The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

It's been years since I've been to this place.

Chen Pingsheng still feels quite nostalgic, especially considering when he first established the Dream Foundation.

I didn't intend to make it too big.

The main goal was to support a group of small physical enterprises. They had a smooth ride for the first few years, but then they were hit by the well-known three-year epidemic.

The state of the real economy is declining every day, and this is not just happening to their company, but to the whole society.

Later, they had no choice but to fully transform into the big health industry.

After working in the big health industry for several years, I discovered that the pharmaceutical industry was experiencing a major boom.

Then comes the AI ​​era.

Since Chen Pingsheng established this foundation, he has not received a single penny of dividends for at least ten years.

They also invested tens of billions over the next ten years.

Today, it has grown from an insignificant small investment fund within the group into a giant in the industry.

This giant is still under the leadership of Chu Qiuyan.

After arriving here, Chen Pingsheng naturally wanted to see his daughter.

After I made just one phone call to her, An'an went to Beijing two days earlier than expected.

They said they were going to attend a conference for entrepreneurs in the real economy held in Beijing.

This was organized by the highest level.

Her participation is a recognition of her current business standing in the traditional field.

Once you reach their position, you'll find that business and politics are completely integrated.

They are inseparable and cannot be separated.

If a company cannot gain approval from higher levels, it will suffer losses, both locally and in society at large.

They will all face difficulties.

You might make money, but you'll definitely not have a good reputation.

The building is dozens of stories high, and unless someone from above personally comes down to greet you, or there's a sign indicating that the building is on the top floor.

The fifth floor is impossible to reach; the building has a total of twelve elevators.

The innermost unit is specifically designed to connect directly to the top floor; a special work pass is required to activate the highest floor.

Chen Pingsheng always kept his work badge on his chest; it was just a small card.

"Huh... how do we get up to the CEO's place in the elevator?"

"Is this President Chu or President Zhang?"

"It couldn't be them. They rarely ride this executive elevator. It was specially reserved for the big boss when the building was first moved."

"You mean the big boss is here?"

"That can't be right. The big boss hasn't shown up for years. I heard from President Chu that it's extremely difficult for her to even see him now."

The first few employees to discover it immediately sent messages in the work group.

Soon, a large number of people gathered downstairs.

Just then, Su Zi arrived in the lobby on the first floor with a group of staff.

She was somewhat surprised; was she really that valued?

There were so many staff members here to greet us.

"President Su, are they all talking about us?"

"I don't think so. Didn't you hear them saying, 'The big boss is here, the big boss is here'? But who exactly is this big boss?"

"Is she Chu Qiuyan, the former college entrepreneurship goddess?"

"Not at all. Although she is the president of Yuanmeng Group, she is not the big boss."

"The only person who can be called the big boss by everyone in the Dream Fund is their founder."

"This..." Mo Yao asked excitedly, "He's not here to hear our business report in person, is he?"

"That's impossible, don't overthink it."

Su Zi didn't dare to even dream of that. "My father said that even with his current business status, he wouldn't be able to meet that person. Moreover, he has been missing for at least five years. Apart from attending some high-level meetings in Beijing, he doesn't participate in ordinary business bureaus, even top-level ones. The most he appears in public is to help his daughter, Chen An'an, inherit the family's traditional business."

"Mr. Su, I heard his daughter is quite capable too!"

"His daughter?"

Su Zi shook her head and smiled bitterly: "This is the pinnacle of reincarnation. She inherited all the traditional listed companies in her family right after graduating from university. Her personal net worth is over 300 billion. She is a beautiful woman who earns 5 to 6 billion in rental profits every year. Rumor has it that her father took her by his side and carefully taught her from a young age in order to better cultivate her. She started her own business in junior high school, played the stock market on Wall Street in high school, and then gave her a giant in the snack industry when she went to university."

"Let alone ordinary people seeing her as a myth, even we, who are also second-generation rich kids, see her as someone unattainable. Without a top-tier family background, we simply cannot get close to her."

It must be said that An An already has her own legend.

She also has many business legends and stories.

But outsiders, including these second-generation entrepreneurs themselves, talk most about her and her father.

Her father really put a lot of effort into her.

Legend has it that every summer vacation, her father would put aside his company and work to take her around the world to broaden her horizons and expand her perspective.

He guided her through her growth, which led to the story of Chen An'an, the legendary 22-year-old female tycoon.

Su Zi also greatly admired Chen An'an, and she was even more eager to meet this legendary young first female tycoon.

It's just that given her status and position, she simply can't meet him.

Their work reporting area is on the 48th floor, where there are many entrepreneurs coming and going every day.

Chu Qiuyan probably heard about her father's recent situation from An'an.

She's been on the top floor all day, waiting for the person she wants to see.

What outsiders say is true: today's big bosses are financially free, and truly free at that.

He no longer needs to attend to any business engagements, nor does he need to worry about the consequences of refusing others.

This is something that even the wealthiest people cannot achieve, and it is a life goal that money cannot buy.

Without a doubt, the big boss has already achieved that.

However, since arriving, neither she nor her partner have seen the big boss for several years.

Chen Pingsheng is now just an ordinary man; he lacks the vigor of his youth and the unfulfilled ambitions of middle age.

