The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

The temperature dropped after the National Day holiday.

Even going out now requires wearing a thin jacket, after Chen Pingsheng dropped his two little girls off at school.

He is also going to officially register at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

The only person there who knew his identity was the principal. He went to be a visiting professor because he had this interest and hobby.

It's a way of making up for the regret of not having gone to university.

Secondly, I wanted to suppress the desires that were constantly growing and expanding in my heart.

Of course, there is another, most important reason.

That is to fully integrate the three little ones into the middle-class family.

He will stop controlling their spending once they reach university.

Shanghai's educational resources are among the best in the country.

He became a professor without relying on academic qualifications or any outstanding professional expertise.

They only teach some elective courses.

It means that anyone who wants to learn can come, and anyone who doesn't want to learn is free to do so.

University courses offer more freedom of choice.

On the first day of registration, I went to see the former principal, which made me appreciate being the principal of such a school.

Their social status was extremely high, and they all wore various professional titles.

The former principal welcomed his arrival. In recent years, this has been one of the most popular high-end business training programs in China.

If Teacher Ma's university is second to none, who dares to claim first?

Chen Pingsheng was qualified to be a leader there, but he always felt that Teacher Ma had been too high-profile in the past two years.

To be honest, doing business in China, especially for private entrepreneurs like them who have grown wildly, is a different story.

It's best to keep a low profile.

He had originally considered establishing his own business university and serving as its honorary president, but after careful consideration, he abandoned the idea.

It was because he was too high-profile that he felt he should suppress his inner desires.

The former principal knew his situation; a well-known retired professor had taken a position at the Tencent Global Industrial Economics Research Center.

My daily work involves analyzing the global economic situation and the major changes that may occur in China over the next decade.

Don't be fooled by these seemingly empty phrases; for a mega-corporation like Tengying that spans seven or eight industries, they are crucial.

A correct assessment of the future situation is of paramount importance.

The group's recent shift towards stable operations and improved cash flow is also due to a precarious industry survey report issued by the Economic Research Institute.

To be more specific, a major turning point is coming for the domestic real estate market.

This will lead to a series of economic crises.

It's hard for the average person to imagine how strong the chain reaction would be once housing prices start to decline.

Let's put it this way: everyone buys houses when prices are rising, not falling.

It's just like playing the stock market.

Falling house prices mean that the turnover rate of houses will decrease significantly.

And those large real estate companies, especially those that rely on credit lines and bank loans to survive.

Those who are the first to suffer misfortune are the ones who will be the first to fall.

This is only one aspect; on the other hand, there are middle-class families in the country with some means.

Most families have invested the majority of their assets in housing, and when housing becomes illiquid...

The spending power of this group will be greatly reduced, which will directly affect consumption in the next few years.

Real estate companies, banks, and the middle class are all trapped in this situation.

This is only the second aspect; the third aspect is what happens if the house cannot be sold.

A range of industries, including construction, decoration, and home appliances, will be greatly affected as a result.

These industries can then influence low-income groups.

It's fair to say that no one can escape this inevitable epic turning point.

In the face of such unprecedented changes, the only way for large enterprises to weather the storm is to reduce debt and maintain sufficient cash reserves.

Anyone who continues to invest recklessly in the past two years either has a company with so many problems that it has to resort to robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Or they become so arrogant that they dare to go against the prevailing trend.

As far as he knew, the craziest one was undoubtedly Xu Pidao; many people knew he had problems.

Moreover, the problem is extremely serious, to the point that if it were to collapse, most ordinary people would have to foot the bill.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't dare touch that kind of minefield.

Let alone him, even someone like Teacher Ma probably wouldn't dare to talk about it.

The impact is too wide, and their ancestors never led horses across grasslands, so how could they dare to get involved in such a thing?

The former principal allowed Chen Pingsheng to choose the course titles himself, a privilege not usually afforded to visiting professors.

After thinking about it, he decided to define his elective course as "108 Questions on Management and Practice".

The general idea is that instead of teaching fixed professional knowledge, students' professional questions are addressed through answering questions.

It can be considered a pioneering course.

Don't be fooled by how simple this kind of class sounds; it's ten or even a hundred times more difficult than explaining fixed knowledge from a textbook.

Because it needs to answer all sorts of questions from different groups of people.

If he doesn't answer well, soon no one will sign up for his class.

That would be too embarrassing.

The principal also arranged a small office for him, with a very simple layout.

There was just an old desk, a black wooden chair, and a large bookcase.

