Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 336 The Sizzle of the Pot

Chen Xuebing's score today was 79 strokes.

They didn't score a single eagle throughout the entire game.

But it was undoubtedly a successful golf tournament.

When they left Mission Hills, Chen Xuebing gave Ye Yuanxi a beautifully packaged Kirin mobile phone.

The outer packaging for the Qilin was just finished, and this was the first time Chen Xuebing had given it away as a gift.

To be precise, this was also the first time Chen Xuebing had given a gift to a friend.

Ye Yuanxi was not among the wealthiest or most powerful people he knew, but he was the first ally he wanted to bring into his camp without resorting to controlling stakes. Therefore, reciprocity and social niceties were necessary.

Ye Yuanxi doesn't pay much attention to digital products, but when he learned that it was an unreleased mobile phone produced by General Manager Chen's company, he was very happy to accept it and gave Chen Xuebing one of his favorite driving clubs in return.

"Mr. Chen, the pricing for a fully furnished apartment is quite complex. Some details in the quote your company sent might need adjustment. How about this, I'll send someone to your project department to discuss it. We can then see the specific requirements of the project before making a final decision. I guarantee I'll give you the most favorable price!"

Chen Xuebing smiled and extended his hand to shake his:
"Old Ye, I'm negotiating with a long-term development in mind, so I'm a bit strict on the price. I hope you don't mind. You need to tell your people that this isn't a negotiation for a million square meters, but for tens of millions, even hundreds of millions. And we're gradually expanding to first-tier cities. So, our projects won't all be basic; they'll become more and more high-end, and the decoration materials we use will become more and more expensive. I also assure you that these expectations I've given you will definitely be gradually realized within three years."

Ye Yuanxi understood what he meant: the best price wasn't enough; they also had to go by his quoted price.

He hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! We'll do this deal as long as we don't lose money! Consider it making a friend of Mr. Chen!"

Chen Xuebing smiled and said, "I believe Mr. Ye will not lose money. The profit margin on this order is a little thin, mainly due to the transportation distance. As long as Mr. Ye cooperates with me, he can expand with confidence and open up new factories. The transportation distance will be reduced. Moreover, our business in Shenzhen will be finalized soon. To be honest, I have to have a meal with the leaders of Shenzhen this afternoon to discuss the development of Qianhai."

"Oh? Qianhai?" Ye Yuanxi turned his head and glanced southwest. "You mean the land reclamation area? Wasn't Qianhai supposed to be a logistics port area? Isn't Houhai the area they're developing now?"

Shenzhen has been reclaiming land in Nanshan District, creating Qianhai and Houhai. According to the plan, although Yantian already has a logistics port area, the western part lacks a deep-water area for large ships to dock. Qianhai is this deep-water area, and land reclamation is still ongoing.

Houhai is the Shenzhen Bay area.

Chen Xuebing did not refute, but said: "Qianhai has more possibilities, and we also have our own technology park that will start construction next year. Its scale will be comparable to Huawei's Bantian base, and the demand for materials will not be small."

Ye Yuanxi frowned and reminded him, "President Chen's investment is so large. Industrial park construction is not like real estate. You need to be careful about the cash flow."

Chen Xuebing smiled and reassured him: "Don't worry, we use social funds and bank capital to build the real estate, but this base is funded by our own funds. We will build as big as we have the money."

After saying this, he sighed somewhat.

He also said that he must take advantage of the bull market next year to build up his cash reserves. Now one thing after another is happening, and he doesn't even know if the profits for the first half of next year will be enough.

However, with the three subsidiaries and Spreadtrum now having the ability to generate their own cash, the group's cash flow of a few hundred million is sufficient. Making every penny generate more money is the only way to live up to the spirit of this era.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ye Yuanxi and waiting for him to get into the car, Chen Xuebing checked the time and saw that it was already past 2 p.m. He then turned to make arrangements for Yang Qingyue.

