A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 499 Chen Wenying's Growth
Spring has come again.

On this day, Chen Guangliang inspected the production workshop of Midea Entertainment Games, accompanied by Chen Wenkai, Yang Xiancheng, general manager of Midea Group, Lin Botao, general manager of Midea Entertainment Games, and others.

Lin Botao is an electronics engineer who returned from studying abroad. He was the person in charge of developing the 'Ping Pong Arcade' and is now the head of entertainment games at Midea.

"Mr. Chen, last year (1971), we sold a total of 2500 ping-pong arcade machines, earning a profit of US$380 million. With these funds, we have built a complete industry chain business from content to hardware production, and assembled a core R&D team to strengthen the R&D capabilities of our US branch. At the same time, due to the success of the ping-pong arcade machines, some counterfeit products have emerged in Europe, America, and Japan. Under these circumstances, we have started the development of new arcade games, including racing games and maze games."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangliang seemed quite pleased. 380 million US dollars, when converted, is more than 2000 million Hong Kong dollars; for an emerging industry, this is absolutely exorbitant profit.

These profits are currently held in Midea Entertainment Games Company's account and will be used to continue developing arcade games.

Chen Guangliang said, "I support your development of new games, but I prefer in-depth development of the Ping Pong arcade game. So, new games don't need to be numerous, but rather refined. Also, you need to understand that no one is willing to spend time on overly complex games. The success of the Ping Pong arcade game was precisely because it was simple enough to operate, so don't overestimate people's intelligence."

Lin Baitao was startled, his soul, which had been consumed by ambition, was instantly pulled back, and he immediately said, "Okay, I've remembered what Chen Sheng said, and I will continue to pay attention to 'Ping Pong'."

In his mind, Chen Guangliang was a "god-like" boss whose judgment was absolutely spot-on.

At this point, Chen Wenkai, a "small boss" with a technical background, also expressed his opinion: "Manager Lin, the number of chips used in the arcade machines is still too large. This increases the probability of accident repairs and also increases costs. We need to propose an incentive for 'change' in Hong Kong or the United States. Whoever can overcome this challenge will be rewarded with a generous sum of money."

The sales of ping-pong arcade machines in the United States have exceeded 2500 units; and once the machines malfunction, they naturally need to be repaired by the manufacturer, so there are quite a few repair personnel in the US branch.

Lin Botao nodded and said, "Currently, the number of chips in the ping-pong arcade machine is as high as seventy. It would be ideal if it could be reduced to more than fifty. We will issue incentive measures in Hong Kong and the United States to support this."

After a discussion, the meeting was quite fruitful.

Chen Guangliang has a plan in mind for the development of Midea's entertainment games:
The first-generation console game, the 'Odyssey', has not yet been released in the US; it's expected to be released sometime in the first half of the year. Moreover, entering the console game market at this time would obviously be uneconomical in terms of development costs; ideally, it would have been released in 1975.

Furthermore, Chen Guangliang preferred Midea Games Entertainment Company to later shift its focus to video game software development, given that they had no advantage over Japan and the United States in hardware. Therefore, games like *Space Invaders*, *Pac-Man*, *Block Breaker*, and *Hong Kong Blocks* would definitely be developed first by Midea Games Entertainment.

As for hardware, Chen Guangliang's layout in Japan has already begun to show results, so 'Electronic Arts Japan' will become a hardware equipment supplier; Chen Guangliang's son in Japan, Chen Wenying, can be considered a genius in this field. At the age of 19, he is already very proficient in electronic equipment technology, which has strengthened Chen Guangliang's determination to support Electronic Arts.

After inspecting the perfect entertainment game company, Chen Guangliang took Hong Kong Airlines to Japan.

The Chen family has many investments in Japan, second only to the United States and slightly more important than those in Europe.

His first stop was Kagoshima, Japan, where Global Shipping partnered with Sanjin Commodities to invest in an oil base. The project was carried out in phases, with a total of 10 floating roof oil tanks of 10 cubic meters, 8 of 16 cubic meters, and 2 of 5 cubic meters, along with a trestle-style crude oil terminal, as well as crude oil pumping stations, sewage treatment facilities, and fire protection systems.

