Chapter 222 186: Connections in the Regional Office (Part 3)

"Let me hear out Yanghe Commerce's requests first. We can try to work something out on the location, but if the commercial terms don't get approved in the end, that's out of our hands."

Zhao Rui understood the subtext. Yanghe Commerce must have some connections he didn't want to cross. But if the commercial terms were blocked by the regional office, there was nothing he could do. Either way, he wouldn't have to offend anyone.

'That's good enough. My aunt adores me; as long as I ask, she'll definitely help. Besides, these commercial terms are detrimental to Xinyue Square's interests in the first place, giving her a legitimate reason to intervene. I just find it strange how the first Xinyue Square store managed to get this process approved. Did the executives not read the OA system's content carefully and just click 'agree'?'

He projected his own thinking onto others. The executives had to approve so many OA submissions every day; they couldn't possibly look at each one that carefully. The NLB at the first Xinyue Square probably just slipped through the cracks. This time, however, with him involved, there was no way he'd let Yanghe Commerce get away with it.

"You should go. The guests will be here soon."

'Guests?' Zhao Rui didn't know who was coming. 'Could it be Yang Hui?'

'That's it, that's it! I just saw him and Shen Meng leaving the hotel. They must be here to see President Zhang. It's a good thing I got here early. If President Zhang had rashly agreed to something, it would've been a huge problem. After my little speech, President Zhang will surely just brush him off.

The next step is to push for the partnership between Futong Commerce and the project. Not only will it piss off Yang Hui's group, but I'll also get a hefty kickback.'

After leaving President Zhang's office, Zhao Rui slipped into a meeting room and called Han Chao.

"Old Han, I've pretty much convinced our President Zhang. We're going to use the commercial terms to put the squeeze on Yanghe Commerce. You need to hurry and get approval from your company. If you can accept a rent of 520 yuan per square meter per month, get ready to sign. I guarantee I can get this done for you within a week. But you need to get that 'fee' ready. I have to pull some strings with the regional leadership for this."

"President Zhao, thank you for your incredible support. I'll confirm with my boss immediately. If you're free tonight, let's grab a few drinks. I'm actually on my way to Sanyang right now."

After hanging up with Zhao Rui, Han Chao urgently reported the situation to Li Yang. Li Yang was overjoyed to hear there was a new opportunity with the San Yang Xinyue Square project. He hadn't expected this glimmer of hope, nor that in a small place like Sanyang City, there would be a leasing manager like Zhao Rui with connections to the regional leadership.

"Xiaohan, I want you to build a good relationship with that Zhao Rui tonight. Drinking, karaoke, whatever it takes—the company will cover it. There's only one goal: you must secure this project. As for the 50,000 yuan 'public relations' fee, I approve."

Li Yang praised Han Chao for his proactive, can-do attitude. For a moment, he was the golden boy in Li Yang's eyes. His standing used to be lower than Dan Biao's, but now Li Yang was cursing Dan Biao in front of him, calling him a good-for-nothing whose operations work was a complete disaster.

After ending his call with Li Yang, Han Chao couldn't contain his excitement and sent Zhao Rui a text: "Confirmed with my boss. No problem. Drinks and karaoke tonight."

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After shaking Yang Hui's hand, President Zhang said, "President Yang, welcome. Please, have a seat."

He hadn't expected the boss of Yanghe Commerce to be so young. The woman beside him was also stunningly beautiful—the likes of which he had rarely seen. They made for such a handsome, well-matched pair, it was enough to make anyone envious.

He brought over two cups of tea, placed them in front of his guests, and sat down. "My apologies about this afternoon," he said. "Our regional general manager was here for a meeting, and I had to join him for a meal afterward, so I couldn't get away. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Yang Hui smiled. "It's no problem. My issue isn't major. It's just that the ceiling height in that NLB unit is a bit problematic and makes the design difficult. That's why I'm hoping to switch to a different location."

'So, President Tian was here,' he thought. 'No wonder he was so preoccupied.'

On paper, the regional head and the regional vice presidents seemed to be only one level apart, but the difference in their actual power was night and day. The regional head had the final say on many matters, while the vice presidents could only offer suggestions. For people like President Zhang, who aspired to become project general managers, President Tian was the most critical figure.

President Zhang was somewhat swayed by what Zhao Rui had said. Changing the location would indeed be a hassle. The prime spots on the first floor were all occupied by major brands, none of whom were easy to deal with. It was simple for the regional office to issue an order, but for the people on the ground responsible for carrying it out, coordination was a major headache.

"President Yang, it's just an issue with the ceiling height. Is it possible to make do? After all, you know how hard it is to get a spot on our first floor. We went through a lot of trouble to free this one up. If you pass on it, who knows when the next one will open up."

Yang Hui looked up at him. He could sense that President Zhang's attitude had changed since their phone call, though he didn't know why. Nevertheless, he stuck to his principles: he would either open a high-quality store or no store at all.

"President Zhang, I'm a perfectionist. I want to give my customers the ultimate experience. I definitely don't want this location. I'd like to switch to the corner spot on the first floor. If it's not immediately available, I can wait."

President Zhang found the young man a bit too pushy. Did he know what kind of company Xinyue Group was? For a prime project like this, other tenants would be so grateful for a first-floor spot they'd practically get on their knees and call him 'Daddy'. And yet, this guy was complaining.