Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 194 Investment Promotion in Half an Hour

"You young man, you're telling me history! You weren't even born then, I experienced it firsthand!"

Kan Zhidong laughed and told everyone about the era when the Soviet Union, the old big brother, turned into Soviet revisionism.

After Stalin's death in 1953, Khrushchev gradually seized control of the Soviet Union and embarked on a revisionist path, leading to ideological divisions.

Furthermore, their attempt to establish a military base in our country, which was met with a verbal rejection, led to a dramatic change in relations between the two sides.

In 1969, the Soviet Union amassed a million troops in the north, and tensions reached their peak.

The central government decided on the policy of "relocating schools from Beijing" for wartime preparedness.

The University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) first arrived in Nanyang, Henan.

Nanyang stated that it has plenty of land, but lacks the capacity to accommodate a university.

What is receiving ability?

In an era of scarcity, food was in short supply, and there was not enough food, drink, and emergency supplies to feed so many people.

After discussing with several places, we eventually arrived in Anqing, Anhui, but there was still no supply.

Later, when they arrived in Hefei, with the joint efforts of the province and the city, the original Hefei Normal School and the Provincial Bank Cadre School were relocated, and the school site was handed over to the University of Science and Technology of China. Food was given priority, and electricity was given higher priority than the municipal government. Anhui's first heating line was also established, and heating was installed in all school buildings. Later, the construction of the Hefei-Beijing dedicated railway line was promoted.

After the 70s, the provincial hospital was transferred to the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) to establish the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC.

Anhui and Hefei used all their enthusiasm to retain the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), so much so that when other universities returned to Beijing, USTC had already deeply integrated with Hefei and did not relocate back, but remained in Hefei.

As Kan Zhidong spoke, he noticed Chen Xuebing's smile.

"Are you saying this to create another beautiful story?"

"Right on my mind."

Old Kan said slowly, "BOE is not the University of Science and Technology of China."

“The USTC of yesteryear is not the USTC of today,” Chen Xuebing said with a smile.

USTC has never won a domestic ranking, but it has never lost an international ranking.

It only admits students in science subjects, and produced 29 academicians in its first three graduating classes.

Focus leads to expertise.

In later rankings by Nature, the most authoritative journal for publishing academic papers, the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) ranked second among the world's top research universities, second only to Harvard.

The development of Hefei's high-tech industry model is inseparable from the support of this top university.

The chief designer said that science is the primary productive force.

The pool of high-end talent cannot be determined simply by money.

This was a key reason why Chen Xuebing decided to go to Hefei.

In addition, there is another hidden reason.

He wanted to take Chen Xuejin to visit the University of Science and Technology of China.

In her previous life, Chen Xuejin's genius was hampered by her limited perspective, which led her to choose the humanities, probably because she wanted to become an official and make her mother proud. She entered Renmin University with high scores.

Therefore, when he returned to this era, he intentionally guided Chen Xuejin to develop in the direction of science.

Back then, Xin Mengzhen had been helping him to teach Chen Xuejin, and he was always grateful for that, which is why he readily gave her a blueprint for a reading pen.

What is she doing now?

Damn, why did I suddenly think of her?

Damn it, I forgot about the humiliation I suffered in just a few days, and now she warmed my heart again.

Chen Xuebing snapped out of his daze, shook his head, and cursed himself for being so pathetic.

He gently patted the table: "That's settled then. I'll get ready as soon as possible and go to Hefei."

Kan Zhidong clicked his tongue: "I don't know anyone in Hefei."

"Alright." Chen Xuebing laughed, "I'm already very grateful for your trip. How could I ask you for help with everything? You've signed the papers and come here. I'll handle everything myself this time. If the project is successful, we'll stick to the previous terms. I'll give you half of the management fee. If your Dongfang Asset Management needs money for future projects, I'll give you a stake."

Upon hearing this, Kan Zhidong's face flushed slightly.

He became increasingly willing to get closer to Chen Xuebing because he himself was also in the private equity business. Suddenly, such a rising star in the private equity industry emerged, and recently the fund's returns have been soaring. He, Lao Kan, also wanted to prove that his vision was still intact and that he had not been affected by the bankruptcy of Southern Securities. Even after leaving the system, he had still cultivated a new industry elite.

In finance and financing, reputation is everything.

He's just trying to ride on my fame.

Chen Xuebing's Chongqing project failed, and he couldn't help much in Hefei. Logically, there was no need to bring up the previous conditions again. Chen Xuebing's straightforwardness made him secretly admire the young man's vision.

