A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

10 month.

Inside a high-rise apartment building on Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York.

Chen Guangliang sat in a room that resembled an office. To his left was a huge floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the entire Central Park, offering an unparalleled view.

Jiang Meiying stood beside him, while her three sons from his second wife—Chen Wenjin (Allen), Chen Wenhua (Blues), and Chen Wenhai (Dennis)—stood respectfully in front of the desk. Perhaps in the outside world they were all powerful business tycoons and rising stars, but in Chen Guangliang's eyes, they were still just children.

"Just like in baseball, you never have to swing. As long as you stand on home plate, balls keep coming your way: $47 General Motors, $39 U.S. Steel, $14.75 Washington Post... Nobody forces you to hit the ball. You just wait until your favorite pitcher comes in and the defense is asleep before you can go up and hit the ball. If you don't hit the ball, you won't be punished except for missing an opportunity."

The three sons listened with great enthusiasm. They knew that their father meant that as long as they found a good position to sell their stocks at a high price, it would be like standing on home base; then, there would be many opportunities to buy cheap stocks.

Chen Wenhua, who manages Second Home Finance, said, “Starting in September, my mother’s investment company, my United Madison, and my personal investments all bought the stocks on the list you gave me. At that time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average in the United States had fallen from 1047 points to 573 points, and many stocks had fallen by as much as 60 to 70%. Take the Washington Post for example, its stock was at a high of $38, and now it is only $14.75.”

Buffett invested in The Washington Post last year and has actually lost 23%.

Of course, unlike Buffett, Jiang Meiying's equity investments in companies will not exceed 5% of a single stock, and in many cases, they are controlled at 2-3%. Moreover, Jiang Meiying's investment companies have been diversified and not handled offshore, making them relatively discreet.

As for Chen Wenhai's United Madison, its current scale and performance are even more impressive than Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Moreover, United Madison is a diversified enterprise that combines insurance and industry.

At this point, Chen Wenjin also said, "Amazon Group is also investing in some stocks, about 1 million US dollars, and plans to gradually cash out once it finds a suitable Manhattan office building to invest in."

Chen Guangliang asked, "What is Amazon's debt situation?"

Chen Wenjin immediately said, "Only about 20% is very healthy, even though the hotel industry is somewhat sluggish during the oil crisis."

Amazon has three main business segments: shopping mall conglomerates, hotel management, and commercial real estate management.

Currently, there hasn't been a suitable opportunity to buy at rock-bottom prices in office buildings, as small projects are not worth considering. Of course, Chen Guangliang also told Chen Wenjin that there was no need to rush, as 1974 to 1978 would have been a good time to buy at rock-bottom prices. This period was not only affected by the oil crisis, but also by severe inflation in the United States.

"Then you should buy into the US stock market first. As for investment in commercial real estate such as office buildings, the next three or four years will be the best opportunity."

"Yes, father"

When Chen Guangliang turned his gaze to Chen Wenhai, he immediately said, "Father, we have completed the Gun Fight project and plan to sell it in the United States this month. By the way, Jobs and Steve Wozniak did a good job, and I rewarded them with $3. However, I can tell that the two of them seem unwilling to be dependent on others, and I'm afraid they will leave Atari sooner or later."

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "Hmm, the fact that you can see this clearly shows that you not only have good skills, but also good emotional intelligence. So what do you think we should do?"

Chen Wenhai said confidently, "Of course we should support their entrepreneurship, not create an enemy. Although Atari has not yet released a single product, it has already begun to develop a home console game machine, even though its arcade machine is about to be released. I am very confident that a home console game machine with detachable game software will be developed in 1976."

"Good," Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction. "The United States currently has stronger technological research and development capabilities than Japan and Hong Kong. I hope you can catch up and surpass them. Also, if Jobs and his team want to start their own businesses, you can support them and try to become an investor or something. In the future, you may not necessarily become a tech tycoon yourself, but you can invest in various emerging technology companies in the United States and become a venture capitalist. Of course, Atari is yours, and you can choose its future as you see fit."

"Yes, father"

The implication is that Atari can develop arcade and console games, and can also make other products in the future.

