Chapter 713: Sweating It Out

The group of business management leaders were left speechless by Fang Hong's retort—they were ready to fight to the death, so what could they say?

Even cutting off their water and electricity wouldn't work; they'd just shut down entirely.

Before coming here, they were confident they could control them—they'd always been the dominant side, and once they brought these cinemas in, they had a thousand ways to force compliance.

But now they'd met a real hardliner.

Of course, only someone with real power would dare say such things; without power, a cinema couldn't withstand being closed for a few days.

All the general managers in the room turned to look at the Principal; some exchanged glances, their resolve already wavering—as if standing firm against the Principal brought them no benefit.

"None of you are ordinary people—you're all prominent figures. Honestly, I don't want to upset you; it benefits me nothing. Today's meeting here is purely about righteous indignation." Fang Hong paused here.

His tone softened slightly—he was flattering them, not just pressing hard; he needed to know when to loosen the reins.

These men were acting out of loyalty, at someone else's request!

"Principal, you're truly a figure!"

The Vanke general manager added: "The rent increase is indeed debatable; mutual destruction benefits no one."

The others nodded, showing signs of compromise—if standing firm brought no advantage, then stepping back made sense.

The Evergrande general manager glanced at the Vanke general manager, his eyes filled with annoyance—coward, scared off by a film director.

"I agree. Let's discuss this reasonably, follow the rules, and it benefits everyone." Fang Hong nodded—this was how negotiations should look.

When they first walked in, they looked down their noses at everyone, as if everyone owed them millions.

"But your attitude disgusts us. You're not afraid of trouble—do you think we are?" said the Evergrande general manager.

"What do you mean?" Fang Hong stared at the man—he'd endured this guy long enough.

The others also turned to look at the Evergrande general manager.

"I mean don't try to scare us with empty threats—we weren't raised on fear. Rent increases are justified; the economic situation is nothing like it was a few years ago," said the Evergrande general manager.

"Am I saying you can't raise rent? The annual increase should be capped at 5%. How much are you proposing? Ten percent? Twenty percent at once? And you think you're right?"

"Why not apply future increases to this year? If you raise it now, you won't need to raise it in future years," said the Evergrande general manager.

"Don't feed me empty promises. Things are what they are—what's future, what's past? How can I know what your situation will be in future years? If you go bankrupt, who do I sue?"

"Can you even speak properly? Who are you saying will go bankrupt?"

Saying such things—saying they'd go bankrupt—made them sound a bit guilty.

"I'm stating facts. No one can predict the future. If you really collapse, sell off the mall, and run off with the money, where do we tenants go? Our deposits and renovations cost real money," Fang Hong said, gesturing helplessly, unafraid.

"You can bet your cinema goes bankrupt before Evergrande ever does," the Evergrande general manager pointed.

The two were on the verge of shouting, but the Evergrande general manager's reaction was excessive—of course, insiders knew their own business.

The others didn't try to mediate; they just watched like spectators.

These real estate developers weren't a unified bloc—they'd only come together now because the Principal invited them, and the rent hike created a temporary understanding.

But after the Principal's remarks just now, their thoughts had diverged.

As for Lao Wang Zong and Jack Ma's requests, those didn't matter—no one would turn down money.

"Not necessarily," Fang Hong replied casually.

"Slap!"

The Evergrande general manager slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Principal, don't think your minor achievements make you superior."

"Why so agitated? Sit down, sit down," the Vanke general manager pulled at the Evergrande general manager, trying to calm him.

Always jumping to his feet like he wanted to fight—Evergrande really was Evergrande; his name fit him.

This was already the second time the Evergrande general manager had stood up—when he first arrived, he'd thrown threats around.

"Don't hold me back—I'm going to teach him a lesson today. Why are you saying Evergrande will go bankrupt?"

Though they were competitors, these two firms were actually shareholders in each other, with cross-holdings.

"The Principal was just making a metaphor—why are you taking it so seriously?" said the Vanke general manager.

"How can I not take it seriously? Some things simply shouldn't be said—they're bad omens," said the Evergrande general manager.

He'd even become superstitious. Rumor had it Xu Pidai was deeply superstitious, and the stories had spread widely in his hometown.

