Chapter 47: Longhua Plaza

Longhua Plaza is a joint investment project by the Yaoxi District Government and Longhua Group. It officially started operations at the end of 2004, and by September, the plaza was officially completed. It was now in the leasing phase.

Li Dong wasn't sure if Tesco had already started negotiations with Longhua, as large-scale retail store setups take time, and Tesco's opening was scheduled for March next year.

However, Longhua's leasing had just begun, so Li Dong could only hope that Tesco's attention hadn't yet turned to Longhua.

That afternoon, Li Dong took a tour around Longhua Plaza.

Although it wasn't officially operating yet, the plaza was still bustling with people.

Longhua Plaza boasted several advantages, including being a transportation hub, a center for foot traffic, and a consumer hotspot. It was the first truly integrated urban complex in Jiangbei.

Nearby were six universities: Jiang University, Agricultural University, Jiangbei Medical University, Jiangbei Traditional Chinese Medicine College, Pingchuan Normal University, and Pingchuan University of Finance. The location was ideal.

The plaza hadn't developed earlier mainly because the student demographic wasn't a significant consumer group before 2000.

But now, in 2004, student consumption was becoming increasingly active.

A simple comparison showed that students' living expenses had increased. A few years ago, students could manage with 300 to 400 yuan a month, but now, those from slightly better-off families spent at least over a thousand yuan a month.

This money couldn't all be spent on food, leading to a growing demand for other consumption.

With online shopping not yet popular, shopping malls were still their main destination.

Li Dong spent over three hours around Longhua Plaza, doing some basic foot traffic statistics. Even though he knew the results would be reassuring, he needed to calm himself.

He had dinner at Nating Food Street, and by the time he returned to the dormitory, it was already past nine.

The dormitory was fully occupied that night, with everyone present.

Seeing Li Dong return, Meng Qiping called out, "Dong Ge, where have you been? You didn't even invite us along."

"I had some matters to attend to. I'll take you next time."

Li Dong replied and was about to wash up when he saw Li Tie waving at him. "Dongzi, let's go outside and talk."

Li Dong was puzzled but put down his water bottle and followed Li Tie out of the dormitory.

In the hallway, Li Tie offered a cigarette to Li Dong, and lit one for himself.

Li Dong took the cigarette, sniffed it but didn't light it, and asked with a smile, "When did you start smoking?"

Li Tie usually didn't smoke, and Li Dong hadn't seen him smoke in the dorm.

Li Tie exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "Not long. People kept offering me cigarettes, and I picked it up after a few tries."

Changing the subject, Li Tie hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Dongzi, Bai Su talked to me today."

Li Dong squinted but remained silent.

Li Tie waited for a while and seeing Li Dong's silence, finally said, "You know the class needs to submit a few performances for the welcome party. We're not very familiar with the students' talents, but I remember you sang well the last time. I mentioned it to Bai Su and she's hoping you could help."

"Is this your idea or Bai Su's?" Li Dong flicked the ash from his cigarette without answering directly.

"It's what Bai Su mentioned. She asked you, and you didn't agree."

"You know I'm the class leader, and it's awkward for me. No one's signing up, and this is a mandatory task from the college. Just do me a favor…"

Li Dong waved his hand and interrupted, "Old Tie, it's not that I don't want to help, but I'm genuinely busy these days. Besides, I can only hum a few lines. I can't perform on stage, so let's just forget about it."

He planned to visit Longhua's leasing office the next day, and had a lot of other matters to attend to. He wasn't in the mood for singing.

Moreover, he wasn't someone who enjoyed being in the limelight. Singing a few songs and claiming them as his own just for show wasn't something he'd do. He had no intention of making a spectacle of himself.

Furthermore, if he inadvertently plagiarized a song someone else was working on, how would he explain it?

Li Dong didn't do things without benefits. Whether or not it was inconvenient for Li Tie, he didn't care. With so many people in the class, he didn't believe the class would fall apart without him.

Li Tie's face fell at Li Dong's refusal. It wasn't just the rejection that bothered him, but also failing to fulfill Bai Su's request.

