The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner.

Many people from other places received a large sum of pre-holiday wages here.

Some people are discussing what New Year's goods to buy to take home, while many others simply choose to take a gamble and try their luck.

They kept saying that they would go home immediately after winning 100,000 or so.

Inside the Out-of-Town Super Restaurant, many people sit in groups, discussing these topics all day long.

Chen An'an didn't know what was so fun about gambling, but she did know that nine out of ten gamblers lose.

Because anyone who gambles frequently is basically saying that they lost badly again the other day.

She didn't understand why these people kept playing even though they always lost.

Even though my salary and income aren't very high.

With a hint of doubt, she actually asked Shen Youwei to go to the casino with her.

For someone of her status, coming into contact with casinos is an inevitable part of the process.

It all depends on how she views gambling.

Shen Youwei thought about it and decided to send a message to An'an's father in advance, since in her opinion, casinos were not good places.

An'an is still so young, it might not be good for her to go.

Chen Pingsheng suggested that she accompany him.

There are many casinos of all sizes in Hong Kong and Macau, as well as various VIP rooms. In addition, the gambling ships are also a beautiful sight.

After Chen An'an came in, she first exchanged 100,000 chips, and unsurprisingly, she quickly lost them all.

She exchanged another 100,000, and this time she was a little luckier.

However, he still lost all his money in just a few hours.

Here she also saw many regular customers who often ate at the restaurant frequented by outsiders; those people were all staring intently with their eyes wide open.

They didn't have many chips to their name.

Chen An'an exchanged another 100,000 yuan. She didn't find gambling interesting, mainly because winning or losing a little money didn't really matter to her.

Winning 100,000 is meaningless.

Winning a million only brings temporary happiness.

Even if she wins ten or twenty million, not to mention that she would have to put that much money out of her own pocket, there wouldn't be much fun in it.

The thrill of gambling was extremely low for her.

She played for two days straight and still couldn't understand why people liked gambling so much, and even sent all the money they worked so hard to earn each month to that gambling den.

The plump auntie told her the answer: "Miss, if you don't have the desire to win money, of course you won't like to play, and you won't find that thing exciting."

But they're different. These people have lost a lot before, and they want to win back their losses. They're also pinning their hopes of changing their fate on gambling. Many of them even fantasize about winning a million or so in one night so they can immediately go home and get married.

This is the mindset of experienced players, while beginners usually start with a "just for fun" attitude.

They win a few thousand or ten thousand, then leave, only to go back in again.

Over time, this process becomes something you get deeply involved in.

The reason most people would rather live in subdivided flats than send their money there is actually because they are hoping for a lucky break.

This kind of mentality will inevitably lead to more losses than wins in a casino.

Life is often a gamble, whether it's starting a business or quitting a job.

Some win through their own hard work, while others win purely by gambling or taking a chance.

The plump woman thought that the big boss sent his daughter here perhaps more to make her understand the meaning of gambling.

The poor hold onto their meager chips, hoping to accumulate capital at the gambling table.

Meanwhile, many middle-class people chase rising prices rather than falling ones, betting that housing prices will continue to rise and using various leveraged methods to speculate on real estate.

They attempted to use housing to achieve upward social mobility.

So what are the upper class and the wealthy betting on?

Chen An'an couldn't understand this, so she could only ask her father.

Chen Pingsheng did not answer directly, but instead gave her a book titled "The Turning Point in History...".

Let her find the answer herself in there.

For ordinary people, they can only use their meager wages to exchange for chips in order to acquire gambling capital.

As Chen An'an observed, this kind of gamble involves no room for wishful thinking and will ultimately result in only losers in the long run.

Another kind of gamble is starting a business.

The success rate is extremely low; losing for three to five years can lead to financial ruin and even family breakdown. Only winning allows one to enjoy the cheers of the crowd.

And what would they gamble on at their level?

The answer lies in the path we must take in the future.

In other words, it's about gambling on luck, making arrangements in advance along the way, thus transcending the identity of a businessman in the conventional sense.

The two are inextricably linked, and if Chen An'an wants to truly inherit the great cause, she must understand the key factors involved.

Criticizing the times like Teacher Ma is not advisable, but doing nothing will only make you a sitting duck.

This is also not advisable.

Whether to gamble or not is a matter of life and death.

Only by understanding her family's business strategies can Chen An'an truly have a chance to become a qualified successor.

Tengfei New Energy, which has invested over 100 billion yuan, is betting on the automotive industry after the housing market turns around.

If new energy vehicles can become a key industry supported by the government in the future, or even a pillar industry that replaces real estate, then...

Then their family's business standing will leap forward and completely ascend to a whole new level.

Tengnong Breeding is betting far more than just charity.

It is also the new agricultural path that the country must take in the future. It is impossible to develop if so many wastelands in the countryside are left uncultivated by individuals or farmers.

In the future, it will most likely be like the United States, where either some large-scale farmers will emerge, or the government will step in to take over farming again.

Regardless of the type, Tengnong Aquaculture has hit this point.

Its true value may not be apparent for three to five years, but it will be apparent after eight to ten years.

The country cannot abandon agriculture and animal husbandry.

At that time, the value and significance of Tengnong aquaculture will be perfectly realized.

And this is the path that Chen Pingsheng is willing to gamble on—the future of the country.

Only by working diligently and steadily as contributors to this path can Tengying Group truly stand firm and endure.

If she wants to spend 200 million yuan every year for 18 years, then this is her last hurdle.

This is a question that Chen An'an cannot possibly understand in a short time. If she can figure it out in three or five years, or even before graduating from university, then she will be a person of great talent.

They are qualified to inherit their family business or even the entire group.

The first month of 2018 passed by quietly.

Chen An'an worked at the Outsider Super Restaurant for more than a week, where she witnessed all sorts of people from the lower classes.

There were frustrated young people, and a large number of gamblers who had worked hard for thirty days and one night only to be back to square one.

Some even wish they could borrow another five hundred years from heaven, reminiscing about that era of martial arts heroes.

These people lived together in a pigeon coop, experiencing endless heartache within this tiny subdivided flat.

All living beings converge, intertwined like a dream.

The unspeakable sorrow, the endless stories of human life.

Even if we open a super restaurant for outsiders here, it won't really improve their lives.

The money saved was either sent to gambling dens or used to seduce women.

Of course, some women also frequently come here with their children to improve their lives.

It is ultimately a charitable cause, but this kind of goodness cannot last.

It doesn't mean much.

Because it cannot change the most terrible disease in the world, which is poverty.

Just like how people here like to try their luck at the casino after they get their wages.

They all have no tomorrow, or rather, they spend tomorrow in today.

The same monotonous and tedious routine continues.

While alive, perhaps all they have left are fleeting moments of swaggering around in the casino on a meager salary.

The word "gambling" should not be used in this way.

At the end of January, Chen An'an made a big wish.

May this glorious land of China be free from people suffering misfortune.

(End of this chapter)