Chapter 32: Chapter 32: The Mysterious Big Shot Reappears
The merchandising supervisor, who was just about to leave, seemed to hesitate.
Finally, he stopped and turned to Fang Zheng. "President Fang, there’s been a change to the renewal terms. Come find me next week once you’re back at the office, or I can pay your company a visit!"
Fang Zheng suddenly felt a pang of unease. ’A change?’
’I already reported this at the regional managers’ meeting at headquarters! The COO even commended me for it. If you change things now, it won’t just be me—you’ll make the COO a laughingstock too!’
"Wait, man, didn’t I already settle this with your boss? What change?"
The merchandising supervisor glanced at him. ’This Fang Zheng is really full of himself. What does he mean, "settled this with my boss"?’
’Is he trying to use my boss to pressure me?’
’Doesn’t he realize these are my boss’s orders?’
"President Fang, the changes are significant. Take this store, for example. The renewal rate this year is 800 yuan per square meter per month!"
CLANG~
Fang Zheng flinched and bumped his fork, which fell to the tiled floor with a sharp sound.
yuan per square meter per month, compared to the previous 450, was a 78% increase. For this store alone, the annual rent would go up by 630,000 yuan.
He questioned the price hike, but the merchandising supervisor, anxious to leave, said impatiently, "You can’t look at it that way. The current market rate for rent on the second floor is between 700 and 720 yuan per square meter per month. Our rent hikes for major brands are typically 8 to 10 percent, and 13 to 15 percent for smaller brands. This is a reasonable level!
"We’ve just been giving you a special deal for the past few years by not raising the rent. You can’t take our consideration for granted, can you?"
Fang Zheng was about to say more, but the merchandising supervisor glanced at his watch. "This isn’t the place to talk business. Let’s do it next Monday. My guests are waiting, so I have to go!"
"Are you working today? Can I come to your office this afternoon?"
Fang Zheng didn’t dare wait. This whole thing could be the death of him!
"I’m not working today. I just came in this morning because something came up. A mysterious big shot has arrived at the company!"
Fang Zheng knew him fairly well from before, so he pried a little. "It’s not your regional director, is it?"
The merchandising supervisor shook his head. It was his first time seeing a scene like this. The regional director could only trail at the very back with a deferential smile.
You could only see the person at the very front from a distance; forget about getting within three meters of them.
He could only vaguely make out that she had a slender figure and looked a bit like the King of the Kingdom of Women from the ’86 version of *Journey to the West*.
Dignified and majestic, as if she could decide a person’s fate with a single word!
"I’m leaving now. We’ll talk again on Monday. In short, the rent for all your stores must be raised to a reasonable level, or we won’t be renewing the leases!"
Before he left, he dropped one last sentence that detonated in Fang Zheng’s mind like a nuclear bomb.
He sat in his chair, his head spinning.
The way Qin Hong looked at him changed, too. She might not understand business operations, but she had passed elementary school math!
This one store’s rent was going up by 630,000 yuan a year. Even if the others weren’t as high, say, half that amount...
The company had a total of 21 stores in partnership with Xinyue Square. The annual rent cost would likely increase by six to eight million yuan, at least. And the company’s current annual net profit wasn’t even ten million.
In other words, a single change in the renewal terms could be enough to push the company from making a profit to taking a loss?
If that happened, Fang Zheng would be the one to bear the ultimate responsibility—both as the acting regional manager and as the head of the channel development department!
Qin Hong suddenly felt a pang of pity for him. The poor guy’s emotions had been on a roller coaster lately.
First, he was convinced he was going to be the next regional manager. He threw a huge banquet and bragged all night, only for the news to come the next day that Yang Hui had been chosen instead.
It was almost voted the company’s joke of the year. She’d even seen Fang Zheng run to Yang Hui’s office to grovel and admit defeat!
Then, Yang Hui resigned!
And just like that, Fang Zheng was back. High and mighty, he stole the show at the group’s regional managers’ meeting, jumping ahead of President Zhao to be the only acting regional manager to present a report.
He had grandly announced the cooperation terms he’d supposedly negotiated with Xinyue Group. None of it was actually finalized, but Fang Zheng had presented it as a done deal.
What Qin Hong didn’t know was that Fang Zheng had made this assumption out of sheer habit. Things had gone the same way for the past two years. How could he have known things would change this year, of all times, right when he was the acting regional manager?
His appetite completely gone, Fang Zheng scrambled in a panic. When he reached for his phone on the table, his hand was so unsteady he couldn’t get a grip, and it fell to the floor.
He looked as if he’d developed Parkinson’s.
Yang Hui, enjoying the sight of Liu Shasha cutting his steak for him, occasionally glanced over at Fang Zheng.
He’d heard the entire conversation with the merchandising manager loud and clear. He wasn’t surprised in the least; in fact, he’d known this was going to happen all along.
Qin Hong stood up, but she didn’t move to help Fang Zheng. She was thinking about all the crap he’d been spouting the last couple of days. ’How is he going to clean up this mess come Monday?’
’Just a moment ago he was boasting that Xinyue Square had to give him face when he showed up. And this is the result?’
"President Yang, those two people just now kept looking at you. Do you know them?"
Liu Shasha asked after Fang Zheng and Qin Hong had left.
"Mhm, I know them."
"I noticed you didn’t say anything to them. Is it because that guy is all talk?"
Apparently, she had also overheard Fang Zheng. The words he’d spoken one second were immediately refuted by the merchandising manager the next.
Yang Hui didn’t want to talk about Fang Zheng. He’d looked down on him when they were colleagues, and even more so now. ’I’m financially independent now,’ he thought. ’Why waste time on people like that? Isn’t it better to be out hitting on girls?’
He gave a wicked smirk and lowered his voice. "So, can you blow?"
Liu Shasha understood instantly. "President Yang, you’re so naughty!"
"How is that naughty? I just want to get to know you better. Only after I know you inside and out will I dare to bring out my treasure for you to... appraise."
A light blush crept onto Liu Shasha’s face, but their relationship wasn’t exactly a romance, so she could be bold.
"I insist on appraising the treasure first, *then* you can get to know me inside and out!"
Once the conversation went there, even the best steak couldn’t hold their attention. Besides, they were both watching how much they ate; eating too much would be detrimental to the... vigorous exercise planned for later.
The two of them took the elevator down to the parking garage to get the car. Just then, a Rolls-Royce Phantom slowly glided past and stopped a short distance away. It was followed by two more Rolls-Royces and several Mercedes-Benz GLSs.
It was the same convoy from the other night. Even though there weren’t as many vehicles, the distinctive cars and formation were something Yang Hui recognized in a single glance.
’Could that queen-like woman I didn’t get a clear look at last time be here too?’
He looked toward where the lead car had stopped—right in front of the exclusive elevator that connected the Xinyue Square office tower to the B1 parking garage.
Curiosity compelled him to stop. Liu Shasha was also stunned by the scene. This was the kind of procession reserved for royalty!
The exclusive elevator doors slid open. Two figures who looked like assistants stepped out, followed by the main person of interest.
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