Chapter 514: Earning More

The plane landed, and the group left the airport.

Wang Qi Zhi wanted Lin Sicheng to go stay at his home with him, but Lin Sicheng did not go.

He was comfortable enough, but if something came up, Li Zhen and Fang Jin would have to take a taxi from the hotel to find him, which would be too inefficient.

They found a hotel near the Cultural Relics Bureau, and all ten-plus people checked in.

This included Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng.

To register, they first needed a venue, so renting a building became the top priority.

Wang Qi Zhi notified everyone he had connections with. He had thought it wouldn't be so fast, but a reply came on the third day.

Zhao Xiuneng walked into the suite excitedly, holding a piece of paper.

"Professor Wang, Junior Brother, look at this!"

Zhao Xiuneng placed the floor plan on the table. "I went to the Beijing Supply and Marketing General Cooperative yesterday; their General Manager is a friend of mine. When he heard we wanted to set up a Cultural Relics Research Center, he was even more excited than I was, saying he could rent us an entire floor directly. No matter how many years we rent, the rent will be reduced by..."

Wang Qi Zhi took a look: it was a floor plan, and at the bottom, a line of small text read: Panjiayuan Mansion.

He didn't know what to say.

Renting office space in Panjiayuan to conduct Cultural Relics Research—the property management would naturally be happy.

Because they could use this for publicity to attract more merchants.

And business would certainly not be bad; just doing antique appraisals would basically cover the rent.

But the problem was, this center was here to research craft provenance and cultural relic protection materials. If they were going to do appraisals, wouldn't it be more convenient for Lin Sicheng to just rent a storefront in Panjiayuan?

There would be no need to buy machines, let alone hire Researchers.

Wang Qi Zhi pondered, thinking about how to tactfully persuade him, but Lin Sicheng refused directly: "Senior Brother Zhao, Panjiayuan Mansion definitely won't work!" Zhao Xiuneng had anticipated he would refuse, but he wasn't flustered: "I know, it's a bit chaotic there, and a bit noisy, but the rent is cheap, right? And it's close to Panjiayuan, so it's convenient to find experimental materials..."

Wang Qi Zhi almost laughed out loud: looking for experimental materials in Panjiayuan—Old Zhao, do you even believe that yourself?

That place is full of fakes; where would experimental materials come from?

And it wasn't just normally noisy: Panjiayuan is the largest second-hand market in the country, with tens of thousands of stalls in the market and surrounding area, and a daily foot traffic of over a million people.

A specific consumer group dictates a specific commercial circle: the most common things in the Wenbo Building are long-term rentals for stall owners and cultural relic peddlers. The second most common are various restaurants.

Setting up a research center there? It's amazing Old Zhao could even think of it...

Being stared at directly by Wang Qi Zhi, Zhao Xiuneng felt a bit embarrassed: "We could rent a higher floor, like the tenth or eleventh!" "Senior Brother, it's not a question of noise or chaos, but that it's inconvenient to go up and down."

Lin Sicheng continued to shake his head, "Panjiayuan Mansion only has two elevators!"

Zhao Xiuneng was stunned for a moment and suddenly lowered his head.

He had only been concerned with whether it was close to Panjiayuan and hadn't paid attention to that at all.

Looking at the floor plan again: sure enough, there were only two elevators.

With so many merchants inside, there was no need to guess: it would be crowded with people at all times.

Just moving people would be fine, but what about moving things?

Zhao Xiuneng looked sheepish: "Junior Brother, it was my lack of consideration!"

"It's fine, Senior Brother!"

Lin Sicheng didn't mind, because Zhao Xiuneng had no selfish motives; the two of them just looked at the problem from different angles.

Zhao Xiuneng's thinking was: since it's an enterprise, the ultimate goal must be to make money, and earning it later is not as good as earning it sooner.

But Lin Sicheng didn't think that way.

Money certainly has to be earned, but no matter how capable you are, you can't earn all the money in the world.

Since a choice has to be made, why not earn the kind that is most valuable, most stable, and most meaningful?

Just like restaurants and hotels, Zhao Xiuneng thought about speed and comprehensiveness, wanting to earn as much as possible.

Lin Sicheng thought about the long term.

"Then I'll ask around some more!"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Qi Zhi's phone buzzed. He glanced at it and quickly answered: "Second Brother!"

"Qi Zhi, I asked about the matter you mentioned yesterday; there are many suitable places. Let me tell you about them, and you can pick..."

"In the Xinwai Street area, there are many old office buildings vacated by state-owned enterprises. Some are completely empty for several floors, and it's not unheard of for an entire building to be empty. Like the Zhongyou Hotel at Deshengmen, or the former Residents' Committee in Zhuzhong Hutong."

"There are new buildings too, like Guoying No. 1 on Drum Tower Street, which was only built in 2005 and finished renovations just last year. The key is that these are hutong renovations; private houses are compensated with money, while units are all relocated. Like the District Sports Bureau or the Education Bureau, they each took an entire floor."

"If you rent them, whether it's a new building or an old one, just say the word, and you can just pay a symbolic amount for the rent..."

"Okay, thank you, Second Brother, we'll discuss it!"

After hanging up, Wang Qi Zhi looked at Lin Sicheng: "Deshengmen, Drum Tower Street, both are quite close to the Forbidden City and the National Museum of China."

"That area has convenient transportation and a good surrounding environment. The key is, it's cheap... Second Brother saying to just pay a symbolic amount definitely wasn't just being polite..." Wang Qi Zhi paused, "I estimate it's only a few tens of thousands a year!"

In an instant, Zhao Xiuneng's eyes popped out: "A few tens of thousands for a floor?"

