The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Chapter 807 Old Yang's Stock Speculation

Group management includes unspoken rules of society, many of which are brought about by top-down management systems.

Even teachers, who are meant to be role models, are not immune, let alone those in other positions.

Chen Pingsheng hadn't experienced this kind of blatant drinking culture in society for a long time.

He came once, but never wanted to come a second time.

Song Yanxi seemed quite used to it; after all, she wasn't ambitious and wouldn't toast anyone.

When the couple got home, Song Yanxi was still saying to him, "Old Chen, Jiye should go to a good school when he gets older."

"That's a must. Let's have him attend kindergarten for two years first. I'll take care of the school arrangements."

"As you saw today, the more ordinary a place is, the more it likes to engage in those superficial and pretentious things."

Song Yanxi said, "I really don't know when this so-called drinking culture will be completely abolished."

"Don't think about it, this isn't something we should be concerned with."

Chen Pingsheng clearly didn't want to think too much about this issue, mainly because he couldn't go into details. If he talked too much, it would turn into a complaint against society.

When everyone does the same thing, then there is no room for the emergence of outliers.

When the couple returned home, they continued to tend to their flowers and plant trees as usual.

As for Xiao Jiye, he skipped and hopped home with a big schoolbag on his back.

He still prefers going to kindergarten, and Chen Pingsheng would recite some of the Three Hundred Tang Poems to him in the evenings.

Tell some bedtime stories.

The grandfather and grandson entertained themselves in this urban village and were quite happy there.

……

Guangdong, Baiyun Headquarters.

An'an is handling some official business here, and she hasn't visited her youngest son, Jiye, for several days.

I was planning to go back to Shenzhen this weekend and visit my second sister in Hong Kong while I'm there.

Discuss a project collaboration with her.

The two sisters, though in different fields, will still choose to collaborate as soon as a good opportunity arises.

"President An, your younger brother has already joined the Dream Realization Foundation."

"He's like a headless fly now, not knowing what to do all day."

An An may not ask about Chen Lu on the surface, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care about her only younger brother.

On the contrary, she knew exactly where Chen Lu worked and what he did.

The secretary said, "Mr. An, it seems your brother will be staying there for two years."

The headquarters of the Dream Foundation is very close to them, so it's very convenient for An'an to go find Chen Lu whenever she wants.

"It would be good if he could stay there for two years and save himself from working here for a few months and then jumping ship again."

Not only does An'an care about her only younger brother, but Er Ya also cares about him quite a bit.

If a person doesn't help themselves, it's difficult for others to lend a helping hand.

Chen Lu's future is in his own hands, but his wife, Su Xiaoxi, has already gone to Hong Kong to take over Teng Hui Capital.

I estimate she'll adapt completely very quickly, and in less than two years she'll be a glamorous queen of capital.

"Mr. An, I think your younger brother must be quite confused right now."

"Yes, he is indeed quite confused."

An'an put down her work and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the entire Baiyun Scenic Area.

The pedestrians downstairs were still rushing around, and I wondered what they were busy with.

Just like Chen Lu now, An An doesn't know what he's confused about all day long.

The most relaxed person in the family is probably the second sister, Chen Xinyi.

After giving birth, the baby was handed over to a nanny to take care of, and when the child was three years old, the father was asked to help take care of him.

She was only responsible for giving birth to her son, and at this moment, Er Ya should still be fishing in the sea.

Er Ya Chen Xin Yi did indeed fish in the sea, and she even spent 1 billion to build a super fishing boat.

The fishing boat was unusually large, but it only had a room for her, in addition to a study, a living room, a cinema, a gym, and other basic facilities.

There's also a huge kitchen and a massive fishing platform for fishing enthusiasts.

Er Ya is the kind of person who is born with a hedonistic personality and does whatever makes her comfortable.

She wouldn't care why her silly younger brother was confused.

She finds joy in spending money, so she spends it everywhere, from childhood to adulthood, every single day has been like this.

……

Chen Lu is indeed different from his two older sisters, whether it's An'an or Er Ya.

Those were all unattainable figures in the second-generation elite circle, and they were also very successful in their careers. The slogan "If you want to have a daughter, be like Chen An'an" is still popular in the second-generation elite circle.

After Chen Lu joined the Dream Foundation, Chu Qiuyan assigned him a decent single apartment for employees.

He will be living here for a long time from now on. This apartment building was built with investment from the Dream Foundation itself.

The staff living inside are all internal employees, both men and women.

