A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

morning.

Chen Wensheng woke up in his mansion in Shek O, glanced at Lin Meiyue beside him, and smiled slightly. He quietly got up, then pulled the covers up and dressed.

When he turned around again, he saw Lin Meiyin looking at him with admiration, and he immediately laughed and said, "I still woke you up."

Five months pregnant, Lin Meiyue smiled happily and said, "My husband isn't around, so he can definitely sense it."

Chen Wensheng bent down and kissed Lin Meiyue's forehead, saying, "Let's have breakfast together later."

"it is good"

Chen Wensheng was wearing sportswear. After leaving the villa, he was followed by bodyguards and started running at the Shek O Country Club.

He doesn't like playing golf early in the morning; he prefers jogging in the morning.

Shek O Country Club, also known as the 'Taipan Club', at that time consisted of fewer than 12 villas, and access was very difficult, requiring the consent of the owners.

Of course, given Chen Guangliang's influence, the application was a piece of cake. Even though there was significant competition with Jardine Matheson, Jardine Matheson's executives and senior management wouldn't stand in their way; otherwise, this would truly become a laughing stock.

Chen Wensheng's villa covers an area of ​​more than 30,000 square feet and occupies a small hill. Construction began in the early 1960s, and he did not officially move in until he got married earlier this year.

After breakfast, Chen Wensheng said goodbye to his wife and drove towards the Ping An Bank Building on Garden Road in Central.

"Good morning, Ah Sheng."

"morning"

"Ah Sheng, you're in a good mood today."

"Every day is great!"

In the office building owned by Ping An Investment, colleagues greeted each other warmly, showing no restraint despite Chen Wensheng's status.

In fact, although Chen Wensheng is only 25 years old this year, he has already become the deputy general manager of Ping An Investment, which is equivalent to the 'third-in-command'.

In the morning, Chen Wensheng walked into the office of Zhang Shounian, general manager of Ping An Investment.

"General Manager, the Ping An Index has now fallen to 82 points. Shouldn't we consider buying the dip?"

Zhang Shounian looked up and said with a smile, "I was just about to talk to you about this. Indeed, panic has reached its peak. As Chen Sheng once said, 'When others are fearful, be greedy.' Now is truly the best time to enter the market. Let's finalize the plan today and officially enter the market next week. Do you have any other opinions?"

Chen Wensheng immediately said, "This time we are going to invest in all the stocks with potential in the Hong Kong stock market, generally holding 5% to 10% of each stock, which is quite a big move. Therefore, I suggest that in the next four months, each stock should not exceed 5%; if we need to continue to increase our holdings, we should wait until next year."

"That's feasible. I'll discuss it with my colleagues later, specifically which stocks to choose."

"Okay, I'll organize it!"

Zhang Shounian nodded, watching the young Chen Wensheng leave, a smile appearing on his lips—he never expected that the youngest son of the boss's eldest son could now be so capable.

"It seems like I'll be able to retire properly in a few years!"

He could tell that the boss intended for Chen Wensheng to succeed him at Ping An Investment, but maintained a 'professional manager' model for Ping An Bank. Chen Wensheng probably only knew about it but had never worked there.

Within the group, Ping An Bank and Ping An Investment (Ping An Securities and Ping An Insurance) are two separate systems that have long operated independently.

Zhang Shounian stretched lazily; at 60 years old, he should have retired this year. But due to the current upheaval, his boss kept him on for a few more years to ensure a smooth handover to Chen Wensheng.

He was more than happy to accept; his boss had shown him great favor, even saving his life. Without his boss, he might be sitting across from his father.

From today's perspective, he would undoubtedly be living in a cowshed, and might not even be alive today.

And now!

He has a happy family in Hong Kong; his children are either in business or in management, and they live quite well. Even after working for Ping An Financial Group for so many years, he has already amassed a fortune of tens of millions.

There's no way around it; you become like the company you keep. He's seen the boss's investments over the years, he knows when to buy at the bottom and when to sell, and he has to invest some of his own money eventually.

"Since Ping An Investment has already started buying at the bottom, I will also invest two million in the market and make long-term value investments, so that I will have greater security after retirement."

"The second son's family is clamoring to move to Canada. I don't know if it's the right thing to do! But right now, we definitely can't sell the property, or we'll suffer huge losses!"

It turns out that Zhang Shounian's eldest son works in middle management at Ping An Financial Group, while his second son is a businessman.

This turmoil frightened the second son's family so much that they were preparing to sell their assets and relocate. Fortunately, Zhang Shounian stopped them from selling the property at a low price and lent them some money so that they could settle overseas first. The factory was handed over to his son-in-law to manage.

Even though Zhang Shounian received some signals from Chen Guangliang's family, his family members didn't fully trust them and believed more in their own judgment.

The Yan family.

Yan Zhiduo and Xu Qingwan held a family banquet at home, where their two sons and their families gathered together.

