Rebirth 08: Rise from copycat phones

Chapter 388 Buying a house, a car and a blind date
After the failure of his first blind date, Zhao Xingsheng was not too disappointed. As a man of considerable age, he was more or less aware of the rules that govern how this world works.

He could even understand some of the other person's thoughts: wanting to find a good long-term meal ticket... It's okay if he can't get love, but he can't be without money.

This is what many women think: if they can't meet the person they love, then they will settle for the next best thing and marry a rich man...at the very least, they will marry an economical and practical man.

Unfortunately, for almost 99% of young women, the probability of them finding a rich husband is lower than the probability of finding true love.

After all, there are two-legged men everywhere, and there is always one type that can hit her heart.

But rich people are a truly scarce commodity.

Even the so-called economically affordable men they talk about are actually a high-income class in society... After all, the concept of economically affordable men in the eyes of women does not actually include the so-called middle-income group, but the middle-class families in film and television dramas, such as those who can live in villas or large flats in the city center of big cities, which belong to more than 10% of families in society.

There aren't many people with this kind of family background and income level. If you take into account factors such as appearance, height, weight, education, personality, occupation, etc., there may only be 1% of suitable young unmarried men left.

Of course, even so, there are still a lot of such people under the huge population base.

But many times, they forget to look in the mirror!

The 1% of high-quality men correspond to the 1% of high-quality women...not the 99% of ordinary women.

Zhao Xingsheng knew that he was not one of the 1% of the crowd; he was just an ordinary person among the vast number of people.

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After the failure of his first blind date, Zhao Xingsheng simply gave up and bought the house he liked.

After buying the house he had always dreamed of, Zhao Xingsheng suddenly felt a sense of belonging to this city, which was his hometown but a city he had never been to before.

Then I searched for various information on the Internet, consulted design companies, and started working on the decoration.

The house he bought already had some hard furnishings, so he only needed to do some soft furnishings and buy furniture and appliances later, which would save him a lot of money.

His daily expenses are not much. He can eat and live in the company. He does not have any special hobbies, so most of his salary can be saved.

The biggest extra expense is the mortgage of several thousand yuan, but this part can be covered by the provident fund.

At HaiLan Auto, the treatment of employees is very legal and compliant. There are also preferential treatments for technical backbone personnel, and the provident fund is fully paid directly.

Therefore, his provident fund can just cover his mortgage, so he doesn't have to pay extra money.

In this situation, he calculated the funds in his hand and the subsequent income, and planned to solve the car problem first. Otherwise, it would not be a problem to take a taxi every day or ride a shared electric car.

After all, where he works is in an industrial development zone, which is quite far from the city center. Public transportation nearby is not very convenient, and there is no subway or light rail.

Therefore, it is necessary to get a vehicle to solve the travel problem.

One weekend, he went to the car dealership to look at cars again, and found some of the models he had liked when he had searched for information online.

If what he wants most is actually the Hailan car... that thing is definitely black technology, and for a science and engineering guy like him, it is more attractive than finding a girlfriend.

Whether it is the Hailan SEC coupe or the large SUV such as Hailan SEV, they are very much to their liking.

Even the mid-size sedan, the Hailan SLMC, is very technologically advanced and is very conspicuous when driven on the street.

Unfortunately, the cheapest Hailan SLMC among Hailan cars has a landing price of about 400,000 yuan, which is still too expensive for him.

As for other electric cars in China, to be honest, they are not that good at the moment... They are just ordinary electric cars with assisted driving, and there is no fun in driving or riding them.

So, in the end, he chose a joint venture gasoline car. The price of just over 100,000 yuan was enough for transportation, the price was cheap, and the subsequent car loan pressure was small.

After the RV was purchased, Zhao Xingsheng looked at the empty bank card balance with complicated feelings… On the one hand, now that he had a car and a house, he felt like he had solved two major issues in his life and he felt like his wish had come true.

But on the other hand, there is also a heavy sense of pressure.

