretended to be the boss of Star Investment just now, but he was instantly exposed by a passenger. Haha, that’s so funny.

Xu Yang: “President Yang, I didn’t expect you to have a hobby of driving ride-hailing cars.”

Yang Chen: “Yes, I just drive around for fun when I have nothing to do.”

Gao Minmin: “Handsome, stop joking. A person who can shake up even the United States would have time to drive a ride-hailing car? His time is so precious, millions of dollars every minute. Do you think he would drive a ride-hailing car? Wenjun, your boyfriend is not honest; don’t be fooled by him.”

Zhuo Wenjun: “He didn’t lie to me.”

Gao Minmin: “But the passenger just recognized him. Don’t just look at him because he’s handsome. You know you’re being deceived, but you’re not willing to admit it.”

Zhuo Wenjun: “I can’t explain too much to you. Go buy your things, and we’ll go shopping too. I’m very happy to see you again. I wish you a pleasant shopping experience.”

Yang Chen: “Yes, I wish you a pleasant shopping experience. Be sure to buy more.”

Xu Yang: “Haha… That’s for sure. Or should we go together?”

Zhuo Wenjun: “No, no, thank you. You guys go shopping. We’ll just wander around and not waste your time.”

Xu Yang and Gao Minmin looked at each other, then turned and walked away.

Gao Minmin whispered, “It’s so funny. In order not to be outdone by me, she actually had her boyfriend pretend to be the boss of Star Investment.”

Xu Yang: “I understand her. You found such an awesome boyfriend like me, she definitely wouldn’t dare to say her boyfriend is a ride-hailing driver; otherwise, wouldn’t she lose face in front of you?”

Gao Minmin hugged Xu Yang’s arm with a proud face, saying, “That’s true. Actually, I wouldn’t discriminate against her for finding a ride-hailing driver boyfriend, but it’s wrong for her to lie. I really despise that.”

Xu Yang: “Okay, let’s not talk about it. Adjust your mindset. When you see Arnold later, be sure to act generously and appropriately. If we can win the OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer, meaning contract manufacturing] rights for LVMH Group’s [a luxury goods conglomerate] brands in Dragon Country, you can come and buy LV bags every month in the future.”

Gao Minmin: “Hehe… I know. Don’t worry, I will definitely perform well.”

Xu Yang nodded with a smile and took Gao Minmin straight to the LV flagship store.

Yang Chen took Zhuo Wenjun to the underground supermarket to buy some fruits. Eating more fruits is good for the body, and even the water tastes sweet.

Zhuo Wenjun: “Brother Chen, I’m sorry; I didn’t expect to meet my former classmates.”

Yang Chen: “What’s there to be sorry about? I’m happy that they came to SKP to buy things. I can get a little more bonus at the end of the year. Why should I be sorry?”

Zhuo Wenjun: “Hehe… That’s right. SKP is yours, and the mall gets 20% of the sales revenue. They’re giving you money by coming to buy things. I hope they can come more often in the future, so my bags will be taken care of.”

Yang Chen: “Haha… You’re right to understand it that way. Do you still feel embarrassed now?”

Zhuo Wenjun shook her head like a rattle, saying, “I don’t feel embarrassed anymore. Hehe…”

Zhuo Wenjun was in a great mood and chose a large cart of fruits from all over the world.

Yang Chen told the supermarket manager to send these fruits to Zhuo Wenjun’s home and then took her upstairs to go shopping.

Girls like brand-name items, and Zhuo Wenjun is no exception.

However, she is particularly able to control her desires. She likes them, but it’s not like she has to buy them.

Yang Chen said that the money can’t be saved and it’s a waste not to spend it.

Zhuo Wenjun had no choice but to obediently go to the LV store to choose her favorite bags.

The clerk saw Yang Chen coming and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Clerk: “Hello, Mr. Yang, hello, madam. Please take a look around. Call me when you need anything.”

Yang Chen nodded and said, “Go and help other guests; we can choose by ourselves.”

Yang Chen is a regular customer of this store, and the clerks know his habits.

He never needs a waiter when he buys things. He doesn’t ask the price when he sees something he likes.

So, the clerk quickly nodded and went to greet other guests.

