The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Chapter 127 Uproar
The online debate raged for half a month.

Although many people have told Zhao Liying to get out of the entertainment industry, the story of Hua Qiangu has become widely known.

Suddenly, a large group of people started attacking her again.

All sorts of entertainment scandals are everywhere.

The editing of the sequel to "The Legend of Hua Qian Gu" is not yet fully completed; it will be finished by mid-September.

The date for Hua Qiangu's investment and auction conference has also been set for the last day of September.

Early September.

Chen Pingsheng sent his son Chen An'an to the second semester of first grade.

The little rascal wasn't happy about going out in his black LaFerrari; he wanted to ride in his mom's LaFerrari for a cool and glamorous first day of school.

Chen Pingsheng gave her a big slap and she behaved. Chen An'an sat in the passenger seat, fuming and not saying a word.

"I heard from your aunt that you lost a pound and a half after practicing Mantis Boxing for a month?"

"Nonsense, it's clearly one pound and eight ounces."

Chen An'an was very proud.

Chen Pingsheng couldn't see where she had lost weight; she still looked chubby and憨憨 (simple and honest).

Even if you lose two pounds, the effect won't be noticeable.

“It’s obvious. He used to eat three bowls of rice, but now he can eat three and a half.”

Okay, it's a good thing that my appetite has increased and I've lost weight.

Upon arriving at the school gate, the school held its usual parent-child activities on the first day.

Last year, Chen An'an made a huge fool of herself on the show, and this year she's determined to redeem herself in the talent performance.

He unleashed a powerful and ferocious set of mantis boxing techniques.

Chen Pingsheng didn't laugh, but everyone else did.

Chen An'an ran downstairs and asked, "Dad, what are they all laughing at?"

"Of course it's because you played well, Xiao Ni."

"Nonsense." Chen An'an herself didn't believe it.

Chen Pingsheng stood in front of her and straightened her wrinkled school uniform: "Alright, it's their business if others laugh, why should you care? Just do what you like."

Chen An'an looked dejected and said without much confidence, "Dad, did I really throw that punch well?"

"Okay, how could my daughter's boxing skills be bad?"

Chen Pingsheng patted her head, and Chen An'an giggled, "Dad, I will try my best."

"Remember what you said."

"That's for sure." Chen An'an cheered herself on: "This year, I must rely on my own strength to get into the bottom three."

Chen Pingsheng: "..."

It would have been better if she hadn't said that, but look at how earnestly she vowed to work hard.

He thought he was going to be in the top three of the class.

Is the result still last?

"Chen An'an, study hard and practice martial arts diligently. If you lose even one pound, Dad will reward you with 200,000 yuan."

"Thanks dad."

Chen An'an waved goodbye to him reluctantly.

After her father left, a group of children surrounded her and called out, "Sister An'an."

Chen An'an decisively picked up her backpack, which was about the same size as herself, and unzipped it.

It's all snacks.

"Wow, Sister An'an, didn't you say you wanted to lose weight?"

"Forget about dieting, being able to eat is a blessing. Don't even think about taking more of my snacks."

Chen An'an handed each of them a small bag.

She has everything: spicy strips, chocolate, cookies, and a box of cherries that she brings with her every day.

Chen Pingsheng himself is also going to the CEO training program; the course will be held from the 2nd to the 4th this month.

He Bijun and his group all came to Beijing on the 1st, along with Liu Hai, a real estate developer from the north, and Huang Bin, who was also involved in the sharing economy.

Unexpectedly, Tong Zhelan posted a party notice in the classmates' group.

If we're talking about someone who can gather the whole class together at once, she's definitely number one, followed by Wang Yanfeng.

The gathering took place in her private club in Beijing, a very secluded place that ordinary people couldn't get into at all.

In addition to a top-notch private banquet restaurant, there is also a classically styled tea room, as well as a gym and swimming pool, among other amenities.

"Ze Lan."

Huang Pujun was the first to rush up and greet her, while Tong Zhelan responded with a very indifferent expression, which was entirely out of basic politeness.

"You have such a nice place in the capital? Not bad." Chen Pingsheng looked around and thought it was quite nice.

"If you like it, I'll sell it to you."

Although Tong Zhelan wouldn't invest in the industries Chen Pingsheng was involved in, they were still at roughly the same level.

Communication is much more casual there.

"I don't have the habit of taking what others like."