All that exists is ordinariness. The elevator doors just opened with a "ding".

Chu Qiuyan immediately came forward, "Uncle Chen, I've finally waited for you."

"Qiuyan, how did you know I would come today?"

"If An'an hadn't told me beforehand, I would never have imagined that you would be working as a driver for an ordinary beautiful woman."

In her eyes, a rich second-generation like Su Zi could only be described as ordinary.

In Erpiya's eyes, someone like Su Zi would never even get to see her.

Su Zi's status is indeed not high, but that depends on the person.

If this were an ordinary person, she would be considered an absolute goddess.

Rich, good-looking, and with dreams.

"Ugh...life's so boring, I need to find something to do."

"Uncle Chen, with so many companies under your management, which one wouldn't be hoping you could offer some guidance?"

She was asking indirectly why the big boss would become someone's driver.

After Chen Pingsheng casually sat down on the sofa, Chu Qiuyan still habitually made him tea herself.

“That’s different. If I go to my own company, everyone knows me, so I can’t be a driver.”

Chen Pingsheng explained, "Besides, I'm getting old. I've worked in the group for so many years. Human wisdom is limited, and my limit is that I've brought you all to where you are today. If I don't step down and keep pointing fingers everywhere, it will only hinder the growth of you, the truly passionate and capable young generation."

"Uncle Chen, aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

“It’s not an exaggeration at all. When I was in the group, many people liked to tell me all sorts of problems, and afterwards they would ask me for solutions. No matter if what I said was really good or not, they would only say that this solution was good.”

After putting down his teacup, Chen Pingsheng said, "Qiuyan, if I don't back down, it will be like having a patriarch in the family, giving everyone someone to rely on and someone to depend on. For any century-old group, this can only do more harm than good."

"Uncle Chen, your wisdom is beyond Qiu Yan's reach. It's just that I've always been learning and growing by your side. I'm a little unaccustomed to your sudden and complete withdrawal from the group. It's not just me; many people feel unaccustomed to it. We feel like we've lost our backbone. Later, we started to independently handle various major events and investments. I don't know if we will disappoint you in the end."

Chu Qiuyan also started her business with him while she was in college.

Back then, she was still making bubble tea, and she became financially independent right after graduating from university.

During that time, he made many mistakes because he was young.

If it weren't for the boss's continued tolerance, she would never have gotten to where she is today.

Therefore, she was indeed the one who least wanted Chen Pingsheng to retire so early.

However, since he stepped down, the group's presidents have indeed grown a lot.

Of course, some mistakes were inevitably made.

This is all normal; without an inclusive mindset, top talents cannot be cultivated.

No business owner is infallible.

Any boss who claims to never make a mistake has, without a doubt, become arrogant to a certain extent.

It has even expanded to its extreme.

What Chu Qiuyan admired most about Chen Pingsheng was his wisdom in dealing with people and situations.

She believed she could never learn or reach her peak in her entire life, so she resolutely withdrew from the limelight.

You should know that life after retirement is completely different from when he was sitting in the position of a big boss.

Just by sitting in this position, you have access to up to three million direct employees across the company.

Everyone had to respectfully call him "Big Boss".

Moreover, they can seize core resources in dozens of industries, making them the kind of people everyone needs to curry favor with.

Even if you shed a single hair, countless people will rush to analyze it.

Most importantly, even now, Chen Pingsheng himself never allows the company to launch a plan to create a god-like figure.

What kind of group-style personality cult is this?

Furthermore, during the height of the patriotic marketing frenzy, they suppressed all product promotions related to patriotism within the group.

I will not allow any of my commercial products to be associated with patriotism.

At the time, many people didn't understand how a movie could be tied to patriotism and end up earning an extra seven or eight billion yuan at the box office.

Even a car, or a mobile phone, can become incredibly popular because of patriotism.

Their group clearly controls the entertainment industry and boasts a massive short video traffic advantage.

They forcibly prohibited the entire group from taking this patriotic money-making path.

As it turns out, this is a double-edged sword.

As the general public's awareness has increased, those who make a living this way have suffered significant backlash to varying degrees.

And they have steadily taken each step by relying on their consistent technological approach.

Chu Qiuyan felt that the big boss never made a mistake, but he always believed that he had simply taken each step steadily and caught up with the dividends of the times.

How could such a big boss not be respected by everyone?

Over the past eighteen years, he has genuinely helped countless people, including millions of college graduates and interns.

The HR department still circulates his words: Don't expect any college graduate from a rural area to be smooth and worldly-wise and do everything well for you right after graduation.

Just like the growth of a company, they also need the boss to take good care of them.

Over the years, whether it's the Dream Realization Fund, Tengying Group, or Tengye Group.

Over 90% of the senior executives were cultivated step by step within the group.

The loyalty of people cultivated in-house is incomparable to that of externally hired executives.

This is also the main reason why the group has been able to move steadily forward over the years.

As I said before, you nurtured him when he was weak.

He will also be grateful for your unwavering support when he becomes powerful.

This is what a large corporation, including every excellent HR department, should do.

To be honest, although Chen Pingsheng has left...

However, the corporate culture he left behind continues to actively drive the progress of every group.

(End of this chapter)