Villain: Without morals, you can’t be manipulated!

Chapter 22: The Corruption of Money

“Boss, how’s the paint job on my car coming along?”

Qi Lin brought Lan Yuxi to a Mercedes-Benz 4S dealership.

In 2005, Mercedes-Benz introduced its joint venture brand in China, Beijing Benz, along with the first domestically produced models, the E240 and C300. However, the car Qi Lin drove was not a domestic model.

It was the legendary Tiger Head Benz, the Mercedes-Benz W140 from the 1990s. This iconic car, often seen in Hong Kong gangster films as the vehicle of choice for bosses, was named for the grille design resembling a tiger’s forehead.@@novelbin@@

Even though it was now the 2000s, the reputation of this car still held sway. Real estate tycoon Wang Jinlin famously kept his Tiger Head Benz S600 for over 20 years, even fitting it with an “88888” license plate.

For such a collectible luxury car, Qi Lin wouldn’t dare take it to a random shop for a paint job. Instead, he brought it to Jianghan City’s earliest Mercedes-Benz dealership, asking them to repaint the damaged areas.

“Mr. Qi, your car’s paint job is finished. We also waxed and cleaned it for you. Please take a look,” the manager said eagerly, running out of the office to greet Qi Lin personally.

In 2002, owning a Benz already marked someone as a big shot—let alone taking it to a 4S dealership for repairs. Qi Lin was led into a fully equipped service bay where his car was waiting.

The Tiger Head Benz looked brand new. The long scratch was completely gone, with no trace of damage remaining.

Qi Lin nodded in satisfaction and asked with a smile, “How much?”

The manager quickly replied, “We repainted all four panels. It’s usually 3,000 yuan per panel, so the total is 12,000 yuan. However, since your family is a regular customer, we’ll give you a 20% discount—you only need to pay 9,600 yuan.”

“Phew!”

Lan Yuxi, who had been feeling out of place ever since stepping into this high-end dealership, froze in shock. She had always looked down on Qi Lin as a spoiled rich kid, but this was her first time in such a luxurious setting.

When she heard that repairing Qi Lin’s car cost 12,000 yuan—discounted to 9,600 yuan—her worldview shattered. Even though her father was a police captain and her mother a head nurse, their combined monthly salaries, including bonuses, barely reached 6,000 yuan in 2002.

This meant that even if her parents saved every penny for two months, they wouldn’t have enough to cover Qi Lin’s car repairs. She had always known Qi Lin’s family was wealthy but never understood the extent until now.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I don’t have that kind of money,” Lan Yuxi stammered, startled by Qi Lin’s gaze. She immediately waved her hands defensively.

Seeing her nervous reaction, Qi Lin couldn’t help but laugh. In his past life, he had always envied top students, thinking they were inherently superior. But now, he found them to be ordinary. When faced with such situations, they were no match for a rich second generation like him.

“Who said I was asking you for money? I already told my dad about the scratch yesterday,” Qi Lin said with a mischievous smile.

“If you used that much money, your dad will definitely punish you when he gets back,” Lan Yuxi said, wrinkling her cute nose with a touch of schadenfreude.

“Not at all. My dad transferred 20,000 yuan to me, asked if I was okay, and told me to let him know if I needed more.”

Qi Lin casually pulled two stacks of cash from his pocket, taking one out to pay the dealership manager.

Lan Yux was speechless.

For the second time, Lan Yuxi felt a surge of frustration. She had to budget carefully for her meals to avoid overspending, while Qi Lin’s father didn’t scold him for damaging the car—instead, he gave him extra money and asked if it was enough.

For the first time, Lan Yuxi found herself envying Qi Lin’s life, especially having such a generous father. Her own father, a strict police officer, was rarely home and imposed countless rules on her.

“Want some? I get too much pocket money every month, and I can’t spend it all,” Qi Lin said, waving the remaining stack of cash in front of her like a temptation.

Lan Yuxi couldn’t help but swallow. Who wouldn’t want endless pocket money?

But her values were solid, and she knew Qi Lin’s money would come with strings attached.

“Pfft, I don’t want your dirty money,” she said, lifting her chin with a proud pout and rejecting him outright.

Qi Lin sighed inwardly—what a pity.

It seemed Lan Yuxi’s principles were stronger than he had thought, and his attempt to corrupt her with money had failed.

“Get in,” Qi Lin said after they left the dealership, opening the passenger door.

Lan Yuxi hesitated for a moment before finally climbing into the car with her small bag.