43: Chapter 43 The next step is to build our own headquarters building.

On Saturday morning, the company was off, and for once, Jiang Yuan didn't sleep in; instead, she went out alone.

The weather was quite nice today; the late autumn sun was gentle and warm, neither too harsh nor too cold.

She was wearing a light gray hoodie, black jeans, and white sneakers, with her hair tied in a high ponytail, making her look like a pure and delicate college student.

Just by looking at her, no one would likely guess that this young girl already possessed a fortune of 100 million.

Jiang Yuan's destination today was Xuhui District.

The real estate agent introduced to her by Lin Xi had already sent her several listings on WeChat in advance. After much thought, she decided to take a look at each of them before making a decision.

After getting off the subway, she walked along the river for a while.

By the river, some people were walking their dogs, some were playing chess, and many young men and women were drinking coffee—it was very pleasant and full of the atmosphere of daily life.

After walking for a bit, she turned into a small road lined with aged plane trees, their leaves already beginning to turn yellow. Quite a few pretty influencers were posing under the trees, surrounded by several photographers clicking away.

Many photographers saw Jiang Yuan's face, their eyes lighting up like lightbulbs. They rushed over excitedly, only to leave in awkward disappointment.

She had arranged to meet the agent at the entrance of an office building.

After Jiang Yuan arrived, she found that the building wasn't very tall, only eight stories in total. The exterior was made of grayish-white stone and looked a bit old, but it was reasonably well-maintained.

"You must be President Jiang, right? Truly young and promising! Such an extraordinary temperament!"

Seeing Jiang Yuan, a young man in a suit standing in front of the building immediately greeted her with a bright smile, holding a folder in his hand.

"You are Manager Zhou?"

"You can just call me Xiao Zhou."

He said respectfully, and after some pleasantries, he led Jiang Yuan inside to look at the building.

About ten minutes later.

Jiang Yuan frowned slightly, discovering with some disappointment that the building's interior decoration and facilities seemed exceptionally old.

After coming downstairs, Xiao Zhou saw the slightly dissatisfied look on Jiang Yuan's delicate face. His heart sank, and he immediately smiled to remedy the situation:

"If you aren't very satisfied with this place, we can still go take a look at the next location. It definitely won't disappoint you!"

"Sure."

She nodded calmly, signaling for him to continue leading the way.

Since she had specifically come out for this matter, Jiang Yuan certainly didn't mind visiting a few more places to see if she could find a new office space that met her requirements.

This time, the budget at hand had become sufficient.

Jiang Yuan had actually prepared herself to settle on size and comfort in one go, not planning to move again easily until she built her own headquarters.

It wasn't until she got into the car driven by Xiao Zhou that Jiang Yuan suddenly realized she hadn't obtained her driver's license in this lifetime yet.

"Looks like I'll have to find some time to get it done."

Looking at the scenery outside the car window, Jiang Yuan thought silently to herself.

A moment later.

Jiang Yuan stood beside a main road in the Caohejing Development Zone, looking up with bright eyes at the office building before her.

Twenty-three stories tall, with an all-glass curtain wall that shimmered with a cold light under the sun.

The building's lines were clean and sharp, with a distinct style that looked quite good.

Below the building was a neatly trimmed green space, with a few camphor trees still green, appearing exceptionally vibrant in the gray late autumn.

Beside it was a wide sidewalk where many pedestrians walked by with hurried expressions, holding notebooks and muttering to themselves—they were clearly the office workers from the area.

Not far away was the subway station entrance, with a constant stream of people flowing in and out.

This made Jiang Yuan nod with some satisfaction, silently adding a point to her impression of this place.

Xiao Zhou stood to the side, constantly watching the changes in Jiang Yuan's expression out of the corner of his eye.

Seeing the young girl's pink lips slightly curled in a good mood, his heart stirred, and he immediately struck while the iron was hot:

"President Jiang, this building was newly constructed three years ago. The owner is a well-known domestic fund that specializes in renting to tech companies and innovative enterprises."

He paused, then added:

"There are already many high-tech companies in the building; the atmosphere is really great."

Jiang Yuan kept her hands in her pockets without a word and continued to follow him inside.

Upon entering.

The first thing that caught Jiang Yuan's eyes was the lobby, which had a ceiling height of at least seven or eight meters. The surroundings were a combination of white marble and brushed stainless steel, looking simple and grand.

A huge electronic screen hung on the wall, scrolling through the names of the companies inside the building.

At the reception desk were two young people in uniforms who immediately smiled and nodded in greeting when they saw them enter.