"I have a dinner appointment this afternoon, but I still have some time. Shall I go shopping with you?"

"No need, I'm tired too. You should go back to the hotel and rest, and change your clothes," Yang Qingyue said obediently.

Chen Xuebing came to Mission Hills Hotel to play golf and booked a room there yesterday. Yang Qingyue saw him walking around the golf course for a long time and didn't want him to go through any more trouble.

Chen Xuebing smiled and said, "Okay, I'll have the driver take you back."

A few minutes later, the Mercedes drove Yang Qingyue away.

Ren Ying watched the car drive away, her brows furrowed, and said with great heartache, "You really don't understand girls' hearts. She got up early to put on makeup, and you didn't even compliment her. Besides, she hasn't seen you for so long, she definitely wants to spend more time with you. You really didn't go when you said you wouldn't go!"

Yang Qingyue was fully aware of Chen Xuebing's feelings for her. She had seen it all, from the time she returned the keys to Yang Qingyue's silent waiting for Chen Xuebing every time he came to Shenzhen.

"I really have something to do, I have a dinner appointment this afternoon, it's inconvenient for me to bring her," Chen Xuebing replied with a dry laugh.

Ren Ying knew that Chen Xuebing's patience was also limited. She pursed her lips and tried to soften her tone, but still insisted on expressing her point of view: "Actually, every time you come to Shenzhen, as long as there is something fun, even if it is a work reception, you will invite her. But you really rarely take time to spend with her privately. In other people's eyes, she doesn't have a boyfriend. You can ask her to come and she can leave as you please. If this continues, she will be sad."

Ren Ying practically said, "They come when summoned and leave when called."

Chen Xuebing raised his eyebrows.

"She told you?"

"No," Ren Ying shook her head. "But I'm a girl, and girls will definitely think that way."

Chen Xuebing smiled, did not argue, picked up his phone, dialed Yang Qingyue's number, and put it on speakerphone.

"What's wrong?" Yang Qingyue, who hadn't gone far, answered the phone immediately.

Chen Xuebing glanced at Ren Ying and asked earnestly into the phone, "I've been so busy lately, have I been neglecting you?"

Ren Ying was speechless; it was a question uttered with male chauvinism.

Yang Qingyue replied earnestly, "No, I know you're busy. I saw it online. With so many things to do, anyone would be too busy. I didn't think too much about it, don't worry."

Chen Xuebing laughed. This wasn't the first time he'd asked this, and he knew Yang Qingyue would say something like that. He then asked again:

"So, do you think it would be better if I stopped being so busy with business, just being a normal boyfriend and spending more time with you?"

He had never asked this question before, and he was secretly hoping for the answer.

"You're just a normal boyfriend," Yang Qingyue said, exceeding their expectations. "A normal person just goes to work and earns money, right? My parents are like that. When I was little, my dad had to help his company build a new factory, and he'd be gone for a year or two at a time. Later, he went to Hong Kong. My mom couldn't leave her job, so she worked while taking care of me. Whenever my dad had a business trip or a vacation, he'd invite us along, and he'd always bring us gifts when he came back. When he wasn't busy, he'd help me with my homework at home. He felt he owed me something, so he was very patient with me. My mom and I are doing quite well; we have everything that other people have. I think that's happiness enough. So, you just focus on making money, and I'll work hard too, okay?"

The cute tone at the end of her sentence melted Ren Ying's heart. She tilted her head and sighed, then put her hands on her hips and sighed again.

Sin ah.

How can this girl be so sensible!

How did I end up with such a person?
Hey.

They didn't dare say anything.

Chen Xuebing smiled broadly: "Okay, good luck."

"Drink less alcohol tonight. If you have time, come back to Xuefu Community. I'll make you some plum juice."

Chen Xuebing coughed lightly. Although he had serious doubts about Yang Qingyue's cooking skills, he still readily accepted: "Okay, I'll be back tonight."

