A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

mid-December.

The Shangri-La Hotel was packed with guests, including political and business leaders from overseas, such as Prince Rainier III and his wife Grace from Monaco, the former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy of Japan, a general from Thailand, the Governor of Hong Kong, a prince from the Middle East, and many other celebrities from Hong Kong. The Commander-in-Chief of Taiwan also sent an advisor.

It turns out that today is Chen Guangliang's 60th birthday, so a banquet was specially held at the Shangri-La Hotel.

Reporters were not allowed inside the hotel, but the Shangri-La Hotel set up a press area outside and provided refreshments, showing considerable thoughtfulness. As VIP guests entered, reporters couldn't help but exclaim in surprise that this Hong Kong's richest man was already a world-class business figure.

In the lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel, Chen Guangliang and Yan Renmei hosted everyone. Although Jiang Meiying, Audrey Hepburn, and Si Yezi were also present, they kept a low profile and did not openly appear as "second, third, or fourth wives".

As for the children of each branch, only the eldest son and daughter of each branch attended, and not all members of each branch attended.

"Welcome Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace to Hong Kong Island!" Chan Kwong-leung smiled and extended his hand to greet the Prince and Princess of Monaco.

Since the unpleasant incident in 1966, relations had actually improved. This was because Prince Rainier III and Grace realized that Chen Guangliang and Audrey Hepburn still wielded considerable influence, and many nobles and celebrities wouldn't accept such treatment unless they were occasionally invited to banquets.

As a businessman, Chen Guangliang naturally wouldn't easily make enemies, and the two sides parted ways amicably—Monaco gave him a compensation fee.

Prince Rainier III replied with a smile, "Mr. Chen looks to be only in his forties. If I could look like you, that would be wonderful!"

Marrying a Hollywood actress certainly makes you age faster. However, he seemed to remember that Grace was later in a car accident.

Chen Guangliang said, "Maintaining a good mindset is the most important thing."

Prince Rainier III could only nod politely, though inwardly embarrassed. He might have misinterpreted those words—Chen Guangliang and Audrey Hepburn's easy departure from the Monaco beach hadn't affected his mood at all. On the contrary, the couple had gone through countless years of hardship trying to reclaim Monaco.

Later, Chen Guangliang and Yan Renmei greeted everyone one by one, and everyone was amazed by the couple's beauty and health regimen.

In reality, Chen Guangliang looks to be in his forties because he deliberately dresses to look older. For example, he chooses to wear glasses, but in fact, his eyesight is very good, comparable to that of an eagle. He also deliberately wears old-fashioned clothes. After all this, he looks about ten years older than his actual physical age.

Outside the hotel, reporters were also discussing and exchanging ideas.

"Many overseas politicians and wealthy businessmen came. Mr. Chen truly deserves to be called the world's shipping magnate and a leader of overseas Chinese."

"Of course! How can you do shipping without getting involved in politics? What surprised me was that the Taiwan government also sent an advisor. It seems Mr. Chen's 'old boss' still has his eye on him!"

"Haha, what old boss? I heard that I came to Hong Kong to develop my career because I was afraid of being purged by my old boss."

As the guests departed, Chen Guangliang had his butler present them with gifts—Hong Kong-style dim sum and Pu-erh tea. Prince Rainier III invited him to vacation in Monaco, to which Chen Guangliang smiled and replied, "See you again."

Back at the Deep Water Bay villa, Chen Guangliang took off his glasses and said to Yan Renmei, "The people who came today are here because of the name 'Chen,' not because of me personally."

Yan Renmei took the glasses from her husband and said with a smile, "But you are the Chen family. Even if you remain hidden behind the scenes, as long as you exist, this family will be different!"

This sentence ignited Chen Guangliang's fighting spirit, and he exclaimed, "Then let's all try to live to 2025!"

Yan Renmei nodded.

Given her husband's health, it was indeed possible. As for her, she didn't care about that anymore!
Chen Guangliang's decision to hold a 60th birthday celebration is also a result of careful consideration.

He knew that this birthday banquet, seemingly a celebration, was in fact a silent display of power: Chen's shipping company controlled ocean-going vessels comparable to those in the United States, and as the 'Chinese Governor of Hong Kong,' he had long been a target for various forces to win over.

The following day, Hong Kong newspapers were filled with news about the birthday banquet on their front pages: "Global political and business leaders gather, Chen's influence shakes Hong Kong" and "The richest man in the Chinese world celebrates his birthday, with half the world coming to offer their congratulations."

Chan Kwong-leung's 60th birthday celebration had a far greater impact than the birthday celebration of Rong Zongjing, the textile tycoon of Sheung Hoi Beach. More importantly, the Chan family was no longer affected by political power, because this was Hong Kong—even the Hong Kong government would consider the Chan family's role in stabilizing the entire city.

