"Zhu Dong, what exactly does Huo Beixiao mean? I've been waiting here for five hours, and he still hasn't come. If he doesn't want to do business with me, there are plenty of other people lining up to do business with me!"

As soon as Jiang Qiaoqiao and Huo Beixiao reached the office door, they heard Tong Xuejiao's angry voice coming from inside.

Huo Beixiao led Jiang Qiaoqiao directly through the door.

Tong Xuejiao's angry voice stopped abruptly, her gaze falling on Huo Beixiao and Jiang Qiaoqiao's clasped hands, her eyes filled with surprise.

Yesterday, Jiang Qiaoqiao said she knew everything she needed to know. She felt that Jiang Qiaoqiao actually knew nothing about Huo Beixiao's affairs and was just saying that to save face.

Now it seems she really did know everything she should know.

Her gaze swept over Jiang Qiaoqiao for a moment.

Although this woman was fairly good-looking, she looked like a frail, pretty vase.

She simply couldn't believe that a career-oriented man like Huo Beixiao could be so devoted to a pretty face who had no connection to his soul.

She composed herself, adopting a businesslike demeanor as she looked at Huo Beixiao with displeasure, saying, "Beixiao, we're discussing business. Do you think it's appropriate for you to have a little woman who only knows how to whine by your side?"

Huo Beixiao glanced at Tong Xuejiao, about to speak.

Jiang Qiaoqiao tugged at him, took a step forward, and looked at Tong Xuejiao with a smile, saying, "President Tong, you are a woman yourself. All you can do is whine? We are all women, so why does President Tong look down on women so much?"

Tong Xuejiao: ……

When she was working in the black market, besides being Huo Beixiao's confidante, her more important role was that of Huo Beixiao's brother who shared life and death with him.

Moreover, the slogan she shouted most loudly at that time was, "Responding to the call of the great man, women can hold up half the sky."

Now that Jiang Qiaoqiao is directly saying that she looks down on women, it's undoubtedly a slap in her face.

She ground her back teeth and smiled, "Alright, since Miss Jiang has said so, she must understand business matters. Then let's not waste any more time. Bei Xiao, let's begin."

As soon as Tong Xuejiao finished speaking, her assistant immediately handed a contract to Huo Beixiao.

Jiang Qiaoqiao sat quietly to the side, listening to them discuss various conditions back and forth.

Tong Xuejiao did come to see Huo Beixiao with a personal purpose, but her main reason was that she planned to partner with Huo Beixiao to buy land in the provincial capital and build a commercial center.

At that time, you can either sell commercial housing, hold the property yourself and collect rent, or invest in opening a shop, all of which are good businesses.

As Jiang Qiaoqiao listened to their negotiations, she couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both emotion and feeling).

This era is truly a goldmine for those of them who have accumulated wealth!

Compared to that, her selling clothes at a stall and running a duck products shop are really small-scale operations.

It has to be admitted that if it weren't for good luck in her previous life, with Xia Yuntao and the Jiang family supporting her, even if she used all her skills, she would never have been able to make the Qin family the richest family.

As Jiang Qiaoqiao was thinking, she suddenly felt Tong Xuejiao's gaze fall on her.

She looked up and, sure enough, met Tong Xuejiao's gaze.

Tong Xuejiao looked at her with a hint of smugness in her eyes and asked, "Miss Jiang, you've been listening for so long, what are your thoughts on the location of our business center?"

She didn't believe that Jiang Qiaoqiao, a mere pretty face, could offer any constructive suggestions on a problem that she and Huo Beixiao were already deadlocked over.

If she shows weakness, isn't it only natural that she would look down on her?

Jiang Qiaoqiao's gaze fell on the provincial capital map they had placed on their desk.

She doesn't go to the provincial capital often, but the last time Huo Beixiao took her there for steak, he also showed her around the city.

At that time, she did nothing but observe the commercial landscape of various districts in the provincial capital.

She pointed to a spot that Huo Beixiao had circled earlier and said, "I think it would be more suitable to build a commercial center here."

"Pfft!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Tong Xuejiao laughed out loud, "Don't just point to that place because Bei Xiao marked it! Use your brain, that area is already in the suburbs, and Bei Xiao and I already rejected it."

Jiang Qiaoqiao glanced at her and took the pen from Huo Beixiao's hand.

While pointing at the map, he said, "Because this area is in the suburbs, there are relatively few residents, which can greatly reduce the cost of demolition."

Tong Xuejiao sneered again, "You really have no sense. You want us to build a commercial center there just to save on demolition costs? There's not a single person around. Who will we sell our goods to after it's built? If we can't sell our goods and can't rent out our shops, we'll just be stuck with them."

Jiang Qiaoqiao couldn't help but shake her head inwardly.

Tong Xuejiao's ability to venturing into real estate and building commercial centers even now demonstrates her keen business sense.

However, her vision was always limited by the era in which she lived.

In this day and age, how could you possibly end up with a house that's stuck with you?

Thirty years from now, the area on the outskirts of the city that she is pointing to will be the center of the entire provincial capital.

Jiang Qiaoqiao ignored Tong Xuejiao and continued, "It seems there's really not much people around here. But..."

She pointed to the nearest block and said, "This street has the best Western restaurants, cinemas, skating rinks, and KTVs in the provincial capital. It's the place that young people in the provincial capital love to go."

"These shops have already cultivated the habit of young people coming to this area to spend money. When the commercial center is built, as long as it is better than the one on this street, we are not afraid that young people will not come."

Furthermore, this area can be developed into a residential area with commercial housing. Currently, housing is scarce in the city; many families are crammed into two rooms of only 10-20 square meters, spanning several generations. For many families, improving their living conditions is a necessity. Once the houses are built, they will be adjacent to the commercial center and connected to the busiest street, ensuring they will sell easily.

After Jiang Qiaoqiao finished speaking, she pointed to another location in the city center that they had circled, "If I remember correctly, this location should be entirely residential. If we were to build a commercial center here, at least several hundred households would need to be relocated, not to mention the compensation alone would be a considerable sum."

Among these hundreds of households, there will undoubtedly be some who are reluctant to leave their ancestral home and unwilling to move. Whether the project is delayed or other measures are taken, it will cause another significant loss. Furthermore, although this area is densely populated, it is predominantly populated by middle-aged and elderly people who are accustomed to living frugally. Even if a commercial center were to open near their homes, they might not be willing to pay for the services offered.

As soon as Jiang Qiaoqiao finished speaking, Tong Xuejiao opened her mouth, trying to refute.

But when the words reached her lips, she realized she couldn't find the words to refute them.

Because she also felt that what Jiang Qiaoqiao said made a lot of sense.

After a long silence, she snorted coldly, "You've never even been to the provincial capital twice, have you? You're talking so eloquently now, but it's all just empty talk."