A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

In September, Chen Guangliang and his wife visited the mainland again to attend the opening ceremony of Ningbo University.

The university was proposed in 1978 and quickly entered a phase of rapid development. The first class of students enrolled in September 1980, with tuition waived and living allowances provided.

Moreover, Ningbo University is a legitimate undergraduate institution, and its faculty includes not only those transferred from Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, and Shanghai Jiao Tong Universities, but Chen Guangliang also used his personal connections to invite renowned professors and scholars from abroad.

Chen Guangliang's in-law, Nobel laureate Tang Feifan, has also become a visiting professor at Ningbo University.

Chen Guangliang's support for Ningbo University is evident in his financial and practical contributions.

Although Ningbo University has already enrolled students, only the first phase of its campus buildings is complete, and further investment in better facilities is ongoing. Frankly speaking, at this stage, Ningbo University is financially more comfortable than Tsinghua, Peking, Fudan, and Shanghai Jiao Tong Universities.

At the opening ceremony, Chen Guangliang delivered a speech entitled "Technology Changes the World" in front of more than 700 teachers and students, as well as high-ranking government officials, including the head of the State Council.

Applause erupted. Ningbo University is a typical science and engineering university that attaches great importance to disciplines such as electronics and mechanics.

As a leading figure in science and technology, Chen Guangliang's words had an unforgettable impact on many students—to dedicate themselves to science and technology and change the world.

"Science has shown that the IQ of people of Asian descent is the highest in the world. For example, penicillin was invented by our Professor Tang Feifan, and there is also Yang, a physicist. Therefore, the future belongs to you, and you can create technology and change the country and the world!"

The applause lasted for a long time.

When introducing Chen Guangliang, the speaker also mentioned many world-class products such as instant noodles, Walkmans, and arcade games, all of which were invented by Chinese people.

Therefore, Chen Guangliang's speech was very pragmatic and forward-looking.

Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Group can even represent a country's technology and industry. Chan Kwong-leung also hoped that in the 1990s, Cheung Kong would reach an agreement with a city to establish a Hong Kong industrial park, driving the development of the entire city, just like the Singapore Industrial Park in Suzhou in the previous life.

Chen Guangliang boarded his private jet (Boeing 747) and flew towards London.

This plane is operated by Hong Kong Airlines, and the pilot is a long-time friend and someone I can trust. Of course, Chen Guangliang has already completed his arrangements for his four wives and children, so he's not actually that afraid of death.

On the plane, Chen Guangliang sipped a fine vintage of Château Latour. He no longer needed to read any more books, and instead chose to play a handheld game console made by EA.

For Chen Guangliang, who is already seventy years old, there is no longer any question of wasting his life. He is now at the age of retirement and can do whatever he wants to save people.

"Mr. Chen, your snacks!"

"Thank you"

A Japanese private flight attendant, dressed in black stockings, knelt before Chen Guangliang, placing a plate of pastries on the coffee table, her tone delicate and gentle.

There are six flight attendants on Chen Guangliang's private jet, from the Philippines, Japan, and South Korea, but none from Hong Kong. These flight attendants are actually a unique feature of Hong Kong Airlines – recruiting flight attendants from five places: South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, to give passengers a sense of familiarity (Hong Kong Airlines operates these routes).

Unlike Japan Airlines, which recruits only Japanese flight attendants, and the same applies to the Philippines and South Korea, which have a strong local flavor, they overlook the fact that passengers come from different places.

The Japanese flight attendant, named Masako, added, "Mr. Chen, I didn't know you also enjoy playing video games?"

Chen Guangliang said with a smile, "Even the president is still a human being, not that mysterious!"

Masako smiled and stood up, then stretched her skirt from her hips down with both hands before returning to the flight attendant's area.

Chen Guangliang won't sleep with someone close to him, otherwise things will really get chaotic.

Even over the years, besides his four wives and concubines, Chen Guangliang only sought out some small pleasures for himself as his wives and concubines gradually aged. Apart from Deborah and Kwan Ka-wai in Hong Kong, only Si Yezi created opportunities for him.

It could even be said that Chen Guangliang was 'chaste' before the age of sixty. After all, all four of his wives and concubines were very beautiful. If he had exercised a little more restraint, he could have gotten through it.

After playing for a while, Chen Guangliang put the handheld game console aside and enjoyed some snacks.

The plane has two floors. Chen Guangliang usually uses the second floor as his private space. The second floor has a main bedroom, two secondary bedrooms, a living room, a study, an entertainment room, etc.

"Mr. Chen, would you like a massage?"

"Okay"

Chen Guangliang couldn't avoid suspicion from the flight attendants. Two flight attendants, including Yazi, took off their high heels, revealing their beautiful legs in black stockings, and came directly to either side of the bed to serve Chen Guangliang, who had already changed into his pajamas.