There were many books inside.

Beside him were three colleagues: Zhang Changwen, a teacher who had returned from overseas, and Jiang Xiaodong, a college graduate who had worked in a large state-owned enterprise in the 1990s. He was too old to bother with anything else, so he settled down to be a teacher.

Besides these two, the closest person to him was a female teacher named Yang Hong.

Although she also teaches economics, her classes are always packed because of her unique and elegant demeanor.

Many students also crowded around the university windows to listen.

After a woman reaches thirty, the best quality she can possess is elegance.

Yang Hong is a typical example of this.

The old principal also asked him to get to know everyone first, and that he should adapt to local customs after arriving here.

It's essential to maintain good relationships with colleagues.

Zhang Changwen, who returned from overseas, is influenced by foreign cultures and speaks less cryptically.

Jiang Xiaodong, who had worked in a large state-owned enterprise for several years, was different. He seemed approachable, but in fact, such people also had the strongest sense of alienation.

As for Ms. Yang Hong, she is a typical older single woman.

Because of his excellent qualities, both in terms of knowledge and personal character, he is considered one of the best among his peers.

As everyone knows, it's generally difficult for a woman to find a partner if she's too outstanding.

Especially after turning twenty-eight.

Most of those who meet her criteria are married, while she would rather remain single than randomly date those who don't.

However, the biggest advantage of having a beautiful, single woman in the crowd is that everyone will have more to talk about.

Furthermore, there is a certain degree of deliberate showing off, and most people cannot escape this kind of sentiment.

Since they were unfamiliar with Chen Pingsheng's background, they first asked him about his education, the university he graduated from, and so on.

This is actually quite normal. After all, anyone who can become a teacher at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics is a graduate of a prestigious university.

"My educational background is... well, let's just say it's not great, so I won't go into it and embarrass you!"

"Your academic background is hard to describe, so how did you become a professor here?"

Zhang Changwen's offhand remark almost ruined the conversation.

People like Jiang Xiaodong, who have worked in state-owned enterprises, are well-versed in the art of conversation from their ancestors.

"A degree is just a stepping stone for young people. We're all this age, how can we talk about who has the higher or lower degree? Knowledge is something that comes with being skilled. Professor Chen must have his own unique strengths." "That's right. Professor Chen, what kind of courses do you teach? I'll definitely go and listen to them when I have time."

Visiting professors are simply teachers hired by the school from outside; they are not in any competition with the other professors.

Naturally, everyone still needs to maintain a superficially good relationship.

Yang Hong suggested, "It's Professor Chen's first day here, how about we go out for lunch and I'll treat?"

"That's a great suggestion. Professor Chen is really something, having our beautiful teacher treat us to a meal right after we arrived. We can also benefit from this."

University teachers are still a respectable group, especially top-tier teachers.

Nobody is short of a few dollars.

As long as you don't buy a house, you can live a very comfortable life.

It's perfectly normal to treat a new professor to a meal to foster a better relationship.

Chen Pingsheng waved his hand and refused, "That's not appropriate. How can I let you treat me? I'll treat you instead. In the future, please don't call me Professor Chen. It's too formal. Just call me Old Chen."

"Okay, I know a restaurant that's delicious and inexpensive."

University students are still a very free group, and outside of school, there are mostly food stalls.

Secondly, there are small hotels. In the past, when you were in college, you were expected to have a passionate and dramatic romance.

Nowadays, who doesn't enjoy having a few physically and mentally exhausting romantic relationships while in college?

Chen Pingsheng hadn't been assigned any classes yet on his first day, so he just went out for lunch with them.

Even university professors can't help but notice what kind of car he drives.

Zhang Changwen and Jiang Xiaodong both glanced at him out of the corner of their eyes to see if he was driving a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi.

She owns a Volkswagen, which is not as luxurious as Yang Hong's Audi A5.

Since it was his treat, he naturally went in his car. Along the way, Jiang Xiaodong explained the complicated interpersonal relationships within the school to him.

And some special students.

So-called special students are either from very wealthy families or have power.

One of the two must be taken care of.

These people will inevitably receive more extra attention from teachers.

After learning that he was from Hunan Province, Yang Hong specially recommended an authentic Hunan restaurant.

The price wasn't expensive; four people ordered two hot pots and three dishes, and it only cost three hundred yuan.

Chen Pingsheng spoke relatively little, mostly listening to Zhang Changwen and Jiang Xiaodong speak.

