I was forced to start the second round because I was raised in poverty

Chapter 394 The Zhang Family's Confession?

Su Cheng and Wei Qing got along quite well in Vienna.

of course.

It could also be because he and Wei Qing rarely spoke to each other and maintained a certain distance.

Although they didn't speak, the two remained deskmates in perfect harmony.

someday.

Su Cheng received a simultaneous interpretation device from the research institute that could be adjusted to speak Chinese, English, and Japanese.

Next, they will have two long lectures.

The course trains their intuitive judgment, that is, their ability to recognize and understand people.

In class.

The professor in charge of the lecture displayed two photos on the PowerPoint slides: one of Trump and one of Biden.

The professor's question was: Suppose that in the 2020 presidential election, four years later, the two candidates were to face off, who would win?

As soon as the question was posed, the professor asked everyone to raise their hands to vote immediately, giving them only a few seconds.

Everyone needs to make a decision immediately.

Ninety percent of the people, including Su Cheng, raised their hands to vote for Lao Bai.

This result surprised Su Cheng.

He raised his hand because he already knew the result beforehand.

But why are other people raising their hands too?

Do these people share the same stance and views as Biden?

Obviously not.

However, the possibility of strong screening by the old man and the group cannot be ruled out.

What if we somehow managed to bring together all the consciousnesses that shared common traits... Well, there's no "what if."

Because Su Cheng observed that not only was he surprised and shocked, but everyone else was also looking at each other with astonishment on their faces.

If you want to make a prediction or place a bet.

We need to look at his performance from 2016 to 2020 to see if he has the public support and other necessary conditions for re-election, and then consider whether Biden's livelihood plans have gained public favor.

These are the most basic criteria for judgment, and they do not even include considering the impact of various scandals on each candidate.

When the professor asked the question, everyone was required to respond immediately, which took less than three seconds in total.

Whose brain can calculate all of these things in 3 seconds?

Even if you switch GPT to fast mode, it still takes a few minutes to think about it.

It wasn't until the professor stepped forward and explained that their lesson today was about exploring the underlying logic of this matter.

Why would 90% of people choose Biden?

This phenomenon did indeed pique Su Cheng's curiosity.

It certainly couldn't be because Biden was more handsome than Trump, right?

The professor's conclusions were based on survey data from the Sixth Comprehensive Research Institute established by the Dihao Group in Princeton.

Su Cheng listened attentively to the professor for two hours.

The result was exactly as I had guessed.

It definitely has something to do with being handsome.

If you have to make a choice between two options in 3 seconds, you can only look at appearance and can't activate the neurons related to thinking.

First, there's the attraction and halo effect.

People subconsciously extend the advantages of physical appearance to other aspects, believing that they are equally smarter, more capable, and more trustworthy.

Secondly, there's the impression of maturity and competence.

Facial maturity is associated with perceived power.

Individuals with mature facial features, such as a wider jaw and a longer face, are more likely to be perceived as capable and having leadership qualities.

In elections, 70% of the time, those with a high face-to-body ratio, who look more competitive, win.

The opposite of a mature face is a "baby face," where people with big eyes and round faces are often considered more enthusiastic, honest, and trustworthy.

However, this appearance can also be associated with naivety, submissiveness, or even incompetence, which may not be advantageous in situations where strong leadership is required.

In short, the underlying logic is: the more information you can glean from a face, the more capable you are.

Objectively speaking, it's not necessarily true that one is better than the other.

Subjectively, Biden certainly had more information than Trump, so everyone voted for Biden.

They can use this intuition to make judgments in the future, and conversely, they should also use this to avoid being influenced when promoting subordinates in the future.

Su Cheng curiously flipped through the materials that had been handed out to her, which contained example questions from previous years.

The Ninth Research Institute was established in the 80s, and the professors who teach this course usually use public figures as examples.

The professor mentioned that in 1990 they used Clinton vs. George H.W. Bush as an example, asking students to predict which candidate would win in 1992.

At the time, 90% of people predicted it would be Clinton.

Because Clinton's face conveys more information.

The material in the refresher course was not difficult for Su Cheng.

It wasn't exactly basic, just relatively simple for him.

If Su Cheng were to objectively rank the difficulty level, it would probably be intermediate.

Everyone knows the principle; the key is to explain and master this underlying logic.

It's about mid-to-high level.

