A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

this day.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock"

The rhythmic clatter of high heels signaled the arrival of two stunningly beautiful women who entered. Upon seeing the scene before them, their expressions subtly changed.

Afterwards, Guan Jiahui and Li Jiaxin came to Chen Guangliang's side and waved away Chen Xuan, who was feeding Chen Guangliang fruit.

Chen Xuan froze. Although she was new, she knew that Guan Jiahui and Li Jiaxin were Mr. Chen's mistresses. She immediately expressed her resistance, thinking that she had just slept with the emperor and that she was his personal nurse, so why should she listen to them?

"What, you want to take over so soon?" Li Jiaxin scolded.

“Ms. Li, Mr. Chen is having some fruit. I’m doing this for his health!” Chen Xuan said, raising her head with a hint of defiance.

Seeing that a chaotic scene was about to unfold, Chen Guangliang spoke up: "Ah Xuan, you should step back now!"

Mr. Chen

Chen Guangliang waved his hand, and then the loyal housekeeper, Ah Hong, gave Chen Xuan a fierce look. Chen Xuan left unwillingly.

Ah Hong was once Chen Guangliang's bodyguard, then became his assistant, and now she's become his "manager," responsible for some of Chen Guangliang's affairs, including maids, female assistants, and female bodyguards. She is Chen Xuan's direct superior.

Li Jiaxin sat down angrily and said, "Mr. Chen, this newcomer is too ignorant. You've seen so many people around you over the years, and you've never seen anyone so clueless."

Chen Guangliang said with a smile, "We'll fire her in a while. By the way, what brings you here?"

Guan Jiahui took Chen Guangliang's arm and said, "Of course, I'll come to the ship to serve you."

Chen Guangliang smiled and shook his head. They were all old friends now. These women were busy with their careers, and he liked the feeling of being able to "come and go as he pleased." He didn't like them sticking around him.

"Then let's stay for one night."

Two nights

Chen Guangliang looked at Ah Hong, and the housekeeper nodded slightly.

It's not that Ah Hong needs to give her approval, but rather that she needs to know whether Chen Guangliang's four legitimate wives will come to visit him; these arrangements need to be made.

Yan Renmei would come to stay every few days, so Chen Guangliang's other lovers naturally had to be sensible and not come over, or they would be in trouble.

Even Guan Jiahui and Li Jiaxin understood this principle: Yan Renmei's four sons were already tycoons. They usually took care of their businesses, but if they angered Yan Renmei's mother, they wouldn't even know how they died.

Guan Jiahui and Li Jiaxin were delighted and immediately accompanied Chen Guangliang on a vacation.

Of course, there were other things to discuss during this time, so Guan Jiahui took the opportunity to say, "Mr. Chen, your son, Ajin, is graduating from Harvard University this year. What do you think about his plans?"

After saying that, she raised her head with a hint of smugness.

Guan Jiahui is 44 years old this year, but she has been with Chen Guangliang for 28 years. She is still beautiful and looks like she is only in her early thirties. She is stunningly beautiful.

However, she had children relatively early; her eldest son is already 22 years old, while her daughter is only 16.

Li Jiaxin muttered to herself, "A fox borrowing the tiger's power."

The word wasn't misused. She had always wanted to increase her stake in Jia Hui Group, but currently she only held 26% of the shares, while Guan Jia Hui held 47%, and the third-largest shareholder, Ping An Investment, only had 2%.

Now, Kwan Ka-wai is deliberately bringing up her son's arrangements so that Chan Kwong-leung can make the decision and thus more legitimately control the 'Ka Fai Group'.

Chen Guangliang naturally saw through these thoughts and said with a smile, "You two shouldn't argue. The best way is for Jia Hui Group to continue to have 'professional managers' in the future. Ah Jin will naturally join Jia Hui Group, but he will have to start from the bottom. You can't help him."

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

Even if Chen Guangliang is irresponsible when it comes to educating his children, he is still a man of his word.

At this time, Jia Hui Group can be described as a high-quality comprehensive enterprise with three major business segments and total assets of over HK$300 billion.

The three main business segments include: IT apparel, real estate investment and management, and financial investment.

The apparel business has grown rapidly, with hundreds of stores in Hong Kong, Singapore, mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. Riding the wave of the "Hong Kong wave," IT apparel achieved a profit of HK$1.5 million last year (due to the explosive growth of its self-created brands).

Of course, the largest business of the Jia Hui Group is real estate investment and management. Its portfolio includes more than a dozen commercial buildings, such as THEON high-rise shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, the Light Expo Building and Entertainment Building in Causeway Bay, as well as a large number of luxury villas, mansions and prime shops.

Finally, there is investment in securities.

Its total assets are over HK$300 billion, and its net assets are HK$260 billion.

This performance represents a more than 300% increase from the HK$50 billion market capitalization (HK$60 billion net assets) in 1996, making it a high-quality stock in the Hong Kong stock market.

An office building in Tokyo.

“You’re just waiting to die, aren’t you?” Chen Wenying said calmly to a white man.

