Debuted right after graduating from high school

Back in the port city.

When Fan Wumian suddenly discovered that he would receive hundreds of emails every morning when he turned on his computer, ranging from various contracts and internal reports to meeting minutes, legal documents, financial documents, and analytical reports, he realized that he had indeed become a "slave to money."

These forwarded emails were the result of careful screening by the private secretary's office. Even though most of them did not require Fan Wumian's personal attention, his senior executives could not make decisions for him directly.

To understand whether the decisions made by senior executives are correct or not, you need to understand the causes and consequences first. As a result, just looking at the data every day can consume a lot of time and energy.

Nowadays, Fan Wumian's business is numerous and diverse, ranging from the film and television industry to finance, asset management, insurance, the internet, venture capital, and so on. Almost every day something happens and he encounters some trouble. He manages assets worth three to four hundred billion RMB, which is no joke.

Putting everything else aside, just look at the Hong Kong Mountain Bandit King Fund. It has dozens of projects of all sizes underway. In addition to managing assets for clients, it also has troubles in finance, legal affairs, official reports, client consultation, compliance, research and other aspects.

The companies Shanzeiwang Media, Shenhua Film Studio, Tudou.com, and Hengdian Wanxian Film and Television have a total of more than forty film and television projects that are either in preparation or have already started filming.

If Fan Wumian were to personally handle every matter, big or small, he wouldn't be able to keep up even if he were split into eight pieces. He could only instruct his subordinates to pick out the key points, compress the content of the reports as much as possible, and only be responsible for supervision, so as to avoid being completely overwhelmed by the trivial matters of the company.

After staying in the port city for only two days, I suddenly felt a bit restless and had the idea of ​​going out for a walk.

After finishing his shopping and packing that day, Fan Wumian sent emails to his secretary's office, family office, and personal studio, and then set sail on the "Flying Penguin" yacht.

At first, I just wanted to go to Southeast Asia to relax.

After sailing for two or three days, we made a short stop in XSQD, where we went ashore to drink coconut juice and fish.

Then they continued sailing, resting for two days in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur respectively, refueling the yacht, filling it with fresh water, and then passing through the Strait of Malacca to Sri Lanka.

After resting for two more days in Sri Lanka, and feeling that the Maldives was within easy reach, we headed to the newly opened Tranquil Island last year, where we enjoyed massages, beach walks, and local delicacies on this private island.

The original itinerary only went this far, but after nearly a month of playing, Fan Wumian started to get a little tired of it.

But he discovered that the company was not only fine, but also received good news via satellite phone, saying that the subprime market had collapsed further and that total revenue from personal financial accounts had exceeded $10 billion for the first time.

Aside from occasionally coming ashore to handle emails and using satellite phones to assist executives in making key decisions, Fan Wumian was otherwise quite free.

This clearly demonstrates that the company did not completely cease to function without him; rather, many senior executives had developed a dependency on him and were unwilling to take responsibility themselves, thus passing on some of the troublesome tasks to him.

Finding nothing of great importance, Fan Wumian continued his journey from the tranquil island of the Maldives, escorted by two "bodyguard ships," through the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea. He paid over ten thousand US dollars in security fees to prevent encountering the currently rampant Somali pirates.

Life on the ship was dull and monotonous, which was exactly the peace and quiet he needed.

When he had nothing to do, he would play cards with his bodyguards, waiters, and captain, and even taught them how to play Guandan. Or he would watch TV series, go fishing, or surf the internet.

Satellite internet technology is mature, and apart from the high cost and slow speed, it is quite stable most of the time.

Fan Wumian could actually receive emails, but he was too lazy to reply. Occasionally, he would reply to a few important matters, while for those that weren't urgent, he would have his think tank handle the negotiations and provide their opinions.

After visiting the pyramids in Egypt by camel, I was only ripped off four or five times in two days, which was barely acceptable. Then I set off for the Mediterranean and spent a few days in Cyprus, Athens, and Rome.

The entire 54-day sea voyage ended in Rome, because Zuo Ziyan, who was extremely envious, flew from England to Rome to find him.

The scene at the hotel in Rome was incredibly lively, and all I can say is that the rest and recuperation had some effect.

I ordered room service.

