97: Young Master Chen? Master Chen!

After leaving the cafe, Chen Qiu saw a message sent by Wan Lingfei.

"Brother Qiu, are you free tonight? I would like to invite you to watch a movie."

"A Häagen-Dazs just opened nearby, we could grab some ice cream while we're at it!"

Seeing these two messages, Chen Qiu's brows suddenly shot up.

The movie was a late-night screening, and she had specifically mentioned eating ice cream.

She probably wasn't interested in the movie; she had likely made up her mind about something else.

Chen Qiu did not reply.

He did not want to get entangled with a woman like Wan Lingfei.

Stupid women drive people crazy, while evil women make people hate them.

And Wan Lingfei was very likely a woman who was both stupid and evil!

The stupidity lay in her lack of self-awareness regarding her own abilities, and the evil lay in her infinitely expanding greed.

Don't be fooled by her current posture of eager submission.

Once there came a day when her greed could no longer be satisfied, she would certainly turn cold and ruthless.

At that point, if she were to withdraw her sexual consent, wouldn't that be a disaster?

If Chen Qiu guessed correctly, the man in the shop was likely one of Wan Lingfei's blind date prospects.

That repressed, cuckolded look on his face showed that he had been completely manipulated by Wan Lingfei.

He was probably not even aware that Wan Lingfei was carrying online debt.

Chen Qiu suspected that even if he went to warn him, it would likely be seen as a tactic to compete for Wan Lingfei.

"I can only wish him good luck."

After turning off his phone, Chen Qiu looked up at Manager Li.

"How much longer is left on the cafe's lease?"

"Ms. Wan signed a two-year contract with us, and it has just been over a year. It should expire in August of next year!"

If it's August, that means there's only half a year left...

At this moment, Xu Jia, as if reading his mind, said softly.

"Are you not going to renew her lease when it expires?"

Although it was just collecting rent, given Wan Lingfei's capabilities, she would likely never reach the point of profitability.

This was clearly dragging down the value of the commercial street!

Chen Qiu nodded and laughed lightly.

"I'm afraid she won't even last until August."

The three of them returned to the company.

Not long after, the owners of the other two businesses arrived.

One was a clothing store, and the other was a commercial KTV!

That's right, it was the same commercial KTV Chen Qiu had seen last time.

The owner of the commercial KTV was a man in his thirties named Zhang, who was thin and wore gold-rimmed glasses.

Just looking at his appearance, Chen Qiu couldn't believe he was the owner of a commercial KTV.

Boss Zhang owed two months of rent; for three shops spanning several hundred square meters, two months of rent was already a six-figure sum.

Under Manager Li's introduction, he shook Chen Qiu's hand respectfully.

"Young Master Chen, hello. Please rest assured, the locals who went out for work are returning home one after another, and the peak season for our industry is coming up soon. Next month, next month I will definitely pay off the overdue rent in full!"

"In addition to that, I will pay Young Master Chen 10% interest, and if I delay payment for another month, the interest will double!"

Boss Zhang promised while patting his chest.

"Boss Zhang, you are too kind."

Chen Qiu said, glancing at Manager Li, who then proposed to sign a supplementary contract with him.

Boss Zhang's expression stiffened, and he looked at Manager Li with some annoyance.

He knew that Manager Li was just a professional manager, and that these shops would soon be handed back to Chen Qiu himself.

Why did he have to jump out and stir up trouble?

Manager Li looked at him with an unchanging expression.

He did not want to be troubled by Chen Qiu later on.

Anyway, after handing over these shops, he would likely not see Boss Zhang again, so playing the bad cop didn't matter.

Boss Zhang had already given his word, so now he had no choice but to sign obediently.

As for the other clothing store owner, he stated that he was currently having a clearance sale.

Once he cleared out the remaining stock in the shop, he would immediately pay the rent.

Chen Qiu could understand a clothing store going out of business, but he didn't expect that this commercial KTV, which had rented and combined three storefronts, couldn't even pay the rent.

This made Chen Qiu a bit curious.

Boss Zhang began to pour out his grievances.

"It's all because of the economic downturn and the collapse of the real estate market."

"Even those in construction are struggling now; who has extra money to come out and spend?"

Boss Zhang talked about the sluggish real estate market, the suspension of infrastructure projects, the accumulation of local debt, and the overall environment, finally sighing with emotion.

"Damn it, in the last few years, the girls from online have all returned to offline; the quality is much higher than a few years ago, but now the bosses have no money!"

Chen Qiu looked at him with slight surprise.

Boss Zhang's way of speaking had broken his stereotypical image of a commercial KTV owner.

After all, this industry is somewhat involved in illicit activities, and if you aren't ruthless, you can't keep things under control.

"Young Master Chen, I inherited this business from my father; I was actually an undergraduate student at the local polytechnic back in the day!"

Boss Zhang adjusted his glasses and chuckled.

So he was a second-generation business heir...

No wonder he looked thin; he probably suffered from severe nutrient loss at a young age.

Boss Zhang looked at Chen Qiu, thinking of probing his background.

After all, someone who could buy up an entire street of shops in this area was definitely not a simple character.

But to be so young and surnamed Chen... he couldn't immediately think of which family he belonged to.

"I wonder, Young Master Chen..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Boss Zhang.

His surname was Chen, his given name was Qiu, and he was young and handsome. Boss Zhang instantly remembered a person he often heard the engineering bosses discussing while playing cards recently.

"Is Young Master Chen the President Chen from the Cultural Industry Group?"

He held his breath and asked with great surprise.

"It is me."

As Chen Qiu nodded, Boss Zhang froze, then immediately raised a respectful smile.

"It really is President Chen! I knew that in Gannan, only President Chen could have such strength!"

If he was only respectful and cautious towards Chen Qiu before, now he was full of flattery and sycophancy!

According to those engineering bosses, this man now controlled the largest construction projects in the city and had heaven-reaching connections. Not only did the Director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau, but even the Minister of the Propaganda Department and Municipal Standing Committee member An Yi had arranged for his own daughter to become his secretary to get closer to him...

He was clearly someone whom even those who provided his livelihood had to call "Daddy"!

Young Master Chen? Master Chen!

By that logic, Chen Qiu was practically his grandfather!

"Master Chen, how about this: I'll go back later and take out another loan from the bank, and I'll pay you the rent this afternoon!"

"I'll also calculate the interest for you, Master Chen!"

Chen Qiu was somewhat surprised by the change in Boss Zhang's attitude.

Meanwhile, Xu Jia and Manager Li were completely caught off guard.

Especially the latter.

He had just been playing the bad cop and signing contracts, yet as soon as Chen Qiu revealed his identity, the guy was willing to take out a loan just to pay the rent...

"Master Chen, we are honored to be able to rent your shops. If you have time in the future, you must come to our place to relax..."

Boss Zhang handed Chen Qiu his personal business card. When he finished speaking, his eyes subconsciously glanced at Xu Jia, and he lowered his voice.

Based on his earlier observations, this President Xu, whose beauty surpassed all the girls in his shop, seemed to have a somewhat intimate relationship with Chen Qiu.

On second thought.

She had taken over a whole street of shops from Manager Li's company, and a new company was dedicated solely to managing real estate for Chen Qiu; she must be someone close to him.

Even an ordinary mistress probably wouldn't have this qualification.

Hmm, it was highly likely that she was the "Madam Chen"...

I just don't know if she's the main wife or a concubine?

"Chen... cough, President Xu, if you have any matters in the future, you can contact me. I am quite familiar with some of the local unsavory characters."

Boss Zhang stepped forward again, bowing and scraping to Xu Jia, and handed her his business card.