Chapter 34: The Limited Edition Koenigsegg

Since he was to be the manager, it wouldn’t do for him to rely solely on his glib tongue. Lu Ye decided to test his business acumen and asked, “Xiao Wu, this is a semi-private club, mainly serving a small circle of socialites and distinguished ladies in Mingzhu City. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions?”

Wu Qing thought for a moment before replying, “Since it’s semi-private, that means our club still has to be open to the public to some extent, but our main clientele are the elite socialites of Mingzhu City. That means we have to go for the highest-end positioning—we can’t afford to lower our standards.”

“Boss, I’d suggest implementing a membership system to raise the threshold. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. The status gap between our customers and those distinguished ladies shouldn’t be too wide, otherwise they’ll be dissatisfied.”

Lu Ye nodded inwardly; this fellow was certainly sharp and understood how to cater to the whims of wealthy women.

“The role of manager truly does suit you. I’ll be counting on you from now on—my name’s Lu Ye.”

Wu Qing couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother Lu, your name cracks me up. Has anyone ever called you Ye Ye?”

Lu Ye smiled. “Half an hour ago, someone actually did.”

“No way, there really are such blockheads?”

“Exactly, what else could you call them but blockheads?”

Now that he’d roped in a capable helper, Lu Ye had no intention of handling everything himself. He gave Wu Qing some general requirements, asked him to continue recruiting staff before the opening, and then settled happily into the role of hands-off boss, only checking in occasionally to help the ladies maintain their looks.

Once the arrangements for Yiren Club were in order, Lin Zhongze called.

“Brother, are you free to come over to my place?”

Lu Ye remembered that Lin Zhongze’s home was also a riverside villa nearby, so he said, “Sure, I’ll be there right away.”

A few minutes later, the Passat drove into Lin Zhongze’s estate.

There was no denying this big shot’s home was a genuine mansion. The grounds alone spanned over a thousand square meters, with rare flowers and plants encircling a refined villa. There was even a large, private garage, like a miniature auto show; through the floor-to-ceiling glass one could see it filled with luxury cars of every brand, even a few ultra-rare supercars that existed in only a handful of examples worldwide.

Lin Zhongze personally came out to greet him. “You’re here, brother?”

Lu Ye couldn’t help but tease him about his eccentric taste. “Brother Lin, you own every kind of luxury car, so why do you always love to ride that little electric scooter when you go out?”

Lin Zhongze paused. “I like to be as free as the wind!”

“Could it be that you’re the legendary midlife scooter demon?”

“Hahaha.”

Every time he chatted with Lu Ye, Lin Zhongze’s mood improved, the gloom of moments before instantly dispelled.

“Come inside, let’s talk business.”

While brewing tea, Lin Zhongze said, “Just now, Xu Fugui sent someone to deliver a challenge letter to me.”

“A challenge?”

Lin Zhongze pulled the letter from the coffee table drawer and handed it to Lu Ye. Its contents were simple: Xu Fugui challenged Lin Zhongze to a match, each side sending three men to fight in turn. The winner would continue to face the next challenger, the loser would step down, and the contest would end only when one side was completely defeated.

The stakes were clearly stated as well. If Lin Zhongze lost, he’d have to hand over all his shares in the entertainment business and retire from the scene for good. If Xu Fugui lost, he’d pay Lin Zhongze a billion yuan, roughly equal to the value of those shares.

But for Lin Zhongze, holding those shares meant more than just that sum. He was also responsible for maintaining stability in Mingzhu’s entertainment sector. At the very least, no one dared dabble in vice—prostitution, gambling, or drugs—under his watch.

Lu Ye asked, “What if you don’t accept?”

Lin Zhongze replied, “Refusing is tantamount to forfeiting. Not only would I have to hand over my shares, I wouldn’t get a cent of that billion.”

“That’s just how it works in our business—the shareholder agreement even stipulates it. The main shareholder is automatically considered the defending champion and can’t refuse challenges. The Mingzhu Entertainment Industry Association oversees and notarizes the whole thing.”

Lu Ye suddenly understood. “So you don’t think you have much chance of winning?”

Lin Zhongze gave a wry smile. “Not much? I don’t have any chance at all! Xu Fugui’s already poached all my best fighters with big money. I’m just a bare commander now.”

“Brother, I called you here because I want to borrow some muscle!”

