122. Chapter 122 Immeasurable Financial Strength

"He's quite the smooth talker," Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

It was beneath him to waste his emotions arguing with such a rogue boss, so he didn't say anything. He scanned the code to pay and then called Manager Chen, asking him to come over.

The purpose of my visit was to understand the lease situation of this store in person.

"Zhang Yang, we're not coming to this kind of store again!" Lin Jingmin said, still angry, as she pulled Zhang Yang along.

"I definitely won't be coming again," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

Not only will he not come, he'll also kick the shop out. As for the shop looking for another place, that's the owner's business, none of his concern.

He was on the phone as he and Lin Jingmin walked out of the store and stood in front of the store.

The shop owner naturally noticed this scene and made a big fuss about it.

"What, calling someone? You think I'm easily scared? I've been running this shop for years, what haven't I seen? Let me tell you, it won't work."

Zhang Yang said a few words and then hung up the phone.

"Boss, are you jumping around like that, are you a performer?" he asked with amusement, looking at the bluffing shop owner.

"Young man, don't act all high and mighty, talking like a know-it-all." The shop owner, shirtless, sneered, "Go flirt with your girls, don't be a walking dummy here."

Zhang Yang didn't say anything. An An quietly went to the convenience store next door, bought some water, gave Lin Jingmin a bottle, and then took two sips.

"Zhang Yang, who are we waiting for?" Lin Jingmin asked softly.

"Wait for one of my subordinates to come over," Zhang Yang said casually.

"Subordinates? You own a company? Didn't you just say you were a rent collector?" Lin Jingmin suddenly hooked her arm around Zhang Yang's and asked with a smile.

"You can understand my company as existing solely for collecting rent," Zhang Yang explained.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jingmin blinked, completely confused.

Opened a company to collect rent?

What's going on?

Not long after, Zhang Yang spotted Manager Chen jogging towards him from afar.

The property management company isn't far from here. When he called, Manager Chen happened to be at the company, so he arrived in just a few minutes.

He saw Manager Chen, but hadn't said anything yet.

The owner of Wind and Cloud Barbecue spotted them from afar and immediately went to greet them.

"Manager Chen, that's perfect timing. I was just about to talk to you about renewing my lease. This time I'm planning to rent for several more years at once, so let's see if there are any preferential policies."

Manager Chen looked impatient as he headed straight for Zhang Yang, saying dismissively, "We'll talk about this later; I have something to do right now."

A moment later, he stood in front of Zhang Yang, his face full of trepidation.

"Mr. Zhang..."

"Nothing much, just wanted to ask you about something," Zhang Yang said casually. "When does the lease for this Wind and Cloud Barbecue restaurant expire?"

Manager Chen was taken aback, but without thinking, he spilled everything he knew.

"Mr. Zhang, the lease for this shop expires at the end of this month, and the owner was just about to contact us to discuss renewing it."

As Zhang Yang listened, the owner of Wind and Cloud Barbecue, not far away, looked over with some suspicion.

A moment later, he came up and offered me a cigarette.

"Manager Chen, who is this?"

"You're blind to our Taishan, aren't you? This is Mr. Zhang, the owner of our Star City World Commercial Street." Manager Chen emphasized Zhang Yang's identity.

At the scene, the shop owner stood there, mouth agape, speechless as he stared at the figure before him.

Lin Jingmin's heart was pounding.

What?

Zhang Yang is actually the owner of the entire Star City World Commercial Street?

She already knew that Mr. Zhang was incredibly wealthy, but the fact that he owned an entire commercial street was something she couldn't have imagined.

"Mr. Zhang..." the shop owner stammered, his face turning a purplish-red, as if trying to say something.

"Hey, no need to say more, I don't believe in hindsight." Zhang Yang said casually, not mentioning what had just happened, and instead looked directly at Manager Chen.

"Manager Chen, let's raise the rent for the Wind and Cloud Barbecue shop by double."

"Double?" Manager Chen was taken aback, but quickly nodded. "Okay, Mr. Zhang, I understand."

Upon hearing this, the shop owner turned pale and tried to say something.

However, Zhang Yang wouldn't give him that chance.

To put it arrogantly, with over two hundred shops, how could he possibly handle things like collecting rent himself, or even negotiating rent?

You, a tenant, expect to have a face-to-face conversation with me?

"Let's go." Zhang Yang glanced at Lin Jingmin beside him and pulled her along.

Lin Jingmin snapped out of her daze and quickly followed Zhang Yang, leaving the place in a hurry.

