Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 132 What is the most expensive thing in the 21st century?
Dean Zhou was somewhat confused, thinking he was just being modest.

"Finance is a booster for businesses, how could it be useless? Xiao Chen, your views on the market just now were very insightful. I have an economics background, and you can see the market and policies at a glance, using macro to guide micro. I think you will definitely achieve something in the financial world."

Chen Xuebing shook his head and smiled.

He only expressed a few words of sentiment.

He wasn't talking about the market, he was talking about university education.

Seeing the students' longing for the taste of money, he suddenly recalled some educational speeches he had seen in his previous life that touched his soul.

Today's parents and children's choice of majors still doesn't go beyond the level of basic needs like food and clothing. All choices are geared towards making money, rather than learning what they are good at, achieving self-realization, or achieving collective success.

In addition, his lament also included the regret that the country could not retain a large number of scientific and technological talents, and that the national spirit at this time was not as strong as it was decades ago.

These were things he was ashamed to talk about back then, with only a high school education. He didn't even dare to chat about them for fear of being ridiculed.

To dare to bring this up in front of the university dean at this moment is perhaps a testament to the audacity bestowed upon us by the times.

However, these things are also quite objective. For a nation, it may be a tragedy, but for a small family, it is a matter of livelihood for decades. Everyone has their own perspective, and his few idle words cannot solve the problem.

"Dean, you flatter me. In the first class this week, the teacher said that the biggest difference between university and high school is critical thinking ability. Since I work in finance, I naturally have to think about the negative aspects of finance."

Dean Zhou then smiled and nodded: "You've been able to selectively listen to this since you just arrived, which shows your talent. In fact, based on your experience, I can recommend you to Dean Lu of the School of Economics and Management. I suggest you transfer to Economics in your second year. This major is in dire need of students like you who have practical experience and the ability to question to delve deeper."

Chen Xuebing also smiled.

If I had told him this sooner, he would probably have been overjoyed.

In the months since the holiday began, he has been flipping through economics books in his spare time. Later, he consulted Xu Jin, who studied economics at Princeton University in the United States and had a master's degree in econometrics, and asked him whether he should switch to economics.

Xu Jin pointed at the computer and said with a smile, "There are two kinds of sharpshooters in the world: one who can hit exactly where he points, and one who can hit exactly where he points. Economics is the latter."

Chen Xuebing pondered this sentence for three days and, after researching a great deal of information about economics, completely demystified the subject.

I've also lost much of my interest in changing my major.

"Economics is not a rigorous science, or even a science. It's more like an exploration. The Mankiw and Marxist theories of socialism with Chinese characteristics that we learn in university cannot encompass economics. The same goes for the German Historical School, the Austrian School, and so on. To put it more negatively, looking at the history of economics over the past few decades, the emergence of countless new theories is all about explaining the constantly emerging new phenomena and justifying governments that violate established economic principles. It has already taken on a religious nature. The history of world economics is a TV series based on illusions and lies. No economics can encompass economics because economics can be resisted. There is a group of people in the world who are constantly resisting it."

In the years that followed, when the US was heavily indebted yet continued to raise interest rates, the statements from the Treasury Secretary and the Federal Reserve Chairman seemed like a joke, with contradictory logic, leading to the saying that "only one of America or economics can survive."

This statement can be explained by a phrase often used by Xu Jin: There are so many experts in the stock market who have summarized so many different candlestick chart strategies, but in reality, what the big players are afraid of is that stock investors don't understand the strategies and don't read the charts.

If you're looking at charts, what kind of chart lines do you need?

I'll draw it for you.

With his current size, he can already choose a stock in the A-share market to act as a market manipulator. But who is the market manipulator behind the world economy?

Freemason Class 33? Native Jew? Zionist Jew? Anglo-Saxon?
Chen Xuebing learned a great deal from the increasingly "out-of-control" online media of later generations about which were conspiracy theories and which were real interest groups, but he is still interested in exploring further.

Of course, it's not that economics doesn't need to be studied, but rather that he realized his learning environment far exceeded that of a school. He already had a master's graduate from an Ivy League university to discuss things with, and in the future, he might have even more subordinates with specialized economics backgrounds.

