How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 510 Taking advantage of a crisis?

Thanks to Zhang Wen's efforts, Xingxiang's teacher shortage problem has finally been solved, and the teaching staff has now expanded to 30 people, three times that of last year.

Xingxiang is now a force to be reckoned with, boasting a strong and well-equipped army.

However, when scheduling classes, another problem arose: there was a severe shortage of classrooms.

He had actually considered this issue before, and ultimately decided to move the classes to the daytime to alleviate the pressure of insufficient classrooms.

However, he never expected that so many students would sign up for Xingxiang this year. There is still a month and a half before summer vacation, and the number of students has already exceeded two thousand. Once summer vacation arrives, it is possible that there will be three or four thousand.

At that time, there won't be enough classrooms, let alone during the day or even at night.

"Ugh!"

Zhang Wen sighed deeply.

"It's all my fault. I'm too charming, attracting so many art students to apply."

As expected, the reincarnation of the God of Literature is no joke; he possesses an innate aura of charm.

The best solution would definitely be to use the existing teaching building as the main structure and expand it to both sides, renting and connecting the adjacent buildings. However, there is a bank on the left and a beauty salon on the right. The bank is obviously not going to be sold, and the beauty salon is doing well, showing no signs of being transferred.

Since neither option is feasible, there's only one path left: find a new house, preferably nearby.

Zhang Wen deliberately set aside a day to come to Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center early in the morning. He bought a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) and started wandering around the neighborhood to see if there were any suitable shops.

There are shops for rent, but most of them are too small, usually only two or three hundred square meters. They're fine for a summer daycare, but definitely not enough for an arts exam preparation program.

After looking around, I couldn't find a suitable shop, but I did find a real estate agency. It seemed to have just opened, and a young agent was wiping the glass door outside.

Zhang Wen went inside without hesitation.

The real estate agent, dressed in a white shirt, immediately put down the rag he was holding when someone entered the store, and put on a standard professional smile: "Hello sir, welcome to Anju Real Estate. Are you looking to buy, sell, or rent a property?"

While looking at the employee handbook hanging on the wall, Zhang Wen said, "Rent a place, a shop."

"A shop? What a coincidence, we have a lot of shops around here." The real estate agent quickly opened his computer and asked, "Sir, please tell me the purpose of the shop, the approximate size you want, and any requirements for the space, so I can match you with the right one."

“We offer art exam training, including acting, dance, singing, and various musical instruments. The space needs to be at least 2,000 square meters, 3,000 or 4,000 square meters is fine too, the bigger the better.” Zhang Wen sat down opposite the real estate agent.

The real estate agent paused abruptly while typing, looked up and glanced around, a hint of hesitation in his eyes. "Sir, are you planning to open an arts exam training institution around here?"

"Mm." Zhang Wen nodded.

The young man immediately took his hands off the keyboard and lowered his voice, saying, "Handsome, I don't know if you've taken a look around the neighborhood, but there's an art exam training institution on that street over there, I think it's called Xingxiang Art Exam. It's incredibly popular lately, with parents flocking to its trial classes. If you open a shop near it, isn't that like walking into the line of fire?"

Zhang Wen laughed upon hearing this, "I am the principal of Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center. There are too many applicants this year, and the existing classrooms are not enough, so I want to rent another storefront nearby to use as classrooms."

The young man was slightly taken aback. He paused for three seconds, then his eyes widened, and he slapped his thigh and quickly stood up.

"You must be Principal Zhang? I've heard so much about you."

After saying that, he walked to the water dispenser, filled a glass of water and placed it in front of Zhang Wen, and said enthusiastically, "Principal Zhang, leave this to me. Let me tell you, as soon as you mentioned that the venue needs to be large, three properties immediately popped into my mind."

"Really?" Zhang Wen smiled. Just based on the other person's kind reminder earlier, he felt he could get along with this person.

He used to work as a real estate agent, and if the other party didn't point it out, there wouldn't be any problems at all.

The real estate agent pulled out three key listings from his computer and turned the screen in front of Zhang Wen: "Look at these three. The first one is under an office building at the east intersection. It's 1,900 square meters, very spacious, and perfect as a rehearsal room."

"The second one is the third and fourth floors of the shopping mall to the south, with an area of ​​2,200 square meters. The rent is relatively expensive, and the opening hours are affected by the mall's schedule."

