Dashing Student

Wisdom Heart Teahouse.

Inside a private room called Tranquil Elegance.

Sun Qiangdong and Liu Cheng were sipping top-quality West Lake Longjing tea, both of their faces showing a hint of helplessness.

Even though they had posted information about subleasing their popular store,

people had been calling to inquire about renting it.

But.

Paying a total of two million over five years was not something just anyone could afford.

Everyone who heard this point simply gave up.

Investing several hundred thousand and losing it was barely acceptable,

but two million was just too outrageous.

"I fucking knew I shouldn’t have listened to you in the first place!" Liu Cheng’s rage boiled over as he glared at Sun Qiangdong, "If I hadn’t paid five years of rent all at once, things would never have reached this stage."

"Now look, all the money I made before has been dumped into this."

He regretted it.

If he had just paid one year’s rent at the beginning, even if he couldn’t rent out the place, he’d have lost only a few hundred thousand.

But now.

He had invested all his wealth into it.

He had hoped to snag a bargain, but the turn of events caught him off guard and trapped him.

Sun Qiangdong got angry too, "Mr. Liu, you should speak with conscience. Was it me who forced you to pay five years’ rent in one go? It was you who heard that there was a big discount for paying five years’ rent at once, and then you asked me to contact my old classmate. After all this, how can you blame me?"

"And it was you who took the initiative against ’National Tea.’ If you hadn’t said you were absolutely sure you could take down ’National Tea,’ why the hell would I have colluded with you?"

"If it wasn’t for that, how could things have ended up like this?"

Liu Cheng, red-faced with anger and embarrassment, snapped back, "We are all no saints here, so let’s not blame each other. The urgent matter is to cash out as quickly as possible and find a way to lease out the shops."

Just then.

Sun Qiangdong’s phone started ringing. A somewhat familiar number appeared on the screen. He took a deep breath and pressed the answer button. A booming laugh came through, "Is this Mr. Sun? This is Huang Zhen. We spoke over the phone half an hour ago. I’m still quite interested in your shop. Do you have time for us to meet and talk in person?"

Sun Qiangdong felt a rush of joy. He had not expected the other party would want to meet him, which gave him hope.

Still, he replied with a calm tone, "I’m at Tranquil Elegance in Wisdom Heart Teahouse. Mr. Huang, please come here directly!"

"Alright, I can be there in about twenty minutes," said Huang Zhen before hanging up.

Meanwhile.

Liu Cheng also received a call from a middle-aged man named Yang Jun who had previously inquired about the transfer of Zhen Guo Xuan but had been discouraged by the price. Now, he wished to discuss the matter in person.

It was clear that both were eager to take over the two shops.

This left them with mixed feelings.

Because it confirmed their original belief that investing in these two prime shops could indeed be profitable.

But the thought of being trapped in their current situation made them feel extremely stifled.

Soon.

Yang Jun arrived at the teahouse first, met Liu Cheng, and said with a face full of courtesy, "Mr. Liu, I have a high opinion of your shop; I’ve always wanted to open a snack store on the commercial street. But the price is too high. Can you make some concession?"

Liu Cheng asked, "Mr. Yang, what exactly do you mean by ’relaxing the terms’?"

Yang Jun replied, "Let’s pay annually. After all, a one-time payment of two million is not a small amount for anyone. Even if you can come up with the money, there will be no funds left for renovation and investment."

Liu Cheng and Sun Qiangdong exchanged glances as if they had reached some sort of consensus, and eventually, both decided to compromise. Although annual payments were more troublesome, there was no other choice at this point.

After a moment of contemplation, Liu Cheng said, "We can do annual payments, but the price will be a bit higher."

Yang Jun couldn’t help but ask, "How much higher?"

Liu Cheng answered, "Six hundred thousand a year."

Yang Jun bitterly smiled, "Mr. Liu, are you joking?"

"I won’t deny that your shop has a good location, but let’s not mince words—you won’t take offense if I say it’s not worth six hundred thousand! Unless someone’s out of their mind, no normal person would invest six hundred thousand in it!"

With that, he stood up and said, "Forget it, forget it. Since you’re not sincere, Mr. Yang won’t disturb you any further. I take my leave!"

Liu Cheng gave an awkward smile and quickly said, "Mr. Yang, business is all about bargaining. Even if you’re not satisfied with my asking price, you can still make a counteroffer!"

Hearing this, Yang Jun stopped in his tracks. Just as he was about to speak, a knock on the door interrupted them.

Liu Cheng said, "Come in!"

The next moment.

The door opened, and in walked a nearly two-meter-tall middle-aged man with an imposing air, clutching a briefcase under his arm and a gold chain as thick as a thumb around his neck, exuding the aura of a nouveau riche.

The middle-aged man looked around at the three of them with a suspicious face and boomed, "Who is Mr. Sun?"

Sun Qiangdong stood up and greeted him with a smile, "You must be Mr. Huang?"

Huang Zhen smiled and shook hands briefly with him before casually taking a seat on the sofa, "Mr. Sun, I’m straightforward and tend to speak my mind. Please forgive me if I say anything offensive."

"I quite like your Mimi Tea House in the commercial district. I’m thinking of renting it for my woman to open a nail salon."

"But to say I’m spending two million on a nail salon just to support a woman makes me look like a big fool."

"I’ll make an offer. If you feel it’s acceptable, then we’ll continue the discussion. If not, just consider it as if I had farted."

"Two hundred thousand, do you think it’s worth discussing?"

The smile on Sun Qiangdong’s face instantly froze.

He started to wonder if this guy was here to pick a fight.

After all, even the most remote and smallest store in the commercial district commands an annual rent of two hundred thousand, not to mention the prime location and size of his shop.

"I think two hundred thousand is a fair price," Yang Jun also stated his stance.

Liu Cheng got angry, "Are you two here to cause trouble? You want to rent a prime store in the commercial district, over eighty square meters, for two hundred thousand? Let me tell you, there are many interested in our prime location, you’d better give up the idea right now!"

"What?" Huang Zhen looked at Liu Cheng in astonishment and couldn’t help but say, "Do you think, you still have time to transfer your prime storefront to someone else?"

Liu Cheng’s pupils shrank violently, "What do you mean by that?"

Sun Qiangdong was also confused, having no clue what Huang Zhen meant.

Huang Zhen laughed heartily, "It’s odd that you’re tenants of the commercial district yet haven’t seen the latest announcement?"

The expressions on Sun Qiangdong and Liu Cheng’s faces changed dramatically, and although they didn’t understand what Huang Zhen meant, they still took out their phones and accessed the commercial district’s internal group.

However, when they saw the message, both felt a tingling in their scalps and flopped down on the sofa.

Sun Qiangdong stared at his phone, his body shaking uncontrollably, "How... How did it turn out like this?"