Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 384 - 381: Scouting the Store Location

At Times Square, Lin Wanwan went straight to the recruitment department on the top floor to find Old Chen.

Having been here several times, the receptionist recognized Lin Wanwan. Even with a mask on, a beauty leaves a lasting impression.

Entering Old Chen’s office and closing the glass door, Lin Wanwan asked with a smile, "Manager Chen, how’s the situation with my store? Any progress?"

Old Chen smiled, gesturing to the small sofa in front of his desk, "Rest assured, it’s basically settled. Once the legal department drafts the contract, I’ll contact you immediately. I called you here today to let you first see the actual location, to see if you’re satisfied."

"With your help keeping an eye on things, I’m sure I’ll be satisfied. Is it next to Misty Rain Pretty Maiden?"

"It’s not right next door, but there are two stores in between. Though the location is slightly more off than Misty Rain Pretty Maiden, the area is undoubtedly bustling; it’s a great spot. To be honest, we only started renting it out this year; previously, it was our company’s service point." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Oh, is that so? Thanks for your effort, Manager Chen. Shall we go check it out now?"

"Knock knock!"

Just then, a woman dressed in a business skirt, resembling an assistant, walked in with a tray holding a teapot, "Please enjoy some tea."

Lin Wanwan nodded to her in thanks while Old Chen poured a cup for himself and Lin Wanwan, "Come on, have some tea to soothe your throat, then we’ll head over for a look."

Lin Wanwan took a sip from her teacup and exchanged a few pleasantries with Old Chen.

After finishing her tea, Old Chen called in the woman who had brought the tea earlier, asking her to bring a notebook, and the three headed out to see the store’s actual location.

It was a workday, and there weren’t many shoppers in the square. Once inside the elevator, Old Chen said to Lin Wanwan, "Don’t be fooled by the slow daytime traffic. By evening, even on workdays, people flood in. Our basement level has an international supermarket and snack area, the fifth floor has high-end dining, and the sixth floor hosts Times Cinema. Opening a store here will guarantee good traffic."

The woman in the business skirt also laughed and chimed in, "Our square’s target customers are high-spending groups who rarely shop online. The online stores and special circumstances in the past two years have affected average shopping centers but have little impact on our square’s physical stores."

Lin Wanwan smiled and nodded in agreement.

Throughout history, it’s been "Extravagance within, misery outside," with an unbridgeable gap between the rich and poor.

In Great Tang, ordinary people couldn’t even fill their stomachs; those barely fed were considered wealthy farmers. As for nobles? They enjoyed beautiful scenery in Agarwood Pavilion, eating mutton seasoned with pepper priced like gold. There’s no luxury the wealthy can’t enjoy, only things the poor can’t imagine.

In modern times, average people in recent years have downgraded their consumption due to various factors, with countless physical stores going bankrupt daily. Yet luxury stores often have huge crowds and queues.

Such stark and cruel contrasts.

Before long, they arrived at the store. At first glance, it seemed completely covered by billboards, but upon closer inspection, two hidden doors could be found for entrance.

"Since it hasn’t been rented out yet, it’s kept covered for overall aesthetics. After signing the contract and completing your renovation, you can remove these wooden frames." Old Chen explained casually to Lin Wanwan.

"Yes, I understand that."

While inspecting the site, Lin Wanwan sent a message to Su Yanwei, asking him to come up to the third floor when he was free to check the store’s location together.

The inside space was currently empty, offering a total of one hundred square meters with simple white walls and floor tiles and nothing else. Decoration work would naturally be done by the store owner, which perfectly suited Lin Wanwan.

Drawing on a blank canvas is better. If it came pre-decorated, it would just be more work for her.

"Yes, I see the sun is shining everywhere

Joy is soaring above the city..."

Lin Wanwan’s phone rang at this time. Seeing the caller ID, it was her cousin Su Yanwei calling, "Excuse me, I have to take this call."

"Please go ahead."

"Hey, Xiaowei, where are you now?"

"Wanwan, it’s me. I’m at the third floor elevator entrance. Where are you?"

"Wait there, I’ll come to get you."

"Okay."

Ending the call, Lin Wanwan said, "I’m going to fetch someone who will be our store manager, getting him to also look at this environment."

"Haha, is it Xiao Su? Let’s go together," Old Chen laughed, following Lin Wanwan to meet Su Yanwei.

Today, Su Yanwei was wearing a white shirt uniform, looking very neat and tidy. Seeing Lin Wanwan, he greeted her with a bright smile. He had submitted his resignation as store manager a few days ago, completing his handover this week and officially leaving.

His biggest customer was the Platinum VIC Lu Shouyue, whose information, upon his resignation, he’d handed over to the store manager who had always been quite accommodating to him, leaving the latter ecstatic.

Having a customer like Platinum VIC is akin to having a benefactor; the commissions earned solely from this customer ensure a modest living, combined with other clients, resulting in a sure upper-middle-class income.

About his new endeavor, Su Yanwei hadn’t kept it secret from his former colleagues.

Among them, many had fallen prey to the illusion of being able to live luxury lifestyles just from working at a luxury store.

It’s what they call "exquisite poverty"—spending a month’s salary on shoes or three months’ salary on a bag was common. Hence, as potential scatter-buyers of luxury goods, Su Yanwei naturally did some promotion.

Of course, he didn’t go into details with his former colleagues. Truth be told, it’s tough to find genuine friends in the workplace. Colleagues are both co-workers and competitors, where’s the space for true feelings?

Government workers and civil servants, due to stable jobs, might stick around for decades and form genuine friendships. However, in high-turnover private companies, there aren’t many personal connections shared among colleagues.

Pure friendships unfold only in school settings, a period when one is most likely to make cross-social-class friends; the better the school, the truer this holds.

In schools, relationships are built on fate rather than class.

Take a certain prince and princess of some nation, didn’t they use school as a springboard leading to romantic pursuits?

Owing to Su Yanwei’s vagueness about the specifics of his new job, his ex-colleagues became more inclined to believe in his ’rich second-generation’ identity.

See, it seems he was just gaining some experience at grassroots, and now he’s about to become a manager at another luxury store. Any store located at Times Square, barring basement snack stalls, boasts formidable prowess.