Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 148 I'm Digging Oil for the CEO

As dusk fell, the window behind Chen Xuebing became somewhat dim, and the blue light from the computer screen gradually illuminated his face.

The screen displays a financial news article from yesterday.

China Mobile forces Fetion to merge with Mobile QQ; Tencent shifts towards "online life"—will its "virtual telecom operator" utopia be shattered?

There are still a few tasks in the taskbar.

SP business has become Tencent's "last supper".

The countdown to the issuance of 3G licenses has begun, and the telecommunications market is in turmoil.

Shenzhen Tencent Computer Co., Ltd. 2005 Third Quarter Financial Report

……

He picked up his water glass, took a sip, and almost laughed.

I also have some worries.

Japan issued two 3G licenses in 01 and 02, officially entering the 3G era. Everyone felt that China was not far behind, and after waiting in line for three years, they couldn't wait to enter and get a piece of the pie. Tencent and China Mobile are now fighting for the mobile communications market.

The unwavering signal is that full 3G coverage will definitely be implemented before the 08 Olympics, so it is predicted that licenses will be issued at the latest next year.

Who could have imagined that three years would pass before 3G licenses were finally issued in January 2009, and commercial pilot programs would not begin until the second half of the year?

Despite all the strategic planning, many visionary companies starved to death before the arrival of 3G, or gave up because they couldn't wait any longer.

However, Tencent was quite lucky. After the internet winter of 01, it revived with the SP SMS business and set its sights on the mobile communication market. In the years before the arrival of 3G, it began to lay the groundwork for mobile QQ. In the early days of the mobile internet era, it had developed relatively mature mobile applications and backend support, taking the lead. In 11, it launched WeChat, completing the internal relay of communication and social users.

Although Tencent's profit margins for wireless value-added services have been significantly squeezed by China Mobile, things will get better in the future.

But Chen Xuebing really didn't want Tencent to have it too easy.

First, there's the competition for the mobile communications market, which will inevitably lead to a tough battle with Tencent; second, the president he admires is still in Tencent's hands.

After the meeting in the afternoon, he kept thinking about what would happen next.

Right now, we're short of money and manpower.

The initial personnel plan for mobile phone R&D has been arranged. The next step is to contact Emerson, expand the team, finalize the plan, and then contact suppliers.

The foreign trade side is also proceeding smoothly. Channels with India and Vietnam have been established, and Huo Xiaowen is working with Lu Weibing to select goods and ship them overseas.

To build a real mobile phone manufacturing plant and obtain a production license within a year would cost at least tens of millions of yuan.

Customized chips and system development costs would require at least 100 million yuan to get started.

Lu Weibing had already discussed the company's operations and the popcorn phone issue with him. They could resolve the issues through the company's self-operation. He was confident that the Huaqiangbei business could achieve a monthly profit of over five million within six months and at least ten million within a year. With shared R&D results, the company's profits could cover part of the factory construction costs and gradually complete the popcorn R&D for Plan 2.

Chen Xuebing could also achieve this profit target, or even higher, but he doesn't have that much time to manage it.

There's a cement plant in Chongqing, which is a cash cow. He spent 10 yuan on public relations to have Section Chief Huang find reporters to conduct an undercover investigation, which is dragging down the cash flow of Maotian Group. After the New Year, he will have to talk to the Pengshui government.

He was able to extricate himself from Shenzhen quickly thanks to a highly capable president, Lu Weibing, who, with his ten-person team, controlled the entire company with ease.

Chen Xuebing also wants to have his own team of ten.

Lu Weibing is considered a management and marketing talent.

If we could recruit Liu Chiping, a talent with international investment banking experience and expertise in strategic planning and financial investment, his next strategic move would be much easier to execute.

Although Tencent is much smaller than him, Liu Chiping is currently the Chief Strategic Investment Officer and has not yet been appointed as President, so he should be in the evaluation period.

Now might be the best time; you should act quickly.

He picked up the phone and dialed Jiang Yunzhou.

...

A short while later, the sound of girls talking could be heard outside.

The door opened.

Why didn't you turn on the light?

despair.

The switch clicked, and the room suddenly became bright.

Chen Xuebing rubbed his eyes, looked up and saw the youthful Yang Qingyue and Ren Ying, who had changed into a black dress, and smiled with delight.

"You're back. Did you buy everything?"

"We bought them in the afternoon. You were still in a meeting then, so we went out to look at a few more houses. Lu Yiwen told us that you didn't go out to eat, but cooked some dishes and came back."

Yang Qingyue placed the steaming plastic bag containing her phone on her desk, then picked up the spicy chicken that had been sitting out for half a day.

