If it weren't for Zeng Wei suddenly popping up with his hotpot black gold store idea, Jiang Beicheng would have simply poured the 15 million yuan business investment fund provided by the system into Beicheng Restaurant.
Whether it made a profit or a loss didn't matter much.
After all the haggling and preparations, with renovations ready to begin, the plan fell apart at the last moment over brand value.
Jiang Beicheng didn't overthink it. He decided to just buy the shop outright, saving himself a lot of trouble.
Although the domestic real estate market was sluggish, it didn't mean there was no market at all.
Upscale residential properties and high-end commercial spaces still held some investment value.
The key factors were location and the developer's background.
Hong Kong Land was one of the earliest real estate developers to enter Jiangnan City. Its Halo Shopping Park was a flagship of high-end commerce in the entire southwest region.
If the price wasn't outrageously high, investing in a shop could yield a small profit.
Of course, the days of a single shop sustaining generations were long gone; the real estate industry had passed that era.
Jiang Beicheng was acquiring the property to serve his own (catering) business, so his consideration of investment value wasn't one-dimensional.
He expressed his gratitude for Zhou Ya's concern.
Hai Lin shared some news with Jiang Beicheng: "Beicheng, Jiangnan Commercial Bank and Hong Kong Land have always been close business partners with frequent dealings.
Since you're so confident in your investment, let me share some insider information.
Hong Kong Land is about to exit the Jiangnan City real estate market.
Whether it's Halo or Central Vientiane City, these might be their swan song in Jiangnan City.
If you have enough capital, you could invest in their shops."
Jiang Beicheng was stunned.
This news came at just the right time.
Once Hong Kong Land Group publicly announced this decision, they would likely start a fire sale of their properties.
A quick liquidation to exit the market.
Internally, they were probably already holding meetings to discuss disposing of their assets.
Jiang Beicheng didn't have the capacity to take on a massive real estate portfolio. He only wanted the 600-square-meter standalone commercial property in Halo.
As for the other properties, they'd likely be snapped up by state-owned enterprises or overseas capital.
It really proved the saying: small merchants make money through luck, while entrepreneurs follow policy.
In the political and business world, the top players always got the first scoop on critical information.
"Uncle Hai Lin, thank you for telling me this," Jiang Beicheng said.
Hai Lin replied, "If you're short on funds, you could mortgage the land back home. I can help you arrange a large loan."
The dozens of acres of land back home were bought by Jiang Tao to build a farm, fulfilling his grandmother's wish.
Jiang Beicheng wouldn't use that land as collateral, but he understood Hai Lin's suggestion. The Jiang family had no income source at the moment, and with such a risky investment, Hai Lin couldn't act as a guarantor or lend him money privately.
In Hai Lin's position, he was extremely cautious with money and power.
One misstep could lead to irreparable consequences.
"Uncle, Aunt, I have another sum of money. It depends on how much Hong Kong Land is asking for," Jiang Beicheng stated directly.
Hai Lin said, "The morning after tomorrow, I have a meeting with executives from Hong Kong Land, China Resources, and a few other groups. After the meeting, I'll find a moment to ask Yang Hua for you."
Yang Hua was the general manager of Hong Kong Land in Jiangnan City, personally overseeing both Halo commercial projects in the city.
"Great, Uncle, I'll wait for your good news," Jiang Beicheng said with a broad smile.
Zhou Ya smiled and said, "That's how family should be—no need to be too formal with each other.
Beicheng, the Hai family is your family too. Your Uncle Hai Lin and I are your kin."
Women are emotional creatures.
Her words felt warm and comforting.
**[Smile +1]**
**[Smile Count: 5/10]**
Jiang Beicheng said, "With Uncle Hai Lin and Aunt Zhou supporting me like this, I have to make some real achievements."
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Your dad took plenty of losses back in the day," Hai Lin said with concern.
Jiang Beicheng gave a light laugh.
After lunch, Hai Lin took his driver's car back to the Financial Street branch, while Jiang Beicheng spent the afternoon with Zhou Ya, sipping her tea.
If you counted the childhood betrothal, he'd have to call her "mother-in-law."
For dinner, he ate at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, not wanting to trouble Zhou Ya.
…
After securing a New Zealand travel visa, Jiang Beicheng booked a private jet through Hainan Airlines' business jet company, flying directly to Queenstown on New Zealand's South Island.
The aircraft was a Gulfstream 550, with a charter fee of 880,000 yuan.
That was the off-season price; in peak season, it would exceed a million.
Just as he was about to message Li Xingying to ask how her packing was going, Hai Lin got back to him.
The standalone shop he'd inquired about—the developer was willing to sell.
It wasn't inside the Halo mall, so it wouldn't significantly impact the mall's overall management and operations.
The quoted price was 30,000 yuan per square meter.
Given Jiangnan City's housing prices and the current market environment, the price was on the high side.
However, due to major strategic shifts within the group, they offered a 22% discount.
That meant a shop worth nearly 18 million yuan could be bought for just over 14 million.
Jiang Beicheng didn't hesitate.
Even if Beicheng Restaurant didn't pan out as planned, buying this shop and renting it out for a decade or so would still recoup the investment.
The business investment fund had 15 million yuan, and the living expense fund had over 8 million. Jiang Beicheng planned to use some of the living expense fund for renovations.
His trip would end next month, and the system would deposit another 10 million yuan.
There was even a chance to increase the living expense limit before the trip.
So, Jiang Beicheng wasn't worried about money.
He brought along a lawyer from his father Jiang Tao's company to negotiate with Halo's commercial management team.
The general manager of the commercial management company had received instructions from the group's higher-ups that someone was coming to sign a purchase contract.
He hadn't expected it to be the same client who'd been negotiating rent earlier.
This guy didn't rent it—he just bought it outright.
During the negotiations, the general manager kept stealing glances at Jiang Beicheng's expression, feeling quite nervous.
He was afraid of offending this big spender.
Jiang Beicheng didn't make things difficult for him. The man was just doing his job. They signed the contract, completed the transfer, and parted ways without much interaction.
"Mr. Jiang, take care," the general manager said as he saw him off.
After Jiang Beicheng left, he called Zeng Wei. "Mr. Zeng, I owe you an apology about that shop.
How about this? I'll reserve the two best spots in the mall for you…"
Zeng Wei was clearly furious, feeling that the commercial management company lacked integrity. But since they hadn't signed a contract—only planning a grand opening ceremony for publicity—he had no outlet for his anger.
Even if a verbal agreement had some legal weight, Hong Kong Land's legal department wasn't to be trifled with. They could easily resolve such disputes.
"You still rented that standalone shop to Beicheng Restaurant?" Zeng Wei pressed.
The general manager replied, "Mr. Zeng, that shop wasn't rented out—it was sold."
"Sold?" Zeng Wei said, shocked. "For how much? To whom?"
The general manager said, "Sorry, Mr. Zeng, company policy prevents me from disclosing that."
"At least tell me why? Why is Halo suddenly so eager to sell shops?" Zeng Wei asked, puzzled.
He hadn't imagined Hong Kong Land would sell Halo's shops.
The general manager said, "Mr. Zeng, I'm just following orders from above."
Zeng Wei frowned slightly. Someone who could negotiate with Hong Kong Land's top brass was no small player, but their approach didn't seem like that of a big shot. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bought just a 600-square-meter shop—they'd have taken the entire Halo commercial complex.
Who was this person?
A name kept echoing in Zeng Wei's mind: Jiang Beicheng!
But it seemed impossible.