Chapter 223 - 187: Identity Exposed
"President Yang, if that's the case, then we'll let you know once we've worked things out."
President Zhang didn't give a definitive answer. He planned to call the regional vice president of business after Yang Hui left to ask for instructions. If he was told to follow Yanghe Commerce's request, he would comply. If the regional head said not to indulge the client, even better—it would save him the trouble.
Yang Hui nodded. The two chatted for a bit about the performance of the NLB store at Qingzhou Xinyue Plaza First Store. President Zhang congratulated him and expressed his hope that the Zen store opening here would also be a huge success.
Hearing no mention of NLB, Yang Hui knew President Zhang must have his own agenda, but he didn't call him out on it. 'With Brother Chun and President Tian in the picture, any of the store's petty schemes are useless anyway.' He just couldn't throw the big bosses' names around to pressure them. For one, it would be awkward. Plus, Yang Hui worried it might reflect negatively on Brother Chun and President Tian.
When the conversation turned to the grand opening event, Yang Hui told him that some styles would be 10% off. He explained that they couldn't offer a steeper discount due to the brand's price control policies. If distributors set their own prices randomly, it would destabilize the market.
President Zhang seemed dissatisfied with the discount. To make matters worse, Yang Hui also requested that the store provide 500 subsidy coupons for 100 yuan off any purchase of 1,000 yuan or more. This was equivalent to the store putting up 50,000 yuan, which made him even more reluctant. 'Thinking of what Zhao Rui had said, he started to hope Zhao Rui would manage to sabotage this whole deal.'
'As for me, I shouldn't make any enemies until I have a clearer picture of the situation. I'll just wait until the day of the contract signing. If we don't even sign a contract, there's no point in discussing subsidies.'
"President Zhang, I won't take up any more of your time."
Having made his requests clear, Yang Hui stood up to leave. President Zhang was very courteous, walking him to the door.
Suddenly, he heard someone call out, "A Hui!"
He recognized President Tian's voice immediately. He turned his head just in time to see President Tian stepping out of the project general manager's office.
"President Tian."
"Come, come, have a seat over here for a moment."
Yang Hui figured they were in the middle of a meeting, and with Shen Meng accompanying him, it felt inconvenient. 'They're probably discussing business.' He said, "President Tian, I have other matters to attend to. I don't want to interrupt your meeting."
President Zhang stood to the side, hardly daring to breathe. 'He actually knows President Tian?' he thought in astonishment. 'But the man has no sense! He actually turned down President Tian's invitation? President Tian must be furious, right?'
To his surprise, President Tian didn't seem the least bit upset. He simply nodded and said, "Alright. In that case, let's set a time when we're back in Qingzhou."
After Yang Hui left, President Zhang was summoned to the general manager's office.
President Tian was seated in the host's chair, with the project general manager at his side. When President Zhang entered, President Tian pointed to the sofa. "Xiaozhang, have a seat."
"Are there any problems with coordinating with Yanghe Commerce?"
President Zhang knew he and Yang Hui were acquainted, and they even seemed close, so he recounted everything in detail. "For the NLB location, we offered a rather good spot on the first floor. However, President Yang said the space has some fire suppression and air conditioning pipes on the ceiling that would affect the store's image. He wants us to move it to a different unit, and said that if we can't make the change, he'll just wait and won't open a store here for the time being."
The project GM glanced at President Tian's face and saw it immediately turn grim. He said in a stern voice, "Xiaozhang, what were you thinking during the initial site selection? Didn't Qingzhou Xinyue Plaza First Store already set a precedent for you? What do you mean 'a rather good spot on the first floor'? A location that Qingzhou Xinyue Square could provide is somehow difficult for you to arrange here?"
He then turned to the project GM. "Your team has a serious execution problem. Solve this NLB location issue within one week. Understood?"
Fulfilling Yang Hui's request to move to a corner unit meant the mall would have to negotiate with the brand currently occupying that space. One week was an extremely tight deadline. But seeing that President Tian was already displeased, the project GM's heart skipped a beat. He shot President Zhang a reproachful glance and immediately promised, "Don't worry, President Tian. I'll personally follow up on this and guarantee it gets done."
President Zhang's palms were slick with sweat. 'Yang Hui's request was so unreasonable, yet President Tian didn't take my side at all. Instead, he blamed me.' That comment about the project's poor execution had also been a criticism of the project GM. It looked like if this wasn't handled properly, it wouldn't just be him in hot water; the project GM would be dragged down with him.
"President Tian, I was being shortsighted. I'll get started on the negotiations right away and strive to meet all of Yanghe Commerce's demands."
President Tian let out a cold laugh. "Not 'strive.' It's 'must.' If you run into any difficulties, you can report them up the chain. You can even call me directly."
The project GM and President Zhang exchanged a look, their minds reeling. They could see the same thought reflected in each other's eyes: 'Who on earth is this Yang Hui, to make President Tian offer such open and unconditional support?'
They had seen regional leaders support certain brands before, but always through subtle hints. This was the first time anyone had laid it all on the table and offered such blatant, unconditional support. President Zhang's thoughts turned to the commercial terms. 'If President Zhao (Zhao Rui's aunt) decides to block the deal, will President Tian really go over her head and complain to the regional headquarters for Yang Hui's sake?'
'What happens after isn't my problem. My most urgent task right now is to sort out the location.' If President Zhao really did block the deal later, and President Tian was willing to step in and handle it for Yanghe Commerce, then he would follow orders. If President Tian didn't intervene, and the deal fell through, it would have nothing to do with him.
"Xiaozhang, hurry up and get this done. In the future, you need to be more attuned to the region's key priorities."
After repeatedly saying, "Understood," President Zhang excused himself and left.
Yang Hui and Shen Meng returned to the hotel.
Shen Meng hung up her purse. "That President Zhang didn't seem very cooperative," she said. "He was just going through the motions."