The white man is Vodafone's global president, Rogers, who led his team to Japan to discuss the sale of 'Vodafone Japan' with Chiba Investment Bank.

After listening to Chen Wenying's words, Langes said, "Mr. Yutian, we are not without a chance!"

"No, if you continue in your current state, not only me, but the entire Japanese public has no confidence in you. Japan is about to launch the number portability system, and compared to the other two major operators, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI, Vodafone Japan is practically 'easy prey.' It has a poor user experience and many problems. Public opinion generally believes that after number portability, these users will all migrate to the other two major operators."

"So, you should make a decision!"

Upon hearing this, Longers and his team immediately compromised.

After some discussion, Langes said, "We agree to the acquisition offer of $118.7 billion, and Chiba Bank will assume Vodafone (Japan)'s debt."

During the negotiations, Chen Wenying only spoke the facts and was sincere in his attitude, and did not try to lower the price with Vodafone.

Because he is a global businessman, he wants to make the Chiba Group shine on the world stage, so he is always very humble.

We agree.

In February 2006, Chiba Investment Bank of Japan reached an acquisition agreement with Vodafone, with Chiba Bank acquiring Vodafone (Japan) for US$118.7 billion.

This move caused a huge sensation in Japan. At that time, Chiba Investment Bank already owned Chiba Telecom (formerly Nippon Telecom, the third largest fixed-line operator) and Yahoo! Japan (a joint venture established with Yahoo! Japan, which then acquired the remaining shares). It had just obtained a 3G license in Japan the previous year, thus possessing the prerequisites to enter the mobile phone market.

Therefore, after acquiring Vodafone (Japan), Chiba Telecom became a comprehensive information and communication operator with services including a portal website, fixed-line local and long-distance telephone, high-speed data communication (ADSL service), and mobile communication.

However, Chiba Investment Bank's acquisition caused an uproar in the Japanese market, with investors generally pessimistic, and Chiba Investment Bank's market value began to plummet. (Chiba Investment Bank is already listed, but its financial structure is complex, and its funds are mainly raised through public offerings (with the Chen family capital group also involved)).
Chen Wenying led his management team to Vodafone's headquarters in Japan and immediately convened a meeting of the management team.

At the meeting, Chen Wenying calmly said, "I know that many of you have the idea that 'the situation is already decided and there is no way to change it,' but I want to tell you that we are just facing a new challenge. Here, I want to set a goal, which is for Vodafone to strive to take the 'first place' once again. This is an order!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a round of applause erupted in the room. Perhaps people were not really filled with great hope, but at least they felt that they had encountered a new challenge and were no longer feeling lifeless.

Later, Chen Wenying continued, "Of course, we can't use the Vodafone name, nor do we want to. It's a brand that's been through a lot, so we have to make it turn around. I've decided to use the 'Qianyin' brand to replace Vodafone Japan, which also reflects our determination and confidence."

Those present were not surprised, but what they didn't know was that Chen Wenying and his team had discussed the name change many times.

Because 'Sengin' is Chiba Bank's 'core brand,' its future business would be difficult to develop if it fails. Furthermore, Sengin has always been a B2B brand and doesn't have high brand recognition among consumers.

Finally, Chen Wenying said, "It's easier to compete for first place in the mobile phone business, which is dominated by only three operators, than to compete for first place with thousands of buckwheat noodle shops across the country."

The enthusiastic applause from the audience was a testament to their confidence in this legendary Japanese figure!
With a do-or-die determination, Chen Wenying replaced Vodafone Japan with the Chibabank brand and renamed its business Chibabank Mobile. As a result, overnight, "Chibabank" signs appeared all over Japan.

10 month.

Ten months after Hutchison Whampoa announced the sale of Norlanda Eagle Bridge, the market was finally shocked by the news that British-Swiss company Xstrata had acquired Norlanda Eagle Bridge from Hutchison Whampoa for US$185 billion.

Following the news, Hutchison Whampoa's stock surged 7%, pushing its market capitalization close to HK$1 trillion.

At the press conference, Chen Zerui attended as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hutchison Whampoa. Facing reporters' interviews, his usually composed personality became quite agitated.

"This is the happiest time I've ever had to invite everyone here!" Chen Zerui said excitedly at the beginning.

Since the turn of the millennium, he has served as the general manager of Cheung Kong Holdings and chairman of the board of directors of Hutchison Whampoa, while his father, Chan Man-kit, began to "semi-retire." In fact, his grandfather and father are still his support, and he can always get accurate instructions at critical moments.

The audience burst into laughter.

This statement is familiar to the media because Chen Zerui's father, Chen Wenjie, also said something similar in 1999 after the "100 billion yuan orange sale".

Now, seven years later, Chen Zerui's outstanding achievements demonstrate that he is ready to take over the 'Cheung Kong Group'. From the acquisition of Eagle Bridge to the acquisition of Norlanda and the integration of the two companies, Chen Zerui and Huo Jianning jointly spearheaded the process.

