"Hmm..." Jiang Qingqing was caught off guard by his surprise attack, her mind momentarily reeling.
Since their absurd night together, Zhang Liunian had not dared to touch her for two nights, afraid of hurting her.
But for some reason, she had been yearning for his touch and to be one with him. Although she often couldn't bear it during the process, she felt happy.
So, facing the long-awaited kiss, she reached out with both hands, wrapped them around her man's neck, and responded passionately.
During this process, who shed whose clothes was unclear.
At the same time, forty merchants from the South City Department Store were gathered in the study of Mr. Wang, who had made his fortune in paper manufacturing.
They had all received news that day, summoning them to a meeting at the department store the next morning at nine.
What kind of meeting? They could guess just by thinking about it – it was nothing more than signing new lease agreements and paying rent.
Naturally, they were unwilling. Not only had they just paid two months ago, but the mere fact that a small, emerging boss was asking them to attend a meeting made them feel it was beneath them.
They were all factory owners, respected figures in South City.
Although their reputations weren't as resounding as Zhang Liunian's, they were still well-known figures within their circle.
Now that Zhang Liunian had notified them to attend a meeting, were they supposed to go?
Wang Zixian sat at the head of the table. Beside him was another Mr. Wang, named Wang Dachui, who had built his fortune in daily necessities. The two were known in their circle as the "Big and Small Double Wangs."
The "Big" one was Wang Dachui, and the "Small" one was naturally Wang Zixian.
They had gathered at Wang Zixian's place today, with Wang Dachui taking the lead.
Wang Zixian was reluctant, but he couldn't resist the other man's greater financial resources and louder reputation, which ultimately led to this evening's meeting.
"I heard that Zhang Liunian's first order of business at the department store today was to review our contracts. He's asking us to come over tomorrow, likely to make us pay again. What does everyone think?"
Wang Dachui looked at the others in the room, stroked his handlebar mustache, and spoke expressionlessly.
Upon hearing this, the others exchanged glances, seeing the dissatisfaction in each other's eyes.
When the Tang family initially built this department store, the prices were quite reasonable. However, as their profits grew, the rent soared.
They had finally paid next year's rent two months ago. Then, the Tang family collapsed, and now it seemed they had to pay again. None of them were willing to accept this.
"Of course not. We've already paid this money."
"Exactly. There's no reason for us to pay twice in a year."
"Zhang Liunian got this department store for free, without spending a dime in the process. He wouldn't possibly be targeting our annual rent of tens of thousands, would he!"
"He's already so rich, he shouldn't be so ungracious!"
"..."
Everyone present expressed their unwillingness to pay again. Wang Zixian, at the head of the table, was also unhappy.
They were factory owners with money and didn't lack tens of thousands of yuan. However, they were unwilling to spend money unnecessarily, and even less willing to hand it over to Zhang Liunian for nothing.
After all, he was far wealthier than them and didn't lack such trivial amounts.
Besides, they were not like Xue Huaqiao, who gave away two department stores to Zhang Liunian for a bed.
They were not that generous.
"I understand everyone's sentiment. You all don't want to pay, right!" Wang Dachui stroked his mustache again and said in a deep voice.
The people below all nodded, not a single person objecting.
"In that case, we need to think of a way to prevent him from collecting the money." Since their goal was the same, they could find a way to resolve this matter.
Someone offered an opinion: "We all oppose it and refuse to pay. What can he do to us?"
"That makes sense. The outnumbered cannot defeat the few. Even if Zhang Liunian wants to collect this money, if none of us pay, he can't do anything to us!"
"This method is worth a try."
"..."
The people below unanimously agreed that this method was feasible, but Wang Zixian opened his mouth and said.
"I've dealt with him. Zhang Liunian is not someone who is easy to reason with. If we really refuse to pay, he might just kick us all out."
This was not an alarmist statement but something he knew from his interactions with Zhang Liunian's character. If they truly acted that way, Zhang Liunian might very well do that.
The crowd heard this and dismissed it.
"In South City, it's only us people. If he doesn't rent to us, who will he rent to? Does he think he can find partners elsewhere?"
"Exactly. South City is large, and the circle is small. If he really offends all of us, as long as we don't cooperate with him, he can't establish the department store."
"What they said is true. As long as we unite, no one can do anything to us."
"Yes, we must have a united front and must not let him take advantage."
"..."
The people below were incensed, but Wang Zixian was not as optimistic as they were, as he was one of the few among them who had attended the banquet and heard Zhang Liunian's talk about the future.
"Have you all considered that it's not only us merchants who can cooperate with the department store?" Wang Zixian interjected at an inappropriate moment, dampening everyone's spirits again.
Wang Dachui had no reaction to this, as he, like Wang Zixian, had attended that banquet.
However, many people below had not had the opportunity to attend the banquet. Because they hadn't bid on anything, they had lost their qualification for the banquet.
"Wang Zixian, why are you always boosting the other party's morale? Have you been bribed by Zhang Liunian!"
"I think he really looks like he's with Zhang Liunian's group."
"Wang Zixian, explain why you're always going against us!"
"..."
Wang Zixian was speechless. Why was he accused of going against them? He was just speaking up to remind them and make them understand that these ideas were not mature.
"Big Brother Wang, tell me, what kind of person is Zhang Liunian? Would he be afraid of people like us?" Wang Zixian didn't look at the others and turned the conversation to Wang Dachui.
Wang Dachui habitually stroked his mustache, mused for a while, and then spoke, "In my opinion, none of us can underestimate Zhang Liunian. He is a person of great vision and courage. When the provincial boss Zhu Laosan challenged him at the auction, you saw who won and who lost. Moreover, Zhu Laosan was tricked by Zhang Liunian into buying a useless factory, which was then sent to prison.
Tell me, would a person like this be afraid of offending us?"
He wasn't afraid of tricking bosses from the provincial capital and even sending them to prison. What would he be afraid of?
He was afraid of nothing.
If it were them, they would definitely consider whether they would be suppressed by the provincial boss. But he wasn't. He wasn't afraid at all; he would trick them if he wanted to.
Everyone fell silent. They hadn't attended the banquet, but they had gone to the auction.
Zhang Liunian had tricked the other party three times without hesitation, showing how formidable he was.
"You think refusing to pay is enough? Can't he rent the shops to individuals? You're thinking too naively. This is no longer the era of joint public-private ownership or planned economy; it is the era of individual businesses." 138Reading.com
Wang Zixian's words enlightened them. Although they were all private enterprises that had emerged in recent years, their thinking regarding the leasing of the department store was still stuck in the mindset of a planned market.
They still felt that Zhang Liunian had no other choice but to cooperate with them.
In reality, it was nothing like they thought. Zhang Liunian didn't necessarily need them.