The Maybach parked in the plaza of the building.

When Lu Ming pushed open the door and entered the lobby on the first floor, he almost thought he had walked into the wrong place.

The floor had been mopped.

Not just a cursory once-over, but thoroughly cleaned multiple times, leaving the gray tiles with a damp sheen.

The dust on the circular reception desk had been wiped clean, and a glass vase, of unknown origin, sat on the counter with a few wildflowers picked from the roadside, yellow and white, crooked but with a certain charm.

Chen Li stood at the staircase on the second floor, holding a marker and a roll of masking tape.

Lu Yuan spotted Chen Li immediately: "Wow! Chen Li, is that really you?"

Chen Li turned around, "Lu Yuan? What are you doing here?"

Lu Ming was taken aback, "You two know each other?"

Lu Yuan grinned playfully: "It's a girl thing, stay out of it."

Chen Li smiled, "Lu Ming, I knew Lu Yuan back in high school."

Lu Ming nodded, "Saves me the introduction."

Chen Li gestured with her chin, "Come up and take a look."

Lu Ming went up to the second floor.

The glass partitions in the corridor were covered with strips of masking tape, each labeled with marker.

"General Manager's Office," "Finance Department," "HR and Administration Department," "Meeting Room A," "Meeting Room B," "Reception Room," "Break Area," "Archive Room."

Lu Ming walked around the corridor.

Chen Li followed behind, introducing as they walked: "The second floor will be the core office area. The three rooms facing south will be combined for your General Manager's Office, with a private bathroom and rest area.

The two adjacent rooms will be for the Finance Department and HR and Administration Department, respectively.

We'll keep the original two meeting rooms and purchase new projection equipment. At the end of the corridor, there will be an open break area, so when we have more staff, they'll have a place to catch their breath."

"What about the third floor?"

"I suggest making the third floor a multifunctional area. If the business expands, it can be converted into a second office area or training center.

The fourth and fifth floors will remain sealed until we scale up. The large hall on the sixth floor should stay as it is, reserved for large meetings or promotional events."

Lu Ming nodded.

Lu Yuan, following behind, admired the clear planning but couldn't help commenting when they reached the "Finance Department" label: "This room faces north; heating costs in winter won't be cheap."

Chen Li turned around, smiling as she explained, "Finance work requires absolute quiet and focus. North-facing rooms have stable lighting, which helps prevent drowsiness, making them ideal for accounting.

As for heating, we can enhance insulation during renovations or use more efficient heating equipment. We can discuss the costs further."

Lu Yuan's lips twitched, but she didn't argue.

A professional's explanation made even sitting in a cold room seem reasonable.

Lu Ming walked into the room marked "General Manager's Office."

After combining the three rooms, it looked to be over eighty square meters, with excellent lighting. The windows offered a view of Yingbin Road and the distant residential buildings.

The floor was still basic gray tiles, the walls painted white, empty and bare.

"I've made a list of furniture, office equipment, and network cabling," Chen Li said, pulling a folded A4 sheet from her pocket and handing it over.

Lu Ming glanced at it.

The list was detailed, from the brand and model of office desks and chairs to the monthly ink supply for printers, even specifying the brand of hand dryer for the bathroom.

At the bottom was a handwritten note: "Recommend local procurement for the above items, estimated total cost 340,000 to 420,000 yuan."

"What time did you get here this morning?" Lu Ming asked.

"Nine o'clock."

"You did all this in three hours?"

Chen Li tucked the marker into her pocket: "When I was an HRBP, the company moved three times, and each time the administration pulled me in as extra help. I've dismantled network cables, moved servers, and drilled walls with impact drills. This is nothing."

Lu Ming folded the list and put it away, walking to the window, his back to the two of them.

"You two can divide the renovation work," he said. "Chen Li will handle the planning and procurement, Lu Yuan will manage payments and accounting. The budget cap is five hundred thousand, try to source locally. I'll give you ten days for the project."

"Ten days?" Lu Yuan exclaimed, "Brother, the Li family next door took half a month just to renovate a bathroom!"

"Then find five Li families to do it simultaneously."

Lu Yuan rolled her eyes, placed the eggs on the table, and started calculating in her notebook.

Chen Li didn't waste words, nodded to acknowledge, and turned to head downstairs, pulling out her phone to make a call as she went, her voice fading into the distance: "Hello, is this the county building materials market? I'd like to inquire about your wholesale prices for office furniture..."

The lobby quieted down.

Lu Ming took out the sticky note from his pocket.

Eleven numbers, written in blue ballpoint pen, Manager Liu's handwriting wasn't pretty, but each digit was clear.

He dialed the number.

The phone rang six times.

"Who is it?" The voice on the other end was hoarse, with the roughness characteristic of a smoker's voice.

"President Wang, hello. My name is Lu, from Yunmeng Investment Co., Ltd."

There was a two-second silence on the other end.

"Don't know you. What's this about?"

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"I'd like to discuss Wanjiafu with you."

Another two seconds of silence. This time longer, Lu Ming could even hear someone taking a deep drag of a cigarette on the other end.

"Where did you get my number?"

"A friend gave it to me."

"Which friend?"

"That's not important," Lu Ming leaned against the window frame, "President Wang, I'm aware of Wanjiafu's current situation. Half of the third-floor dining is closed, the vacancy rate on the second floor exceeds thirty percent, and suppliers are lining up at the first-floor supermarket to demand payment. Your real estate project in the city isn't going smoothly either."

The sound of a chair creaking came from the other end, as if someone had suddenly sat up straight.

"Who exactly are you?" Wang Dafa's tone rose.

"A person bringing you money."

After that sentence, there was silence on both ends of the call.

After about five or six seconds, Wang Dafa spoke again, his tone shifting from defensive to a weary probing: "You said you're... an investment company?"

"Yunmeng Investment, just registered. Three days ago, I bought the commercial building in the New District, two million in full payment. President Wang, if you don't believe me, you can check with the Housing Administration Bureau."

There was silence again on the other end.

This silence lasted even longer.

Lu Ming didn't rush; he had plenty of patience.

Half a minute later, Wang Dafa's voice came through again.

"What do you mean, are you looking to invest in me or..."

Lu Ming was straightforward: "President Wang, I want to acquire Wanjiafu."

On the other end, there was a long sigh: "Alright, tell me, how do you want to discuss this?"

Lu Ming said, "Let's meet in person, you set the time and place."

"Tomorrow afternoon, Old Town, Chalou Street, 'Qingfeng House,' three o'clock."

"Alright."