"Have you finished your work? How about I heat up the spicy chicken and we eat first? I heard from Sister Ying that you haven't had a proper meal for many days, and Lu Yiwen and the others are waiting for you to eat outside."

"Oh, right." Chen Xuebing slapped his forehead, remembering that he had asked Ren Ying to call people back to eat chicken. He stood up and smiled apologetically:

"It's nothing, just a few news items. I got so caught up in them that I lost track of time. Let's go eat first."

Chen Xuebing's private office was in the inner room of the large office he had initially rented. When he came out, he found that there were quite a few people working overtime outside, and the whole floor was brightly lit, with most of the other offices also lit up.

They could only ask someone to open an empty room, which happened to have a long table inside. They set out the hot dishes, and Yang Qingyue went to heat up the spicy chicken while Ren Ying went to call someone.

Lu Yiwen, Gou Hongyi, and Huang Jin arrived quickly.

"Brother, where's the spicy chicken?"

"I waited specifically for this, and I didn't even eat lunch!"

Chen Xuebing raised his chin at Lu Yiwen:

"What should we say about the loan application from the investment promotion office?"

Gou Hongyi immediately chimed in: "We've been running around for two whole days! The government doesn't handle loans, but they gave us the contact number of an ICBC manager. We went to them, and they said it would be best to hold on for another two months! We're a company that registered this year, so we can get a bigger loan after December."

How much can I borrow?

"If we include the permits for the factory land, it'll be 800 million."

"How about lending now?"

“500 million? I’ve done the math. That piece of land is probably worth over 400 million now. At most, they can lend us 300 million, and the rest is part of the high-tech enterprise policy.”

“Then let’s borrow 500 million.” Chen Xuebing said without hesitation: “The R&D team needs money immediately, and President Lu also needs to spend money to expand the business. We can’t wait that long. Let’s get it done after the holiday. I’ll have President Yu fax over a copy of the application form.”

Lu Yiwen clicked his tongue and said, "Boss, the post-loan review by banks for corporate clients is much stricter than for personal loans. They said..."

Chen Xuebing waved his hand: "I know the rules. Significant changes to the debt situation, misappropriation, or a decrease in the value of collateral may lead to the withdrawal of loans."

Nobody knows more about loan withdrawals than me.

Chen Xuebing's downfall in his previous life officially began with an early loan repayment.

It was right when the mask season started, and he had a premonition of a bull market. He had just invested his money in the stock market when he immediately received a call to repay his largest commercial loan. Later, the bull market did indeed arrive, but he completely missed it.

That was the first time he truly understood that bank loans weren't for a fixed term, nor could they be used however one pleased. When banks pressed for debts, they were no less aggressive than private debt collectors, speaking with a menacing tone.

He had previously used loans to invest in the stock market, and the bank had never withdrawn his loans, but that time, the reaction was particularly swift.

When things are going smoothly, banks will accompany you all the way, but once problems arise, they'll run away as fast as they can.

"Ah."

Seeing that he understood, Lu Yiwen shut up.

When Yang Qingyue brought in a sizzling, oily iron basin of spicy chicken, the three of them were so tempted that they crowded around and reached out to grab some.

Despite wearing a suit and tie, when it comes to eating, he still doesn't forget his original intentions.

"Slow down, slow down, Sister Ying is still washing the chopsticks!" Yang Qingyue said helplessly, holding the basin.

Chen Xuebing watched from the side without stopping her. After she put the bowl down, he smiled and said, "How about I take you out to eat?"

"Yes, let's go see a movie after we eat! 'The Myth'! It stars Jackie Chan and Kim Hee-sun! Lu Yiwen and I went to see it in the cinema before our holiday, it was great!" Huang Jin said with great enthusiasm.

"Why are you watching 'The Myth'? Take your sister-in-law to see 'Close Your Eyes When It Gets Dark'!" Gou Hongyi grinned lewdly.

Chen Xuebing grinned.

Damn it, these guys seem to have a lot of free time.

"No, thank you." Yang Qingyue unexpectedly refused: "Sister Ying said you've been very busy lately, working overtime every day. Mr. Lu might want to talk to you about work later. When you have time, come with me to look at houses. We've picked out two for you."

She came full of anticipation and had even prepared a travel guide in advance.

If Chen Xuebing stays in Shenzhen for a long time, perhaps he can go to the camping area on Xichong Beach with her and light a campfire. When the evening breeze blows, the tail of the campfire will sway cutely.

If he has a car, he can go to the top of Wutong Mountain in the early morning, heat up a pot of tea, and watch the outline of the entire city gradually appear in the morning light. The mountain breeze in the early morning will make you feel refreshed.