Wang Qi Zhi nodded: "It might even be for a whole building. Of course, Guoying No. 1 definitely wouldn't be that price; it's newly built, so at most it would be half price." Zhao Xiuneng moved his lips, unable to speak.

Even at half price, it was still a new building, and it was office space inside the Second Ring Road.

Where is Deshengmen? Inside the Second Ring Road; during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was one of the nine gates of the inner city of Beijing.

This area wasn't just close to the Forbidden City and the National Museum of China; it was right next to them.

If you told someone you were renting a building next to Tiananmen for only a few tens of thousands a year, they would laugh their heads off: Are you fucking kidding me? Seeing Zhao Xiuneng's stunned expression, Wang Qi Zhi explained: "The ones for a few tens of thousands are definitely old buildings that need to be renovated."

Zhao Xiuneng didn't care: as if the other places wouldn't need renovations?

He fully expected Lin Sicheng to agree, or even go see them right now.

But glancing at him, Lin Sicheng was still his usual calm self: "Teacher, let's ask around some more!"

Wang Qi Zhi was noncommittal: "Alright!"

It was true that he was a Second Generation, but precisely because he was a Second Generation, he understood: sometimes, taking advantage and suffering a loss are directly equivalent.

Renting a whole building for tens of thousands is indeed a massive bargain. But if anything changes, you'll be in a real bind.

Just consider this: if they take you to court, they could demand the back rent from the past few years.

Without a doubt, you'd lose one hundred percent.

The Judge isn't a fool: inside the Second Ring Road, renting a whole building for tens of thousands—who are you trying to fool?

By then, not only would you have to spit back all the savings you enjoyed, but you'd also have to pay a lot more on top.

If the relationship sours even further, and they cut the water today and the electricity tomorrow, what will you do?

Move? Sure.

You can leave, but don't even think about taking a single thing with you...

Therefore, before Lin Sicheng could even express his stance, Wang Qi Zhi crossed it out himself.

Just as he was preparing to call Wang Qiming back, Lin Sicheng's phone rang again.

He glanced at it; three characters were displayed on the screen: Dean Ma.

Lin Sicheng answered it smoothly: "Dean!"

"Sicheng, you've arrived in Beijing, right?"

"I arrived the day before yesterday."

"How is the search for a place going?"

"I'm looking into it right now!"

"That's good!" Dean Ma laughed, "The Cultural Relics Research Institute has a lot of space, three whole buildings, and there are several vacant floors, but this isn't open to the public."

"However, the Wenbo Building is open to the public, and it's in the same courtyard as us, so it will be convenient for you to come and go. I asked around, and they can clear out a floor for you directly."

"The key is that the rent is cheap: rent-free for the first three years; starting from the fourth year, the first year is only thirty percent, and the second year is sixty percent. It won't return to the normal market rate until the sixth year..."

The voice wasn't quiet, and since they were close by, both Zhao Xiuneng and Wang Qi Zhi heard it clearly.

It's no exaggeration to say that Zhao Xiuneng looked as if he had been stunned.

Just a moment ago, Wang Qi Zhi said the annual rent was tens of thousands, which had already shocked him enough.

This time it was even more exaggerated: rent-free?

Compared to Deshengmen, the Wenbo Building is indeed a bit further from the Forbidden City and the National Museum of China, but no matter how far, it is still on Fuxing Road within the Fourth Ring Road.

A floor is nearly three thousand square meters; if calculated at market price, it would be at least over two hundred thousand a month, nearly three million a year.

How much money is three years of free rent?

Wang Qi Zhi was also shaken, but he felt more suspicious: the Wenbo Building and the Cultural Heritage Research Institute are in the same courtyard, that's correct. And it is indeed property of the Cultural Relics Research Institute, that is also correct.

But the management rights belong to the Cultural Relics Bureau, and the existing management company is also directly appointed by the Cultural Relics Bureau.

More importantly, the Wenbo Building is not an office building, but a designated reception unit for the National Cultural Heritage Administration. It is a multi-functional hotel that integrates guest rooms, dining, and a conference center.

Over ninety percent of the various meetings held by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and its subordinate units are held here.

The average annual occupancy rate is over eighty percent, and even in the slowest off-season, a guest room costs four or five hundred.

Can Dean Ma just clear out a floor if he says so, and make it rent-free just like that?

But Lin Sicheng did not agree immediately, saying he needed to discuss it with Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng.

After saying thanks and watching him hang up the phone, just as Wang Qi Zhi was about to ask, Lin Sicheng's phone rang again.

This time it was Director Lu.

How is it as if they had all agreed on this?

As soon as he answered, Director Lu got straight to the point: "Sicheng, you haven't rented a place yet, right? If not, come to the Forbidden City, let's be neighbors..." "The leadership said that since there is plenty of space, we can open up a Small Courtyard just for you. Materials are provided, but you have to buy the instruments yourselves..." "What, rent? Lin Sicheng, don't joke with me, when has the Forbidden City ever recruited for rent? So, it's for you to use directly, not for rent..." "Alright, that's it for now, we'll talk in person when you get here, I still have work to do..."

With a "beep," the call was hung up, and the three of them looked at each other in dismay.

Not to mention Zhao Xiuneng and Wang Qi Zhi, even Lin Sicheng was stunned.

Well, this is great; no need to argue about which ring road it is, it's directly on the central axis, at the center point of Beijing.

In the Forbidden City, opening up a separate Small Courtyard? That's the Forbidden City; no matter how small the courtyard is, it must be several mu.

And not a single cent of rent to pay; free to use, for as long as they want to use it.