Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

The receptionist handed him back his room key and ID card together.

"Sir, your room is 1208. The elevator is on your left. Have a pleasant stay."

"Thanks."

Holding the room key, I stepped into the elevator.

The metal elevator car gleamed, ascending quietly and smoothly, a world apart from the creaking, dimly lit staircase of his rented room.

Find room 1208, swipe your card to enter.

With a soft "beep," the corridor lights automatically turned on.

The room wasn't big, but it was clean and bright.

A spacious bed was covered with snow-white bedding, which looked soft and comfortable.

The LCD TV, small desk, upholstered chair, and air conditioner are running quietly, sending out a warm breeze.

The separate bathroom is clean and refreshing, and the shower room has a transparent glass partition.

Yang Fan threw his backpack on the chair, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains.

Outside is the city street scene, which is not very bustling, but has a wide view and plenty of light.

He lay down on the bed, his body sinking into the soft mattress, so comfortable he almost groaned.

There was no musty smell, no cold wind, no noisy noise from next door, and no worries about using a public toilet.

Quiet, warm, and comfortable.

This is a place where people should live.

He lay quietly for a few minutes, enjoying this long-lost, pure relaxation.

This year, I was constantly on edge, playing the role of another version of myself, and my body was also exhausted.

Only now, in this quiet hotel room, do I belatedly feel the weariness creeping in.

But he can't rest right away.

There's still the most important and urgent thing left undone—buying a car.

A car is essential for getting home, so it needs to be arranged as soon as possible.

However, he has been too busy making a living in recent years and his knowledge of cars is really limited.

I only know a few common brands. BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) are considered luxury cars, Volkswagen and Toyota are also good, and Porsche and Maserati are legendary brands.

He was completely clueless about which car model was good, how cost-effective it was, and which one he should choose to drive home and "show off".

"By the way, let's look it up online."

He took out his phone, and the first thing that came to mind was TikTok.

There's a popular saying these days: "When in doubt, ask TikTok; netizens know more than you do."

He opened the familiar red icon, and before he could even type "car buying recommendation," a familiar face and voice appeared in the video pushed to the homepage.

"...So you're saying you're going to buy it at this price? What the hell are you going to buy?"

His voice was loud and clear, with a hint of teasing and certainty.

The man in the video appears to be in his thirties, sitting in what looks like a broadcasting studio with a silver microphone in front of him, talking animatedly.

Yang Fan knew this person; he had seen many of his videos and live stream clips, and he was indeed quite popular.

This person speaks directly, can be quite funny at times, and seems quite professional when analyzing cars. Moreover, he doesn't just offer advice on buying cars; he also frequently provides life advice.

Many netizens say that they can get practical advice by consulting him about buying a car through live streaming.

A common joke among netizens is: "Brother Der, I've been watching you for three years, and you're still riding an Aima. When are you finally going to buy a car?"

Of course, Yang Fan also liked him very much, so he clicked into Der's live stream without hesitation.

The live stream was incredibly popular, with tens of thousands of viewers online.

Chao Ge is facing the camera, analyzing the pros and cons of an SUV with a fan he's connected with via live stream:

"Come on, everyone, are you buying this car or not? What the hell are you talking about? Look at what you can get for the same price in a domestic new energy vehicle: a refrigerator, a color TV, a big sofa..."

The comments section was flooded with messages, including questions, jokes, and likes.

Yang Fan saw a button at the bottom of the screen to request a live chat connection.

He clicked on it, and the system prompted: You have submitted a live stream application and are currently ranked 27th.

27 people?

When will we finally get there?

He frowned.

Just then, I saw a flashing "privilege" icon next to the live chat queue list. When I clicked on it, I found it was "diamond boost," which allows you to jump the queue and get a live chat first by topping up your Douyin coins!

In the past, Yang Fan wouldn't have given this feature a second glance.

Instead of spending that spare money, why not buy Su Wanrou a cup of milk tea?

But now...

He grinned and opened the recharge page.

He went straight to first place, which means he'll be the next one to connect with the other.

"..."

"Come on! Let's move on to the next one."

Der opened the fan connection list and read out Yang Fan's Douyin ID:

"Welcome, brothers, as we set sail!"

Yang Fan took a deep breath, looked at the voice call invitation that popped up on the screen, and clicked to accept:

"Hey, bro, can you hear me?" Yang Fan cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound calm.

"Brother, I can hear you, I can hear you clearly!" Der's voice boomed:

"Hey bro, tell me, what's your budget? How much savings do you have?"

Yang Fan steadied himself.

He didn't dare to say 100 million directly; he understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth.

He carefully considered his words before speaking: "Brother Der, it's like this. I currently have about ten million on hand."

"Wow!" Der raised an eyebrow. "Not bad, bro! A ten million budget for a car? That's a huge range of choices!"

The chat exploded:

"Holy crap! Ten million!"

"Really?"

"Is he just here to show off?"

"Buying a car for ten million? That's truly rare!"

"..."

Yang Fan quickly added, "No, no, Brother Der, you misunderstood. I meant ten million in savings, not that I used it all to buy a car."

He paused, his tone becoming more sincere, even carrying a hint of helpless laughter:

"Brother Der, let me tell you something."

"I come from the countryside, and this is my first car."

"To be honest, I don't know much about cars; I only recognize a few common brands."

"In the past few years... I didn't make a name for myself, and I didn't save any money. I was too embarrassed to go home for the Chinese New Year for several years in a row."

His voice lowered, and the chat in the live stream slowed down a bit, as if everyone was listening.

"This year, I finally have some money to spare, so I really want to go back."

"You know, in our countryside, a car... it's a matter of status."

"I haven't been back for several years, and the villagers don't know how I'm doing outside."

"Now that I have some money in my pocket, I want to buy a nicer car to drive back home, so that I can have some face and my parents can hold their heads high in the village and have some pride."

He spoke simply, without boasting, only a deep, bittersweet longing.

This actually resonated more with the viewers in the live chat.

"Brothers are truly loyal."

"Just like me back then, when I drove my first car back, my dad picked me up at the village entrance, and he stood up straight with pride."

"I understand, that's just how it is in rural areas."

"So, big brother, what exactly did you do to make your fortune? Help your younger brother out!"