On the way, she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"So Star City World Commercial Street is yours? No wonder you said you made your living off rent. Wow, over two hundred shops... So you were just here for a visit."

Zhang Yang looked at her slightly open mouth and found it a little funny.

"No way, how was I supposed to know you'd bring me here to eat?"

"I won't bring it next time. By the way, you probably didn't eat well tonight, right?" Lin Jingmin said as if she had done something wrong.

"It's alright, just grab something to eat," Zhang Yang said nonchalantly.

"Wait a minute, come with me." Lin Jingmin grabbed Zhang Yang and jogged away.

Zhang Yang had no choice but to go along with her.

A moment later, at a roadside food stall, everyone was enjoying a bowl of wontons.

"I should have just brought you to the roadside stall," Lin Jingmin muttered.

"I'm not picky about food. You can treat me to a fancy meal or a street stall. You don't think I eat delicacies every day, do you?" Zhang Yang said with a laugh.

"Doesn't Xiao Wang always take girls to eat at roadside stalls?"

"Anyway, rich guys like you, even if you take a girl to eat at a roadside stall, she'll definitely be happy to accept it, right?" Lin Jingmin said with a smile.

"Alright, it's getting late." Zhang Yang glanced at his watch, deciding to take Lin Jingmin home.

Lin Jingmin was reluctant to leave, but she also knew the importance of self-awareness.

From beginning to end, her identity was that of a designer, and Mr. Zhang was her major client.

Everything else is derived from this cooperative relationship.

Under the cover of night, Lin Jingmin, holding her bag in both hands in front of her lower abdomen, obediently followed behind Zhang Yang, and finally got into the car.

"Aren't you planning to buy a new car after you finish this deal?"

On the way back to Lin Jingmin, Zhang Yang and Lin Jingmin chatted casually.

"Change cars?" Lin Jingmin's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

Yeah, why think about all that nonsense? At this age, isn't it better to focus on making money and improving your quality of life?

"Of course we should change it?" she said confidently.

"What kind of car should we get?" Zhang Yang asked with a smile, continuing the conversation.

Once the topic came up, Lin Jingmin really opened up. In the car, she and Zhang Yang had a long talk about cars, from BMW to Mercedes-Benz, and the conversation kept going on and on.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Zhang, you can't just have this Cayenne as your only car, can you?" Lin Jingmin asked with a smile.

"My car?" Zhang Yang chuckled. "Of course, it's more than just that."

While waiting at a traffic light, bored, he casually opened his photo album and showed Lin Jingmin the interiors of his Cullinan and Bentley, all of which he had taken casually.

Lin Jingmin stared at the Cullinan's double-R steering wheel and Bentley's little wings in the photo, speechless.

"Hey, the long legs in the passenger seat in this photo look different?"

"Yeah, that's why," Zhang Yang said nonchalantly.

Lin Jingmin carefully examined the incredibly handsome profile of the man in the driver's seat beside her, savoring the night she had spent with Mr. Zhang, and suddenly smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhang Yang glanced at the designer, Xiao Lin, who was suddenly smiling rather charmingly.

"I'm wondering when I'll have the chance to sit in the passenger seat of your Cullinan or Bentley. By the way, the girls you've driven in those two cars must have been absolutely gorgeous, right?" Lin Jingmin's cheeks flushed, and her eyes were a little watery.

How do I compare to them?

"Since you have the guts to ask that question, the answer must already be in your heart." Zhang Yang smiled but did not give a direct answer.

Today, he finally understands what the so-called competition among girls is all about.

Look, even though they've never met, they can still compete with each other from afar.

In the middle of the night, the Cayenne parked downstairs at Lin Jingmin's house for a long time.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Jingmin got out of the car and tilted her head back to rinse her mouth with a mineral water bottle.

"I'll be going back to Magic City soon, so I'll leave this villa to you. Talk to me if you need anything. I trust you with the renovations." Zhang Yang said, his car window half-open, the cigarette in his hand half-burnt.

"Don't worry." Lin Jingmin wiped her mouth with a tissue, then suddenly bent down, her eyes sparkling, as if she wanted to give her a kiss.

"Hey, hey, I'm really disgusted by it." Zhang Yang stuck his finger in the middle.

"You're disgusted with yourself?" Lin Jingmin chuckled, straightening up. "Then, Mr. Zhang, please take care."

Zhang Yang nodded, waved, rolled up the car window, and left Lin Jingmin's building.