Simply put, this place can store 200 million tons of oil.

“Mr. Chen, the first phase of 10 oil tanks, each with a capacity of 100,000 square meters, will be put into use by the end of this year; while the 8 oil tanks, each with a capacity of 160,000 cubic meters, will be put into use in July next year.” Project manager Ichiro Nishida reported to Chen Guangliang, who came to inspect the work.

In this project, Universal Shipping holds a 7% stake and Mitsui & Co. holds a 3% stake, so it is actually a branch of Universal Shipping.

Currently, oil exports from the Middle East are less than $3 per ton, but transportation costs to Japan naturally need to be added. When Chen Guangliang invested in this project, he announced that he would store the oil in Japan when shipping companies had spare ships, and then sell it to Japanese oil companies at a reasonable price later.

Simply put, the idea is to make people believe that Chen Guangliang is still selling 'freight fees' plus a little 'storage fees', since there are always oil companies that are eager to obtain oil.

The reason for courting Mitsui & Co. is that they have the technology and local advantages; moreover, the customer might be Mitsui & Co.

Chen Guangliang calculated that before the oil crisis, this place could store up to two million tons of oil. Because a 10-cubic-meter oil tank can store approximately 8 to 8.5 tons of oil.

Two million tons of oil could generate a net profit of US$20 million by 1974; more importantly, the oil base could be sold to Japanese companies at that time, making a huge profit.

According to Chen Guangliang's understanding, after the outbreak of the oil crisis in his previous life, Japan began to build a large number of oil reserve bases, which led to a decrease in the need for oil in the 1980s; of course, Japan's use of nuclear power also played a role in this.

"Regarding the project's progress, we must complete it according to plan. Of course, regarding the project's quality, safety must be the top priority."

"Mr. Chen, please rest assured. The technical engineers dispatched by Mitsui & Co. are all experienced professionals."

Chen Guangliang nodded and continued to inspect the progress and quality of the project on site. He was a quick learner, and his purpose in coming here was to thoroughly understand the engineering techniques involved. He would later compile the learned techniques into written materials and submit them to the Global Group's database for future reference.

Seeing Chen Guangliang's demeanor, the Japanese engineers on site dared not be careless and earnestly introduced the project's progress and technical aspects.

At that time, although Japan wasn't particularly enthusiastic about oil reserves, it didn't mean its technology in this area was lacking; on the contrary, it was already among the world's leading nations. Of course, this was also due to the investments and technology introduced by the Seven Sisters of Western oil companies in Japan.

After concluding his inspection tour, Chen Guangliang headed straight to Tokyo.

The investment in this oil base actually addressed four issues for Chen Guangliang: First, it wouldn't affect the sale of some non-oil tankers before October 1973, since oil reserves were already located there; second, with oil prices soaring, profits could exceed US$20 million; third, Japan urgently needed oil reserve bases during the oil crisis, which would significantly increase the equity value of this investment; and fourth, it resolved some vacant shipping capacity before October 1973, as many non-VLCC oil tankers had short-term contracts rather than long-term contracts, resulting in some periods of vacancy.

Upon arriving at Tokyo Airport, Chen Guangliang immediately saw Si Yezi dressed in a business suit, black stockings, and high heels, looking around with her female assistant and bodyguard.

She already had the air of a 'strong woman' on her face, and her female assistant and bodyguard served her carefully, afraid that their anxious master would scold them.

When she saw Chen Guangliang, her expression immediately changed, like a chameleon, and she adopted a submissive and affectionate demeanor.

Si Yezi walked up quickly, her voice gentle and sweet: "Mr. Chen, you've worked hard!"

"Mr. Chen" and "Husband" are how Si Yezi addresses Chen Guangliang. In front of outsiders, she prefers to call him "Mr. Chen," while at home she calls him "Husband," which is quite charming.

Chen Guangliang looked at the radiant Si Yezi and smiled, "Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"No, we just arrived recently!"

The two communicated in Japanese, then switched to Chinese when they got home, and this gradually became a habit from the beginning.

Upon hearing this, the assistant and the female bodyguard couldn't help but mutter to themselves, "Madam, you've been here for over three hours!"

