Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 415 First Visit to Hong Kong
A double-plate bus arrived.

"Mr. Chen, you drove here yourself? I was just saying..." Wu Guangzheng looked at the car he had brought.

"Hehe, thank you for your kind offer, Mr. Wu. But let's take the bus, it'll be easier for everyone to chat. Mr. Wu, shall we get on the bus and talk?"

"OK!"

After some discussion, Ms. Bao got into her own car, while the others boarded the bus.

The car swayed and rattled towards the bustling area. Apart from Chen Xuebing and Wu Guangzheng chatting, everyone else remained silent.

Is this to make it easier for everyone to chat?

What to talk about?
It seems like they really don't care about Weibo!

The imagined enemy suddenly disappeared, existing only as a subsidiary. If they continue to treat this place as a major threat, the entire internet industry will become a laughing stock!

However, because the car was very quiet, some of the keywords they were whispering about still caught everyone's attention.

"Mr. Li heard you've come to Hong Kong and would like to invite you to visit."

"."

“I didn’t say anything to him, nor did I help him relay messages. I just thought it would be helpful for your business in Hong Kong.”

"Never mind then, I don't have anything to talk about with him, Master. Play a song."

Mr. Li, please invite him.

This information invigorated everyone.

Which Mr. Li?

Is that Mr. Li?!

There's nothing to talk about with him!
People couldn't help but turn their attention to Mr. Ma, who visited Li Ka-shing in Hong Kong last year with the first cohort of CEOs from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.

Mr. Ma crossed his arms and pretended to doze off, but he shifted his body slightly uncomfortably.

Chen Xuebing didn't seem to want anyone to listen, and stopped talking after a few sentences.

Refusing Li Ka-shing's invitation might be a way to show off and continue to put others down, but it's clearly not an option for showing off. Li Ka-shing didn't invite him out of respect; he wanted to silence him.

This is a very serious matter.

The bus music started playing.

"We are both wanderers on this path of sorrow, perhaps we need not know who I am, nor need you to reconsider. Why must we have known each other before we meet?"

The car drove slowly into the city. Chen Xuebing opened the window and looked at the scenery outside. The trams, covered in Chanel advertisements, crawled slowly along the street. An old woman was squatting by the platform selling magnolias. The aroma of curry fish balls wafted from the 711-Eleven convenience store. Middle school students in school uniforms were discussing Jay Chou's new song in Cantonese mixed with English.

The old red cylindrical British mailbox was neatly decorated with the logos "Chinese Dream" and "Beijing 2008".

This land is undergoing a process of identity reorganization.

Perhaps some Hong Kong people will always reminisce about the glorious past when Hong Kong was far superior to mainland China and was one of the Four Asian Tigers.

But so-called nostalgia is essentially just a variant of anxiety about security. Compared to deliberately maintaining the British international style, new listed technology companies, new products developed in university laboratories, and digital currency bonds and offshore currencies backed by a powerful entity can bring greater and more valuable development to this land.

If Britain continues to follow in the footsteps of the past, its role in global economic growth will have long since ended 20 years from now.

"By the way, I haven't received any news about your internet monitoring system. Are you going to have someone from Shenzhen come and announce it directly? That seems a bit abrupt," Wu Guangzheng suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuebing raised his hand, turned on his phone, and glanced at the time.

"The people handling this matter should already be in Hong Kong. Representatives from the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange will communicate directly with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, or they may contact the Hong Kong government directly. This proposal has already attracted the attention of higher authorities, and it may be included as a special policy supplement in the 'CEPA Supplementary Agreement IV' this June. This is not within your jurisdiction, so you probably won't be notified. I can't say anything about it now. However, the infrastructure adaptation should still be in my hands. Let's wait for Mayor Xu's announcement at the meeting the day after tomorrow."

The situation has taken a turn. His superiors informed him that this year is a critical period for China's foreign exchange reserves to surge, and capital outflows are beginning to emerge. Financial regulators are under great pressure to respond. His proposed "data presence rather than physical presence" solution, which uses technology to move regulation forward within the existing legal framework, is very practical and forward-looking. This design has now been adopted by higher decision-making bodies and has been adjusted and modified in accordance with the CEPA framework.

This policy, bearing his mark, was adopted into financial regulations, making him a genuine consultant now.

If he hadn't been a student yet, he could have been specially recruited into the public sector and become a section-level assistant researcher or something. Working in a ministry, his rank would definitely have risen quickly. He might have been demoted to a deputy county-level position before he turned 30, and he might even have become a mayor in his lifetime.

Hey, civil servants aren't allowed to do business.

Forget it, let's leave that possibility for when we're old and look back on it.

Wu Guangzheng was no longer surprised by his competence, but he probably never dreamed that President Chen would seriously hesitate between such a wealthy man's status and the position of "section-level cadre," otherwise his jaw would have dropped in astonishment.

"Hey, your phone is pretty good. I heard it's going to be released soon? Will it be sold in Hong Kong?"