Yang Chen took a light yellow classic bag for Zhuo Wenjun and said, “How about this? I feel it matches the dress you wore yesterday.”

Zhuo Wenjun: “Hehe… I think it matches too. How much is this?”

Yang Chen: “It seems to be 68,000 or so?” [Referring to the price in Chinese Yuan, or Renminbi (RMB)]

Yang Chen has bought this one before, and it costs 68,000.

When Zhuo Wenjun heard that it cost 68,000, she instinctively felt it was too expensive, so she quickly put it back and said, “This is too expensive; I would think 18,000 is expensive.”

At this time, Gao Minmin next to her said with a smile, “What are you buying LV for with 18,000? You should switch to other domestic brands. Since you’re here to buy LV, of course you should choose limited editions.”

Xu Yang: “President Yang, Miss Zhuo, what a coincidence; we meet again. What, are you here to buy LV bags too? The bags here are very expensive, and a good one costs hundreds of thousands. President Yang has to drive a ride-hailing car for a year without eating or drinking to buy one. I don’t think Miss Zhuo needs to force him so much. Love doesn’t need material things to maintain, and you should act according to your ability. If you force him like this, there are only two results: either he can’t stand it and breaks up with you, or he borrows money to buy it for you, but he still has to pay it back later. I think people should establish correct consumption habits and buy things within their ability, instead of buying whatever they want just because it’s good. Miss Zhuo, do you think I’m right?”

Zhuo Wenjun: “I don’t think you’re very right. We can afford this bag, but I don’t think it’s necessary to spend so much money on a bag. We’re just looking around; you don’t need to pay attention to us, go pick your own. Be sure to buy more.”

Gao Minmin: “You don’t need to tell us that; we’ve already chosen 3 limited editions.”

Zhuo Wenjun: “Why only 3? Didn’t you say you were going to visit LV boss Bernard? Can you call it sincerity if you only buy 3 bags?”

Xu Yang: “Hehe… Miss Zhuo is right; that’s what I think too. So I brought Minmin to continue choosing bags. Today I’m going to spend 1 million [Chinese Yuan], and I will definitely show my sincerity. President Yang, you should take her to other stores; the things in this store are expensive. It’s not easy for you to earn money driving a ride-hailing car, so don’t waste it on these unimportant things.”

Yang Chen nodded and said, “Thank you for the reminder, President Xu. However, I think if you want to please the president of LVMH Group, 1 million is not enough. If 1 million is converted into euros, it’s only a little over 100,000. If it were you, would you think a little over 100,000 is a lot of sincerity?”

Um?

Xu Yang felt that what Yang Chen said made sense. He had overlooked the exchange rate issue.

A gift of 1 million Dragon Country coins is definitely enough in Dragon Country, even enough to bail out a death row inmate.

But Arnold is dealing with euros. According to the exchange rate, 1 million Dragon Country coins is only more than 130,000 euros. How can this impress the world’s richest man?

You can’t catch a wolf without taking the bait. Xu Yang gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and said, “President Yang’s reminder is right. I said 1 million is just the bottom line; there is no upper limit. As long as I can choose the right things, I will definitely buy them.”

Yang Chen: “Okay. Then you continue to choose; we’ll go look elsewhere.”

After speaking, Yang Chen pulled Zhuo Wenjun away.

The more Xu Yang buys, the more dividends Yang Chen gets from the mall and LVMH Group.

Money is coming, of course Yang Chen is willing to be polite to him.

Let them buy first, and after they finish buying, Yang Chen will take Zhuo Wenjun over to see.

Xu Yang said to Gao Minmin, “Continue to choose; we will buy according to the standard of two million. Arnold has just become the world’s richest man; if we buy too little, he may really look down on us. As long as we can get the OEM order from LVMH Group, we can earn this little money back quickly.”

Gao Minmin was so excited, she couldn’t wait to call Yang Chen her godfather.

His words doubled Xu Yang’s shopping amount, which made her very happy.

“Hehe… No problem, leave it to me!” Gao Minmin said excitedly.

Unknowingly, half an hour passed.

With Gao Minmin’s efforts, Xu Yang finally spent 2.2 million.

