Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 414 The Silent War Song

The ship arrived near Central Pier No. 8.

In another cabin on the second floor, a four-person meeting on the idea that "the meat must rot in everyone's pot and cannot be snatched away by outsiders" came to an abrupt end.

When Chen Yizhou left the room, his conversation was still going strong, and he clicked his tongue softly:

"That Wang Xing... what a pity. He was just one step too late. We acquired his 'Xiaonei.com' and immediately created this new social networking site, which was originally planned to launch next month, but Weibo beat him to it. He called me yesterday to complain, he was so upset."

"Then let's get it online as soon as possible! We can invest 30 million to support them in their battle against Weibo." Ma Huateng rarely expressed such a generous attitude.

Everyone needs time to start a new Weibo project; what's missing is a ready-made product to suppress Weibo's momentum.

Upon hearing that the bigwig was willing to invest 30 million, Wang Leilei of TOM got excited and immediately seized the opportunity to connect: "President Chen! Let's invest together! With Tencent (Mr. Ma), your Renren and Mop, and our TOM supporting it, maybe we can create a new giant!"

TOM Online is already a dead end. Its user base has declined sharply in recent years, and it looks like it's about to sink. It can't afford to invest in big businesses, so this "Fanfou" seems to be its only chance.

Chen Yizhou glanced at the silent Cao Guowei, but didn't think this was a good opportunity.

Both Mr. Cao and Mr. Ma are probably thinking about how quickly they can complete the establishment of the new website and create their own microblog. Fanfou is at most a short-term constraint, and they are unlikely to put much effort into it.

However, if they could successfully promote Wang Xing's Fanfou and acquire it at a high price from one of the two companies, making it a cornerstone for them, they could make a profit.

"Have you discussed it?" Zhang Chaoyang suddenly appeared from some unknown room. "Do you need my help? If not, I can go it alone. I'll start working on Weibo when I get back."

With his hands behind his back, Mr. Zhang adopted the posture of a former big brother. His words expressed his displeasure with Cao Guowei's attitude earlier, as well as a hint of arrogance that said, "I can take on the whole world by myself."

Cao Guowei wanted to say something, but seeing Chen Xuebing, Ma Yun, and Lei Jun waiting downstairs to dock, he felt that Zhang Chaoyang's voice was a bit loud and didn't want to discuss it with him at this time.

Ma Huateng volunteered, "Sure, let's all do it. We've even found a website that's already been developed, similar to Weibo. We can go back and investigate it together and submit it. But first, we need to work together to block Weibo's links and prevent them from spreading, so that everyone can catch up, right?"

The key point of discussion among everyone was actually bringing Baidu into the picture.

Just then, Chen Yizhou recommended "Fanfou." If everyone invests together and forms a community of shared interests, they can get Baidu to block Weibo's search entry point.

However, having Sohu as an additional player is certainly better.

Cao Guowei, that old fox, knew that "Fanfou" was a suicide squad and didn't want to waste money, so Tencent had to take the lead.

Sina's non-participation is good for Tencent.

Li Yanhong is a techie but doesn't understand marketing, Zhang Chaoyang is indecisive, and Chen Yizhou and Wang Leilei currently lack sufficient funds. If they really succeed in making Fanfou a success, Tencent can acquire it as the foundation for Tencent Weibo.

“That’s more like it.” Zhang Chaoyang’s expression softened slightly, then he looked down and sneered, “They’re hypocritical, we need to be more pragmatic. Hmph, they’ve come to the internet industry and still want to use their power to bully others. Do you think they can do it without our approval?”

Mr. Zhang speaks directly, but he's inspiring.

The battlefield they cherished was described by Chen Xuebing as an insignificant "trivial matter" that was not worth paying attention to. This was not only hypocritical but also carried a hint of humiliation.

He humiliated the entire internet community. Can anyone stand for that?
The entire ship was chartered by Gu An, and there was no one else around. The voices echoed from the second floor.

A room door opened, and Zhou Hongyi walked out. He saw Zhang Chaoyang, snorted, but then leisurely followed the others.