Based on what Xiao Yang said, even if the plum juice was salty, he would still drink it all in one gulp.

The phone hangs up.

Chen Xuebing proudly raised his phone and waved it at Ren Ying: "See that? What does it mean to never fight internally? What does it mean to be born to enjoy life?"

"When looking for a wife, you need to find someone whose child grew up in a happy family!"

After saying that, Chen Xuebing put his hands behind his back and walked forward.

"You should just focus on your work! With your ambition, if you ever want to enjoy the pleasures of being with a man, you'll only be able to rely on me, your boss!" "You!"

Ren Ying rolled her eyes in exasperation; her contact lenses were almost falling out.

want to cry!

"I don't want the humiliation compensation anymore! I want to curse you!"

Ren Ying's income has increased, and she has become more assertive.

"Fine, but you have to pay me for emotional distress if you insult me. Your salary definitely won't be enough to compensate for the losses caused by the impact on my work." Chen Xuebing's voice drifted over.

"."

……

The luncheon in the afternoon was hosted by the Shenzhen side.

The location is a restaurant near the city government.

Judging from the familiar attitude between Director Gao and the boss, it must be a designated reception unit.

However, the specifications are not high.

No city leaders came, only two directors.

Director Gao of the Shenzhen Economic and Trade Information Commission is a subordinate unit of the Ministry of Commerce. The State Economic and Trade Commission of the State Council and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation merged into the Ministry of Commerce in 03, but many local economic and trade commissions did not have foreign trade departments to merge with, so they were not changed.

This is at least a bureau-level unit.

The other director was relatively unknown.

The director of the SZ City E-Government Resource Center is surnamed Liu.

Responsible for the centralized construction and operation and maintenance of the city's e-government infrastructure, including the government extranet, data center computer rooms, etc.

Even a deputy bureau-level official would have a hard time.

Chen Xuebing contacted the secretary of Liu Yingli, the executive vice mayor, and only received the specific location for the meal at 4 p.m. When he arrived, he found out that these two were the guests.

The two directors, plus a section chief from the Information and Trade Commission, and Chen Xuebing brought Ren Ying, a total of five people, in a small private room.

Forget about drinking, he even speaks in a dry, slurred manner.

Chen Xuebing cursed under his breath, but didn't say anything.

Shenzhen is, after all, the leading city among the five cities with independent planning status, and its leaders are not so easy to meet.

However, it's understandable that Chen Xuebing is unhappy. Both Huawei and Tencent have dedicated liaisons at the deputy mayor level who can directly contact the municipal government. Is Qidian's tax revenue too small?

Okay, it's not that big right now.

But at least it was something assigned by the leader, right?
Only when the food arrived did he begin to feel the resentment he felt towards Shenzhen.

The traditional cuisine of Shenzhen is Cantonese, which is distributed around the perimeter, but the two dishes placed in the center are clearly not from the same cuisine.

One dish was stinky mandarin fish sprinkled with dried chili pepper pieces.

One dish features a variety of ingredients arranged neatly in a soup, including fish maw, salted pork, egg dumplings, shrimp, sea cucumber, abalone, and green beans, giving it the feel of a traditional Jiangnan-style stew.

But Chen Xuebing knew that this dish did not come from Jiangnan, but from Anhui.

The dish, called "Li Hongzhang's Stew," was served to British envoys by Li Hongzhang when he went to sea. Li Hongzhang was from Hefei, Anhui, hence the dish's fame in Anhui.

This dish was easy to make, as all the ingredients were common local ingredients, but he really had no idea where the rotten mandarin fish came from.

One of the dishes is engraved with "Anhui" and the other with "Hefei".

Or it could represent the 4.5-generation line that has been launched in Hefei, and another 6th-generation line that is about to be launched.

They didn't disregard him; on the contrary, they put a lot of effort into him.

