Chapter 635: Lu Yiming's Favor
In the office, the brand entry contracts for Yiming Plaza were piled on Zhang Jinlai's desk, making him dizzy.
All of them are international first-tier brands, and some of them are even entering the mainland market for the first time, which can be said to be giving Lu Yiming enough face.
Lu Yiming sat on the sofa opposite and said with a smile: "How is it? Is this enough?"
Zhang Jinlai smiled from ear to ear: "That's enough, it has to be Mr. Lu himself. Hermes, LV, Tiffany, Rolex... Once our Yiming Plaza is built, it will definitely become the number one luxury mall in the mainland. The style will be full at once."
Lu Yiming raised his eyebrows and asked, "The one across the street..."
Before Lu Yiming could finish, Zhang Jinlai sneered, "That crap over there is nothing! All they do is hold press conferences, invite reporters to promote, and play tricks. We are nothing like them. We just signed the contract directly."
When he heard the propaganda from the other side before, he was really worried and angry.
What we should be careful about, of course, is that Sanhe Group is not an unknown company. It has great power when cooperating with Zhaojia and can pose a threat to Yiming Plaza.
The people across the street openly and secretly pushed Lu Yiming out to set up a scam, causing many people to mistakenly believe that the shopping mall across the street was also owned by Lu Yiming. Many people also came to consult Zhang Jinlai, which made Zhang Jinlai very angry.
After Zhang Jin finished reading the contract, he couldn't help but exclaimed, "Mr. Lu, it seems that there are no retail contracts signed here. Our mall is so big, it's impossible for all of them to be luxury stores. We don't have supermarkets, right?"
There is no doubt that although luxury goods can bring very high profits, they are too far away from the lives of ordinary people. This world follows the law of the pyramid. The rich can only be a small group at the top of the pyramid, but the operation of society depends on the support of ordinary people at the bottom of the pyramid.
Therefore, Yiming Plaza has signed many luxury stores, which will indeed attract wealthy people, but it also blocks a large number of ordinary people. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to introduce civilian consumption. The reason why Yiming Plaza was so popular before was because it was down-to-earth enough.
Lu Yiming felt that what Zhang Jin said made sense, and after thinking for a while he said, "Then you should talk to Wal-Mart and cooperate with them. Didn't they call ParknShop? Wal-Mart is the world's number one retail giant, much more powerful than any ParknShop supermarket."
"good."
Zhao family.
Zhao Yanghong was half paralyzed on the sofa, with his legs crossed on the coffee table. He was sipping his coffee leisurely while watching TV programs. He looked very comfortable.
After cooperating with Sanhe Group and hyping up the company, the company's stock price increased . He took the opportunity to cash out a lot. In addition, the project was popular before it started, and many shops were subscribed, so he had sufficient cash flow. It seemed that the crisis of the Zhao family was over. How could he not be happy?
The crisis of the Zhao family was resolved, and Zhao Guoli no longer had to be mentally manipulated by Zhao Yanghong. He immediately became proud and said, "The square hasn't even been built yet, and the shops have already been sold out. These mainlanders are so easy to cheat."
The father and son were just happy when Zhao Yanghong's cell phone suddenly rang. He took out his cell phone and asked cheerfully, "Who is it?"
The call was from Tani Benshu, the project manager of his company, who spoke in a very urgent tone : "Boss Zhao, something big has happened!"
The smile on Zhao Yanghong's face paused slightly, he put his legs down from the coffee table, sat up straight, and asked, "What happened?"
His first reaction was that there was a safety accident at the construction site, such as a worker being hit by a rock or scaffolding. This is the most feared thing in construction projects, not only does it delay the construction period, but it is also very easy to cause disputes.
"Our store signings started to plummet, and some even wanted refunds from us," said Tanimoto.
Zhao Yanghong was shocked when he heard this and asked quickly, "What's going on? Wasn't it selling well before? Why do these people suddenly want a refund? Don't they want to make a lot of money?"
