Chapter Fifty-Six: Minor Dispute

In the morning, Zhang Ye joined up with Liu Wentao and the others. They headed straight to the South Gate, found the office of the clothing market, surveyed the location, and began renting storefronts.

“How many are you talking about?” The office clerk at the clothing market was a woman in her thirties, with her hair neatly pinned up, quite attractive. She stared wide-eyed at Liu Wentao, who stood before her.

The clothing market was newly built; all the storefronts were unfinished shells, lacking decoration or arrangement, with little appeal. Moreover, word hadn’t yet spread, so almost no one came to look at the spaces. Selling one or two a day was already considered good. Yet now, she heard someone intending to rent ten adjoining units...

“Yes, ten. Will you rent them or not?” Liu Wentao, flush with cash, met her gaze directly.

“Of course, I’ll rent them.” Afraid Liu Wentao might change his mind, the clerk hurriedly got to work, producing the pre-prepared contract and handing it to Liu Wentao, explaining the details with care.

The ten storefronts varied in size, but overall, they were decent. If any were too small, two could be joined into one, making it very convenient.

The price for the ten, adjusted for their irregular sizes, averaged out to about fifty-five hundred a year per unit, about the same as what Zhang Ye’s family had paid for theirs.

However, Zhang Ye and his friends had less-than-simple intentions regarding the buying and selling of storefronts—they aimed to profit from the price differences, so naturally, they bargained hard. Unexpectedly, Zhao Haidong proved adept at this, haggling for half an hour and successfully knocking the rent down to five thousand per unit per year.

Seeing that the price couldn’t be pushed lower, Zhang Ye gestured his agreement. He promptly signaled Zhao Haidong to produce the money they had prepared and signed the contract.

This time, Zhang Ye thought it over and decided to hedge his bets, not investing all their money in renting the storefronts. After all, strictly speaking, the internet café was just as profitable, and more importantly, it was stable.

Renting storefronts was an investment, requiring time for the value to rise and with uncertain pricing. The internet café, on the other hand, if it caught on, would bring in steady daily earnings—not insignificant ones at that. The return on investment would be swift, and profits even faster.

Therefore, Zhang Ye discussed with Liu Wentao and Zhao Haidong and decided to invest half their funds in the storefronts and use the other half to buy computers and set up the internet café.

Just then, a group of young men strode in, directly approaching the office and loudly demanding to purchase a block of storefronts.

Yes, an entire block—just like Zhang Ye and his friends, they wanted to buy several units at once, sometimes three or five, sometimes ten or more, making negotiations easier.

“Oh, Young Master Li! Have you picked out a section? Tell me, I’ll make sure to give you a good deal.” Her attitude was completely different from how she treated Zhang Ye and the others. Upon seeing them, the clerk became effusive, immediately sidelining Zhang Ye and his friends and welcoming the newcomers with respect.

Zhao Haidong pursed his lips in silence. The blatant difference in treatment annoyed him, but these men seemed extraordinary, and he had no desire to provoke trouble. Otherwise, given his personality—especially after spending time with Liu Wentao and the others, boasting and swaggering daily—he would have lost his temper long ago.

Meanwhile, Liu Wentao finished signing his name on the stamped contract, making it official. For the next five years, they held rights to those ten storefronts.

Frowning, Zhang Ye suddenly felt a foreboding sense of trouble. Sure enough, his intuition was soon confirmed—for the newcomers were discussing, in veiled terms, the very ten storefronts they had just rented.

From their arrogant, brash demeanor, Zhang Ye could tell they weren’t honest businessmen. Like himself, they must have caught wind of something—perhaps through family connections—hoping to capitalize on the low prices of the new market and make a killing. The only difference, perhaps, lay in the source of their information. Zhang Ye knew from his knowledge of the future, while these men surely had insider tips from their elders.

“Oh, Young Master Li, I’m sorry, those units were just rented out.” As expected, when Li’s group pressed their request, the clerk hesitated, looking troubled and fearful of upsetting them.

“To whom? Who rented them? Are there people who got word before us?” One of the youths grew even more aggressive, staring coldly at the clerk.

Zhang Ye raised his eyebrows, pulled Liu Wentao and Zhao Haidong along, and started to leave.

However, he moved a bit too slowly. Just as they were about to exit, the clerk, evidently unwilling to offend the newcomers, directly revealed their identities: “It was them—they just rented ten units, the ones you wanted.”

“Stop right there!” A slender youth beside the so-called Young Master Li barked, blocking Zhang Ye and his companions.

“What’s this? Want to fight?” Liu Wentao was never one to be intimidated—especially after serving time in prison. He carried an unmistakable air of toughness, and his already fierce features made him especially imposing. As he stepped forward and spoke, his presence was commanding, unmistakably the big brother type.

“I...” The youth was a minor official’s son, usually fearless, but faced with Liu Wentao’s intimidating aura, he shrank back, mouth opening and closing without a word.

“It’s a misunderstanding, big brother. We’re all civilized people—no one’s going to fight.” At this moment, the so-called Young Master Li stepped forward, waving his hand in explanation.

He was dressed head to toe in designer brands—clothes, trousers, shoes—all rare finds in Lihua County. Only specialized stores carried such items. Though his looks were average, his attire lent him a striking air, even overshadowing the handsome youth standing behind him.

“Then why are you blocking our way?” Liu Wentao was no fool; from their earlier conversation and attitude, he knew they coveted the storefronts he’d just rented. Playing dumb now was a good way to control the situation.

“Heh, it’s like this: I heard you rented a row of storefronts at the clothing market entrance. We’re interested in that section as well. Would you be willing to let us have them? Of course, I, Li Yulong, always treat friends fairly. How much did you rent them for? I’ll pay five hundred more per unit to take them off your hands. How about it?” That section was the best in the market, and even with an extra five hundred per unit, he wouldn’t be losing money.