Financial freedom starts with smiling at life

The main reason for the high cost of car ownership in Singapore is the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), which costs 100,000 Singapore dollars per person, and at its peak reached 160,000 Singapore dollars.

A car like the Wuling Hongguang Mini, which costs around 30,000 RMB in China, can fetch hundreds of thousands of RMB in Singapore.

It's such an exaggeration.

It's not a matter of high or low wages, it's that Singapore's Certificate of Entitlement (COE) is ridiculous.

Qian Li's Alphard, which he uses for commuting, also costs over two million yuan.

Moreover, the right to use the road is only valid for ten years.

Therefore, used cars have become the preferred choice for residents.

For wealthy people like those in Jiangbei City, driving an Alphard would be too beneath them.

Especially when attending a dinner party like the one the night before last, he wasn't like Zheng Zhigang; he didn't like to pretend to be reserved in public.

Wherever you go, you must maintain a presentable image.

Singapore is one of the most important places in his business empire, and it is also the location of the Jiang family trust office. Simply put, it is the harbor of his overseas wealth.

In this place, he must have some status and influence.

Next time I land in Singapore, I don't want to see my stepmother's ubiquitous Alphard again.

I don't even want to live in my stepmother's big apartment anymore.

I've sorted out the mundane matters of the car and the house these past two days.

There are many cars to choose from.

In Singapore, Rolls-Royce is still quite popular among the wealthy.

There's a saying circulating online that while driving a Rolls-Royce in China doesn't necessarily make you a tycoon, it certainly makes you one of the wealthiest people in Singapore.

The price of the Cullinan is basically two to three times that in China.

The price of the Phantom is even more outrageous.

If you add special services like personalized customization, the final price will be around 4000 million.

This luxury house belongs to my stepmother and is located on Orchard Road, one of the most bustling streets in Singapore. Orchard Road also has the largest Rolls-Royce showroom in Southeast Asia.

Jiang Beicheng planned to send his stepmother over to take a look.

Get your Certificate of Entitlement sorted out before you go.

Although Singapore license plates are not auctioned off publicly like "lucky numbers" in Hong Kong and some parts of mainland China, some rare numbers are still obtained through open bidding.

Singapore had a two-day holiday for Chinese New Year, and the LTA (Land Transport Authority) had just returned to work when they made some big moves.

They put out license plates starting with "S" for public bidding.

In Singapore's development history, the S license plate holds special historical significance.

License plate numbers from the colonial era.

The S1 license plate was the registration number of the first car in Singapore.

It is said that it is now in the government's collection.

However, a small number of license plates from S2 to S99 are still in use and in circulation.

It's no exaggeration to say that any car with this series of license plates would be the object of admiration.

Even if the S is followed by an unlucky number like 4, it can still fetch hundreds of thousands of Singapore dollars at auction.

Not to mention licenses like S88 and S99...

Jiang Beicheng originally just wanted to get an S license plate to elevate his status in terms of prestige.

Unexpectedly, the LTA released the S99 license plate this time.

When Qian Li saw this number on the official website, he was shocked.

incredible.

It must have been sold by a top billionaire or high-ranking political official; such license plates are very rare to appear on the LTA's auction website.

It instantly became a trending topic on Singapore's internet that day.

"You need to be mentally prepared." Qian Li looked at Jiang Beicheng.

Jiang Beicheng smiled calmly. The Qianlong jade seal worth over 200 million yuan, Zhang Daqian's paintings worth 300 to 400 million yuan... he didn't even blink. It was just a license plate.

How expensive can it really be?

"Just do as I say." Jiang Beichen shut his stepmother up with a single sentence.

To be a member of the Jiang family, one must possess a bold and forthright spirit.

Especially when it comes to spending money.

I guess my stepmother got used to working like a slave to earn money during the time Jiang Tao was gone, and she hasn't been able to recapture the feeling of spending money with Jiang Tao before.

This time, he, as a junior, helped her get a little excited.

Qianli envied her eldest son's carefree spending habits.

She understood that her eldest son was reminding her how to adapt to the role of an elder in a top-tier wealthy family. She smiled and nodded.

I did as Jiang Beicheng instructed.

But to her shock, the S99 license plate had already been auctioned off for over a million Singapore dollars before she even joined the bidding.

Several million RMB.

There must be many wealthy entrepreneurs and celebrities watching this closely.

Qianli joined the bidding.

The bidding went from over one million Singapore dollars to two million Singapore dollars before entering the elimination stage.

When she saw the new price, she didn't hesitate at all. Hesitating even for a moment would mean failing to do what her eldest son had asked her to do. In the end, the bid reached 240 million Singapore dollars.

That's equivalent to 1200 million RMB.

No one bid anymore.

Qian Li breathed a sigh of relief and looked towards Jiangbei City.

Jiang Beicheng noticed her gaze and only asked, "What was the result?"
Qian Li said, "I bought it, but it cost a thousand..."

Jiang Beicheng waved his hand, "Try to go to the Rolls-Royce showroom this afternoon and take a look at the cars."

Let's go with the Phantom, the long-wheelbase bulletproof version.

Bespoke customization, tailored to your own preferences, means you'll use this car more often.

Bespoke is Rolls-Royce's core business. Customers can participate in the design of the exterior, interior, functionality, and more, and then the products are handcrafted by master craftsmen at the Goodwood factory in England.

Ninety percent of the Phantom's global orders are made through Bespoke, a personalized customization service.

Qian Li actually sensed that this car was essentially bought for her by her son.

To give her, the CEO of Hezhou Capital, face from the Jiang family elders.

Coupled with the S99 license plate, which is worth 1200 million yuan, it's no exaggeration to say that this female CEO instantly entered the circle of top billionaires.

Women exhibit an extremely strong sense of vanity in public and in visible places.

He took advantage of his eldest son's wealth and tried to show off as well.

Very cool.

"Do you want to come along?" Qian Li asked.

Jiang Beicheng waved his hand, saying he wouldn't waste his time and energy on buying a car. "Zhang Yong invited me to his house for dinner and to take a look at the properties in Sentosa."

They invited me to be their neighbor.

Qian Li was stunned for a moment.

The eldest son is going to buy property in Sentosa?

There is only one place in Singapore where foreigners are allowed to buy property.

It's Sentosa Cove.

Although Jiangbei City has Singapore permanent residency, it is not yet a Singapore citizen.

Many of these wealthy foreigners, especially new immigrants from China and wealthy individuals from Indonesia, own property in Sentosa's Sentosa Cove area.

This includes Zhang Yong, the founder of Haidilao, whom he mentioned.

The property prices there are so high that even the luxury homes on Orchard Road, near the Presidential Palace, pale in comparison.

The average price is 5000 million Singapore dollars.

Luxury homes with private docks along the coast are even more expensive.

Qianli understands her eldest son's way of doing things and his personality, and he won't spend a lot of time and energy considering material things like houses, cars, airplanes, and yachts.

I'm flying to Kenya on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

Now that things in Kenya are resolved, he probably won't be going back to Singapore.

So the house issue will be resolved in a day or two.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the eldest son is determined to invest several hundred million in property in Sentosa.

Suddenly, I remembered Hurun's interview with him, in which he said that Hurun was worth 50 billion.

At the time, she felt that it was a bit exaggerated, but based on her understanding and analysis, there was no doubt that the Jiang family was now a family worth tens of billions.

Five hundred billion may still be some distance away.

But the respect Zhang Yiming showed him this time, and the way he spent money buying cars and properties, suggests that his son might really have 50 billion, or even more.

Qian Li's sense of honor reached a new level.

He answered and went out to order a car for his son.

(End of this chapter)