Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 331 A Phone Call

For about half a minute, no one spoke.

Liu Han leaned back in his chair, his expression inscrutable.

He regretted it a bit.

We shouldn't have rushed to cause trouble today.

Now many people know that Liu Han is going to reject this guy's project. If he agrees to settle things now, the reputation he has built up over the years will be used as a stepping stone for this guy.

You can refuse
I heard that this guy is a top private equity investor in China, investing everywhere and making money no matter what he invests in. Even I'm itching to get involved. That's why I gave him a smile at the meeting this morning. If Chen Xuebing hadn't been targeting me today, I would have really wanted to invite him to dinner and discuss a potential collaboration.

But precisely because of this, if someone like Chen Xuebing were to take the initiative to curry favor and let that person taste the sweetness of success...
He really couldn't tell what that person's attitude was like.

This is a difficult situation.

After thinking for a long time, he said angrily, "Five hundred million isn't enough! To give me, Liu Han, face, you'll need at least ten!"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Xuebing grabbed the phone on the table and pressed the dial button.

"Fine, fine, let's see how much face you're worth."

"beep"

"beep"

A waiting tone sounded during the hands-free call.

Liu Han was stunned; he hadn't expected the other side to actually dare to fight.

Chen Xuebing's heart was pounding. After finishing the call, he put the phone on the table, giving Liu Han the opportunity to press the hang-up button.

The two of them seemed to be playing a game of daredevil.

He was actually afraid that his boss would not give him any face, would not answer his calls, or would express any contempt.

Liu Hanyi really wanted to turn it off, but turning it off would mean he was scared.

We had no choice but to grit our teeth and hold on, to see just how much power the other side really had.

It has four tones.

A polite female voice came from the other end: "Hello?"

"Director Qiao, hello." Chen Xuebing forced a smile: "I am Chen Xuebing."

He gave his name, then regretted it a little, thinking he should have added "Singularity Company" to make the other person quickly remember who he was.

Fortunately, he underestimated the memory of the leader's secretary.

The other party quickly smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Chen. The boss is resting. What's up?"

These words relieved Liu Han.

It's not good to disturb the leader when they're resting.

He secretly memorized the phone number displayed below the name, intending to inquire about it later.

But when Chen Xuebing heard that the other person knew who he was, he became even bolder: "Um, I have some things I'd like to report to the leader. I'd like to ask when the leader is available?"

The person on the other end hesitated: "Is it inconvenient to relay this message?"

Chen Xuebing quickly made a decision in his mind, then glanced at Liu Han with a fierce look in his eyes: "Hmm, it's inconvenient."

Upon hearing this, the other party hesitated slightly, but the two Liu brothers were somewhat alarmed.

He dared to say it was inconvenient!

"Wait a moment, I'll get back to you later." The voice on the other end was very polite and calm.

The phone was hung up.

The moment the private room fell silent, a long, trembling breath came from Liu Wei's direction.

In that instant, he felt an electric shock running down his spine, a slight numbness. The thing around his waist that used to make him feel so powerful now felt heavy and like a huge burden. The dozen or so brothers outside couldn't give him any sense of security either. He thought to himself, if his third brother couldn't protect him, and he had to take responsibility for the thing, would Vietnam, Laos, or somewhere else be safer?

He wanted to kill this guy surnamed Chen, but he was afraid that if he did, even his brother would have to run away, and he would truly become a rootless fugitive.

Liu Han managed to maintain a composed expression and force a slight smile, letting out a cold laugh from his throat: "Hmph! I already said I was resting, you really don't understand."

Chen Xuebing, on the contrary, relaxed and chuckled.

What the hell do I need to know to do this kind of work?

As his confidence gradually grew, he also kept reminding himself: never do anything shameful, otherwise he would end up like the person on the other side, becoming a fearful ghost once he lost his protective shell.

During the two minutes of waiting, each person was lost in their own thoughts.

The phone on the table lit up.

Chen Xuebing answered the phone expressionlessly.

"Hello, Xiao Chen," the boss's voice was slow and deliberate. "Calling so late, is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

Chen Xuebing detected a hint of fatigue in the voice.

I subconsciously raised my hand to check the time: 9:18.

He suddenly realized that he had really been a bit immature.

“Uh,” he smiled, “it’s a good thing, boss, it’s about Hong Kong.”

"Oh? You didn't try to turn anyone else against you, did you?" the leader joked.

Liu Han felt his hair stand on end.

"No," Chen Xuebing laughed. "It's about trade. I recently ran into Wu Guangzheng from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, you know him?"

"Oh, I remember now, isn't that the son-in-law of the shipping magnate Bao?"

