Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 182 A Friendly Yet Stiff Conversation
"Go to the bank first and check your accounts!"

"Huh? Really?! How come they transferred so much money to me..."

The conversation was still going on when Chen Xuebing hurriedly hung up.

Two million and one hundred thousand was the amount paid for the house in Shanghai, and seventeen thousand and eighty thousand was the public maintenance fund, which adds up to exactly two million two hundred and twenty-seven thousand eighty thousand.

I called Xin Mengzhen.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is not in service. Please try again later."

The extremely rare notification sound was a unique feature of this era. The coverage area gradually expanded in later years until 2022, when the "out of service area" notification sound was officially discontinued.

He frowned, sensing something was wrong.

My China Mobile SIM card is roaming nationwide, but it's out of service area?

Before he could even finish thinking about it, his phone vibrated.

The number is very special.

He vaguely sensed who was calling, and answered in a deliberately calm voice.

"Hello. Who is this."

The voice on the other end was younger than he had imagined.

"Mr. Chen, have you received the money?"

"Received. Who is it?"

"I am Mr. Xin's secretary."

"Mr. Xin, or Old Mr. Xin?"

"...Mr. Xin."

"Oh."

Chen Xuebing knew it wasn't Xin Mengzhen's grandfather or her father, so he spoke calmly, without revealing any curiosity, waiting for the other person to speak.

Slightly surprised by his composure in the face of young people, he didn't waste time and spoke frankly:
"Thank you for lending Mengzhen the money to buy a house, and thank you for your idea for the e-reader. We've made two payments to you: one is 202.78 million yuan for the house in Shanghai, and the other is 900 million yuan as payment for the creative design. This product currently has a total net profit of 4500 million yuan from sales in South Korea, which is thanks to the efforts of our production and sales channels. We've also made some modifications to your design, but Mr. Xin said he'd give you 20%, which is far beyond the industry standard for design. Mr. Chen, do you have any objections?"

Chen Xuebing knew where the money came from and sighed inwardly.

That's incredibly generous—900 million on a single sheet of paper.

They're using their power to intimidate people.

Nine million is not a trivial amount for Xin Mengzhen's grandfather, otherwise he would not have named a brand after Xin Mengzhen because of this product.

This money might not be easy to get.

He realized the other person might be recording, but showed no intention of cooperating.

"Of course I have objections. I bought the house for Xin Mengzhen, and the idea wasn't for Mr. Xin, it was for Xin Mengzhen. If you don't want it and want to respect my intellectual property rights, you can... ha."

He never dreamed he'd encounter such a melodramatic scene from a novel. A hint of anger rose within him; he wanted to say "stop production," but considering the significant financial loss to Xin Mengzhen's family and the embarrassment it would cause her, he held back and asked instead:
"What does Mr. Xin mean? He's offering me 1100 million to leave his granddaughter?"

The person on the other end chuckled lightly: "No, I just wanted to express my gratitude."

"However, Mengzhen won't buy a house and get married like a normal girl, and she's not at the age to confirm her lifelong commitment. Mr. Xin just hopes that you won't do the wrong thing at the wrong time, and let her study and grow up properly."

The tone was both very polite and very stiff.

They didn't give Chen Xuebing any reason to refute them at all.

Chen Xuebing pursed his lips, not wanting to follow the other party's conversational pattern and fall into a passive position.

"Does Mr. Xin think I am not worthy to be the son-in-law of the Xin family, or his grandson-in-law? Or does he have some other idea? Please make any requests you have, and I can meet them."

The person on the other end casually replied, "Alright, if you want Mr. Xin to consider you, then don't contact Xin Mengzhen for now. Let her study and work hard during her four years of university. We can talk about your matter after she finishes university."

It's all subtle, calculated attacks.

Chen Xuebing's face twitched.

Four years, for now?
Four years later, it's all too late! The couple hasn't contacted each other for a month and they're already talking about divorce!

He had always known that Xin Mengzhen's family structure was somewhat complicated and that she had a strong preference for sons over daughters, but he never took it seriously. He even thought that this would make things easier for her. In a few years, when it was time for him to visit her family, he would have achieved success and fame. Even if her family didn't readily accept him, they could at least maintain a semblance of harmony.

Xin Mengzhen has been quite happy lately, saying that her grandfather's willingness to mentor her has put his mind at ease.

I never expected something like this to happen.

What is her family thinking?

Do they feel that some blond guy has snatched their cabbage from the sidelines, or that the house-buying saga on TV has embarrassed them?
I didn't ride a ghost fire to your building!
"I'm afraid I can't accept this condition. Could you please give me an account number? I will transfer the money back to you."