Tanimoto said, "No, it's Yiming Plaza. They invited many top European and American luxury brands to settle in, and even invited the international retail giant Walmart to help! Many people who originally wanted to buy our shops ran over. Many people who have already paid here want us to refund their money so that they can buy over there."
"What? There is such a thing?"
Zhao Yanghong suddenly lost his composure.
Whether it was the top luxury brands in Europe and America, or the world's top 500 giant like Walmart, he had looked for them before, but the other party ignored him and even refused to come even if he was paid!
In fact, for commercial plaza projects like these, top luxury brand stores and the like, the other party sometimes has to pay out of their own pockets to hire the staff, let alone the rent.
After all, the entry of these big brands can prove that you have the strength and attract retail investors to rent or purchase shops.
Zhao Yanghong got anxious when he heard this. The family business finally started to improve, could it be that after just two days of happiness, it would be back to square one again?
After the call, Zhao Guoli asked, "Dad, what's going on? Is there something wrong with the project?"
Zhao Yanghong nodded slightly and said, "Yes, that Lu Yiming directly signed a large number of internationally renowned luxury brands and even moved Walmart here. Many merchants who were originally planning to sign contracts with us have gone there. Many merchants who have already signed contracts with us also want us to refund their money and let them buy across the street."
As the saying goes, family members know their own business. With the power of Sanhe Group, they can't sign contracts with those world-renowned brands. Even agents don't care about them. They are just bragging and deceiving those who buy shops. Anyway, the money has been paid, and it is impossible to spit out the fat meat in your mouth.
But Lu Yiming made a phone call and got all the big European and American brands in one fell swoop, and he directly sent a general manager-level representative from Xiaguo District to sign the contract, and even paid a higher rent for the shop. In contrast, their clumsy fraud was seen through at a glance. Those who can make money these days are not really stupid, and naturally know what to choose.
When Zhao Guoli heard Lu Yiming's name, he immediately flew into a rage, slamming the table and shouting, "This Lu Yiming is really haunting us! Dad, what should we do now?"
If the shops cannot be sold, the funds cannot be quickly recovered and the square cannot be built. After all, this business is essentially a business of making money out of nothing. The houses are built with the money of the buyers. The problem now is that no one comes to buy the houses, so the houses cannot be built. And if the houses cannot be built, those who paid for the houses will not get the houses, and they will definitely defend their rights. Thus, a vicious cycle is formed.
Zhao Yanghong thought carefully and said to Zhao Guoli, "Get out in time and let Sanhe Group take the blame."
Zhao Guoli understood immediately and said, "I will contact the buyer right away, and we can go into battle lightly."
"Um."
The news that Lu Yiming had signed to open a European and American luxury goods counter also reached the Sanhe Group.
Yang Guoqiang and Yang Ziyan did not pay much attention to this matter at the beginning, because after all, Lu Yiming was the richest man, and it was normal for him to invite these brands to settle in. Hongyang Plaza is also actively striving for the agency of these brands, so it may not be impossible to compete with them at that time.
It was not until someone told them that the subscription of Hongyang Plaza had dropped precipitously and some people who had signed contracts requested a refund that they felt something was wrong. After a careful investigation, they found that many people who originally wanted to invest in Hongyang Plaza turned around and ran to Yiming Plaza. Moreover, the number of world-famous brands and luxury brands signed by Yiming Plaza was not only greater than that of Hongyang Plaza, but also they were directly operated by the government, and their level was much higher than that of the agents signed by Hongyang Plaza.
Upon learning of this situation, Yang Guoqiang and his daughter Yang Ziyan immediately felt something was wrong and hurried to find Zhao Yanghong to discuss countermeasures.
As a result, what made them collapse was that Zhao Yanghong and Zhao Guoli, father and son, did not even struggle after learning about the actions of Yiming Plaza. They immediately found someone to borrow the shares and sold the stocks through a backdoor listing. They ran away without a trace. Even the houses under their names were put up for sale. It can be said that they had left everything behind.
