Chapter 123 Black Card
"Mr. Li, although the raw material is indeed the excrement of civet cats, it has all been processed, so there's nothing unclean."
Seeing Li Jing's expression, Xu Wan quickly explained, "Moreover, the fermentation and processing through the civet cat's digestive system change the texture and composition of the coffee beans, making the brewed coffee liquid more concentrated, with better fullness and richness, creating a distinct layering sensation in the mouth."
Beside them, An Tong also nodded in agreement and said, "I heard that civet coffee is one of the most expensive coffees, with a cup costing at least several hundred or even more."
Li Jing took the tissue passed by Xu Wan and wiped his mouth. After listening to her explanation, he felt a little better.
But looking at the brown coffee in his hand, thinking that it came from a cat's excrement, he still felt a bit uncomfortable and simply put the cup down, "Forget it, I still prefer tea."
"Tea? Okay, I'll switch to tea for you right away, that was my oversight."
Xu Wan immediately responded, took away the coffee that Li Jing put down, and said, "I'll brew you a cup of West Lake Longjing, how about that?"
For someone like Li Jing who came from a small city, he didn't really understand coffee or premium tea, so he just nodded casually and asked them to prepare it.
Looking at An Tong still savoring the civet coffee, Li Jing asked, "Don't you find it unsettling?"
"Not at all, I think it tastes quite good."
An Tong shook his head slightly and then answered, "This is the first time I'm drinking such expensive coffee. Even if it didn't taste good, I'd still finish it, let alone the fact that it actually tastes pretty good."
Hearing this, Li Jing helplessly shook his head.
He can spend money to enjoy, but he can't eat shit, even if it's golden shit.
He couldn't understand the peculiar hobby invented by the wealthy class.
He couldn't imagine under what circumstances a person would try to make coffee out of cat feces and then market it as one of the most expensive coffees.
Of course, it might also be because he hadn't reached that level yet.
Maybe one day when he is rich and bored, and all normal desires are fully satisfied, he will also think of some unconventional things to stimulate his desires and senses.
Then, in order to get others to accept his quirky pleasures, he might spend money to market it as a privilege only available to the high-end crowd, thus achieving the maximum satisfaction for his own peculiar tastes.
As Li Jing was lost in his thoughts, Xu Wan respectfully came over with two cups of tea.
Once Li Jing had sipped the West Lake Longjing without showing dissatisfaction, Xu Wan respectfully sat on the sofa next to him and smiled as she began the main topic:
"Mr. Li, we are very grateful for your choice of our bank. Regarding your deposit, we currently have a variety of options. Generally, clients like you would choose our private banking services, which offer exclusive wealth management."
As she spoke, she glanced at her watch and smiled, "Learning that we were lucky enough to invite you to the bank today, our private bank director specifically rescheduled his work to come over, and he should be here soon."
"Private banking?"
As the conversation turned to the main topic, Li Jing became more serious and directly asked, "What services does private banking offer?"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock at the door, and a man in a carefully tailored suit quickly walked in.
He exchanged a glance with Xu Wan, and after a quick exchange of looks, his gaze fell on Li Jing, and he immediately stepped forward respectfully and said, "Hello, Mr. Li, I'm Yu Yang, the director of private banking.
If you are interested in private banking, I can answer any questions you may have."
Li Jing glanced at the man who was even more respectful than Xu Wan, nodded lightly, "Alright, go ahead and tell me."
"Okay, Mr. Li."
Upon hearing this, Yu Yang immediately demonstrated his professionalism, explaining their services to Li Jing methodically, without displaying any impatience or surprise that Li Jing might not be familiar with private banking.
Although the other party was a man, Li Jing surprisingly felt comfortable during the interaction. The other party could always provide the emotional value Li Jing needed in appropriate details.
This included a warm and clear manner of speaking, respectful and natural demeanor, and even when Li Jing's tea went cold, Yu Yang promptly replaced it with a hot one, taking care of even An Tong's needs completely.
Li Jing wasn't particularly interested in the investment proposals offered, but the emotional value provided by the other party left him somewhat satisfied.
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"Mr. Li, since we are currently in a low-interest environment, ordinary people can't even obtain a 1.5% interest rate per year; we can offer you an annual interest of up to 4%. Do you find this acceptable?"
Li Jing raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised that his deposit interest could be directly negotiated with the counterpart. This made him truly feel the stark difference between the rich and ordinary people, considering how he used to compare deposit interest rates among various banks.
Especially the opportunities and ability of the rich to grow their money far exceeded the imagination of ordinary people.
The interest he could earn in a year now was more than what ordinary people could make in a lifetime of work.
Seeing Li Jing not speaking, Yu Yang thought he was dissatisfied and promptly added, "Mr. Li, aside from the interest, we can also offer you customized card numbers or provide a bank vanity number, and if you need our black card, we can arrange that for you immediately."
"Customized card number?"
