The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Two more uneventful days passed.

Guo Ziyi sent an email from Hong Kong, formally agreeing to invest HK$6 billion in cash for a 15% stake in Tencent Media.

However, there are still a series of related agreements.

Chen Pingsheng took a closer look; it was roughly about some details of the cooperation.

It mainly involves the live-streaming e-commerce sector, with the Guo family establishing Tencent Media's global branch in Hong Kong.

In recent years, Hong Kong's entertainment industry has completely declined. Not to mention movies, even TV series and variety shows are completely unsuccessful.

There was absolutely none of the glory of the 1990s.

It would be quite necessary to set up a Tencent branch there to promote Hong Kong luxury goods.

Chen Pingsheng, accompanied by his secretary Zhang Wanyi and Lin Qiunan, rushed to Hong Kong to sign the contract.

The six billion received excludes investments made over the years.

With net income still around two billion, Chen Pingsheng used his "golden finger" to randomly increase it.

The familiar golden die, after shaking incessantly, finally came to rest on a two once more.

His luck seems to be a bit off lately.

In addition to the random boost from the cheat code, and the initial capital of six billion.

He received a total of 10 billion yuan in cash this time.

After signing the contract during the day, Chen Pingsheng went to Guo Ziyi's Baijiadao mansion that evening to attend a private dinner hosted by him.

It was more of a party than a formal dinner.

Because it was the middle of summer, a lot of bikini-clad beauties came.

They were all wearing bikinis that barely covered their private parts.

A gathering of the elite is incomplete without fine wine and beautiful women.

Women who can attend such events are generally very attractive.

Their overall qualities won't be too bad.

A sexy beauty seduces with a wet look as the red wine is swirled.

Fortunately, Guo Ziyi invited some bigwigs from wealthy families; otherwise, ordinary people would have been shocked by the scene.

There's a high probability they won't be able to walk.

“Chen Sheng, I’m telling you, you’re being too formal. Your wife isn’t around, so just tell me which of these beauties you’re interested in.”

Guo Ziyi is quite a bit older than him, so it's not a big deal for him to call him "brother" in private.

"We all have families, so we can't be too indulgent."

“I admire you for this. Just look at all the people living on Barker Road. Who doesn’t have a mistress on the side? The most outrageous one even squandered billions of dollars on this.”

Chen Pingsheng also knew about this matter; that guy's father was one of the four famous shipping magnates in Hong Kong in the 1960s and 70s.

It's a pity that his descendants were not so fortunate; they lived a carefree life for most of their lives, only to find themselves penniless in their old age.

However, his life was worthwhile; according to his own account, he slept with at least five thousand women in his lifetime.

They're all beautiful women.

He often holds beauty pageants at his home, and he is the sole judge.

That's quite a legendary life.

Chen Pingsheng remained averse to desires, staying there until nine o'clock before returning to his mansion on Barker Road.

He owns three luxury homes in Hong Kong, including a villa on Barker Road worth over two billion HKD.

And the HK$12 billion villa on Mount Kellett Road.

In addition, he bought a 2,000-square-foot mansion in Victoria Harbour worth 120 million HKD for his son.

It's described as a 2,000-square-foot mansion, but it's actually only equivalent to about 200 square meters in mainland China.

The high cost of real estate in Hong Kong is no joke.

A decent location costs around 500,000 to 600,000 per square meter.

She's never lived in the apartment that her older daughter lives in. When she comes to Hong Kong again when she's a little older, she'll probably stay at her own home.

This time they've secured another 10 billion yuan in funding.

After returning to his large study, Chen Pingsheng turned on his computer and checked the global stock market and the current situation of various industries.

Needless to say, housing prices in mainland China have already peaked.

This area no longer has any investment value.

As for Pinduoduo, which is about to go public, its valuation is as high as 20 billion US dollars.

Its biggest rival is only one: Alibaba, the e-commerce giant.

Whether it can reach 100 billion US dollars in the future depends entirely on whether Pinduoduo and Alibaba can gain the upper hand in their upcoming competition.

To be fair, Alibaba has been quite arrogant over the years, starting with its earliest slogan, "Make it easy to do business anywhere in the world."

Now, they've driven away all the small sellers and lost their initial dedication to after-sales service.

Under these circumstances, Pinduoduo still has a certain chance.

Chen Pingsheng stroked his chin, finding it difficult to make a decision for a moment.

"Uncle Chen, what are you looking at?"

“Look at some of the financial data that Pinduoduo recently released.”

Chen Pingsheng said, "I plan to use some more funds to increase my stake in Pinduoduo and see if I can increase the value of my existing funds!"

He acted immediately and currently owns 3% of Pinduoduo's shares.

After Pinduoduo goes public, he plans to buy back 2% of the total shares from the secondary market.