One rumor claimed: in his hometown, a blind fortune-teller, introduced by a local county official, once read Xu Pidai's fate.

After arriving, the blind man touched Xu Pidai's head, face, and hands, thoroughly examining his true nature.

In the end, the blind man said he'd suffered hardship in his youth and would suffer similar hardship in his old age.

Whether true or false, the fact that the story spread proved Xu Pidai carried some superstitious beliefs.

And in superstition, a prophecy fulfilled is exactly this—follow the leader, it's only natural!

"If you don't like hearing it, you can leave. No one here will coddle you," Fang Hong said, thinking the man childish.

"Principal, don't get too arrogant," the Evergrande general manager fumed—again, he was being told to leave, treated like nothing.

"Who's really talking nonsense here? Who's being arrogant?" Fang Hong gestured toward their two states.

One sat calm and composed; the other slammed the table, ready to kill his opponent.

"Your cinema won't operate in any Evergrande-managed commercial district," the Evergrande general manager, enraged, declared.

"Fine. I already said—I can shut down outright and let the cinema gather dust," Fang Hong shrugged, indifferent.

Evergrande only has seven shopping malls total, with just two or three cinemas—others are operated by different chains.

With only two or three cinemas, they come here acting like big shots—what a joke.

Evergrande has few commercial zones; their focus is residential. Later they expanded, but the projects collapsed before completion.

The other general managers watched the two clash without backing down—clearly, the Principal was serious, not bluffing.

If he were bluffing, his tone would've softened—yet it didn't.

"Fine. You said it—I'm waiting for you to shut down."

The Evergrande general manager, furious, turned to the others: "All of you saw it—the Principal has zero sincerity. Dealing with such a person is like bargaining with a tiger. Negotiating with him is a waste of time."

After he finished speaking, the others all fell silent, and even Vanke's General Manager was silent.

Getting dressed down by someone and not taking it to heart, then coming to bring them along — how shameless is that? It's not like they're on your side.

"I've said all I have to say; I hope you all conduct yourselves accordingly." Evergrande's General Manager even cupped his fist, acting like some wandering martial-arts hero.

Then he turned and walked away, as if very decisive.

"Wait!" Fang Hong suddenly called out.

Hearing this, Evergrande's General Manager stopped in his tracks and whirled around sharply, chin raised, saying arrogantly, "It won't help even if you beg me."

"You're overthinking it. I'm here to inform you — if your Evergrande wants to raise the rent, I won't pay a single cent of rent. You can pass my words along to your Xu Laoban!" Fang Hong said it casually.

This was completely different from what he'd said earlier about paying however much the increase was; it seemed those words had just been to placate them.

Yield in order to advance — placate them one moment, hit them the next.

"Principal, you — your words are like passing gas." Evergrande's General Manager spat "Pah!"

"Get lost! Too much nonsense." Fang Hong waved his hand.

"For someone like you to succeed, heaven must really be blind." Evergrande's General Manager coldly "Hmph!" turned and left, no longer wasting words on this man.

"As childish as a little kid!" Fang Hong said coldly.

Though the words were a bit soft, everyone present could hear them, and hear them very clearly.

They all appeared very silent. Evergrande's edge had been killed, and after seeing the Principal's attitude, their bluster had been beaten down too.

It was also that Evergrande took himself too seriously — they weren't buying his properties, and there was no real connection between them.

But Xu Laoban now really was at his peak, inflated beyond belief — understandable, really.

Without Evergrande's constant bluster, the place was much quieter.

"Gentlemen, about this rent increase — what's the word? My time is also very precious; give me an answer!" Fang Hong said.

This echoed what these people had said upon entering — Vanke's General Manager had opened by saying his own time was very precious.

This made Vanke's General Manager's face rather hard to keep composure.

Of course he wasn't as impulsive as Evergrande; he still kept some rationality.

"The rent increase isn't our wish; our original intent wasn't to make things hard for you. It's just that some people asked us to do this." Huarun's General Manager didn't hide it either, choosing to tell the truth.

Even if he didn't say it, Fang Hong could have guessed — everyone knew it in their hearts.

And Fang Hong's face was expressionless, clearly knowing it well in his heart.

"That's that then! I have things to do; I'll leave first." Huarun's General Manager glanced at the others, chose to stand up and leave.