While enjoying lunch after showering, Zuo Ziyan, wearing a bathrobe, looked Fan Wumian up and down as she ate, and said with a smile: "Having traveled around half the world, all the way from Hong Kong to Rome, you seem to have gotten a bit tanned, but you've actually become more manly. How does it feel?"

Fan Wumian answered decisively:

"Overall, it was incredibly boring. 95% of the time was uninteresting. I watched the entire seasons of 'Frasier' and 'Sex and the City,' plus a lot of movies. The rest of the time I spent playing cards, drinking, fishing, and eating all kinds of seafood. I was almost sick of it."

"On a spiritual level, it was quite uplifting. I felt that the money spent on the yacht was not wasted. I had countless time to reflect on life and plan for the future. I had wanted to arrange a trip like this for a long time, but I never thought I would actually end up in Rome."

"A few years from now, after we've forgotten how tiring and exhausting yacht voyages are, I can take you on a trip to the Americas or Oceania."

Zuo Ziyan's tone was smiling:
"Ten days or half a month is more like it. I can't stand that long. You said you've achieved a spiritual elevation, but have you created any new songs?"

Fan Wumian shook his head and said:

"No, but I have saved more than twenty chapters of the manuscript for 'The Desolate Emperor,' and I have also conceived a script called 'Eastern Mysticism,' which incorporates elements such as ghost money, feng shui, and fortune telling. I plan to give international audiences a good lesson."

"Besides this script, I think I've found a new track with the potential to incubate a big IP similar to Pokémon."

"Others have Pokémon, but I want to create a world where flowers, birds, fish, and insects can all become spirits. The characters will be cute, and I'll create animated series, games, and TV shows to go with it. In ten or twenty years, children will be very familiar with them, and maybe I'll have the chance to earn billions of dollars from them."

Zuo Ziyan listened with great interest and said:

"Then your trip was definitely worthwhile; you gained a lot. Lately, I've been busy with classes, writing papers, and helping my supervisor with research projects. I'm swamped every day. Boredom itself is a luxury; it requires a solid financial foundation to support it. Only after achieving complete financial freedom can one be as carefree as you."

Fan Wumian took two sips of wine and said silently:
"It's like your family is very poor. You clearly have the opportunity to live a comfortable life, so why did you go all the way to Cambridge to study? If it were the University of Hong Kong, which is right next to your home, the principal and teachers probably wouldn't really care about you."

Raising her arm, Zuo Ziyan said to him:
"Shut up, I already regret it, you don't need to make things worse."

Suddenly remembering something, Fan Wumian gestured for her to wait a moment, rummaged through his suitcase, and found a sapphire necklace made in Sri Lanka.

After personally placing the pendant around Zuo Ziyan's neck, she excitedly ran to look in the mirror:

"The style is simple and pretty, it only looks good with a formal dress. It's rare to see you buy me jewelry, are you going to say this is a waste of my intelligence?"

Fan Wumian shook his head and said:

"The 'IQ tax' is on diamonds, what does it have to do with sapphires? When I was shopping, the shop owner brought out this necklace, which was his prized possession. I thought it was beautiful, so I bought it. The shop owner asked for $100 million, but I bargained it down to $55. I still feel like I gave him too much. You're a celebrity, so wear it in public more often. Maybe it will appreciate in value in the future because of your fame."

Zuo Ziyan said with satisfaction:

"I want to keep it as a family heirloom. I don't care if it appreciates in value or not, I'll keep it for myself anyway."

If you were to ask what Fan Wumian's biggest takeaway from spending so many days at sea was, it would probably be that his mindset had become much more peaceful.

Realizing that his previous obsession with seizing every business opportunity meant he lacked the time to digest and accumulate experience compared to other businessmen, he found himself preoccupied with a multitude of trivial matters every day. Despite seemingly holding numerous high-quality assets, he was actually not stable enough.

If companies like Land Rover and Aston Martin (after merging with Jaguar) were to completely break away from the European supply chain, they might not be able to manufacture a decent engine in the short term, and many core components would be subject to supply chain bottlenecks.

The same applies to Marvel Entertainment. The most crucial special effects production technology is in the hands of other companies. If they don't win over some allies to help them, even if they design a grand "Marvel Universe", it will be difficult to bring it to fruition in the future.

The more than fifty-day voyage gave Fan Wumian ample time to contemplate many things, including how to create a Silicon Valley version of "Tudou.com". (End of Chapter)