Meng Suihuan took the proposal to find Lao He. She got straight to the point, saying, “I’ve come up with a plan for the commercial street issue.”

Lowering her voice, she carefully laid out her ideas. “We could run a promotion: anyone signing a lease for a year or more in our commercial street will receive a two-month rent reduction.

“Additionally, these tenants will be eligible to participate in an opening-day lottery. First prize will be a cash reward of 2,000 yuan.”

She continued to explain her proposal point by point to Lao He. These methods were commonly used in the 21st century, but she hadn’t thought of them right away. Thanks to Jiang Chengxuan and Ah Dai, inspiration struck. After all, the words “free,” “discount,” and “cash” are always highly attractive. Once word got out, people were sure to flock to the opportunity—human nature at its core: no one passes up a good deal.

Initially, Lao He had been worried about the situation, but hearing her plan cheered him up significantly. However, the moment she mentioned the two-month rent reduction, he frowned.

“Reducing rent by that much—are we still going to make money?”

Meng Suihuan patiently explained the logic behind her strategy. This was essentially a calculated gamble, one with some exploitable loopholes. They were betting on the project’s revenue for the first two months. Her promotion would create urgency; potential tenants wouldn’t want to miss out and would likely opt for year-long leases.

The upfront rent payments would count toward their two-month revenue, even with the reductions, making it a win-win scenario.

As Lao He listened, his expression grew increasingly pleased, eventually turning into outright praise. “I always knew you were a smart and steady young woman, and now I see I wasn’t wrong.”

Meng Suihuan smiled modestly. “Thank you for the compliment.”

She handed him her proposal. Lao He flipped through a few pages, then looked up, puzzled.

“This doesn’t seem to be…”

Meng Suihuan smiled knowingly. “Since this is a gamble, we have to play it safe. If we show all our cards too soon and the other side finds out, it will put us at a disadvantage and hinder the execution of the plan.”

“So, we’re keeping something in reserve to stay on the safe side.”

Lao He, experienced and shrewd, immediately understood her point. “You young ones truly outshine us old-timers. It’s a good thing we’re on the same team, or I’d stand no chance against you.”

Meng Suihuan chuckled without comment.

“We’ll go back and make the necessary preparations. Pick a time to report this to the higher-ups, but keep it under wraps for now to gain an edge.”

Lao He nodded. “Leave it to me. I’ll handle everything perfectly.”

—

Meanwhile.

The opposition had caught wind that a young woman had taken a proposal to Lao He, and the two had talked for a long time.

“What did they discuss?” a man asked, frowning.

The lanky man shook his head. “They met at Lao He’s office, which is usually crowded. I didn’t dare get too close. But the girl was carrying a document, and she kept it well-hidden—it must be important.”

The man rubbed his fingers together, muttering, “A document?”

“Get back to work. I’ll take care of this.”

The two parted ways.

At Lao He’s office, he had been extra cautious about monitoring his desk files after Meng Suihuan’s warning. Recently, he noticed that one of the documents had been moved. Normally, he wouldn’t have picked up on such a detail, but since he had been keeping his papers in fixed positions, he spotted the difference immediately.

He didn’t raise the alarm, merely sipping his tea calmly.

“Just as that girl predicted,” he thought.

The day after the file was moved, Lao He’s rival, Xiao Sheng, came by to provoke him again.

“Lao He, it’s been half a month, and your commercial street is still silent. Don’t tell me you’re too scared to compete with me?”

“If so, just admit defeat now—it’ll save you from looking even worse later.”

Lao He, unusually relaxed, gave a rare smile. “I haven’t even started, and you’re already impatient. Shouldn’t it be you who’s worried?”

“Xiao Sheng, let me give you a friendly piece of advice: don’t get overconfident. That’s how people get blindsided.”

Xiao Sheng gritted his teeth in frustration but dismissed it as Lao He’s attempt at bluffing. With a smug expression, he replied, “Then I’ll wait and see how you make a fool of yourself.”

Lao He simply smiled, unfazed. There was no point in bickering; it was better to let results speak for themselves.

—

Time ticked by.

Back at the company, Meng Suihuan and her team were busy making final preparations when someone walked in.

“Sorry to interrupt. Could you call for Meng Suihuan? I need to discuss something with her.”

“I’m Meng Suihuan,” she said, standing up.

She quickly learned that the man was delivering a message: Lao He had everything in place. The reports had been submitted, and everything was ready.

“Got it. Please tell Lao He that we’re ready on our end as well and will proceed without delay.”

When the other party left, the team at Xuyu was so excited they nearly jumped for joy. Lao Zhou, a veteran of their group, couldn’t help but do a little dance, making everyone burst into laughter. Meng Suihuan was naturally delighted as well—after all, this marked the final step of their plan.

“Alright, let’s follow the previous arrangements and bring this to a perfect conclusion!”

With that, Xuyu spent the next two days ensuring that news of the commercial street event spread throughout Shuangyang County. Initially, people were skeptical, but when they saw that the commercial street was a project backed by the county government, with all the official paperwork and procedures in order, their doubts quickly disappeared.

Suddenly, everyone wanted to secure a spot, eager to take advantage of the rent-free period.

Cheng Xin, who had learned about the event in advance, acted immediately and paid two years’ rent as soon as the news broke.

Everything Meng Suihuan’s team did was open and transparent. People saw firsthand that Cheng Xin received a three-month rent discount, and government officials even showed up to stamp and verify documents on-site. What’s more, several of the most well-known businesses in Shuangyang County signed contracts as well, instantly taking up nearly ten slots.

Spectators couldn’t sit still any longer. They rushed off to gather funds, fearing they might miss out on the promotion and lose this lucrative opportunity.

Meng Suihuan watched the crowd scrambling to leave and knew that their plan was a success.

Most of the businesses signing contracts today were ones they had already negotiated with beforehand, offering them even better incentives. After all, in any era, success often requires a few “insiders” to set the stage. Without them, it would’ve been much harder to gain trust so quickly.

In just one day, more than half of the commercial spaces had been rented out. The revenue exceeded 300,000 yuan in just a few hours.

When Lao He heard the news, his grin nearly split his face. Three hundred thousand yuan—in just a few hours! Even now, he could hardly believe it.

The news didn’t just reach Lao He. It spread throughout the city, inevitably reaching Xiao Sheng’s ears. Furious, Xiao Sheng’s eyes turned red as he cursed endlessly, but there was nothing he could do to sabotage the project. It was already a done deal.

By the next day, all the commercial spaces on the street had been rented out.

The event caused a sensation across Shuangyang County. Once people caught their breath, they naturally began discussing the real estate team behind the commercial street—Xuyu Company.

In just two days, Xuyu went from being an obscure entity to a household name in Shuangyang. Mention the commercial street, and everyone immediately thought of Xuyu.

As the company’s leader, Meng Suihuan also became the focus of significant attention.

But this time, what she heard weren’t disparaging remarks like, “Women are long-haired but short-sighted,” “Can women even do real estate?” or “A woman’s place is at home raising children.” Instead, she was met with admiration and pride-filled praise.

Life is often like this: people will only belittle and undermine those they consider beneath them. But if you rise to a height they can never reach in their lifetime, their words turn into admiration and compliments, and they may even take pride in your success.

Meng Suihuan, unaware of these comments, wouldn’t have cared even if she had heard them. She paid no mind to either praise or criticism, choosing instead to follow her own path.

That evening, the team finally had time to tally up the total rental income from the commercial spaces.

The result was shocking.

The total rental income amounted to an astounding 1.3 million yuan!

Meng Suihuan: “!”
Everyone else: “!!”

They had truly done it—and far exceeded their goal!