The monthly mortgage is close to four thousand yuan. Although the provident fund can cover it, the provident fund also comes from the salary. Once you lose your job, the provident fund will be gone.

In addition, the car loan is more than two thousand.

Although his salary is good and can easily cover these loan expenses, this feeling of pressure will not go away.

What if I lose my job in the future?

A significant reduction in income?
Moreover, the house has not been renovated yet, and we will have to save money to renovate it later. Even if we are frugal in this process, it will probably cost at least 150,000 or 160,000 yuan.

Therefore, while driving the newly bought car, Zhao Xingsheng was excited, but also worried about the future...

This is ridiculous…When he had no car or house, he was very calm.

With over 30 yuan in savings in my bank card, I feel confident in whatever I do and won't have any major worries.

But now, although he seems to have the RV, his savings are only over 20,000 yuan. At the same time, he is still burdened with hundreds of thousands of yuan in debt, and he still has to save money for renovation.

This made Zhao Xingsheng worried and even panicked...

Who says RVs can give people a sense of security... What sense of security is that!
The only thing that makes me feel relieved and supports him to buy a house and a car is that he still has a relatively stable job with a decent income and good benefits.

He works for Hailan Automobile, a giant in the automotive industry, a behemoth with annual revenue of 50 to 60 billion US dollars.

At the same time, he is also a technician working on the production line.

As long as there are no major changes, his income will be very stable, even after five or ten years.

After all, HaiLan Automobile, like other companies under Xu Shenxue, has always given preferential treatment to technical personnel and will not lay off employees at the age of 35.

All the companies under Xu Shenxue do not need, and even disdain to rely on exploiting technical personnel to achieve success!

So under normal circumstances, as long as the technical staff can maintain their technical level and keep up with the pace, they don’t have to worry about being laid off…

Especially for the technical backbones in these production fields, their jobs are actually very stable.

Because compared to the ability to stay up late and work overtime, and to work like a horse, the production field actually requires higher experience and technical ability from technical personnel, and they cannot be easily replaced by those cheap young people who have just graduated.

You have seen layoffs of R&D members of failed project teams, layoffs in clerical departments, layoffs of junior employees, layoffs of middle and low-level management...but a normal company rarely lays off technical backbones.

Especially the technical backbones in the production field!

Those who face performance appraisals and are then laid off are often in highly replaceable positions, such as software engineers.

Therefore, the 35-year-old crisis is common in the Internet industry... and relatively speaking, it is rarely seen in the manufacturing industry... unless the company is forced to downsize and lay off employees due to poor performance.

The 35-year-old technical backbones in the manufacturing industry have been trained after several years. They have only been employed for a few years and have not had time to exploit the value of their labor for a few years. How can we allow them to leave so easily?

Even if they leave, technical backbones in the manufacturing field can easily find similar jobs... After all, we are the world's factory. We don't have much else, but we have factories everywhere.

As a mechanical engineer, Zhao Xingsheng mainly works in the production field, which requires a high level of professionalism and experience, so he does not have to worry too much about facing a mid-life unemployment crisis.

Zhao Xingsheng had the confidence to buy a house and a car because of his relatively stable job and decent income... But even so, the huge bank loan put a lot of pressure on him.

However, compared to the pressure, the benefits of buying an RV are not small!

Not to mention cars, now when you go out in the hot summer, you don’t have to sweat all over the place looking for shared electric cars or take an online taxi. You can drive your own car and go wherever you want.

There is no need to worry about not being able to ride an electric bike when it rains, or having to wait in long queues for an online ride-hailing car.

As a result, the living radius has instantly expanded a lot. Places that seemed far away in the past can now be reached in just ten or twenty minutes by car.

Especially in small cities, there are not many vehicles. As long as it is not rush hour, there is not much traffic jam on weekdays, and there are many roadside parking spaces, so there is no need to worry about having no place to park.

It is very convenient to go out with colleagues and have dinner together on weekdays. I don’t have to ask which colleague will drive and shamelessly ask to take me with me...