Because of their different experiences, one of them likes to talk about the economic gap overseas, while the other likes to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of management in domestic enterprises.

According to Jiang Xiaodong, drinking culture and the study of speeches are now prevalent in state-owned enterprises.

What does that mean exactly?

That is when a big boss goes down to a local branch or some departments to conduct research.

Those junior managers or subordinates in local branch offices.

A banner will be hung up immediately, urging everyone to "study the spirit of so-and-so's speech in depth."

This culture is not limited to one company; many companies experience similar situations.

Jiang Xiaodong, a promising young man, left the state-owned enterprise because he couldn't stand these conditions back then.

College graduates were still highly sought after in the 1990s.

As for the situation he mentioned, Chen Pingsheng was certainly very clear about it.

This kind of thing happens frequently in his own company; it's not like he's giving a speech to someone in the lower levels.

Instead, a business owner came to his place to conduct research, saying he wanted to study Tengying Group's market experience and successful business practices over the years.

In the end, it was always others who spoke, and he was the one listening.

Deeply understand the boss's spirit.

Teacher Ma has also publicly stated that it is ultimately only a small part.

Jiang Xiaodong is usually very shrewd and diplomatic, and he may not even realize that he has actually become deeply ingrained with the habits of the system.

However, the symptoms are not yet severe, and he only talks about those things when he has a few drinks.

They almost never admit it afterward.

Not only was he a man of few words, but Yang Hong, this elegant female teacher, was also exceptionally quiet.

In fact, having lived to their age, they already have a lot of life experience.

Aside from lacking experience in starting a family, she has quite a lot of experience in various other areas.

My favorite thing to do is study stocks; economics teachers always have some side jobs.

Stock trading is her biggest hobby, and most of the stocks she likes to trade are overseas.

Anyone who has studied the stock market for a long time knows very well that Nasdaq stocks are bullish in the long run.

Domestic stocks are mostly volatile, and once a crisis occurs, a market value of hundreds of billions can be wiped out the very next day, leaving only a mess.

It's no exaggeration to say that this is treating stock market investors like韭菜 (a metaphor for being exploited or exploited).

A female teacher like her, who has studied economics for a long time, has extraordinary knowledge and experience.

Naturally, she wouldn't invest her money in the stock market. It's fair to say that Yang Hong's financial freedom is largely due to stock trading.

The economic benefits she gained from stock trading far exceeded what she earned as a teacher.

Each of the three had their own story. Since it was their first day meeting Chen Pingsheng, they didn't have much to say and only chatted about trivial matters.

Even Jiang Xiaodong often consulted Yang Hong about stock trading, and she was always generous with her advice.

We should all make money together; there's nothing to hide.

The more people buy a stock, the higher its price will naturally be.

However, even an economics teacher as strong as Yang Hong can make mistakes.

That was Deer Antler Coffee's Nasdaq listing. She thought that this Tencent-affiliated stock was listed overseas because it had Tencent as a powerful backer.

The stock price is definitely expected to rise in the long term.

When it was targeted by Muddy Waters short selling, it was completely powerless to resist.

The stock price has fallen sharply.

She lost more than 200,000 yuan in a short period of time.

When I later summarized my experience, I realized that I should never buy any stocks with Chinese characteristics.

Choose to avoid the pitfalls directly.

It's astonishing that a woman like her, who is knowledgeable, beautiful, and financially independent, would frequently attend matchmaking events.

That was quite unexpected.

There are plenty of people willing to introduce her to potential partners; all sorts of people.

In the realm of blind dates, those with the highest market value are not necessarily those with high education or good looks.

Instead, they are employed by the government.

After the meal, Chen Pingsheng had a basic understanding of them.

He also knew most about his personality.

After the meal, Yang Hong, who was sitting in the passenger seat, said, "Is the Passat really that comfortable to ride in now?"

Sitting inside, I couldn't hear any sounds from outside.

Chen Pingsheng gave a casual reply without going into further explanation.

Of course, Yang Hong was just asking casually.

When he got home, Erpiya was still wearing her little overalls and circling around him.

She's almost at the age where people and dogs are tired of her, and she gets upset whenever things don't go her way.

She'll stare at you with her big, round eyes and say in a serious tone, "I'm a child prodigy, so please respect the intellectual property rights that child prodigies should have, okay?"

Usually, in situations like this, her sister would punch her in the head.

Child prodigy? What kind of prodigy are you?

Erpiya was noticeably more docile under her sister's iron fist. (End of Chapter)