Dean Zhou was amazed by these words. For a freshman to say such a thing was far beyond her imagination. He must be a genius, regardless of his background.

Chen Xuebing's classmates felt that he broadened their horizons and showed them that there were indeed people in the world they rarely saw.

"Economics is based on rational people, but there are many irrational things in the world. Exploration is not necessarily not science, but it is just immature science. Therefore, we need to think critically. After science comes philosophy."

One of the accompanying teachers remarked with a smile.

Chen Xuebing wanted to argue, "Science itself has no end, so how can there be an aftermath?"

But seeing that the teacher had his hands on the table, looking very interested in learning from him, I quickly nodded and said, "Teacher, you have a great insight."

"Why aren't you thinking critically again?" the teacher continued to ask with a smile.

"I'm not capable of debating with a group of scholars, so I'd rather spend my time doing things."

Chen Xuebing glanced at his watch and smiled, "Dean, today you mainly visited Changzheng Capital. Our company's overall picture is much broader than what you see here. Currently, management is relatively loose. We will soon merge and hold controlling stakes in our subsidiaries to form a holding company. At that time, we will also have diversified job openings. Therefore, I think we should wait a bit longer for the talent cooperation plan, about six months. However, we can sign a cooperation framework agreement first. Starting from the winter break, we can provide senior students with no fewer than 20 job training opportunities. As long as they work on time, their salary will not be less than 80% of that of newly hired employees."

Dean Zhou wouldn't act until he saw the benefit, and neither would Chen Xuebing.

His construction business is currently the weakest, and it hasn't started to generate revenue yet, but once it starts, it's going to be incredibly powerful.

In this era, real estate and construction should be the strongest sectors because they are tangible assets. Real estate and government debt are the easiest businesses to deal with banks and the easiest to roll over loans.

However, he currently lacks the necessary qualifications, experience, and talent, and therefore does not yet have the foundation for large-scale expansion.

As for qualifications, just buy an existing company.

He's still working on his qualifications, working on his third project, which has grown from small to large. He's striving for positive reviews, which is essentially building a reputation.

He's targeting the university, and he's also using the university's reputation. The university wants to produce high-level talent, and Chongqing Jiaotong University's name is also a factor in his technical background. This is quite difficult to achieve, and it's definitely not something that can be solved by simply giving some benefits to the School of Humanities.

Of course, you can expand even if you have nothing. Once the Ponzi scheme gets big, you can always attract some beneficiaries. You take a bite, I take a bite, and everyone blows up a big balloon.

However, what he wants to build is a large company comparable to state-owned construction enterprises. He must firmly grasp the expansion model, otherwise, reckless development will definitely lead to endless troubles.

Since 98, the construction industry has had a lifelong responsibility system. The more you start, the more you need to maintain a stable mindset and lay a solid foundation.

The funds have already accumulated, and he has passed the most difficult initial accumulation stage. The next key to development is talent.

……

weekend.

"Drip."

Yin Xin pressed the shutter of her digital camera, capturing the image of Chen Xuebing under the four large characters "Changzheng Capital," and walked to his side.

"Mr. Chen, take a look."

Chen Xuebing glanced at it, took the camera, and chuckled.

"Thanks."

"Hey~" Yin Xin's tone started to tease, "President Chen, you look so handsome in this picture, are you going to send it to some girl? Let me give you some advice."

Go back to your regular job.

Chen Xuebing turned his back on him and waved his hand before walking inside.

Yin Xin rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Chen Xuebing's retreating figure.

"A little bit."

Chen Xuebing suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked her over.

Yin Xin quickly composed herself.

"You can put a pair of slippers under your workstation so you don't have to wear high heels all the time. You can change into them when investors come."

Yin Xin was stunned for a moment.

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Chen."

Chen Xuebing entered the office with his camera and started snapping photos of the newspapers on the table.

Chongqing's first publicly funded private equity fund is in preparation, partnering with CITIC Securities and China Everbright Bank, with 1.7 million yuan expected to participate.

When you turn on your computer screen, a QQ chat window occupies half of the screen.