The door to another room opened, and Lianzhong Qian Zhonghua and Xunlei Zou Shenglong came out chatting and laughing. Although the two had nothing to do with this matter, they also walked to the group's side.

Ding Lei came over from behind.

This wavering fence-sitter didn't even rest in the first-floor cabin to find an opportunity to talk to Chen Xuebing; instead, he went up to the second floor with everyone else.

The internet is still very united!
Everyone seemed to be summoned by General Manager Zhang's clarion call, gathering from various rooms to one place, and the scene felt ignited again.

Mr. Zhang walked ahead with his hands behind his back, exuding an aura of power and authority, his chin slightly raised.

His heart was pounding.

His heart was filled with the spirit of war.

His decision to go downstairs signifies that the entire internet industry is declaring war on Chen Xuebing!

But when they got downstairs, Chen Xuebing smiled and nodded at him, seemingly unconcerned about the scene, and then began to talk quietly with Lei Jun again.

"Regarding brokerages, I think you could also choose this approach to maximize profits."

"Mhm." Lei Jun nodded with a smile.

Jack Ma, who is usually arrogant, leaned his head very close to the two of them, looking very interested, as if he were listening to the doctrines of the capital circle.

The internet users didn't dare to get too close to listen, and a moment of silence ensued.

The three men seemed to have silenced the battle cry in Zhang Chaoyang's heart, which made him somewhat angry.

"Hey? Mr. Ma? You just said you wanted to invest in a website similar to Weibo? How much were you investing again?"

Mr. Zhang's voice was quite loud, interrupting Chen Xuebing's quiet conversation.

"Tsk." Ma Huateng felt a little numb and wanted to cover his face.

Damn it, I really shouldn't have told him that.

Keep it a secret, keep it a secret!

Brother, we haven't even done our research yet, what are you going to do?

"I don't care how much you guys invest, I'll invest 100 million!" Zhang Chaoyang wanted to be the leader, so he started by throwing money around. "It's just burning money, everyone can just chip in and we can easily come up with 300 to 500 million, right? I know some celebrities in Hong Kong, this time we'll help them secure those celebrity resources!"

Sohu has over 300 million yuan in operating cash flow this year, and its total cash reserves from past profits are over 1 billion yuan. When Zhang Chaoyang gets angry, he doesn't care about tactics; he wants to pull everyone together to overcome all obstacles.

Damn it, what kind of capitalist is this? Can they be richer than all of us combined? Or have more connections than all of us combined?
Showing off? Give me a break!

These words certainly gave the group a jolt.

With someone in this circle taking the lead, we can also put together a big project.

Seeing that Zhang Chaoyang was already pulling out all the stops, Ma Huateng couldn't afford to dampen everyone's spirits at this point. He wanted to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to contribute and fight against the singularity together. After thinking for a moment, he said, "If President Zhang contributes 100 million, then we'll contribute 100 million as well."

After saying that, he looked at Cao Guowei.

Sina is richer than Sohu, with at least 400-500 million RMB in cash flow and total reserves of at least 2 billion RMB.

"Let's take a look first." Under Ma Huateng's watchful gaze, Cao Guowei had no choice but to agree, saying, "Tens of millions is no problem."

After Cao Guowei finished speaking, he looked at Ding Lei again.

NetEase is actually the richest company, having earned at least several billion yuan from games over the years. Its operating capital is also staggering, even surpassing Tencent's. However, their interests are different.

Ding Lei was a little confused, but seeing that they seemed to have struck a good deal, he couldn't help but become interested: "What website?"

"A website that stands against capitalists, are you going to invest or not! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Zhang Chaoyang saw that he had raised more than 200 million yuan with just a few words, and he felt like he could stir up a storm. He was full of confidence and thought that today might become a legendary story of his regaining his status in the internet world.

Jack Ma and Lei Jun were both a bit stunned.

It looks like a peasant uprising. What's going on here?
Jack Ma found this scene somewhat familiar; he spoke to his employees in the same way when he was passionately challenging eBay back in the day.

