304: Owning a private car in Singapore is not easy

When Li Qinghe opened the armored gate of the courtyard and walked through the lush tropical vegetation, a three-story, exquisitely designed villa with a private swimming pool appeared before Liao Yuting and Shen Jiayi.

The two of them even stopped breathing for a moment.

“Qinghe, your house is one of the most beautiful villas I’ve ever seen,” Shen Jiayi guaranteed with conviction.

“Your humble servant concurs,” Liao Yuting said something humorous that immediately lightened the mood.

All three of them laughed.

“Alright, everyone, don’t be reserved; just treat this as your own home,” Li Qinghe said with a smile, leading the way.

Such a luxurious residence, with a single floor area of over 300 square meters, did not have a basement.

This was quite different from the design of luxury homes in Dragon Country.

This was also determined by the national conditions of Singapore.

All luxury home designs in Singapore must be approved by relevant government departments.

Therefore, under non-special circumstances, it was not permitted to excavate basement spaces underground.

Moreover, due to relevant regulations, all villas with excavated basements had to spend a large sum of money annually on the repair and maintenance of the basement.

Li Qinghe’s villa was also like this, a three-story villa without a basement.

There was an elevator inside, making it very convenient to go up and down, continuing the system’s thoughtfulness; the entire luxury home was of the ‘move-in ready’ type.

Even a box of tissues was in its proper place.

The first floor housed the dining room, living room, kitchen, as well as a maid’s room and guest bedroom, with a portion also allocated as a garage.

The second floor had several bedrooms and activity spaces.

The third floor featured a gym, entertainment room, study, and, most importantly, the master bedroom, which was designed like a starry sky master bedroom with an openable roof.

When the weather was good, opening the roof and bathing in the starlight was truly the pinnacle of romance.

When they visited this master bedroom, Liao Yuting and Shen Jiayi’s eyes lit up; what woman could resist such a romantic design?

Liao Yuting couldn’t help but recall a popular saying on the internet in Dragon Country: ‘Who is sleeping with such a man, in such a luxurious home, and who ultimately benefits?’

Finally, when they went downstairs to visit the garage, a sapphire blue Bentley SUV appeared before them.

This was a Bentley Bentayga Extended Wheelbase SUV.

Liao Yuting and Shen Jiayi, who had received specialized training in this knowledge, both recognized it as the latest model of the Bentley Bentayga SUV.

Knowing the cost of owning a car in Singapore, their gazes towards Li Qinghe carried a hint of inexplicable meaning.

In Singapore, an island nation often called a 'wealthy version of North Korea,' class distinctions were very clear.

Because it had no automobile industry of its own, all cars were imported.

The price of a car here was twice as expensive as in other countries.

However, the biggest problem with owning a car in Singapore was not whether one could afford the car itself, but the high cost of the Certificate of Entitlement (COE).

In Singapore, even a luxury car had a maximum lifespan of only 20 years, after which it had to be compulsorily scrapped.

Under normal circumstances, a Singaporean COE had a 10-year validity period; after it expired, one had to pass a comprehensive inspection and pay a considerable fee to extend it for another 10 years.

Currently, Singapore’s COEs are divided into three categories.

Category A, for small and medium-sized vehicles, had a bidding price exceeding 119,000 singapore dollars.

Category B, for medium to large luxury vehicles, had a bidding price exceeding 124,000 singapore dollars.

Category E, the Open Category, could cover all vehicles, with a bidding price exceeding 125,000 singapore dollars.

And this was merely the cost to be paid before buying a car, already equivalent to an entry-level luxury car.

Therefore, those who could afford a car in Singapore were not to be underestimated, truly embodying the phrase “spending money like water.”

Li Qinghe raised an eyebrow; buying a house and getting a car as a bonus, the system mall’s operation was truly thoughtful.

But since the system gave it, he would enjoy it.

So, after spending some time in the villa with Liao Yuting and Shen Jiayi, he drove them out for dinner.

Dinner was booked at a relatively famous Spanish restaurant in the Bukit Timah area.

It wasn’t a top-tier restaurant, but the ambiance was very elegant and comfortable.

For appetizers, they chose garlic bread and a platter of bacon with Iberian ham.

The main courses were Spanish seafood paella, cuttlefish balls, red wine beef stew with potatoes, and roasted lamb chops.

The final dessert was dark chocolate cake.

Originally, Liao Yuting and Shen Jiayi both said that Li Qinghe, as the driver, shouldn't drink.

But Li Qinghe said it was fine; the car could be left there, and they could take the MRT back at night.

Liao Yuting was about to say that parking fees in Singapore were expensive, but then she thought of the luxurious residence they had just seen and the office building Li Qinghe had registered when setting up his company.

She swallowed the words she was about to say.

The wine accompanying the meal was a Spanish red wine, not too expensive at 209 singapore dollars a bottle.

The restaurant recommended this red wine as being more suitable for pairing with beef and lamb.

If the main course was seafood, then white wine should be paired.

“Qinghe, you’ve spent so much today.”

Liao Yuting’s cheeks were slightly flushed, and she and Shen Jiayi raised their glasses to toast Li Qinghe.

“I’ve been working for so long, and this is my first time going out to dinner with a client.”

Shen Jiayi had a little to drink and felt slightly tipsy, blurting out what was on her mind.

Although Shen Jiayi was now considered a Singaporean, she could still feel the gap between older Singaporeans and newer Singaporeans in the workplace.

As a country with slow population growth, Singapore had always actively promoted the integration of new immigrants.

This led to another social phenomenon: a certain degree of conflict between older Singaporeans and new immigrants due to the allocation of social resources.

This conflict was invisible but ubiquitous.

And Singapore’s workplace culture was characterized by “efficiency, professionalism, and maintaining distance.”

So, she actually got along better with Liao Yuting, who was from mainland Dragon Country, and eventually applied for the two of them to become a work team.

Working together, they mainly received more clients from Dragon Country.

Because most of these clients were middle-aged, most also maintained a business-like distance.

Li Qinghe was one of the few young clients among them.

To be fair, Li Qinghe wasn’t the wealthiest among these young people, but he was the client with whom Liao Yuting and Shen Jiayi felt most comfortable interacting.

Regarding clients inviting them to dinner, they would normally refuse, but they couldn’t, and didn’t want to, refuse an invitation from Li Qinghe.

The atmosphere among everyone became even more relaxed in the evening, and with a little alcohol, the topics of conversation became even broader.

However, Li Qinghe always felt that Liao Yuting seemed to have something she wanted to say but didn’t.

But Li Qinghe was never one to force people.

Since Liao Yuting didn’t want to say it, he wouldn’t press her to speak.

The dinner was enjoyed by both host and guests, costing Li Qinghe over 700 singapore dollars.

Overall, he was quite satisfied.

Shen Jiayi’s face was flushed from drinking; a little more, and she would probably be drunk.

Under the influence of alcohol, she shared her journey from Taipei to Singapore with Li Qinghe and Liao Yuting.

And some of the things she encountered during her growth.

They say wine is a truth serum.

Shen Jiayi demonstrated this very well today.

Seeing that Shen Jiayi had had enough to drink, Li Qinghe didn’t pour her any more wine.

Liao Yuting appeared much more sober, indicating her good alcohol tolerance.

After dinner, Shen Jiayi left by bus.

Liao Yuting and Li Qinghe were taking the same direction on the MRT.