However, his father would also support him in becoming a 'venture capitalist for technology companies'.

Soon, the three sons left the office. They all have their own careers and families now, and the time they spend together is decreasing. Of course, they never refuse when Chen Guangliang invites them to get together.

"The seventh brother's girlfriend is also a foreigner."

Jiang Meiying approached Chen Guangliang, dressed in a business suit with black stockings and high heels. She was voluptuous, with a seductive face, and her large breasts were breathtaking. He didn't know what was wrong with this woman; when she was with him, she was at most like Yang Guifei (a famous concubine in Chinese literature), but later her figure became increasingly voluptuous, though there was no sex work involved.

With her mature, sophisticated look, she's just as eye-catching on the street as any young girl; perhaps this is the kind of woman men most want to see in bed.

"Foreigners are foreigners, but all three brothers know they want to find foreign women. It's a sign of their confidence in themselves. They know that if a foreign woman marries into the country, she can become a Chinese wife and learn our Chinese traditions. Look at Kelly and Alice, aren't they great?"

After Kelly and Alice married into the Chen family, they remained very 'traditional,' serving tea to their parents-in-law, supporting their husbands and raising their children, and prioritizing their families and husbands above all else.

This is the atmosphere of a family, and in fact, many large American families are the same, where women play the same roles.

Jiang Meiying thought it made sense, so she stopped insisting that she have a son who would marry a Chinese man. She said, "Fortunately, although our grandchildren are of mixed race, they still have half Chinese genes."

Chen Guangliang smiled and shook his head, saying, "What Chinese genes or foreign genes? In fact, our third generation has inherited a lot of my genes. Just the intelligence and physique alone can prove that I am my kind."

High intelligence and good physical condition are the excellent genes that Chen Guangliang passed on to his descendants.

Members of the Chen family are intelligent from a young age, making their studies very easy; they are also physically gifted, each one a sports champion.

True all-round development!
In a conference room of a hospital in the United States, clinical trial reports are neatly stacked on the conference table, with the words "Sildenafil" prominently displayed on the cover.

Tang Wensheng is leading Amgen Biopharmaceutical's R&D team face-to-face with a 30-year-old white subject—this clinical trial, which began in 1972, has covered 21 independent projects and more than 4500 subjects, and is now sprinting toward the ultimate goal of "FDA approval".

"How do you feel after taking it?" Tang Wensheng asked in a calm tone.

"This is amazing! It's history!" The white test subject sat up straight, his face beaming with undisguised excitement. "It has restored my confidence as a man, and now many of my friends ask me for the drug. But I know the rules; I always come to the hospital to get my own dose, and I would never share it with anyone else—we're all hoping it will be available on the market as soon as possible!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and the topic gradually veered away from the core of the clinical research.

Tang Wensheng had to interrupt softly: "Sir, please focus on your specific feelings after taking the medication, such as physical reactions, duration, and whether there is any discomfort... These details are crucial for us to improve the report and promote its market launch."

"Understood, understood!" The subject quickly composed himself and answered seriously, "The medication took effect about half an hour after taking it. I didn't feel dizzy or nauseous, and the effect lasted for four or five hours. I didn't feel too tired the next day either..."

Listening to the subjects' clear statements, Tang Wensheng became more and more certain.

Since the research and development began in 1967, he and his team have adjusted the formula and optimized the dosage countless times over nearly eight years. The "directional suggestions" made by his father-in-law, Chen Guangliang, have now been verified by numerous clinical data. This compound, which was initially misjudged as a "cardiovascular drug," has long shown remarkable potential in treating ED (erectile dysfunction).

He recalled his father-in-law's words: "Penicillin would have been born even without me, but sildenafil needs someone to point out its true value."

Now it seems that this statement was by no means an exaggeration.

After all the participants' interviews were completed, the team members returned to the company to compile the data and held a meeting later.

As the president, Chen Leyi is responsible for the company's operations. Dressed in a smart business suit, her face showed decisiveness: "Everyone, nearly three years of large-scale clinical trials have fully verified the drug's efficacy. All side effects are within a controllable range, and no serious adverse reactions have been found in long-term follow-up. I hope that we can officially obtain FDA approval for marketing in the first half of next year!"