When Chen Xuebing spoke, his attitude became tough.

A secretary who puts on airs and tries to intimidate him with her power is still too green.

"No need," the secretary said calmly. "Mengzhen is Mr. Xin's granddaughter; I hope you will respect that..."

Chen Xuebing interrupted directly:
"Then let's consider it as President Xin investing in my fund. It was already closed, but out of respect for Xin Mengzhen, I'll give you a back door. I'll notify you when the investor meeting is held."

After saying that, he cursed, "I'm so stubborn," and hung up the phone with a bit of force.

……

"He won't listen to reason."

A thousand kilometers away on Hong Kong Island, on an offshore yacht, a man's voice and the dial tone of a telephone came one after the other.

A middle-aged man in a sharp suit and impeccably dressed, wearing glasses, leaned against the railing at the stern of the ship, staring at the phone in his hand.

His expression was a little dazed.

Stubborn to the end?!
Was he insulting me? Or was he insulting Boss Xin?
"A tough kid."

Having a superior position in the Xin family and rarely encountering such an attitude, he subconsciously hummed a word in response.

But the other end could no longer hear it.

He realized he had messed things up, so he quickly walked to the bow and called out softly, "Chairman!"

The yacht was spacious. Two elderly people and a woman sat at the bow chatting and laughing. They were all wearing baseball caps and casual clothes. The older one had a tanned face and a half-white beard on his chin. His eyes were very bright as he stared ahead, making him look shrewd and capable, yet dignified.

The two young men behind them carried toolboxes to assist the three of them with their sea fishing, threading small shrimp and fresh meat bait into different loose hooks and bait traps with meticulous and careful movements.

The old man turned his head, stood up, and patted his pants.

"Mengzhen, if there's anything you don't understand, ask Grandpa Feng for guidance. I'm going back to my room to rest."

Xin Mengzhen was a little nervous. It was her first time going out to discuss business with her grandfather, and the other party was such an important figure.

He was the former chairman of the Hong Kong Airport Authority and the vice chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges. He also owns a century-old listed export trading company.

Feng Guojing.

His father, Feng Hanzhu, was the second son of Feng Bailiao, a wealthy businessman from Guangzhou. His family had been doing business in Hong Kong for a full century.

He was called "Grandpa Feng," but his sideburns were black, and his slightly chubby face was full of collagen, making him look much younger than the old man. Hearing this, he chuckled and said, "Senior Xin Shengye, why does your granddaughter call me Grandpa? She should call me Uncle."

Xin Mengzhen turned to look at her grandfather, but Xin Tingye did not say anything.

She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Feng Guojing with a questioning expression and said, "Then shall I call you Dr. Feng?"

Feng Guojing nodded in satisfaction and continued the topic from a few minutes earlier: "We can't do international business without the internet. In the 90s, when the internet wave came, I reacted immediately and replaced all the computers in the company. You are so young, yet you can sense the trend. You are a smart woman."

He gave Xin Mengzhen a thumbs up.

Xin Mengzhen's eyebrows, hidden beneath the white brim of her hat, softened, revealing a gentle, spring-like smile that brought out dimples at the corners of her mouth.

“I have a great mentor. He has a deep understanding of the internet and is very skilled at operating it. I can introduce him to you when you have time.”

"it is good!"

Feng Guojing smiled and nodded, then took the new bait and re-attached his rod and cast again.

Xin Tingye listened to their conversation, his expression unchanged, and walked into the cabin with his hands behind his back.

"Have you reached an agreement?"

The secretary followed closely behind.

"It didn't go well."

Xin Tingye turned his head slightly: "He doesn't want it?"

“No, I won’t accept it. He said he would return the money or put it into his fund.”

"Heh." Xin Tingye chuckled, sat down on a sofa, picked up the aluminum old-fashioned teacup on the coffee table in front of him, unscrewed it, took a sip, and looked at the sea view outside the window.

After a long pause, he said, "Let him be."

The secretary sat down beside him, supporting her legs and frowning as she asked, "Chairman, this is an outstanding young man, talented and capable, and a good external aid for Mengzhen. Why did you..."

Xin Tingye waved his hand and raised his chin towards the outside.

Did you hear what I just said?

He took a sip of the lingering tea flavor and said slowly:

"She's a good young man... but the foreign players are too strong, so the players on the field are too comfortable. Mengzhen used to be very independent, which is good. I intended to let her train, but she was too influenced by others. Her first deal at Boshi was with that person. Now she has become very compliant. It's not good to live too comfortably when you're young. You will lack resilience."