Green and healthy.

Chen Guangliang soon fell asleep, and the two flight attendants covered him with a blanket and left the bedroom.

They are very well-behaved and won't try to seduce the boss, since they've already made their intentions clear enough to let him take what he wants. If they were to deliberately seduce him, they might lose their high-paying jobs. Even without becoming his mistress, their salaries are two to three times that of ordinary flight attendants. More importantly, they occasionally receive gifts from the boss and his wives.

I woke up and soon I was at the London airport.

Audrey Hepburn was at the airport to pick her up, and the two then got into a campervan.

She deliberately sniffed Chen Guangliang, a sly smile appearing on her lips.

Chen Guangliang naturally had no guilty conscience. Even if he had eaten, he wouldn't feel guilty.

He laughed and said, "Two young girls massaged me on the bed for an hour."

Audrey Hepburn chuckled and said, "All's fair in war. Is it really for you, or are you massaging them for an hour?"

Chen Guangliang replied, "Next time, you'll know whether I pressed them or not if they're still on the plane!"

Audrey Hepburn understood that this man would never allow such a situation to occur around him, and if those two flight attendants were 'fired,' it was clearly because of that.

Of course, she also believed that her husband wouldn't lie, because there was no need for it.

Back at the manor, all the members of the third branch of the family were already waiting for him, and they all greeted Chen Guangliang.

Chen Wenou has now formed a family of four (one son and one daughter), Chen Wenxi has just become a father (with a son), and even Chen Daiyi has graduated from Oxford University.

"dad"

Chen Daiyi clung to her father's arm, unwilling to let go. Clearly, although Chen Guangliang was not a competent father, he was still a 'pillar of support' in the children's hearts, and perhaps also a 'god of wealth'.

"Alright, alright, how old is she now!"

Chen Daiyi said playfully, "No way! Big sister is over forty and still like this!"

Chen Guangliang smiled. The eldest sister she was referring to was naturally Chen Leyi from the second wife's side. The family was enjoying a harmonious time together. Chen Guangliang hugged his three grandchildren and examined them carefully. Indeed, they had about 70% foreign genes.

No problem, we can find another Chinese girl later and take her back.

"dad"

The two daughters-in-law also happily came to their father-in-law, showing great respect for the founder of the family.

"Victoria, Phoebe"

Their family is known for its exceptionally good looks; their children consider both education and appearance when choosing a partner. Combined with their genetics, they truly are a 'perfect family,' which is quite unsettling.

After a warm exchange, everyone sat comfortably on the sofa in the living room.

Audrey Hepburn made no attempt to hide her love for her husband, practically reclining in Chen Guangliang's arms, while her two daughters-in-law sat on the sofa behind their two sons, their arms wrapped around their husband's shoulders. As for Chen Daiyi, she sat next to Chen Guangliang, while the children were naturally taken away by the maid.

At 51, Audrey Hepburn didn't have the short lifespan typical of Europeans and Americans; her skin remained incredibly firm and wrinkle-free. Furthermore, in this life, Audrey Hepburn wasn't particularly thin; under Chen Guangliang's care, her weight remained consistently between 90 and 95 pounds.

Her chest was also a C-cup, quite impressive, and her fair skin was in no way inferior to that of her two daughters-in-law.

Chen Guangliang was in a good mood, but he didn't stop thinking. He asked, "Have you made any preparations regarding the situation of the British department store industry that I asked about?"

Chen Wenxi immediately said, “Father, my sister and I did this homework together. Since the 1980s, the number of high-end department store brands in the UK has increased, and the competition has become more intense. There have been competitors such as Selfridges, Liberty, and Fortnum & Mason, which are no less competitive than Harrods.”

Chen Guangliang immediately asked, "What about Harold's condition?"

Everyone perked up; the key figure of the family was finally about to make his move!
Chen Wenxi continued, "Harrods is facing increased competitive pressure and no longer has a clear advantage. In addition, the Harrods building is somewhat outdated. According to our estimates, the value of Harrods should be around £6 million (1:1.4 USD).

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "Then let's seek to acquire a luxury department store, with Harrods as the first target. After the department store acquisition is successful, we will then merge Château Latour into it, and at the same time prepare to acquire high-end brands in Italy and other European countries to develop a luxury group in the future. Daiyi, you will learn from your brothers."

"Yes, father"

The three-family home company acquired physical gold in Europe and sold it this year, with an overall profit of around US$500 million.

Of course, the total assets of the three families are already four or five billion US dollars, which is quite huge.

The main assets of the three families include:
Mattel is the world's largest toy company, which has also expanded into investment, real estate, television, and program production.

