Chapter 8: Collecting Rent at Times Square
1483 Words
Julien sprinted all the way to the bike parking area and then rode off on his bicycle.
"Today is so unlucky, I've run into two assholes in a row," he muttered as he pedaled.
It didn't take long before he arrived home. Once inside, Julien walked straight into the bathroom for a shower, then lay down on his bed. However, as soon as he got comfortable, he suddenly sat up.
"Ugh, I was so focused on running away that I forgot to eat. I’ll order some takeout."
He immediately grabbed his phone, opened the food delivery app, and placed his order.
After skillfully entering the details, he saved his address at Guo Lan International, then opened the short video app and started scrolling.
Ding-dong.
Just as Julien was watching a video of a long-legged beauty, the doorbell rang.
"Hello, Mr. Julien, this is your delivery," came the familiar voice of the security guard from the property management company, identification number 9527.
Julien was taken aback. Standing in front of him was none other than the security guard from the community.
"Why are you here? Where’s my delivery guy?" Julien asked, confused.
"In order to ensure the safety of the owners' lives and property, all deliveries are made by our property staff," the security guard explained loudly.
"Alright, thanks for your hard work," Julien responded.
"It’s our honor to serve you," 9527 said as he handed over the delivery and left.
"Well, that’s a luxury residence for you. Unlike some communities where they won’t let delivery people in and make the owners pick up the food themselves," Julien commented sarcastically.
Once back in his room, Julien unpacked his food and ate. It was already close to evening, and after a busy day, he hadn’t eaten yet. He had planned to eat something nice at Qian Da Plaza, but after arguing with a fat man, he ended up leaving without eating.
After finishing his meal, Julien quickly washed up and got back into bed, preparing to sleep. After all, he wanted to see if the system would refresh anything good for him around midnight.
Ding-ling-ling!
The alarm rang, and Julien quickly sat up in bed, abandoning his sleepiness and focusing on the system.
"Let’s see if the system can refresh anything good today," Julien said excitedly.
Ding.
"Limited-time flash sale items refreshed."
Hearing the system's prompt, Julien quickly looked at his phone.
"The refreshed items are as follows:
Times Square Building (worth 500 million)
Audi R8 (worth 350,000)
Armani clothing set (worth 1.5 million)."
Julien pondered for a moment. Although he really needed a car, the Audi R8 wasn’t that valuable. If it were a luxury sports car, maybe he would consider it, but this one wasn’t worth it. As for the Armani clothes set, he had just bought a suit, so that was unnecessary. Therefore, the only choice left was the first option.
"I thought the first option would give me something like Times Square, but it turns out the other two are worse," Julien muttered to himself.
"System, I choose the first option."
Ding.
"The host has made a selection. Option 1: Times Square, valued at 500 million USD. The documents will be delivered by courier at 8 AM."
With the system's confirmation, Julien’s net worth increased by 500 million USD.
"Okay, not bad. It’ll be delivered straight to my doorstep," Julien said as he exited the system. It was already past midnight, and he needed to sleep.
The next morning, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock-knock-knock.
Julien, who had been sleeping soundly, was woken by the knock. However, he wasn't upset at all. He quickly threw on some clothes and ran to the door.
"Hello, here's your delivery. Please sign for it," said the delivery man, wearing a helmet.
"Alright, thanks for your trouble," Julien said as he signed the receipt.
With a click, the door closed, and Julien opened the envelope to take out the documents. Without hesitation, he signed them. He trusted the system.
Ding-ling-ling.
The phone rang, and Julien picked up with curiosity.
"Hello, is this Mr. Julien? This is Camille Lefevre, the property manager of Times Square," came a pleasant voice over the phone.
"Yes, this is Julien. What’s the matter?"
"Well, your rent for Times Square is due this month, and we'd like to invite you to come over and discuss whether we need to raise the rent for the next quarter," Camille Lefevre explained. "We also need your bank account information so we can deposit the rent once collected."
