CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 032: THIS IS CALLED RATIONALITY? (REQUESTING MONTHLY TICKETS)

"Boss..." Gao Fei knocked on Qi Hao’s office door.

"What’s the matter?" Qi Hao added, "I won’t answer any gossip questions."

Are you Tai Shang Laojun or what, liking gossip so much.

Qi Hao finally understood why Zhang Tianming said a few days ago that he was suitable to voice the lead in "Iron Man."

At that time, he thought the other party admired his voice.

In hindsight, the guy was probably hinting that he’s a playboy like Stark.

That’s really crossing a line.

"It’s not gossip, it’s not gossip, boss, I believe you!" Gao Fei quickly said.

"Thanks!" Qi Hao doubted her sincerity but chose to trust her anyway.

"My dad asked when you’ll pick up the car?" Gao Fei was just a little messenger.

"Oh right, the car..."

Qi Hao remembered this thing he’d already forgotten.

"My dad also said he’s going to Shanxi in a few days and asked if you want to join him for a drink?" Gao Fei was speechless; with her dad’s drinking capacity, he’s actually inviting someone for a drink.

Emma, it cracked his daughter up.

"I’ll pick up the car in the afternoon, and drinking can be in the evening, I have nothing else today."

The car was with the dealer, Qi Hao went with Finance Fan Qingxi to pick it up.

There’s a thrill like opening a mystery box.

These fixed assets are generally placed under the studio’s name, and this doesn’t count as tax evasion, but rather normal business practice.

"I wonder what kind of car Boss Gao is giving, Coal Boss is so rich."

Fan Qingxi was a bit excited on his first outing with Qi Hao; he was still a student who just entered society recently.

In terms of experience, he had some, but not much.

Qi Hao and Old Tian only needed professionals, not those who would help with tax evasion or the like.

For a small studio, someone like Fan Qingxi fits perfectly.

"Coal Boss isn’t a fool..."

Qi Hao couldn’t help but laugh; ordinary people might have a misconception that rich people spend money lavishly and what falls through their fingers is enough to overwhelm others.

But in reality, the wealthier someone is, the more rational their spending habits.

At the dealership, Qi Hao stared at the Spirit of Ecstasy emblem on the hood, deep in thought.

"Rolls Royce..." Fan Qingxi’s voice went dry.

Boss, is this what you call rational?

"Rolls Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase, on-road price of 9.88 million RMB..." The dealer had a broad smile.

The car was already sold, with most of the paperwork done.

They didn’t care who bought the car or whether the buyer was even human.

"Hold on, I’m making a call!"

Qi Hao scratched his head. Although he was already a shareholder in Penguin Group, and 9.88 million wasn’t astronomical for him, having 9.88 million and being able to spend it on a car are two different things.

If you don’t have assets of a few billion, spending this much on a car is just pretending to be wealthy.

"Mr. Qi, please~" The dealer’s smile was as bright as a chrysanthemum.

Qi Hao dialed Gao Yang’s phone number. Besides Gao Yang’s response, he could also hear other noisy sounds on the other end, as if they were playing mahjong.

"Brother Yang, this joke is too much. My appearance fee doesn’t even exceed half a million, and you give me such a big guy, I’m afraid I can’t handle it."

Generally, stars like Zhang Xueyou, Liu Dehua, and Jay Chou charge around 700,000 for appearances; they have minimal surplus, and even if you have money, you might not secure their presence.

For events, Liu Dehua, for instance, might quote over 1 million just to sing two songs.

Top Korean stars like Rain start at over 1 million because they include "international travel fees" and accommodation costs in China.

Second-tier Hong Kong and Taiwan stars like Lin Zhiying, or mainland stars like Zang Tianshuo, might occasionally be hired for 100,000 to 300,000.

Mainland stars generally quote lower than comparable Hong Kong and Taiwan stars.

Yet, Qi Hao was one of the four young actors, not a professional singer, and rarely attended commercial performances.

At around 500,000, you might have to spend a lot to get him.

But no matter how much you spend, you can’t hit 9.88 million.

Rich women and tycoons playing with popular young stars might be at that price.

Of course, those deals usually seek growth resources, not cash, which has no long-term developmental benefits.

"Hey, little brother, I sent my daughter to you, what’s a car? Don’t you remember I’m in coal? Coal people love these kinds of cars."

Gao Yang was playing cards while responding.

He didn’t take the million-dollar Rolls Royce Phantom seriously at all.

"It’s a bit too extravagant."

Qi Hao finally remembered Gao Yang jesting about "spitting in Pierre Cardin and running lights in a Rolls Royce," realizing he wasn’t exaggerating; it was just life and realism.

The Coal Boss indeed ordered a Rolls Royce Phantom.

Last year, Chinese people purchased 8.3 million cars, of which 106 were Rolls Royce, accounting for 10% of its global sales.

A significant portion of the orders came from coal bosses.

They favor the "extended wheelbase" model and show little interest in soft-top roadsters.

"This is about our friendship, not business; it can’t be measured simply by money.

Friendship is one thing, business another; if it’s business, even if you take advantage of me for just one yuan, I wouldn’t agree. But for friendship, if I think it’s worth it, then this car isn’t given for nothing.

It just happened to be this car, so just accept it.

Remember the drinks tonight, don’t forget.

