Chapter 78: Investing in a Real Estate Agency

It had been a few days since they last met, and Zhao Xiaoli's change was quite noticeable. Her originally solemn and dignified black professional attire had been replaced by a simple yet stylish white T-shirt and light-blue jeans. Her high heels were swapped for flat sneakers.

The white T-shirt was as pure and spotless as snow, gently hugging her slender neck and delicate collarbone line; the light-blue jeans fit her perfectly, hugging her slim waist, round and pert buttocks, and straight, slender legs, showing off her perfect figure completely, without reservation. No wonder such an appearance provoked the hostility of Liu Shijie's wife.

Perhaps due to prolonged sun exposure, Zhao Xiaoli's originally fair skin had turned slightly dark. Yet this change did not diminish her beauty; instead, it gave her a different feel. She looked full of vitality and energy, exuding a healthy, natural charm.

The only thing that made Chen Yang slightly uncomfortable was that the foundation on her face was really too thick. Compared with the rest of her body, it looked strikingly out of place, as if her face and body had been forcibly split into two parts. It seemed the scars on her face had not yet fully faded.

"Manager Zhao, everyone's been telling you to borrow a company car for commuting, why won't you listen?"

"President Chen, I've already resigned, so there's no reason to keep using the company car, and I don't want to."

"You resigned?" Chen Yang was a little surprised; Liu Shijie had been calling him every day these past few days, yet never mentioned this. "Is this Liu Zong's idea, or his wife's?"

Zhao Xiaoli sighed and said, "I don't want to be harassed by rumors anymore; I resigned voluntarily."

Chen Yang could understand her decision. People's words are fearsome; after such an incident, there will always be those pointing fingers around. Even if Zhao Xiaoli is innocent, people will only speculate according to their own thoughts rather than seek the truth.

"Is your life all right now? Would you like me to advance you some money?"

"No need, President Liu gave me three months' salary as compensation."

"All right then! If you run into trouble, just let me know."

"Thank you for your concern, President Chen!"

Zhao Xiaoli declined Chen Yang's goodwill. After exchanging pleasantries, she led him to an intersection in a residential complex. She pointed out the four row-house storefronts near the intersection to the southeast and said to Chen Yang, "I've contacted the landlords of these storefronts; they all intend to sell."

Chen Yang took a look: all four storefronts were in operation, each about 30 square meters. The two storefronts near the corner of the intersection housed a small restaurant that served both breakfast and lunch, with average foot traffic and a sign advertising the shop's transfer. The other two storefronts: one was a dry‑cleaning shop that was closed; the other was a clothing shop with a transfer sign, also closed.

"How can business be so poor here?" Chen Yang wondered, puzzled, since the location is excellent yet two out of three shops want to transfer.

Zhao Xiaoli said, "Within 200 meters around here there are six breakfast shops, and this one has the worst taste. The clothing store sells trendy women's wear, but most of the people passing by are elderly and children, who rarely stop in. Only on weekends does their business pick up a bit. The dry‑cleaning shop's business is fairly stable, but their landlord told me we could arrange for them to move out."

Chen Yang asked, "What's the foot traffic like nearby?"

Zhao Xiaoli pointed north of the intersection and said, "There's a primary school and a junior high there. Every morning, noon, and evening, parents come to pick up and drop off their children. According to my estimate, the foot traffic passing through each period stays steadily above a thousand."

Chen Yang then asked her, "Where is the vegetable market?"

Zhao Xiaoli replied, "The vegetable market is right near the school."

Chen Yang thought for a moment and felt this place could host an agricultural‑products lifestyle supermarket.

First, there is a steady customer base from at least three directions here. If Zhao Xiaoli's statistics are correct, that amounts to at least a thousand potential customers.

Second, there are many elderly residents living nearby. This group is very price‑sensitive. As long as the supermarket's vegetable prices are lower than the market's, they will surely prefer to shop here. If things go badly, even the elderly from the area north of the intersection could be drawn in.

Chen Yang quickly made up his mind. "How much are the storefronts?"

Zhao Xiaoli held up four fingers and said, "Four hundred thousand each."

The old storefronts in the aging community cost 13,300 per square meter; at Xingcheng's current prices that's a bit steep. But being inside the Second Ring Road, whether it's demolition or renovation and upgrading, there's considerable potential for value increase.

"All right, go talk to them. Give me a call when it's time to sign the contract and make the payment." After saying that, Chen Yang took out ten thousand yuan in cash he had prepared beforehand from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Xiaoli. "This money is to subsidize your errand fees; let me know if it's not enough."

Zhao Xiaoli did not refuse this time; she thanked him while putting the money into her wallet.

Chen Yang thought it over and then told her, "If you come across other storefronts with similar conditions later on, even if they aren't row‑houses, feel free to negotiate."

Zhao Xiaoli asked, "President Chen, are you planning to make a long‑term investment in shop properties?"

Chen Yang nodded. "The return on shop properties is higher than that of residential apartments, and the appreciation potential is also greater; I am indeed interested in this area."

Zhao Xiaoli continued, "President Chen, are you interested in setting up a real‑estate agency?"

Chen Yang shook his head. "Running an agricultural‑products trading company plus a chain supermarket is already enough to wear me out; I don't have the energy for anything else." But he quickly grasped Zhao Xiaoli's meaning and asked, "Are you interested in doing it?"

Zhao Xiaoli nodded. "I'd like to do it, but I have no money."

Chen Yang thought it over and said, "Then I'll invest in you to start a real‑estate agency. I'll provide the funds and give you a thirty percent stake. How does that sound?"

Zhao Xiaoli had originally only wanted Chen Yang to give her a job; she never expected to become a shareholder, and excited tears welled up. "President Chen, you're not joking, are you?"

Chen Yang answered her very seriously: "I am completely serious."

"Thank you, President Chen!" Zhao Xiaoli excitedly gripped Chen Yang's hand.

Chen Yang, worried that Zhao Xiaoli might get over‑excited, reminded her: "Don't rush to thank me yet; if the business performs poorly, I could shut the company down at any time."

"Rest assured, President Chen, I'll work hard." Zhao Xiaoli immediately raised three fingers to swear her promise.

Chen Yang was amused by her solemn and careful demeanor. "Then go get busy with the real work."

Zhao Xiaoli laughed, waved goodbye to Chen Yang, then pulled out her phone and began contacting the store owners about buying and selling the premises.

After parting with Zhao Xiaoli, Chen Yang drove to the supermarket in Sunshine Garden Community. If his cousin Zhao Qian hadn't gone to learn driving, he would fulfill his promise to take her to the Xingcheng International Shopping Centre for shopping.,