Chapter 135: Li Mengfei

Although Zhang Wei had already decided to hire Liu Cheng as a sales agent, the latter still needed to go to the company headquarters to complete the onboarding procedures. Zhang Wei had Wen Fang coordinate with the office, and it was arranged that Liu Cheng could go that very afternoon to finish the paperwork.

Zhang Wei led Liu Cheng out of the conference room, introduced him to the rest of the staff in the store, and then instructed him to go home and prepare; he would be officially starting work the next day. Zhang Wei personally walked Liu Cheng out of the store, offering earnest encouragement as they parted. He promised that as long as Liu Cheng worked hard, he would certainly help him achieve success in his career. These words warmed Liu Cheng’s heart, deepening his gratitude toward Zhang Wei.

Shortly after Liu Cheng left, Wang Jian and Guo Bin returned from showing a property to a client. Zhang Wei chatted briefly with the client and was surprised to learn that the client had taken a liking to the office building they were selling and even expressed interest in renting it. Since the owner of that property was only interested in selling, not renting, Zhang Wei couldn’t close the deal even if he waived the agency fee. However, the purpose of using that listing to attract the client had been achieved; as long as they could find a suitable office for rent soon, there was a good chance of closing a deal.

Ever since Zhang Wei had been promoted to store manager, his commissions and income were tied to the performance of the entire team, and his individual commission percentage had decreased significantly. Small rentals under ten thousand yuan no longer held much interest for him. What Zhang Wei cared about more was whether Wang Jian could find the confidence and rhythm of closing deals through this process. After the client left, Zhang Wei gave Wang Jian a few more instructions, telling him to stay in close contact with the property owner to track their rental intentions and to find a suitable alternative property as quickly as possible, lest the owner decide to seek out other agencies if things dragged on too long.

Once Zhang Wei finished handling the store’s business, he found himself with some free time. As a manager, he only needed to grasp the overall direction of the deals, while the detailed communication and processing were left to the agents. With no tasks at hand and no extra social obligations, he found himself browsing information online. He suddenly felt that he should find some kind of side hustle, otherwise, his precious time would simply slip away.

Since becoming a store manager, Zhang Wei had developed a clearer plan for his future. He divided his career into two main stages: the first stage was to operate in the secondary real estate agency market to accumulate connections, experience, and initial capital. Once he had sufficient resources, he would move into the second stage: entering the primary real estate development market to develop and sell new properties independently.

Moving into real estate development was still a distant goal. For now, he needed to establish a firm foothold in the secondary market. Even within the secondary market, he faced two choices: either climb the corporate ladder at Zhongtong Company step by step, or open his own real estate agency. He had hesitated between these options, especially since he now had over a million yuan in capital and could easily open his own store as a boss. However, after careful consideration, he dismissed this idea.

Running a company as a boss was no simple matter; the issues he would have to deal with would far exceed those of a store manager. Zhang Wei didn’t even know the legal procedures for registering a company, let alone how to manage and plan one. Moreover, a small agency would struggle to grow. If he could reach the position of regional director at Zhongtong, his network, experience, and capital would be far more substantial. At that point, he would be managing four or five hundred people; if he could recruit just one-third of them, he would be able to launch a mid-sized agency.

The most important aspect of an agency is "talent." The barrier to entry in this industry is low, and it does not require patents or advanced technology like a high-tech company. As long as you have a team of agents, you can survive. This principle was the same as "sharpening the axe does not delay the work of cutting wood." His time working at Zhongtong was his way of sharpening the blade; only when the blade was sharp could he achieve the greatest results in the shortest amount of time.

The profits in secondary real estate agency are considerable. If one could open a sizable agency, the annual earnings could reach hundreds of millions. Most importantly, this business requires little overhead compared to other industries. To put it nicely, this is a service industry; to put it bluntly, it is "snaring a wolf with empty hands." It has low costs and rarely loses money, making it perfect for someone like Zhang Wei, who came from humble beginnings.

In short, Zhang Wei wanted to reach the upper management at Zhongtong, then take a group of experienced professionals and start his own agency. Once he had accumulated enough capital and connections in the secondary market, he would pivot to real estate development. Ever since he gained the ability to read minds, his ambition had been expanding constantly. He didn't know if this was a good thing, but he knew that if he wanted something, he would strive to get it.

...

In a luxury villa in the capital, a family of three was dining. Seated at the head of the table was a woman of about forty. She was beautiful, with time leaving few traces on her face; she was a woman of enduring charm. Her name was Xiang Xiulan. Although she appeared to be a housewife, she was a renowned powerhouse in the business world—the president of Zhongtong Real Estate Co., Ltd.

On either side of her sat a young man and a young woman. The man was seventeen or eighteen, with handsome features, a tall build, slightly long hair, and fair skin—a picture of a refined youth. If Zhang Wei were there, he would recognize him as Li Mengfei, Murong Xuan’s cousin.