“Young man, how can I take your money for nothing?” Kan Zhidong waved his hand: “Go and make contact in Hefei first. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll find you another place. If you manage to reach an agreement with BOE, I’ll help you connect with their headquarters. They’re also negotiating with Shenzhen. Now that Sharp has come in, they’re being sidelined. I’ll keep an eye on things for you. If there are any new developments, I’ll let you know.”

The two agreed that they should talk to the government first. Once they had agreed on the funding, it would be much easier to negotiate with BOE.

“Alright, an old general like him is worth two,” Chen Xuebing said with a smile.

Kan Zhidong thought for a moment and then asked, "Have you decided how to go? Don't just wander around like a headless fly. Although the economy there is only so-so, the provincial capital is of a high level. You can't just meet with the leaders whenever you want."

Chen Xuebing pondered for a moment.

Giving up Chongqing was a decision made just two hours ago; as for how to get to Hefei, he hadn't really thought about it.

However, he made a decision based on the habits of a seasoned netizen: "Old Wu, have someone search online for information about Hefei's investment promotion office."

"Okay." Wu Zisheng immediately got up and walked to the workstation next to him.

Chen Xuebing made the arrangements and began to think of new solutions.

These days, internet information is not very developed, and many cities don't even have official websites, let alone investment promotion offices. If you can't find it...
"Found it!" Old Wu shouted.

Chen Xuebing's eyes widened.

My thoughts didn't even come that fast!
“So fast??”

Wu Zisheng walked over, clicking his tongue in disbelief.

In the past, it would take a long time to find any government-related information, especially information with phone numbers and addresses. He was quite surprised that the phone number for the Hefei Investment Promotion Office could be found online with a simple search.

"They must have bought paid search rankings on Baidu. The investment promotion office's information is the first result, right before their official government website. The information is very complete, including contact person and phone number. Should we give them a call?"

"Heh." Chen Xuebing couldn't help but laugh.

That person did a great job; they built a website and even bought rankings.

After leaning back in his chair and processing his shock, he became somewhat smug and said to Kan Zhidong, "How about it? Look at his enthusiasm. I made the right choice, didn't I?"

Kan Zhidong didn't know what paid search ranking was, shook his head, and said:
"Don't get too excited yet. This is just a hurdle. You should make a call and ask first."

"Call them now. Give them our company name and ask if they need a leading listed company in LCD panels, or a huge government-invested project. Ideally, the director of the investment promotion office could contact us directly."

"."

"Isn't that a bit too direct? It sounds a bit like a scam."

Chen Xuebing waved his hand: "Go upstairs and call using the group's landline number that's posted online. They all know about posting information online, so naturally they know how to search for us online."

Wu Zisheng nodded and went upstairs.

Chen Xuebing turned to Cai Zhijian and said, "President Cai, these matters will be handled by you from now on. When you come here, will you be bringing a management team? We can discuss the compensation."

Cai Zhijian plans to save up some money to start his own business, and he will definitely bring some people with him. These people are most likely his old colleagues, either from PwC or Citibank, top international accounting firms and banks. He will definitely accept these people as long as they come.

Cai Zhijian kept looking around at his surroundings and felt quite comfortable.

This young CEO Chen has great taste; the environment is even better than the Hong Kong company's. The future office environment shouldn't be bad either. This time, I'll be able to give the team an explanation.

"Yes, there are four confirmed people, maybe five or six if there are more. But I haven't finished my resignation yet, and the handover of my work will take some time. The company is relocating to Shenzhen, so how about we meet up in Shenzhen after the New Year?"

Chen Xuebing shook his head and smiled, "The relocation of Changzheng Capital will take time. We need to hold a dividend distribution meeting for investors after the New Year. Before we leave, there are some things we need to clarify, otherwise the investors will think we have run away with the money. You should resign as soon as possible. I'll wait for you in Hefei. You have to come and follow up on such an important project."

“No problem, my project is finished and I can leave at any time. I just need to complete some financial procedures.”

Cai Zhijian was somewhat excited. He had always worked on audit projects before, and this was the first time he had been involved in promoting and actively investing.

Chen Xuebing smiled and introduced the company's business to him.

Seeing that they were talking about work, Lu Xiaochun got up to go back.

Kan Zhidong also said he was going out for a casual stroll and that he would be taking a flight back to Shenzhen tomorrow morning.

Chen Xuebing invited them to stay for lunch, saying he would take them back to their hotel afterward.

After exchanging a few polite words, Wu Zisheng came downstairs.

"Chairman, they asked for our address and my phone number!"

Chen Xuebing turned his head: "What do you mean?"

They said someone would contact us soon!

"How soon is soon?"

"Please wait a moment, I should..."

