Such brazen words!
He hadn't expected this beautiful sales consultant to let go so completely after opening up a little!
He didn't reply. He was afraid if they kept talking, he wouldn't be able to resist the urge to get a room with her that very afternoon.
Following the address Wenren Du'Er gave him, he found the place she used to rent.
It was a rundown apartment complex, probably without even a property management service. Trash was strewn about the hallways.
It was a resettlement community. The landlord was likely a relocated resident who'd been given several apartments as compensation. He lived in one and rented out the rest.
When the landlord learned he was there to pay the back rent and retrieve her luggage, his attitude softened slightly.
Still, he grumbled, "Been renting out places for a long time, but this is the first I've seen someone pay only the first month's rent and then nothing after!"
Yang Hui couldn't be bothered to argue with someone like that. He paid the 1,500 yuan in back rent. The security deposit was forfeited due to breaking the lease early.
The young woman's luggage consisted of just a bag and a rolling suitcase. He carried one in each hand, hailed a taxi at the gate, and took them back to his own apartment.
RING RING RING~
He was heading downstairs to a nearby restaurant for lunch when his phone rang.
Seeing it was an unknown landline, he hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Excuse me, is this Mr. Yang Hui? I'm calling from HR at Futong Trading Co., Ltd."
'Sister Juan is this efficient?'
He knew without asking that they were calling to schedule an interview.
Sure enough, the HR representative on the other end asked if Yang Hui was available for an interview tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m.
As an unemployed man, he certainly had the time. After hanging up, he went to the restaurant downstairs and ordered a meat dish, a vegetable dish, and a soup. Life was certainly better now that he didn't have to worry about money.
BUZZ~
[Xiaohe Wanwan: What industry are you thinking of pursuing next? Automotive, chip manufacturing, hotels, finance, real estate, or are you sticking with your old profession?]
His food hadn't arrived yet, but her message alone was enough to make him laugh.
[Yang Hui: Are those fields you mentioned really ones I can just waltz into? I've been in retail ever since I graduated; that's the only area where I have any experience.]
[Xiaohe Wanwan: You could give it a try. You never know, right?]
[Yang Hui: I know my own limitations. I think I'll stick to the retail industry for now!]
[Xiaohe Wanwan: That works too. Once you've figured out where you want to go, let me know. I can give you some advice!]
He didn't tell her about his interview at Futong tomorrow. After all their talk about him becoming a general manager, he felt it was too embarrassing to admit he was interviewing for an Operations Manager position.
Besides, he hadn't even decided if he wanted to work for Futong Trading Company. The company was large in Qingjiang Province, but it was still a local, privately-owned enterprise.
The thing about private enterprises was that the boss had the final say in everything. Subordinates had no real authority, making it difficult to utilize one's skills, let alone learn any advanced management techniques.
It was unlike his former employer, Ruijing Commerce, which was a national chain. The atmosphere there was relatively more flexible, and its management more standardized.
-----------------
Ruijing Trading Co., Ltd.
Fang Zheng spent the entire morning meeting with nearly every department manager, and in return, received many pledges of loyalty.
The IT department manager, for example, not only spent half an hour kissing up to him, but, to Fang Zheng's great satisfaction, also spent half an hour cursing out Yang Hui.
Qin Hong's attitude was also completely different today. Fang Zheng no longer needed to take the initiative; she was practically draped over him while giving her report, making it easy for him to grope her.
The only thing that displeased him was the report from HR's Manager Fu. Fang Zheng's mood soured when he learned that Yang Na had also submitted her resignation. 'If the "Zhang Bichen of Ruijing" is leaving, does that mean I've lost my chance completely?'
'Luckily, she still has to stay for at least a month. I can use my position and create work-related reasons to interact with her more. Maybe there's still a chance.'
With this in mind, he sent someone to inform Yang Na, "We're going to the Xinyue Group regional headquarters this afternoon to discuss our partnership. It involves the channels and operations departments, so have Yang Na come with me!"
A while later, his assistant returned with a reply: "Yang Na said she'll go on her own and meet you at the Xinyue Group regional headquarters!"
"Understood!"
Fang Zheng's face turned livid. She wasn't giving him any face at all.
He was currently the "interim" regional general manager. To remove that "interim" label, he needed to produce some results to prove himself.
Where would these results come from? After careful analysis, he concluded there were two main avenues:
One was a significant increase in performance. But that was impossible. Unless there was some external intervention, like a major promotional event, operations was a matter of slow and steady progress; there was no way to achieve a huge boost overnight.
The other was to control rent increases during contract renewals. This would be equivalent to saving the company money on rent—something quantifiable and the easiest way to show results.
Ruijing Commerce had a strategic partnership agreement with Xinyue Group's regional company. Ruijing Commerce had stores in all twenty-one of the Xinyue Square malls in Qingjiang.
Furthermore, most of their leases were set to expire between June and September.
It was now May, meaning it was time to negotiate renewal terms for all of them.
By past precedent, the cooperation between Xinyue Group and Ruijing Commerce had always been exceptionally smooth—so smooth that it made Fang Zheng question reality.
He worked in channel development and often mingled in circles with both clients and partners, so he naturally knew just how powerful Xinyue Group was, not just in Qingjiang but across the entire country.
He also knew that retail space in Xinyue Group's malls was incredibly hard to come by, leading to significant rent hikes every year. Many brands far stronger than Ruijing Commerce were forced to accept these massive annual increases at Xinyue Square. The mere mention of renewal gave them a headache, as they faced hikes of at least 12% or more.
But Ruijing Commerce had it easy. Every year, Fang Zheng, the head of channel development, didn't even need to show up for the renewal. The mall management would just toss the contract to the store staff to bring back for processing. And when they looked at the terms? A flat renewal, with no rent increase. This had been the case for two years straight!
This matter had earned Fang Zheng praise from the corporate head of channels for two consecutive years. 'This is all unearned credit,' Fang Zheng mused. 'This year, I can use this as the stepping stone to get rid of my 'interim' title!'
He even knew that Xinyue Square didn't just support them with favorable rent; they also gave Ruijing Commerce's stores special consideration for promotional events. This was the real reason he had asked Yang Na to join him today.
It was a chance to get some alone time with Yang Na, and he could also take the credit for the support Xinyue Square gave to the operations department.
Killing three birds with one stone!
Fang Zheng paced around his office, thinking about the tasks he needed to accomplish that afternoon.
'Oh, I almost forgot. I'm about to be the regional general manager now. I can't be negotiating with their regional manager like I used to. I need to schedule a meeting with their regional deputy general manager!'
He sent a message to his usual contact, the regional investment manager at Xinyue Group, stating his desire to pay a visit to their deputy general manager that afternoon.
He could tell the other party wasn't pleased, but they still agreed to pass along his request.