Chapter 373: Selling the Apartment?

“Also, replace these old, worn-out sofas in the living room. Get top-brand furniture, and place a coffee table in front.”

“And the dining table, make sure it’s fully equipped too.”

“The kitchen needs a large, double-door refrigerator. The bathroom can’t go without a water heater. And we need a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine…”

“…”

Chen Mo paced around the living room, pointing out items that needed to be replaced or added as he went.

Pang Tao followed closely behind, jotting everything down.

Mei Yun stood to the side, staring in stunned silence. Furniture, appliances—everything was being replaced. This was practically a full renovation.

Was this really meant to be an employee dormitory? Not something for Chen Mo himself?

He found it hard to believe.

He had seen bosses rent apartments like this for their employees before, but usually it was just a matter of leasing the place and tossing in a secondhand washing machine. Some didn’t even bother with that.

But someone like President Chen? This was a first.

After making a full round of the apartment, Chen Mo’s gaze finally landed on the window.

“Also, change out the curtains.”

With that, he glanced around the room one last time. Seeing nothing else that needed changing, he finally stopped.

“Alright, that’s everything. Make sure all the items I mentioned are from top brands. Money’s not an issue.”

“That’s it. All the other employee dormitories should follow this exact standard.”

Pang Tao looked at the notes on his notepad, hesitated for a moment, then spoke up cautiously.

“President Chen, if we do all this, one apartment might not be able to house six people anymore.”

His original plan had been to house six people per apartment: two in each bedroom and two in the living room. That way, each unit could accommodate six.

But with President Chen’s current setup—sofas, a coffee table, and other furnishings in the living room—there was no longer space for anyone to sleep there.

That plan was now out the window.

“Who said I was putting six people in one apartment?”

Chen Mo turned and gave Pang Tao a calm glance.

“Six people in one unit is too crowded. More people means more chances for conflict. Different living habits can cause friction, and that could lead to poor sleep or strained roommate relationships.”

“Whatever the case, it would affect their work the next day. So to avoid that, I’ve decided to house two people per apartment. Each person gets their own bedroom. Even if they have different habits, they can just close their door and not bother each other.”

Two people per unit?

Pang Tao did a quick calculation. Originally, with six people per apartment, seven units would have been enough. But with just two per unit, they’d need at least twenty apartments.

Renting twenty units wasn’t a big deal. At 900 yuan per month per unit, the cost wasn’t outrageous.

But once you added in all of President Chen’s requirements, the expenses would skyrocket.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but speak up.

“President Chen, if we go with two people per unit, we’ll need at least twenty apartments.”

“That’s right. Actually, it’ll be more than twenty. Twenty is just for the veteran staff. Before the Corner Pet Park opens, we’ll definitely be hiring more employees. Many of them will choose to stay in the dorms, and we’ll house them all in this apartment complex.”

Chen Mo did a quick mental calculation. Based on the size of the Corner Pet Park, they’d need at least a hundred employees.

If all of them stayed in the dorms, the cost would be massive.

But then a new concern hit him. There might be a lot of employees, but did this apartment complex even have that many vacant units?

If not, all this planning would be for nothing.

He turned to Mei Yun, who had been quietly following along.

“How many vacant units do you have in this complex?”

“President Chen, we currently have around 170 vacant units,” Mei Yun quickly replied, catching on to Chen Mo’s intent. It was clear he was looking to rent more apartments, and Mei Yun wasn’t about to miss this opportunity.

If he could land President Chen as a major client, the complex wouldn’t have to worry about vacancies for a while.

Unfortunately, based on what Pang Tao had mentioned earlier, the Pet Park was in the process of building its own employee dormitories. Once those were completed, they’d definitely move out of the apartments.

At that point, this complex would go right back to how it was before.

“Why are there so many vacant units?”

Chen Mo was a little surprised. The apartment complex seemed decent, and the rent was cheap.

Logically, it shouldn’t have so many empty units.

Mei Yun gave a bitter smile.

“President Chen, the main issue is the location. This complex is too far out. There’s no subway nearby, and only two bus lines pass through. Most people who rent apartments are working professionals. If their workplace is too far, they end up spending a lot of time commuting every day.”

“So many people would rather pay a few hundred more for a place with better transportation or closer to their job.”

I see.

As Chen Mo listened to Mei Yun’s explanation, he immediately understood.

He had noticed the surroundings when he came over earlier. This place was right on the edge of the Fourth Ring Road.

There wasn’t a single office building nearby. The area was mostly dotted with factories, and most of those had their own employee dormitories. Very few people would be willing to spend extra money to rent a place outside.

It was hard to understand why Mei Yun’s father had chosen to build an apartment complex in such a remote location. Wasn’t he just setting himself up to lose money?

Hmm!

Lose money.

A glint flickered in Chen Mo’s eyes as a sudden idea took root in his mind. If building an apartment here meant losing money…

Then wouldn’t it be perfect if he built one too? Rent here was 800 yuan a month, and even at that price, they couldn’t find tenants.

If he set the rent even higher, wouldn’t that guarantee no one would want to live there?

And why would the rent be so high? Well, obviously because the place would be nicely renovated.

A well-decorated apartment charging a bit more in rent—there’s nothing wrong with that, right?

Chen Mo silently mulled it over, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“President Chen!”

Pang Tao noticed Chen Mo lost in thought and called out to him cautiously.

“Hmm?”

Chen Mo snapped back to reality and looked at Pang Tao.

“That’s pretty much everything regarding the employee dormitory. As for which apartment to rent, you can discuss it with Manager Mei.”

“And for the selection of furniture and appliances, put together a report for me. I’ll need to review it.”

“Also, since this apartment is a bit far from the Corner Pet Apartment, commuting will be inconvenient for the staff. We’ll need to purchase a shuttle bus—same model as the one used by the clothing factory. If you’re not sure where to buy it, check with Jiang Cheng.”

“That’s all. I’ll be heading out now.”

With that, Chen Mo turned and walked toward the exit. His goal of spending money had been accomplished, so there was no reason to linger.

“President Chen, we’ll see you out,” Pang Tao and Mei Yun quickly followed after him.

Chen Mo glanced at the two trailing behind but didn’t say anything more.

As they passed through the hotel lobby, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a flyer.

Apartments for Sale!

The paper was yellowed, as if it had been posted for a long time.