"This designer, Kobayashi, is quite interesting."

On the way back, Zhang Yang suddenly muttered something to himself, then shook his head and chuckled.

··

That evening, he returned home.

At this moment, Zhang Zhaohai and Song Wenqin had just finished a busy day and were drinking tea at home, reviewing the day's business.

"Oh? What a rare guest! Son, you've finally decided to come home." Song Wenqin looked up and said in surprise.

Zhang Yang gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

The main reason is that I haven't been home much these past few days; I've been busy enjoying myself.

When he's out in the world, he's President Zhang, Mr. Zhang; but when he's home, he suddenly becomes the same good son in his parents' eyes, seemingly unchanged.

"I've been a bit busy. Oh, right, I also attended a class reunion yesterday," Zhang Yang said.

"High school?" Zhang Zhaohai asked as he hung up the clothes.

Zhang Yang nodded.

"Hey, I remember there was a really pretty girl in your class back then, you seemed to really miss her. Did you run into her at the class reunion?" Zhang Zhaohai asked casually.

"Still thinking about it? Dad, you must be mistaken." Zhang Yang's expression froze, and he vehemently denied it.

"Look, look, I didn't even say who it was!" Zhang Zhaohai said with a smug smile. "I bet you'll be all proud at this class reunion, and even the former class beauty should look at you with new respect."

"It's just a class reunion, why do we have to make it such a clichéd and ridiculous thing?" Zhang Yang thought his dad's idea was really melodramatic.

What era are we living in?

A class reunion isn't necessarily a recipe for disaster; everyone's pretty busy, actually.

As luck would have it, his phone, which was on the table, suddenly lit up.

Zhang Zhaohai, with his sharp eyes, muttered to himself as he looked, "Meng Baihan? Yes, that seems to be the name. No, you've been denying it all this time, but you've already been getting along with him behind the scenes."

Beside her, Song Wenqin coughed twice and looked at Zhang Yang.

"Son, you mustn't be like those fickle, easily tempted people."

Helpless, Zhang Yang picked up his phone and went back to his room.

On his phone, Meng Baihan had just sent him a message.

"Finally, I'm starting to appreciate the teacher's good qualities."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Yang replied with a message.

"Because summer vacation is coming. I used to envy teachers' winter and summer vacations when I was in school. Now it's finally my turn." Meng Baihan spoke in a light and cheerful tone, as if he were chatting with an old friend.

Zhang Yang blinked as he looked at the information.

Did they become so close? So close that they can chat and share their feelings with each other late at night?

After thinking about it, he could only reply with a word of envy.

"Stop messing around, Mr. Zhang. You're a big boss, why are you envious of a little teacher like me?" This time, Meng Baihan sent a voice message.

Her soft chuckles were also mixed in with her voice.

There was a gentle knock on the door.

Zhang Zhaohai poked his head in and said, "Go take a shower and get some rest."

"Okay, I understand." Zhang Yang replied hastily, glancing down at Meng Baihan who seemed engrossed in conversation, and could only reply that he was going to take a shower.

"Alright, go ahead, we'll talk later." Meng Baihan replied understandingly.

Zhang Yang put down his phone and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

After drying my hair, it was more than half an hour later when I returned to the room.

He picked up his phone, looked at his chat with Meng Baihan, thought for a moment, then exited the chat and didn't send any more messages.

It's the middle of the night, there's no way she'd still be waiting for my message, right?

He didn't take it too seriously, casually put his phone down on the pillow, turned off the light, and prepared to go to sleep.

Strangely enough, as soon as the lights were turned off and he was using his own pillow, sleepiness quickly overwhelmed him, and Zhang Yang soon fell into a deep sleep.

The phone next to my pillow suddenly lit up.

Are you asleep? I'm planning a trip during summer vacation, do you have any plans?

A while later.

[Okay, I guess you're already asleep? Goodnight.]

Zhang Yang slept very soundly.

Early in the morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains.

Zhang Yang stretched and yawned, still a little dazed, thinking he was still on a morning many years ago, on his way to school.

Then, when he touched his top-of-the-line iPhone and saw the message his high school class beauty had sent him late at night, he immediately sobered up.

"Yeah, I slept so much that I lost track of time." Zhang Yang looked at his handsome face reflected in the black screen of his phone, shook his head and chuckled.

He opened WeChat and casually replied to Meng Baihan with a few words.

Phrases like "I went to bed early last night and didn't see the message" are used.