Rebirth of the Age of Wealth

Chapter 472: Doesn’t it mean he doesn’t have the strength?

The night view of San Francisco outside the window receded rapidly, and the plane took off smoothly.

Perhaps it was to allow Li Weidong to better see the night sky of San Francisco, but it was probably due to navigation requirements, so the plane made a half circle over San Francisco.

The "aerial photography" of San Francisco is indeed a bit more refined. No wonder later tourism promotional videos all feature aerial photography of the scenery.

The Trans-American Pyramid also stands with brilliant lights, the Golden Gate Bridge also adds a touch of elegance, and across the Pacific Ocean, Chinatown is brightly lit, interpreting the prosperity of the civilian market.

Of course, what impressed Li Weidong the most was this aircraft, the Gulfstream IV-SP luxury business jet. It just felt beautiful.

There are two "drivers" and two "waiters". The drivers are both old and handsome guys, and the waiters have long legs and beautiful smiles.

As soon as I got on the plane, I was greeted with greetings and the service was excellent. Even the seat belt was fastened by the attendant.

Of course, only Li Weidong enjoyed it on this plane, and the others had already fastened it before the waiter came to help.

Li Weidong and his party were thirteen people, plus four flight attendants. There were still two empty seats on the plane, and the number of passengers was the same as that of the minibus.

But the level of luxury is different. You can lie down on the chair as much as you want, and stretch your legs and feet as much as you want. The key is that the passengers behind you can't kick the seat with their feet.

In short, it is a pleasure to sit on such an airplane!

Li Weidong didn't have that kind of strength in his previous life. Although he does have that kind of strength in this generation, he doesn't go out much and doesn't need this thing at all.

A few years ago, a boss in China bought an airplane. The media reported it vigorously. Li Weidong's subordinates began to mention it intentionally or unintentionally. A small boss bought an airplane, but you, the big boss, have no idea?

Li Weidong smiled and shook his head and refused. He would never do such a high-profile thing!

After climbing for a certain distance, the plane finally reached the stratosphere, turned on the cruise mode, and the plane became stable.

Li Weidong took off his seat belt and relaxed for a while. At this time, the scenery outside was dark except for white clouds.

If you are not in a daze, you will basically not have the indifference and indifference of "looking at the clouds rolling and relaxing in the sky".

Zou Yi, who was sitting across the aisle from Li Weidong, looked at Li Weidong's curious look and said with a smile: "Boss, how about you buy one too?"

"Nonsense, why did you buy this thing?" Li Weidong denied in surprise.

"It's convenient to travel. You are the boss and you can spend tens of millions of dollars a minute. What you waste is not time, but money!"

Li Weidong shook his head and said: "This is even more nonsense. If you buy a plane, you may not make much money, but you will definitely spend a lot of money on it!"

"You can't settle the account like this. Besides, it's about your safety. It wouldn't be good if you were recognized on the plane one day!"

"What's wrong with this? Am I ugly and can't be seen in public?"

Zou Yi smiled and said: "That's not true. You are a celebrity. They want to take pictures with you. Tell Captain Ding how to deal with it!"

"Of course I stopped them, or else they would stand and take pictures? Besides, I'm relatively low-key, who would know me?"

"Boss, you underestimate your own strength too much. You are the second on the rich list, and you will probably be the first one soon. What are you an entertainment star? Besides, the Internet has developed in the past two years. Look, there are still few photos of you online?"

ID photos are also photos. The only way for Li Weidong’s photos to be leaked was through the photos on the ID cards of representatives attending the conference.

"Moreover, with your own private jet, it will be very convenient for you and your family to go on vacation in the future!"

Zou Yi grasped the crux of the problem. Li Weidong didn't care about his own enjoyment, but he was very good to his wife and children and would never let his children suffer.

This said something deep in Li Weidong's heart. He wanted to take his children out to play during the holidays, but sometimes he was worried about the inconvenience.

"I think you should be working part-time as the sales manager of these aircraft manufacturing companies!" Li Weidong shook his head and said with a smile.

The people next to them all laughed. The noise inside the plane was much lower than that of ordinary passenger planes. Even if they whispered to each other, they could easily be heard. Moreover, Zou Yi and Li Weidong did not betray anyone when they spoke.

"How much does this kind of plane cost?" Li Weidong paused and asked.

"Now, here is a brochure for their company's products!" Zou Yi smiled and handed a brochure to Li Weidong.