If Xu Yang hadn’t stopped him in time, Gao Minmin could have continued to choose.

Gao Minmin: “The things have been chosen; what should I do next? I didn’t see the Arnold you mentioned.”

Xu Yang: “He is in the conference room on the second floor listening to the store manager’s report; he should be down soon. When the store manager comes down, we will go to pay the bill.”

Gao Minmin: “Oh, okay.”

Zhuo Wenjun whispered, “They seem to have chosen; they bought a lot.”

Yang Chen: “It seems that he really wants to please Arnold; he should want to get the OEM order. He thinks too simply; is the OEM order of LVMH Group so easy to get? At least I can’t get past this level. Last time in Shenzhen [a major city in China], I encountered the problem of counterfeit and shoddy products in the OEM factory. In the future, OEM factories must be strictly reviewed. A boss who blatantly says he wants to please Arnold is definitely not a person who can keep secrets, and we can’t cooperate with his factory.”

As everyone knows, LV and other brands claim that there are no OEM factories, and all products are produced in the original place and then shipped to stores around the world for sale.

However, anyone with a little brain knows that this is impossible.

First, the cost is too high.

Second, productivity can’t keep up.

Third, the cycle is too long.

In order to solve these problems, LVMH Group has OEM factories in Dragon Country, South Vietnam, etc.

It’s just that these factories have signed confidentiality agreements, and they can’t claim to be OEM factories of LVMH Group to the outside world, and they guarantee that there will be no so-called tail goods [slightly imperfect products sold at a discount], defective products, etc., flowing out.

The online celebrity selling fake goods problem encountered in Shenzhen last time, some of which were tail goods and defective products.

Therefore, even Yang Chen, who has never asked about the company’s management and operation, must now give Arnold some advice, carefully select OEM factories, and be sure to make an example of any non-compliant OEM factories to deter others.

Gao Minmin directly stated that their purpose of coming to Beijing this time was to visit Arnold in order to show off in front of Zhuo Wenjun. This kind of person is a time bomb. Maybe one day the whole world will know that Xu Yang’s company is an OEM factory of LVMH Group.

Even if Arnold accepts Xu Yang today, as long as Yang Chen is unwilling, the cooperation between the two parties will not be successful. At worst, he will use his shareholder power to fight Arnold head-on.

However, as long as Arnold has no problems with his brain, he will definitely not fight a factory with unknown details against the second shareholder, not to mention that this second shareholder is richer than him and dares to shake up the US banking industry.

At this time, the table was full of bags selected by Xu Yang and Gao Minmin, looking like twenty or thirty.

The customers next to him were stunned; is this coming to LV to buy goods wholesale?

“The shopping method of local tyrants [a Chinese term for nouveau riche] is really rough; is this coming to buy goods wholesale?”

“Oh my god, I buy one a year, and my husband still grumbles at me. Look at how many people buy at once; where can I find such a husband? I want to change one.”

“Other people’s boyfriend series; alas, I envy the tears that flowed from the corners of my mouth.”

…

Xu Yang heard the praise from the people around him and suddenly felt a sense of pride rushing up in his heart, and it was very intoxicating, and he felt a little fluttery.

At this time, the store manager came out with Arnold.

Xu Yang quickly asked to swipe his card to pay the bill.

Store manager: “President Xu, why are you here?”

Xu Yang: “Haha… Hello, Manager Ge; I’m here to buy something.”

Store manager: “Wow, were these all bought by President Xu?”

Xu Yang: “Yes! I bought them. I especially like your LV products. It’s rare to come here once, so of course I have to buy more.”

Store manager: “Thank you, President Xu, for your love. Oh, let me introduce you; this is Mr. Arnold, President of our LVMH Group.”

Xu Yang: “Oh, this is Mr. Arnold. I’ve heard so much about you, and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Mr. Arnold, hello; I’m Xu Yang, the boss of Ailu Leather Co., Ltd. I’ve always wanted to find an opportunity to visit your LVMH Group and seek cooperation. I didn’t expect to meet Mr. Arnold here today by such a coincidence.”

Arnold: “Hello, Mr. Xu. Thank you for your support of LV.”