Today, the Chen family has spread to Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan, and has established new bases in Singapore and Zurich, gradually developing into a truly global family.

Along with the Chen family, the Yan family also enjoyed prosperity for four generations.

Yan Zhiduo, the third-generation direct descendant of the Yan family, is 76 years old this year (born in 1894). He has two sons, Yan Zuhe and Yan Zuxiao. Yan Zuhe is 49 years old this year and has three sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Yan Dakang, just returned from studying abroad last year and joined his father's real estate company. His second son, Yan Zuxiao, has two sons and three daughters.

Yan Zuxiao returned to Hong Kong with his family to visit his parents and inquire about the situation there. They met at the Yan family's ancestral home in Mid-Levels.

Yan Zhiduo, sitting in the main seat, said, "Look at your brother-in-law's radiance today, what do you think is his most impressive quality?"

On that day, his whole family attended the birthday banquet. Yan Zhiduo was even regarded as a close elder by Chen Guangliang and introduced to wealthy businessmen and politicians around the world. Yan Zhiduo felt that this was the pinnacle of life. Even though he was seventy-six years old, he could still feel an impulsive emotion—the desire to wield power over the world.

Although Yan Zuxiao was not Yan Renmei's biological brother, because your mother had helped Chen Guangliang, he received a lot of help from Chen Guangliang when he established himself in Hong Kong and started his business, including becoming one of the first factory owners in the plastic flower and wig factories. Later, he followed his elder brother's example and started a chain of Chinese fast food restaurants, and he did not suffer any suppression from Cheung Kong Holdings. Chen Wenjie still called him "Second Uncle" repeatedly.

Of course, compared to Yan Zuhe, Chen Wenjie was naturally closer to his uncle Yan Zuhe.

Yan Zuxiao said, "My brother-in-law was already very successful in business in the late 1920s, and in the 1930s he was a real tycoon and big shot in Shanghai. So, he was naturally the best at doing business."

Yan Zhiduo immediately retorted, "Then why didn't Rong Zongjing and Rong Desheng's descendants suffer the same fate? In fact, Rong Zongjing and Rong Desheng were even kidnapped and subjected to brutal treatment. You must understand, at their peak, half of the 400 million people in the country wore their clothes, and a third ate their flour."

Yan Zuxiao was speechless.

Yan Zuhe then said seriously, "My brother-in-law's greatest strength is naturally his ability to assess situations. If he had stayed in Shanghai back then, the Japanese would not have let him go; if he had stayed on the mainland back then, they would not have let him go either; he does the same in business, always seizing the best opportunities. So this time, my willingness to buy Hong Kong real estate at rock-bottom prices is all due to the influence of the Chen family."

Yan Zhiduo looked at his eldest son with satisfaction and said, "Not bad. You made a wise decision this time, allowing the fourth generation of our Yan family to continue to prosper. I hope you can raise your children well, so that the Yan family can flourish in the fifth and sixth generations."

"Yes, father"

Yan Zuxiao felt somewhat disappointed. In 1967, he was in a hurry to leave Hong Kong. Although he didn't sell much of his family property, he still suffered some losses. More importantly, his wealth, which was originally comparable to his elder brother's, was now vastly different. Even Zhenmei Fast Food, which he still held shares in but had handed over management to his brother-in-law, now only had half the number of stores as Cafe de Coral.

"Uncle, please sit down."

Yan Zuhe sat on the sofa in Chen Wenjie's general manager's office and said politely, "I hope I'm not disturbing you, such a busy person?"

Chen Wenjie personally poured tea for his uncle, smiling as he said, "Look at what you're saying, Uncle. No matter how busy I am, how could I not see you! How is it, Uncle? Your career seems to be going very well, right?"

Yan Zuhe sighed inwardly. His nephew was now a leader, and his words carried an air of control. It made sense; Cheung Kong Holdings was at its peak, far surpassing Hongkong Land, and Chen Wenjie was already the 'de facto operator' of Cheung Kong Holdings, naturally exuding a leadership and controlling aura.

“It went very smoothly. I invested 5 million to buy into the market at the bottom and then took out a loan of 5 million. Now my net capital is around 30 million. Currently, my rental property area is 350,000 square feet, and the annual rent is already 3 million Hong Kong dollars.”

Chen Wenjie said happily for his uncle, "Great! Uncle, you really won beautifully this time. And of course, you've also done a great job developing Dajiale Catering in recent years."

Cafe de Coral now has 21 restaurants and about 20 shops, including a high-end restaurant, and its development is quite good.