He had thoroughly investigated Chen Xuebing's background and knew about the Kirin phone, but when Chen Xuebing picked it up and turned it on at close range just now, it did surprise him.

Chen Xuebing picked it up, glanced at it, and shook his head, saying, "It probably won't sell this year. This is the TD-SCDMA standard. 3G is for China Mobile in mainland China, and only 2G can be used in Hong Kong. However, we will release an Olympic edition next year, and we might be able to sell it."

Upon hearing this, Wu Guangzheng sensed something amiss.

"You mean China Mobile might enter Hong Kong next year?"

This is a crucial piece of information for his Kowloon Communications.

Chen Xuebing chuckled and revealed slightly: "It's not confirmed yet, but Hong Kong isn't that big. If China Mobile wants to come in and cover base stations, it's just a matter of obtaining a spectrum license."

Hong Kong issued its first 3G licenses in 2001, using WCDMA (European-led) and CDMA2000.

The 3G market can be said to be mature.

The area is not large, with a total area of ​​only half the size of Shenzhen. It is densely populated, which can greatly improve the utilization rate of base stations. Moreover, TD and WCDMA are only different in physical layer transmission technology. The standard itself does not affect cross-border connectivity. In fact, this place is an excellent location for KOS to develop international mobile phone software because of its overseas network connectivity.

To achieve TD coverage in Hong Kong, two main issues need to be addressed: terminals that can capture the market and base station technology that can penetrate numerous dense buildings.

Give him a year, and neither of these things will be difficult to achieve.

Kirin doesn't sell well in other overseas regions, but Hong Kong is, after all, Chinese territory.

If the mountain doesn't come to me, then I'll go to it.

The restaurant was located on Henderson Land Development's property, the Four Seasons Hotel.

It's interesting to talk about the boss, Li Shau-kee. He was born in the same year as Li Ka-shing, and his second son was named Li Ka-shing.

People say the name was chosen a long time ago and was not meant to be malicious, but the meaning behind it is clear to everyone who hears it for the first time.

While waiting for the food, Chen Xuebing intended to tell this joke to ease the atmosphere, but considering that it would put President Wu and his wife in a difficult position, he didn't say it.

But the atmosphere took a turn when TOM.com's Wang Lei Lei suddenly received a phone call.

Wang Leilei was surprised to see the caller ID; it was a call he hadn't received in a long time. After answering and listening for a few sentences, his expression turned strange. He got up, covered the receiver, and walked over to Chen Xuebing, saying, "Mr. Chen, it's Sister Zhou on the phone. Could you take this call?"

"Which Sister Zhou?" Chen Xuebing asked.

Wu Guangzheng, who was standing next to him, suddenly realized: "Tera Chow?"

Wang Leilei nodded. "Oh, Mr. Li's important representative, the head of the Li Ka Shing Foundation," Wu Guangzheng explained.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became somewhat puzzled.

Li Ka-shing, are you still chasing after me?
Brother, who are you?
Zhou Hongyi, who had been boasting about Li Ka-shing on the ship, was now extremely upset. It was like someone at a Wuling Hongguang car club praising the performance of a Land Rover, only to have someone receive a call from the traffic police asking them to move their car. They pulled out a Range Rover key, pressed it on the roadside, and damn it, the key turned on.

He had already secretly decided that if Li Ka-shing came to this dinner party today, he would turn around and leave.

Chen Xue looked at Wang Leilei and frowned: "Why did the phone call get to you?"

Wang Leilei said awkwardly, "TOM Online is Cheung Kong Holdings."

Chen Xuebing was speechless.

Damn it, one of them slipped through the net.

TOM was very successful in his early years, but now it's too small, and he doesn't really care.

However, he didn't talk much with these people on the internet. Judging from Wang Leilei's expression, he had just received this call.

Chen Xuebing hesitated for a moment, then took the phone, but didn't get up, not wanting to appear too serious.

"Hello, Ms. Zhou."

"Mr. Chen, good afternoon. I am Zhou Kaixuan. I heard you just arrived in Hong Kong. I hope I haven't disturbed your rest."

The other party's polite opening remarks made Chen Xuebing more composed.

"I have admired you for a long time."

"Mr. Chen, you're too kind. Mr. Li and I were talking, and he said that the future of Hong Kong's internet needs to be led by young leaders like Mr. Chen. He thinks your proposed financial regulatory concept is very creative."

This straightforward approach made Chen Xuebing's expression freeze for a moment.

Financial regulation?

It seems the other party already knows?

What does saying that mean? Does it mean you have complete control over the situation?
Using the word "creativity" to describe financial regulation doesn't seem quite serious.

"Mr. Li, you flatter me. I am merely following the trend and doing some concrete work for the integration and development of the two places." Chen Xuebing did not pick up on the specific topic and waited for the other party to continue.

"That's why Mr. Li felt that there might have been some misunderstandings before, and the information was not conveyed directly enough. He believed that business matters should be handled in a business-to-business manner, and direct communication is the most efficient way to avoid putting Mr. Wu and his team in a difficult position."