It will probably require an investment of over four billion.

Chen Pingsheng had a lot of confidence in his own judgment, and once he made a decision, he wouldn't hesitate any longer.

He prefers to invest in long-term stocks rather than short-term ones.

Most importantly, Pinduoduo is going to be listed on the US stock market. After he buys it, he can indirectly transfer the funds smoothly to an overseas account.

The remaining six billion has not yet found much use.

Chen Pingsheng also used 4 billion yuan to increase his stake in Tesla, turning his 3% stake into 4% of the total shares.

After completing these two investments, he will probably only have two billion in cash left.

I feel uneasy if I don't take the opportunity to spend some of the money I make after earning a lot.

After finishing his work, Chen Pingsheng turned off the computer.

"Wanyi, you don't have a house in Hong Kong yet, do you?"

"Uncle Chen, I don't even have one in Guangzhou, let alone Hong Kong."

Zhang Wanyi said quietly, "That apartment in Shanghai was bought with ten million yuan that you lent me, Uncle Chen."

“Your status is different now, so you should still own a few houses.”

Chen Pingsheng said, "I'll lend you 30 million first. After you return to Guangzhou tomorrow, go and buy an apartment you like. You should come to Hong Kong often in the future. With your salary, it's very difficult to buy a place here. Tomorrow I'll have the Hong Kong headquarters buy you a 1,000-square-foot luxury apartment as your long-term residence here."

"Uncle Chen, you're too good to me."

"Don't be touched. If you don't do your job well, you'll still get scolded."

Chen Pingsheng said, "I'm not short of money now, and you've been with me for several years. As the most beautiful female CEO of Tengyou, you should still have the proper status. You can't be a CEO who doesn't earn as much as the internet celebrities under you. How can you manage them then?"

The secretary has developed a certain air about her now.

Even if she were transferred to Tencent as president, as long as Douyin hasn't gone public and hasn't launched its online store, that would still be fine.

Her annual income is only eight or nine million after tax, which is less than what top-tier internet celebrities earn.

If it can be successfully listed on the stock exchange, then the situation will be completely different.

Even just 1% of the shares would be worth at least four or five hundred million.

Chen Pingsheng told her to take a shower and go to bed early, and her little secretary got up.

Lin Qiunan, who often followed him, was just an ordinary white-collar worker.

The reason he kept Lin Qiunan by his side was firstly because this woman had suffered enough hardship since childhood and had a tenacious spirit in everything she did.

We are determined to do it well, and we will complete it without any compromise.

Another point is that Lin Qiunan looks very comfortable; her temperament is similar to Liu Shishi in the entertainment industry.

Elegant, yet refined.

Perhaps after some time, she might actually be able to replace her secretary, Zhang Wanyi.

Actually, he had a secretary before who did a good job, but that secretary had a significant flaw.

That means they can't keep their mouths shut.

He even posted pictures of his long-term stock holdings in the classmates' group chat. He also frequently, intentionally or unintentionally, revealed some of his personal matters.

Because of this habit, the highly educated girl successfully got herself demoted from the secretarial team.

I was transferred to the group and became a regular financial analyst.

If you want to work for him, you have to be very careful with your words.

……

The next morning.

Chen Pingsheng then took Lin Qiunan back to Shanghai.

Meanwhile, the secretary, Zhang Wanyi, rushed back to Tengyou headquarters.

As soon as he got home, Erpiya stopped him at the door.

The little girl is determined to take her on a journey around the world by herself.

She has never skied in Antarctica, let alone gone sea rafting.

She still remembers the promise her father made to her.

"Dad, when are you going to take me skiing?"

"You're skiing in the middle of summer? How about Dad and I build you a giant igloo in Shanghai?"

"Hey...that's a great idea!"

Erpiya fell into a deep fantasy again.

Chen Pingsheng ignored her, "Wait a few more days, and we'll go together after your mother finishes her work and comes back."

"Okay!" Erpiya stuck out her little bottom and went to play by herself.

Chen Pingsheng still has more than 2 billion yuan left, and his wife is planning a grand night event called "Shuiyunjian Grand Night" in Shanghai.

The annual event can probably raise more than two billion yuan.

That's the trouble with being too rich; even spending money becomes a difficult task.

After thinking about it, he decided to go and take a look at Tencent Entertainment.

Now that she is completely financially independent, Yang Mi no longer focuses all her attention on work and often travels around.

As for Liu Yifei, who had a disastrous ten-year stint in the film industry, she still managed to shine after returning to television dramas.

Zhao Liying has become a veritable queen of the drama industry; almost every TV series she stars in becomes a hit.

She has become a true gold standard in this field.

As for the other newly emerging flowers...

Meng Ziyi has no special characteristics other than being pretty and having a terrible singing voice.

