The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

The news that Tengying Group would invest 15 billion yuan to build Tengying Town spread quickly in Shanghai.

In recent years, as many private enterprises have grown and expanded, their investment in headquarters construction has also increased.

For example, Alibaba spent 67 billion yuan to build its smart headquarters in Hangzhou.

Tencent has super headquarters in major first-tier cities.

He invested 20 billion yuan to reunite the group's branches scattered across various locations.

Only in a more remote suburb could he have over 600,000 square meters of space to build his own group town.

Leaving aside the outside world, the news caused an uproar within the group.

All the senior executives were inquiring about the self-built headquarters town, and Chen Pingsheng gave them a unified explanation.

When Tengying Town is completed, all of its scattered brands and companies will be brought together in one place.

This includes a series of powerful subsidiaries such as Tencent Entertainment, Fei Yang Yang Catering, Bobo Milk Tea, Deer Horn Coffee, Xin Teng Live, Teng Hui Department Store, Teng You Media, Ya Teng Short Drama, Snack Run, and Dream Fund.

Only when all these subsidiaries are consolidated under one umbrella will the outside world truly understand.

How was he able to acquire 700 acres of land in Shanghai to build his own group town?

When the headquarters town is completed, the existing headquarters buildings in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong will be used as local branches of the group.

Although Jinshan is a remote suburb, it has the advantage of good air quality.

And driving isn't as congested, making city transportation relatively convenient.

With its beautiful beaches and lakes, it's definitely a great place to relax and rejuvenate.

He actually quite likes it here.

"Brother-in-law, are we moving here from now on?"

Little cutie Jiang Peiyao also came with him to see the headquarters site selection. There are still a few old factory areas here that have not been demolished.

Those all fall under the purview of the government and are not his concern.

Their headquarters is located next to a huge lake, and the scenery will definitely be stunning after the adjustments are made.

"Pretty much. Look, this huge area will soon be all ours."

Chen Ping was full of energy, and even his little cousin next to him had bright eyes. "Brother-in-law, it would be so beautiful if we could plant some oak trees here."

"That's a good idea."

Chen Pingsheng said, "Once construction here is completed, the engineering department can transplant a large number of mature oak trees over."

Oak trees, also known as oaks or quinces, have the following characteristics in terms of appearance: their leaves turn yellow or red in autumn.

If a large number of these trees are planted, the entire town of Tengying will appear as if it were growing in a forest.

Transplanting mature oak trees is extremely costly.

Chen Pingsheng has already spent hundreds of billions, so why would he save a few hundred million for trees?

The construction of an ecological park must naturally conform to one's ideal.

Building the headquarters into a secluded, idyllic tech town would be the perfect fit for his ideal.

Jiang Peiyao's phone rang. She took it out of her back pocket and saw that it was her cousin Song Jun calling.

He is also Song Yanxi's cousin.

"Brother-in-law, Song Jun wants to come and see you."

Chen Pingsheng said in surprise, "What could possibly be wrong with him!"

"I don't know, he seemed to have brought his girlfriend with him."

"alright."

After learning to cook for two years at Boiling Sheep, Song Jun came to Shanghai and received two million yuan in start-up capital, then opened a small Hunan cuisine restaurant.

Business isn't great, but with Boiling Sheep as a foundation, it's barely enough to be considered decent, though not the best.

I can barely earn two or three hundred thousand a year.

Investing 1.8 million and only earning 200,000 to 300,000 a year with your salary seems like a bad deal.

of course.

Song Jun was quite satisfied, as he didn't have to put up any investment himself.

It's much better than working a regular job.

Chefs who start their own businesses should take a more cautious approach; this is generally the case.

Things are different now than when Boiling Sheep first opened. This year, the catering industry is facing severe competition, and the same thing is happening everywhere.

Earning a stable income of several hundred thousand yuan a year is considered quite good.

He had just heard from his wife, Song Yanxi, that Song Jun had found a pretty good girlfriend.

He's a graduate of a top-tier university (985 Project) and works for a large company, though his wife doesn't seem to care which one.

They had only heard that the other party seemed to be trying to get to know them through Song Jun.

Song Yanxi also didn't go to see her cousin's girlfriend because of this.

I always feel that the other person has ulterior motives.

When Song Jun first entered society, he was quite unsettled. He was an unemployed bum and spent his days eating and drinking with his friends.

I spent several years learning at Boiling Sheep before I gradually became more settled. Before coming to Shanghai, I had saved up enough money to buy a BYD S7 worth over 100,000 yuan.

His girlfriend's name is Zhang Sitong, which is a nice-sounding name and she's also quite good-looking.

Song Jun met her at his restaurant, and for some unknown reason, they quickly became a couple.