This can be considered a basic theory that K15 students need to master.

However, this knowledge is limited to theoretical understanding.

Does this thing work?
It will definitely be useful.

Otherwise, the group wouldn't go to such lengths to allocate so much money to the research institute every year.

When faced with a similar situation, they might activate this neuron immediately or immediately, which is enough for them, and the purpose of their further education is achieved.

They might even recall what they ate for lunch on the day they studied in Vienna and learned something specific.

In fact, there is an unwritten consensus among the group's senior management.

If a major company establishes or invests in a similar behavioral/psychological research institute, it indicates that these companies, large and small, already have ambitions and will likely be placed on the capital monitoring list of the Dihao Group in the future.

Su Cheng spent a few days reviewing the courses he had missed. After confirming that he had mastered them, he took the time to attend to his own affairs.

He remotely directed Xiao Chen and Zhao Peng to begin allocating their assets.

In 2016, the global economy recovered.

That's why the old man wanted to integrate the STX Group: oil, energy, and shipbuilding.

Su Cheng also needs to take action to catch up with this trend.

However, he did not place his assets abroad; two-thirds of his assets were allocated domestically, and the remaining one-third was placed overseas for cross-category hedging.

Why is it located in China?
Because he wants to take advantage of the economic cycle as much as possible.

The island nation economic bubble that lasted from 1986 to 1991 is recognized worldwide.

The old man predicted this economic bubble more than 20 years ago. He led the Dihao Group to participate deeply in and dominate that economic bubble, and successfully withdrew before the bubble burst.

The old man's management skills enabled the group's assets to increase several dozen times within three years, and after the 90s, it firmly established itself on the global stage, becoming an unshakeable super group.

Su Cheng's current size is still too small compared to the Emperor Group.

If Su Cheng wants to grow rapidly and have the means to stand up to the old man, she needs such an opportunity.

The period from 2016 to 2021 was an undeniable economic bubble.

It's not just a real estate bubble.

There is also the rampant growth of personal financial consumer loans.

This is a complex double-helix bubble that has permeated every corner of society, benefiting almost every industry, from businesses to households.

While studying in Vienna, Su Cheng also worked with her team to allocate relevant assets.

You only need to attend classes for four hours a day: two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

If the old man hadn't sent him to Vienna for further studies, Su Cheng probably wouldn't have been able to find so much time.

Previously, the old man had Su Cheng command the vertical integration of the steel, oil and gas, and transportation industries, which was a massive undertaking worth tens of billions of yuan.

Su Cheng is now commanding a small force of 30 billion. Although the amount of money is not large, it is by no means simple compared to the integration of STX.

It took Su Cheng nearly two weeks just to select the specific fields and industries for the configuration.

Because Su Cheng is involved in a wide range of industries, the organization and coordination are much more complex.

……

Go to Shanghai.

A black Maybach silently glided into a manor hidden deep among sycamore and camphor trees.

Su Tianyan and Zhang Lekang are having a secret meeting.

It had only been a few months since their last meeting, but Zhang Lekang felt that Su Tianyan seemed to have aged ten years.

Old Su's face was pale, and his steps carried a barely perceptible heaviness, but his eyes were unusually bright, as if he were burning away the little life he had left.

"Brother Tianyan, when did you arrive in Shanghai? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just got here."

"Really?" Zhang Lekang naturally didn't believe it. "Your son has been transferred to Shanghai for quite some time now."

Anyone could tell from these words that he was openly or covertly complaining about Su Tianyan.

The sudden attack by the Dihao Group startled him, and he couldn't sleep well for several days.

"Brother Tianyan, if you're going to test Xiao Su next time, please let me know in advance so I can cooperate with you."

Su Tianyan laughed and said, "Wouldn't it be unrealistic to tell you? You guys handled it quite well."

Zhang Lekang: ???

Ok?
What do you say?
They didn't respond?

I don't know who did their work.

However, Zhang Lekang didn't press the matter further. Instead, he asked, "I heard that you acquired and integrated STX, Brother Tianyan?"

"Yup!"

"It was my son who made the plan. Let me show you."

As Su Tianyan spoke, he went to get the blueprint for the plan that Su Cheng had given him.

After Zhang Lekang took it, he carefully looked through it.

"How's it going?"

Zhang Lekang gave it a very high rating: "Hey, it's really good."

