I Really Didn't Mean to Make Money

When Zhao Qiucheng heard Li Shen’s words, he sighed inwardly, thinking that this deal was likely not going to happen.

Chen Mo glanced at Li Shen and smiled slightly.

“No worries, feng shui and such are too superstitious. There’s no need to take it seriously.”

“But President Chen, it’s still somewhat inauspicious. Maybe I should find another office space,” Li Shen quickly suggested.

Regardless of whether one is superstitious or not, starting a company in such an office would feel unsettling.

“No need. I think this office space has a great location,” Chen Mo waved his hand. With such auspicious implications, how could he pass it up?

As they spoke, the elevator stopped, and they arrived at the top floor. Chen Mo stepped out. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Zhao Qiucheng was momentarily stunned by President Chen’s words. It seemed that President Chen wasn’t concerned about what he had just mentioned. Realizing this, he hurriedly followed Chen Mo out of the elevator. If President Chen didn’t care about those things, perhaps with some effort, he could secure this client.

Li Shen followed behind President Chen. Seeing that President Chen had made up his mind, he said no more.

“President Chen, although our office space is located in the third ring, it’s in a very good spot. Just to the south is the famous Qingyun River of Jiang City,” Zhao Qiucheng said as he led Chen Mo to the window facing south.

Chen Mo looked out the window and indeed saw a wide river running through the center of the city, like a sleeping giant dragon. The building was the tallest in the area, offering a panoramic view of the city, giving a sense of surveying all the mountains below.

“What do you think, President Chen? The view here is excellent. If you turn this into your office and replace the windows with floor-to-ceiling ones, you can enjoy this view every day,” Zhao Qiucheng said, seizing the opportunity as President Chen admired the view.

Chen Mo snapped out of his reverie at Zhao Qiucheng’s words, glanced again at Qingyun River, and turned to Zhao Qiucheng.

“I’ll rent the top five floors below this one,” he said.

Zhao Qiucheng was taken aback, almost unable to believe it. Just like that, it was rented.

“President Chen, did you say you want to rent the top five floors?” he asked, somewhat unsure.

“That’s right,” Chen Mo replied with a slight smile, turning to Li Shen. “I’ve rented this office building. You handle the subsequent lease procedures.”

“President Chen, shouldn’t we reconsider?” Li Shen hesitated, speaking cautiously despite knowing it might go against President Chen’s wishes. He was genuinely worried that President Chen’s company might end up like the others Zhao Qiucheng mentioned, unable to last six months. As the saying goes, better to believe it exists than not.

Chen Mo smiled calmly at Li Shen, patting him on the shoulder. “I know you’re worried about those rumors, but I’ve never believed in such things. I want to see if my company can really go bankrupt in six months.”

“Do you know Murphy’s Law?” he asked.

Li Shen shook his head.

Chen Mo paused and explained, “Murphy’s Law means that the more you fear something will happen, the more likely it is to happen. So don’t overthink it.”

Li Shen nodded, still confused.

Seeing this, Chen Mo turned to Zhao Qiucheng. “You can discuss the details with him,” he said, heading straight for the elevator.

“Brother Li, let’s discuss this in the office,” Zhao Qiucheng said politely, walking over to Li Shen after President Chen left in the elevator.

Li Shen took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He looked at Zhao Qiucheng and spoke calmly, “Let’s go!”

Since renting this office space was a done deal, he naturally had to negotiate the rent to secure more benefits for President Chen.

In the office, Zhao Qiucheng warmly brewed a cup of tea and placed it in front of Li Shen. This man represented President Chen in the lease negotiations, so he dared not be negligent.

“Thank you,” Li Shen said, accepting the tea. “Let’s skip the formalities and get straight to the rent. You know the situation with this office space. Normal rent rates are definitely unreasonable.”

“Of course!” Zhao Qiucheng replied with a forced smile. “The original price was two yuan per square meter per day. We can offer you 1.8 per square meter. How does that sound?”

“Unacceptable. It seems this office space has been vacant for quite some time. If it weren’t for President Chen not minding the rumors, when do you think you could find another buyer?” Li Shen shook his head, rejecting Zhao Qiucheng’s offer.

“Then what price does Brother Li suggest?” Zhao Qiucheng asked.

“Me? Naturally, the lower, the better. But considering your difficulties, how about 1.2 per square meter?” Li Shen sipped his tea, looking at Zhao Qiucheng. Although he hadn’t negotiated deals before, he had learned a thing or two from drinking with Wei Yan.

This 1.2 price was obviously unacceptable to Zhao Qiucheng. But it allowed Li Shen to probe the lowest price Zhao Qiucheng could offer.

Zhao Qiucheng was momentarily stunned, then chuckled and shook his head. “Brother Li, 1.2 is impossible. How about 1.7? That’s our final concession.”

Li Shen shook his head slightly.

...

Several days passed. Chen Mo sat in his office, organizing the recent events. All five Coffee Shop locations had been finalized, and the ten million budget had been transferred to Nanhe Coffee’s account. The five floors of office space had been successfully leased, though there was a small surprise regarding the rent.

The normal rent of two yuan per square meter was somehow negotiated down to 1.6 by Li Shen. The original budget of seven million was reduced to 5.9 million, saving 1.1 million. Chen Mo had been pleased with the office space Li Shen found, but then he was blindsided by the unexpected savings.

However, the contract was signed, and he couldn’t just hand over the 1.1 million to Zhao Qiucheng. Reflecting on this, Chen Mo felt a bit uneasy. In just two weeks, two unplanned events had occurred: the Coffee Shop and the office rent. Combined, they required an additional 2 million from the System Funds.

Fortunately, he had prepared thoroughly, and he could afford the extra 2 million. But it served as a wake-up call. With the critical settlement period approaching, he couldn’t afford to be careless.