"The third one is really impressive. It's right across from your Xingxiang, about 500 or 600 meters away. It used to be a bathhouse, with three floors and a total area of ​​over 3,500 square meters. It closed down three months ago and has been vacant ever since. The owner is eager to rent it out, and the rent is negotiable."

Zhang Wen's eyes lit up instantly when he saw the last one.

The lobby of the bathhouse is spacious and open, which can be converted into a reception area and a rest area for parents. The hot tub area inside has no load-bearing columns, so it can be converted into a rehearsal hall or a classroom. Most importantly, it is close to Xingxiang's current teaching building and can be found with a simple gesture, which is very convenient.

"Can we go check out the third one now?" Zhang Wen asked.

"Yes, I'll contact the owner right away." The real estate agent quickly took out his phone, explained the situation in a few words, and said after hanging up, "The owner will be here soon, let's go first."

After saying that, he picked up his bag and led the way.

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the entrance of the bathhouse.

The dark red door was tightly closed, and a sign that read "Closed for Renovation" was posted on the glass door.

Zhang Wen had been wandering around the street behind Xingxiang and hadn't come to the other side, so he hadn't noticed this shop.

Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing glasses walked over. Upon seeing Zhang Wen, he immediately extended his hand warmly, "Principal Zhang, I've heard so much about you. Let me show you around."

Pushing open the door, although the floor was covered in dust, the interior layout was clearly visible.

Zhang Wen followed the homeowner to inspect each floor. The lobby on the first floor had a high ceiling of six meters, and sunlight streamed in through the glass of the dome, making it bright, transparent, and very classy. The bathhouse on the second floor, just as the real estate agent had said, had no load-bearing columns, making it easy to renovate. The third floor had private rooms and a public leisure area. The corridor was spacious, and each private room was about 20 square meters in size. If the partitions between them were removed, it could be converted into a classroom.

"How much is the rent? Can you extend the renovation period?" Zhang Wen got straight to the point.

The area here is about the same as Xingxiang's current teaching building, so we can move the performing arts major, which has a large number of students, here.

Perhaps because the property hadn't been rented out for several months, the owner was getting anxious and offered a price slightly lower than the market rate, along with a one-month renovation period.

Zhang Wen felt that the landlord was very sincere, and the rent was even lower than the teaching building he was currently renting, so he agreed immediately.

"Okay, it's settled then." Zhang Wen turned to the real estate agent, "Could you please draft the contract, clearly specifying the rent-free period, the rights and responsibilities for renovations, and the responsibility for fire safety inspection?"

"Okay, Principal Zhang," the agent said, already overjoyed. He'd made a good profit from this deal and could afford an extra chicken leg that night.

The three returned to the agency and quickly signed the contract. Zhang Wen paid a year's rent upfront and then returned to Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center with the contract.

"Principal, what's making you so happy? Let us share it with you," Xu Zining asked curiously.

“I just went out for a walk and rented three more floors across the street. We’ll be holding our acting classes there from now on,” Zhang Wen said.

Xu Zining and Liu Qing were both stunned. Renting an apartment? That was too fast! Faster than them renting power banks. But what followed was genuine joy. Xingxiang had expanded, and they felt proud when they introduced themselves.

Zhang Wen returned to his office, put the rental contract in the safe, and then found the landlady's phone number and called her.

Soon, the call was connected.

"Sister, I'm Zhang Wen."

"Oh, it's Principal Zhang. What's the matter?"

"Could you send me the phone number of the construction team that did my renovation before? I've rented a new place and want to hire them for renovations," Zhang Wen said.

"Oh? Principal Zhang, so you're not renting this place from me anymore? We signed a three-year contract!" The landlord's anxious voice came through the receiver.

“Sister, I’ll continue renting this place; I’m going to expand.” Zhang Wen explained.

The person on the other end of the phone visibly relaxed before saying, "Okay, I'll send you the number right now."

Not long after hanging up the phone, Zhang Wen received a text message from his landlady, and then dialed the number on the message.

Upon hearing that there was a big job, the construction team leader immediately decided to send people to the site without hesitation, promising to provide a renovation plan by tomorrow and to start construction the day after, aiming to complete the project within a month.

After the conversation, Zhang Wen left the office and went to the lobby on the first floor to wait for Wang Deli, the person in charge of the construction team. He would take him to the bathhouse diagonally opposite... no, it should now be called the Xingxiang Art Examination Center branch.

A few minutes later, the door opened and a middle-aged woman walked in.

Zhang Wen glanced at it and saw that it was the landlady, so he got up and went over to say hello.