"I am truly surprised that Xiao Su has such abilities."

"It's all thanks to you, Brother Tianyan, as a good father!"

“Of course,” Su Tianyan agreed with Zhang Lekang. “Without me, where would he get this ability?”

Bai Zihua stood silently beside the two of them, waiting.

Su Tianyan explained Su Cheng's current situation to Zhang Lekang: "I have sent him to Austria for further studies."

The goal was simple: to get Su Cheng to learn something he didn't have time to teach.

"Brother Tianyan, why can't you arrange for my brat to go too?"

Su Tianyan looked at Bai Zihua.

What do you mean?
He didn't understand.

Oh, Su Tianyan remembered.

So Zhang Lekang's son was also part of their "poor upbringing" plan?
Seeing this, Bai Zihua quickly stepped forward to explain: "This is General Manager Zhang. Young Master Zhang's rank does not meet the group's requirements, and he has been transferred quite frequently recently, which is likely to arouse suspicion."

He gave Zhang Lekang a detailed account of Zhang Yangwen's performance on the island of Macau.

"Oh, I see."

Zhang Lekang came to see Su Tianyan today, actually because of Zhang Yangwen's matter.

"Brother Tianyan, do you think my brat is ready yet?"

It's pointless to ask.

Su Cheng is already commanding a massive army worth billions, but Old Su still thinks it's not the right time yet, let alone his own.

However, Zhang Lekang was just throwing out a pretext; he revealed his real purpose: "I want to remove the one from my house."

Su Tianyan was very puzzled.

He didn't even remember Zhang Yangwen until Bai Zihua introduced and reported to him.

"why?"

"Lekang, you have to hang in there!"

"Your son didn't suffer much in Australia, so why bring him back to do anything? Just laze around and cause you trouble?"

Zhang Lekang shook his head: "No, it's Brother Tianyan."

"My plan is to take them back and personally mentor them for the next few years."

"Let the children take over the job as soon as possible."

Bai Zihua, who was standing to the side, asked, "Mr. Zhang, do you mean... you're going to be honest with Young Master Zhang?"

Zhang Lekang admitted that he was preparing to go through the honest phase with Zhang Yangwen.

The most fatal flaw of the "poor upbringing" plan is the "truth session."

There's no guarantee that something unexpected or wrong might happen, and the child might exhibit extreme resistance.

Shock, betrayal, anger.

This is the most direct and primal reaction after the truth is revealed.

Over the past two decades, children’s sense of identity, understanding of family, and definition of struggle have all been proven to be built on a huge lie.

The child's entire worldview will collapse instantly, potentially causing a shocking and cognitive dissonance that severely damages their sense of reality.

Secondly, there is a profound sense of betrayal.

This is the most fundamental and hurtful emotion.

This betrayal comes from the father whom the child trusts and depends on most.

The child will feel that their entire life is being manipulated.

Without a doubt, Zhang Yangwen would ask: Was my childhood, my youth, all my struggles and efforts just a carefully designed experiment?
This kind of deception from a close relative is far more damaging than the money itself.

At last.

There will definitely be a volcanic eruption of anger.

This anger was directed at the father who implemented the frugality policy.

Because they unilaterally decide the life script for their children, depriving them of the right to know and choose.

The child will feel that he is being used as a tool to realize his father's certain educational philosophy, rather than as a respected independent individual.

Zhang Lekang certainly knew.

This is one of the major drawbacks of the "poor upbringing" plan.

But this is also no way.

He silently took out a medical examination report from his pocket.

With a puzzled look in his eyes, Su Tianyan quickly put on his reading glasses and began to read it word by word.

The more he looked, the more somber and gloomy Su Tianyan's expression became.

Stage 4 prostate cancer.

"My private doctor told me that even in the best-case scenario, I only have 5 to 7 years left to live."

Zhang Lekang appeared very optimistic, as if he had only caught a minor cold.

In contrast, Su Tianyan's face was extremely gloomy.

"It's alright, Brother Tianyan, you don't need to worry about me."

What Zhang Lekang didn't know was that Su Tianyan's gloomy expression wasn't because she was worried about him, but because Su Tianyan was thinking about his own physical condition.

"I'm already 56, I'll have lived enough if I live another five or six years."

Everyone has that moment.

Just like the "poor upbringing" plan, the truth will eventually have to be revealed.

(End of this chapter)