Lu Ye was taken aback. “Borrow muscle? Who would you borrow?”

“I want to borrow that Beauty Meng and your mysterious sister. I’d like them to help me defend the title—whatever their fee is, I’ll pay it.”

Lu Ye said, “Beauty Meng is no problem, but my sister’s not in the country at the moment, and she won’t be back anytime soon…”

“How about this: let Beauty Meng take the lead—he could probably take on all three by himself. Then you can call Xu Sanlong to make up the numbers.”

Lin Zhongze paused. “But that still leaves us one short.”

Lu Ye pointed at himself and smiled. “Just in case, I’ll personally anchor the lineup.”

“That settles it!” Lin Zhongze felt a huge weight lift from his heart. “Don’t rush off now—after helping me with something this big, you must stay for lunch.”

“No problem, but I have to pick up Qianqian.”

Lu Ye laughed. “Brother, let me take your limited edition Koenigsegg for a spin.”

“You have good taste—that’s my favorite car, too.”

Lin Zhongze cheerfully tossed him the keys.

A few minutes later, a thunderous roar erupted in the courtyard as the Koenigsegg shot off, streaking down the street like a phantom.

…

“Qianqian, do you like this Ferrari 488?”

“It’s yours, a gift to celebrate our partnership!”

A brand-new Ferrari 488 was parked in front of the Yiren Group’s main entrance, its signature racing red immediately drawing countless admiring, envious gazes.

Su Qianqian had just gotten off work and was caught off guard by Xu Fugui’s ambush.

She kept her usual icy expression. “I don’t need it.”

“This Ferrari is a custom edition I bought for 6.66 million yuan. Since ancient times, beauties have gone with fine steeds—it suits you perfectly, so please accept it!”

The onlookers erupted.

No wonder he was the third young master of the Xu family from the capital—a custom Ferrari worth 6.66 million, given away just like that?

President Su is so lucky!

Xu Fugui didn’t miss the chance to mock Lu Ye in front of Su Qianqian, sneering, “The most beautiful woman in Mingzhu City, always riding around in a Passat—how does that look? That loser Lu Ye will never drive a Ferrari in his life!”

Su Qianqian frowned. “Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. As long as I’m with him, I’d be just as happy riding a bicycle.”

Suddenly, a thrilling engine note sounded in the distance, growing louder and louder as it neared the Yiren Group, raising goosebumps on every arm.

A car enthusiast exclaimed, “Whoa, that exhaust note—no mistake, that’s a Koenigsegg! God, I love that sound!”

Someone less knowledgeable asked, “What’s a Koenigsegg? Is it better than Young Master Xu’s Ferrari?”

The car enthusiast looked at him with disdain. “A mere Ferrari, worth a few million? Koenigseggs go for tens of millions, each one hand-built—a true masterpiece!”

“In both price and performance, a Koenigsegg leaves a Ferrari in the dust!”

“Oh, I get it!”

Xu Fugui’s expression was already turning awkward.

Damn it, who is this? Who dares steal my spotlight when I’m putting on a show?

That electrifying engine note was getting closer and closer. Even those who knew nothing about cars craned their necks, eager to see who was driving the Koenigsegg.

With a final roar, the all-carbon black Koenigsegg finally appeared, turned the corner, and glided into the Yiren Group’s lot, arrogantly parking right beside the Ferrari 488.

Indeed, the Koenigsegg’s unique, high-tech silhouette and full carbon fiber body instantly reduced the Ferrari to utter insignificance.

Someone in the crowd, recognizing it, shrieked, “Damn, this is the global limited edition Koenigsegg—only three in the entire world!”

“That must be insanely expensive, right?”

“Of course—eighty-eight point eighty-eight million, and good luck even getting one!”

“Holy crap, that’s insane!”

Xu Fugui’s face turned green as he listened.

Damn it!

Eighty-eight point eighty-eight million—don’t tell me I couldn’t afford it? Don’t tell me I can’t buy one?

Sorry, maybe you do have the money. But it’s a global limited edition—no amount of wealth can guarantee you one.

And the people who own these cars aren’t short of money; even if you want to buy one secondhand, they might not be willing to part with it.

With a gentle hiss, the Koenigsegg’s door swung open…

A collective gasp swept through the crowd as they saw who was sitting inside.