Bingo: [Image] (Xin Mengzhen stands gracefully smiling in black overalls, with the Bosera Funds logo in the background.)
Frying Bingo: [Pretending to be cute][Pretending to be cute] (winking and sticking out tongue emoji)

Jianbingozi: One of the first five fund management companies in China.

Hand-drawn cake: [smile][smile] Not bad, not bad, wait for me.

Fudan University's military training lasts a week longer than Chongqing Jiaotong University's. It was just after liberation, and Xin Mengzhen called this morning. Chen Xuebing was initially quite happy, but after only a few words, Xin Mengzhen asked him to look at QQ.

When Chen Xuebing logged on, he chuckled. He uploaded the picture and then promptly sent it back.

Hand-drawn cake: Sigh, me too. Just started working at one of the first private equity funds in China. Being a boss is really tiring.

Fried Bingo: ? ? ?

The call came quickly.

Chen Xuebing answered the phone casually and said "Hello".

The voice on the other end sounded somewhat exasperated: "How could you be so fast!"

"Hey, hey, young lady, we've never done 'that,' so it's a bit much for you to jump to conclusions like that."

Money gives men courage, and with Chen Xuebing gaining some power, his tone became flippant.

Xin Mengzhen didn't understand and automatically ignored the first half of the sentence.

"What do you mean by jumping to conclusions? It's only been a few months! Where did you get the money?"

"It was given to me by my family. I only found out recently. My family is also wealthy, so we are actually quite well-matched."

"Do you think I'm stupid? I called Xuejin yesterday, and I even went to the bookstore this morning to buy him some materials, which I was just about to send over."

Chen Xuebing was stunned.

"You didn't call me, but called him first?... Wait, he has a cell phone?!"

Xin Mengzhen couldn't have dialed the home landline; when the phone rang, it was definitely her mother who answered it.

He suddenly realized how Xin Mengzhen and Chen Xuejin had been secretly communicating all along.

Xin Mengzhen actually gave him a cell phone!!

"Oh dear... I promised to give him a gift of English vocabulary memorization. That phone isn't expensive; it's one I used before."

Chen Xuebing scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

This little brat is too bold, daring to take away a cell phone. Looks like he's asking for trouble.

He promised Chen Xuejin a computer but still hasn't bought it for her, nor has he told Chen Xuejin how much money he's made, because he's afraid Chen Xuejin will think everything came too easily and that she's becoming materialistic.

In his past life, this guy always asked him for money when he was in college. After taking the money, he didn't look for a girlfriend. Instead, he bought all sorts of expensive digital products. He was also incredibly arrogant, always saying things like, "I want to buy a camera. I've been working part-time for two months, but if I keep doing it, I'll miss my classes. I'm still short X thousand."

They don't even bother to ask for money politely; they're always critical, as if they were forced to do the part-time job.

He accepted it then, since the kid was so promising, getting into Renmin University, which even cured his mother's constipation.

In this life, he can cure his mother's constipation himself; we must not indulge this habit.

Even if you pay me, you have to show the same respect you would a client and appease me!

Xin Mengzhen seemed to know what he was thinking.

"You're not allowed to scold Xuejin! I told him I'd lend him the phone so he could buy study materials, and he only accepted it because I said it was for him. We agreed that he could only use the phone to call me and wouldn't bring it to school. He's very obedient, and his studies have improved a lot lately. I've even tested him. If he keeps studying at this pace, he'll definitely get into a top university!"

Chen Xuebing grinned.

He listens to you, but not to me.

After a pause, he asked, "How have you been lately?"

"Hmm... You got elected as the Youth League branch secretary and are even planning to join the student union. I was going to brag to you about it, but you've done something so big that I've lost interest."

"I've become the Youth League branch secretary too."

"Hmph, you must have spent money, I didn't."

"I..." Chen Xuebing was speechless. After a long while, he managed to stammer out, "If I had your beauty, would I need to spend money?"

"Are you asking for a beating?!"

