Now, Zhuang Rui goes to Yuquan Mountain every few days to stay for a day in order to take care of his grandparents' health. However, it is not so convenient at Grandpa Gu's place. Zhuang Rui has been considering whether he should learn some acupuncture or something to make a good impression.
"Huh? Why is Tom calling?"
As Zhuang Rui walked into the courtyard, preparing to play a game of Go with the old man, his phone suddenly rang. It was Tom, the representative from Raytheon Company.
A few days ago, Zhuang Rui had already discussed his requirements and configuration for the Hawker model with Tom, and was just waiting to formally sign the contract and pay the deposit. However, this was scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
"Tom, what's up? I don't have time to take you sightseeing in Beijing today..."
Zhuang Rui answered the phone, joking with the other party. Tom's Chinese was excellent, so there was no need to speak English with him.
“Oh, dear Rui…”
"Stop, stop, Tom, call me Zhuang Rui, or dear Zhuang, I'm not... you know..."
Zhuang Rui simply couldn't accept Tom's friendly language; Qin Xuanbing had never addressed him that way before, and Zhuang Rui almost got goosebumps.
"Oh, well, dear Zhuang, I have some news for you, perhaps you'll be interested..."
Tom knew that Chinese people usually expressed their feelings in a rather subtle way, so he shrugged and then got to the point.
"News? What news? Tom, you're not going to tell me your company's plane tickets are going to increase in price, are you?"
While talking on the phone, Zhuang Rui sat down in front of the Go board, grabbed the black pieces, and said that his Go skills were really not good. Although Grandpa Gu was also a terrible player, if Zhuang Rui played the white pieces, he would definitely lose more often than he would win.
"No, no, our company is trustworthy. If we were to raise prices, we would hold a press conference in advance..."
Tom explained to Zhuang Rui very seriously, and then said, "It's like this, we have a client on Wall Street who ordered a Hawker private jet from our company last year, but unfortunately, he recently went bankrupt, so he doesn't have the money to pay the remaining balance for the aircraft..."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Rui's expression turned serious. He put down the chess box, stood up, and wondered if Tom would have told him this for no reason.
"This aircraft is currently parked on our company's test tarmac. It has passed safety inspections and fully meets safety standards..."
"Wait, Tom, are you trying to tell me that this plane is mine if I want it?"
Zhuang Rui interrupted Tom, saying, "This kind of beating around the bush is a Chinese specialty! Where did this foreign guy learn that? He should just ask if you want to buy it."
"Oh, dear Zhuang, you are so clever. If I were a lady, I would definitely consider marrying you..."
Tom's flattery left Zhuang Rui speechless. With Tom's speaking skills and eager tone, anyone with a normal brain could understand what he meant: someone had paid a deposit to pre-order the plane, but now they didn't have the money to buy it, so Raytheon needed to sell it.
"Dear Zhuang, you can take a look at the configuration of this aircraft first. If you have any other needs, we can modify it for you free of charge..."
When Tom heard that Zhuang Rui on the other end of the phone didn't speak, he quickly relayed the message the company had asked him to convey.
Chapter 619 Speaking Recklessly
Raytheon's customer base consists of some of the wealthiest people on Earth, what people commonly refer to as the rich.
Wealthy people are generally very individualistic and have their own understanding and perception of beautiful things. The reason they are willing to spend more money to order private jets is to satisfy their psychological needs.
Things like cabin height and interior decoration can be customized according to individual preferences.
Every private jet Raytheon sells is custom-made for each individual, so the plane left behind by the bankrupt Wall Street tycoon has become a headache for Raytheon. They have already called several potential customers, but no one is willing to take it over.
“Dear Zhuang, if you’re interested, we can meet. I’ll show you the specifications and pictures of that plane, and I can also offer you a discount…”
In such cases, companies typically modify the aircraft to suit other customers' needs while keeping the main model unchanged, but this would be much more expensive.
Tom's approach to Zhuang Rui is to see if he can sell the aircraft without making major modifications. This is because Zhuang Rui has previously expressed a strong desire to acquire Raytheon's aircraft as soon as possible.
Of course, making simple modifications to the interior is not a burden for Raytheon.
"Oh, okay then, Tom, let's meet at the Western restaurant in your hotel in an hour..."
After thinking about it for a while, Zhuang Rui decided to go and check the parameters and information of that plane. After all, waiting eight months to own his own private jet felt a bit too long to Zhuang Rui.