Chen Xuebing laughed. He felt that the other party was trying to sow discord by mentioning General Manager Wu at this time.

Even if the other party knew something, he didn't believe it was Wu Guangzheng who revealed it. If Wu Guangzheng was trying to curry favor with the other party to this extent, then there would be no need for this dinner party today; it would be most beneficial for them to simply cancel the event.

He glanced at Wu Guangzheng, gave him a look, and tilted the phone slightly so that Wu Guangzheng could hear.

Wu Guangzheng immediately understood that Zhou Kaixuan was talking about him, and he also turned slightly to get closer to Chen Xuebing.

Such behavior would not occur in ordinary business cooperation, which undoubtedly enhances the trust between the two parties.

Chen Xuebing also hoped that the other party would continue to sow discord and let Wu Guangzheng hear it.

The entire table watched this scene intently.

Mr. Chen is no ordinary person, no ordinary person at all!
Chen Xuebing also noticed that Wang Leilei's eyes were wide open like copper bells. Feeling that this person was a bit of a nuisance, he simply patted Wu Guangzheng, and the two of them went out together, closing the door behind them.

Chen Xuebing only turned up his voice to speak when he was some distance away from the private room.

"Oh? Mr. Wu is a very warm-hearted person and has helped us a lot. May I ask what misunderstanding Mr. Li is referring to?"

Zhou Kaixuan, who was on the other end of the line, knew that Chen Xuebing had left the private room during this period of silence, and said more directly: "Let's not beat around the bush, Mr. Chen, Mr. Li received the list. He asked me to convey two words: Thank you."

Chen Xuebing paused slightly: "This has surprised me somewhat. Mr. Li is a senior figure in the business world, whom I have always admired. I just don't know how to express my gratitude?"

"Mr. Li meant that the business world is like a battlefield, and knowing yourself and your enemy is the norm. Since President Chen was willing to greet us in this way, instead of going to extremes directly, he appreciated the sentiment. Therefore, he believed that we had a basis for sitting down and talking, rather than just making statements through newspapers and in the meeting room."

The other party interpreted his threat as a civilized "greeting," which showed they knew how to save face.

Chen Xuebing was somewhat convinced and actually wanted to end the conversation.

I've arranged everything, do I need your support?
However, I also wanted to hear what the other person would say.

"Ms. Zhou is straightforward. So, Mr. Li, how would you like to discuss this?"

“The foundation has recently been exploring how to support Hong Kong’s science and technology innovation ecosystem. Mr. Li specifically asked what kind of support outstanding companies like Mr. Chen’s, which come from the mainland, need most in their early stages of development. Is it an office in Cyberport or bandwidth in a data center? Perhaps we can find a more win-win starting point for cooperation than the previous methods.”

It's the same old routine, just a bunch of platitudes, nothing is actually mentioned, and they want to meet in person.

Why don't you just state your conditions directly, like giving me that piece of land in Chengdu?

"Hehe, there's no need for support. If Mr. Li is interested in the technology of cross-strait data interconnection itself, my team would be happy to give a special presentation. Investment and participation in projects are both welcome. However, regarding financial regulation, since you all know about it, let me be frank: it can't be stopped. This matter has already entered the ministries."

The other party was silent for a moment.

"Mr. Chen, why must you go to such extremes?"

"No one is forcing you to transfer funds, so how can you say you're going to extremes? Capital flows need to be transparent, and financial security needs safeguards. This isn't targeting anyone in particular; it's the trend of the times. So I advise Mr. Li not to go against the tide, to cooperate a little, and to restrain himself a bit. The outcome will be better."

To make the other party guess and be cautious, he even borrowed the tone of his father when he interrogated suspects.

After saying that, he paused to reflect on it.

Yes, that's the right way to say it, representing the will of the nation, that's how it's said.

There was silence on the other end, and Wu Guangzheng chuckled to himself.

“I understand.” Zhou Kaixuan’s tone returned to its professional calm. “I will convey Mr. Li’s message exactly as Mr. Chen said. I hope the meeting the day after tomorrow will go smoothly.”

"It will definitely go smoothly," Chen Xuebing said calmly. "Goodbye, Miss Zhou."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Xuebing and Wu Guangzheng exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

They all knew that retreating to advance was never the only strategy Li Ka-shing employed.

“Isn’t that unnecessary? The Li family owns shares in Cyberport, and they handle the fiber optic cable issue with the Hong Kong Communications Authority,” Wu Guangzheng hesitated.

After all, when it comes to getting things done, it's better to be a little softer in your tone; why be so sharp and aggressive?

"You haven't reached an agreement on the two buildings in Cyberport yet?" Chen Xuebing retorted.

"The deal has been reached."

"Then it's alright." Chen Xuebing said solemnly, "Don't worry, Mr. Wu, I came here with the goal of a successful cooperation. However, we are the ones who set the rules for doing business in Hong Kong. Whether we make peace or fight and then make peace again, we will not let anyone manipulate us, treat us like a soft persimmon to be squeezed, or coax us like a child."

(End of this chapter)