But times have changed!
Everyone here is a beneficiary of the internet, making money alongside capital. Who are you trying to fool with your act of being bitterly hurt by capital and feeling resentful? Everyone has been a peasant before, except for you, Zhang Chaoyang, who have never experienced hardship!
He couldn't help but chuckle, then leaned close to Chen Xuebing's ear and said, "Look at you, I told you these people are petty, but you offended them all with just one sentence."

Chen Xuebing couldn't help but smile. He never expected that there was such a person as Boss Zhang in this world. How interesting.

In just a few words, he had already figured out which website Zhang Chaoyang was referring to.

He was mentally considering a million ways to kill Fanfou, but on the surface he smiled nonchalantly and said, "Mr. Zhang, do you have any good business opportunities? Could I invest some? I'd like to invest a few hundred million."

Chen Xuebing's joking tone made everyone's promised investment amounts seem like a joke.

The group looked at each other, seemingly feeling a bit stifled.

Zhou Hongyi suddenly spoke up: "Alright, alright, we're already in Hong Kong, what's the point of bragging here? The Hong Kong tycoons are doing businesses worth billions or tens of billions. With our little bit of money, can we call it capital? Can we even compete with real capital? Aren't we afraid of being laughed at if word gets out? If you want to be the richest man, go compare yourself to Li Ka-shing!"

He was somewhat disdainful of Zhang Chaoyang's foolish move, but he also couldn't stand Chen Xuebing's arrogant attitude, so he launched a sweeping generalization.

Of course, the main focus is still on cracking down on Chen Xuebing.

In your eyes, Weibo is a trivial matter. What is a big deal? Compared to other people's big deals, are yours even considered big deals?

Hearing this, everyone looked around.

Yes, we've arrived in Hong Kong.

Still in Central, Hong Kong.

Skyscrapers surround the Star Ferry Pier, with land plots costing millions per square meter and building areas costing tens or hundreds of thousands per square meter. Every single one of them represents a business worth billions, and those that are even slightly more prominent, with a building area exceeding 50,000 square meters, are all in the tens of billions.

This is the land of capital.

Upon arriving here, one's fortune diminishes considerably.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuebing simply shook his head and smiled, "President Zhou is being a bit self-deprecating. Hong Kong capital is the old landlord of real estate and finance, it's just that it has accumulated for several decades. The Internet, however, is a new tool that can create a new world. We are all experts in using new tools, so why have such great awe for old things? In ten years, they will all be gone."

Everyone fell silent, but Mr. Chen's face, bathed in the morning light of Hong Kong, looked quite spirited.

"Nonsense, what are you pretending for?" Zhou Hongyi curled his lip.

Zhang Chaoyang chuckled and patted Ding Lei on the shoulder: "Mr. Ding, you weren't this arrogant when you were the richest man at 32. He seems to be even richer than you."

His peers all cast their eyes in appreciative glances, hoping that Mr. Ding could make a name for himself.

After all, no matter how big Tencent becomes, it's not all about Ma Huateng's personal wealth. He only holds about 10% of the shares, and his wealth was only over 20 billion last year. It has increased this year, but that hasn't been recorded yet.

Ding Lei is the only one who owns nearly half of NetEase's shares. Last year, Ding Lei was still ranked 13th on the Hurun Rich List with a net worth of 90 billion yuan.

Fatty Ding just chuckled and flattered him, saying, "With so many resources at his disposal, it's only a matter of time before President Chen becomes the richest man."

Chen Xuebing didn't bother to respond to that. With Yang Huiyan, who has assets worth hundreds of billions, around this year, he really couldn't become the richest man.

However, it will definitely be in a very conspicuous location.

His status doesn't really need these things to explain. He's dealt with many people at the top of the list, and currently, the only one on the list that he can be wary of is the Rong family, although their brilliance has gradually faded with the passing of Elder Rong. Next is local bigwigs like Zhu Laonong (former owner of Wujiesi, with a family fortune of 152 billion), who can make him send people to help him when he tries to poach people as a gesture of goodwill. Or there's Lu Guanqiu, a godfather-like figure who has pioneered many things for private enterprises, has been running his business for decades without tax evasion, wage arrears, or labor disputes, and is widely respected in the business world, and has his own unique symbolic significance.

