Restart life

Chapter 516 0504 [Who in the world doesn't know you?]

A banquet followed the awards ceremony, which most of the award winners and guests chose to attend.

The ten winners of the Person of the Year award sat at one table.

Later reports indicated that only nine people received the award this year, because one person had already been admitted to the company—the CEO of FAW.

People at this table frequently went back and forth to toast each other with others at other tables.

Chen Guiliang and Liu Qiangdong behaved similarly; they rarely went to other tables to offer toasts, but when they did interact with people, they were very tactful and charming.

By the end of the drinking session, everyone had lost track of the tables and was sitting haphazardly everywhere.

Liu Yonghao, probably also quite drunk, walked over and sat down next to Chen Guiliang. This was originally the seat of General Manager Gong from Hunan Publishing Group, but General Manager Gong was drinking at another table at the moment.

“Come on, let’s have another drink, fellow villagers.” Liu Yonghao put his arm around Chen Guiliang’s shoulder.

Chen Guiliang said something polite, then toasted and downed his drink in one gulp.

Liu Yong chatted idly for a bit, then asked, "Little Chen hasn't enrolled in business school yet?"

Chen Guiliang said, "When I'm busy, I don't have time."

Liu Yonghao said, "The professors at both Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business and CEIBS are excellent. You can attend their classes when you have time. Our alumni from previous years also organize activities and have regular exchanges every year."

"I'll attend the classes whenever I have time," Chen Guiliang said ambiguously.

Liu Yonghao pulled out a business card and smiled, "My personal phone number is on it. We're from the same hometown, so let's keep in touch and help each other out if needed."

Chen Guiliang also took out his business card and they exchanged phone numbers.

Liu Yonghao drank another glass and left.

Liu Qiangdong, who was resting with his eyes closed to sober up, suddenly sat down next to Chen Guiliang and reminded him, "President Liu is inviting you to join the Huaxia Alumni Association."

"You joined?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Liu Qiangdong smiled but didn't respond.

The members of the Huaxia Alumni Association come from the CEO programs of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business and CEIBS (China Europe International Business School). In addition to a large number of CEOs from traditional companies, CEOs from internet companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, Sina, and Youku have also joined.

The most famous incident involving this organization was when, after the Sanlu crisis broke out, the CEO of Mengniu wrote a lengthy letter within the Huaxia Alumni Association seeking financial support to resist a hostile takeover attempt by foreign institutions.

Liu Chuanzhi convened a Lenovo board meeting overnight and raised 2 million yuan within 48 hours. Yu Minhong also quickly provided 5000 million yuan. Following closely behind, Focus Media contributed 5000 million yuan as an emergency measure, and the CEO of CNOOC raised 2.5 million yuan for reserve.

Many members of the Huaxia Alumni Association also called to say they could help at any time. Some CEOs, meanwhile, went on a buying spree of Mengniu stock to drive up its price.

Why was Liu Chuanzhi able to command such a large following in the martial arts world?
Because if you get along well with him, he can save your life in a critical moment.

So what's the cost?

Of course, you should always be obedient!
Liu Qiangdong also studied at CEIBS (China Europe International Business School) a couple of years ago, and could barely be considered part of the small circle of the China Alumni Association. However, he did not participate in any activities within the circle for two consecutive years.

According to the rules, those who do not participate in the activity will be "fined".

In practice, of course, no real penalty will be imposed.

If he voluntarily pays the fine, it is equivalent to admitting his mistake, and the community will reinstate him and donate the fine to charity.

Liu Qiangdong has not paid the fine, and no one has said anything to him, but he has been ostracized from the inner circle.

Chen Guiliang said, "Isn't this boring?"

Liu Qiangdong picked up his chopsticks and ate: "We're not on the same wavelength."

"Haha." Chen Guiliang laughed.

Liu Qiangdong asked, "You're not planning to join?"

