Chapter Five: The Godson

"Sister Zhang, are you really not considering renting out this storefront?" Xu Ming's expression darkened as he asked.

"Didn't I already tell you that I need it for myself?" Zhang Yuxia replied, her tone tinged with impatience.

"Fine, then we'll be on our way." Hearing the impatience in Zhang Yuxia's voice, Xu Ming realized she was asking them to leave. There was no point in staying any longer, so he stood up to go.

Zhang Wei, who already knew the real reason behind Sister Zhang's sudden price hike, couldn't reveal it to Xu Ming in this setting. He could only follow the others out of the store.

"Manager Xu, I think this storefront is really suitable. It's such a pity the owner suddenly decided to use it herself," Murong Xuan said, a little disappointed. She liked everything about the place—the location, the size, the decor. She had even been imagining how she would set up her shop, never expecting the negotiations to fall through in the end.

"Yeah! Zhang Wei, where did you find this listing? How could the owner just refuse to rent it out? You made Miss Murong and the rest of us come here for nothing," Guo Bin said, adopting a scolding tone but secretly delighted. Since Murong Xuan wouldn't be renting Zhang Wei's property, there was a chance she would rent one of his. How could he not be happy?

"Don't blame Zhang Wei. He hasn't made a single deal since joining our company, so of course he doesn't know how to negotiate with owners. Let's just take Miss Murong to see some other places," Wang Min said, a slight smile on her face. Though she appeared to be defending Zhang Wei, her words were laced with sarcasm, her intentions even more malicious than Guo Bin's.

"Enough, that's enough. Wang Min, you lead the way and show Miss Murong the storefronts you've found," Xu Ming said, frowning and giving Zhang Wei a glance before shaking his head.

"Zhang Wei, you can head back to the office. Miss Murong doesn’t need you to show her around. At noon, make sure you order me a stir-fried beef with green pepper over rice. Don’t forget," Guo Bin said, swaggering to the back, patting Zhang Wei on the shoulder in a show of arrogance.

Seeing Guo Bin’s attitude, Zhang Wei felt a surge of anger rise in his throat. Just because Guo Bin had joined the company two days earlier and closed a few small deals, he now dared to lord it over him. If it weren't for Murong Xuan and Xu Ming being present, Zhang Wei would have slapped Guo Bin right then and there. The guy was just asking for trouble.

Zhang Wei glanced at the group walking away, then at the storefront behind him. After a moment’s silence, he turned back. Since he had figured out Sister Zhang's true intention to sell the property, he decided to persuade her to give up on selling and consider renting instead. That way, Murong Xuan might still be able to rent the store.

As long as Zhang Wei could close this deal, he’d earn a performance bonus of one hundred thousand yuan—thirty thousand of which would be his own income. He’d no longer have to worry about being fired by the company, and he could finally prove himself, free from Guo Bin and Wang Min’s ridicule for never having closed a deal.

"Sister Zhang, if I’m not mistaken, your storefront is decorated in a Mediterranean style, right?" Zhang Wei stood at the entrance, a note of admiration in his voice. It wasn’t feigned; he genuinely liked the store and was well-versed in interior design.

"Not bad, Xiao Zhang, you have a good eye! I hired a professional designer for this place—it's definitely Mediterranean style," Sister Zhang replied, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Sister Zhang, this renovation must have cost at least three or four hundred thousand yuan," Zhang Wei said in amazement, deliberately inflating the estimate.

"That designer is a friend of mine; the total cost was just two hundred thousand," Sister Zhang replied. Zhang Wei’s words had clearly struck a chord—after all, every woman feels proud of getting premium quality for a bargain price.

"Tsk, all the street-facing shops in this area are in great locations. I have several clients willing to pay fifty-one thousand yuan per square meter for a storefront, but not a single owner is selling. You were really ahead of the curve buying this one," Zhang Wei continued, steering the conversation toward property prices.

"Fifty-one thousand per square meter? Are prices around here really that high?" Sister Zhang asked, surprised.

Zhang Wei had observed correctly—Sister Zhang had just received a call from someone offering forty-six thousand one per square meter for her store, a price she had already agreed to. That was why she no longer wanted to rent it out. Now Zhang Wei was saying that people were offering even more but couldn't buy anything—no wonder she was astonished.

"Sister Zhang, let me tell you—even fifty-one thousand might not be enough. People may not be willing to sell at any price," Zhang Wei said mysteriously. He was intentionally exaggerating to dissuade her from selling.