The group boarded the presidential limousine and headed towards a villa in Tokyo.

In the car, Chen Guangliang looked at Si Yezi's attire; her beauty, barely concealed beneath her shirt, was undeniable. Then, glancing at her business suit, he chuckled, "Just came from the company?"

Si Yezi blushed slightly, then said in a low voice, "No, I dressed up specifically for this. Do you think I'm a strong woman?"

"Haha," Chen Guangliang put his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, "You'll find out soon enough."

Back at the villa in Tokyo, seeing that his children were still in school, Chen Guangliang naturally carried Si Yezi upstairs without any hesitation.

The housekeeper, Yukina, and her assistant, Naomi, were already used to this. They immediately set up a undisturbed mode and had the servants prepare dinner.

The two waited in the stairwell a little later.

Yukina is Tsukasa Yoko's cousin. She's 40 years old and still unmarried, practically practically a member of the Chen family. She's voluptuous and has a wealthy air about her; the children call her "Auntie," and are very close to her. She said to Nao Miharu, "Nao, how many years have you and Madam been together?"

Nao Miharu is tall with a baby face that contrasts with her figure. Although the noise from upstairs is bothering her, she unconsciously squeezes her legs together, but still says 'as if it's normal', "I've been with you since I graduated from university, and it's been four years!"

Xue Nai immediately asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Nao Miharu shook her head. As Tsukasa Yoko's full-time assistant, she was on call 24/7, so she had no time to find a boyfriend. Besides, after working with Tsukasa Yoko, her standards had been raised to an unprecedented level, making it difficult for any man to catch her eye.

If there was any man who could make her heart flutter, it would definitely be the one upstairs. Every move he made was so attractive to beautiful women. But Nao Miharu dared not make any move, after all, her master, Tsukasa Yoko, was only a 'concubine' or 'mistress'.

Xue Nai immediately leaned close to her ear and said, "Wait a minute, how about you come inside with me?"

"Huh?" Nao Miharu blushed and stammered, "Won't Mrs. Tsukasa Yoko scold us?"

Xue Nai laughed and said, "What do you take yourself for? We are just tools. Mr. Chen is too strong. I am worried that he may harm Mrs. Si Yezi's body. If you are willing, you can come in with me later, but if you behave abnormally afterwards, Mrs. Si Yezi will definitely fire you, because you can only be a tool."

She could see that Mr. Chen's allure to a woman was absolutely fatal; even if she were to be used as a tool, Nao Miharu would not refuse.

Nao Miharu immediately took Yukina's arm and said, "Yukina-nee, I will cherish this job."

She secretly admired Mr. Chen, a charismatic world tycoon, but knew it was just a fantasy; moreover, she enjoyed being with Mrs. Si Yezi and experiencing the feeling of being in the 'upper class'.

Now that it can be made into a 'tool', isn't that the best channel?
Xue Nai said seriously, "Remember, we are tools, and we must not overstep our bounds afterward. Of course, the master and madam will not treat us unfairly."

"Okay, I've got it."

Hearing Tsukasa Yoko's pleas for mercy from inside, Yukina immediately pulled Naomi Haru inside.

About an hour later, Chen Guangliang and Si Yezi, dressed neatly, slowly walked down the stairs. Xue Nai had changed into a new housekeeper's uniform, and Nao Miharu had changed into a business suit, and they were busy downstairs.

Shortly after they sat down, Chen Wenying, Chen Wensheng, and Chen Yingyi, the three siblings, also returned home. Chen Wenying, who studies at the University of Tokyo, had brought his younger siblings back from school.

The three of them were overjoyed to see their father, and the youngest daughter, Chen Yingyi, who was still in kindergarten, rushed into Chen Guangliang's arms.

"Father"

"Um"

Holding his youngest daughter, Chen Guangliang said with a smile, "You two brothers have both grown up."

Chen Yingyi immediately replied warmly, "And what about me?"

"You're still young, but you'll definitely grow up to be a great beauty like your sisters!"

"Hehe, I want to grow up to be like my older sisters."

The Chen family had four wives, each with only one daughter. All of them resembled both parents and, of course, inherited Chen Guangliang's intelligence.