Chen Guiliang said, "I'm too lazy to even go to business school, so of course I can't be their classmate. I'm only good at basketball; I'm really not good at golf. I don't even know which way the gates of the golf courses in Beijing open."

Liu Qiangdong put down his chopsticks, raised his glass, and said, "Let's drink."

Chen Guiliang clinked glasses with him, took out his cigarette, and asked, "Want a smoke?"

"I haven't learned it yet," Liu Qiangdong said.

"No, that's fine." Chen Guiliang lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Liu Qiangdong said, "When I was a child, my family was poor, and I thought smoking was something only rich people did. I was very envious back then. Give me one."

Chen Guiliang tossed him a cigarette and handed him a lighter.

Liu Qiangdong, as expected, didn't know how to smoke. He took a deep breath, held it in his mouth, and quickly spat it out, then solemnly commented, "I don't feel anything. How is this stuff supposed to keep me awake?"

"Let's just have a drink." Chen Guiliang had no interest in helping the cigarette factory develop clients.

Liu Qiangdong stubbed out his cigarette and raised his glass in a toast.

They were chatting animatedly when someone else came to offer them a toast. The two immediately changed their demeanor, becoming very diplomatic and engaging in friendly conversation.

After they left, they continued drinking and chatting idly.

Of the ten people at this table, only Chen Guiliang and Liu Qiangdong did not go to the next table to toast General Manager Liu.

Not all of them were there to flatter General Manager Liu. For example, General Manager Li from China Electronics Corporation was just passing by.

Liu Chuanzhi should have come over specifically to toast her!
Mr. Li returned after making his rounds, smiling, and said, "You two don't like socializing, do you?"

Chen Guiliang said, "I'm still learning slowly."

“You don’t necessarily have to study it; focusing on your career is a good thing,” Mr. Li said with a smile. “Come on, let me toast you both.” Chen Guiliang and Liu Qiangdong quickly stood up.

After finishing his drink, Mr. Li went home to sleep.

"I'm leaving too." Liu Qiangdong stood up.

Chen Guiliang also grabbed his suit and left, drunkenly helping Liu Qiangdong to the elevator.

As he got into the car, Liu Qiangdong waved and said, "Let's meet up again next time. It was great having a drink with you."

"Call me if you want a drink." Chen Guiliang opened the car door.

For them, it's better to have a few drinks with friends in private than to go out and socialize aimlessly.

Socializing is secondary; the real reason is that to fit into a social circle, you have to conform.

If you want to fit in, you inevitably have to say and do things against your conscience.

Especially at certain times, it is necessary to publicly take sides and express opinions, and to stand on the side that is clearly in the wrong.

It's fine to let Chen Guiliang be smooth and worldly-wise and say some polite things, but it's absolutely unacceptable to make him take sides against his own will!
"Drink the soup quickly."

Back home, Bian Guanyue brought over some hangover soup.

Chen Guiliang took a big gulp and then lay down on the sofa and drifted off to sleep.

Bian Guanyue woke him up and said, "It's about time to take a shower. Go to bed after you shower."

"I don't want to move." Chen Guiliang becomes unwilling to move when he's drunk.

Helpless, Bian Guanyue could only get him a blanket to cover himself with.

……

The awards ceremony was broadcast on CCTV two days later. Chen Guiliang's parents, grandmother, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother and other relatives had already eaten dinner and were waiting in front of the TV.

Although the propaganda officials at the provincial and municipal levels already knew the news, they still watched the program on television.

This award is particularly important to leaders.

In particular, the direct dialogue between Liu Yonghao and Chen Guiliang, two generations of Sichuan entrepreneurs, at the awards ceremony provided an opportunity for the province to promote them.

The slogan was decided in advance: "The spirit of Sichuan merchants will be passed on from generation to generation."

I'd also like to commend the business environment in Kawauchi.

Why are there so many successful businesspeople from Sichuan? Because the business policies here are favorable, and the environment is fertile ground for nurturing successful entrepreneurs. Business owners who want to make a fortune, come and invest here!