Zhou Ye has the looks of a top-tier "white moonlight" (idealized beauty), but his acting skills are terrible.

In addition, Yang Chaoyue from Phoenix TV, who also came from a variety show background, is just as good as her.

Aside from crying, he's useless at everything.

Tencent Entertainment is facing a shortage of promising young actresses.

The truly capable fighters are still the old guard.

Chen Pingsheng called over these new young actresses, and they all stood obediently in a row.

She is undeniably beautiful, but her terrible acting skills are equally undeniable.

"Hey Ziyi, we've known each other for almost five years now, haven't we?"

"Boss, four years and three months."

Meng Ziyi couldn't figure out why the big boss had called her over after arriving. She glanced at Ye Zi and Chaoyue beside her.

My confidence instantly increased a bit.

Although she may not be as good as Zhao Liying, can she be worse than Yang Chaoyue and Ye Zi?

With these two around, what am I afraid of?

"Hmm, you have a really good memory."

Chen Pingsheng glared at her. Meng Ziyi always wore tight jeans all year round, and her curvy hips and big breasts were always her special features.

"You still have the nerve to say we've known each other for five years? What's wrong with you? You've filmed so many movies and your acting skills are still exactly the same as before. Not only have they not improved, but they're even trending downwards."

"Boss, Chaoyue is still here."

"Hmm...she's worse than you!"

Chen Pingsheng told her to go outside and reflect on her actions, otherwise she would only be able to become a variety show personality.

Zhou Ye in the middle still has the nerve to laugh.

She has the face of a top-tier celebrity, even though she has no breasts or butt.

But her face is truly stunning; it's a pity her acting is also terrible.

Yang Chaoyue, needless to say, rose to fame through a trainee competition he organized himself.

While he has won the hearts of countless viewers, his acting skills have always been limited to staring blankly.

The only one who fared relatively well was Shen Wanning, a girl known for her traditional Chinese style, who became a true movie star.

Although it couldn't support the box office, it was still pretty good.

To become a leading actor in the entertainment industry, good looks are the primary requirement, followed by acting skills.

These women are all incredibly beautiful, it's a pity they just can't become famous.

They are countless levels below the level of actresses like Zhao Liying, Liu Yifei, and Yang Mi.

Even if you throw resources at it, you still won't reach that level.

Fortunately, Wu Jing, Shen Teng, and Chen Sicheng are still holding up half the sky in the film industry.

Otherwise, the market value of Tencent Entertainment would be extremely uncertain.

As one of the earliest established entertainment groups, it certainly cannot afford to collapse because of this.

We can only hope that Zhao Liying and Liu Yifei can hold on for a few more years.

He also wants to cultivate some truly talented actresses.

Chen Pingsheng called Bai Xin and told her that she must pay attention to developing her acting skills.

The training courses should be started immediately.

If seasoned veterans like Meng Ziyi and Zhou Ye continue to perform with blank stares, they should be hung up and spanked.

If we're not strict enough, they'll probably never reach Zhao Liying's level.

He's not exactly a professional expert in these matters of the entertainment industry; he can only eliminate batches of people through a survival-of-the-fittest process.

Fortunately, there is still Tengying Art School continuously cultivating talents.

It is said that it takes at least three years and sometimes as long as seven or eight years to cultivate a star.

Most people will never become famous in their lifetime.

And if you're lucky, you can cultivate an internet celebrity overnight.

Even at its slowest, it will only take three to five months.

The earning power of A-list celebrities and A-list internet celebrities is actually quite similar.

A comparison of the two clearly shows that cultivating internet celebrities is more cost-effective.

Meng Ziyi could never be a top-tier celebrity. But if she were to become an internet celebrity, her looks would be enough to easily outshine everyone else.

If she keeps acting in bad movies, we might as well let her become a top-tier internet celebrity.

It's no wonder Chen Pingsheng thinks this way; it's just too difficult to cultivate a top-tier star.

A small fire can be fueled by people, but a big fire truly depends on fate.

Liu Yifei is a product of her time; it's extremely difficult to cultivate another actress of her caliber.

Instead of doing that, it would be better to let them pursue the influencer path and earn money by selling their own products.

It's not that Chen Pingsheng thinks that way; it's just that they themselves are too disappointing.

After spending the afternoon at Tengying Entertainment, he returned to his own Tengying Group.

The group's transformation, including asset restructuring, has been fully completed.

Even if Tencent Entertainment's stock price falls back to below 80 billion, it won't have much of an impact on him.

After all, he had already cashed out at a high price, and now he only has 10% left.

It's far less profitable than the stocks he's currently investing in.

No matter how much change occurs in the next few years, Tencent Film Group will remain as stable as Mount Tai.

(End of this chapter)