Now, if there is a party, I can just ask them to send me the location and I can drive over directly. It’s simple and convenient.

Zhao Xingsheng felt that his life after buying the car had changed dramatically compared to his life pattern before buying the car.

So, although this car cost him a lot of money, he felt it was worth it.

As for the house... I'm somewhat indifferent.

Although the house has been purchased, it is sold as a ready-made house, so the delivery will be quick...but now the house only has basic hard furnishings, no soft furnishings, and no furniture or appliances, so it is impossible to live in it.

So now Zhao Xingsheng still lives in the company’s dormitory...it feels like there is no difference from before.

On the weekend, Zhao Xingsheng drove carefully onto the highway, then controlled the speed to about 80 to 90 kilometers per hour on his way home.

It has been many years since I got my driver's license. I have driven my colleagues' and friends' cars before. Before I got on the highway, I drove around every day, but I was still a little nervous the first time I got on the highway.

The journey was only 60 to 70 kilometers, but it took him nearly an hour to drive. Not to mention speeding, he was often overtaken by others.

Fortunately, I drove off the highway safely, then turned onto the national highway, and then the county road to my doorstep.

After arriving home, Zhao's father was very interested in the car. He asked a lot of questions, then got in the car and touched it, and finally took the keys and drove for a stroll.

After driving around, he said, "This car is easy to drive, much better than the van at home!"

The family has a van for hauling goods and also for family use. It was a second-hand car that Zhao's father bought for more than 10,000 yuan four or five years ago.

Seeing his father like this, Zhao Xingsheng immediately said, "Wait two years, when I have saved up some money, I will buy one for Dad!" When Zhao's father heard this, he said, "Then I will remember it!"

Zhao's mother laughed and scolded: "Why buy a car? His van is good enough. Why do you want to drive a small car?"

Then he turned to Zhao Xingsheng and said, "Don't listen to your father. You are under a lot of pressure now. You should save your salary and don't spend it carelessly. You can decorate the house later. You will also spend a lot of money on your wedding later!"

"Your father and I can still work for a few more years. Although the family store doesn't make much, it still makes three to four thousand a month. There are not many expenses at home, so you don't have to worry!"

Listening to his parents' words, Zhao Xingsheng smiled and stopped talking.

Although the pressure is a bit great now, in a few years, after he has renovated the house and paid off the car loan, I will definitely buy a car for my dad to fulfill his wish.

Men all like cars, and his father is no exception!

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When it was evening, Zhao's mother found Zhao Xingsheng again: "Your aunt just called and heard that you are back to work. She said she wants to introduce you to a girl who also works in the city and is a designer!"

Zhao Xingsheng thought of the teacher introduced by his colleague before, and immediately felt reluctant: "Mom, there is no need to rush to get married. I have just started working, and the factory is also preparing for trial production. I am also busy with work on weekdays."

"Besides, we just bought an RV and we have to save money to renovate it. It's stressful too and we don't have much money for a relationship!"

Zhao's mother said, "What's the point of buying a house and a car? It's for starting a family. How can you buy a house and a car but not start a family?"

"Your aunt just said that she knows that girl very well. She used to be her student, a college student, and now works in a company in the city, doing interior design!"

“She’s also very beautiful!”

Having said that, Zhao's mother handed over the phone and opened the chat interface with her aunt, which contained a photo sent by her aunt.

Zhao Xingsheng took a look and found that it was a photo from the student days... The girl in the photo should be a high school girl, who looked quite pretty.

He wanted to refuse directly, but after looking at the photo, he said immediately: "Okay, I'll do whatever you say!"

Zhao's mother said, "That's right. She's a decoration designer. Our new house hasn't been decorated yet. You can use this as an excuse to get in touch with her."

"I'm telling you, you need to be more proactive and bold when chatting with girls!"

"Don't be afraid to spend money, take him out to eat, watch movies, go shopping, etc. often. Don't you young people like these things? I saw in a dance video that girls nowadays like this!"

