Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1304 Art

The next day, the two of them went to the company and attended the morning meeting. Then, Xiaowei asked Milina to inform the city's investment promotion bureau that he had returned.

A short while later, Xiao Wei received a call from Xiao Meng, the same person from before: "Hello, Chairman Zhang. After our negotiations with the Korean businessmen, they are prepared to meet with you at 2 PM this afternoon in the small conference room of our Investment Promotion Bureau. If there are no problems, please attend the meeting on time."

Xiao Wei was taken aback: "Are you here on behalf of the Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau to inform me?"

Xiao Meng said, "Originally, the leader wanted to call you directly, but something came up and he was in talks with a South Korean businessman, so he asked me to notify you."

Xiao Wei: "Which leader are you? I've never heard of any high-ranking officials in the Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau. Am I missing something? Also, I came all the way back from Kyoto out of respect for you, but I suddenly realized that you don't have anything that makes me respect you."

The Koreans want to see me? Tell them to schedule an appointment with my assistant. I'm very busy; I don't have time to play games with you, and you don't deserve it. That's all.

Xiao Wei hung up the phone, thought for a moment, then shook his head, completely baffled.

Chen Hui pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a cup of coffee. He said, "You wouldn't notice unless you compared it to something else, but this coffee doesn't seem as good as the one at Sister Xuemei's shop. I'm used to that, and this tastes a bit sour. What are you thinking about?"

Xiao Wei said, "I just don't understand. We came all this way to save face for the China Merchants Group, and they went to ask the Koreans for instructions. After they confirmed the time, they sent some junior staff member to call me and tell me I had to be in their small conference room at 2 PM. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Chen Hui took a small sip of coffee, smacked his lips, and shook his head: "Then just ignore them. Has this guy lost his mind? You approved Lao Zhang's mall expansion plan, right?"

I took a look around yesterday and thought it over, and I feel it's a bit risky. Shopping malls need a huge amount of foot traffic and spending; renting space would increase costs significantly, unlike supermarkets.

Xiao Wei asked, "So how do you think we should do it better? We can't just say no to Lao Zhang's desire to expand, can we? Besides, considering the current business environment, it's not too early to expand. People have more spare money, so their spending power is definitely not a problem."

If we don't expand, others will have to build. Right now, the entire department store industry in Fengtian is upgrading and transforming. The Tiebai and Erbai department stores, along with Hualian, are all undergoing renovations and upgrades. Not to mention Zhongjie and Taiyuan Street, the old department stores are thinking about expansion, and the new department stores are preparing to open.

I agree with Lao Zhang's idea; we want to try and see if we can expand. We don't need to be as extravagant as supermarkets or convenience stores, but at least two locations in one district should be no problem.

"Rent, we'll talk about that later. If things go well, we can discuss buying the building, even if it means sacrificing everything else, and agreeing to let them contribute the building as equity. Or, if we encounter someone trying to rip us off and demand exorbitant prices, we can find another location once we're sure this area is viable."

Chen Hui sat down and thought for a moment: "I have a feeling that it would be better to just buy a building and then open a shopping mall. If it works out, we can upgrade and renovate it; if not, we can build residential buildings. After all, you've already decided to develop residential buildings, haven't you?"

Xiao Wei leaned back in his boss's chair and scratched his head: "Do it together? Do you think it's feasible? I feel that there's a conflict between building a department store and residential areas, right? A department store definitely needs to be conveniently located near a main road. Building an office building would be more reliable."

Don't you feel it's a waste to build houses in a place like this? High property prices are one thing, but they didn't do it this way.

Chen Hui said, "Why not make the plot bigger? The street-facing side can be used for shopping malls and office buildings, with some auxiliary facilities. Then, residential buildings can be built further in, along the back street, which would also be considered a complement to the commercial development. After all, commercial spaces need customers, right?"

Xiao Wei nodded: "That's fine, it'll bring its own foot traffic. But a residential area needs supporting facilities. Let's not even talk about water, gas, and electricity; there's also municipal infrastructure, roads, transportation, schools, hospitals, and even post offices, banks, and farmers' markets. It's not that simple."

Chen Hui said, "I said we should build a commercial area, so why not bring all of these in? If we make the community bigger, what else would we need? They're just watching us make money, aren't they? If all else fails, we can do it ourselves. Huang Laowu always says his revenue is low, so let the property management company set up a few vegetable markets."

Xiao Wei laughed, thought about it, and realized that what Chen Hui said wasn't entirely impossible. Residential communities all need property management; parking lots could be arranged, and adding a farmers' market didn't seem like a big deal.

"Why don't you talk to Lao Wu and Dawei and see how to make a good plan? Oh, and let Lao Zhang and Sister Liu participate too."

Chen Hui was taken aback: "Let Sister Liu participate? You're still planning to buy the produce yourself from the market and sell it? I think we should just attract investment and rent counters."

Xiao Wei said, "Your mall isn't open? Let Sister Liu listen and give us her opinions, then she'll have a better understanding. There's also the issue of location and pricing; Sister Liu's opinion is worth considering."

Chen Hui nodded: "Hey, try this coffee, it's really not as good as the one in the bookstore."

Xiao Wei glanced at Chen Hui and said, "That's freshly ground, this is instant. Why don't you compare it to a popsicle and ice cream?"

……

Xiao Meng frowned, muttered a couple of curses silently, and got up to walk to the leader's office.

"Director Su, the brother company said they don't have time. They said if you want to see him, Mr. Han should contact his assistant to make an appointment."

He didn't mention Xiaowei's comments about the Investment Promotion Bureau not being qualified. Knowing what to say to superiors and what to keep to oneself is an essential skill for any civil servant.

Saying this is useless; it will only provoke the bureau chief's anger, leaving you with no choice but to become his punching bag. Your boss may not remember your good deeds, but he will definitely remember how you annoyed him.

Director Su frowned: "This brother company is really arrogant. It's like a poor man getting a gold nugget; they have no sense of the bigger picture at all. Give me a copy of their information, and I'll see where their confidence comes from."

Xiao Meng ran back to his desk and pulled a document from his drawer. It was information he had collected privately about the Brothers Group.

This is an essential skill for any subordinate: anticipating needs and preparing thoroughly. Like this, delivering the necessary materials the moment the boss mentions them allows the boss to fully experience your work ability as a subordinate. A truly top-notch skill.

Moreover, you can't give it to them in advance; you have to wait for the leader to bring it up. Otherwise, you might not only not get extra points but also lose points: "Do you think the leader is inferior to you and doesn't think as thoroughly as you? Do you need to remind them?" You can't escape being accused of acting on your own initiative.

Giving advice to your boss and flattering them are highly difficult skills. You have to figure out the nuances, timing, and timing. If you do it well, your boss will be overjoyed and their satisfaction will skyrocket. If you do it poorly, you'll end up being awkward, stiff, and even hurt.

(End of this chapter)