Someone directly exposed Song Tianchengâs shady past.
Upon hearing this, Song Tianchengâs face immediately flushed red with anger. He trembled as he retorted, "1.8 million? Thatâs nothing! Among the cars Iâve driven, itâs merely average!"
As soon as these words were uttered, he was met with fresh mockery from the crowd.
"Really, Iâm not lying! I used to be a tank driver in the army!"
Finally, Song Tiancheng couldnât help but reveal the job heâd held in the army. He knew all sorts of vehicles inside and out. After retiring, he had driven large trucks for decades, and his experience was immense.
Seeing the crowd fall silent, Song Tiancheng snorted. "Let me tell you, if it has four wheels, I can drive it!"
As he spoke of his driving skills, his face filled with pride.
"Well... why not give it a try?" Qin Mu, observing Song Tianchengâs extremely arrogant demeanor, grew curious and nodded in agreement.
After that, he drove the car out of the underground parking garage and found a quiet, sparsely populated road outside the nursing home.
Song Tiancheng eagerly climbed into the driverâs seat. Then, he looked at Qin Mu in the passenger seat. "Xiao Qin, this... how do you start this car again?"
Qin Mu swallowed hard.
...
He suddenly regretted letting Old Song test the car.
After fumbling for a few minutes, Song Tiancheng finally figured out how to start the engine. Then, he looked at Zhang Qingyuan and the others watching from the roadside and called out, "Old Zhang, Mr. Li, hurry up, get in!"
Zhang Qingyuan and Li Weiguo exchanged a glance and frantically shook their heads, backing away repeatedly, resolutely refusing to get in.
Song Tiancheng snorted coldly, feeling he was losing face. He told Qin Mu to buckle his seatbelt.
Then, on the quiet lane with few people, he gradually increased the speed, starting to show off various maneuvers. Corner drifts, tire burnouts, fishtails, launch starts... Although each maneuver was a bit rusty, he completed them all steadily.
Qin Mu sat in the passenger seat, experiencing it all. He was quite shocked.
He hadnât expected... Old Song really wasnât boasting.
Even if his skills were a bit rusty, he must have been a true god of driving in his youth!
However... BANG!
As Song Tiancheng performed the final drifting maneuver, the fishtail was too aggressive, and the airbags deployed.
Qin Mu: "..."
Looking at the airbag pressed against his face, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Xiao Qin, your airbag... itâs got a hole in it."
From the driverâs seat, Song Tiancheng brought the car to a steady stop and suddenly said, his gaze fixed on the driverâs side airbag. It now had a thumb-sized hole in it.
Qin Mu froze for a moment, then leaned over and also noticed the hole. Though not large, it was enough to render the airbag ineffective.
If an accident truly happened... this kind of airbag would offer very little cushioning; it would be useless!
"Whatâs going on? This is a new car! They said it had a 98% survival rate in accidents..."
Qin Mu frowned. He suddenly felt like heâd been deceived.
Forget a 98% survival rate; if an accident happened, surviving would be difficult.
A 1.8 million car... and this was its level of safety?
A typical civilian car costing a few hundred thousand has more reliable airbags than this!
His first thought was that the dealership that sold the car was to blame.
"That shouldnât be it." Song Tiancheng shook his head. "Your car... driving it, I kept feeling something was off. It felt sluggish and unresponsive, not like a new car at allâmore like one thatâs been used for ten years or so."
Hearing this, Qin Mu became even more bewildered.
What the hell? It really doesnât feel like a new car!
He had only bought it a few days ago...
He rarely drove and didnât know much about cars, so he wouldnât have noticed. But with Old Songâs impressive driving skills, his assessment of this feeling shouldnât be wrong.
In the driverâs seat, Song Tiancheng continued his analysis. "I think the problem might be with some key components responsible for the carâs handling and stability. Why donât you go back to the 4S dealership and ask them?"
Qin Muâs brow furrowed, but he shook his head. He had just picked up the car from the 4S dealership.
Either there was a problem with the car when he bought it, or... the parts were swapped out when the bodywork was being done.
If he took the car back now and the 4S dealership denied responsibility, they might even tamper with it again.
I need to find out the cause first.
After some thought, he decided to investigate the components himself to understand exactly where the problem lay. And the best way to do that... was to find a professional appraisal agency with the proper credentials to inspect all the carâs components and determine the quality and brand of each part. Such agencies issue "Forensic Appraisal Reports," which are legally recognized and carry legal weight.
...
ăTwo hours later.ă
Qin Mu drove to a professional appraisal agency and explained his purpose.
"A full vehicle component appraisal?" The staff member at the agency looked surprised.
Qin Mu nodded. He didnât understand car components, so this was the only way to ascertain the quality and authenticity of his carâs parts.
"Please pay first. The total is 32,212 yuan, and the results will be ready by tomorrow morning."
The staff member calculated the cost on the computer and presented a detailed appraisal order. This order included the inspection and appraisal of all the carâs components to determine if they met quality standards.
"Can I get an official invoice for this?" Qin Mu asked before paying.
The purpose of getting an invoice... was mainly to have the other party reimburse him.