Xin Mengzhen said indignantly, then muttered, "There are so many outstanding students at Fudan University. Some are excellent in their studies, some have great talents and strong public speaking skills, and some are very successful in their entrepreneurship. Coming here, I feel very mediocre. It seems that my only special skill is fighting. The pressure is so great... If it were you, you would definitely have an easier time than me."

Chen Xuebing certainly didn't believe that Xin Mengzhen would be mediocre; even at a world-class university, she would still shine.

She was just venting to herself and releasing stress.

"Your world is limited to your perspective. Don't always look at the top few universities. What prestigious university doesn't have a few geniuses? When you're tired, look down. I have to look at Forbes every day, and I feel like I'm just average."

“Tell me about yourself,” Xin Mengzhen said with a smile. “I want to hear from you. You even dared to mention Forbes, so you must be having a very exciting time lately.”

Chen Xuebing could sense Xin Mengzhen's slight admiration for him, and a wave of comfort washed over him.

"You know Baosteel warrants, right? I recruited two experts from Guangzhou to pool funds..."

He spoke slowly, and Xin Mengzhen didn't interrupt him at all.

Only after she finished speaking did she say in a slightly dazed tone, "Baosteel was you... It seems I can't tell my boss I know you. He lost a lot of money at Baosteel. You have to be careful too. There are no secrets in this industry. You're so young to have entered the industry, and with an initial offering of 1.7 million, there will definitely be a lot of hype. People will definitely study you and use any means necessary. We have detailed information on many funds here, like an intelligence station. You offended so many people by dumping shares at Baosteel. Someone will be watching you."

Chen Xuebing smiled slightly: "Financial grudges should be settled in financial ways. I'm not afraid of them. If anyone tries to use crooked methods, my specialty is fighting."

"This isn't as simple as a fight. Don't show off, and be careful."

Xin Mengzhen's tone already showed a degree of maturity.

Chen Xuebing shook his head: "Don't worry, there's a high-pressure situation right now. You know Yuan Baojing, right? The former richest man in China, he had a feud with Liu Han from Sichuan over securities. He lost money and hired thugs to take down Liu Han. The second trial is over now, and it'll probably be over in a few days. Everyone's on edge, and nobody dares to do anything reckless."

"Yes, I've heard... We need to be careful in the market, after all, it's investors' money."

"I know, let's talk again tonight, my colleague is looking for me."

Chen Xuebing saw Wu Zisheng waiting outside the door, gave him a brief instruction, and hung up the phone.

Wu Zisheng opened the door and peeked in.

"The office is being renovated these days, so why don't you stay somewhere else for a while?"

Chen Xuebing scratched the back of his head and laughed:

"I'll go back to school first, I have something to take care of."

Dean Zhou left his phone number with him when he left, and in the past two days he has sent him three invitations to inquire whether he was busy on the weekend and wanted to invite him to an audience.

It's probably about begging for alms.

He has now caught the dean's eye and is being thought about by the dean every day.

But he was in a period of financial difficulty and had no money to spare, so he always postponed anything involving money, saying he would deal with it later.

However, money still needs to be spent where it's necessary.

"By the way, I think that lawyer Wei from Taikang Insurance is pretty good. Eight thousand is fine. Have the headhunter invite him over so you can have a good talk with him. Also, we need to hire some people on the 42nd floor to set up the finance and office structure. Liang Hui lacks recruitment experience, so help him out when you have time. By the way, ask the headhunter if they know of any suitable chief architects. If so, send over their information for us to review."

In construction companies, the three chief engineers, chief accountants, and chief economists are usually on par with the vice presidents.

Recruiting top talent usually doesn't involve advertising everywhere. You either hire headhunters or the boss personally goes to competitors' offices to poach them. Shi Dazui is a great guy. Last year, he visited Chen Tianqiao and poached the entire development team from Shanda to start Giant Interactive, which produced the most expensive game ever, "Zhengtu".

Wu Zisheng's expression shifted: "Is there a big project over there?"

"Can't we hire if we don't have projects? What's most important in the 21st century?"

Wu Zisheng chuckled: "I understand."

"Where's Ren Ying? Give me back my assistant."

"Hiss... Wait until she finishes things at the accounting firm for me! That girl has changed a lot lately!"

(End of this chapter)