ABT ### Chapter 136: Mythicized

The interview lasted for more than an hour.

In that time, Wang Meimei received over ten million yuan in deposits.

It was her first time experiencing such a situation. The car hadn't even been approved yet, but they were already accepting pre-orders. However, after thinking it through, she realized that her boss's creation was the first of its kind in China, and there was no reason for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to reject it.

Her cautious nature made her ensure the pre-order contracts clearly stated that if the car couldn't go into mass production, all deposits would be refunded. Furthermore, only full-payment pre-orders were accepted.

If not for these clauses causing some hesitation among buyers, the number might have been even higher.

Customer behavior can be unpredictable. Although the X-power hadn't received much promotion and its exposure was limited, the mentality of the wealthy defies conventional understanding. If something is too common, how can it reflect one's status?

For the wealthy, the mentality is: I use things that are different from yours, and mine are more expensive.

This is why the Nokia Vertu, despite having a terrible operating system, could sell for sky-high prices and attract the rich. Of course, Vertu did have some merits, such as a ring of small diamonds.

As for the X-power, the feeling was similar. Firstly, its performance was outstanding. Buying it wouldn't make one seem foolish. Secondly, its appearance and interior were impressive.

Opinions on the X-power's exterior were highly polarized—some loved it, some hated it. But this gave it a strong label of "individuality."

Most importantly, as Wang Da Zui mentioned in the video: this is a legal street race car.

A race car!

Imagine the prestige.

As the video and Li Fanyu's interview spread, more people began to pay attention to the car.

Pincar.com even conducted a survey—if you had 1.4 million yuan to spare, would you buy an X-power?

Of the more than thirty thousand respondents, seventy-five percent said they would.

Of course, this number was likely inflated. The mere assumption of having two million yuan to spare made the survey unreliable. Nonetheless, the anticipation and approval were clear.

Indeed, many people genuinely wanted to buy it. As Li Fanyu said, the first batch would be a unique commemorative edition.

First editions are always highly sought after. Imagine holding the first ever produced iPhone, even if it's scratched—it can easily outshine the latest models in terms of historical value.

This is called collectible value.

Beyond the psychological appeal, the first batch of a car, especially a sports car, can appreciate in value.

Generally, cars depreciate the moment they leave the lot, but a limited-edition sports car with commemorative significance only goes up in value, sometimes exponentially.

Upon learning that pre-orders were available, many people eagerly made inquiries. Wang Meimei received numerous calls from all over the country, inquiring about pre-ordering the X-power.

After being scolded by Anning, Li Fanyu cheekily pleaded for help. He needed assistance for calibration and approval.

His relationship with Anning was special; while technically she had invested in the lab, she treated him exceptionally well. Zhengxin and Li Fanyu often relied on her help, which was a huge favor.

In this regard, Li Fanyu always owed her one... so he had to show the right attitude when asking for help.

Luckily, Anning was only pretending to be angry. She couldn’t stay mad at him.

From the lab to the engine, and now to the sudden creation of a sports car, she was constantly amazed by him. If this man had been born twenty years earlier, China would surely be an automotive powerhouse by now.

After some playful coaxing, Li Fanyu left a happy but exasperated Anning and returned to Zhengxin Dynamics. He instructed Sun Guoyi to purchase a large batch of materials needed by the system to produce another ten or so cars.

Why so many? Because the approval process for a whole car is far more complicated than for an engine. One crucial part of the process is the crash test.

Simply put, sample cars are smashed into walls at various angles to test their safety.

This burns through money quickly! Li Fanyu was pained by the thought, so he decided to cut costs and avoid spending points.

Once the materials were gathered, he buried himself in the super production line... well, actually, he lounged around the workshop, playing on his phone and waiting for the production progress bar to fill up.

On Weibo, X-power was trending, and the platform quickly created a special section for it.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Qingyu and Ma Rao immediately called Li Fanyu, demanding to pre-order a car.

Cunning Li Fanyu immediately saw an opportunity—no need to buy, I'll gift it! But there's a catch—you'll have to help promote it. Considering our relationship, you won't charge for being a spokesperson, right?

So, Ma Rao and Zhou Qingyu were morally blackmailed into it; Zhou Qingyu didn’t mind as she was used to filming commercials. But director Ma, who had only directed ads and never acted in them, was a bit miffed.

Moreover, the lingering popularity of "Rapid Fury," a racing action movie, played a role.

Ma Rao admired Li Fanyu for his cunning; he really knew how to strategize!

Despite the banter, Ma Rao was happy to help. He had seen Li Fanyu's progress firsthand and respected his character.

So, the news of Ma Rao and Zhou Qingyu teaming up to film an ad for X-power stirred up another wave of excitement.

Suddenly, Li Fanyu and his car crossed from the automotive world into entertainment, enjoying unparalleled attention.

Before success, nobody notices you. But once you reach the top, everyone either magnifies your flaws or glorifies your story.

In just a few days, various articles about Li Fanyu, Zhengxin, and X-power flooded Weibo and WeChat.

Lying in the workshop, binge-watching shows, Li Fanyu found himself turned into inspirational material.

After receiving a WeChat forward from Cheng Ke, Li Fanyu curiously read one.

The article elaborated on Zhengxin's so-called rise, the initial cold reception of the ZGX888, and how he supposedly endured immense pressure to develop the X-power.

Li Fanyu put down his phone and laughed wryly—"Did I really do all that?"

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