Opposite Li Mengfei sat a young woman, as beautiful as a flower, noble and elegant, with a delicate figure. Most impressive was her skin, as clear and translucent as crystal, which would make any woman in the world envious. This stunning beauty was Li Meng瑶, the same woman who had accidentally pressed the gas instead of the brake and nearly hit Zhang Wei. She was Li Mengfei’s older sister and the only woman who had ever stirred Zhang Wei’s heart based on appearance alone.

"Mom, let me tell you something," Li Mengfei said, setting down his chopsticks and wiping his mouth with a napkin. He looked at Xiang Xiulan, his expression ingratiating.

"What is it?" Xiang Xiulan looked up at her son, puzzled.

"Mom, you can’t get mad when I tell you," Li Mengfei said, shifting his chair forward and leaning in.

"If you know what you’re about to say will make me mad, why are you even saying it?" Li Meng瑶 glared at her brother, her tone filled with warning, as if she already knew what he was going to say.

"Yaoyao is right. If you’re afraid of making me angry, don’t say it. I’d like to live a few more years," Xiang Xiulan said. Seeing her son’s overly sycophantic expression, she knew he was up to no good—either he was about to cause trouble or he already had.

"Mom, look at you! Am I that unreasonable? I’ve just made a plan for my future life and wanted to report it to you. If you don't want to hear it, just pretend I never said it," Li Mengfei said, putting on a pitiful act as if he had been deeply wronged.

"Enough, stop acting pathetic in front of me. If you’ve caused trouble, just say it!" As the saying goes, a mother and son are of one heart; even if Li Mengfei had really committed a fault, Xiang Xiulan couldn’t just ignore it.

"Mom, I really haven’t done anything wrong. I just don’t want to go to university after I graduate from high school," Li Mengfei said, staring at Xiang Xiulan, his voice getting quieter and his face showing a hint of fear.

"What did you say? You don’t want to go to university? Then what do you want to do?" Xiang Xiulan arched her eyebrows, a look of severity appearing on her face, revealing the aura of a powerful businesswoman.

"Mom, I want to learn business from you and help you manage the company!" When he heard his mother ask what he wanted to do, Li Mengfei suddenly became energized, speaking with great enthusiasm. "Look at Bill Gates; he founded Microsoft without finishing college. If he had insisted on finishing Harvard, where would his financial empire be today?"

"Enough. If you were truly Bill Gates, I’d be relieved and wouldn’t have to work so hard to provide for you two," Xiang Xiulan retorted coldly.

"Mom, I’ve told you anyway. I’m not going to university. If you want to go, you can go yourself," Li Mengfei said, stubbornly refusing to back down.

"Hmph, if you don’t go to university, you’re actually saving me money," Xiang Xiulan glared at him, suppressing her anger. "But if you don't go to university, you won't even have a degree. What can you possibly do?"

"Mom, a degree is just a piece of paper, isn't it? Nowadays, it’s all the same whether you go to college or not. Instead of wasting my youth in school, I’d rather be making waves in the business world!" Li Mengfei said, lifting his chin and looking filled with longing.

"You have no higher education, no work experience—what makes you think you can make waves in the business world?" Xiang Xiulan said, laughing out of anger. "You are simply daydreaming, do you know that?"

"Mom, don’t be angry. Xiaofei wants to go out and work, which shows he has grown up. In my opinion, you might as well agree to it," Li Meng瑶 said, standing up and walking behind her mother, resting her arms on her shoulders to soothe her.

"Exactly!" Seeing his sister speak up for him, Li Mengfei felt more confident and proposed again, "My sister supports me, so please just agree!"

"Yaoyao, Xiaofei is ignorant, why are you saying such things?" Xiang Xiulan patted her daughter’s hand, frowning.

"Mom, it’s summer vacation anyway, and there’s still some time before school starts. Let Xiaofei 'gain some experience' at work; maybe he’ll decide he wants to go to school on his own," Li Meng瑶 said, a flash of mischief appearing in her beautiful eyes. She deliberately emphasized the word "experience" and chuckled.

"Oh, Yaoyao is right. Blocking is not as effective as guiding. My girl is the smart one," Xiang Xiulan said, her brow smoothing out. "Xiaofei, since you want to work, I won’t stop you. But if you want to work at Zhongtong, you must start as a bottom-level sales agent!"

Xiang Xiulan’s intention was simple: she wanted to make Li Mengfei start as the lowest-ranking agent so he would learn the hardships of work. She believed that once he couldn’t take it, he would quit the job and might even ask to go to university on his own.

"That’s fine! Then I’ll go to the Yayuan branch of Zhongtong! Plus, I can go over to my cousin’s Jingxuan Studio for free meals," Li Mengfei said happily, hearing his mother agree to his request. He believed that with his ability, even starting as a common agent, he would surely be promoted to high management in no time. More importantly, working at the Yayuan branch would put him close to Murong Xuan, and he would have a reasonable excuse to hang around at Jingxuan Studio, giving him more time to be with her. It was, in a way, an unexpected bonus.