After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Rui stood up helplessly and said, "Uncle-Master, we can't play this game today. I have something to discuss..."
"Go on, you lousy chess player, it's no fun playing against you..."
The old man waved his hand, completely forgetting how his son had been utterly defeated in the chess game.
"What's wrong? Where are you going?"
After Zhuang Rui bid farewell to the old man, he had just reached the entrance of the courtyard house when he encountered Gu Yun, who was returning from grocery shopping. After explaining himself, Gu Yun finally allowed him to pass. ...
Zhuang Rui then went back to his home, picked up Qin Xuanbing, and arrived at the hotel where Tom was staying. It was already past six o'clock in the evening, around dinnertime.
"A curry beef rice, Tom, what would you like to eat? It's on me today..."
After Zhuang Rui ordered food for himself and Qin Xuanbing, he handed the menu to Tom. Despite being a five-star hotel, a meal at a Western restaurant wasn't that expensive. A serving of curry beef cost just over 100 yuan. No wonder there were so many white-collar workers sitting next to them.
"Oh, dear Zhuang, you Chinese are so hospitable..."
Tom wasn't being polite at all. He was used to splitting the bill, and now that someone was treating, Tom ordered several Chinese dishes, which made Zhuang Rui both laugh and cry. If it weren't for convenience, he would have taken Tom to a Chinese restaurant to eat.
"Here's the information on that plane, Zhuang, take a look..."
While waiting for the food to be served, Tom handed Zhuang Rui a folder containing documents, some faxed and some printed out from images he had received online.
"The aircraft's performance and specifications are basically the same as the one you ordered, only the interior decoration is slightly different, but the differences are not significant. If you need to make any changes, half a month should be enough time..."
Tom enthusiastically compared the information and pictures to Zhuang Rui's, explaining them one by one. If this deal could be finalized, Tom's position in the company would likely be promoted to a higher level.
Raytheon is now also very interested in the Chinese market and is planning to establish an organization in China. The specific candidate has not yet been decided. Tom studied in China before, so he has a good chance of getting the position.
"Xuanbing, what do you think..."
Zhuang Rui glanced at the aircraft's specifications, which he didn't quite understand. As for the interior decoration, it was extremely luxurious, including almost everything that a luxury jet could be equipped with, giving it a nouveau riche feel.
Zhuang Rui was right. The person who originally ordered this private jet was a complete nouveau riche. The number of billionaires and the number of penniless people that appear on Wall Street every year are directly proportional. Every day, people get rich, and every day, people go bankrupt.
However, Zhuang Rui didn't care much about the interior decoration. Although his reasons for buying a private jet seemed unbelievable to many people, Zhuang Rui bought it for two reasons: first, for convenience, and second, to be able to travel with White Lion. This was Zhuang Rui's truest thought.
"I don't really like this style..."
Qin Xuanbing frowned as she looked at the pictures. In fact, before coming here, she and Zhuang Rui had already decided that if the aircraft could meet their performance needs, they would buy it. After all, if they ordered it, they would have to wait eight months.
However, before coming, Qin Xuanbing and Zhuang Rui discussed and agreed to try to lower the price as much as possible. Although Zhuang Rui's money came easily, it didn't grow on trees.
"Oh, beautiful lady, regarding the interior decoration, we can make modifications according to your previous requirements, all free of charge..."
After hearing Qin Xuanbing's words, Tom quickly offered an explanation.
"Tom, if we're going to buy a private jet, do we have to spend extra money on decorations?"
Zhuang Rui didn't like hearing Tom keep talking about the word "free." He thought, "You think I'm stupid, you foreign devil?"
"Ah, uh, of course, these costs are included in the purchase price..."
Tom was taken aback by Zhuang Rui's words, but he was honest enough to admit it frankly.
"Furthermore, I don't really like the design of this cabin door, Mr. Tom. You should know that the original drawings we gave your company indicated that the cabin door should be a smaller, more arched shape, which doesn't match this size at all. I hope your company can redesign it according to our plan..."
After Qin Xuanbing finished speaking, Tom was dumbfounded. Modifications to the interior of the cabin were fine, but modifying the cabin door involved the size of the aircraft.
It's important to understand that an aircraft must conform to many principles, including mechanics and aerodynamics. Once an aircraft's design is finalized, its external structure is essentially impossible to modify, as that would involve altering the entire aircraft, and such modifications would require a huge amount of money.