Just then, Wu Zisheng's phone rang.

Wu Zisheng answered the phone, mumbled a few words, and then his eyes suddenly went blank.

"You, come here?!"

"Where are you?"

"You're in Jiangbeizui?!"

Old Wu's voice grew louder with each sentence.

The people nearby were also somewhat bewildered.

More than twenty minutes later.

No one left.

They were all sitting on the 45th floor of the New York building.

There's nothing else to it, I'm just curious and want to see.

Hefei is just a city, and it used to be a poor county town. Does it really have a branch office stationed in Chongqing?
"Hello, I'm looking for your General Manager Wu."

A young voice appeared at the doorway.

"Yin Xin, bring the person in," Chen Xuebing called out.

Yin Xin led three people into the hall: one old and two young, dressed plainly, each carrying a satchel, looking like some kind of geological survey team.

The leader was a young man who looked around at the pretty receptionist dressed in a Chanel-style outfit and the office, which exuded an elite aura, and his steps were somewhat restrained.

I don't think I've ever been to such a nice environment before.

But when they noticed several men in suits at the large round table in the center of the hall also observing them, their expressions immediately returned to normal. With a smile, they quickly walked over and asked:

"Hello, which one of you is General Manager Wu?"

"It's me!" Wu Zisheng went to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. Wu, this is my work ID!"

The young man handed over a wallet with both hands. Wu Zisheng looked at it with a strange expression, then immediately turned and handed it to Chen Xuebing.

"Hello, Comrade Zhang! This is our chairman!"

Chen Xuebing was a little surprised when he took it. Normally, many bureaus and departments do not have work permits, especially public institutions like the Investment Promotion Bureau. When they need to use documents, they are usually issued temporary ID cards.

When he opened the wallet, damn it, there was also the national emblem.

The procuratorate.

"What are you doing here..." Chen Xuebing asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Oh! I was temporarily assigned to the overseas investment promotion team!" Young Zhang explained with a smile, "Each team has two to three people, and each team is assigned a staff member with a work permit. My unit has its own credentials, so I didn't bring my investment promotion credentials! This work permit serves as proof of my official assignment from our city!"

"Oh..." Chen Xuebing glanced at the other two: "Aren't they from your municipal government?"

“Our city sent a thousand-person investment promotion team, but we were short-handed, so we publicly recruited some investment promotion personnel! Engineer Huang is retired from the Finance Bureau, his name is Liu Tao, and he majored in securities practice! My name is Zhang Xu!”

After Zhang Xu finished his introduction, the group of people were once again dumbfounded.

Kan Zhidong walked over and asked with some doubt, "A thousand-person investment promotion team? So Chongqing... just the three of you?"

"No!" Another young man, Liu Tao, saw Kan Zhidong and his eyes lit up. He replied, "We're the group closest to you. There are six more groups in the county! You must be Teacher Kan? Teacher Kan Zhidong?"

When Kan Zhidong heard the title "teacher," he frowned slightly and looked the young man over. He realized he didn't recognize him, but he still nodded.

Liu Tao was quite excited: "I read your reports in college! I also read your business case studies! Shenyin's acquisition of Wanguo!"

Kan Zhidong grinned when he heard this, but didn't reply.

The merger of Shenyin and Wanguo is hardly a successful business case.

The "327 Treasury Bonds" of 95 were a tragedy.

Short seller Guan Jinsheng of Wanguo Securities illegally dumped 1400 billion yuan worth of unfounded short orders within 8 minutes, causing all long positions to be liquidated.

Later, Wei Wenyuan of the Shanghai Stock Exchange issued a decision announcement stating that the abnormal transactions in the last 8 minutes were invalid, Wanguo Securities' short positions were liquidated, and the company went bankrupt and was restructured by Shenyin.

At that time, he was attending a board meeting of Zhongxi Pharmaceutical in Shenzhen. Later, he went to Hong Kong on business and thus escaped the tragedy.

One of his old friends went to jail, and the other was dismissed from his post.

Chen Xuebing chuckled silently upon hearing this.

The cruelty of futures trading lies in the fact that it can wipe out the opposing side's account in just a few minutes.

The massive loss of 327 million yuan made Yuan Baojing, the richest man in Beijing, Zhou Zhengyi, the richest man in Shanghai, and Liu Han, the richest man in Sichuan, the richest man on the other side of the bulls. If Guan Jinsheng had won that day, there probably would have been far fewer stories later on.

If he had been reborn ten years earlier, he would have loved to go to Shanghai to witness that whale fall spectacle.

