Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 96 The Third Carriage Sets Sail
Chen Xuebing walked ahead with his hands in his pockets and opened the office door.

The office is huge and has a minimalist style. The view is very open, and the colorful lights from outside shine in through the windows, making it very beautiful.

The entrance area serves as a reception room, furnished with two sofas and a coffee table, from which the office space inside can be seen at a glance.

Large-screen computers were placed on various tables, forming an irregular circle, filled with the sound of keyboards being typed.

There are quite a few people, nine in total.

Lu Yiwen, Gou Hongyi, Liang Hui, Zhang Hang, Huang Jin, Yu Yi, Jiao Gui, and two customer service representatives hired in May, one male and one female. The male's name is Ni Cheng, and the female's name is Wu Duo.

Hearing the door open, they all turned around.

"Boss!"

"Soldier!"

The group's nonsensical way of addressing each other made Chen Xuebing frown.

The college entrance examination is over; it's time to standardize the system.

Yu Chunyin clicked her tongue in amazement: "Oh, you've raised all your people here?"

Chen Xuebing nodded: "This is our Taobao business department now. It will be adjusted soon. The Taobao business will be moved to Shenzhen, and some people will go to the construction site. At that time, this place will be turned into a stock trading studio. Once we have enough funds raised, it can serve as the headquarters of the private equity fund management company."

"Wow!" Yu Chunyin exclaimed in surprise again, "Your business scope is quite large now! How's it doing? How many phones have you sold?"

Chen Xuebing led the two to sit down on the sofa and waved over there.

"Lu Yiwen, report last month's sales performance to General Manager Yu."

"Eh!"

Everyone knew Chen Xuebing's uncle, so Lu Yiwen immediately ran to the cabinet against the wall, took out a folder, and brought it to the three of them.

"Mr. Yu, according to last month's statistics, we sold 1350 mobile phones, generating 1,444,500 yuan in sales revenue and 405904.50 yuan in profit. We also sold 443 PHS phones, generating 175871 yuan in sales revenue and 26380.65 yuan in profit!"

Lu Yiwen's voice was loud and proud.

Returns and exchanges no longer require special tracking, because we're selling stock that's already in stock, and defective machines can be returned directly to the manufacturer.

Since I started selling mobile phones, my profit margin has become astonishing, reaching 28.1%, even after a significant price reduction across the board to boost sales.

The two people sitting there were a little bewildered.

Earned 42 in one month?
In that moment of surprise, Lu Yiwen turned another page.

"Brother...Mr. Chen, should we read out the sales figures over there at the counter?"

Yu Chunyin, Hong Yongqiang: ?

"Read it aloud." Chen Xuebing nodded with a faint smile.

"1108 mobile phones sold! Sales revenue of 1024900 yuan, profit of 194731 yuan; 100 PHS phones sold! Sales revenue of 34720 yuan, profit of 4511 yuan!"

Lu Yiwen paused here, then straightened his expression and said:

"Mr. Chen, I'd like to talk to you about Huo Xiaowen's situation."

Chen Xuebing waved his hand: "Just say it directly. President Yu and President Hong are both my elders."

"Uh... I called Huo Xiaowen today to ask about the inventory situation. He said that the amount of inventory he has is already over 900 million. He also said... if you tell him to keep pushing inventory, it will be difficult for our sales to increase any further. If we keep pushing it like this, we simply won't be able to sell it all!"

"Difficult to improve?" Chen Xuebing raised an eyebrow: "Taobao's transaction volume in the first quarter reached 11.7 billion, which is higher than the total transaction volume of last year. We are currently in a period of rapid expansion. This year, Taobao's transaction volume is likely to exceed 10 billion. We are enjoying such a large platform traffic, but in the second month of the second quarter, we only had 1.7 million in sales. You are telling me it's difficult to improve? Lu Yiwen, the Taobao sales line is about to be moved to Shenzhen. You will be in charge of this line for the time being. I'll set you a target: before the end of the year, our Taobao line sales need to reach 5 million per month. If you are confident, then do it. If you are not confident, I will replace you."

Lu Yiwen had always been Chen Xuebing's favorite, but this was the first time he had been reprimanded by Chen Xuebing like this.

Even the sound of people typing on their keyboards became quieter.

Lu Yiwen gritted his teeth: "Brother! Let me cut the profit margin by another three percentage points, down to 25%, and make it 600 million by the end of the year!"

Chen Xuebing laughed: "Three points is nothing. Once our factory starts production, we'll have plenty of profits to squeeze out of you."

Lu Yiwen suddenly realized.

500 million in sales is really not a lot.

The price dropped two months ago, and sales immediately went up! It's just a matter of hiring more customer service staff and opening more stores.

Chen Xuebing raised his hand and looked at his watch.

"Go ahead, there's a meeting in 20 minutes."

After saying that, he turned to the two elders who were pretending to be calm and composed, and said with a smile, "Uncle, Uncle Huang, there are a few more offices inside. Shall I show you around?"

"Ok!"

The two men slapped their thighs and stood up, but their eyes were full of hesitation.

They all earn over a million a year, and sometimes even two or three million. In this era, they are undoubtedly among the wealthiest people.

