My minimum living allowance is credited to my account every day with 1000 million yuan

"Has already exceeded"

The pride on his face practically overflowed when he said those words!

However, he certainly has something to be proud of, because of his next sentence:

"We all started from scratch; it's a joint venture between several brothers!"

Qin Ning exclaimed sincerely, "President Zhang, you guys are really amazing!"

In this day and age, to be able to lead a company with annual sales of several billion dollars from scratch in your thirties is absolutely awesome!

Zhang Han looked pleased with himself; he was already a little proud. Being praised by such a beautiful woman made him even more arrogant!

He continued introducing his business: "We are now developing rapidly along the Han River, and we're planning to open a flagship store on Jiangzhou Pedestrian Street."

Xie Xiaoxiao had no experience negotiating rent, but she felt a little silly for remaining silent while everyone else had been talking since they entered the house. She added, "The rent here is very expensive!"

Zhang Han laughed out loud: "President Xie, I'm not bragging. When it comes to financial strength, I've never been afraid of anyone."

Xie Xiaoxiao thought to herself, "Isn't this just bragging? With your limited financial resources, there's really nothing to brag about in Jiangzhou."

In the retail industry, despite large sales volumes, profit margins are often shockingly low. Companies like Ino Group and Jiexun Sports are exceptions; they significantly reduce rental costs by relying on Junxiao Commercial Management. Otherwise, a net profit margin exceeding 10% would be considered very impressive.

For someone like Zhang Han, who deals in gold and jewelry, especially gold, the profit margin is even lower.

However, she didn't show it and asked, "What are Mr. Zhang's specific ideas about this store?"

Zhang Han did not answer directly, but continued to boast about his abilities:

"Our company has grown to its current size in just 5 years!!"

“We opened a shop on the commercial pedestrian street in the southern province and wanted to get the most impressive shop. At that time, there were competitors competing with us. The two sides fought fiercely, each bringing dozens of people. In the end, we won.”

Hearing this, Xie Xiaoxiao frowned. Was this industry really that chaotic? She disliked people who were aggressive and confrontational. Her impression of Zhang Han plummeted, and she became less inclined to cooperate with him.

Seeing Xie Xiaoxiao's silence, Zhang Han assumed she was listening attentively as he explained his abilities.

"To be honest, we have quite a few resources on Jiangzhou Pedestrian Street. However, we ultimately chose your shop. We've invested a lot in the renovations this time, with estimated costs reaching 200 million yuan!"

Xie Xiaoxiao didn't listen at all. She had no interest in Zhang Han's explanation about why the cost of decorating with gold and jewelry was so high.

She glanced at her watch; if Zhang Ziqian hadn't been arriving soon, she would have already left.
"So—", Zhang Han had been talking non-stop for a long time, and finally he was about to state his demands.

"I'm looking for a 5 million yuan rent for this shop, with a 500-year contract..." Zhang Han said, then stared intently at Xie Xiaoxiao's charming face. Those dimples were so adorable! Plus, she was 176cm tall with a curvaceous figure. This landlady was incredibly alluring!

After waiting for a while, Xie Xiaoxiao still hadn't replied. Zhang Han then realized that his beautiful landlady had been daydreaming. He was somewhat displeased, feeling that Xie Xiaoxiao was being disrespectful to him.

A successful businessman in his thirties, who is always treated with great respect wherever he goes, has never experienced such cold treatment before.

"Mr. Xie!" he emphasized, his tone clearly displeased. "What do you think of my proposal?!"

"Huh?" Xie Xiaoxiao seemed to be startled awake, blinking blankly. "What did you say?"

boom!
Zhang Han felt a rush of heat to his head! His impassioned speech had sounded like nothing at all to her?!

He suppressed his anger, his face so dark it seemed to drip water, and he almost gritted his teeth as he repeated, "I said! I can offer an annual rent of 520 million for this shop!" He deliberately emphasized the number "520".

Xie Xiaoxiao's delicate brows immediately furrowed, showing a hint of confusion and impatience at being disturbed: "My current rent is already 550 million, and you're giving me 520 million?"

Is this even worth considering? Just pass!
Qin Ning, standing nearby, immediately added fuel to the fire, her tone filled with undisguised skepticism: "President Zhang, a big brand as powerful as yours can't even afford the rent?"

Zhang Han blushed, as if he had been slapped in the face in public, and hurriedly defended himself: "The market is declining right now! In many of our stores across the country, we're negotiating rent reductions with landlords during the contract period! This is a common phenomenon!"

