The speaker was Cao Tianqiang, the owner of Qinghe Roasted Fish.
"With such a large group backing us, I think the future looks promising. It will definitely be better than the lifeless Berkeley Mall."
"But the mall is already undergoing renovations, and they’ve even given us three months of compensation. That’s already very good. If it were anywhere else, we’d be lucky to get two months."
"I think this is just a sign of their weakness. They’re desperate to keep us, so they’re offering more incentives," Cao Tianqiang said.
"This time, Huipin Group is clearly trying to squeeze out Berkeley and secure a foothold in the Ning’an District commercial area. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have recruited us with such a generous offer. If we don’t make a decision in the next few days, those benefits will be gone."
The others didn’t speak, but just nodded silently, agreeing with Cao Tianqiang’s assessment.
Berkeley Mall’s foot traffic was declining day by day. Even with an upgrade and renovation, there was no guarantee it would improve.
Plus, with Huipin Group looming like a hungry tiger, the road ahead would only get tougher. It was better to take this opportunity to leave, lest they regret it later.
Just then, the door to the conference room was pushed open.
When they saw it was Lin Jiang who had entered, their expressions changed to varying degrees.
They subconsciously sat up straighter, their eyes showing a hint of wariness.
They all knew of Lin Jiang. After all, he had been active around Berkeley Mall recently.
After acquiring Berkeley, he had carried out drastic reforms, even letting the negotiations with Huipin Supermarket fall through and allowing such a huge supermarket to leave.
Even though many of them were old hands who had been around for years, they couldn’t help but sit up straight when facing Lin Jiang, not daring to look down on him because of his age.
"Everyone, I’ve met some of you, but there are also some new faces. Let’s do some introductions. Please state your brand and store name so I can get a general idea."
Lin Jiang gestured for the middle-aged man to his left to begin.
"I’m Cao Tianqiang from Qinghe Roasted Fish."
"I’m Wang Dandan from Tanhua Hot Pot."
"I’m Liu Xiaoli from Jinxiu Women’s Clothing."
"I’m..."
Everyone introduced themselves in turn, and Lin Jiang got a general sense of their brands.
They were either well-known local brands or national chains.
They all had some degree of fame and were the pillars of the mall. They were responsible for bringing in almost half of the foot traffic.
"I heard from President He that the renovations have affected your businesses. Business is business, and we’re all here to make a living, so I understand how you feel. The mall has offered three months of compensation, which roughly covers the renovation period. I’d like to ask, what other issues are you dissatisfied with?"
Everyone looked at each other, but no one dared to be the first to speak up.
The atmosphere was tense for about ten seconds before the owner of Qinghe Roasted Fish, Cao Tianqiang, spoke up:
"There’s no problem with the mall’s compensation, but Berkeley’s foot traffic has never picked up. Our business has always been lukewarm, which is what led to these thoughts."
Lin Jiang nodded and looked at the others in the conference room.
"Besides that, are there any other concerns?"
Everyone looked at each other again, but no one spoke.
Lin Jiang wasn’t in a hurry. He said slowly:
"Since none of you are speaking up, I assume this is the reason for everyone."
"From the day I bought Berkeley, I was aware of this problem. The mall is responsible, which is why we’ve reorganized the operations team and are upgrading and renovating the mall. If possible, I hope you can give the mall a little more time. There’s no need to be hasty."
"The competition between commercial complexes these days is fiercer than you might imagine. We feel that even after the upgrades and renovations, it won’t have much of an effect. We’ve seen precedents for this kind of thing, so..."
Lin Jiang smiled. "So you’ve lost faith in the mall, is that it?"
No one spoke, tacitly agreeing with what Lin Jiang said.
"Even if a deal falls through, goodwill remains. We’ve worked together for so many years, there’s no need to make things unpleasant."
Lin Jiang looked at He Jing. "Since everyone is set on their decision, process their lease terminations and refunds. There’s no need for a big fuss."
"Understood, President Lin."
"In the future, if any other tenants want to terminate their leases, don’t stop them. Just process the refunds."
"Understood."
Lin Jiang stood up and looked at the people in the conference room with a smile.
"That’s all for me in this meeting. Discuss any follow-up matters with He Jing. I won’t be involved."
The dozen or so people in the conference room sat frozen in their chairs.
No matter what, their stores were considered well-known brands.
They had expected Lin Jiang to arrive and earnestly try to persuade them to stay, perhaps even offering more incentives. They never imagined he would just say a few perfunctory words and agree to their lease terminations.
Especially his last words as he left—that he wouldn’t try to keep any other tenants who wanted to leave either. This clearly showed he didn’t care about the tenants at all. Whether they stayed or left was irrelevant to him.
They thought of themselves as important figures who would receive special treatment, but they never expected to be completely disregarded.
This completely shattered what little sense of superiority they had left.
"Everyone may head back for now. I’ll have someone prepare the contracts and paperwork. Once everything is ready, we will contact you to handle the lease termination procedures."
Without saying much, everyone quietly stood up and left the conference room.
"Looks like he really doesn’t take us seriously. I guess our only option is Huipin," Wang Dandan said.
"After we leave, the mall’s vacancy rate will be even higher, and other tenants will surely follow. Then no one will want to come to Berkeley anymore. He doesn’t take us seriously now, but he’ll definitely regret it!" Cao Tianqiang snorted.
Cao Tianqiang’s words were met with agreement from the others.
"He’s a big boss, and we’re just small-time merchants. It’s normal for him not to take us seriously," someone said sarcastically.
"As the old saying goes, the water that bears the boat is the same that swallows it up. We may not seem like much, but if we all leave, the effect will be very different."
Cao Tianqiang said:
"He thinks he can bring back foot traffic just by renovating. It shows he’s still young and has no experience. A bit too idealistic."
"You know what they say: a rich kid who wastes his money on women and wine is no threat. The scary one is the rich kid who wants to start a business to prove himself. Once the mall at Xingcheng Bay Phase II opens, he’ll find out that business isn’t so easy."
As they spoke, the group of more than ten people returned to their respective stores, each with a different expression on their face.
The surrounding tenants all gathered around. Huipin Group’s recruiters had also approached them, but they had been waiting on the sidelines, unable to make a decision.
Now that the "scouts" had returned, everyone wanted to get firsthand information and find out what Berkeley’s attitude was.
"Brother Cao, what did President He say? Did they let you terminate your leases?" the owner of the neighboring barbecue restaurant asked.
At the same time, several other nearby store owners and managers also came over, wanting to get the details from Cao Tianqiang.
"It wasn’t President He who met with us, it was the big boss, President Lin. His message was simple: the mall doesn’t need the few of us. He agreed to the lease terminations directly and even said that anyone else who wants to leave is free to do so at any time. They won’t stop them," Cao Tianqiang said sarcastically.
"No way! You guys are all well-known chain brands. Once you leave Berkeley, all that’s left will be unknown little brands that the public doesn’t even recognize. How could they dare to do that?"
"Is there even a need to ask? He just looks down on us," Cao Tianqiang said.
"So, everyone should be careful. Without its brand power, the mall will be empty. It’ll fall into a death spiral. Bankruptcy is just a matter of time."

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