It's not just on Zou Yi's seat, but also on Li Weidong's seat. Everyone has a copy on their seat.

After all, the people who can rent business jets are almost the closest potential consumers to buying business jets. Placing a brochure can have an unexpected effect.

The photo on the cover made Li Weidong feel excited, but the brochures inside were all in English, which made Li Weidong confused.

Fortunately, there were many people on the plane who could speak English and could translate the content for Li Weidong very accurately.

The latest model produced by Gulfstream is the Gulfstream V, which is claimed to be the world's first ultra-long-range business jet. It can travel up to 12,000 kilometers in one trip and can basically fly to most countries in the northern hemisphere in one trip.

Li Weidong didn't know much about this model, but he remembered that in his previous life, the domestic big guys bought G550 and the like, and their ranges were similar.

The number of people it can carry is about the same as this older model, the Gulfstream IV-SP, which is the number of minibuses, but it still has to leave space for the flight attendants.

Li Weidong looked at the engine manufacturer and felt that it was familiar. The English was the same as Rolls-Royce, but the translation in China was different.

But Rolls-Royce and Rolls-Royce were originally the same family, but they later separated. I didn’t expect that the two companies that separated were so awesome. One was a top player in the automotive industry, and the other was a big player in aerospace engines.

"The price of this new type of aircraft starts at US$36 million, and the one we are flying on is relatively cheaper, starting at US$30 million!"

"Co-author, you spent 6 million US dollars to buy a larger fuel tank?" Li Weidong said, comparing the data in the two brochures.

"Actually, the V-type is much larger than the IV-type. You can see that the length, width and height are a bit larger, and the load capacity and power are much better!" Zhang Dongshuo said bravely.

"This is it. It costs 20% more. It's not cost-effective. It's just a rip-off!" Li Weidong shook his head and said.

Everyone understood that Li Weidong was interested in the better one, but if he had money, he still had to complain, otherwise how could he show the qualities that a qualified buyer must have to find fault with.

"Well, how long is the delivery time?" Li Weidong asked, pointing to the cover.

"About one to two years. The specific time should be within the scope of negotiation and has something to do with the price!" Jiang Zhili thought for a while and said.

Order-based production is just like that. Plans will be arranged for you only when there is an order. This aircraft will be prepared for you from the beginning.

If you have money, you can push the wheels. If the price is right, they can risk a breach of contract and adjust a factory-made one for you.

"However, if you don't choose this model, choose the one we are sitting on. There are more readily available in the second-hand market!" Jiang Zhili added.

"Second-hand?" Li Weidong was a little dissatisfied. Who was he, Li Weidong? He bought an airplane second-hand. That makes sense!

"Chairman, in fact, the transaction volume of second-hand business jets is quite large. According to statistics, in the entire business jet trading market, the trading volume of used aircraft can account for 60% or even higher. There are not many newly delivered aircraft.

!”

"The reason for such a high transaction volume is actually because of the special nature of business jets. Almost all movement tracks can be traced from the time they leave the factory."

"Any maintenance and repairs are recorded, even routine maintenance such as refueling will be recorded."

"Such a clear record ensures, to a certain extent, the transparency of transaction information and is relatively less fraudulent, saving a lot of time and cost!"

"There is also the price. Of course, these are all trivial matters to you. The plane we are flying on is currently priced at 30 million U.S. dollars. It is estimated that there will be a certain increase every year, but the price of second-hand business jets will follow the market!"

"When there are more aircraft for sale on the market, the price will naturally decrease. If the economic conditions are not good, the price will also decrease!"

"For example, during the Asian financial crisis a few years ago, a lot of business jets flowed into the market, which had a certain impact on the price of aircraft!"

"On the contrary, thanks to the rise of Nasdaq technology stocks in the past two years, there are more wealthy people, and the price of second-hand business jets has picked up again!"

"And even if an old business jet is purchased, the manufacturing company will still provide the original aircraft with unexpired after-sales maintenance services."

"The avionics system and appearance of the aircraft can also be modified. Some service companies can even make the aircraft as good as new!"

After all, in the car beauty industry, the best ones are not professional companies, but second-hand car dealers. Naturally, airplanes also have this service.

Li Weidong suddenly remembered that the future boss Xu of Daheng Group seemed to have once rumored to have sold two aircraft to repay the loan, and they were selling well.

