Chapter 10
I froze for a moment, then realized what she meant and smiled helplessly. "You're still mad about this?"
"Of course I am!" Lily nodded vigorously, gritting her teeth. "I used to hear you talk about how wonderful he was, but hiding his identity like that is unforgivable! If he hadn't suddenly disappeared, would you have had to raise Jessica all by yourself? He was living a luxurious life while you suffered so much..."
At this point, Lily's voice caught.
She had witnessed my struggles back then firsthand, and she truly felt for me.
I pulled out a tissue to wipe her tears and comforted her. "Come on, it's all in the past now, isn't it? Let's not talk about it anymore."
"Even if it's in the past, you shouldn't get back together with him." Lily grabbed my hand, and seeing my eyes redden, she paused and added, "If you really can't let go, you need to think it through carefully."
I understood what she meant.
But I just shook my head, my voice so soft it seemed like a breeze could blow it away. "It won't happen. We won't have a future together."
In Jason's eyes, I was just a gold digger who abandoned him for money.
If I actually told Jason that Jessica was his daughter, he would only resent me more, and Jessica would suffer because of it, too.
I wouldn't let Jessica get hurt, not even a little bit.
It took Lily a while to calm down before she steered the conversation back to business.
"Come on, let's go look at cars. My readers say the SUVs here have the best value for money."
I nodded. "SUVs are my first choice too. They're spacious and convenient."
The exhibition was huge. After walking around for quite a while, we finally reached the SUV section.
Lily immediately spotted an orange SUV in the distance. "That one looks great! Not only is the color nice, but the back seat and trunk are really spacious too!"
I liked it too, but when I saw the price tag, I shifted my gaze to another SUV that was obviously smaller and more worn.
Lily noticed where I was looking and stepped forward to pull me back. "Sue, you're not thinking of getting that car, are you?"
I nodded slightly. "Looking at everything here, only this one fits my budget."
The small black SUV in front of us cost only ten thousand dollars.
Though the capacity was smaller, it would be enough.
The main thing was that it was cheap.
"Sue, why don't you reconsider?" Lily was still thinking about the orange one.
She tried to persuade me. "I asked the salesperson about that car. The listed price is sixty-five thousand, but with the current promotion and all the discounts combined, you can get it for only fifty-five thousand!"
Seeing I didn't respond, Lily continued, "Yes, it's quite a bit more expensive than this one, but whether it's the condition or the capacity, it's so much better. From a value perspective, that one makes more sense. It's just a bit more money."
"No." I still refused.
Lily said urgently, "Sue, buying a car is different. A car in better condition is safer too! How about this - I have some savings. I know you don't want to use my money, but what if I lend it to you?"
I sighed softly and looked at her helplessly. "Lily, thank you for the offer, but my budget is only ten to twenty thousand. I won't consider any car that goes over that."
Lily wanted to say more, but I said firmly, "Money goes too fast. I need to think carefully about everything I buy."
Before coming here, I had set my car-buying budget.
No matter what, I wouldn't exceed it.
Lily knew she couldn't change my mind, so she sighed and called over a salesperson. "What second-hand cars do you have around ten thousand?"
"Only this one you're looking at." The salesperson was clearly caught off guard by this situation and paused before responding.
"Is there really no more discount on the orange one?" Lily wouldn't give up.
"Sorry, ma'am, there really isn't. This price is already very reasonable, and it's the best price I could negotiate with my boss."
The salesperson still tried to push the orange car, but I interrupted. "No need. What's the condition of this ten-thousand-dollar one?"
After getting a general overview from the salesperson, I personally inspected the vehicle carefully.
The car was somewhat old and had a lot of mileage.
This car would probably need to go to the scrapyard in another two or three years.
But by then, Jessica would be in elementary school and wouldn't need daily drop-offs and pick-ups.
At that point, having a car or not wouldn't matter.
After thinking it through, I made my decision. "I'll take this one."
"Certainly, ma'am. Please follow me. We'll sign the contract over here."
Following the salesperson to the waiting area, I handed over my ID and driver's license, and the salesperson hurried off to prepare the contract.
We waited in the rest area.
Lily kept looking at me with obvious concern in her eyes, wanting to say something but holding back.
I smiled. "A car is just a means of transportation. There's no need to buy something too fancy."
As I was saying this, the salesperson came running over, looking excited.
He lowered his voice. "Ma'am, our boss is in a good mood today, and there's another SUV on sale! Would you like to take a look?"
I was interested. "What kind of discount?"
"You'll know when you see it."
I thought to myself that even with a huge discount, it couldn't be that much cheaper.
But when the salesperson led us to a large SUV that was eighty or ninety percent new, I was stunned.
I had researched this car online. Brand new, it cost two hundred and fifty thousand.
Even with a discount, it should still be over a hundred thousand.
"I think you've made a mistake. My budget is only around ten thousand." I frowned slightly, suspecting the salesperson was messing with me.
The salesperson studied my expression and carefully quoted a price. "No mistake, it really is this car, though it's a tiny bit more expensive. Would twenty thousand work for you?"
Not just me, Lily was shocked too. "This car?! Twenty thousand?!"
The salesperson quickly motioned for her to keep her voice down. "Please don't get too excited! The boss is in a good mood today, and only this one car has this special deal. I came to tell you as soon as I heard!"
Lily immediately covered her mouth and asked quietly, "Can the orange one be discounted?"
The salesperson looked at her, then at me, and asked tentatively, "Should I go ask the boss again?"
I shook my head. "No need. If I can get this one for twenty thousand, I'll take it."
"Great! I'll go get the contract right away!" The salesperson agreed without hesitation and scurried off.
Watching him go, I had the absurd thought that he seemed eager to sell it to me.
"The boss here must be really rich, doing business at a loss when he's in a good mood," I said to Lily.
Lily nodded repeatedly. "I don't understand the world of rich people."
There were no issues with the purchase contract, so I signed it.
The title would be transferred and mailed to me, but I could drive the car away today.
When I held the car keys in my hand, I finally felt it was real.
I used to work as a designated driver to make money, so I could handle even large SUVs with ease.
Sitting in the new car, Jessica's mood finally improved quite a bit.
She sat in the back seat, swinging her little legs, looking at me seriously, and suddenly asked, "Mommy, can you please stop talking to that man?"