The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

The December winter sun shines warmly, but the temperature is cold.

Chen Pingsheng was at home playing with the children, a rare occurrence for him.

Chen Xinyi is one and a half years old, and her hair is tied into a small pigtail with a rubber band.

With her sparse little hair, it was quite a struggle to tie it up.

The little chubby girl is quite different from her older sister when she was little.

When Chen An'an was little, she wasn't very fat.

She gained weight by deliberately eating more, unlike Chen Xinyi.

Her chubby little face is especially cute.

"Baba."

"Come here, let Daddy hug you."

Chen Pingsheng held her in his arms, and the chubby little girl giggled.

Before long, Chen An'an also went home with her schoolbag on her back.

After December comes New Year's Day, and after New Year's Day comes the Spring Festival.

She looks forward to the Chinese New Year the most because she gets a month-long holiday.

"Dad, you've got a lot of free time, huh?"

"What are you idling around for? Can't your dad take a rest?"

Chen An'an sat next to her father and took out an apple-flavored lollipop from her pocket, which was her sister's favorite.

After stuffing it in her mouth, she can be quiet and bouncing around for half an hour.

It's so easy to carry.

"Dad, how are we going to celebrate Chinese New Year this year?"

"Of course I'm going home! Where do you want to go for fun?"

Chen An'an tilted her head and thought for a moment. She couldn't think of anything right away, so she chuckled and told him that she would tell him when she thought of something.

Chen Pingsheng couldn't be bothered with her.

Actually, it doesn't really matter whether I go back to the village this year or not. The main reason is that my younger sister got married in October, and all the relatives from my family came over.

Grandpa and Grandma have been here for almost half a month.

As for the elderly woman Peng Ying, it seems she went grocery shopping in her Koenigsegg.

She probably still really wants to go back.

Let’s see then.

If they don't go back, then they should bring all their relatives to the capital to celebrate the New Year.

My younger sister, Chen Qi, came over with gifts; she's been quite happy lately because of some good news at home.

Hu Lin was transferred from that unknown primary school in Beijing to the Beijing Municipal Education Bureau.

Although I started as a junior clerk in the basic education department.

But being transferred directly from a primary school to a place like the Education Bureau is definitely a promotion.

His younger sister, Chen Qi, was very happy and would come to see him every now and then, bringing him small gifts.

Getting married really makes a difference; everyone's temperament becomes more stable.

"Brother, do you think Hu Lin, with his personality, will be able to make it in a unit like the Education Bureau?"

“It’s quite difficult.”

Chen Pingsheng spoke frankly, "Anyone who can work in that kind of company is shrewd. Although your husband Hu Lin is reliable and hardworking, he is still a little bit not smooth enough. He can work on it gradually."

He didn't want to discuss this issue any further.

In many workplaces, you either need to accumulate seniority or rely on connections.

Neither of them.

In the leader's words, young people should not be afraid of hardship and should get more experience at the grassroots level.

That's what I said when I was thirty.

Being forty years old means being patient.

Now that I'm fifty, boss, do you think I still have a chance?
That's roughly the process.

He didn't know if Hu Lin could get the job. Working in the Education Bureau might not pay more than being a teacher, but the status would definitely be higher.

His younger sister, Chen Qi, is not short of money, so she doesn't care about her salary.

The old lady Peng Ying also came back, and she bought an old hen from outside. According to the people at the market, it was a genuine free-range chicken from the countryside.

She promptly paid for it, mainly because she wanted to make soup for her two little granddaughters.

After six months of development, many of the dishes on the second floor are now ready to be eaten.

The vegetables grown in a courtyard house are no different.

They all taste pretty much the same; just because it grows in a place where land is incredibly valuable doesn't mean it will taste better.

My younger sister is pregnant now, and my grandmother makes her chicken soup from time to time.

It's not even five o'clock yet.

His wife, Michelle Song, also drove back in her red LaFerrari.

Her younger sister is getting on in years, and although Liu Fen doesn't say it outright, she's been urging her to get married as soon as possible.

"Honey, my sister is bringing her boyfriend over later."

"That actor?"

Chen Pingsheng felt that Hu Lin was a better match for his younger sister Chen Qi.

His sister-in-law, Song Wu, clearly had an even less reliable boyfriend.

Although Hu Lin was poor, he was kind and honest, and his filial piety was genuine.

As for the boyfriend his sister-in-law found, it's really hard to describe.

It's fair to say that the whole reason was because she had a brother-in-law who was the boss of Tengying Group.

Michelle Song is actually aware of this as well.

But she knew all too well that her family was already in this situation, and it was impossible to say that her sister's feelings were completely free of any self-interest.

Most of the men who pursue her are initially drawn to her family background.

Song Wu's boyfriend is only a third-tier celebrity, and he's signed with a small company.

