Chapter 92: Making a Move

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Making a Move

Zhao Hui could no longer tell if this was reality or a dream!

He knew that from this day forward, his understanding of the world would never be the same. A door had been opened for him.

And if he worked hard enough, he could step right through.

"Let’s talk as we drink. President Liu, fill me in on Wansheng Square’s situation in Hanjiang, and tell me what you know about Peng Yu."

Getting down to business, Liu Haoran took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and began to explain.

Wansheng Group was a national commercial real estate management company that owned 600 Wansheng Squares. Its annual rental income was close to 50 billion, and at its peak, the company’s valuation had once broken the trillion-yuan mark! It was, without a doubt, a titan in the domestic commercial sector!

In Hanjiang Province, Wansheng Group already had 15 squares in operation, and of those 15, Jiangzhou Wansheng Square was the most famous.

Because it was one of the first commercial complexes to open in Jiangzhou and occupied a prime location in the heart of the city, it became famous right from its grand opening!

Afterward, the initial success of all of Wansheng Group’s other squares in Hanjiang was basically propped up by this one location.

How did they do it? When a new square opened without any brands signed on, the Jiangzhou Wansheng Square would strong-arm brands into opening stores there. Otherwise, those brands wouldn’t be able to keep their spots in the Jiangzhou Wansheng Square.

Little by little, they managed to prop up some of the peripheral squares this way. As of now, there were five relatively successful Wansheng Squares in the business district. The rest were all cases of one good location dragging along one poor one, while the Jiangzhou Wansheng Square was dragging along four to five.

Yino Group, because of its partnership with Jiangzhou Wansheng Square, also had to open in three of the less desirable locations. Fortunately, Yino Group had strong operational capabilities and solid products, so it was able to stay afloat.

But many brands were taking huge losses, saddled with several poor-performing stores in the lesser Wansheng Squares, all for the sake of having a presence in Jiangzhou Wansheng Square to boost their brand image!

As for Peng Yu, he was from the oldest generation of businessmen in Jiangzhou City. He caught the wave during the commercial real estate boom a few years back, and since he was very good at sucking up to his superiors, he managed to snag the position of General Manager for Jiangzhou Wansheng Square.

As Wansheng Group’s presence in Hanjiang gradually expanded, he was promoted to Regional Director.

You could say he was the big boss of the Hanjiang Province business world. His standing in the scene was definitely in the top three. Countless people from various brand companies begged for a meeting with him but never got one!

Liu Haoran then shared an anecdote about him. He heard that whenever Peng Yu had dinner with brand representatives, a "second round" was mandatory. He was practically living it up every single night!

Hearing this was one thing, but connecting it to how he had harassed Zhao Xiangjun made Chen Xiao’s anger burn even hotter!

He took two quick gulps of water before he managed to calm down and analyze the situation carefully.

"So, you’re saying that Jiangzhou Wansheng Square is Wansheng Group’s critical lynchpin in Hanjiang Province? And without it, the pressure on the other squares would increase dramatically?"

Liu Haoran said, "That’s right. It’s become a vicious cycle. They only report the good news to the Group and hide the bad, so headquarters thinks the subsidiary squares are actually doing well. No one knows they’re just using Jiangzhou Wansheng Square to force resources downward."

Chen Xiao nodded. "So if Jiangzhou Wansheng Square were gone, the pressure on Wansheng Group’s Hanjiang Region would mount, and its influence would drop by several notches!"

"And Peng Yu is only able to live so glamorously because he’s riding on the Wansheng Group platform. Once the Hanjiang Region’s performance starts to decline, the pressure on him will build, his position will become unstable... My understanding is correct, right?"

Liu Haoran nodded. ’The logic was sound, but the problem was, how could they possibly not have Jiangzhou Wansheng Square? It was a false premise!’

"Also, his struggling squares are being propped up by a few major domestic brands, right? If those brands were gone, wouldn’t the chances of other stores pulling out of those squares increase?"

Liu Haoran nodded. "Yes. When a mall is leasing, every category needs an anchor brand. These brands are what draw in customers. Other brands in the same category only follow suit because they see the anchor brand is there!"

"If even the anchor brands can’t make it, any other similar brands that are losing money will panic. And an anchor brand pulling out will also cause a drop in foot traffic!"

"Go for the throat. Step one is to create some trouble for Wansheng Group’s Hanjiang Region. Step two is to get the core brands in each of his locations to pull out. Once those two steps are complete, they’ll be in total disarray!"

’Liu Haoran had to admit that Chen Xiao’s logic was sharp. The key question was, how could it actually be done?’

He made a couple of agreeable noises but didn’t ask how Chen Xiao planned to do it, because in his judgment, the plan was completely unfeasible.

Chen Xiao, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. Now that he had found a way to take down Peng Yu, he would implement it immediately.

He made a call and asked Xu Wu to come over.

When Xu Wu came in, Chen Xiao introduced them to each other. Upon hearing she was the General Manager of Junxiao Capital, Liu Haoran and Zhao Hui quickly stood up.

Chen Xiao told them to sit and said to Xu Wu, "President Xu, I want you to arrange contact with Wansheng Group. I know they have a large debt coming due and are currently selling off assets to raise capital. Ask them the price for Jiangzhou Wansheng Square, and buy it!"

’Buy it? Buy Jiangzhou Wansheng Square?’

Everyone gasped. Xu Wu remained relatively composed. She knew there was 800 million on the books and that this couldn’t possibly be the full extent of Chen Xiao’s wealth.

Liu Haoran and Zhao Hui were so shocked their jaws nearly hit the floor. ’Is this how rich people do business?’

’Jiangzhou Wansheng Square... an entire shopping mall, and he just says, "Buy it!" with a single command!’

After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Wu said, "I’ll arrange the contact immediately. Do you have an approximate budget for the price?"

Chen Xiao waved his hand. "Go by the market price. You can go a little higher; you have the discretion. My only goal is to buy it!"

Xu Wu returned to her office and began contacting Wansheng Group Headquarters. A moment later, she received a message from Chen Xiao: he was going to inject another 1.4 billion into Junxiao Capital, and she should go all out.

’She had to admit, Chen Xiao was becoming more and more of an enigma. 1.4 billion might as well have been 14 yuan to him. And the key thing was his identity—he was a salesman at Dr. Feng’s Robot, a crappy little company whose annual output value hadn’t even reached 20 million in the past.’

’She forced herself not to dwell on these superfluous thoughts. I’m a professional manager now, and I just need to do what a manager is supposed to do.’

’Execute the boss’s orders, obey the boss’s will, and use every means possible to achieve the boss’s objectives!’

Liu Haoran and Zhao Hui were left speechless. When had they ever witnessed such a spectacle?

Liu Haoran considered himself someone who had seen the world. His usual business deals involved sums in the millions, but he had never seen someone buy a commercial plaza as if it were a head of cabbage. And just listen to his tone, as if it were nothing of consequence.

’What was it he said? "You can go a little higher... buy it!" Rich people are just too damn domineering!’