But while that young man was giving his report, they were all thinking about the same thing:
When will my subordinates be able to report to me like this?
How can a monthly profit of over 600,000 yuan be possible?
He still isn't satisfied?!

Yes, he definitely thinks it's not enough; he's still getting them involved in stock trading!

There's not much to see in a 300-square-meter space, especially since it's all empty rooms.

However, the location is indeed good, being the tallest building in the center of Jiefangbei.

After looking around, Hong Yongqiang's mindset changed a bit.

"Xiao Chen, you're still working on construction sites?"

"Hmm." Chen Xuebing remembered something and said, "Uncle, do you still need Tan Hailiang? My highway is about to start construction, and the sewage treatment plant won't have its water tightness test until next month. Now we're reporting the second phase of the project, and we're a bit overwhelmed with manpower."

Yu Chunyin's eyes held a complex expression.

"I have a project at the end of the year, and I'm planning to..."

Chen Xuebing waved his hand: "Never mind then, I'll hire another construction worker."

Yu Chunyin coughed and said, "I think you should take on this project. I can have Tan Hailiang help you."

Chen Xuebing stroked his chin, thought for a moment that it was still early at the end of the year, and didn't ask any further questions: "Okay, let's talk about the project after you've confirmed it. You can have him report to the Pengshui construction site first, and his salary will remain the same."

After saying that, he turned his head and smiled, "Uncle Hong, you can see my situation. I still have nearly 10 million yuan worth of mobile phones tied up in Shenzhen. There's nothing I can do for now. Once my funds are released, I will also invest some money in the stock market. It will definitely be no less than yours. This is a good opportunity to make money. If you trust me, you can choose between the two options. I won't say much, I'll let you see returns within a month."

Hong Yongqiang put his hands on his hips and pondered for a moment.

"Hmm... Xiao Chen, you know I own a factory. I just finished dealing with that land deal in Shenzhen, and it will take time to move the funds. You're a junior, so it wouldn't be appropriate to give you 20% if we really make money. I think we should split it 50/50, with a 10% margin call. I'll invest 2 million into my securities account first, and you can manage it for me. I'll add more funds as soon as possible. How about that?"

While the return rate of private equity funds is high at around 80%, investors are responsible for any losses. Naturally, he wants to choose a more conservative approach. Moreover, he only uses 200 million yuan to test the waters. The securities account is his, and he can see the investment path. If it goes well, he can add more money later.

Saying something like, "You're a junior, it's not appropriate for you to take 20%," saves face and also satisfies the underlying needs.

Chen Xuebing wanted to laugh inwardly.

This deal is bound to make money, and each party taking 50% is naturally his preferred approach.

But he still looked somewhat troubled: "Uncle Hong, under normal circumstances, investing in the stock market must be done through our account, and 200 million is indeed too little. I also need to go to Shenzhen to hire an expert to oversee things, and their salary will be at least several hundred thousand! If we make a lot of money, you'll have to increase the investment and management fees! You'll also have to help me bring in some friends!"

Hong Yongqiang laughed heartily: "Don't worry, if you really help me make a lot of money, I'll definitely help you promote it! There are plenty of people who want to invest!"

Chen Xuebing then smiled.

His thoughts on stock trading have been constantly changing depending on his circumstances.

He initially wanted to cook it himself.

But then I thought about it again. Investing in stocks with my own money would be tight and the returns would be limited. I might as well go down the path of professional private equity.

After deciding on this idea, he hesitated about whether to move the stock trading base to Shenzhen, since there was the Shenzhen Stock Exchange there and many experts.

They even considered going to Shanghai, where the Bund financial center is the national center with a lot of hot money, making it the most suitable place to set up a private equity firm.

But... all that smart money only goes to those "smart" returnees, not to a newbie like him who's completely unfamiliar with the place.

After getting to know Hong Yongqiang, he became certain:
Private equity firms also need to cultivate networks. With his uncle and Hong Yongqiang helping him spread the word, fundraising becomes easier as long as the returns are high.

So what if Chongqing lacks a financial foundation? The money here is no less valuable than that in Shenzhen.

Chongqing was chosen as the starting point for the financial industry.

Chen Xuebing was still secretly pleased, but Yu Chunyin's expression changed.

"You're full of ideas, helping your Uncle Hong make money, but you won't help your uncle think of a way?"

Yu Chunyin trusted Chen Xuebing more than Hong Yongqiang.

Firstly, Chen Xuebing built it up step by step, which he witnessed firsthand.

Secondly, he's his own nephew, so he wouldn't cheat him.

But Chen Xuebing's lips twitched as he stared at Yu Chunyin.

I'll help you make money, but where's the principal? Don't you have any idea what your family's situation is?
But Yu Chunyin just stared at him.

Chen Xuebing sighed.

"Okay, okay, here's the 300,000. I'll manage it for you for free for a year, splitting the profits 50/50, and I won't charge you any management fees, alright?"

Yu Chunyin immediately revealed a cunning smile.

"That's more like it! Let me see how you're doing with your Uncle Hong's cooking! If the profits are good, I'll add another 70!"

Hong Yongqiang: (￣(工)￣)
Chen Xuebing: (╯°□°）╯︵┻━┻
(End of this chapter)