His tone was stiff, like cast iron, extremely impolite.
Li Ya couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and reprimand, "What's your attitude? We're here to rent your place, not your subordinates. Who are you yelling at!"
As the young director of a garment factory, she was already a millionaire and possessed a proud spirit and backbone.
She even dared to spar with the most overbearing Guo family in the county, let alone others!
But to everyone's surprise, Brother Dao completely ignored them and retorted, "If you can't stand my temper, then leave. Am I begging you to come!"
"You..."
Li Ya's chest heaved with anger, her face contorted in fury, appearing genuinely enraged.
"Qin Chuan, let's go!"
With that, Li Ya turned around aggressively, her leather boots clicking, clearly intending to leave.
Qin Gang and Chun Tao were utterly bewildered. What was happening?
They had only exchanged a few words, and already things had fallen apart...
Seeing this, Qin Chuan quickly stepped forward to stop her. This was a joke. In the entire county, this was probably the only place that would satisfy them. If they left, how could they open a flagship store?
"Sister, don't bother with that scoundrel. He's clearly not completely sober yet!"
"We're here to find a shop. Patience is a virtue; a small impatience can ruin a great plan. Just bear with it!"
Li Ya, being stopped, had a furious expression.
"Qin Chuan, it's not that I want to get angry, but look at that scoundrel's attitude. We're here to rent a shop; strictly speaking, we're the clients, providing him with profit. What kind of attitude is that!"
"I know! I know. Calm down, and leave it all to me!"
Qin Chuan comforted her with a smile, finally managing to placate Li Ya.
He then returned and walked up to Brother Dao.
"Brother, have a cigarette to refresh yourself?"
Qin Chuan took out a cigarette and offered one to the other man.
Brother Dao glanced at the smiling young man standing before him, then at the brand of the cigarette pack, and finally accepted it.
Qin Chuan took out his lighter and helped him light it, then lit his own and took a deep drag, exhaling a string of smoke rings. His posture and movements were those of a seasoned smoker.
"Brother, judging by your demeanor, you're a man with a story. Did something happen to make you so ill-tempered, even towards your clients?"
While smoking, Qin Chuan chatted casually.
"We're genuinely here to rent your place, not to cause trouble. Can we have a calm and peaceful conversation?"
Brother Dao's bloodshot eyes stared intently at Qin Chuan, remaining silent.
But Qin Chuan seemed oblivious, and continued, pointing to Li Ya's retreating back outside the roller rink, "Do you know who you just snapped at? That's the famous director of the Butterfly Garment Factory!"
"She's a millionaire at a young age, and even the county magistrate smiles when he meets her. You, on the other hand, directly angered the beautiful director and drove her away. That's no way to do business..."
When Qin Chuan finished his last sentence, Brother Dao's guard began to waver. He hesitated, "You're really not here to cause trouble?"
"Definitely not!"
"We swear by our ancestors!"
Brother Dao breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze softening considerably. "Come, brother, have a seat!"
He then immediately ran to the entrance and apologized to the angry Li Ya.
"Director Li, I'm truly sorry. I really didn't recognize you just now!"
"It's all my fault. I drank too much yesterday, and I haven't sobered up yet. My apologies for offending a distinguished guest!"
Li Ya rolled her eyes at the man whose attitude had suddenly changed dramatically.
Given her temper, she should have left long ago, but thinking about the flagship store she wanted to open and Qin Chuan's words, she ultimately held back.
Li Ya returned to the roller rink and was warmly welcomed upstairs.
This appeared to be a warehouse, filled with many杂物 (miscellaneous items). Only a small area had been cleared, furnished with a few sofas, coffee tables, and a bed.
The sofas and coffee tables were piled high with garbage, leftover food, tissues, trash bags, and moldy fruit.
Whether Brother Dao was inherently lazy or had suffered some blow, he had turned such a prime location into this state.
"My apologies! I've made you see a mess!"
"I've encountered some setbacks recently, which is why I've turned this place into such a mess!"
Brother Dao also realized how embarrassing it was and quickly tidied up the sofa, inviting Qin Chuan, Li Ya, Qin Gang, and Chun Tao to sit down.
"Allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Qin Chuan, and this is Li Ya, the owner of Butterfly Garment Factory!"
Qin Chuan spoke first, "This is my second brother, Qin Gang, and this is Chun Tao, Director Li Ya's capable subordinate!"
"Hello! My name is Zheng Chengdao, and others call me Brother Dao!"
Zheng Chengdao introduced himself.
"Brother Dao, your name is truly imposing! Chengdao, it seems your parents had high hopes for you! They wanted you to become a sharp blade!"
Qin Chuan said with a smile.
Zheng Chengdao chuckled sheepishly.
"Qin Chuan, let's get down to business. We're quite busy!"
Li Ya suddenly said calmly. Clearly, she was still holding a grudge and couldn't forget Zheng Chengdao's impolite attitude just now.
After Li Ya's words, Qin Chuan and Zheng Chengdao exchanged smiles, but Zheng Chengdao's was tinged with embarrassment.
"Then, Brother Dao, let's get straight to the point!"
"Okay! Okay!"
Zheng Chengdao nodded quickly.
"We've come this time because we're indeed interested in your roller rink."
Qin Chuan spoke slowly, "Because this place of yours is large and spacious, perfectly suiting our requirements for opening a store."
"However, the rent you quoted just now was a bit high..."
Before Qin Chuan could finish speaking, Zheng Chengdao quickly interjected, "I know, 12,000 yuan a year is indeed a bit expensive, but I truly have no choice and urgently need a sum of money!"
"But you can't pin all your hopes on the roller rink!"
Li Ya interjected coldly.
"Do you realize that for such a large area, in the entire county, I dare not say no one would take it, but the number of people willing to rent such a large space is very scarce! Do you think you can rent out this roller rink at such a high price?"
Li Ya's words hit Zheng Chengdao's sore spot, causing him to immediately run a hand through his hair, dislodging flakes of dandruff.
"Then how much do you think is appropriate?"
Finally, Zheng Chengdao asked in a hoarse voice, his eyes starting to fill with blood again.
Li Ya glanced at Qin Chuan and noticed him holding up one finger. She immediately said, "10,000 yuan a year, no more!"
Ten thousand yuan a year. In later years, this price for a 600-square-meter commercial space would be unthinkable, but now, it put Zheng Chengdao in a dilemma.
Because this amount was clearly still far from his target, and he desperately needed the money.
However, as Zheng Chengdao was contemplating, Qin Chuan appropriately added, "Brother Dao, don't you need money urgently? We can rent it for five years at once!"
"How much?"
Zheng Chengdao suddenly looked up, his eyes bursting with a bright gleam.
Qin Chuan nodded affirmatively, "You heard correctly, five years!"
"And if you're willing, we'd also like to rent your second floor. As for the price, since the second floor is less desirable, how about 8,000 yuan a year?"
Qin Chuan dropped another bombshell!