That meant the rent wouldn't go up, everything as before — no need to go up against the Principal for someone else's sake. Pushing it further did no one any good, and only invited trouble.

The Principal wasn't afraid of trouble — they were!

As Huarun's General Manager stood up, the General Managers of Longhu, Xincheng, Henglong and others exchanged glances, and said to the Principal, "Sorry for the disturbance today; we'll also be leaving first."

The other General Managers rose one after another, and followed Huarun's General Manager out the door.

Fang Hong gestured for Chen Zhixi to see them out. Since they were all so tactful, there was no need for him to be so hard; courtesy was still due.

Chen Zhixi nodded and quickly followed.

This negotiation had her heart surging — she hadn't expected the Principal to alternate coaxing and hitting, resolving most of the property managers in just a few words. Truly impressive.

Of course Evergrande didn't care; a few cinemas — Jade Rabbit didn't need to care.

"The Principal is a young hero! We're old, no longer have the edge you have." Vanke's General Manager said.

Only he remained here now.

"General Manager Ding, you're too kind. I was only doing this so I wouldn't be bullied by you all." Fang Hong said.

"Alright then!" Vanke straightened his suit, stood up and extended his hand: "If there's a chance, let's continue cooperating. Vanke has plenty of commercial plazas."

Fang Hong glanced at the man, then also extended his hand and clasped his.

Vanke's commercial plazas really were plentiful — over 150 commercial centers across fifty cities nationwide, with many more under construction.

Among this group of property service providers, Vanke's strength was the greatest, and the most numerous.

As long as Vanke gave up on raising the rent, it was basically settled.

When Chen Zhixi came back, she happened to run into Vanke's General Manager Ding.

"General Manager Chen, we have Vanke Plaza projects under construction in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou respectively. If General Manager Chen is interested, we can discuss cinema leasing matters." Vanke's General Manager said.

"Huh?!" Chen Zhixi was dumbfounded.

How did this man change his tune so suddenly? Just now he was ready to fight to the death, and now he wants to cooperate with them.

She glanced at Fang Hong, who gave a slight gesture.

"Alright, we'll discuss it later." Chen Zhixi nodded.

Vanke's General Manager also nodded and walked off into the distance!

After he disappeared from sight, Chen Zhixi clip-clopped into the meeting room and asked, puzzled, "What's going on with this man?"

"Who knows, maybe he's crazy!" How would Fang Hong know what those people were thinking.

Actually it's easy to understand — people all admire the strong. When you're strong, others flatter you, appreciate you.

But he added, "These people only bully the weak. If you really go hard against them, they can only cope. Property developers may look massive, but they're actually hollow."

Same old saying — given the national conditions, no one will be allowed to grow into an absolute behemoth.

That is, there won't be a "Samsung"-like existence; their revenue and scale are kept within a certain range.

Once they exceed that scale, they need to be wary.

Otherwise there wouldn't have been so many blowups later — the slightest hiccup and the capital chain snaps.

"But speaking of which, Principal, you're really too amazing — not only did you make those property developers back off, you even got an invitation for a Vanke project." Chen Zhixi said happily.

"It's all small stuff, this is nothing!" Fang Hong said, then stood up and went home.

Even after Liu Tianxian finished her month of confinement, she didn't go out to activities or take engagements — instead, every day she would exercise to recover her body.

From just taking a stroll at the very beginning, she could now dance and do the splits.

At this moment she was wearing a black, tight-fitting yoga outfit, in the training room stretching both legs long, doing the splits, her body also pressing down toward one leg.

The difficulty was very high; ordinary people couldn't do it.

"Miss Liu, working so hard!" Fang Hong squatted beside her, sizing her up.

"Of course. I'm not like you—lazy to death, can't even be bothered to move." Liu Tianxian let out a breath, panting hard from the exertion.

"Who says I didn't put in effort? My son is the result of my hard work. Look, they're all just congratulating me on having a child, but who knows how much sweat I've shed, how much strength I've used?" Fang Hong said it with perfect seriousness.

"Stop being ridiculous, will you? This is all something you ought to do." Liu Tianxian laughed and gave his face a light slap.

It really was the most earnest nonsense!

(End of chapter)