"Okay, I’ll come over shortly," Julien said, excited about the prospect of collecting more money.
Despite having a fortune in assets, Julien didn’t have much cash on hand. The 500 million from Ferrari was tied up in the company’s account, and he wasn’t due for a dividend from Tianyu Group yet. So, for now, he was still cash-strapped.
...
"Driver, just pull over here," Julien instructed.
That's right, today he had taken a taxi instead of riding his bike. As he put it, "What’s the point of riding a bike now that I’m about to be a rich man? Taking a taxi is a must."
As soon as he got out of the car, Julien noticed several people in suits standing at the entrance of Times Square. These were likely the property management staff waiting for him.
On the other side, Camille Lefevre had been busy after hanging up the phone. She quickly arranged for staff to inform the tenants inside the plaza about cleanliness and image, while she personally waited at the entrance with the property team for Julien’s arrival.
Why the grand reception? It was simple—Times Square had a new owner. If Julien was displeased, he could easily fire the entire property management team. Camille had worked hard to reach her position as general manager, and she was worried that any small mistake could cost her her job.
After half an hour of waiting, Camille finally saw Julien arriving.
"Hello, I’m Julien," he introduced himself.
"Ah, you’re the boss! You’re even more impressive in person than in the photos!" Camille exclaimed, showering him with compliments. She went to great lengths to please him, practically offering herself as a companion for the evening.
After all, she didn’t mind—it was an opportunity to climb even higher, especially with Julien’s good looks and wealth.
Throughout their tour of the plaza, Camille continuously praised Julien, eager to impress him.
"Mr. Boss, are you satisfied with our management?" she asked cautiously.
Julien was sitting at Camille’s desk, flipping through reports.
"Yeah, the management is fine," he responded absentmindedly, still focused on the documents.
Hearing this, Camille's heart sank. She thought she had done something wrong, making the new owner unhappy. But Julien didn’t care much about her performance. He was too busy processing the rent report in his hands.
"Shop 07’s quarterly rent is 120,000, Shop 08’s quarterly rent is 10,800, Shop 15’s quarterly rent is 140,000...
There are about 100 shops in total at Times Square."
After reading the report, Julien decided he was done with starting businesses. From now on, he’d just collect rent.
Finally, after Camille anxiously waited for his response, Julien put the report down.
"Alright, I’ve read the report," he said.
"Are you satisfied, boss?" Camille asked eagerly.
"Yeah, the rent’s fine. No need to raise it next quarter. We have to consider the tenants' situation. If I want to raise it, I’ll let you know," Julien replied.
"Wise as always, boss," Camille said, throwing another compliment his way.
"Alright, stop with the flattery. I know what you’re thinking—you’re worried I’ll replace you and the whole property team, right?" Julien smiled.
"No, no, I’m just being honest," Camille stammered, caught off guard.
"You don’t have to worry. Your company’s management is fine. If it weren’t, I would’ve replaced you already. Luckily, you’re doing well," Julien said calmly. "So, general manager, keep up the good work."
Camille felt relieved, though she knew Julien wasn’t fooled by her flattery. Still, she was professional enough to keep her position.
"Thank you for the compliment, boss. We’ll continue to work hard," Camille said happily.
"Alright, I’ll give you my account information. Just transfer the rent when you’ve collected it," Julien said as he stood up.
"Okay, we’ll make sure to transfer it to you on time," Camille said quickly.
"Mm-hmm, I’ll be going now," Julien said.
"I’ll see you out," Camille offered, opening the door for him.
"No need. Oh, and by the way, tell everyone that this month, you’re all getting double the pay, and future raises will be 30%."
"As for the funds, you can take them from my rent."
As Julien waved, he knew the key to motivating workers was making sure they were well-compensated.
As soon as he left the plaza, all the property staff immediately surrounded Camille.
- Writer