His intention to pursue Bai Su wasn't a secret, and Li Dong likely knew. Li Dong's refusal made him lose face!

But Li Tie kept his frustration to himself, silently finishing his cigarette before heading back to the dormitory with Li Dong.

---

September 26th, Sunday.

The dormitory was still asleep, but Li Dong was up early.

He pulled out his suit from his suitcase, which he had bought for negotiating the new store, costing over three thousand yuan, and had only worn a few times.

Noticing the suit was a bit wrinkled, Li Dong used a steaming iron to press it until the wrinkles were gone. Then he put on the suit, polished his shoes, and tidied his hair.

Looking in the mirror, he seemed more mature, which satisfied him.

Pingchuan was different from Dongping, and since he was dealing with significant matters today, he needed to dress appropriately. A lack of proper attire could negatively impact negotiations.

Given his youth, he couldn't afford to be casual. Dressing more formally would help him gain respect.

As Li Dong was about to leave after polishing his shoes, Xu Chen, still groggy, exclaimed, "Whoa! Dong Ge, are you going on a blind date?"

His exclamation woke the other dorm members, and Meng Qiping peeked out from his bed, also puzzled by Li Dong's appearance.

Li Dong ignored the curious looks and simply said he was going out and left.

Once Li Dong was gone, Meng Qiping woke up fully and wondered, "Do you think Dong Ge is all dressed up to see a girlfriend?"

"No way, isn't Dong Ge's girlfriend in the capital?"

Xu Chen yawned and chuckled, "I think he's out to pick up girls. It's a day off, and there are plenty of girls outside."

"Why didn't you say so earlier! Let's get up and go out to find some girls too!"

The topic quickly shifted, and the discussion about Li Dong's destination was forgotten.

---

Li Dong didn't bother with the dorm's speculation.

Longhua Plaza wasn't far from Jiang University, just a ten-minute walk.

When Li Dong arrived at Longhua Plaza, it was still before 8:30, but the leasing office on the ground floor was already open.

He knocked on the door and entered after hearing a "please come in" from inside.

"Hello, are you here to lease a shop?"

The receptionist, a young woman around 25 or 26, greeted him with a sweet voice and an attractive appearance.

However, Li Dong wasn't swayed by her looks. He had long outgrown the stage of being dazzled by beauty.

Li Dong glanced around the office, which was small with only five or six staff members. The receptionist was the youngest among them.

Others glanced at Li Dong and then looked away. Many people had been coming in for leasing, so Li Dong wasn't anything special.

Li Dong didn't respond directly but asked, "Is your manager here?"

He wasn't looking to lease just one or two shops, but an entire floor, and the woman in front of him clearly didn't have the authority to make decisions.

"Are you looking for our manager?"

Wang Jia hesitated, wanting to tell him that managers don't handle small clients.

Just as she was about to make an excuse to decline, she thought for a moment and said, "If you're looking to lease a shop, you can talk to us. It's all the same."

"I do want to lease a shop…"

Before Li Dong could finish, Wang Jia's face brightened, and she said, "Then you can discuss it with me. What kind of business are you running? If it's clothing, we have a floor dedicated to various clothing brands on the third floor. The fourth floor is for dining, and the fifth floor has cinemas, KTV, and entertainment venues…"

Li Dong was speechless. The woman rattled off a long list of information without giving him a chance to interject.

And after being in the office for so long, she hadn't offered him a seat or even a glass of water. Had he come to the wrong place?

How did someone like this get into Longhua Group?

Wang Jia was unaware that she had been labeled as a fool by the man in front of her.

After listing all the types of businesses on each floor of Longhua Plaza, Wang Jia finally returned to the main topic, "Sir, would you like to see the shops? The leasing just started, so you have plenty of options…"

Li Dong couldn't take it anymore and quickly interrupted, "Please find your manager. I need to discuss something with him."

Wang Jia looked at Li Dong with a hint of resentment. Did he still not understand after all she had said?

She would rather he forced her to say the manager was too busy to meet with small clients.