Chen Xuebing stared at the table and chuckled dryly, "You two leaders, did you order these dishes?" As he spoke, he tapped on the glass on the table and said sarcastically, "The glass underneath is quite thin, it's not the glass substrate of an LCD, is it?"

“Eh~——” Director Gao let out a long sigh, then waved his hand and explained, “President Chen is joking. There are rumors that President Chen likes Anhui cuisine. We prepared this specially. What we wanted to say is: Anhui cuisine is delicious, but it can be made anywhere! Especially in Shenzhen, where everything is available, the Anhui cuisine we make is not necessarily worse than that of Anhui. President Chen, please try it!”

Chen Xuebing then picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. The taste was quite authentic, not much different from what was made in the Hefei government building. The skills of these designated restaurants are really not bad.

"The taste is good, but it lacks a bit of wok hei (wok aroma). This wok hei depends not only on the chef's skill but also on their passion for the dish. You can't wait until it becomes famous before you learn to make it. Instead, from the moment you get the ingredients, you should be thinking about how to make the dish well step by step. Take this stinky mandarin fish, for example. It was originally spoiled, but after cleaning it, frying it in hot oil, and then cooking it over a low flame, it came out with a fresh and fragrant taste."

"Wok hei (the smoky aroma imparted by a wok)." Director Gao savored the taste, shook his head and laughed, "President Chen's appreciation level is still superior."

“I’m not just an connoisseur, I’m also a cook.” Chen Xuebing put down his chopsticks, reached for Ren Ying and took a document, handing it to her. “Why don’t we just put these two dishes away? The dishes I brought today are also quite good, everyone can try them.”

The two directors took the documents, but did not order the removal of the two central dishes.

Chen Xuebing also crossed his arms and stopped eating.

"Are they all CEPA agreements?" Director Gao asked after looking through two pages.

Chen Xuebing shook his head: "It mainly refers to the CEPA Supplementary Agreement III, which was signed on June 27, 2006. Its main purpose is to enhance the opening up of service trade and facilitate trade and investment."

Trade in services does not refer to the trade in clothing; it refers to the trade in services.

The document includes 15 new specific measures, such as allowing Hong Kong legal practitioners to provide certain legal services in the mainland, easing market access for industries such as audiovisual, construction, and distribution, and expanding the scope of cooperation in the field of information technology.

There are also seven types of cooperation mechanisms, including deepening commodity inspection and quarantine, and e-commerce.

The two directors quickly flipped through the documents, the rustling sound of the papers rubbing together was particularly clear in the quiet private room.

Director Gao frowned slightly, raised his head, and looked sharply at Chen Xuebing:

"Mr. Chen, we are naturally aware of CEPA Supplementary Agreement III, which relaxes market access for Hong Kong service providers in many sectors in the Mainland, including information technology services. But what do you mean by 'introducing Hong Kong's top professional information technology service providers' in this document?"

"We will establish a wholly-owned, in-depth information technology service company," Chen Xuebing said decisively.
"The shareholder of this company is our wholly-owned subsidiary registered in Hong Kong, which fully meets the definition of 'Hong Kong service provider' in CEPA Supplementary Agreement III. The company's core technology team and management will be composed of senior IT elites from Hong Kong and top talents from the mainland. Most importantly—"

Chen Xuebing paused, his gaze sweeping over the two directors: "This company will be based in Shenzhen. Its servers, data centers, operations and maintenance support teams, and even the development and iteration of its core code will all be completed locally in Shenzhen. All data will be physically isolated within Shenzhen and subject to strict supervision and cybersecurity review under domestic laws and regulations. Essentially, it is a company with Hong Kong capital background, enjoying the convenience of CEPA policies, but deeply rooted in Shenzhen and serving Shenzhen at its core."

"This..." Director Gao's expression shifted slightly. "What are the specific advantages? Shenzhen has no shortage of IT service companies; Huawei and ZTE are both located here."

"To put it bluntly, the advantage is that Shenzhen will have another cloud data industry center."

(End of this chapter)