"Why is that? The prices around here aren’t that high," Sister Zhang said suspiciously.

"The subway is going to be extended to this area. Once it's operational, property prices will double. Who would want to sell now?" Zhang Wei explained.

"If that's the case, why are there still people selling in this neighborhood? I remember a nearby shop just changed hands. And besides, if nobody ever sells, how do you realtors survive?" Sister Zhang asked.

"Sister Zhang, the ones selling now are desperate for cash—either their businesses failed or there are other urgent reasons. In other words, only poor people are selling. The wealthy are all holding on, waiting for values to rise. Who would sell now?" Zhang Wei replied. "And then there are those with no vision, who don't understand the market. As soon as they sell, they'll regret it once prices go up."

"Sister Zhang, are you thinking of selling the store?" Zhang Wei asked, feigning surprise. "If you are, I have clients looking to buy."

"No, why would I sell? Like you said, only the desperate or short-sighted sell now. I wouldn’t do that," Sister Zhang said, straightening her back and waving her hand, as if afraid Zhang Wei would misunderstand her intentions. Inwardly, she thought, "So that's why that guy was so eager to buy my shop—he must have heard prices would rise and thought he could take advantage of me. Hmph!"

"Sister Zhang, if you’re not selling, you might as well keep it and run a business until it appreciates," Zhang Wei said. "By the way, what kind of business are you planning?"

"Well… What do you think would be good?" Sister Zhang asked, forcing a smile. She’d only said she’d keep the store for herself as a pretext; she had no actual plan for a business.

"Sister Zhang, please don’t take offense, but you’re not really cut out for the stress of running a business. Why not just rent it out and enjoy life?" Zhang Wei suggested.

"So according to you, instead of keeping it for myself, I should rent it out?" Sister Zhang hesitated. Zhang Wei’s comments about rising prices had hit home, making her abandon the idea of selling. Now, she was reconsidering renting it out.

Zhang Wei’s words had been partly true and partly exaggerated. The subway extension was indeed coming to the area, though it would probably take a year or two to complete. Property values would definitely rise, so he hadn’t really lied. Moreover, forty-six thousand per square meter was indeed a little low for a street-facing shop.

Zhang Yuxia had no reason to doubt Zhang Wei—she had never told him she was planning to sell, and he didn’t seem the scheming type. She assumed he was giving honest advice. Besides, she’d heard rumors about the subway herself, making Zhang Wei’s words even more convincing and improving her impression of him.

"Zhang Wei, since even you think I'm not fit for business, I may as well rent out the storefront. As long as I get more than ninety-eight thousand yuan a month, I'll rent it," Zhang Yuxia finally said. She didn’t care about a thousand more or less; she just didn’t want to rent it for less than what the last client was willing to pay.

"Sister Zhang, don’t worry! I’ll definitely help you rent it out," Zhang Wei replied, delighted to hear she was reconsidering. Ninety-eight thousand a month was within Murong Xuan’s budget. Now he could only hope she hadn’t found another suitable property.

…

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at Zhongtong Realty was rather heavy. Xu Ming had shown Murong Xuan three more storefronts, but none appealed to her. She still wanted to rent Zhang Yuxia’s property.

"Manager Xu, I don’t think the last three places we saw compare to the first one. Could you try contacting the owner again?" Murong Xuan asked, sitting in a single armchair, a disposable cup in her hand.

Guo Bin and Wang Min sat in the office, both looking glum. Murong Xuan had already seen the properties they’d found, but the locations were too remote, and she wasn’t interested. They knew they had no chance.

"Does anyone know where Zhang Wei is? Call him and see if he can find out whether the owner is still willing to rent," Xu Ming said. Though he wasn’t hopeful, he had to try since the client requested it.

"Manager, what’s the point of calling Zhang Wei? The owner already said she won’t rent," Wang Min pouted.

"Exactly. If that idiot Zhang Wei can convince the owner, I’ll acknowledge him as my godfather!" Guo Bin declared, waving his hand with bravado.

Everyone burst out laughing at this, even Murong Xuan couldn’t help but chuckle. After all, Guo Bin was only a year younger than Zhang Wei—if he really became Zhang Wei’s godson, he’d be the one losing out.

"Well, Sister Zhang, whether I get a godson depends on you now," Zhang Wei joked to Zhang Yuxia as he returned to the office with her, having convinced her to rent out the store. They arrived just in time to overhear the last exchange and Zhang Wei couldn’t help but make light of it.