The first update is here, everyone! If you have monthly tickets, please give them some power—we’re only four votes away from catching the person ahead! Hong Chang is begging you!
The Lao Feng Xiang jewelry store on Nanjing Road boasts a history spanning over 160 years, making it one of the oldest jewelry companies in China.
The beautiful manager from the agency brought Wang Zhuo to this very street.
As the saying goes, a newborn calf fears no tiger. Wang Zhuo paid no mind to the grand jewelers, goldsmiths, and diamond merchants lining the street; he completely disregarded the fierce competition here. Instead, he felt that clustering together was good for sales—the more competitors there were, the better!
“Sir, the location we are in now is absolutely perfect for running a jewelry business. Wealthy people from all over China come here to buy gold and jade jewelry. Not only is the daily foot traffic massive, but many customers come specifically for high-end purchases.”
The agency manager introduced the area with great enthusiasm, and Wang Zhuo nodded slightly, agreeing with her assessment.
“The land prices here are astronomical, truly worth every penny, even if it’s expensive,” the manager explained as she led Wang Zhuo along the bustling street.
It wasn't common for a customer like Wang Zhuo, who paid a 100,000 yuan deposit for viewing a property less than an hour after their first meeting, to appear. The female manager was now brimming with confidence about closing this deal.
“We currently have two suitable storefronts available. Opportunities like this are rare on Nanjing Road, where space is hard to come by. You could say both you and I are quite lucky.”
Guided by the manager named Wei Xia, Wang Zhuo first visited a brand-name clothing store advertising “Closing Down Sale, Everything Must Go.” The space was nearly 200 square meters, split over two floors. To the left was a small accessories shop filled with dazzling items that appealed to young women; to the right was a Western restaurant with a European flair.
Wang Zhuo took a look around and wasn't entirely satisfied. The Western restaurant was acceptable, but the accessories store was perhaps too popular, clearly targeting students with limited budgets. Although Wang Zhuo didn't know how this was interpreted in Feng Shui, he instinctively felt it would negatively impact his own business.
Sensing Wang Zhuo’s thoughts, Manager Wei explained with a hint of helplessness, “That accessories shop really isn't ideal next to a gold shop. If you’re interested, I can try to find the owner’s contact information for you.”
The small accessories shop was only about thirty square meters; if the cost was acceptable, moving it wasn't entirely out of the question.
Wang Zhuo paused, then said, “Let’s see the next one.”
The second storefront was located at a major intersection. Wang Zhuo instantly loved the location; it was flanked on both sides by a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and a platinum and diamond company named “Tian Yuan”—perfectly suited for Wang Zhuo’s future business.
Strangely, the sign for this shop was gone. The glass door was secured with a symbolic chain lock. Peering through the entrance, he could see an assortment of haphazardly placed glass counters, display racks, tables, and chairs inside.
“The previous tenant here was also a jewelry company, but don’t worry about the Feng Shui. It didn’t go bankrupt; they just relocated,” Manager Wei explained while retrieving a key and unlocking the chain. “Let’s take a look inside.”
“You have the key to this place?” Wang Zhuo felt a flicker of curiosity.
“Heh-heh,” Wei Xia smiled proudly. “The owner entrusted this space to us. Anyway, it’s empty now, and there’s nothing valuable left inside.”
In truth, there were some things she hadn't told Wang Zhuo: she wasn't the only agency handling the consignment. Four different agencies held keys to this unit, and it was equipped with surveillance cameras, so the owner had records of everything that had happened inside.
This shop was 330 square meters, significantly larger than the previous clothing outlet. It had 150 square meters downstairs and 180 upstairs; the extra 30 square meters upstairs was a large office carved out from the second floor of the adjacent ICBC branch.
“Eating into the bank’s space,” Wang Zhuo immediately felt good about the place. Even back home, a space over 300 square meters would be top-tier for a gold shop. Having such a prime spot on Nanjing Road swelled him with a sense of pride.
“What’s the rent?” Seeing that it was right, Wang Zhuo got straight to the point; he never dawdled on financial matters.
Wei Xia was still enthusiastically listing the shop’s advantages when Wang Zhuo waved his hand with a smile. “What am I listening to all this for? Just tell me the price.”
“A three-year lease, thirty-three thousand per month, paid quarterly,” Wei Xia stated while closely observing Wang Zhuo’s expression.
“One thousand per square meter per month?” Wang Zhuo chuckled, teasingly, “Doesn't sound too expensive, and I can probably negotiate, right?”
“Mr. Wang is joking,” Wei Xia laughed unnaturally, unable to gauge his tone. “The price is certainly negotiable. As you know, we agencies just aim to facilitate the deal so we can earn our commission. If you rent it too high, it affects our business reputation.”
That was logical. Wang Zhuo nodded and said, “I’m interested in this spot. Go ahead and contact the owner.”
Thirty minutes later, Wang Zhuo met the property owner of the shop in a nearby teahouse; one hour later, the price was settled and the details finalized; two hours later, the agreement was signed and notarized; three hours later, the first year’s rent of 3.6 million yuan was successfully transferred.
