After being reborn, the school beauty's entire family knelt down to repent.

"Brother Li, keep them calm and tell them to come to the underground shopping mall for a unified meeting at 10 a.m. today," Chen Ming calmly instructed.

"Okay! I'll go and inform them right away!"

...

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ming immediately got up and washed up.

He looked at himself in the mirror, young and full of vitality, completely different from the sickly self he had been in his previous life.

In this life, he is determined to live a brilliant life and make those who deceived and hurt him pay the price!

At 10 o'clock, the entrance to the underground shopping mall was already crowded with people, all of whom came to inquire about shop rental matters.

Looking at the bustling crowd in front of him, Chen Ming felt secretly pleased with himself.

He walked up to the crowd, cleared his throat, and said, "Gentlemen, welcome to the underground shopping mall! I know you're all here for the shops, but this time, our cooperation has changed a bit."

A commotion broke out in the crowd, and many people began to whisper among themselves.

"Is this a case of discarding a useful tool after it has served its purpose?"

"Don't talk nonsense. Boss Chen is kind of him to give us the venue and customers. He's not that kind of person!"

"You know what, there's no such thing as a free lunch. I bet this guy's after our wallets!"

"Hmph, let's unite as one and see if he can defeat us!"

Chen Ming frowned, ignoring him, and continued, "We waived the rent before to attract customers. Now that the mall is booming, we've decided to start charging rent and a share of the sales revenue."

As soon as these words were spoken, and the doubts seemed to be true, the crowd immediately erupted in uproar.

"What? You want to charge rent? And you want a share of the profits?"

“This is too dark!”

"Yes, they just waived the rent yesterday, and they've changed their minds today!"

Chen Ming remained calm; he had long anticipated such a reaction.

"Dear bosses, please let me explain."

He raised his voice to drown out the noise.

"First of all, the underground shopping mall has a superior location and a large flow of people, which is an indisputable fact."

"Secondly, we provide comprehensive supporting facilities and security guarantees, all of which come at a cost."

"Finally, we take a cut to better incentivize everyone to work together to make the underground shopping mall bigger and stronger."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Of course, the rent and profit-sharing ratio are negotiable, and we will adjust them according to the different types and sizes of shops. If you feel it is not suitable, you can choose not to rent."

Chen Ming's words, while not completely quelling the public's dissatisfaction, did prompt some to begin to think more calmly.

After all, the advantages of underground shopping malls in terms of foot traffic and location are real. As long as business is good, rent and profit sharing are not a problem.

In the crowd, a short, stout man with an oily face squeezed to the front and said obsequiously to Chen Ming:

"Mr. Chen, I'm in the restaurant business, and I'd like to rent the largest shop I can find. The rent and profit sharing are negotiable. What do you think..."

Chen Ming glanced at him and recognized him as a notorious "heartless" restaurant owner in the city.

Nicknamed "King of Gutter Oil".

He sneered inwardly; he didn't want this kind of person in his business.

"I'm sorry, your restaurant doesn't meet our requirements." Chen Ming refused without hesitation.

The "King of Gutter Oil" changed his expression, and was about to say something more.

But Li Yong, who was behind Chen Ming, grabbed him and warned in a low voice, "Don't you even know who Boss Chen is? Get out of here!"

The "King of Gutter Oil" shut his mouth in embarrassment and slunk away.

Everyone else was secretly shocked to see this, not expecting Chen Ming to show such disrespect to the "King of Gutter Oil".

It seems this young man is even more capable than they imagined.

Next, Chen Ming began negotiating rent and profit sharing with other people.

Despite complaints about the high prices, all the shops were eventually snapped up.

Chen Ming looked at the group of "bosses" in front of him, their eyes red with rage, and chuckled inwardly.

These people were shouting "too dark" and "not going" one second, and the next second they were fighting tooth and nail for a bunk. It's ridiculous.

"Mr. Chen, I'll pay double the rent! Please rent me that corner shop!"

A man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face squeezed in front of Chen Ming, his face full of smiles.

Chen Ming glanced at him sideways and said slowly, "Rent is not a problem. The key is what kind of business you want to do. This mall of mine is not a place where just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can enter."

"I...I sell clothing! High-end clothing!" The man with the pointed chin and monkey-like face puffed out his chest, seemingly trying to make himself look more "high-end."

Chen Ming chuckled: "Clothing? That 'King of Gutter Oil' tried to come in too, but I kicked him out. If you don't have any real skills, don't waste my time."

Upon hearing this, the man with the pointed face and monkey-like features panicked and hurriedly pulled a stack of photos from his pocket, handing them to Chen Ming like a precious treasure:

"Mr. Chen, look! This is the latest style I photographed at the Canton Fair. It's absolutely fashionable! I guarantee you'll find it one of a kind in this mall!"

Chen Ming took the photos and flipped through them casually. The clothing styles in the photos were indeed novel and would have been unique in mainland China in the 1980s.

But he remained unmoved and threw the photo back at the man.

"The styles are nice, but how can you guarantee a stable supply? Don't run out of stock after only three days of opening and ruin my reputation."

Sweat beaded on the man's forehead as he stammered, "I...I have connections! I guarantee I can get the goods!"

Chen Ming sneered: "Connections? What connections? Smuggling? Speculation? Let me give you a piece of advice: don't try to be clever in front of me, otherwise..."

The man's face turned deathly pale. He knew Chen Ming was not someone to be trifled with, and dared not spout any more nonsense. He could only nod and bow, forcing a smile.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen, I'm absolutely from a legitimate source! I guarantee there won't be any problems!"

Chen Ming waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, go back and wait for news. If it meets my requirements, I'll let you know."

The man quickly nodded in agreement and slunk away.

Next, Chen Ming received dozens more "bosses," including those selling snacks, daily necessities, and electronic products.

Chen Ming questioned each person in detail, carefully examining their qualifications and abilities.

As evening fell, Chen Ming looked at the thick stack of rent and profit-sharing contracts in his hand, rubbed his sore muscles, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Ming-ge, are they all rented out?"

Li Yong leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

"Isn't that right?"

"Given our conditions and location, the process was a bit complicated, but the rent and profit-sharing ratio are much higher than we initially expected!"

Chen Ming chuckled, but his face betrayed his exhaustion.

"Brother Ming is mighty!"

Looking at Chen Ming's expression, Li Yong asked with concern, "Brother Ming, why don't we go get something to eat? You've been busy all day, you must be hungry."