Yan Zuhe laughed and said, "For you guys, this is just small-scale stuff. By the way, I sold 40% of the properties I developed this year, and I have some funds on hand, so I'm going to develop two more properties and hope to partner with Cheung Kong Holdings!"

At that time in Hong Kong, joint land development was commonplace. The prevailing idea was that if you had 100 million to invest in 10 projects, even if you lost one or two, you could still make a profit overall; but if you invested 100 million in 2 projects or even just one project, losing one would be a real loss, and losing two could lead to bankruptcy.

In 1958, 1961, and 1967, quite a few real estate developers went bankrupt.

Chen Wenjie laughed and said, "No problem. You can find Manager Lu later. Same as always, you choose the project, we'll decide if it's suitable, and then we'll cooperate on a 50/50 basis."

That's exactly what Yen Tsu-ho wanted: to share the risks.

"it is good"

Currently, Yan Zuhe's "New Era Properties" owns four industrial buildings, several high-end residences, two floors of office space in Central, several shops, and 4% of the residential units in two residential projects.

His approach was relatively conservative: 60% of the properties he developed would be rented out, and 40% would be sold. As for debt, he kept it below 40%, ideally around 20-30%.

On the other hand, he also owns 50% of the shares and management rights of Cafe de Coral, making him a formidable force.

Of course, the Yan family's real assets are still in the 'Yan Family Trust Fund'. The two commercial buildings in Central alone are worth hundreds of millions, and there are also many other rental properties. However, this trust fund has been 'locked up' and is managed by Ping An Bank. Half of the annual rental income will be distributed to the descendants, and the other half will be used to continue to purchase properties for rental.

In fact, this trust fund alone has ensured the continued stability of the Yan family's fourth, fifth, and sixth generations. It's worth noting that the trustee is Yan Renmei, demonstrating just how 'cunning' Yan Zhiduo is.

While it appears that the eldest daughter is in charge of oversight, the real intention is to better develop the trust fund. This recent acquisition of several shops by the trust fund was a decision reached jointly by Yan Renmei and Ping An Bank, with Yan Zhiduo also agreeing. Since he is still alive, the final decision rests with him.

Tokyo, an office building with the name "Electronic Arts" on it.

Si Yezi walked into the company dressed in a business suit, followed by her eldest son, Chen Wenying, who is 17 years old this year and has been admitted to the Department of Electronic Engineering at the University of Tokyo.

It was summer vacation, so Si Yezi brought Chen Wenying to their fourth family's company—Yidian Company.

"President"

"Hello, President."

As you enter Electronic Arts & Digital, the employees bow their heads in greeting, their eyes filled with respect.

When the company was founded, Hong Kong Huatai Toys held a 10% stake, as Chen Guangliang was worried that Si Yezi would be mistreated. However, with Electronic Arts' new product nearing completion this year, Huatai Toys withdrew at the opportune moment, allowing Si Yezi to hold 100% control.

"Mr. Mikami, how is the laser gun laser firing system progressing?"

He was a young engineer in his late twenties, and the project leader for the 'laser gun laser shooting system'. He excitedly said, "President, young master, please come with me!"

Si Yezi nodded gracefully. Since starting this company, she had gradually come to enjoy the role of 'boss'. She knew in her heart that the games and technologies her man had guided her in would definitely have a bright future.

Later, everyone arrived at a testing room, where a large piece of equipment held a laser gun, and opposite it was a screen. Following a signal from Shinji Mikami, the researchers started the equipment.

At this moment, Chen Wenying picked up an electronic gun in revolver mode and shot at the "virtual pigeon" simulated by the solar cells to simulate a shooting game.

After reviewing the test results, Si Yezi suppressed her excitement and asked, "Kojima-kun, how should we promote this game next?"

She actually had some ideas in mind, but she pretended to let her subordinates plan first, and then she would make the final decision herself.

Hideo Kojima immediately said, "We will rent a lot of space to set up a laser gun laser shooting system room, and invite Japanese media to witness this historic moment."

Si Yezi nodded and said, "We have no problem renting a lot of venues, but what kind of venues should we rent? I remember that many bowling alleys in Japan are on the verge of closing down. Why don't we start by taking over a lot of them and then convert them into laser gun shooting system rooms?"

Hideo Kojima immediately replied, "President, you've thought this through very well. I'll start preparing right away!"

Si Yezi then said, "Everyone, although we are a new game and entertainment company, I hope it can become a great entertainment company and make a great contribution to the entertainment culture of mankind. We will launch this product, but we also plan to launch it in Europe and America. The product can also be modified at that time, for example, duck shooting. In short, when the laser gun laser shooting system is successful in Japan, I will hold a celebration banquet for everyone."

"It's the president."

Faced with a beautiful, wealthy, ambitious, and intelligent company president, everyone was incredibly excited. (End of Chapter)