Yan Zhiduo is over seventy years old this year, but his health is still quite good.

Generally, business is rarely discussed at family dinners. Especially in recent years, Yan Zuhe opened "Café de Coral" with Cheung Kong Holdings, which made his younger brother Yan Zuxiao envious, so he also opened a chain fast food restaurant - "Real Delicious Fast Food".

Today, Cafe de Coral has 15 stores, while True Delicious has 9.

Although Yan Zuxiao's actions displeased his elder brother Yan Zuhe, he understood that this was the business world, and if his younger brother didn't do it, someone else would. Therefore, although the two families frequently met, they avoided discussing business to prevent unpleasantness.

However, today, Yan Zhiduo took the initiative to say, "I heard that your brother-in-law left Hong Kong a long time ago to lay low. I'm too old to run away anymore."

Unexpectedly, Yan Zuxiao immediately said, "Father, we are planning to go to the United States and Canada to investigate the situation there. We are planning to move overseas."

Yan Zhiduo did not stop him, but instead said, "What about your business in Hong Kong?"

Yan Zuxiao said, "The factory was already on the decline, so I arranged for someone to manage it. As for the catering, Awen is also managing it for me."

Awen is his brother-in-law and one of his business partners.

Over the years, thanks to the Chen family's support, Yan Zuxiao has made a lot of money running his factory. He was among the first wave of factory owners to enter the plastic flower and wig industries, and he received support from them later as well.

Yan Zhi nodded and said, "Zu He, what about you?"

“I’m not leaving. I’m staying in Hong Kong,” Yan Zuhe said resolutely. “I don’t believe Hong Kong will continue to be in chaos like this!”

Yan Zuxiao immediately said, "Brother, this time is different. You have no idea how crazy those people are."

Yan Zuhe said, "If you want to leave, then leave. I only know that although you can live peacefully overseas, it is not suitable for making a living." Yan Zuxiao wanted to persuade him further, but was interrupted by Yan Zhiduo.

"How you choose is your individual decision! I will not leave Hong Kong, and the family trust will always remain in Hong Kong."

He didn't try to dissuade his second son from moving overseas, because he also felt that it was better for them to disperse, so that the Yan family business could continue. His second son had earned tens of millions from running a factory over the years, and with the annual dividends from the family trust, he might be able to achieve great things abroad as well.

“Mr. Yan, this Kwun Tong Industrial Building is 12 stories high, with each floor having a floor area of ​​1.2 square feet, totaling 15 square feet. At its peak in 1964, it was worth over 700 million. Now the owner is busy going abroad, you can take it over for 280 million.”

Upon hearing the agent's words, Yan Zuhe said calmly, "Is there any room for negotiation at this price?"

Upon hearing this, the agent exclaimed with delight, "You really intend to take it?"

Everyone is in a rush to sell right now, but there are very few buyers.

Yan Zuhe calmly replied, "Of course I sincerely want it. Not only that, if you help me close this deal, I am also interested in industrial land or industrial buildings in the Kwun Tong and Kowloon Tong areas."

The agent was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Don't worry, the owner is in a hurry to sell, and I think we can negotiate down to 260 million, but he probably won't be willing to pay in installments."

Yan Zuhe said directly, "Cash!"

"Dongdong"

After parting ways with the agent, Yan Zuhe returned to his car, his face revealing a gambling-like excitement.

Aside from buying up properties like the Cafe de Coral restaurant at rock-bottom prices, he thought long and hard, and his nephew Chan Man-kit had given him such a clear hint, so why shouldn't he seize the opportunity? Although his brother-in-law had left Hong Kong, his four sons were all there, and Man-kit had personally told him to buy up properties at rock-bottom prices.

Therefore, Yan Zuhe decided to use his personal funds to buy up properties at rock-bottom prices and rebuild his own real estate company. With the help of his nephew Chen Wenjie, he had made a comeback and invested in several real estate projects, accumulating some capital.

“I currently have over 500 million in cash flow. If I can borrow another 500 million from Ping An Bank, I can buy properties worth tens of millions. These properties were worth 3000 million Hong Kong dollars in 1964.”

With this in mind, he decided to approach his other nephew, Chen Wensheng, and ask him to help introduce him to someone at Ping An Bank for a loan. After all, Chen Wensheng owned 15 Cafe de Coral fast food restaurants, so his repayment ability shouldn't be a problem.

The Hong Kong property market has fallen too drastically at this time. Industrial land in Kwun Tong reached a high of HK$160 per square foot in 1964, but fell to below HK$100 during the bank run in 1965. It fell to below HK$80 by the end of 1966, and now it has fallen to around HK$50 per square foot.

Lu Xiaoqing arrived at Chen Wenjie's office and reported, "General Manager (acting), at today's government land auction, two plots of land were sold, both at the minimum price. Cheung Kong Holdings acquired one plot in North Point, while the other plot was won by Chow Tai Fook."