He tried to use the excuse of "the general trend" to cover up his attempt to lower the price.

Xie Xiaoxiao was too lazy to waste any more words with him; Zhang Ziqian should be arriving soon. Just as she was about to find an excuse to end this boring conversation, her phone started buzzing.

She picked it up and glanced at it; it was an unknown number. Too lazy to deal with Zhang Han and just wanting something to kill time, she swiped to answer—

"Hello Mr. Xie! I'm your tenant from [Jio Women's Clothing]!"

Ok?
Xie Xiaoxiao glanced at Zhang Han and noticed that he looked a little nervous, so she knew that he had probably heard what was being said on her phone.

She responded and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"That's right, Mr. Xie! We've been doing business with this store for five years, and the partnership has always been very stable. Now that the contract is expiring, we hope to continue our cooperation."

Mr. Zhang clenched his fist under the table.

Xie Xiaoxiao had no experience, so no matter who approached her, she would first listen to their thoughts.

"Mr. Xie, the market isn't doing well this year, and the pressure on operations is still quite significant."

Complaining about being poor~
That's right, it's about playing the poor card—

Zhang Han laughed. What difference did it make? Once this person started haggling, it would be easier for him to negotiate. In terms of financial resources, how could a women's clothing business compare to him?
Xie Xiaoxiao, though not in the retail industry, was well aware of the current economic downturn. After all, the global economy had been declining for the past few years.

"Mr. Xie, my idea is to keep this year's rent the same as last year, at 550 million. What do you think?"

"Pfft—!" Zhang Han almost spat out a mouthful of blood! The sneer on his face froze instantly, turning into incredulous astonishment and anger!
Damn it! Didn't you come here to plead poverty and negotiate a rent reduction?! How come you're asking for 550 million right off the bat?! And you're asking if that's even possible?! This is practically your bottom line! You might even ask for more?!

Seemingly afraid that Xie Xiaoxiao wouldn't agree, he quickly added more pressure, his tone filled with a desperate honesty and helplessness:
"Mr. Xie, to be honest, this is our brand's largest and most important flagship store in Jiangzhou! We really want to keep it!"

He made no secret of his determination to own the shop, even deliberately exposing his weakness—this shop was crucial to them! This was tantamount to handing the knife to the landlord! According to business logic, the landlord could easily raise the price at this point!
It might seem a little "silly," but this seemingly foolish honesty flowed into Xie Xiaoxiao's heart like a clear spring. She liked honest people.

Zhang Han panicked. He had just spent 520 million yuan, and he acted as if he were being very generous, like he was giving charity to others.

Now, at [Gio Women's Clothing], the starting price is a whopping 550 million. In this situation, any normal landlord would know what to choose, after all, who doesn't like money?
"Mr. Xie! Mr. Xie!" Zhang Han could no longer care about his composure. He leaned forward, his voice urgent and low, filled with a desperate madness, "I'm willing to pay 580 million! 580 million! Annual rent! The contract term is still 5 years!"

580 million!
This is a full 500 higher than his initial asking price of 80 million! And 550 higher than [Gio Women's Wear]'s 30 million!
The 5-year contract meant he had to pay an extra 300 million yuan upfront!
"Hiss—" Qin Ning next to him gasped, his mouth agape in a perfect "O" shape!
The mother of the outrageous opened the door for the outrageous—it's outrageous to the extreme!

She painstakingly saved millions, and this guy, just to grab a shop, casually gave away an extra 300 million?! Did this money grow on trees?! It's infuriating to compare yourself to others!

She immediately looked at Xie Xiaoxiao, her eyes frantically urging: Say yes! Say yes now! You'll get 30 yuan for free every year!

Xie Xiaoxiao's reaction was exactly as they had expected.

She rejected the offer from [Gio Women's Clothing] with almost no hesitation on the other end of the phone:

"I disagree with this condition!"

Zhang Han's tense nerves instantly relaxed, and a surge of joy at surviving a disaster welled up inside him! He was incredibly grateful that he had decisively added 60! Otherwise, Xie Xiaoxiao's "disagreement" might have been a "OK" directed at him!

On the other end of the phone, clearly stunned by the decisive rejection, the voice was filled with disappointment and a bitter disbelief:
"So...Mr. Xie, what are your... intentions?"

He seems to be waiting for an even more brutal price increase.

A victorious smile spread across Zhang Han's face, tinged with schadenfreude. 580 million? A women's clothing store definitely couldn't afford that! Even if he could grit his teeth and accept it, he could always raise the price himself! Was he, Zhang Han, really inferior to a clothing seller? He was prepared to continue raising his bid, while simultaneously straining his ears to hear what kind of "sky-high" price Xie Xiaoxiao was going to ask for.