The three families have invested heavily in UK securities, almost to the point of being ubiquitous. Their investments are primarily in promising, high-quality companies, including those in oil, mining, biopharmaceuticals, and telecommunications.

European securities and real estate are the third largest asset classes, and companies like Volkswagen, BMW, and Nestlé have all suffered losses in this sector. It is also one of BMW's major shareholders.

European Red Bull represents a newly emerging beverage industry. Although it is quite successful at present, it still has a long way to go to become a world-class brand.

Chen Guangliang already had a plan in mind for the arrangements for the three children of his third wife:

Chen Wen-ou will take the helm of Mattel Group and Red Bull Europe in the future. Mattel Group will be developed into a world-class diversified enterprise, while Red Bull Europe will be developed into a world-class beverage group.

Chen Wenxi is in charge of real estate and finance. His real estate ventures include developing the Canary Wharf project in London, often referred to as the "European Wall Street," as well as investing in other real estate projects.

Chen Daiyi is in charge of the luxury goods group. Of course, Chen Daiyi only has the authority to manage and oversee the group; she can only take one-third of the shares, while the remaining two-thirds are held by the three-family trust.

Even Chen Mengyi, the eldest daughter of the first wife, only holds 30% of the shares in Times Pictures and 25% of the shares in Asia Television. As for Chen Leyi and his wife, although they are the founders of Amgen Biopharmaceuticals, their mother, Jiang Meiying, holds the same number of shares, so naturally she would cash out some of them.

This arrangement was partly driven by personal motives, but it also reflected the hope that the daughter would remain within the family and maintain contact.

In 1834, Charles Henry Harold founded a tea wholesaler in London's East End, which was the precursor to Harolds Department Store.

In 1898, Harrods installed Britain's first escalator based on customer flow data analysis. This large-scale equipment, customized by the American company Otis, could transport 2000 customers per hour and successfully improved shopping flow efficiency by 400%.

In 1956, Harrods received numerous Royal Warrants from Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip), and the Prince of Wales (Prince Charles), covering areas such as home furnishings, porcelain and glassware, clothing, and saddles.

Over the next five years, Harrods increased its purchases of items bearing the "Royal Warrant" mark by 300%, instantly making any item with a royal warrant a hundred times more valuable.

However, with the development of the times, in London in the 1980s, various high-end department stores emerged one after another, such as Selfridges, Liberty, and Fortnum & Mason, which were no less competitive than Harrods, putting great pressure on the company and making the owner consider changing hands.

Audrey Hepburn took the lead in acquiring Harold, along with her eldest son, Chen Wen'ou. After all, Chen Wenxi was only 25 years old and Chen Daiyi was only 22, neither of them were suitable for such a big responsibility.

Although Audrey Hepburn did not make any famous films in this life, she was a well-known figure in European high society. Starting with her management of the Monaco beach resort, she rose to prominence in European high society, and because of her achievements in the toy industry, she was knighted by the British royal family.

Today, Audrey Hepburn remains a good friend of Thatcher and is even more well-known in European high society.

The fourth-generation Harold, upon meeting the buyer, Audrey Hepburn, naturally had no psychological issues; she was a high-quality buyer.

Harold simply said, "Mrs. Audrey, Mr. Vidocq, we have not announced any intention to sell Harolds!"

Indeed.

Chen Wen'ou said confidently, "Mr. Harold, now is the best time to sell. After all, the more competitors there are, the greater Harold's influence will be. Besides, we are very sincere!"

Smart people don't make business deals so complicated.

Harold stated bluntly, "I haven't seen any sincerity from you yet."

Chen Wenou smiled, took out a piece of paper and a pen, wrote the Arabic numeral 6 on it, and then pushed it in front of Harold.

£6 million? Harold's eyelids twitched; the other party was indeed very sincere.

"Alright, I'll talk to my family and give you a formal reply."

Audrey Hepburn rose gracefully and said, "Then we'll await your good news." She then walked outside, turning back to add, "By the way, Harrods is really getting old; it needs renovations!"

Harold was stunned by the beautiful woman and said, "That's something you should consider."

Watching Audrey Hepburn's departing figure, Harold muttered to himself, "What a beautiful woman. I can't believe her son is already such a successful businessman."

1980年的黄金市场，1月和2月平均在650美金每盎司上方，到了3月则跌至500美金多一些，但到了6月则再次上涨至600美金上方，随后基本都是这个行情。

This gave the Chen family ample opportunity to cash out, as Hong Kong's large gold trade made it easy to do so. Tourists and investors from Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia bought large quantities of gold jewelry and bars from Hong Kong.

By December, the Chen Guangliang family had essentially sold off all their gold, and gold was still trading above $590 per ounce. (End of Chapter)