Zhang Xu sensed the somewhat silent atmosphere and quickly explained with a smile, "Our investment promotion team has 452 overseas investment promotion groups. We have an 'investment promotion brigade' in every city across the country. Our people can reach any urban area within two hours. In large cities like Chongqing, as long as there's investment interest, we can get there in half an hour."

Chen Xuebing came to his senses and was somewhat taken aback.

The stock market is indeed full of unpredictable and dramatic events.

The surge in investment attraction and development has only amplified its grandeur.

A city's investment promotion team can reach major cities across the country within half an hour.
He suddenly felt that Hefei was a good place to work in the express delivery industry.

Food delivery might work too.

"How much decision-making power does your investment promotion team have? Can we talk to your leader?"

"Ah, we just came to take a look." Zhang Xu immediately pulled out a notebook from his bag. "Chairman Chen, our Director Liu said you have a leading project in LCD panels. We already have 72 home appliance companies in Hefei, and our mayor is currently in Zhuhai inspecting Gree Group. Home appliances are our main industry, and many manufacturers need glass panels. However, as far as we know, there are relatively few domestic LCD panel manufacturers. I wonder which one you are referring to? Could you take us to the production site?"

Chen Xuebing couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't easy for someone from the procuratorate to say such things.

"Let me correct you. There are not few domestic LCD panels, there are almost none."

"I'm not in the screen business, I'm in investment. I have some funds and I'd like to talk to your leaders about a potential investment partnership. How long would it take to meet with your top leaders?"

Zhang Xu glanced around and answered decisively, "Could you show me your company's business information? It's just a preliminary assessment. If your company's capabilities are satisfactory, we can meet with our leaders tomorrow at noon."

"Tomorrow?" Chen Xuebing was surprised.

“Yes, there’s a flight from Hefei to Chongqing tomorrow morning. Our Director Wang can arrive here before lunchtime,” Zhang Xu said confidently.

Chen Xuebing was stunned: "...Talk in person?"

Zhang Xu replied naturally, "Yes, for the convenience of investors, as long as the business is genuine, our relevant leaders can come to the site for communication."

Hiss!
Chen Xuebing took a breath.

Sighed again.

That feeling is called being convinced.

Hefei gave him too many surprises today.

Lu Xiaochun, who had been sitting at the table without intending to interrupt, walked closer with his hands behind his back and listened carefully to their conversation.

He thought this was absolutely a rare occurrence, and that he could talk to some investment promotion leaders when he returned to Shanghai.

Even Shanghai's investment promotion teams don't go this far, do they?
Definitely not.

"By the way, how big is your investment target? What size factory is it?" Zhang Xu asked, then picked up his notebook to take notes.

"I'll talk to your manager instead. What business information do you want to see? I'll give it to you."

"Tell me in detail so I can report back."

"Okay, BOE Technology Group, formerly known as BJ Electron Tube Factory, has a TFT-LCD, thin film transistor liquid crystal 6th generation line factory, and the investment scale should be more than 10 billion yuan."

Chen Xuebing finished speaking.

Zhang Xu stopped writing.

He looked up and began to re-examine the area, his tone hesitant.

How much are you... prepared to invest?

Chen Xuebing wanted to say "1.5 billion," which was his conservative assessment of his fundraising ability over the next six months. However, the situation in Hefei was much more difficult than in Chongqing, so he hesitated for a moment and said:
"It depends on how much your municipal government can provide. I'll try my best to reach a 1:1 matching fund with you."

Zhang Xu turned his head and exchanged glances with the other two.

"Please...please wait a moment, I need to report to my supervisor!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly turned and walked out.

Chen Xuebing called out to him.

"You just said that your mayor is in Zhuhai?"

"Hmm... at Gree Group."

Chen Xuebing looked at Kan Zhidong and smiled.

"What a coincidence, Mr. Kan. It's only a little over 100 kilometers. You have a big reputation, why don't we make the trip together?"

The more than 100 kilometers he mentioned refers to the distance between Shenzhen and Zhuhai.

Kan Zhidong hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How long?"

Chen Xuebing raised his hand to check the time: "Let's do it tonight. We should be able to fly to Shenzhen before 8 o'clock. Let's rest for a bit and head to Zhuhai first thing tomorrow morning."

"You're even more anxious than they are! Fine!" Kan Zhidong waved his hand.

Zhang Xu immediately went out to make a phone call.

Liu Tao followed him out.

"Kan Zhidong! Tell Director Wang, it's Kan Zhidong!"

“Kan…” Zhang Xu turned around and glanced back.

The two whispered to each other.

Zhang Xu suddenly raised his head and quickened his pace.

(End of this chapter)