Applause erupted in the conference room. Everyone knew that the patent and market prospects of sildenafil were enough to transform Amgen from a startup into a "potential stock" in the biopharmaceutical field.

Tang Wensheng immediately stood up and replied, "No problem! We have compiled the complete questionnaires of 4500 participants, and the next step is to submit them to the FDA for final communication. The data support is sufficient."

“The production side is also ready,” Chen Leyi added. “The newly built factory has completed equipment debugging, and as soon as we get the permit, we can start large-scale production. The supply chain has also been connected.”

She couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. Her father, Chen Guangliang's, seemingly "sudden inspiration" in his research and development, had now become Amgen Pharmaceuticals' "trump card." She had once wondered why her father, in good health, would focus on this type of drug. Later, she gradually understood that it was a miracle drug that could propel Amgen Biopharmaceuticals to become a major pharmaceutical company in the United States.

Of course, during these eight years, Amgen Biopharmaceuticals had more than just the 'Sildenafil' project; there were two other projects as well. After all, they had already invested hundreds of millions of US dollars in it.

. . . . . .

As Amgen Pharmaceuticals was making intensive preparations for its IPO, the giants of the US biopharmaceutical industry had already sensed the potential of sildenafil.

In a conference room at Pfizer's headquarters, executives passed around Amgen's publicly available research and development reports, their brows furrowed.

"This small company founded by the Chinese couple has been making quite a splash lately; the clinical data for sildenafil looks pretty good."

The R&D director pointed to the efficacy data in the report, his tone tinged with caution, "Our market research shows that the field of ED treatment is currently untapped. If they can successfully launch the product, they might be able to seize the initiative."

“A blank slate doesn’t mean there’s potential.” The marketing director was unconvinced. “The target audience for this type of drug is too narrow, and it involves privacy, making it difficult to promote. Even if Amgen can go public, it will at most be an ‘excellent product,’ not enough to make a significant impact and not enough to threaten our core business.”

While everyone knows that 'sildenafil' is very good, no one would have imagined that this product could create hundreds of billions of dollars in value for Amgen Biopharmaceuticals in the future.

the other side.

Procter & Gamble's attitude was exactly the same.

In their view, Amgen Pharmaceuticals had merely "seized a small opportunity in a niche market." Sildenafil might be profitable, but it could never support a "large pharmaceutical company"—after all, in the biopharmaceutical industry, giants focus on "major indications" such as oncology and cardiovascular diseases, and no one believed that a "male privacy drug" could cause much of a stir.

So these giants simply sent specialists to "symbolicly" inquire about the progress of sildenafil's development, without proposing any cooperation or initiating the development of similar drugs. Little did they know that it was this "disregard" that allowed Amgen to steadily advance in an environment devoid of competition, ultimately building an insurmountable barrier in the field of ED treatment.

At that time, Amgen Pharmaceuticals, though known to outsiders as a "husband-and-wife business" (Chen Leyi in charge of administration and Tang Wensheng in charge of R&D), was no longer the "small workshop" it had started with. Nearly eight years of R&D investment not only honed the core product sildenafil, but also built a complete team covering pharmacology, clinical trials, and production; Chen Guangliang provided capital support through family resources, which also enabled the company to operate smoothly during periods of tight R&D funds.

On the other hand, Chen Wenhai's Atari Gun Fight arcade game was launched and quickly gained market recognition.

Meanwhile, after receiving a bonus, Jobs and Steve Wozniak did not leave but immediately joined Atari's console game development team. Atari's console games were unlike any other on the market, with their most prominent feature being the ability to detach game software, followed by, of course, a focus on performance.

Chen Wenhai arrived at Atari in Silicon Valley, brimming with ambition. Arcade games were being released, and the next focus was naturally on console games. He personally participated in their development, collaborating with Intel to develop the most advanced chips.
Deep down, he also wanted to compete with Japan's Electronic Arts and Hong Kong's Midea Entertainment, since the United States had more abundant technological resources and a huge market.

Of course, he also understood that since his father had made such arrangements, the three companies would likely have different focuses in the future. (End of Chapter)