Hearing this "bad news", Yang Ziyan almost fainted from anger and immediately looked at Yang Guoqiang: "Dad, what should we do?"
Yang Guoqiang said with a dark face: "Don't worry! These two beasts run really damn fast!"
Hong Kong, Chen family.
Chen Jinlan told Chen Zefu happily, "Grandpa, the Zhao family is finished. Not only did the company go bankrupt, but they are also being chased by a group of people for debt. Now it is said that the father and son have fled to Southeast Asia and are hiding."
Chen Yao had just returned from America and heard about the cooperation between the Chen family and Lu Yiming. He smiled and said, "It seems that the Zhao family wanted to cooperate with us before. Fortunately, we didn't agree. Otherwise, we would have been screwed by Zhao Yanghong just like the Yang family."
Chen Jinlan immediately became proud, after all, the cooperation with Lu Yiming was initiated by her.
"Yes, I heard that the Sanhe Group has fallen out because of this matter. The only way out for the Yang family now is to find ways to build Hongyang Plaza and prevent it from becoming an unfinished building. Otherwise, those buyers who signed the contract will definitely demolish the headquarters of the Sanhe Group."
Then, Chen Jinlan asked Chen Yao, "Hey, Dad, how is your business in America?"
Chen Yao took a deep breath, then sighed and said, "Not so good, I ran into a little trouble. This is why I returned home this time. After all, when you are away from home, many things are not easy to do."
Chen Zefu was also deeply touched by what Chen Yao said. After all, when he was young and went out to explore the world, he encountered a lot of bad things.
"Yeah, there's nothing we can do about it. We can't let a living person die from holding his urine. At most, we have to spend more money, even if it means cutting off our own flesh and blood. Otherwise, our Chen family's investment of several billion dollars there will be in danger."
Chen Yao was extremely helpless and said, "We in the Chen family still don't have enough connections there, so this is the only way."
Speaking of connections, Chen Jinlan immediately reacted and said, "Speaking of connections in America, doesn't Mr. Lu know a lot of big shots? How about we ask him for help?"
Chen Yao was surprised and asked, "The richest man Lu you are talking about, is that Lu Yiming?"
Chen Jinlan smiled and said, "I didn't expect that you, Dad, have been in America for many years and you still know Mr. Lu, the richest man."
Chen Yao said with emotion: "Not only have I heard of him, but he is well-known. And I tell you, in America, Mr. Lu is as famous as in China. He made billions of dollars from the U.S. stock market, and most of his friends are big names like Bill Gates. He is very popular in politics and business. Many billionaires in North America want to meet Mr. Lu."
Chen Zefu had been back from America for many years, so he didn't know that Lu Yiming also had such a high reputation in America. He was immediately very surprised.
Chen Jinlan felt it was even more incredible. After all, she had been living in Europe before, and Lu Yiming had not gone to Europe to cause any trouble, so basically no one knew Lu Yiming.
"Dad, is what you said true? Bill Gates is the richest man in the world. He is not even on the same level as Lu Yiming. How can they be friends?"
Chen Yao smiled and said, "Bill Gates is the richest man in America, and Lu Yiming is the richest man in Xia Country. They are both the richest men in their own countries, so is there any need to distinguish who is better?"
Chen Jinlan said: "That's easier now. Since Lu Yiming has such a great influence in America, we can just ask Lu Yiming for help."
Chen Zefu said: "If this relationship exists, then it is true. Our cooperation with Mr. Lu is now quite in-depth. As long as it is not a big problem, he should not refuse to help me with a small favor. Even if it costs some money, I might well give the money to Mr. Lu."
Seeing that the matter was solved so easily, Chen Yao also felt incredible and immediately joked: "That's true. It seems that this is really the case that you can't find the one who is looking for you even after searching everywhere."