If it's mealtime, go to the observation deck on the top floor of the Diwang Building, which is called the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Window. You can see Hong Kong and the sea separating Shenzhen and Hong Kong, making it seem tiny.

Her expectation and romance were not about a meal or a movie, but about appreciating a landscape together from the same angle and at the same time, creating unique memories.

But after talking with Ren Ying for a day, she learned that he had indeed been very busy lately. To be precise, he had been busy for a long time and had never stopped even after earning a lot of money. She realized that the scenery Chen Xuebing longed for was different from what she longed for.

Her vision then changed again; she could personally arrange some scenery for him to see.

The four of them were stunned by these words.

Chen Xuebing finally remembered what Yang Qingyue had said when she came back and entered the door.

"Looking at houses? What kind of houses?"

“Rent a place? You can’t keep staying in hotels. If you stay in a hotel for a month, it’s enough to rent a place for half a year. Yingjie said you like spacious rooms, so we found two apartments with big master bedrooms nearby.”

Chen Xuebing listened and grinned.

Ren Ying is a real penny-pincher. She tried to persuade him to rent a place several times, but to no avail, so she turned her attention to Yang Qingyue.

He shook his head: "No need. I stay in hotels for the convenience of commuting. My company is currently in Chongqing and Shenzhen, and I might have to go to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and many other places in the future. I can't possibly rent a place in every place, can I? Hotels have long-term rental rooms. If I want to stay for a long time, I can get a negotiated price from the hotel's sales department. It's not that expensive, and there's someone to take care of the room."

Yang Qingyue wanted to say something, but her girlish reserve made her hold back, and she pursed her lips.

silence.

The three brothers remained silent, pretending not to hear.

Chen Xuebing's heart softened when he saw Yang Qingyue's disappointed expression.

"Okay, okay... I'll go check it out in a couple of days."

Yang Qingyue laughed immediately.

"My goodness!" Ren Ying exclaimed as she walked in. "Qingyue, you're so charming! No matter what I said, he wouldn't listen, but he agreed as soon as you arrived!"

Chen Xuebing glanced at Ren Ying.

Yang Qingyue's cheeks flushed slightly, and the words that had been stuck in her throat finally came out: "Then you don't need to worry about cleaning the house. I'm in Shenzhen... I'll come over often to help you clean!"

"Oh..." The three brothers finally found an opportunity to make a fuss.

Chen Xuebing couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.

Yang Qingyue, with her long, slender, fair legs, ran around the room, smiling sweetly at him, kneeling down to help him clean under the bed, while he stood behind her…

My throat is throbbing.

He could almost smell the sweet fragrance in the room.

Both my body and mind are looking forward to it.

"Ahem." Chen Xuebing suddenly noticed that Yang Qingyue was looking at him, so he coughed, moved his body back, and adjusted his position.

But his slightly dry throat made him say involuntarily, "Then let's do it tomorrow, I'll be free then."

"Aren't you supposed to..." Ren Ying quickly reminded her.

"Oh, you mean those equipment suppliers who are expanding the factory and production lines? Let President Lu handle the negotiations. Lu Yiwen, you also need to follow up on the procurement process... Ren Ying, you go too, and record the pricing information. Yang Qingyue and I will go and inspect the property."

Lu Yiwen readily agreed: "No problem, boss, you go ahead with your work! You can leave this little thing to me."

Yang Qingyue seemed to sense Chen Xuebing's impatience. It seemed Chen Xuebing was deliberately preventing Yingjie from going. Could it be…?

She hadn't thought too far ahead; just a few intimate little gestures made her face turn even redder.

Everyone sensed this subtle romance, the jeering stopped, and they quietly began to eat.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

"Chairman?"

"President Lu, you haven't left yet? Come and have some dinner." Chen Xuebing greeted him when he saw him arrive.

"I'm not eating anymore. We're about to expand the factory's production capacity. I have a meeting with Factory Director Qi later. Factory Director Huang, are you... alright? Are you coming?"

"Okay! Coming right away!"

Huang Jin immediately opened his lunchbox and started shoveling rice into his mouth. Ren Ying quickly opened the food container for him so that the three of them could eat the food.

"Thank you, Sister Ying." Huang Jin chuckled.

Ren Ying, the eldest sister, usually takes care of these younger brothers, adding a touch of warmth to the office. Chen Xuebing also smiled and served Yang Qingyue a few bites of food.

Lu Weibing, however, did not leave.

He hesitated for a moment at the door, then walked in and said:

"Chairman, Mr. Jiang from Emerson just called and said he couldn't get through to you. I asked him what it was about, but he didn't say... Could you call him back?"

(End of this chapter)