Song Jun was particularly fond of her, to the point of almost obeying her every word.

Zhang Sitong did whatever he said, but this girl was also very smart.

The two have been together for so long that they haven't spent any of Song Jun's money at all.

Every time they went out shopping, she would tell him to be frugal and spend less money.

This further entangled the Song army in the conflict.

It just goes to show that women are also divided into different levels.

Only short-sighted women would constantly be thinking about getting men to buy them more bags, new cell phones, and the like.

Zhang Sitong's goal was clearly not that; her only interest was Song Jun's status and background. Apart from that, even if a chef owned a decent little restaurant, there was nothing about him that could attract her.

Once a woman passes the age of 25, unless you are really tough enough to conquer her, she will become very realistic.

Especially in big cities, people would rather stay single than be too picky.

"Sitong, my cousin is very capable. Try not to be nervous when you meet him later."

"Who is your cousin? I've never heard you mention him before?"

"He is my cousin's husband. I only met him a few times when I was a child. Every year when I went back, he was always accompanied by a group of important people. In fact, I rarely had the chance to talk to him."

"I think you're the one who's nervous!"

Zhang Sitong already knew who her cousin was; it was just an accident.

When she went to eat.

I happened to see a very beautiful woman driving a Bentley, bringing a little girl to his place for a meal.

A little inquiry revealed that the goddess-like figure was actually his cousin.

What Song Jun didn't know was that the Shuiyunjian Shanghai Public Library was designed by the design firm where Zhang Sitong worked.

How could she not know the identity of the proprietress of Shuiyunjian?

Not only does she manage the most high-end beauty and wellness chain in the country, but her man is even more impressive.

They are top business figures who are always active in financial news.

Because of this information, Zhang Sitong immediately began to contact Song Jun.

How can a man from a small town resist the personal allure of a high-level white-collar worker in a big city?

She's smart too, and she's not greedy for small gains.

Everything was for this day.

Being able to strike up a conversation with such a top figure is something that ten Hermès bags combined are not worth mentioning.

As for handbags, she can afford them with her own salary.

But someone like Chen Pingsheng was someone she couldn't reach even if she stood on tiptoe.

After comparing the two options, she naturally wouldn't accept the small gifts offered by Song Jun.

She decided to pretend to be a pure-hearted woman who would do anything for love.

Men from small towns can't have much experience; they're easily bewitched by her with just a little manipulation.

Unfortunately, Zhang Sitong knew very well that she could easily deceive Song Jun.

But it was impossible for him to fool someone like his cousin.

She had actually fantasized many times about what kind of persona she should present when she first met him.

It's like what Song Jun sees now: two people together simply because they like each other.

She was more straightforward and stated her position openly, saying that she chose to be with him because she wanted to overcome that unbreakable class barrier.

The two will get married in the future, and she will stay at home and take care of her husband and children.

Or perhaps he could run his own catering business alongside Song Jun.

Zhang Sitong knew very well that if she chose this step, she would most likely be gambling with her entire life.

This is a very frustrating situation. Even though she earns more than 20,000 yuan a month, it's nothing in Shanghai.

Finding a home of one's own is extremely difficult.

Rather than doing that, we might as well gamble on this slim hope.

Any dreamlike love is fragile and vulnerable in the face of material things.

Only women who lack nothing from birth are worthy of talking about love that disregards everything.

What makes Zhang Sitong smarter than most women is that she knows that pretending to be innocent in front of a powerful figure is the most foolish thing to do.

Because anyone who becomes a big shot has met more people than you've eaten meals.

Their eyes could easily see through all the complexities of human relationships.

No matter how complex the schemes, they are all powerless in front of a big shot.

They either remain silent or deliver a fatal blow.

There will be no second chance for you to pretend, so this meeting is a no-brainer.

Zhang Sitong has spent more than a dozen nights studying countless psychology and behavioral science studies to analyze the best way to win the favor of big shots.

After much analysis, she ultimately chose to speak less and be more sincere.

By avoiding the Song army, he openly confronted his own selfish motives.

Perhaps only in this way can we gain the appreciation of such big shots.

Even if you don't appreciate it, you won't necessarily hate it.

Because isn't the purpose of everyone's life to strive for progress?

She's the same way, so what's wrong with that?

It can only be said that even Song Jun himself was not quite clear what his cousin's husband meant to the average urban white-collar worker or college student.

It signifies a ladder to heaven and boundless wealth.

These two factors combined would be fatal for any woman.

She certainly wouldn't be an exception.

So, what is love?

Love is when you're with someone when you don't have many other options.

And when someone even more outstanding appears around you, someone even more outstanding than you can imagine.

You will also be irresistibly attracted to him.

If that's the case, then what is love?

Everything is for a better life.

(End of this chapter)