The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

The news suggests that Chen An'an may lose the election because the Chen family in Shanghai has too many vice-presidential positions.

It had been circulating on the island for a long time, and the minor commotion outside was far less significant than the discussions among the advisors and members of the Economic Research Island themselves.

Moreover, the depth of the discussions on the island, including comparisons of the merits and demerits of the candidates, is something that cannot be guessed from the limited news available to the outside world.

It was only after arriving on the island that Mu Qingqing truly understood the atmosphere there and the unique development model of Jingyan Island.

You could say this is a completely free paradise where you can say anything and curse anything.

As long as you think it makes sense, that's fine.

Moreover, at least 80% of the people on the island oppose An An's election as the next dean.

An An's reputation over the years speaks for itself, and no one has ever felt that there are any problems with her abilities or character.

The problem is that the Economic Research Island is too important, with a scale far exceeding any private enterprise in the country, and even ranking among the top ten conglomerates in the world.

This economic research center oversees at least a hundred listed companies.

Among them, seven or eight companies have a market value far exceeding one trillion.

Two weeks before the election, a large number of comments suddenly emerged that Chen An-an should not be allowed to succeed.

This viewpoint also received support from the vast majority of people.

One thing is almost certain: the higher a person's level of understanding, the less easily they are influenced by external factors, including public opinion.

Because their thoughts, including their judgments, have already been formed.

Those who lack competence are more easily swayed by public opinion, and this applies to many aspects of life.

The reason why An An's situation has come to this point can be mainly attributed to the immense power of the Chen family in Shanghai.

Moreover, the founder, Chen Pingsheng, was a figure of great responsibility to everyone, even though Chen Pingsheng remained in a state of non-interference in governance in his later years.

If An An takes over, the research island will revert to a family-run management model, which will instantly shatter the balance that Zhang Wanyi has worked so hard to create.

Therefore, she was determined to support Chu Qiuyan.

On the other hand, it provides the same support to Tengfei AI.

For Zhang Wanyi, anyone but Chen An'an would be fine as long as they took over as dean.

The development of the matter may have always been on Chen Pingsheng's mind, but he never came forward to express any opinion.

However, the Chen family, led by An'an, showed unusual anger regarding this matter.

Especially Chen Xinyi, who never suffered any injustice, immediately lost her temper. An'an was her older sister and the person she trusted most.

My older sister has always been diligent and conscientious in everything she does, and she rarely makes mistakes. Yet, when it came to running for the position of dean, she was eliminated before the election even began.

What does this mean?

Are the people on the island treating the Chen family as their common enemy?
In Chen Xinyi's view, this was tantamount to betrayal, and there were quite a few members of the Chen family who shared her thoughts.

Even though An An didn't say anything, the emotions on both sides were like a ball of fire, ready to explode at any moment.

They would argue fiercely on the intranet every day.

The Chen family's domineering nature was on full display at this moment.

With Zhang Wanyi and numerous advisory group members speaking out on the island, two opposing sentiments quickly formed. Even Mu Qingqing, who had just arrived on the island, hadn't expected to witness such an explosive scene.

The Chen family, led by Chen Xinyi and Su Xiaoxi, worked together to strongly support Chen An'an's appointment as dean.

This position is so important that it controls dozens of industries domestically and the lifestyles of hundreds of millions of people both at home and abroad.

"Have we come at the wrong time? Is this something we should be reporting?"

“I’m worried that if I go back and write down the actual situation here, my boss won’t dare let me publish it at all.”

"You think too much."

The reporters hesitated, as the Economic Research Island was at the peak of two opposing emotions.

The Chen family, represented by Chen Xinyi, believes that the position of dean was selected based on ability and responsibility, not because their Chen family is powerful, thus excluding her own sister.

Others, however, believed that such an important position as dean should not be controlled by one person.

Mu Qingqing said, "We were able to land on the island entirely because Elder Chen opened up the island's access, which made our reporter group's trip possible. As long as Elder Chen doesn't say anything, I believe that whatever we interview about should be reportable. The outside world also wants to see a more authentic Economic Research Island."

“That’s right,” a well-known journalist nodded in agreement.

"Given Mr. Chen's character, the fact that he hasn't expressed his opinion on this matter yet means he won't defend his daughter."

"It's not so much about maintaining, but about fully respecting the collective opinion."

Regardless of their speculations, these reporters were accommodated at the Economic Research Island Hotel.

There is only one small hotel on the island, built to seven-star standards, which includes a meeting center, restaurant, and entertainment facilities.

Because very few outside visitors come to the island, there is little demand for hotels on Jingyan Island.

When Mu Qingqing finished checking in and went to the hotel restaurant for dinner, several members of the advisory group were still gathered there.

They were all around sixty years old, with white hair but full of energy, and the topics they discussed were related to the election.

Mu Qingqing stepped forward and introduced herself, "Hello, sirs, I'm Mu Qingqing, a financial reporter."

"Oh...you're the reporters who came to the island."

The elderly man on the left said, "Before you came, Dean Zhang gave a brief introduction and asked us to cooperate with you as much as possible because it was Elder Chen's idea. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I will answer them to the best of my ability, but I am only speaking my personal opinion."

The following statement is actually quite insightful. He is indeed a member of the advisory board, but he absolutely cannot speak on behalf of the advisory board. All his answers represent only his own personal opinion.

Mu Qingqing was very excited. She didn't expect it to go so smoothly. The members of the island's advisory group were top talents in the world.

With their cooperation, this interview is bound to go very smoothly.

"Hello, I would like to ask what your opinion is on the two opposing sentiments on the island?" Mu asked softly.

Old Zhang said, "I don't really care. It's just a normal thing. There's no need to escalate it into some kind of internal struggle. Those of us who oppose An'an are people who admire her and absolutely recognize her abilities. It's just that the Chen family is indeed not suitable for having another dean."

"So, you're against An'an becoming the dean?"

“I’m not the only one who’s against it. Most people on the island are against it. It’s not that they’re against An’an’s abilities, nor do they doubt her character or her thoughts. They just feel that the Chen family is indeed very powerful now. Isn’t having a universally recognized founder of the Economic Research Island enough?”

Old Zhang said, "Do you know why so many people come to Economic Research Island? It's because the founder of the Chen family's thinking is far beyond that of ordinary entrepreneurs, even beyond that of an era. What you perceive as internal strife happens frequently on Economic Research Island. Everyone is simply expressing their opinions and doing what they believe is right. There is no opposition or attempt to suppress the Chen family; it's just that Economic Research Island should further break free from family control."

(End of this chapter)