Chapter 372: Apartment Setup

“President Chen, this kind of small matter is something we can handle ourselves. There’s no need to trouble you.”

Pang Tao quickly spoke up.

Just renting a few apartments and they had to bother President Chen? He really felt bad about it.

“If I tell you to wait, then wait.”

Chen Mo said calmly, then hung up the phone.

Sure, you don’t need to trouble me—but how about actually spending some money?

Six people crammed into one apartment? Since when have I, Chen Mo, ever been so frugal?

If I don’t keep an eye on things, who knows when I’ll ever finish spending all my System Funds?

He stood up from his executive chair, instructed Yang Dahai to bring the car around to the front of the Daxia Building, and left the office.

Maybe once he got to the apartments, he’d find even more places to spend money.

…

Dongcheng Apartments.

Pang Tao looked at the phone that had just disconnected, then turned his gaze toward a middle-aged man in a suit standing in the distance and walked over.

“General Manager Pang, let me show you the other apartment units.”

The apartment manager spotted Pang Tao approaching and quickly came forward to greet him.

“Let’s break up.”

“Fine, break up then!”

Just as he was about to say something, the voices of a quarreling couple rang out from nearby.

The apartment manager instinctively glanced in their direction, then quickly looked away, shaking his head with a sigh.

Young love—it really comes and goes fast.

He remembered that couple had come to rent an apartment together just half a month ago. They’d seemed so sweet at the time.

Who would’ve thought that in just two weeks, they’d already be talking about breaking up?

“Manager Mei, my boss is coming over shortly. Let’s hold off on looking at the rooms for now.”

Pang Tao turned to the apartment manager and spoke slowly.

“Your boss?”

Mei Yun looked at Pang Tao in confusion. As far as he knew, Pang Tao was already the company’s top executive.

“He’s the president of our group. I’m just the branch manager.”

Pang Tao offered a quick explanation before heading toward the apartment elevator.

“I’m going to wait for him at the entrance. I’ll find you later.”

“General Manager Pang, what are you saying? Since it’s your boss, how could I possibly be absent? I’ll go with you to greet him.”

Mei Yun quickly followed.

As the manager of this apartment complex, he knew full well that due to its location, the place didn’t attract many tenants.

Now that a major client had finally shown up, he had to make the most of this opportunity.

Even though they were only renting seven apartments for now, he’d already done his homework. Pang Tao was building a massive Pet Park in the suburbs. Once it opened, they’d definitely need a large workforce.

And the employee dorms for the Pet Park wouldn’t be ready anytime soon. Even if they were built quickly, they’d still need time for interior work and furnishing.

During that gap period, they’d definitely need to house the workers somewhere.

Now that Pang Tao had chosen Dongcheng Apartments to accommodate some of those workers, if Mei Yun could make a good impression and avoid doing anything to upset them, then in the future, whenever more workers needed housing, they’d likely come here first.

So, if Pang Tao was going out to greet his boss, of course Mei Yun had to tag along. That was the only way to leave a good impression.

Outside Dongcheng Apartments.

Pang Tao stood quietly at the entrance, waiting. It was early July, and the weather was already hot and stuffy, but he had no intention of waiting inside.

“General Manager Pang, here’s a cold drink.”

Mei Yun hurried over with a chilled bottle of soda in hand, condensation still clinging to the surface.

“Thanks!”

Pang Tao glanced at the drink and accepted it without hesitation.

About half an hour later,

A black Mercedes G-Class SUV pulled up in front of Dongcheng Apartments.

Seeing this, Pang Tao quickly stepped forward. That black G-Wagon had already become President Chen’s signature ride.

“Good afternoon, President Chen!”

As soon as Chen Mo stepped out of the car, Pang Tao rushed over to greet him.

“Good afternoon, President Chen!”

Mei Yun followed closely behind, greeting him loudly.

But in his heart, he was astonished. This young man looked to be only in his twenties, yet he was already the president of a corporation?

Unbelievable.

Chen Mo gave Pang Tao a slight nod, then turned to look at Mei Yun.

“And this is…?”

“President Chen, this is the manager of Dongcheng Apartments. His father owns the building. His name is Mei Yun.”

Pang Tao quickly introduced him.

Bad luck?

No fate?

Hearing the name, Chen Mo instinctively thought of the homophones and looked curiously at Mei Yun.

“Your name?”

“Hahaha, President Chen, you noticed it too? That’s right, it sounds like ‘bad luck’ in Chinese.”

Mei Yun laughed heartily. He was long used to the jokes about his name.

“Great name. I like it.”

Chen Mo gave him an approving look. He genuinely found the name amusing.

“President Chen, it’s hot out here. Let’s head inside to talk.”

Pang Tao spoke up at the right moment.

“Yes, yes, let’s talk inside.”

Mei Yun quickly agreed.

“Mm.”

Chen Mo nodded slightly. It was the hottest time of day, and standing outside was indeed a bit much.

“Let’s go straight to see the apartment units.”

After entering the building,

Chen Mo took a quick look around. The environment seemed fine, so he spoke up directly.

“Alright, President Chen.”

Mei Yun quickly nodded, then led the way to the first available apartment.

“President Chen, in our apartment complex, there are only two types of units. One is 70 square meters, and the other is 100 square meters. There are no special layouts beyond those. This one here is a 70-square-meter unit.”

As Mei Yun explained, Chen Mo carefully looked around, then began walking through the room.

After a while, he turned to Mei Yun.

“This apartment doesn’t come with any appliances?”

He had just finished looking around and realized the place was completely bare—no appliances at all.

The only furnishings were a bed in the bedroom and a few worn-out sofas in the living room.

“President Chen, you may not be aware, but during the mid-stage of construction, there was a policy change. As a result, many people from the east side of the city moved up north. With fewer people here in the east, the number of tenants dropped significantly.”

“So, in order to cut costs, the apartment complex had to make some adjustments. Not providing appliances was one of them.”

“That said, even though we don’t provide appliances, our rent is much lower compared to other apartments.”

Mei Yun offered an explanation, then cautiously added, “But since it’s President Chen who’s renting, we can arrange for a second-hand washing machine. That way, after the workers finish their jobs, they can wash their clothes directly. It’d be more convenient.”

Hmm.

Chen Mo turned and gave Mei Yun a flat look, frowning slightly.

He thought to himself,

You’re offering a washing machine? Then what am I supposed to spend money on?

“President Chen, is there an issue? If we provide more appliances, the rent might…”

Mei Yun trailed off, worried, seeing Chen Mo frown.

“There’s definitely an issue. That second-hand washing machine of yours—I’m concerned about safety. Forget it. We’ll handle the appliances ourselves. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Chen Mo waved him off, then turned his gaze toward Pang Tao.

“I’m going to list out some requirements. Take notes.”

“Yes, President Chen.”

Pang Tao quickly pulled a small notebook from his coat pocket, ready to jot things down.

He usually used this notebook while supervising work at Corner Park, and over time, it had become a habit to carry one with him at all times.

Seeing that Pang Tao was ready, Chen Mo walked to the front of the living room and pointed at the wall behind the sofa.

“This spot needs a TV. Not a small one—a big one. One that takes up the whole wall. Otherwise, the elderly won’t be able to see it clearly if it’s too small.”

“As for the brand, only go with major, reputable ones. No off-brands or unknown names.”