Access at the turnstiles required swiping a card. Xiao Zhou took out a visitor card, swiped it, and led Jiang Yuan through the turnstiles.

There were four elevators in the elevator lobby, all fully mirrored, reflecting their figures.

"The elevators in this building are imported, with a speed of four meters per second, but they are very smooth."

Xiao Zhou introduced from the side:

"You basically don't have to wait during peak hours. The four elevators are linked, and it takes at most twenty seconds to reach the top floor!"

Jiang Yuan gave a soft acknowledgement.

The elevator ascended silently, with almost no noticeable vibration.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the eighteenth floor.

The elevator doors opened, and the first thing that came into view was a wide corridor covered with dark gray carpet.

At the end of the corridor was a glass door with a company logo on it, but the inside had already been emptied out.

Xiao Zhou walked quickly to the glass door and took out the key to open it.

Jiang Yuan walked in, and an open space came into view. She estimated it in her mind, feeling it was probably over four hundred square meters.

The floor-to-ceiling windows faced south, and the sunlight shone in without any obstruction, making the entire office brightly dazzling. Leaving other aspects aside, at least the lighting was quite sufficient.

When she was tired from work every day, lying in a chair facing this side to bask in the sun would surely be pleasant, a great way to relax the nerves tightened by work.

The floor was raised anti-static flooring, and the surrounding walls were painted white; the overall decoration and design looked clean and refreshing.

Jiang Yuan curiously walked around the room.

The row of seats by the window had the best view, with sunlight shining in from morning until afternoon.

The open space in the middle was large, and it should be able to accommodate at least one hundred workstations.

With this much space, at the very least, she wouldn't have to worry about the company's expansion in the short term.

At the very back were two independent cubicles with glass partitions, through which she could see the empty rooms inside.

One was a ready-made conference room, complete with a long table, projector, and whiteboard; the other, smaller one could be used as her office.

After a rough look around, Jiang Yuan quickly made up her mind.

She stood by the window, gazing at the scenery outside, and asked in a crisp voice:

"How big is this place exactly?"

"It is 480 square meters, President Jiang!"

Seeing that there was a chance, Xiao Zhou hurriedly opened the folder with agile movements and said steadily:

"The rent is 6.8 yuan per square meter per day, and the property management fee is 2.2 yuan, including central air conditioning and weekday air conditioning. You can sign for three to five years."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan calculated silently in her heart.

6.8 yuan a day, 480 square meters, that's 3,264 per day, about 98,000 per month.

If you add property management and utilities, it would be at least over 1.3 million a year.

It was expensive, but for Spark Games at the moment, it really wasn't much pressure.

The company currently had nearly 100 million in its account, with a steady stream of income coming in, and the progress of Plants vs. Zombies was over halfway done; it was about to launch and would be another big gold mine.

As long as the company's money wasn't used for chasing celebrities or financial investments, and the subsequent games didn't flop miserably.

Then this amount of money was really no different from pocket change.

Turning to look at Xiao Zhou, Jiang Yuan said softly:

"Are there any other units on this floor?"

Xiao Zhou took her to see the other two units on the same floor.

One faced east, a bit over 400 square meters, and was 0.3 yuan cheaper, but the view was worse, facing the back of another building; the other faced north, 360 square meters, where you could see the elevated highway in the distance, but the sunlight wasn't sufficient.

After looking around, Jiang Yuan didn't hesitate too much and eventually returned to the one on the south side, saying:

"This is the one."

Xiao Zhou's eyes lit up:

"President Jiang has a good eye; this unit really has the best view and lighting on the entire floor."

"How much can the price be negotiated?"

Xiao Zhou opened his calculator and pressed it for a long time.

"The landlord's bottom price is 6.5 yuan, but I can help you negotiate it down to 6.3 yuan. The property management fee remains the same, and the minimum lease term is three years."

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and said:

"It's a bit expensive. At least five years, at 6 yuan."

Xiao Zhou was slightly stunned and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"President Jiang, your bargaining is too ruthless! 6 yuan is nearly 8% lower than the bottom price; over five years, the landlord will receive nearly 300,000 less."

Jiang Yuan glanced at him and said calmly:

"If they can rent it, then rent it; if not, then forget it. It's not like I can't find a more suitable one; it would just take some time."

Xiao Zhou was silent for a moment, nodded, and walked to the side to make a phone call.

Jiang Yuan stood by the window, continuing to watch the scenery with a leisurely expression.

After waiting for about five minutes, Xiao Zhou returned with a happy expression.

"President Jiang, the landlord agreed: 6 yuan, five-year lease, 3% annual increase, and one month of rent-free period."