Looking at the dishes the waiter brought out, Tom felt that his appetite had completely disappeared after Qin Xuanbing's words. The dishes that were originally delicious and appealing now looked to Tom like tough steaks.
Tom originally thought that Zhuang Rui was eager to get the goods and that he could sell the plane. Now it seems unlikely, because the company will definitely not agree to Qin Xuanbing's modified plan. In that case, there will be almost no profit to be made from selling the plane to Zhuang Rui.
"This beautiful lady..."
Although Qin Xuanbing wasn't beautiful at all in Tom's eyes at the moment, "I'm afraid we can't fulfill your request. Even if we could, we'd need to pay a fee for the modifications..."
"Tom, the price we agreed on before was for the entire aircraft. It's unreasonable to charge extra for this."
Zhuang Rui interrupted Tom and continued, "After all, this plane is not the style I need. Do you think it's reasonable for me to spend the price of a plane that I'm satisfied with to buy a plane that I'm not satisfied with?"
Zhuang Rui's words were quite clear: he was willing to buy the plane, but the price couldn't be the original price, otherwise it would be unreasonable, and he could sell it to whomever he wanted.
However, Zhuang Rui clearly overestimated Tom's Chinese proficiency. The tongue-twisting words left Tom somewhat bewildered, so Zhuang Rui translated them for him in English again in the end.
"Oh, dear Zhuang, it's like this, if you're willing to buy this plane directly and pay in full upfront, we can give you a discount of $500,000. What do you think?"
After understanding Zhuang Rui's words, Tom immediately offered a solution, which was within his authority, since modifying such an aircraft might cost more.
"No, Tom, you're not being sincere enough. You know, the cabin I told you before needed sofas made of rosewood. You know, one of those rosewood sofas costs $500,000, and I need four, which is $2 million. These leather sofas are just too cheap. Plus, I saved you the money you'd spend on modifying the aircraft, so I think a $3 million discount is acceptable to me..."
Zhuang Rui took advantage of the foreigner's ignorance of what rosewood was and started spouting nonsense. He claimed that there was no such thing as a rosewood sofa in the world. He then made an outrageous demand, asking for only about $12 million for the whole machine, but Zhuang Rui immediately cut the price by $3 million.
"This...this, Zhuang, I can't make that decision myself. I need to report to the company first..."
Tom broke out in a sweat after Zhuang Rui's barrage of words. He was just a technical engineer who wanted to move into management, and he really didn't know how to negotiate. He didn't know what to say to refute Zhuang Rui.
"Of course, Tom, you can submit my opinion to the company. I don't mind waiting eight months to have my own private jet. Come on, let's eat first..."
Zhuang Rui feigned nonchalance and gestured to the waiter beside him that the wine could be poured.
Chapter 620 Reception (1)
"Good morning, Mom, Aunt Zhang, Aunt Li!"
Zhuang Rui got up early in the morning and played with the white lion in the yard for a while. When he walked to the middle courtyard, he saw his mother, Zhang Ma, and Li Sao doing health exercises.
A few elderly women learned this in a nearby park, but there were too many single elderly men there. Whenever they saw three "young and vibrant" elderly women, they would always try to strike up a conversation with them, so in the end, the women had to go home to practice.
"Good morning, Xiao Zhuang. Where's Xiao Qin?"
At Ouyang Wan's request, Zhang Ma and Li Sao finally stopped calling him "boss," but when they saw Zhuang Rui coming over, they still stopped and greeted him.
"You guys continue, you guys continue, she's washing up, she'll be right there..."
When Zhuang Rui saw that he had come and disturbed the group's morning exercises, and that his mother was giving him a disapproving look, he quickly waved his hand to let them continue.
"Are you going to be gone for a few days this time?"
Ouyang Wan didn't stop moving, but her eyes were on her son.
Zhuang Rui said with a grin, "Mom, my flight is this afternoon. I'll stay in Hong Kong for a day and then fly back tonight. Hehe, I'll take you around the world then..."
"Take your wife with you, Mom's not going. Alright, you go ahead and get busy..."
Ouyang Wan was also amused by Zhuang Rui. She didn't expect that Zhuang Rui would actually buy an airplane in less than half a month.
"Sister Ouyang, your son is so filial..."
"Yes, Xiao Zhuang is really a great guy. Such a big boss, yet he spends almost all his time at home..."