From his first day at the company, he was given a new task: to conduct research on the catering industry in a region under the Dream Fund.

That is, tracking the smallest projects invested in by the Dream Fund.

This type of project was a support target personally set by Chen Pingsheng when the Dream Fund was established.

Later, with the group's development and the changing times, the Dream Fund had long since shifted its focus to other large-scale, high-potential projects.

As for the most inconspicuous catering industry, a portion of funds will still be allocated for support every year.

It's not that they expect this industry to make them a lot of money; it's simply about staying true to their original aspirations.

Moreover, their investments in the catering industry are mainly couple-run businesses or small projects within the industry.

Chu Qiuyan's decision to transfer Chen Lu to the lowest level was naturally for her own reasons.

Two days later, the third brother, Zhao Kai, also arrived and was assigned to the dormitory next to Chen Lu's.

The two of them carried bags together and went to the grassroots level to conduct research.

The husband-and-wife restaurants are mainly small shops, and Chen Lu found that the profit margins of these shops invested in by the Dream Fund are very thin.

Most of them just earn enough to cover the couple's wages.

Some shops that were doing well before quickly fell into a quagmire as the couple had conflicts.

In more serious cases, it can even lead to store closure.

This also dragged the Dream Fund's investments into a zero-return situation.

Small shops like these are the ones that truly test the harmony between husband and wife.

Their relationship was fine before they opened the shop, but it immediately fell apart as soon as they did.

He also witnessed all sorts of phenomena here.

This also taught me a very simple truth: maintaining emotional stability is the most important thing for small business owners.

Chen Lu stayed there for two months, only returning to Shenzhen three times during that time.

These three times were all because Su Xiaoxi brought her daughter back from Hong Kong, and he went to accompany her.

He had gained a basic understanding of the many facets of life over the past two months.

When he got home and told Su Xiaoxi, he kept sighing that most conflicts between lower-class couples often stemmed from daily necessities.

As for startup failures, aside from a small percentage due to insufficient understanding, over 80% are due to inadequate preparation.

Many of them are even impulsive entrepreneurs, doing things on a whim.

They fail within a few months. The Dream Fund doesn't set many thresholds for these grassroots entrepreneurs; if they were to choose the same criteria as large projects, almost none of them would be able to secure investment.

This is a fund to support grassroots entrepreneurs. It can support tens of thousands of grassroots entrepreneurs by allocating 500 million yuan every year.

As for the success rate, it's not even recorded in the internal statistics.

As long as the losses aren't too severe, it's fine.

Two months passed, and before we knew it, it was New Year's Day 2038.

Leaving Chen Lu aside for now, he is still working as a grassroots market researcher at the Yuanmeng Fund.

An'an and Er Ya both rushed to the urban village in Shenzhen to spend the New Year's Day with Chen Pingsheng.

He's not young anymore, and nobody knows how much longer he has to live.

Like any other elderly person, he enjoys family reunions during holidays and festivals.

Chen Qi, the younger sister, also brought her son Hu Qilin along. After being caught for drunk driving last time, Hu Qilin has become much more well-behaved.

In fact, for rich kids like him who like to cause trouble outside, their parents usually have to clean up their messes.

Children who have their parents' safety net easily become reckless and fearless.

Once they lose their parents' protection, they're no different from timid mice.

Look at him now, he's much more obedient.

He wouldn't dare to steal someone else's girlfriend again.

"Brother...doesn't my Qilin look much better?" Little sister Chen Qi ran over and said with relief.

"If it weren't for your excessive pampering, he wouldn't have become like this."

"Brother...you're right. I'm planning to propose marriage to him. Which girl do you think is better?"

Chen Pingsheng glared at his younger sister. "You really don't come here unless you need something. You always come here hoping to get something out of me, don't you?"

"Brother, don't misunderstand me. I didn't mean for my Qilin to try to marry the daughter of some high-ranking official. I just came to ask you sincerely."

Chen Pingsheng said publicly last time that whatever Hu Qilin did outside had nothing to do with him.

This is tantamount to severing Hu Qilin's connection with himself. Without this connection, what good marriage could Hu Qilin possibly find?

The younger sister is clearly trying to use his name to find a spouse for her son.

At the very least, they should be like the two daughters in the eldest sister's family.

Chen Pingsheng left with a stern face, too lazy to pay her any attention.

The younger sister, Chen Qi, snorted and stopped talking, clearly realizing her plan had backfired.

It's not easy to take advantage of her own brother now; there are too many children in the family, so it's not her turn anymore.

If Hu Qilin wants to find a good marriage, she can only rely on herself.