Xu Yang: “It should be, it should be; such good products should be available to consumers all over the world. I have always admired Mr. Arnold very much. I heard that you have recently become the richest man in the world, and I admire you even more. It’s rare to meet you today, so I will give all these bags to Mr. Arnold as an expression of my admiration for you. I hope Mr. Arnold will not refuse.”

Arnold understands the principle of “eating people’s mouths softly and taking people’s hands short” [a Chinese idiom meaning accepting favors creates obligation], and he dare not easily accept Xu Yang’s gift.

However, he also understood that Xu Yang came for him today, not simply to buy things.

Even the store manager is lying; she must have told Xu Yang his whereabouts.

Is the world’s richest man so easy to fool?

These two goods don’t even think about it.

Arnold said with a smile: “This is the first time we meet; it is not appropriate for me to accept so many gifts from you. Manager Ge, are you and President Xu in a good relationship?”

Manager Ge: “President Xu is a member of our store. According to the company’s regulations, we must regularly maintain the relationship with our member customers, so I occasionally contact President Xu to say hello and promote new products and store activities, etc.”

Arnold: “What I mean is, did you tell President Xu my whereabouts?”

Manager Ge: “Of course not. President Wu told me not to reveal your whereabouts; how dare I reveal your whereabouts.”

Xu Yang: “Mr. Arnold, don’t misunderstand; I just happened to be here. I didn’t notify Manager Ge before I came; she didn’t know I was coming.”

Arnold is a stubborn old man, and he will not easily change the truth he believes in.

He felt that Manager Ge had revealed his whereabouts to Xu Yang, and that they were lying to him by not admitting it.

Since Xu Yang lied to him, he would lie to Xu Yang once in return, which is very fair, right?

Also, this Manager Ge cannot be kept, and she will be replaced when Wu Yue arrives.

Arnold said with a smile: “Then I will thank President Xu for the gift. However, if I accept so many gifts from you, shouldn’t I do something for you? Otherwise, I will not feel at ease. Tell me, what can I do for President Xu?”

Xu Yang twisted and turned, and before he could speak, Gao Minmin next to him refused and whispered: “You gave all the bags to him, then what about me? I chose for a long time, but I didn’t get one?”

Fortunately, she spoke Dragon Country language, and Arnold couldn’t understand it.

Xu Yang immediately turned his head and glared at Gao Minmin, then turned his head and said to Arnold with a smile: “It’s not expensive, only 300,000 euros. If Mr. Arnold really has this intention, I will invite you to dinner tonight and chat slowly. I will go to Tang Court [a high-end restaurant in Shanghai] to book a meal now. Tang Court is the only Michelin three-star restaurant in Dragon Country, and there will definitely be dishes that Mr. Arnold likes.”

Arnold: “Haha… No need to eat; I have an appointment tonight. You can say what you want here; I have accepted your gift openly, and you can also openly tell me what requests you have.”

Xu Yang: “Haha… Mr. Arnold is really straightforward, then I will be straightforward.”

Then he leaned close to Arnold’s ear and whispered: “I want to undertake the processing orders for bags and other leather goods of LVMH Group, and I hope Mr. Arnold can give me a chance. You can try a small batch of orders first, and after witnessing our strength, you can place a large batch of orders. Can you?”

There are many customers watching the excitement next to him, and “OEM” cannot be said.

Although everyone knows that LVMH Group must have OEM factories in Dragon Country, the group announced that there are no OEM factories, and this word cannot be said in front of customers, especially from the mouth of Group Chairman Arnold.

Arnold said with a smile: “This matter is not impossible to talk about, but we have to find a suitable time to talk about it. Ms. Wu Yue, the president of the Dragon Country region, will be here later; I will let her talk to you. I will explain clearly and let her take care of you.”

Xu Yang was overjoyed and said: “Thank you, Mr. Arnold. Then I will give all these things to Mr. Arnold, and I will go buy something else for my girlfriend. You are busy.”

Arnold nodded and said: “Okay, thank you, Mr. Xu, for the gift; I like it very much. Manager Ge, go and greet Mr. Xu and this beautiful lady.”

Manager Ge nodded and quickly took Xu Yang and Gao Minmin to choose bags.