Huo Jianning is the "King of Hired Managers," and with a boss, he is naturally only considered a deputy.

Chen Zerui then continued, "HK$1445 billion is a huge number for me. Seven years ago, Hutchison Whampoa also had a major asset sale, but this time it feels really different. From the acquisition to the sale, the process went very smoothly, which surprised me!"

The audience erupted in applause.

While this was due to the 2-3 times increase in global non-ferrous metal prices during this period, the acquisitions and integrations involved were not actually easy.

This also demonstrates that Hutchison Whampoa is an exceptionally outstanding company.

A reporter later asked, "Mr. Chen, given Norlanda Eagle Bridge's excellent performance and substantial assets, why did Hutchison Whampoa choose to sell? To my knowledge, Hutchison Whampoa has not experienced any financial difficulties."

The only area in which Hutchison Whampoa has consistently invested without immediate returns is in the 3G sector; however, since cutting off Germany's 3G bid, Hutchison Whampoa's investment in the 3G sector has become more conservative, with investments only in a few countries and regions.

Chen Zerui said with a smile, "Before we decided to sell, my colleagues also raised this question, and my answer was: Hutchison Whampoa does not have a strong foundation in the non-ferrous metals sector. Compared with those commodity traders and mining giants, we do not have much of an advantage. Moreover, the global non-ferrous metals market is appreciating, so we decided to sell this part of the assets."

Another reporter asked, "Hutchison Whampoa has two large transactions this year: the listing of Husky Energy and the sale of Norlanda Eagle Bridge. Will Hutchison Whampoa distribute high dividends?"

"We place great importance on shareholder returns."

The audience erupted in applause.

In reality, the Chan family holds 50% of Cheung Kong Holdings (with an additional 25% held by the Chan Kwong Leung Foundation), and Cheung Kong Holdings holds 52.5% of Hutchison Whampoa. This means that the Chan family actually receives only about 26% of Hutchison Whampoa's profits.

In the early days, Hong Kong Electric was still owned by Hutchison Whampoa, and the Chan family could only get a little over 10% of the profits from Hong Kong Electric, which led to a series of capital market operations later on.

British investors hold about 10 percent of Hutchison Whampoa's shares, while the remainder are held by local Hong Kong investors.

On October 24, Japan began implementing the "number portability" system. The day before, on October 23, Sengin Mobile announced its "Gold Plan," a significant reduction in mobile phone call rates.

The amazing thing about this plan is that all users who join the package can make calls and send text messages to each other for free within the Qianyin network.

To coincide with the launch of this plan, Sengin launched a massive advertising campaign in Japan, and countless Japanese people switched to Sengin's network in a short time.

Qianyin Mobile launched the first battle and achieved its first 'first place' in monthly growth.

This is just the beginning.

“Father, Qianyin Mobile has a new 'White Plan'. The monthly fee for the other two major Japanese carriers is usually around 4000 yen, while our upcoming 'White Plan' will only cost 980 yen per month. Of course, we won't lose out, because there aren't many users making calls within the same network in Japan; most people need to call other carriers' networks, and that call cost will still be considerable. In addition, Qianyin also stipulates that calls made during peak hours will incur additional charges.”

At this time, Chen Wenying still respected his father very much and would report some work to him.

After listening to the report, Chen Guangliang thought about it and then commented: "Your two moves will indeed help Qianyin Mobile maintain its leading position in user growth and narrow the gap."

He was very satisfied with his son's abilities. Through years of hard work, Chiba Investment had become Japan's third-largest fixed-line network, largest portal website, and third-largest mobile phone service provider. A vast telecommunications empire had been formed, posing a huge challenge to Japan's two traditional major operators.

Chen Wenying wasn't arrogant; instead, he said, "There's a third trick up our sleeve. Based on your previous reminder, Qianyin has already secured the exclusive distribution rights for Apple's smartphones."

My father once said that Apple's 'smartphone' plan would change the world.

So he immediately reached an agreement with Apple to become the exclusive distributor of the iPhone 3G in Japan.
At this moment, Chen Guangliang thought of something and said, "Remember, after Chiba Investment Bank has established a foothold in Japan, don't think about acquiring American telecommunications operators. Instead, you can invest in the chip industry as a future development strategy for Chiba Investment Bank."

Chen Wenying exclaimed in surprise, "To be honest, Father, I have considered going to the United States to seek opportunities to acquire telecommunications assets after establishing a firm foothold in Nippon Telecom. Of course, not now, but in the future. But since you've said so, Father, I will definitely listen to you. We have been paying attention to the chip industry."

"Um"

Chen Guangliang showed no prejudice against his two sons and daughter in Japan; on the contrary, he valued them highly. Of course, this also allowed him to leverage his Japanese identity to invest in many things, including some sensitive industries in the United States (technology, semiconductors).

Currently, the Chiba Group still holds a significant stake in Yahoo and has also participated in Google's angel round investment; in addition, the Chiba Group has invested in Alibaba in mainland China. (End of Chapter)