Time seemed to stand still in the coffee shop. Qin Ning held her breath, waiting silently on the other end of the phone.

Xie Xiaoxiao's voice rang out calmly and clearly, like a pebble thrown into a still lake:

"520 million, I guess—"

boom!!!
The world seemed to have been frozen in time!

The background music disappeared, the coffee machine stopped making noise, and the birdsong outside the window vanished!

Zhang Han's smile froze instantly, his eyes widening as if they were about to pop out of their sockets! He stared at Xie Xiaoxiao like a statue instantly petrified, as if he had heard the most absurd and unbelievable fairy tale in the world!
520 million?!

She rejected 550 million, rejected 580 million, and then offered 520 million?!

30 lower than the previous tenant's offer?! Lower than my previous offer of 580 million!
Qin Ning was completely stunned! She had just been hinting to Xie Xiaoxiao to accept 580 million, and then Xie Xiaoxiao immediately offered 520 million?! She instinctively blurted out in a trembling voice, "Xiaoxiao! They're offering 550 million!"

Almost simultaneously, a voice on the other end of the phone echoed with the same shock and confusion: "Mr. Xie? I just quoted 550 million—"

The voice was issued almost simultaneously with Qin Ning's reminder!
Zhang Han opened his mouth, but the words "Are you crazy?!" stuck in his throat. He swallowed them back down, leaving only heavy breathing.

Xie Xiaoxiao was not surprised to hear the simultaneous notifications from the phone and beside her. Instead, she chuckled softly and pleasantly.

“I heard you quoted 550 million…” Her voice carried a strange certainty.

"Then... Mr. Xie, you...?" Xiao Wang's voice was filled with confusion and bewilderment.

"I'll quote 520 million..." Xie Xiaoxiao repeated, her tone unwavering, as if stating a perfectly natural fact.

Dead!

An even more thorough and suffocating silence than before!

Zhang Han and Qin Ning were frozen in place as if they had been struck by acupuncture points at the same time, their faces showing the same extreme, incomprehensible shock and bewilderment!
Only one thought was roaring wildly in Zhang Han's mind:

What's going on?!
This beautiful landlady...does she have a grudge against money?!

The kind of deep-seated hatred?!

Sunlight streamed in through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on Xie Xiaoxiao's calm yet slightly pleased profile, as if bathing her in a soft glow. She gently stirred the now-cold coffee in front of her, completely oblivious to the frozen air around her and the two blank stares in her eyes.

“You just mentioned that the market is not good right now and that business is difficult. You also expressed your hope that we can cooperate in the long term. I also have the idea of ​​cooperating with your company in the long term, so I took the initiative to lower the rent.”

"."

She's crazy! She's a crazy woman! She's a beautiful crazy woman!
Zhang Han looked at her with a frustrated expression, wondering how to change her mind!
Qin Ning knew Xie Xiaoxiao well. After a moment of surprise, she calmed down. This was indeed something Xie Xiaoxiao was capable of doing. She was usually very chivalrous.

For a wealthy woman like her who now earns tens of millions in rent annually, 30 yuan a year is really nothing!

But this 30 yuan might turn the women's clothing business's losses into profits.

The person in charge of 【Jio Women's Clothing】 was extremely grateful and thanked them repeatedly!
Xie Xiaoxiao asked for the other party's email address and told him that she would send him the renewal contract that afternoon. She instructed him to sign it and mail it to her; after both parties signed, he could pay the next rent payment.
She already had the contract template. Chen Xiao owned more than just these two properties on this street; Zhang Ziqian had certainly prepared the contract templates when she handled the rentals.

After ending the call, Zhang Han said urgently, "Mr. Xie, we were very sincere too—"

He didn't mention raising the rent, because Xie Xiaoxiao's actions just now were so swift and decisive that she was clearly a wealthy person!

It's foolish to talk about money with someone who's already rich!
Xie Xiaoxiao smiled calmly. She didn't feel any sincerity from him. All he did was brag.

She definitely wouldn't work with someone like that. "Sorry, maybe we can work together again in the future."

After saying that, he prepared to get up and leave!

Mr. Zhang, whose cooperation with her seemed hopeless, grew increasingly cold. He sneered, "Mr. Xie, you don't have the only shop on this street. I have another shop. Believe me or not, I can take it over for 580 million right away." (End of Chapter)