"Sister, what brings you here?" Zhang Wen asked with a smile.

"I heard you were looking for a construction team, so I came to check on things, worried you might get ripped off." The landlady said, looking around. "Speaking of which, your place is really popular now. I passed by a few days ago and saw it was packed with people. There are fewer and fewer talented young people like you these days."

"Thanks to you." Zhang Wen pointed to the chair next to him, gesturing for the other person to sit down.

"You're absolutely right." The landlady smiled broadly, her tone tinged with pride. "This place is a lucky spot, it brings wealth! When you first came, there were only a few hundred people, but now there are over a thousand, right?"

"Hmm, more or less," Zhang Wen said vaguely, sensing that there was something more to the other person's words.

"Xiao Zhang," the landlady suddenly stopped smiling and said in a consultative tone, "Our contract is almost a year old now. I was chatting with some other landlords in the neighborhood yesterday, and the market has gone up. The rents for shops in the area have all increased. Your school is so big, shouldn't we adjust the rent accordingly? You can't let me suffer a loss, can you?"

Zhang Wen was taken aback, finally understanding the other party's purpose in coming here today.

It turns out they knew his business was growing and wanted to raise the rent.

"Sister, how much of a price increase do you want?" Zhang Wen asked.

When the contract was signed, it was clearly stated that the lease term was three years, and the rent could be increased by 2% to 4% each year according to market conditions. The first year is about to expire, so it is reasonable for the other party to discuss raising the rent now.

The landlord thought for a moment, then held up one finger.

"One hundred thousand?" Zhang Wen asked.

For a storefront of several thousand square meters, an increase of 100,000 yuan per year is not considered high.

"Yes." The landlord nodded.

"No problem," Zhang Wen readily agreed.

The landlady breathed a sigh of relief, and her bright smile returned. "I knew it. 100,000 a month is just a drop in the ocean for Principal Zhang. You art exam training programs really make money!"

"Wait a minute!" Zhang Wen frowned and looked at the landlord, asking, "A 100,000 increase per month? Isn't it supposed to be a 100,000 increase per year?"

"Xiao Zhang, what are you joking with me? My place is so big and has such good feng shui, how could it only increase by 100,000 in a year?" the landlord said.

“Sister, 100,000 a month, that’s 1.2 million a year. That’s already beyond the increase stipulated in the contract,” Zhang Wen said expressionlessly.

It seems the other party isn't here to discuss raising the rent, but rather to take advantage of the situation.

The landlady's smile faded slightly, but a hint of greed appeared in her eyes.

“Xiao Zhang, contracts are just contracts, but people are flexible. The economy is developing so fast these days, it’s changing every day. We should keep up with the times. You know how sought-after houses are in this area. To tell you the truth, many people have their eyes on my three-story building. A monthly increase of 100,000 is really not high.”

Zhang Wen sneered inwardly. The bathhouse diagonally opposite hadn't been rented out for three months, and the rent was even lower than this place. Yet the other party had the audacity to tell him that houses in this area were in high demand. Wasn't that just blatant lying?
To be honest, a million is just a drop in the ocean for him now, but his money didn't come from thin air.

Raising the rent is fine, but trying to rob him of his money? No way.

"Sister, I need to discuss this with the investors. Can I give you an answer in a few days?" Zhang Wen asked in a consultative tone.

"Okay, then give me an answer as soon as possible." Seeing that Zhang Wen did not refuse on the spot, the landlord assumed that the other party was afraid of losing the venue, and a smug look flashed in his eyes.

In fact, she dared to raise the rent because she was certain that the other party would not easily change the teaching building.

Before coming, she made a point of learning that the training center was very famous in the art exam industry, and many parents from other places came here because of its reputation. Otherwise, why would it have expanded its scale?
With summer vacation just around the corner, it will soon be the busiest time for art exam training. How could the other party possibly change the school location for a mere million?

Besides, where would they find a new teaching building in such a short time?

To put pressure on her, she didn't forget to give him a good talking-to before leaving.

"Xiao Zhang, don't hesitate for too long. A lot of people are eyeing this place."

"Don't worry, big sister, I'll definitely give you an answer within a week," Zhang Wen said.

"Ah."

The landlord didn't say anything more, and walked out the door smugly, looking like he had it all figured out.

Zhang Wen saw the person out the door, and as he watched their departing figure, his eyes gradually turned cold.

"Since you think this place is a blessed land, then wait for someone destined to rent it. I have no affinity with this place."

……

(End of this chapter)