Arnold looked playfully at the twenty or so bags on the floor. He had just wanted to come out and pick out some LV products and wait to give them to Yang Chen to express his feelings, so as to stabilize Yang Chen and continue to be consistent with him in the future.

Now isn’t this gift here?

Yang Chen should be very happy with more than twenty bags.

“Ladies, please help me pack all these bags,” Arnold said.

The waiter quickly did so, hurriedly took out packaging bags and carefully packed each bag.

The surrounding customers quickly took out their mobile phones to take pictures and whispered.

“It’s really a big deal, sending out so many bags at once. I don’t know what that person has to ask of the chairman of LV; it must be a very important thing.”

“I roughly estimated that these bags should add up to more than 2 million. My God, I feel heartache when I occasionally buy one, but there are still many rich people in this world.”

“This person is also true; he doesn’t know how to give gifts. Can the chairman of LV Group lack LV bags? Giving him so many unnecessary things, can things be done?”

“You don’t understand this. It doesn’t matter if he lacks it or not; the key is that he contributed more than 2 million in sales to the store, and these bags have returned to the LV Group, which is equivalent to giving the chairman 2 million for free. This person’s gift-giving skills are very clever.”

…

On the other side, Manager Ge took Xu Yang and Gao Minmin to the side and pretended to continue choosing bags.

“President Xu, I may be killed by you. Mr. Arnold should have realized that I leaked his whereabouts to you. I am worried that I will be punished later,” Manager Ge said in a low voice with a guilty conscience.

Xu Yang said with a confident face: “Manager Ge, don’t worry so much; didn’t he accept my gift? The so-called taking people’s hands short and eating people’s mouths softly, since he has accepted my gift, things are settled. Don’t worry, I will help you with anything.”

Manager Ge sighed and said nothing.

Gao Minmin complained: “You asked me to choose so many bags; I thought they were all for me, but it turned out you were giving them to him.”

Xu Yang: “Have I given you fewer bags? There are not 30, but also 29. The overall situation is the most important; don’t be so ignorant. Choose another bag within 100,000, which is considered a Qixi Festival [Chinese Valentine’s Day] gift for you. The Qixi Festival is coming soon; you can’t ask for gifts anymore.”

Gao Minmin: “Okay then. I want this one.”

Xu Yang: “Manager Ge, how much is this bag?”

Manager Ge: “128,000.”

Xu Yang: “Didn’t I tell you to choose one within 100,000… Oh, forget it, 128,000 is 128,000. As long as I can get the order from LVMH Group, this little money is nothing.”

Gao Minmin nodded happily and took the 128,000 bag to the cashier to pay the bill.

Manager Ge was about to follow when a waiter came up and whispered: “Manager, Mr. Yang is here, and he has been sitting there with his girlfriend for a while.”

Manager Ge: “Ah? President Yang is here? Why didn’t you tell me earlier!”

Waiter: “You don’t know President Yang’s temper; he doesn’t like people following him. He just chooses what he likes and then pays the bill and leaves.”

Manager Ge: “Then I have to say hello. Can you be a human being; do you understand things? The leader said no, so you really don’t give it?”

The waiter was trained uncomfortably and didn’t dare to follow.

Manager Ge came to Yang Chen and said: “President Yang, you are here. I’m sorry, I’m sorry; they just told me, please forgive me.”

Yang Chen and Zhuo Wenjun were watching videos; he raised his head and said with a smile: “It’s okay; it’s quite comfortable for us to cool off here. Has Xu Yang bought everything?”

Manager Ge: “Buy… bought it. President Yang knows President Xu?”

Yang Chen put away his phone and said: “I just met him. How much did he buy?”

Manager Ge: “It is estimated that it is more than two million.”

Yang Chen: “Haha… not bad.”

Manager Ge: “Are you here to see Mr. Arnold?”

Yang Chen: “No, I brought my girlfriend to buy something. What, is Mr. Arnold also here?”

Manager Ge: “Yes! He is at the cashier over there. President Xu gave him more than twenty bags, and he is staring at the waiter packing them. Do you want to go and see?”

Yang Chen: “Haha… I definitely want to go and see. Let’s go, take me there.”