As Zhao's mother continued to nag, Zhao Xingsheng was a little speechless... If she continues to say that, I might as well just become a bootlicker.

Besides, we haven’t come into contact with the person yet, so who knows what the situation is.

The female teacher my colleague introduced to me before was praised by everyone, and we chatted well on WeChat, but she died in public...

At this moment, Zhao's mother started chatting with her aunt on the phone again. Soon after she hung up, her aunt sent her a phone number.

"Your aunt has already talked to the other party's mother. You can contact them first and meet them when you return to the city tomorrow!"

Zhao Xingsheng looked at the phone number and chose to add WeChat.

The other party probably received the call and knew in advance that he would add WeChat, so he accepted the request as soon as he sent it.

Afterwards, the other party took the initiative to send a cartoon cat emoticon to say hello.

This made Zhao Xingsheng feel good. There was no need to go through the old-fashioned greeting plot. He could just reply with a cartoon emoticon... He immediately replied with a cute emoticon!
As a result, the other party replied with an emoticon... Zhao Xingsheng replied again.

The two sides exchanged emojis back and forth more than twenty times.

Ouch, the opponent has quite a lot of stock, he must be a master!
This really made Zhao Xingsheng interested... Come on, let’s see who can’t stand it first!
At this time, Zhao's mother glanced at Zhao Xingsheng, who was sitting on the sofa and playing pictures with his mobile phone, and couldn't help but smile... She knew very well what kind of person her son was. He said he didn't want to be with her before, but he couldn't walk when he saw a beautiful girl.

Look, we’re having a nice chat now!
She didn't even know... Zhao Xingsheng and the other party seemed to be chatting, but in fact there was not a single word of conversation, only emoticons, which even made Zhao Xingsheng feel a desire to win.

Zhao's mother did not disturb him, but turned and went out, and then Zhao's father, who was sitting in the yard outside the door and smoking, said: "Xiaoxing is not young anymore, we have to hurry up and let him get married, otherwise it will be difficult to find a husband after one or two years."

"Xiaoxing is under a lot of pressure too. Don't spend money recklessly in the future. Let's save money and help him decorate his house first!"

"We will help him find a few decorators in town to do the renovation. We will owe him the wages first, and we will save money to pay him slowly later. The house must be renovated this year and put aside for three to five months after the renovation. This way, it can be used as a wedding house next year!"

Father Zhao said, "That's right. I heard that Lao Li is doing a pretty good job in renovations and is very down-to-earth. I'll ask him if he can do it first and pay me at the end of the year!"

"As for the materials and home appliances, let's see if we can borrow a few tens of thousands of yuan first, and then Xiaoxing should be able to save some himself, which should be enough for this year!"

"Now we have a car and a house. Once we help decorate the house, we will have completed our mission!"

"It's up to him from now on!"

Mother Zhao said, "What do you want to accomplish? You still have to get married. I don't know if the one my sister introduced this time is reliable. Let Xiaoxing contact them first. I will continue to ask around to see if there are any good families!"

Father Zhao said, "Don't just look for someone randomly. It's not good to introduce anyone to the family randomly!"

Zhao's mother said, "Of course. My son is a famous university student. He works for a large company. He has a respectable job. He also has a house and a car in the city. Naturally, the family he finds can't be bad!"

"However, what exactly is the Hailan Automobile that he works for like? Is it stable? I hope it won't go bankrupt in a few years!"

Father Zhao usually watches short videos and has seen a lot of national affairs, science and technology events, and has some understanding of Hailan Automobile: "You don't have to worry about this. Hailan Automobile is a high-tech enterprise in our country. It is a large enterprise engaged in autonomous driving. It is very powerful."

"Besides, this is Xu Shenxue's property!"

"How could the companies under Xu Shenxue go bankrupt so easily?"

Zhao's mother asked, "Xu Shenxue? The richest man in the world?"