Chen Jinlan said quickly: "Dad, that's 'No matter how hard you try, you will find it without any effort'."
"Go to hell, you little girl, how could I not know that?"
Chen Jinlan took out her cell phone and said, "I'll have dinner with him."
When Lu Yiming received the call from Chen Jinlan, his first reaction was to refuse. After all, it always seemed wrong for a woman who liked women to treat him to a meal.
But thinking about the recent cooperation with the Chen family to win a large project worth tens of billions, and Chen Jinlan also said that she had important business, Lu Yiming naturally couldn't refuse, and by the way, he called Li Yiwen and Li Zixian to join him.
In the hotel box, Lu Yiming took the two to the banquet. Today, Chen Jinlan was still dressed neatly, like a strong woman in the workplace. It was hard to associate her with the girl he met during the Chinese New Year.
Chen Jinlan put her arm around Li Zixian's shoulders and looked at Li Yiwen: "Oh, this is your fiancé? It's the first time I meet you."
After Li Yiwen learned that the girl in front of him was the eldest daughter of the Chen family, he did not dare to neglect her and quickly said with a smile: "Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."
Chen Jinlan said to Lu Yiming: "First of all, thank you, Mr. Lu. If it weren't for you, I don't know how long I would have been entangled by Zhao Guoli."
Lu Yiming was stunned: "Who is Zhao Guoli?"
Chen Jinlan said, "Is that the one who said he would send me flowers at the hotel entrance last time? The Hongyang Plaza opposite Yiming Plaza was built by them together with Sanhe Group. Now they have cashed out and fled, and it is said that they have gone to Southeast Asia. Don't you know?"
Lu Yiming was stunned: "I didn't know, there is such a thing?"
After all, this concerns investors and consumers. If this matter were to be exposed, the impact would be too great. Therefore, Sanhe Group is now doing its best to suppress this matter, while at the same time allocating funds to continue to develop Hongyang Plaza as much as possible.
Chen Jinlan was convinced: "This is a head-on challenge with you, and you don't even care?"
Lu Yiming said indifferently: "It's a game that I'm sure to win, why should I care about them?"
"I have to say, Mr. Lu is confident."
"That is."
After complimenting him, Chen Jinlan said, "In fact, we invited Mr. Lu to dinner today because we hope you can do our Chen family a favor. Several of our hotels in America have been targeted because we offended local dignitaries, and now our business can't continue. I hope you can help to intercede for us. If you need to pay, pay. We will definitely not hesitate."
"Hey, I thought it was a big deal. It's not about money. It's awkward to talk about money. I'll call you after dinner and tell you."
When they finished their meal, it was already past ten o'clock in the evening. Lu Yiming estimated that it was also dawn in America, so he made a phone call.
"Hello, Mr. Epstein, good morning."
On the other end of the phone, Epstein was having breakfast. He was very happy when he suddenly received a call from Lu Yiming.
Epstein made a lot of money by smuggling televisions, and he made money without doing anything, which made him respect Lu Yiming, the God of Wealth, very much.
In America, whoever can bring wealth to others can gain respect from others. This is the eternal and only truth.
Epstein asked expectantly, "Oh, dear Lu, you finally called me. Do you have business to do with me again?"
Lu Yiming laughed and scolded: "Isn't the color TV enough for you to earn? Can you not be so vulgar? Can't we talk about something else besides money?"
Epstein laughed and said, “Who would complain about having a lot of money?”
Lu Yiming said seriously, "It's like this. I have a friend whose family runs a hotel. Because of some minor mistakes, he offended a certain congressman and his business was affected to a certain extent. Can you do me a favor and say a few good words to get him to withdraw the charges?"
Hearing that it was just such a small matter, Epstein agreed without thinking. After all, he and Lu Yiming had a deep conflict of interest, and helping Lu Yiming would also make Lu Yiming owe him a favor, which was definitely a good deal.
"No problem, which congressman is it?"