The family was having a lively time, with Chen Pingsheng teaching Xiao Jiye how to do Tai Chi.

Outside the courtyard, Xiao Zilin and her grandfather came over to greet each other.

"Grandpa Yang..."

Xiao Zilin went to the same kindergarten as him. Grandpa Yang was a kind person and often brought him snacks, so Xiao Jiye liked the grandfather and grandson quite a bit.

"Jiye, are you playing cat and mouse with your grandfather again?"

"Yes, my grandpa said that practicing Tai Chi not only strengthens the body, but also makes you strong enough to take on ten people when you grow up."

"Good, good, good, Jiye is really amazing."

Old Yang is a retired man with a considerable monthly income. He often enjoys playing chess with Chen Pingsheng.

"Old Chen, wanna play a round?"

"Don't you see how many guests we have? I'm busy today, but I'll come see you again tonight!"

"Okay... since you're busy, I'll find someone else. I've made a fortune lately. If you, Old Chen, listened to me, you'd definitely make a lot too."

Old Yang is still a kind-hearted person. After retiring, besides playing chess with them, his favorite thing to do is to speculate on stocks.

He not only cooks for himself, but also likes to cook with the idle old men in the village.

Investing in stocks is perfectly normal; people in big cities love to do it everywhere.

Chen Pingsheng used to love speculating on industrial stocks. He would invest hundreds of billions or even trillions of yuan in whichever industry had a good future development trend.

If you wait patiently for three to five years, you will naturally reap great rewards.

Unlike other stock traders, Old Yang prefers speculation, which involves believing in so-called insider information.

There's a saying in the stock market: veterans die trying to buy at the bottom, while novices die chasing the rise.

Whether you're a novice or a veteran, everyone has their own way of dying.

People like Old Yang are the easiest to be deceived.

Chen Pingsheng only invests in industrial stocks and stocks favored by policymakers. These so-called insider tips are often just manipulators accumulating shares from retail investors.

Once the stock price rises to a certain high level, the major shareholders will cash out at the peak, leaving behind only a mess.

Old Yang has been playing this game for years; there's no way to persuade him otherwise.

"Old Yang, don't blame me for not reminding you, it's fine if you play with this yourself, but don't get other old people involved in it."

"You're overthinking it. Everyone else in the village is now incredibly grateful to me, Old Yang, and admires me to the point of prostration."

"When you're making money, that's natural. But if you lose money, you're fine with your monthly pension. But for other elderly people without pensions, it's like losing their life savings. Don't wait until their sons and daughters come knocking on your door before you realize your mistake."

Chen Pingsheng reminded him again, but Old Yang wouldn't listen at all. He couldn't stand it either. It wasn't that he was keen on helping people make money; it was just out of a desire to show off.

Only then did he go around telling people how much money he had made in the past few days.

Other elderly people who stayed at home and had long lost their means of making money were gradually attracted to him.

She even proactively consulted him about stock trading; it wouldn't be a big deal if he lost money from the start.

Gambling, like stock trading, is most dangerous when it lets you win money at first, then gradually traps you in a deeper and deeper trap.

When Old Yang left with his granddaughter, he went to find Old Zhang next door and Grandma Li on the other side.

None of these people were originally residents of the urban village; they moved here later to help take care of their grandchildren because their sons and daughters worked there.

If they were original residents, they wouldn't be so easily tempted by him.

After all, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange began preparations in 1989 and officially opened on April 3, 1991.

In 1992, there was an extremely exaggerated "92 Prosperity Certificate" phenomenon. At that time, people who wanted to buy such a certificate would start queuing up a month in advance.

Even a high-pressure water gun can't wash it away.

All the elderly people who originally lived in the urban villages had experienced this era.

How could anyone not know the allure of the stock market? You could make money in the early years, but well, that's all in the end.

A history of stock trading, half of which is a family's tears.

Only these elderly people from other places would be easily led astray by Old Yang.

Even though Chen Pingsheng reminded him, he didn't listen.

What happens next is up to him.

Old Yang is quite experienced in stock trading. You could say that even though he knew there were big players manipulating the market, he still dared to jump in.

The gamble is that I won't be the last one to be exploited.

As long as he gets there before the big players dump their shares, he's sure to make a fortune.

For seven consecutive days, the stock he recommended hit its daily limit.

Good news keeps coming.

Old Yang always walked around the village with a ruddy complexion, and other people started calling him Yang the Stock God.

The intention to flatter is evident.

(End of this chapter)