The secretary realized something from those words, her brows furrowed even deeper, and she leaned closer, saying:
"Are you really prepared... Mengzhen is, after all, a girl..."

"Business depends on the harmony of heaven, earth, and man. Yong Sheng and Han Jie are of average talent, Shi Chang's talent is not in business, and of the younger ones, she is the most intelligent. I had someone calculate that she has the best fortune... As for this family, after I am gone, it would be good if there was someone who could maintain the family's wealth for three generations. As for the rest, let them see how their fate unfolds."

Upon hearing this, the secretary raised an eyebrow: "Well... that guy really isn't suitable for her. He's too domineering. If they really get together... who knows what will become of the company?"

Xin Tingye looked at the sea with deep eyes: "Geniuses... are mostly arrogant, and too many die young. The girl is still young, let her see more. If her company can still hold on in a few years, and the two of them can still be together, then they are a good match. Only someone who can be patient and withstand setbacks can be her true helper."

The secretary, recalling Chen Xuebing's earlier insult of "unyielding," clicked her tongue and couldn't help but ask a classic question.

"What if...the other party doesn't cooperate?"

Xin Tingye's forehead creased, revealing a sly smile, and he pointed to a black briefcase on the coffee table.

"Then let the little girl cooperate. Find an opportunity to show her what's inside and reveal what I just said to her."

The secretary got up, walked to the desk, opened her briefcase, took out a thin piece of paper, and looked at it with surprise. She then turned to look at the chairman.

"Lung...lung cancer?"

Xin Tingye smiled, picked up a pack of cigarettes from the table, lit one, and took a leisurely puff.

……

chongqing.

Chen Xuebing opened his phone's contacts, paused on "Lin Huixiang," pondered for a moment, then pressed the up button and dialed the number next to it.

It rang for a while before the other party answered.

"Mr. Chen."

Chen Xuebing cut to the chase: "President Lu, has Xin Mengzhen returned to work?"

Lu Xiaochun hesitated for a moment, then said, "I don't know. Isn't she here? I haven't been to the company lately... By the way, how's the situation going with your inquiries?"

Chen Xuebing chuckled.

"Stop playing games. The information you gave me about this project is misleading. I've already found someone to contact the person in charge at Chongqing Iron and Steel Group, but the person in charge on your side can only be Xin Mengzhen. I won't do it if anyone else is in charge."

Lu Xiaochun then laughed: "President Chen is indeed very resourceful. How much can you get per share?"

"If it's below two yuan, the target opening price is five yuan and eighty cents, which is a friendly price."

Secretary Jiang contacted the person on Monday and revealed the price to him. Even he thought it was a good deal, with a 180% profit in one or two years.

Of course, there's also an element of gambling involved.

I'm betting that Chongqing Iron & Steel will successfully restructure and go public, and that it will open at the target price.

However, the safety margin of two yuan is already very high; this price is not something that ordinary people can afford.

"What share?"

"3000 million shares."

After its restructuring, Chongqing Iron & Steel has a share capital of 30 billion shares, which is exactly 1%. This position is probably the standard shareholding of a public fund.

Lu Xiaochun, however, was somewhat unsatisfied: "Can we still talk?"

Chen Xuebing smiled and said, "Let's talk about my situation first."

Lu Xiaochun then said decisively, "She hasn't come back yet, but don't worry. When she comes back, I will definitely hand it over to her. Also, as long as the project is profitable, I will give you 10% of the profits."

3000 million shares, ideal profit of 5400 million.

If it had gone public in 07, during a major bull market, the selling price might have been much higher than ideal, and a 10% profit would have been substantial, potentially exceeding ten million.

Chen Xuebing didn't care at all: "Let's talk about it when she comes back. If Xin Mengzhen doesn't come back, I have no reason to cooperate with you. I can take this share myself."

That's just a bluff. He can eat, but he doesn't earn enough to justify it.

In the next two years of bull market, he knew at least ten stocks that would increase more than 10 times, and some that would increase 20 times. For example, Suning and Oceanwide Holdings, which he had put in his basket early on, were both top-performing stocks.

It's just that nobody believes me when I say it.

Lu Xiaochun could not foresee the unprecedented bull market that was about to take off, and in his eyes, shares of Chongqing Iron & Steel, which were about to be listed, would perform well even in a bear market.

"She's not coming back? What do you mean?" Lu Xiaochun's tone was sharp.

Chen Xuebing grinned.

"What I mean is, such an excellent employee has been on leave for several days. President Lu should take the initiative to show concern for him."

(End of this chapter)