Moreover, Li Weidong understood what Jiang Zhili said, and the meaning was very clear. Instead of waiting for a year or two to buy new airplanes, it is better to wait for the upstarts in Nasdaq technology stocks to go bankrupt and pick up the slack when selling airplanes.

"Is this model also available in the second-hand market now?" Li Weidong asked, pointing to the cover of the brochure.

"I don't think so. This model has only been airworthy for three years. Even if they produce it at full capacity, there won't be many. However, there may be unsubscriptions. It's hard to say!" Jiang Zhili shook his head and said.

"That's alright, let's buy a new one. It's not like we don't have the strength, and is there a company in China that is responsible for hosting it? Otherwise, we won't be able to recruit aircraft drivers."

Li Weidong, a man worth tens of billions of dollars, is still thinking about getting millions of dollars cheaper. It would be embarrassing to tell him!

"You can register on Hong Kong Island. There are many business jet service companies on Hong Kong Island. The market for pilots and flight attendants is relatively mature. There are almost no restrictions on flying domestically and the cost will be much lower!" Zou Yi said.

"Then buy one in the name of Ribos Holdings. This is the latest aircraft. You can use it if necessary. After all, you will have to travel between places in the future!" Li Weidong said with finality.

After buying an airplane, it would be more convenient for him to travel with his wife, children, and family. Although he heard that the cost of using an airplane would be high, it was nothing for a wealthy man like him.

Zou Yi didn't expect that after talking for a long time, the matter finally fell on her, but as a subordinate, naturally she couldn't object to Leader Li's wishes.

However, using the boss's special plane is just a matter of words. Now there are more and more flights from Qizhou to Shenzhen. It is very convenient to fly. Only when there is something urgent, do you use the boss's plane.

During the process, Li Weidong became curious and went to the cockpit to take a look and experience the pilot's vision.

What I saw nearby was a vast expanse of white, and what I saw in the distance was vast darkness. After all, I was flying eastward, going against the sun.

Returning to his seat, with the help of the flight attendant, Li Weidong lay down on the seat and fell asleep not long after.

It's just that the trip was too short, and I felt like I hadn't slept for long before I was woken up and told that I was about to land and I had to fasten my seat belt.

I raised my hand and looked at my watch. It was just past one o'clock. New York was more than three hours ahead of San Francisco's time zone. That means New York time was four o'clock in the morning, which is the darkest time before dawn.

The plane landed smoothly at an airport in New York. The moment Li Weidong stepped off the plane, he also stepped into the center of the world.

It's just that I haven't experienced the charm of New York yet. I just feel that the entire airport is a bit busy, and planes land and take off from time to time.

It is now four o'clock in the morning. It would have been quiet at other airports, but it is still busy here.

After leaving the airport, he saw Xu Yandeng waving outside. Li Weidong looked from a distance, as if there was an acquaintance standing next to him.

"Chairman, you have worked hard all the way. Welcome to Apple City!" Xu Yanden saw Li Weidong waving and greeted with a smile.

Luo Jialiang was laughing beside him and his eyes were gone. He looked at Li Weidong nervously. He only knew last night that Li Weidong was coming today, and now he felt like he was caught skipping class.

Li Weidong waved his hand, walked out to shake hands with Xu Yanden, and said with a smile: "It's so early in the morning, it's disturbing your dreams!"

"You're kidding, what's the matter? Ever since I knew you were coming, I've been looking forward to the stars and the moon. Now that you're here, I feel like it's not a dream!" Xu Yanden said, holding his hand vigorously.

"You, you, your mouth is getting slicker as you learn more. You couldn't say such things before. It seems that foreigners are better at pretending to be in love than us in China!" Li Weidong patted Xu Yandeng on the shoulder and joked.

"I keep a red heart and have not been corrupted by them, nor have I collaborated with them. What I said is true and sincere!" Xu Yanden agreed with a smile.

Li Weidong's smile got even bigger. Who would be unhappy if he was flattered? What's more, he was flattered and felt very comfortable.

Xu Yandeng's words made Zou Yi and others laugh. There is no higher level of flattery than this. What you say is not disgusting, others are not embarrassed when they hear it, and the leader is happy after hearing it.

After everyone had finished laughing, Xu Yandeng nodded to Zou Yi, Jiang Zhili, and Fu Xiaomin as a greeting. After all, it was hard to say too much in front of the boss.

Li Weidong turned to look at Luo Jialiang, the smile on his face had not diminished, and asked with the same smile: "Why are you here? Your business is so big that you have come to the United States to make movies?"

(End of chapter)