Chapter 317 - 207: Lin Ya Meets the Boss 3

Chapter 317: Chapter 207: Lin Ya Meets the Boss 3

He should really think about it—how many freakish business developers like him could there possibly be in this world!

They were having a late lunch. It was already 2:30 PM, a time when most restaurants would have already closed for the afternoon. Fortunately, Lin Ya had arranged things with the owner beforehand, asking him to have the chef stay late.

Chen Xiao was rather hungry, and the food here suited his palate, so he ate with gusto.

Lin Ya asked Chen Xiao if he wanted something to drink. After a moment’s thought, Chen Xiao told Xu Jun to join him for a few drinks.

Xu Jun could hold his liquor well, but he wouldn’t have dared to drink without Chen Xiao’s permission. Now that he had been given the "imperial decree" to drink, what was there to be afraid of?

The main reason Chen Xiao invited him to drink was that Xu Jun had just finished a major project. Meanwhile, the plaza’s day-to-day affairs were mostly being handled by Zhao Hui. In essence, Zhao Hui was doing a general manager’s job under the title of vice president. The implications of this arrangement were self-evident.

Lin Ya, however, didn’t drink. As the general manager, she still had a lot of work to do in the afternoon, and it wouldn’t look good to return to the office after drinking.

Ever since the acquisition by Junxiao Business Management, Chen Xiao had instructed Xu Wu to provide each plaza with an allotment of Moutai to entertain distinguished guests.

As a result, both Xu Jun and Lin Ya kept a case in their cars, so there was certainly no shortage of drinks for him.

Xu Jun drank with Chen Xiao, occasionally clinking glasses with him. Lin Ya felt much more relaxed. Just then, her phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and then instinctively looked over at Chen Xiao.

"It’s fine, go ahead and take it."

She hadn’t looked at Chen Xiao to ask for permission to answer the call. It was because the caller was Xia Bin.

Ever since she informed Xia Bin that his company’s lease would not be renewed, he had been calling her at least three times a day to arrange a meeting. She had consistently declined; there was simply no point in meeting.

Xu Jun had already made it perfectly clear to him: they were not renewing the lease. This was an order from the Group, and Lin Ya had no power to defy it.

But seeing Chen Xiao today, she finally understood the root of the problem. She thought back to how arrogant Xia Bin had acted in front of Chen Xiao. ’He was just digging his own grave. Who else could he blame?’

Since Chen Xiao had told her to answer, she thought for a moment before picking up the phone and saying in a low voice, "President Xia, I’m in the middle of something."

"Xiao Ya, we have to meet, no matter what. I need to understand what’s going on. You have to help me!"

From the urgency in Xia Bin’s tone, it was clear he was not just anxious but had reached a state of utter panic.

"I’m in the middle of something. We’ll talk later."

She hung up and immediately silenced her phone to prevent any more calls from disturbing President Chen’s meal.

The restaurant was quiet, so Xia Bin’s voice had been faintly audible. That, combined with Lin Ya addressing him as "President Xia," made it easy for Chen Xiao and Xu Jun to guess who the caller was.

The scene was a carbon copy of what had happened the last time Xu Jun had a meal with Chen Xiao.

Xu Jun offered another moment of silent prayer for Xia Bin. Four Seasons Clothing, once the glorious king of retail in Hanjiang Province, was probably about to fade into obscurity.

He was about to face the full pressure of the entire Junxiao Business Management Group.

That was a weight no retail brand could possibly bear.

After lunch, Lin Ya invited the two leaders to the office to inspect their work.

Chen Xiao couldn’t turn her down without making her lose face, so he agreed.

Walking into the office area, he saw that the management staff for Junxiao Square Second Store wasn’t large—only about twenty people. Since it was a mature plaza, many issues were relatively easy to handle, so the demand for manpower was lower.

The vast majority of the staff in the office didn’t recognize Xu Jun, let alone Chen Xiao.

But anyone who President Lin was personally and carefully escorting was clearly no ordinary person. As a result, the office was silent, with employees only occasionally daring to steal a glance in their direction.

The vice president of business was out inspecting the plaza. Lin Ya hadn’t notified him to join them; one couldn’t randomly arrange for people to meet a top-level boss like this without explicit instructions.

By now, she was starting to figure out Chen Xiao’s style. He wasn’t one for fanfare. Otherwise, Xu Wu wouldn’t be the famous name in the business world while the name ’Chen Xiao’ remained completely unknown.

"Is this a pigeon coop?"

Chen Xiao was stunned upon entering Lin Ya’s office.

"You couldn’t even fit a bed in here. No, not even a sofa."

Lin Ya shot him a glance. ’Why does he keep bringing up beds? He’s not actually expecting me to make good on that, is he?’

Xu Jun chuckled. "As the old saying goes, ’Humble is my home, but it is my virtue that lends it fragrance.’ President Lin doesn’t concern herself much with personal comforts."

He had gradually grown more familiar with Chen Xiao and could now joke around a bit, unlike in the beginning when he barely dared to speak above a whisper in his presence.

"You might not mind your personal comfort, but I have to consider your work environment. After all, a good environment leads to a good mood, which in turn helps with work."

’A statement like that from the boss, whether he meant it or not, was certainly nice to hear.’

Besides, on the way over, she’d heard President Chen mention that renovations on the headquarters’ new office building were already underway. It was expected to be completed by the end of March or early April.

’I’m really looking forward to the new office, and new responsibilities!’

Lin Ya’s office truly had nowhere to sit. The few of them had to crowd around a small, round reception table to chat.

She gave a brief report on recent sales events.

From last Friday to this Tuesday, foot traffic was up 40% year-over-year, and revenue was up 71% year-over-year, setting a new record.

Of course, this was a record for year-over-year growth, not a record for absolute sales volume.

Chen Xiao then asked what the full-year revenue target was for Junxiao Square Second Store.

This highlighted a key difference between Junxiao Business Management and both Wansheng Group and the former Lifan Business Management. Junxiao Business Management was more focused on achieving the mall’s overall sales targets.

Achieving sales targets was a measure of a commercial center’s prosperity.

In contrast, Wansheng Group and the old Lifan Commercial Plaza had been more focused on rental income, as that was the management company’s direct source of profit.

Their priorities were different. The former focused on sustainable, long-term growth, while the latter prioritized short-term returns.

Xu Jun excused himself to Chen Xiao to take a call. He explained that a few of the malls they were currently in negotiations with had gotten back to him, and he needed to speak with them.

This was a major issue. Chen Xiao knew that Junxiao Business Management currently had six plazas. If they acquired three more, then regardless of the total number of locations, they would become number one in Hanjiang Province in terms of business scale.

The office was small and the heating was on full blast, making Lin Ya feel uncomfortably warm. After a glance at Chen Xiao, she stood up and took off her jacket.