Chapter 314 - 206: Touring the Plazas with President Chen (3)

Chapter 314: Chapter 206: Touring the Plazas with President Chen (3)

"It’s 11 AM now. Normally, customer traffic at Wanhong Square would be picking up by this time, but because of our promotion, there are only a handful of people here!"

Chen Xiao nodded and walked into the mall.

Wanhong Square had been open for less than three years, making it a relatively new commercial plaza. Its brand mix was decent, and the shopping environment was actually better than Junxiao Square Store’s.

He saw a Rolex and a Coach here. For a mid-range commercial plaza, attracting these brands showed they had some skill.

Inside, however, the scene was rather pathetic. At this hour, the sales assistants in the mall outnumbered the customers.

’Looks like throwing money at the problem really is the fastest and most effective method.’ It wasn’t that others didn’t know how to do it; they just lacked the ability to sustain such explosive spending. Chen Xiao, on the other hand, had it in spades, spending money like water.

And for him, that flow sometimes even reversed, thanks to the existence of his system.

The layout of Wanhong Square was relatively simple. Each floor had a large area, and there were only three stories.

The first and second floors were dedicated to retail, while the third floor was for dining.

Chen Xiao took the escalator to the third floor. It was 11:30 AM. Usually, the restaurants would be getting busy by now, but today, everything was deserted. There was hardly anyone on the dining floor.

’Looks like Junxiao Business Management’s promotion is really working,’ he thought.

"Let’s go check out Jiangzhou Economic Development Zone Wansheng Square. It’s on the way to the Second Store."

Jiangzhou Economic Development Zone Wansheng Square was located between Wanhong Square and Junxiao Square Second Store, and it had been having a very hard time lately.

The big boss and the second-in-command were at war, and number three was getting beaten to within an inch of its life.

By the time they arrived at Jiangzhou Economic Development Zone Wansheng Square, it was past noon. The customer traffic here was even scarcer than at Wanhong.

In the upstairs dining area, there were only a few scattered people. You could see the hosts and hostesses from each restaurant standing at their entrances, craning their necks in anticipation.

When they saw Xu Jun and Chen Xiao walk by, they desperately invited them in to eat.

’Times are tough.’

"President Xu, President Xu!"

Chen Xiao looked up and saw a mall employee about fifty meters away, walking quickly toward them.

He stopped. Xu Jun whispered, "That’s the general manager of this mall, Tian Hua."

"You two talk."

Xu Jun knew that President Chen had no intention of getting acquainted with Tian Hua. Someone of Tian Hua’s level probably wasn’t even on his radar.

They were old colleagues from before, so Xu Jun knew Tian Hua well.

"President Tian, making your rounds?"

"Yes, I am. President Xu, why didn’t you let me know you were coming to inspect our work? I could have arranged lunch. Please, give me the chance to treat you today!"

"Not today, I’m afraid. I have to go to Junxiao Square Second Store soon, and President Lin has already made arrangements."

Tian Hua was very disappointed. The Wansheng Hanjiang Region was being severely squeezed by Junxiao Business Management, and as the general manager, he was under immense pressure. Just this morning, he had gotten chewed out by Peng Yu, who said his recent operating metrics had slipped alarmingly.

’How could they not slip?’ Some of Jiangzhou’s most famous major plazas were at war. With Junxiao Square Store and the Second Store running such massive promotions, it wasn’t just his mall that was in decline; every mall in the city was experiencing a drop to some degree.

"Sigh. Well, when do you have some free time, President Xu? I’ll arrange something. Please give me a chance to report on my recent situation to you."

Lately, Xu Jun had been getting a lot of calls from old colleagues. He understood what they were after. It was simply that they saw Junxiao Business Management’s momentum was like the rising sun and wanted to come over to his side.

Of the malls that had already been acquired, every single one of the general managers who got to stay on was beaming with joy.

Their salaries had increased, and the performance metrics weren’t as insane as they had been at Wansheng. The focus was no longer solely on revenue from rent collection but on how to make the malls better and create a healthier business environment.

Plus, the marketing budgets were more than generous. He’d heard that even the Junxiao Square in Qingyun County now had an annual marketing budget of over 10 million. It was audaciously wealthy.

"Hmm, I’ve been really busy lately. Let’s do it after the New Year. I’ll arrange something after the New Year and get all the old buddies together for a gathering."

Tian Hua was a little disappointed. He had hoped for a private chat with President Xu Jun to deepen their relationship. Fortunately, Xu Jun did say they would gather after the New Year, and specifically mentioned inviting the "old buddies."

He could read between the lines. Xu Jun was also in need of people. With Junxiao Business Management developing so rapidly, a general manager like himself, whose past performance had been decent, might get a chance from Xu Jun at any time.

"Great! Then we’ll definitely come and impose on you after the New Year, President Xu!"

Xu Jun was worried Chen Xiao might be getting impatient, but Chen Xiao was just wandering around nearby, sending text messages. He wasn’t in a hurry at all.

Because he hadn’t shown up on time for Dr. Feng’s work today, Qiao Xin had sent him a text: "Brother Chen Xiao, you said you were going to do an inspection yesterday. I even wore something sexier today, so how come you didn’t show up?"

’Sexier?’ he thought. ’Yesterday, I had to pull her butt cheeks apart just to see her panties. How could it get any sexier?’ Chen Xiao’s imagination had its limits. Besides, Zhao Xiangjun was more traditional and would never wear clothes like that.

’Qiao Xin, oh Qiao Xin, you’re going too far,’ he mused. ’I’m out here trying to work, and I still have to suffer your "vicious attacks." And what’s with you and Ma Jing always competing?’

’Whatever I do, you two have to one-up each other. Last time I hugged Ma Jing, my hand accidentally slipped into the wrong place. Ma Jing just had to show off about it to Qiao Xin to feel superior. How else would Qiao Xin have known?’

He texted back: "What’s the rush? You can’t eat a big banana if you’re impatient!"

Qiao Xin sent an emoji and replied: "When you get here, I’ll come find you right away. Gotta stop that girl Ma Jing from sneaking a bite!"

"Don’t worry, there’s more than enough banana to go around. You two can even eat it together!"

’I, Chen Xiao, am not a stingy person. I can definitely accommodate them.’

Just then, Xu Jun finished exchanging pleasantries with Tian Hua and came over to find him.

"Let’s go. Time to head to Junxiao Square Second Store."

"Should we get something to eat first or go straight to the mall?"

It was almost one in the afternoon. Xu Jun himself didn’t mind, but he was worried President Chen might be hungry.

"Let’s check out the mall first. We can eat after."

He was actually starving, but he paid close attention to details. In front of his subordinates, he had to maintain the image of someone who always put work first.

Of course, if he were with Zhao Xiangjun and Xu Wu, he wouldn’t bother keeping up such an image. After all, they all knew what he was really like.