“Young people nowadays handle things so swiftly and decisively. They are truly remarkable!” Grandpa Lin, the white-bearded owner, chuckled before heading off to stroll the shopping district. If one didn't know better, who would guess that this tall old man in cloth shoes and a traditional long gown was a landlord capitalist worth over a hundred million?
Wei Xia held the cash check given to her by the old man, still feeling a bit unreal. A 200,000 commission, just like that. It was only 2:30 PM, and the entire process hadn't even taken one full business day.
She knew Mr. Lin well. Given his character, he wouldn't stoop to secretly signing an agreement with a client to dodge agency fees. That’s why she felt confident bringing the client to meet him. However, she hadn’t expected this young renter to be even more straightforward than Mr. Lin. The moment they met, they dove straight into business; both were decisive and efficient. They settled everything in a few sentences.
“It feels good to have money,” Wei Xia sighed enviously, watching Wang Zhuo’s receding figure. She was still struggling to save up for a down payment on a suburban house, while this young man casually spent over three million to rent a storefront. If she had known, she should have given up her poor boyfriend back then and married a rich man...
Holding the keys, Wang Zhuo happily and easily returned to his future shop. He had already decided on a name: Sheng Shi Wang Chao (Prosperous Dynasty)—how cool, how imposing!
There is an old Chinese saying: “Gold in troubled times, collecting in prosperous times.” The soaring trend of art investment and speculation in recent years proves, from one perspective, that this is a prosperous era. Those two words, Sheng Shi, perfectly suit Wang Zhuo’s scope of business. As for Wang Chao (Dynasty), not only is ‘Wang’ his surname, but the words exude dominance and majesty; they sound sufficiently authoritative.
“Next step, finding a decoration company?” Wang Zhuo stood at the entrance, facing the interior of the shop, and murmured to himself.
“This is really feeling my way in the dark; I know nothing,” he laughed self-deprecatingly. Besides this shop costing 300,000 yuan a month in rent, he currently had zero staff, zero inventory, zero channels, and zero licenses—practically nothing.
Helplessly, he decided to call Guan Yingying. Three heads are better than one; wasn't his elder sister currently on vacation? Perfect timing to call her for help.
“What? You already paid the money?” Guan Yingying couldn't help but laugh and cry. “Do you even know the land value there? You didn't get swindled, did you?”
“Tsk, did you forget I was a poor kid before this summer? How could I possibly waste money?” Wang Zhuo chuckled. “I compared three different places, you know. The agency I used was recommended by a friend, and they have a very good reputation.”
The friend he mentioned was actually Xiao Wanjun, Secretary No. 2 to Qin Xue. Their relationship wasn't exactly close; Wang Zhuo called him for advice, and he recommended an agency run by a friend. Because the title of City Mayor’s Secretary was too prominent, the head of the agency didn't mention it to a junior manager like Wei Xia; they just told her to treat the client seriously. Wang Zhuo also didn't mention it.
“Wait a minute, I’m coming over right now.” Guan Yingying quickly hung up the phone, feeling the whole thing was too unbelievable. This Wang Zhuo rented the property without saying a word—so audacious, daring to think and daring to act!
Half an hour later, Guan Yingying appeared in front of the future Sheng Shi Wang Chao. Her residence was near People's Square, so it wasn't far, but since most of Nanjing Road was pedestrianized, she had to walk quite a distance after parking her car.
As soon as she entered, Guan Yingying exclaimed, “It’s huge! The rent must be a fortune, right?”
Wang Zhuo smiled and nodded. “Ten thousand a day.”
Guan Yingying was momentarily stunned, then understood the context. For the highly profitable jewelry industry, 10,000 a day in rent wasn't much—less than the tax on a single small item. But that wasn’t the core issue; opening a jewelry store wasn't child’s play. Wang Zhuo was empty-handed; what was he going to use to start?
“I need you to come help me strategize. I’m not very good with renovations, and the landlord only gave us fifteen days of free renovation time—it’s really tight.”
“Fifteen days is tight?” Guan Yingying said, torn between laughter and tears. “Come on, this is Nanjing Road! Other businesses renovate without closing down. Giving you fifteen days for renovations is incredibly generous!”
“Is that so?” Wang Zhuo scratched his head awkwardly, thinking that Old Man Lin was actually quite generous, and he must have misjudged him.
“But for you, it really is quite tight,” Guan Yingying said dryly. “Right now, you have no inventory, no staff, no renovation design, no construction team, and I assume no LG branding or corporate image to speak of. Have you decided on a name yet?”
“I’ve decided on that,” Wang Zhuo immediately raised his hand. “It’s Sheng Shi Wang Chao. How’s that? Isn't it domineering?”
“It sounds utterly tacky…” Guan Yingying was completely speechless.
As the two stood inside, brainstorming wildly, a young man in a suit, wearing an ID badge around his neck, peered in from outside the door for a moment before stepping back out.
Even though he was over ten meters away and backlit, Wang Zhuo’s superior eyesight clearly made out the title on his badge—he was a reception manager from the neighboring Tian Yuan company.
Through the concrete partition wall, Wang Zhuo saw the young man quickly walk back to the Tian Yuan entrance and exchange a few words with a lean young man, about thirty years old. That young man frowned in thought, waved his hand dismissively to send the first man away, and then walked toward Wang Zhuo’s side.