He played the second male lead in a drama he invested in. The only thing he didn't dislike about the guy was that he was quite masculine, unlike the effeminate type that's popular in the industry these days.

Song Wu is already twenty-six years old, which is about the age to settle down and start a family.

Song Yanxi came back this time specifically to take him along to see the place.

Song Wu was very nervous, as it was the first time she had introduced her boyfriend to her brother-in-law.

Thinking about the recent commotion caused by Tengying Group, she became noticeably more nervous.

Her brother-in-law donated 800 million yuan in just one month to create public welfare projects for his employees.

This is unprecedented in the entertainment industry.

Furthermore, he contributed approximately 2 billion yuan in year-end bonuses to the group.

This is even more unprecedented.

There are no business owners in the entertainment industry who can afford to donate so much money to charity.

This shows just how high her brother-in-law's status is in the entertainment industry.

Are you two getting married now?

Song Wu nodded.

Chen Pingsheng looked at her boyfriend and said, "What's wrong with you? Don't you want the old baby who helped you up?"

The entertainment industry is not a place where you can make a living based on acting skills and talent.

He went from being a small country boy to becoming a third-tier actor.

They have someone protecting them.

He was noticed by a middle-aged actress who was over forty.

That lady doesn't have a high status in the entertainment industry, but she has a lot of experience.

He had to beg countless people to get him promoted from an unknown figure to his current third-tier status.

He even got to play the second male lead in a drama starring his sister-in-law.

"Big brother, I genuinely like Xiao Wu." Sun Hao was startled, not expecting to be asked this kind of question so soon after arriving here.

His legs were trembling slightly, mainly because the person in front of him was not someone he could easily fool.

"You said the same thing to that older woman before, didn't you?"

Chen Pingsheng sipped his tea calmly; he clearly didn't like this man who had lived off a woman.

After getting to know his sister-in-law, he decisively broke off all ties with the old woman who had helped him get back on his feet.

The reason he didn't kick them out directly is because eight out of ten people in the entertainment industry do it this way.

No wonder.

Since he'd already said that, if his sister-in-law still wanted to continue the conversation, he wouldn't bother with it anymore.

Don't say he has a bad eye for people; at least Chen Qi chose Hu Lin, and she's living a pretty happy life.

As for this person, he has serious character flaws.

"Big brother, I've explained this to Song Wu, and she's forgiven me."

Sun Hao quickly offered an explanation.

Chen Pingsheng retorted, "Just because she forgives you, does that mean you can finally enter the Song family?"

"Don't try to use your ulterior motives on us; that's not sincerity, it's foolishness."

“You know very well that with the status of Tencent Entertainment Group in the entertainment industry, your little secrets can’t be kept hidden for three minutes. We’ll expose everything. So you might as well come out and lay everything on your chest.”

"He dumped the actress who had always been devoted to him and gave her all his savings from all these years in order to gain a reputation for being sincere, kind, and true to his original intentions."

"Who gave you the courage to play these foolish tricks on us?"

Song Wu's face turned deathly pale. She never expected that her seemingly sincere boyfriend would turn out like this.

It turns out they were plotting against her from the very beginning.

The sincerity he displayed was merely something she deliberately wanted him to see.

Michelle Song also looked annoyed; she had never agreed to her younger sister dating someone in the entertainment industry.

Now that this has happened, it's even less likely that I'll agree to continue the relationship.

"Get out of here. You shouldn't be targeting my wife's only sister."

Chen Pingsheng took out his phone and sent a message in front of them: "Don't you understand that if you fail, you'll have no choice but to go back to your rural hometown and start farming again?"

The phone is on the table.

Chen Pingsheng only sent Bai Xin four words: "Block Sun Hao."

Ten years of hard work vanished in an instant due to a single wrong thought.

Third-tier male actors don't have much status in the entertainment industry.

Earning several million a year is a piece of cake.

At least he's a winner in life, the kind of person who will be looked up to by everyone when he goes back.

Now look what's happened; they're all focused on marrying into a wealthy family.

He's just like those passionate young entrepreneurs.

Every night I think about what it would be like if I succeeded.

He became a superior person, slapping in the face all those who had looked down on him.

Clearly, he underestimated the cost of marrying into a wealthy family.

Sending him back to the countryside is something that Chen Pingsheng could easily do now.

"Big brother, I..." Sun Hao wanted to explain.

Zhao Yimin, who had just entered, dragged him out.

They threw him out the door like a clown.

As for Song Wu, she had already been dragged to a room by the stern-faced Song Yanxi for re-education.

If she dares to chase after her, she, as the older sister, will be furious.

Once you betray someone, you'll betray them again and again.

Their family can accept someone who has no money or status, but they will never accept someone with serious character flaws.

And those with ulterior motives dare to set foot in the Chen family home.

(End of this chapter)