Father Zhao said, "Yes, that's him. He's very rich, and Hailan Automobile is an important company under Xu Shenxue. It's said on the Internet that Hailan Automobile's market value is at least 200 billion US dollars. If converted into our money, it would be at least 1.5 trillion. Such a large company, how can it go bankrupt easily!"

Mother Zhao exclaimed: "One and a half trillion, so much money!"

But Zhao's mother quickly said, "That's good. Big companies don't have problems easily. This way Xiaoxing's job will be stable!"

After thinking for a while, she said, "Does this mean that Xiaoxing's job is almost like a stable job, with a high salary, five social insurances and one housing fund, and he can even use the housing provident fund for the mortgage."

Father Zhao said, "This is still different from a stable job... The stable jobs here don't make as much money as he does, but I tell you, don't talk nonsense outside, just say you make a few thousand yuan, otherwise, those families will come to borrow money if they hear it!"

Mother Zhao said, "Do you even need to tell me that?"

"But if that's the case, then I have to do a good job of screening for my son. The girl he finds has to be a better one. No, I have to ask my sister what kind of girl she is like. I was in a hurry just now and didn't have time to ask too many details!"

Having said that, she quietly returned to her room on the second floor and called her sister!
After a long time, he came down and gave Zhao's father a reassuring look: "Relax, their family runs a hardware store in the county, and they live upstairs from my sister's house. I can see them often."

"My sister said that the girl is pretty and has a good personality. She used to be in my sister's graduating class, so she is very familiar to me."

"My sister said that the girl was a good student and was admitted to university. After graduation, she worked in her uncle's decoration company in the city as a decoration designer. She is only 25 years old this year, which is a bit young!"

"There's a five-year age difference between the two children. I don't know if they are destined to be together!"

Father Zhao said, "Don't meddle in what happens next. Let young people do their own thing, otherwise it's easy to mess things up!"

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The next day, Sunday, after breakfast and chatting with his parents at home, Zhao Xingsheng drove back to the city with some food and drinks prepared by his parents.

As he drove along, Zhao Xingsheng recalled the conversations he had with Meng Lin last night and this morning, which brought a smile to his face.

Although she was just a blind date, the feeling Meng Lin gave him was different from some of the blind dates he had met before.

It’s not that the other person is pretty or cute... She hasn’t even sent him any photos. He has only seen photos of her as a young girl in high school.

It doesn't mean that the other party has good conditions or something like that.

Instead, she gave people a very relaxed feeling... Chatting with her made Zhao Xingsheng feel like he was back in college, that relaxed and happy feeling. He could relax his mind and didn't have to guess what the other person was saying or thinking.

Zhao Xingsheng felt this relaxing feeling was very good... so good that it even made him a little nervous.

What if the other person is too ugly? Should I endure an ordinary appearance for an interesting soul?
What if the other person doesn't like me? After all, I am just an ordinary person, not tall, rich and handsome. If the other person is good-looking and beautiful, then he may not like me.

However, although he was nervous, Zhao Xingsheng was not the kind of person who would hesitate. Since they were already blind date candidates, he would just go for it directly. There was nothing to be afraid of!

Of course, some necessary preparation is still needed!

After driving all the way back to the company dormitory, Zhao Xingsheng sent a message to Meng Lin saying that he had arrived in the city and would pick her up in about two hours.

At the same time, in another corner of the city, a young girl was also sitting in a barber shop, reading messages on her phone, and then said with her hair half done, "Master, can you do it faster? I don't have enough time!"

Teacher Tony beside him smiled and said, "Are you in a hurry for a date? Relax, I promise to make you look beautiful within an hour. I will ask the people in the store to do your makeup for you and give you a discount. Our little Xu is very good at natural makeup!"

Meng Lin said, "Okay, then I'll do my hair and makeup at the same time."

On the other side of the city, Zhao Xingsheng also changed into a set of neat, clean and refreshing clothes. He then went out and found a good-looking barber shop to wash and cut his hair. He also did a simple hairstyle and washed his face. After that, he looked at himself.

perfect!

He wanted to leave a good impression on the other party as much as possible!

(End of this chapter)