Li Jing raised an eyebrow, surprised that with money, not only could the interest rate be negotiated with the bank, but even a stylish card number could be chosen.
An Tong, who was quietly listening to the conversation between the two, was secretly amazed.
She realized that although everyone lived in the same world, the lives of the rich were vastly different from those of ordinary people.
An Tong glanced at the wall; on the other side, there might be many ordinary people lining up for service, anxiously consulting over matters of a few thousand to tens of thousands of yuan.
On this side of the wall, the client manager, the private bank director, and even the bank president, who Xu Wan represented for his apologies for not being able to come himself, were all gathered around Li Jing, serving tea and water respectfully.
Every question from Li Jing, every change in his expression, was sharply caught by the others, who responded with full effort and provided the most impeccable service.
Feeling the immense disparity between the two sides, An Tong inexplicably sensed a feeling of unreality, even questioning the world she used to live in.
Noticing An Tong's change in expression, Li Jing glanced at her, then reached out to hold her cold, slender hand, smiling, "Are you alright?"
Feeling the warmth in her hand, An Tong's expression slightly changed, snapping out from the confusion and fantasy from earlier, her mind settled a bit, then she gratefully nodded to Li Jing, "Yeah, I'm fine now."
Li Jing could see that her worldview had been impacted. If he hadn't gone through high spending himself these past few days, he would have had emotional ups and downs over these matters as well, so he understood her feelings and intentionally helped her snap out of it.
Subsequently, Li Jing turned to Yu Yang, continuing the previous topic, "What's a black card? What are the benefits of your black card here?"
Though Li Jing held his assistant's hand in public, Yu Yang and Xu Wan tacitly chose to ignore it, not even showing a slight change on their faces.
Yu Yang maintained his original smile and explained respectfully, "Our black card refers to the American Express Centurion Card, which is a collaboration between our bank and the Beautiful Country's American Express company, and it's a symbol of the client's prestigious status.
With this card, you can enjoy discounts and offers on international airlines in the future, and over seven hundred airport lounges worldwide for your enjoyment, with special assistance for your boarding procedures.
Additionally, cardholders have the rights to book luxury hotels, priority reservations at high-end restaurants, and access to some hidden special menu items.
We also invite you to exclusive private events, which are attended by high-end individuals who possess the black card, helping clients expand their network.
We also have emergency handling services, such as a cardholder's daughter suddenly going to the hospital and unable to attend a concert of her idol. The Centurion Card's exclusive lifestyle advisor managed to contact the band's agency, and the lead singer visited this little fan before the show..."
"Can it even do that?"
This time, An Tong couldn't help but open her small mouth in amazement.
The previous services were within her range of acceptance, but the last example directly exceeded her understanding.
Having a star actively visit one's sick daughter in the hospital.
Just the thought made An Tong find it unbelievable.
Seeing An Tong's astonishment, Yu Yang nodded with a smile, "Yes, we have many similar services. If Mr. Li applies for the black card, we'll have a dedicated service team. Anytime Mr. Li encounters trouble, you can have our lifestyle advisor help resolve it."
After hearing this, Li Jing was also somewhat surprised by the card's range of services; it's truly astonishing.
Indeed, the more money-oriented the place, the better the service for the wealthy.
"Alright, then get me one..."
"Okay!"
As soon as Li Jing spoke, Yu Yang's eyes lit up slightly; this response indicated that Li Jing had recognized his service and attitude, and thus, the funds of over a hundred million could remain relatively stable in his bank, not easily transferred elsewhere in the short term.
Then, it followed a series of procedures and paperwork. At this stage, Yu Yang and Xu Wan became busy.
Once the final process was completed, Li Jing and the others exited the bank accompanied by Yu Yang and Xu Wan, and Yu Yang personally drove Li Jing back to the hotel.
Back in the room, An Tong stood at the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the traffic and crowds on the road, her expression complex, and said lightly, "I suddenly feel like this world is a multi-layered world overlaid together.
Although everyone lives in this world, the poor have their world, ordinary people have their world, the middle class have theirs, and the wealthy have theirs.
Each world seems to overlap yet is entirely disconnected. Just like separated by a wall, there could be worlds apart."
Looking at An Tong's demeanor, Li Jing smiled, walked over slowly, "The world is like that; today, you only saw the tip of the iceberg. What you need to do is not to be melancholy and sigh, but to accept and enjoy it.
Now, shouldn't you feel lucky? Lucky that the world you're in is already inaccessible and even unknowable to most ordinary people."
Upon hearing this, An Tong fell silent, blinked, then turned to Li Jing and nodded, "You're right, I should feel lucky for myself."
Li Jing's lips curled slightly, pinched her delicate chin, then pulled her onto the sofa, starting to embrace and kiss, hands roaming over her soft, supple skin.
An Tong let out a muffled moan, her hands tightly wrapped around his neck, and her entire body melted like soft flowing water entwining him.
Enjoying the considerate service from the bank, they turned and indulged themselves in another kind of beautiful enjoyment.