Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 460 President Zhai's Financial Resources
Although Zhai Dali aspires to be a couch potato today, plans can change when faced with unforeseen circumstances.

For example, instructions from one's own mother.

"Xiao Da, go to the market and buy three catties of pork ribs. I thought we had some at home, but it turns out it's mixed ribs."

Having spent most of the day lying around, and feeling a bit drowsy from playing on his phone, Zhai Da dozed off: "Mom, is this how you treat your son? I'm a respectable person, with thousands of people under my command and billions in assets."

Ms. Yu, hands on her hips, said, "So what?"

"Okay. Would you like anything else?"

"Buy some garlic."

Zhai Da got up, stretched, and obediently changed his clothes.

When will food delivery platforms arrive?

Oh. Maybe someone is working on it, but it's a different story when it comes to Dongyang.

However, before leaving the house, Ms. Yu suddenly leaned back and poked her head out: "You really have tens of billions?"

Zhai Da: "I don't know, someone else gave me that assessment."

"How come you don't know how much money you have?"

"What they're referring to is 'personal wealth,' not cash. It's like they've put a valuation on my company. Anyway, I don't know where to get tens of billions."

As he spoke, Zhai Da took out his phone and showed his mother the news he had found earlier.

The text reads: "Forbes China Rich List Released, Zhai Dacheng Becomes the Youngest Person to Make the List."

Personal wealth: 282 billion, ranking 11th, narrowly losing to Wang Chuanfu above, and Xu Jiayin below.

My apologies, I never expected to be ranked before pigs.

However, these days, 200 billion is almost enough to get into the top ten; it really is an era where money is still very valuable.
Zhai Da explained, "I haven't gone public, nor have I published any financial statements. Forbes hasn't called me either, and I have no idea how they made that ranking."

It is probably assessed based on revenue estimates, technological prospects, brand reputation, and most importantly, the "desire" of the capital market.

Oh, "Yueda Catering" and "Bestselling Author Income" should also have been included in the calculation.

The research institute is not listed on the stock exchange, which is a disadvantage when calculating "wealth". These days, as long as it is listed and has a stock price as a benchmark, it is normal for the founder's net worth to increase several times, even if you are a chain of Sichuan restaurants.

Therefore, everyone wants to go public; the game of capital can create wealth far more effectively than real industry.

On the other hand, the fact that he is the sole owner of the research institute is quite impressive; in many larger companies, the founders are only a handful of people.
Of course, all of this was just a joke for him, a way to tease Ms. Yu. He just saw it while lying down and found it quite amusing.

He wouldn't receive the "282 billion" either. In reality, the research institute's total assets were less than 100 billion, and it still owed the China Development Bank some money. Of course, the promising technologies and the talented team they had were another matter entirely.

The narrative logic is different, and so are the pursuits.

He guessed that sooner or later, the pig downstairs would far surpass him, become the richest man, support a dance troupe, and be so rich that he would want to sell bottled water and build cars.

But that didn't matter to him at all.

Currently, "Hongtu OS" generates hundreds of millions of yuan in global revenue every month, which is enough for him to invest in new projects.

This is a super-profitable opportunity with low investment, high returns, and extremely high profit margins. Choosing this as the first project was absolutely the right decision.

Moreover, Hongtu has not yet reached its peak; the existing market is huge, and Nokia is not dead yet.
As for "Machine Core Semiconductor", there is still a long way to go before it can recoup its total investment and achieve substantial profits. Let's focus on maximizing production capacity first.

He had been on the Forbes list of authors before, and at that time he was thinking of making it onto the overall list someday.

He's on top now!

Ms. Yu probably didn't quite understand what was going on. After listening, she felt it was all empty talk, which she categorized as "not spreading rumors, not believing rumors," and instantly lost interest.

"Alright, let's go. Remember to pick the best cuts, don't get ripped off by buying the ones that are all bones and no meat. Also, squeeze the garlic cloves, buy the firm ones."

Zhai Da: "Okay, okay, don't worry. We still need to weigh things carefully. The important thing is something new. You taught me this since I was little, so I won't forget it."

So the young billionaire, with a net worth of "tens of billions", went out wearing a pair of sneakers.

Tang Xiao Kui, who had been preparing for a long time, immediately raised her hand, afraid that Zhai Da wouldn't see her: "Brother! Brother! I'll go with you!"

Zhai Da didn't refuse and led Tang Xiao Kui towards the underground parking garage. In the elevator, Tang Xiao Kui shook Zhai Da's hand:
"Brother, can I drive your car? I want to watch cartoons."

So that's what they were waiting for.
Zhai Da didn't care. After getting off the elevator, he turned to the side and found a roller shutter door installed in the basement that had been opened up.