I’m hanging up, I’m about to win this hand, haha~"

What else could Qi Hao say? He drank tea in the dealership’s VIP lounge while most of the procedures were already complete, with Fan Qingxi completing the rest.

The dealership’s VIP lounge was very luxurious.

Everything was available.

Yeah, even things that shouldn’t be were available.

"No need, no need, thanks, just let me be alone."

Qi Hao quickly waved his hand to signal that he couldn’t handle it when he saw the two young women brought in.

He didn’t act like a saint trying to reform the women.

Everyone has their own life and choices.

Besides, he didn’t understand the services of this place; what if they were just here to perform talents and not sell themselves.

In the VIP room, besides the young women, there were also some books.

However, most of them were about success studies.

Hmm, maybe it relates to the main consumer clientele here.

Qi Hao had seen the cars parked here; none were below 300,000, at least starting from a BMW 3 Series.

Qi Hao looked at some motivational books in the VIP room, and meanwhile, the paperwork was done, and the car became an asset of Qi Hao Studio.

"Want to give it a try?" Qi Hao asked Fan Qingxi, holding the keys to the multi-million luxury car.

"Boss, you drive, you drive. I don’t dare to drive it."

Although Fan Qingxi had already taken care of the car insurance, just thinking about the car’s price made him shudder.

"Alright~" Qi Hao got into the driver’s seat.

There was a smell of a new car inside, hmm, definitely not formaldehyde because formaldehyde is colorless and odorless.

This car is certainly comfortable, but to him, it feels a bit like chicken ribs.

Because soon, he would own a "mystical" Santana 2000. At that time, would you say to drive the Santana 2000 or a Rolls-Royce Phantom?

The Santana would be so proud to know.

Emma, the day where one could choose between a Santana 2000 and a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

And it actually won!

If Qi Hao were taking long trips, he would definitely choose the Santana.

The attribute of three-accident immunity is almost like having three lives.

No matter how powerful or expensive a car is, it can’t ensure the passenger’s safety in a car accident.

Not even a tank can do that.

"Guys!" Back at the company, Fan Qingxi couldn’t help but share with everyone, shouting, "Do you know what car the boss and I picked today?"

"A Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended version..." Shi Feng replied blandly.

"How did you all know, did Fei tell you?" Fan Qingxi’s intention to shock everyone immediately fell flat.

"It’s all over the internet." Shi Feng sighed.

Although theoretically, Zhanqi Laiden was responsible for PR and he was responsible for marketing, with so few people in the studio, they inevitably had to collaborate a lot.

The already heavy workload just got even heavier.

We’re most likely working overtime tonight.

"Not only are there related reports, but there are also clear photos. It was probably taken by someone from the dealership. Boss, weren’t you supposed to be a VIP for picking up a Rolls-Royce Phantom? How did you offend someone enough to get exposed?"

Zhanqi Laiden was very curious.

He found that Qi Hao couldn’t be treated with common sense as a boss.

Completely unlike the kind of cool, introverted, even a bit gloomy person people often imagine.

After actual contact, Zhanqi Laiden found that Qi Hao also had a silly and easy-going side, and if he didn’t need to use his brain, he wouldn’t, almost to the point of not being too bright.

"Let me think..." Qi Hao felt innocent; he just went out, how did he offend people?

"It shouldn’t be related to the dealership. You’re a major client, and they expect future cooperation with you. Did you meet someone at their club?"

Old Tian, who understood Qi Hao the most, reminded him from the side.

"Oh, I remember now. When I was waiting in the VIP room, they arranged two... women for me, and I didn’t let them in. Maybe that’s what offended them."

If Qi Hao is willing to think, he certainly isn’t dumb.

It’s just today’s event is a bit absurd.

You wanted to come in to accompany me, I didn’t let you, and now you’re offended?

It’s just...

Don’t even know what to say.

"That’s probably it," Old Tian suddenly understood, he sighed and said, "There’s no point in pursuing accountability now. Since the incident is out, just let it be. Anyway, the car will still need to be driven out in the future, and everyone will know sooner or later that you own a Rolls-Royce."

"Think positively, others might think our studio is strong and more willing to cooperate with us."

Agent Zhang Nan also leaned towards not pursuing the matter.

Don’t talk about celebrities having privacy; since you eat from public attention, you can’t enjoy the same privacy rights as ordinary people.

Moreover, celebrities’ marketing methods have gotten lower and lower in recent years.

Often deliberately leaking their own privacy for attention.

Since you don’t even care about your own privacy, where is the right to ask others to respect you?

"It might also bring trouble; what if someone sees the boss being so wealthy and wants to kidnap him..." Fan Qingxi suddenly thought of this point.

"You jinx..."

Old Tian thought about it and also couldn’t rule out this possibility. A few years ago, someone named Wu Ruo had been kidnapped, and fortunately, the police rescued him after more than twenty hours.

If it were an ordinary person, they might’ve been buried directly.

"Should we put something for self-defense in the car?" Qi Hao was also scared.

He’s not afraid of the kidnappers demanding ransom, but what if the kidnappers have some peculiar hobbies?

"Put an urn and fill it with milk powder, eat while you shout, ’Great-grandmother, help me!’" Zhanqi Laiden sneered.

You, a big star, still thinking about self-defense.

You think you’re Jackie Chan in a furniture store who’d even punch Thanos twice.