Chen Pingsheng found a seat and sat down. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window was a small bridge and flowing water. Inside, there were also elegantly dressed waitresses in cheongsams serving tea.

This is truly a delightful pastime.

"Dear classmates, it's been a month! Does anyone have any good news to share?"

"There really is one."

Wang Yanfeng said with ill intent, "A few days ago I saw some people online valuing their companies at 3 billion. When I got home, I took out an abacus and tried to figure it out, but I couldn't understand how they came up with that 3 billion valuation. I thought it was my problem, but then I went downstairs to ask, and found that no one could figure it out. They all say it's like a toad trying to eat an elephant, or sitting in a well and looking at the sky. Don't you think that's funny?"

Aside from himself, only Huang Pujun chuckled twice in the class, because everyone knew he was referring to Chen Pingsheng.

These two guys in the class are notoriously at odds; if they want to fight, let them be.

"Hehe, let me tell you a joke too."

Chen Pingsheng said calmly, "Last year I invested in a TV series, which was just finished filming last month. I originally planned to spend tens of millions on publicity and promotion, but some people are like Tang Sanzang crossing the river, wanting to help everyone they meet, and they managed to save me tens of millions of yuan in publicity fees."

"This kind of kind person deserves to be awarded a 'fool's award."

Tong Zhelan laughed too. Even if she didn't read the news, she knew that these two were dominating the trending topics online.

"If you two keep fighting like this, I'm afraid the onlookers will get tired of watching."

Wang Yanfeng gave a cold snort without saying a word, while Tong Zhelan looked at Chen Pingsheng and said:

"You really have guts. You gave 20 million to your artist before the copyright was even sold, and you even gave red envelopes to the whole company."

"I must say, you've made a brilliant move. But does Hua Qiangu really give you that much confidence?"

Chen Pingsheng: "None of them are good enough to compete; they'll become popular whenever they air."

Tong Zhelan nodded. It's good to have confidence, but don't go overboard. She didn't dwell on the topic any further.

He then added, "The sharing economy is really hot this year, I don't know if you guys have seen it."

Old Yang, who runs a hotel, said, "Shared bikes, shared umbrellas, and I've even seen something more bizarre: shared girlfriends. If this thing really works, I, Old Yang, will be the first to invest."

"Come on, if it were such a good thing, would it be your turn to vote?"

Sexual desire is men's number one consumer spending spree.

Whoever gets this project approved will become incredibly popular.

What is "shared girlfriend"? Isn't it just that I can share your girlfriend for a little money?

Joking aside, the sharing economy is truly booming.

I don't know who started this concept.

“I did invest in a bike-sharing company last month; it’s still in the early angel round.”

Tong Zhelan said, "If you want to invest, you can do so. We'll base it on a Series A valuation of 300 million, dilute 35% of the shares, and raise around 100 million."

Old Yang said, "One hundred million is too little. Even if everyone pools their money together, it won't be enough."

There were more than 20 people in the class. Except for Huang Pujun, who wanted to find a rich man and even getting a few million was difficult, everyone else could do it easily.

Tong Zhelan has a strong appeal; she invested five million in the angel round, acquiring a 49% stake.

Now, just mentioning it at a class reunion has increased the valuation thirtyfold.

This is what networking is all about.

Seeing that only Chen Pingsheng remained silent, Tong Zhelan asked, "Old Chen, aren't you going to invest a little?"

Chen Pingsheng shook his head: "I'll pass on that. Last month, my wife's cousin sold several houses to fund this project and then jumped off a building."

Han Fei's death was truly a waste.

The reason for the failure is still unclear.

With only a few houses sold by his family, how can he compete with someone like Tong Zhelan, a top investor, who has his backing?
Of course, the person who was able to get Tong Zhelan to invest must also have an extraordinary background.

The president of the Peking University Student Union, who brought him to meet Tong Zhelan, was also a very influential person in the investment circle.

That's how he got Tong Zhelan's five million angel investment.

Someone of her status would not only invest money, but would also provide strong support in the subsequent development of the project.

Tong Zhelan looked at him strangely, not out of regret for the death of his wife's cousin.

In their circle, it's common for people to experience a rollercoaster of emotions, going from heaven to hell overnight.

She was just wondering how Chen Pingsheng, whose net worth was certainly not enough to be considered a top-tier billionaire, could easily scrape together several hundred million.

Did his wife's cousin not get his support before starting the bike-sharing business?

If that's really the case, then that's quite audacious.

(End of this chapter)