"Yes, we talked about the hollowing out of Hong Kong's industries during dinner. Hong Kong has very little land available for industrial development, but the gap is huge. I think Hong Kong can fill this gap by attracting a cluster of mainland internet companies with a small amount of land. With just one policy and two or three buildings, a complete internet industry chain can be built, and mainland internet companies can also use Hong Kong as a network hub to go global."

The leader's call couldn't be wasted. It just so happened that Wu Guangzheng wanted to see if he could get the mainland's support to promote the spring meeting agreed upon by both sides, so Chen Xuebing treated both matters as one and focused on discussing the "bilateral cooperation seminar" proposed by Wu Guangzheng.

Upon hearing this, the leader asked, "What industries will the internet involve? Are you familiar with the CEPA framework?"

"That depends on the leaders' attitude, so I can't have Secretary Qiao convey it. I need to ask for your opinion. We can do this on a small scale or on a large scale."

Before the leader could ask any questions, Chen Xuebing continued:

"Small-scale operations" refers to focusing on traditional internet businesses such as games, online shopping, portals, and software, allowing them to make money in Hong Kong, thus expanding Hong Kong's internet industry. This approach is unlikely to attract much opposition because Hong Kong's current internet services mainly come from overseas sites, so it won't have too much impact on the local market.

"Of course, the expansion effect may also be limited. Under the same conditions, overseas internet services are more attractive to the people of Hong Kong."

"The big push is to introduce our most advanced mobile internet thinking to Hong Kong, which will have a huge disruptive impact on people's reliance on overseas websites. This will involve people's livelihood, consumption, finance, media, communications, and even the continuous introduction of heavyweight chip projects. The impact of this will be huge, but the benefits will be long-lasting. People will be able to enjoy the convenience of the times, promote cultural integration, strengthen the patriotism of the younger generation, break some monopolies, and bring more opportunities to Hong Kong entrepreneurs."

"You've already seen the new internet platforms; with proper development, this can be fully realized."

Last time, he explained to the leader for more than an hour, covering a wide range of topics, so no further explanation is needed this time.

The leader had previously remarked that if such an internet plan were implemented, China would enter a new society. Now, thinking of the possibility of Hong Kong, he suddenly felt that there was great potential.

However, such a plan requires a great deal of skill from the trader.

Have you discussed specific plans with the Ministry of Information Industry?

"No, actually, in my opinion, it would be better to push this matter from the local level, with Guangzhou and Hong Kong working together, or Shenzhen and Hong Kong working together. Starting with local cooperation can not only obtain the necessary endorsement, but also avoid overstepping boundaries and weaken the political impact. If we further develop Qianhai in Shenzhen as a research land for a bilateral pilot zone, we can also use remote Internet technology to obtain space and avoid Hong Kong's land disputes."

At this point, the leader gave a satisfied "hmm," acknowledging Chen Xuebing's political acumen. Liu Han, sitting opposite him, felt even more that Chen Xuebing was unfathomable.

Being able to discuss local policies with such a leader was his ultimate dream. He secretly drafted his notes, learning that tone of voice, to see when he could use it when talking to a certain leader.

But let alone learn it, he didn't even understand what he heard.

"This matter should be done slowly, but we need to accumulate strength quickly. I think we should start in Shenzhen. We can start with small goals in Hong Kong, and lay the groundwork for bigger goals in Shenzhen, waiting for the right opportunity," the leader said.

"I understand, I think so too. We should start with public outreach, win public opinion, and unite all forces that can be united."

Chen Xuebing's voice gradually rose, and he wanted to add, "Eliminate all stubbornness that hinders progress," but after thinking about it, he realized it was a bit too unserious and stopped himself.

"I'm relieved to see you think that way. Do you need any support?"

"Uh," Chen Xuebing began to complain, "I brought a panel project worth tens of billions of yuan that Shenzhen was negotiating to Hefei. The leaders in Shenzhen probably have some issues with me. My company is so big in Shenzhen, and it's been more than a year, and we haven't even been invited to a government meeting."

The leader smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I understand. I'll talk to Shenzhen about this. I'll try to smooth things over for you."

"Boss, that's not what I meant! Anyway, my company is relocating now, and if Shenzhen doesn't like me, I'll just go to Shanghai! If they want to keep me, they'll have to negotiate with me properly! I'm just stating the facts; you need to give me a proper title in this matter so I can coordinate with both Hong Kong and Shenzhen! Let's get the seminar going first!"

“Official status.” The leader pondered for a moment: “Reform pilot program. How about this, the consultant for the Internet industry reform pilot program under the CEPA framework will be under the Ministry of Commerce, and the focus should be on the management system that matches the legitimacy policy.”

The leader is the one who makes the decisions. Since this matter has already been reported to her, there is no need for relevant departments to meet and make a decision. It should be handled quickly.