As for the rest, money is just money.

Once you've accumulated a certain amount of wealth, the difference in your ability to handle complex issues becomes negligible; the real difference lies in your influence.

The lists of the past twenty years are like flowing water and blooming flowers in his mind. The rise and fall of famous people are history to him, not the future. So, as he has developed to this point, most of his energy has been focused on achieving things, rather than simply seeking wealth.

The ship docked in brief silence, the car drove down the dedicated ramp, and everyone went through the passenger passage to the designated boarding station outside.

The real Hong Kong has arrived.

The Central Reclamation Area appears somewhat empty upon closer inspection. Outside the pier is a plaza, and as soon as everyone comes out, they see three extended sedans parked on the roadside.

Along with a seemingly high-profile couple and several accompanying personnel.

"Mr. Chen!"

Wu Guangzheng came over arm in arm with the second young lady of the Bao family, and the two shook hands with Chen Xuebing.

She was said to be the second young lady, but she looked to be around fifty years old.

However, having heard that such families honor their original family name, Chen Xuebing felt it inappropriate to address her as "Mrs. Wu" so he smiled and addressed her as "Miss Bao" when they shook hands.

Bao Peirong looked at Chen Xuebing's face through his sunglasses, and then exclaimed, "Mr. Chen, you are so young! My husband once said you were young, but I thought you were at least in your thirties to receive such a gift that suits my taste."

There was no intention to belittle them, just a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection).

It cannot be underestimated.

"Hehe, Mr. Chen is young and promising. Yesterday you made such a big move again. I heard you were very successful in the battle to acquire 73 billion shares for the board of directors of Minsheng Bank. Now you must have gained a voice in Minsheng? I was worried that the Shanghai project was too big and that your company could not afford the subsequent investment of 130 billion. It seems that Mr. Chen is very confident!"

Chen Xuebing's move to address people's livelihood issues has already been reported in mainland newspapers this morning, especially by major media outlets in Shanghai.

This morning, when he went out to pick up Chen Xuebing, he suddenly received a call from Xu Rongmao. Upon hearing the news, he immediately picked up his wife as well.

Wu Guangzheng laughed heartily, feeling even more that this partner was reliable.

The group of people nearby were dumbfounded.

People's livelihood?

A resounding success?!
Even Jack Ma was bewildered: "Mr. Chen, you've acquired a stake in Minsheng Bank?"

At this point, there was nothing to hide. Chen Xuebing nodded and smiled, "Yesterday was the change of leadership at Minsheng Bank. President Liu asked me to help him. I've been working on this for the past two days, and it was only yesterday that things were settled. We've now reached a preliminary agreement with the Minsheng board of directors, allowing me to become the largest shareholder of Minsheng. The rest depends on the approval from the China Banking Regulatory Commission."

Upon hearing this, Wu Guangzheng's smile widened.

The largest shareholder—this outcome is more successful than he imagined. It's not just about gaining a voice; it's about having considerable influence.

But his smile didn't reach the group of people next to him; his words only brought endless embarrassment.

They now understand what Chen Xuebing meant by "strategic decision-making".

The largest shareholder of Minsheng Bank, with a project investment of 130 billion yuan.

These two events seemed to precisely strike at every word they had said on the ship.

The internet industry has always been asset-light and requires no collateral. Under the current policies, it's difficult to even get loans approved, let alone investment banks.

Some felt a sinking feeling in their hearts, some blushed with embarrassment, some were looking for a way out, and some were thinking about a way out.

Bao Peirong noticed everyone's expressions, frowned, and then unintentionally added insult to injury: "I think everyone...didn't sleep well? Should we arrange for you to rest at a hotel first?"

Chen Xuebing turned around and saw everyone covering their faces. He turned and laughed, "Maybe they didn't have breakfast? Everyone was saying that Hong Kong is rich, a place of extravagance and debauchery. Why don't we go and see for ourselves if Hong Kong people have three heads and six arms and so much money that they can eat eight meals a day?"

"Haha, Mr. Chen is joking."

(End of this chapter)