The iron gate slowly rose, revealing the long-untouched [mechanical core] inside.

Because of the difficult road conditions in Sunmazhuang, this car from the future has been idle for a long time. Since it's a rare opportunity to drive it in the city, let's just say it's a chance to clean out the fuel tank.

However, when Tang Xiaokui eagerly opened the small screen in the back row, she discovered that Zhai Da had put out study materials for her.

“一个3*3*3的泳池，一根水管以2.8立方米的速度抽水，一根水管以3.7立方米的速度放水。”

"How much is the water bill?"

Tang Xiao Kui: ? ? ?

"Brother's cartoon?"

"It's just a short distance, you'll have to make do for now." They promise not to utter a sound once they see it.

They got in the car and headed towards the old town. He knew Ms. Yu's preferences well. When he said "vegetable market," he was actually referring to the one in the old town, and he superstitiously believed that no other vegetable market was as good as this one.

Just ten minutes later, Zhai Da, wearing a mask, led Tang Xiao Kui along the dirty ground, heading towards the interior of the market.

I glanced at a certain stall a couple of times as I passed by.

I traded a weight here back then and used it to craft the [Clown Poker]. The owner supposedly bought three houses in the county with his "ghost hand" (a legendary weapon), but I don't know if he's gone out of business now.

However, there is generally no such thing as retribution in this world, and business is actually booming. The stall is kept very clean and tidy, attracting young people with no life experience.

They probably need to buy vegetables for several years to have a concept of whether a piece of pork the size of a palm weighs three pounds.

As he passed by someone buying groceries, Zhai Daduo glanced at them twice.

Nice legs.

The term "auto-aiming" refers to automatic aiming.

It has nothing to do with my character, Zhai.

After taking only two steps, he turned back.

Huh? He recognizes those legs!
Wearing a pale yellow dress, Lu Siwen seemed out of place in the dirty market. Like Zhai Da, she was wearing a mask and talking to the vendor.

"Really? So that's what 'one cucumber equals three pounds of water' means. I've learned something new!"

Zhai Da stood behind and watched for a while, until the boss carried a bag of cucumbers and said that it weighed 18 jin (9 catties), then Zhai Da spoke up.

"When did you come back?"

Lu Siwen, who had her back to Zhai Da, suddenly brightened up.

She recognized the voice!

Lu Siwen slung her notebook behind her back: "Last week, I attended a training session organized by the Writers' Association."

"Oh? How does it feel?"

"It's like I said something, but it's also like I didn't say anything at all."

"normal."

Zhai Da took out his phone and said to the shop owner in front of him, "How many pounds of cucumbers are these? I'll pay for them."

Perhaps because people aren't very vigilant about phone cameras these days, the boss felt something was off, but didn't react.

If this happened more than ten years from now, people would be jumping up and down, fighting over the phone.

"It weighs 18 jin in total. Just give me 15, and round it down."

Zhai Da held Lu Siwen down, made him pay obediently, and recorded the whole process.

It doesn't matter, Meng Tao will take care of it.

Tang Xiao Kui secretly sized up this Sister Lu. She had seen her many times at the orphanage, so she was not unfamiliar with her.

However, she was as sharp-witted as a mirror, and already knew who her future sister-in-law was, so she was a little wary of her.

Since she had met Zhai Da, Lu Siwen would definitely go with him. Come to think of it, the two hadn't seen each other since the Spring Festival because Lu Siwen hadn't finished her studies.

Half a year may seem like a long time, but it is the norm for many young people who are not in the same university and basically maintain this frequency.

Moreover, the relationship between the two is now somewhat complicated. Zhai Da and Lu Zetao have jointly invested in "Machine Refining and Chemicals," which specializes in providing chemical raw materials for semiconductor factories, and have become business partners.

Call him uncle.

Lu Siwen, clutching her notebook, felt a little awkward about the unexpected encounter. She had been thinking about finding Zhai Da every day since her vacation started, but she hadn't actually taken any action.

Zhai Da, on the other hand, was relaxed and casually asked, "Are you gathering material?"

Lu Siwen nodded: "Although I can't be as prolific as you, I should be having a new book soon. The lives of ordinary people are my weakness, and there's a lot I need to learn."

"Then you've been completely fooled. The idea that one cucumber contains three pounds of water doesn't mean that."

"Oh? What does that mean?"

"Hard to say, it's definitely not what it sounds like. Do you have a direction for your new book?"

Lu Siwen felt a little guilty, but in the end she told the truth.

"A somewhat immature idea."

"Tell me, let me see how immature you are."

Lu Siwen took a deep breath, stood still, and said sincerely:
Can I write a story about utopia?

(End of this chapter)