Reborn: I'll Never Fail My Childhood Sweetheart Again

"Okay, sir!"

Song Yuwei snapped back to reality, tidying a few strands of messy bangs on her forehead, and casually asked, "Do you have a particular type of car in mind, like a price range or other requirements?"

"A Santana!"

Su Zelin replied without hesitation.

In the early 2000s, you couldn’t talk about buying a small car without mentioning the Big Three.

In the less prosperous 1990s, compared to later times, Xia Country’s economy was improving, and some wealthy individuals had started eyeing private cars.

Three models became the darlings of Xia Country’s automotive market: the Shenlong Fukang, the FAW Volkswagen Jetta, and the Shenghai Volkswagen Santana.

Nowadays, new car enthusiasts might not have heard much about the Big Three, but seasoned car aficionados know the weight that term once carried.

Around 2000, these cars were known to everyone.

The Shenlong Fukang, based on the Citroën ZX, was introduced in 1992 and named Fukang in the domestic market, aligning with Xia Country’s call for prosperity at the time.

It pioneered the hatchback trend in the country, helping many realize their dreams of owning a foreign-brand car. It was later renamed Elysee but sadly lost its former glory by then.

The Jetta was acknowledged as a legendary car, introduced in 1991, with total sales later reaching four million units, a staggering figure.

The Santana, introduced in 1987, was even more impressive, selling over five million units. Both businesses and individuals loved it, making it the undisputed king of business sedans around 2000—a true reflection of automotive history.

Su Zelin intended to choose from the Big Three and had long settled on the Santana.

This car was ubiquitous on the streets of the country—government vehicles, wedding cars, taxis... It was also the first privately owned car for many well-off families of that era.

Most of the seasoned actors who attended the opening of the New Era Finance Academy store and Zhejiang University store were indeed driving Santanas.

It fit his external identity in the New Era, while also balancing comfort and status—rugged, durable, and worry-free.

Meeting these criteria was perfect for the time, and he couldn’t demand much more, as the number of models available in that price range was limited.

As the best-selling legendary car and entry-level model, it was perfectly normal for customers to ask to see a Santana; Song Yuwei was not surprised.

"This way, sir!"

Song Yuwei led the way in her high heels, slightly swaying her waist as she walked, which was quite pleasing to watch.

Soon, she brought Su Zelin to a black sedan.

Santana was a shorthand for the regular Santana model.

There was also an upgraded version, the Santana 2000, with a sturdier body, better braking and comfort, reduced engine vibration, lower wind noise, smoother suspension, faster acceleration, more space between front and rear seats, background instrument lights—better in every way than a regular Santana. However, it was also more expensive by tens of thousands, with a regular Santana starting at 110,000 and the 2000 version at 150,000.

For a senior manager, a regular Santana was more than enough to maintain appearances, so this level was very suitable.

He asked Song Yuwei to fetch the keys, start the car, check the nameplate, open the hood, inspect the crash beams, listen to the engine sound, and try the gear shifts for smoothness...

Song Yuwei stood by, watching in amazement.

When others came to see a car, they usually started by looking around it from the outside, then sat inside to feel the seat comfort and interior, finally inspecting the car.

The handsome young man skipped the earlier steps entirely and approached the inspection quite methodically.

After a series of checks confirmed that the new car had no issues, Su Zelin closed the hood and asked, "I’d like to take it for a test drive; is that possible?"

"Oh, yes!" Song Yuwei snapped back to reality. "But sir, please show your ID and driver’s license. According to the rules, we need to do a registration first!"

Driving without a license was certainly not permitted, and considering how young Su Zelin was, there was a question of whether he even had a license. She needed to confirm that first.

However, Song Yuwei’s concern was unnecessary.

Su Zelin pulled out two documents from his pocket and handed them to Song Yuwei.

He actually had a driver’s license, so it seemed he was serious about this...

Looking at the ID, he was only eighteen and a half.

Counting it out, even if he took the test on the day he turned eighteen, the license would have been in his hand for at most three or four months.

Song Yuwei mused to herself as she went to make the registration.

A while later, she returned with an experienced master from the auto trade city.

Never having encountered someone of Su Zelin’s age coming for a test drive, for caution’s sake, she thought it best to have an experienced master in the passenger seat. She was a rookie herself and might not handle it well!

The master first helped drive the Santana out of the gate, then took the passenger seat while Song Yuwei sat in the back.

A few minutes later, on the test drive road near the auto trade city.

Both the master and the salesgirl were astonished to see the young man skillfully shifting gears, accelerating, decelerating, and performing emergency stops to test the brakes’ sensitivity.

Su Zelin’s superb driving skills left them a bit bewildered.

Many drivers with over a decade of experience aren’t this skilled and calm. His relaxed attitude was overly composed, showing not a hint of a novice’s anxiety or clumsiness.

Xia Country requires one to be at least eighteen years old to apply for a driver’s license, so he had probably only held his license for a few months; how did he develop such skills?

It’s possible he drove before getting his license; a few people did that.