"Advisor. That doesn't sound like you have much power. Just add the word 'general' to it."

"Okay! Chief Advisor."

The leader's composure was challenged, but he regained his calm after an exclamation mark.

"Do you have anyone under your command?" Chen Xuebing pressed his advantage.

"We will discuss with Shenzhen to form a working group by drawing personnel from the Economic and Trade Information Commission." The leader reminded, "This is a temporary unit. Whether to expand its scale depends on the progress of the work. Xiao Chen, at this critical moment of the Olympics, we must be cautious in all external affairs. Hong Kong is an international gateway, so we must pay special attention."

"clear."

"That's it."

"Uh..." Chen Xuebing glanced at Liu Han in front of him, his words hesitant, "Sir, I was recently invited by Chongqing to invest in Sichuan."

The atmosphere in the private room suddenly became tense.

"Sichuan? Invited by Chongqing? I don't understand what you're saying! Stop stammering."

"It's a good thing. The two places are cooperating to build the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and using my financing platform to develop the transportation network."

"Oh," the leader's tone softened, and he sensed something was wrong: "What's wrong? Is there some obstacle?"

"That's how it is." Chen Xuebing seemed to have made up his mind, and his expression turned serious.

In that instant, it felt as if thunder had struck Liu Han's heart.

When the leader's tone suddenly became authoritative, he recalled the stern reputation of the person opposite him, and in his mind, he could almost hear Young Master Z's reprimand and cold words:

"How did you get me into such big trouble?"

"I can't handle this! You'll have to figure it out yourself!"

"This is troublesome, very troublesome! You've given them leverage over you. Get your brother out of here right now!"

Even worse was Young Master Z's cold-blooded smile.

"Brother, our relationship ends here."

"Chen Xuebing is smarter than you. He'll have to make a good living in Sichuan in the future, so listen to him."

A movie was playing in his mind.

The moment Chen Xuebing spoke, his ears rang, everything went quiet, and he raised his hand almost without hesitation.

He didn't want to gamble.

This is a completely unnecessary gamble.

Chen Xuebing also extended a palm to him, turning it over in acknowledgment.

Five hundred million.

He nodded very quickly.

“Let me think about it. On Tuesday, I watched your speech at the National Tourism Work Conference. The Eleventh Five-Year Plan calls for promoting high-quality tourism and organizing a 'Year of Russia.' I'd like to ask if Jiuzhaigou's tourism routes are eligible for inbound tourism policies? I'm planning to develop the tourism area, including building roads and service areas.”

Buzz.
As Chen Xuebing's voice softened, Liu Han's world also became more peaceful.

The leader hesitated for a moment.

"That's it?"

"Ah."

"Ask Sichuan! This matter was reported from below." The leader wanted to lose his temper, but after thinking about it, he said, "There's no need to ask about Jiuzhaigou, it's definitely in the plan."

"I understand, sorry to bother you, boss."

"You're not planning to use my connections to get in, are you?" the leader asked with a hint of authority.

"How could that be?" Chen Xuebing laughed and said bluntly, "Someone in the local area can handle such a small matter for me. They invited me here, and I would have to think twice before asking for favors."

The leaders were so angry they laughed:

"You!"

The phone hangs up.

A long, sighing sound.

This time, it was Kan Zhidong who sent the message.

He had dealt with many former leaders and could sense their helplessness towards the younger generation from the last two words of each leader.

With such a tone, Chen Xuebing truly earned the respect of his superiors.

Feeling more confident, he walked over and sat down next to Liu Han.

"I heard you started out with the 327 Treasury bond." He said to Liu Han, "Eight minutes before the market closed that year, Lao Guan went all in, using his proprietary trading account to place 23 short orders in a row, totaling 8 million short contracts, which involved more than 2070 billion yuan."

"Guan Jinsheng's family lost billions of yuan, but created hundreds of millionaires and dozens of multi-millionaires."

"Actually, your good fortune is all due to luck. If the exchange had helped Lao Guan back then, you would all have gone bankrupt."

Liu Han snapped out of his daze, somewhat surprised: "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm the one who cleans up the mess left by Lao Guan." Kan Zhidong laughed: "Huang Wei from the Xinhu Group, Dai Zhikang from Zendai, Wei Dong, Zhou Zhengyi, Yuan Baojing, and you. How glorious were these winners back then? In just ten years, half of these names have disappeared."

Liu Han narrowed his eyes, lost in memories.

Back then, he was just a nobody among these people.

"So, don't be arrogant when you're in power. It's all fate. The most important thing is whether you can survive in ten years."

Liu Han felt something and remained silent for a moment.

Chen Xuebing stood up with a smile.

I don't believe in fate.

(End of this chapter)