Chen Wenjie immediately said, "Yes, that's right. While we're buying at the bottom, we shouldn't drive up the price. Of course, there aren't many people in the market who dare to buy at the bottom."

Lu Xiaoqing said, “Yes, the most neglected areas are the completed residential units. Luxury homes worth over HK$200,000 are now going for HK$80,000 and nobody is interested. Office land in Central has even fallen to HK$800-1000 per square foot, only about 30% of the peak in 1964. However, we are also facing a problem now, which is that land in the city center is becoming increasingly scarce, and we may have to develop towards the New Territories.”

They're buying at the bottom, so they can't attract too much attention from the market; they need to keep a low profile, otherwise there will inevitably be many followers.

Chen Wenjie nodded and said, "The development of the New Territories is inevitable. My father said that the new towns in Hong Kong have great potential. You can be bold in your operations, including the Class B entitlement in the New Territories. This time, Cheung Kong Group has prepared at least HK$2 million for real estate bargain hunting, not limited to residential land and sites, but also considering commercial land and sites and properties."

With Ping An Bank as its backer, Cheung Kong Holdings is naturally not in a problem.

"oh, I understand now!"

With the support of the group and a clear answer from the successor of Cheung Kong Holdings, Lu Xiaoqing continued his bottom-fishing spree.

After he left, Chen Wenjie frowned as he looked at the documents sent by other business personnel.

Cheung Kong's commercial real estate, retail, hotel, and food and beverage businesses have been significantly impacted. While buying at the bottom of the market is exciting, the fact that these businesses are also greatly affected makes it somewhat unpleasant.

Hopefully this will pass soon.

Currently, Chen Wenjie is acting as general manager. Although the general manager, Yan Kuan, is in Hong Kong, he only visits the company occasionally. As for his father, he only inquires about the situation occasionally, gives some instructions, and doesn't really manage the company.

Chen Wenjie understood that if he performed well this time, he would officially become the general manager within the next year or two. Of course, his father would remain the chairman of the board, the company's supreme decision-maker.

Yan Zuhe has been extremely busy lately, either buying shops for Cafe de Coral fast food or purchasing industrial buildings, land, and properties.

He made the same desperate gamble again, but this time he felt that he was buying at the bottom of the market, and his nephew had given him a signal that was essentially his brother-in-law's idea, so he was sure he was right.

In a very short period of time, Yim Cho-wo purchased a 12-story industrial building and an industrial plot in Kwun Tong for only HK$350 million.

He didn't stop there. Later, he used the shares of Cafe de Coral fast food and the industrial building as collateral to borrow 500 million yuan from Ping An Bank and continued his buying spree.

That day, his real estate agent called again, saying that there was a 600-square-foot shop for sale on Russell Street, and the asking price was only HK$15.

Yan Zuhe thought to himself, "My brother-in-law has already built the Hung Hom Tunnel, and there's also the Paterson Street mixed-use project invested in by Cheung Kong Holdings in Causeway Bay. I expect this area will have a bright future."

"Bought"

At this moment, Yan Zuhe felt that Hong Kong properties were like the Pacific Ocean. Such a shop would have cost at least HK$500,000 at its peak, but now he had bought it for only 30% of that price.

And so, Yan Zuhe deliberately took the list of several stores that Cafe de Coral had purchased and went to his nephew Chen Wenjie.

"Wenjie, Cafe de Coral has already acquired four stores, and I'm still buying more. Cheung Kong is also a shareholder, so I came here specifically to report to you!"

In Cheung Kong's office building, Yen Cho-ho said with a smile.

Chen Wenjie glanced at the shop list a few times, then smiled and said, "Uncle, just buy with confidence. Property is practically free these days; it's worth it no matter what you buy."

"Is your father not returning to Hong Kong anytime soon?" Yan Zuhe continued to ask.

Chan Man-kit said, "He wants some peace and quiet. He'll come back once Hong Kong calms down. He seems to have said he should be back by the end of the year."

Yan Zuhe understood; it seemed his brother-in-law thought this matter should be resolved by the end of the year.

"Okay, I know! With such outstanding sons, my brother-in-law and sister can definitely travel with peace of mind!"

Chen Wenjie said, "No matter how outstanding we are, we can't compare to even a fraction of our father's talent. We brothers are all under his remote control. Do you really think we brothers have grown up and become independent?"

Yan Zuhe's eyes lit up; this was an implication that couldn't be more obvious.

"Haha, you've always been steady and humble since you were little. I'm off then, you keep busy!"

"I'll take my uncle."

Chen Wenjie had great respect and care for his uncle, after all, he was his mother's biological younger brother. Even his father took good care of his uncle. When his uncle's investment failed, it was his father who helped him regroup and develop "Dajiale Catering" as a business so that he could make a comeback.

My uncle just mentioned that he recently purchased an industrial building and land. If things really calm down in Hong Kong, Chen Wenjie will be happy for his uncle. (End of Chapter)