A little later, Xue Nai, her face flushed, carried Chen Yingyi away. The family ate at the dining table, with maids serving them from behind.

"Wenying, how are your studies going?"

Nineteen-year-old Chen Wenying, about to be a junior in college, is so intelligent that he could even rank among the top five of the second generation of the Chen family. According to Si Yezi, Chen Wenying has also made his own contribution to the hardware improvements at Electronic Arts (EA), earning praise and recognition from EA engineers.

Chen Wenying said confidently, "Father, my academic performance has always been among the best in our department, and I have followed your advice to firmly combine practice and theory. Whenever I have time, I go to the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China to do research and development. Take the 'Ping Pong Arcade' for example, I can already independently complete the circuit diagram process."

Midea Entertainment Company granted Electronic Arts the distribution rights for the Ping Pong arcade game, thus opening up the Japanese market.

Chen Guangliang said, "But to be an excellent entrepreneur, one cannot just be good at technology; one should also understand products, and the latter is even more important."

In his past life, Steve Jobs wasn't necessarily a technical genius. For example, while working at Atari, he reduced the number of chips from 70 to 55, ultimately earning a $3.5 bonus. In fact, it was later revealed that this reduction was actually accomplished by Jobs' partner, Wozniak. Jobs received a $3 bonus from the company, but only gave Wzniak $375, leading to their parting of ways. Jobs then received the seed funding to found Apple.

Chen Wenying immediately straightened up and said, "I will definitely listen to my father. I've been thinking about this recently. EA's product range is too limited; currently, it only offers 'laser shooting systems' and distributes ping-pong arcade machines. So I have an idea."

"Say"

Encouraged, Chen Wenying immediately said, "I think EA should also enter the arcade field and invent an arcade game based on the Western cowboy duel in 'Laser Shooting System,' which also has a similar scene in a Japanese movie. Of course, with current technology, it will still use mosaic graphics to simulate a two-player cowboy duel."

Chen Guangliang seemed to have some impression of this kind of game, but he felt that this game was very promising. It was somewhat similar to table tennis, but it could also be a milestone event in the development of video games, slightly earlier than Space Invaders.

“Okay, your idea will be approved immediately. EA will set up an ‘Arcade’ project team. Of course, you should focus on your studies and work part-time on this project.”

"Yes, father"

Chen Wenying was greatly encouraged.

At this moment, Yukina and Naomi, who were serving behind the scenes, couldn't help but sigh that Mr. Chen's love for Mrs. Tsukasa Yoko was largely due to the contributions of his two sons and daughter.

Later, Chen Guangliang asked Si Yezi, "How is Electronic Arts' financial situation?"

Si Yezi put down her chopsticks and said, "It's more than enough. The 'Laser Shooting System' has brought huge profits to EA, and I've invested most of those profits in large-cap blue-chip stocks, mainly in steel, heavy electrical machinery, and shipbuilding, which has also yielded substantial profits. Rest assured, I will support EA's research and development!"

In 1971, Electronic Arts earned approximately US$300 million, or about 1 million yen, thanks to its 'laser design system'; most of this money was invested in the stock market, where it has since appreciated significantly.

Of course, the main purpose of investing in these is to build a huge fund for subsequent research and development expenses.

"Well, by the end of the year, you should start selling off your stocks one by one, and try to clear them out by February next year."

We don't necessarily have to wait for an oil crisis.

Whether it's the US stock market, the Hong Kong stock market, or the Japanese stock market, this wave of gains will likely peak around March next year.

In this wave, many stocks in the US stock market (May 1970.5 to December 1972.12) doubled in value; thus, the wealth of Jiang Meiying's family increased once again. The Japanese stock market also experienced a surge since last year, especially after the appreciation of the yen, which led to a large influx of foreign capital into the Japanese stock market, causing a surge in large-cap blue-chip stocks, primarily in the steel, heavy electrical machinery, and shipbuilding sectors.

Si Yezi nodded and said, "I'll listen to you."

She was secretly delighted. Their family's assets were now worth 1.2 million US dollars. Moreover, she knew that her husband was making arrangements for their family. Their eldest son, Chen Wenying's, career was probably already planned out, namely Electronic Arts Corporation.

(End of this chapter)