Chen Guiliang's family and relatives were naturally proud to watch the awards ceremony.

Bian Jingsong, however, took photos while watching TV and then posted them on Weibo to show off: "The phrase 'mobile phone national united front' is very well said. He has vision, magnanimity, and decisiveness. He truly deserves to be a leader in the internet industry!"

His Weibo friends commented and shared the post:
"President Chen is truly amazing; he is the pride of all Sichuan businessmen."

"Congratulations, Mr. Chen, and Mr. Bian."

"A 20-something-year-old economic figure of the year, that's terrifying."

"He's an absolute business genius. He was born with a natural talent for business; you can't teach him."

"The stock price fell this year, and I didn't make it into the top three on the rich list, but I'm sure I'll be able to break into it again next year."

"..."

Bian Jingsong became happier and happier as he looked at the photos, and started chatting with his friends on Weibo and WeChat.

Many netizens are paying attention to this, and the awards ceremony has been a hot topic on various internet platforms even before it's over.

Chen Guiliang and Liu Qiangdong have the highest online popularity, firstly because they are the youngest, and secondly because they come from the lowest social classes.

"President Chen looks especially handsome today! (Making an exception by not calling him 'Old Master Chen' as a sign of respect. *doge emoji*)"

"The dog emoji is really useful. I heard it was also created by Old Master Chen."

"Although I'm already familiar with Old Master Chen's life story, I'm still deeply moved every time I see it again. Just like the protagonist in the novel, he's fucking awesome! I seriously suspect he's a time traveler."

“I have studied Mr. Chen’s business experience. He is a really good guy who knows how to find opportunities, and once he sets his mind on something, he will definitely succeed. His business acumen and management skills are simply amazing.”

“Our boss used to be a Nokia distributor, and last year he became the regional distributor for HarmonyOS phones. He’s made a lot of money in the past two years, and he always says Chen Guiliang is incredibly awesome at every meeting. Especially the launch of the HarmonyOS open-source system, our boss always praises it highly, saying it’s a stroke of genius in the mobile phone industry. He’s never seen such an amazing operation.”

“A while ago, our teacher used the formation of the HarmonyOS camp as a business case for analysis. It wasn’t in the textbook, but the teacher spent an entire class period on it. Our teacher said that this was the only way for Chen Laozu to break the deadlock at that time. If he hadn’t done it, HarmonyOS phones would be just another ordinary product now, only able to follow the Android camp.”

"Your teacher is pretty good; he even talked about HarmonyOS as a case study. Our school's teachers just read from the textbook."

"Replying to LS. Haha, when our teacher talked about this, he was very enthusiastic for the whole class. He said that when he saw the news, he felt that Chen Laozu was right. But it was almost impossible to succeed because Chen Laozu was too idealistic. Chen Laozu's really awesome move was to set up the HarmonyOS Foundation to manage the mobile phone system, and he even invited Wu Ying to be the chairman of the foundation."

"I feel that the HarmonyOS Foundation won't last long. The Symbian Foundation is practically defunct now."

"Nokia resorted to underhanded tactics, no wonder the Symbian Foundation couldn't have survived. As long as Chen Laozu (the founder of HarmonyOS) doesn't mess things up, there won't be any problems as long as everyone's interests are aligned. After all, he's only responsible for developing the HarmonyOS system and doesn't get involved in other matters of the affiliated companies."

CCTV has a huge influence. Chen Guiliang won the Economic Person of the Year award, and newspapers across the country reported on him extensively, making him known to countless older people.

Of the ten award winners, the newspapers focused their coverage on Chen Guiliang, purely because he was the most talked-about and had the highest media attention!
People who were previously less informed had heard of him, but didn't know much about him; they only knew that Chen Guiliang was a big boss. They thought he was involved in gaming, website development, or selling mobile phones.

This time, it's truly known throughout the country.

Who in the world doesn't know you!
(End of this chapter)