Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 18 Free food and drinks
"Okay, let's see how much money you can make."

What market worth hundreds of billions?

Yu Chunyin didn't believe it at all.

However, he didn't intend to discourage his nephew. He gave Chen Xuebing 10,000 yuan to start a business as a test. He also thought that young people nowadays are restless and eager to be their own bosses after graduation.

If you let him start his own business, there are only three possible outcomes.

The worst-case scenario is that the kid spent the money, which means he's not suitable to work on projects with me.

The result was mediocre; he lost money, but that was a trial and error. He realized he wasn't suited for business and that he could work well with him in the future.

The best-case scenario is that he actually makes money, which shows he has some brains.

As for how much money one could make, Yu Chunyin thought it was unlikely.

When he had no hope of promotion, he chose to leave the military and start his own business early, catching the best era for entrepreneurship. Business was indeed easy back then. He also had a lot of local connections and acquired a batch of stocks that employees were required to verify through administrative orders. He made money and then acquired a factory covering hundreds of acres. He made 200 million yuan in one go and built his fortune without much effort.

That was in 98.

But now, in 2004, the market has slowed down, and even he can't find the kind of opportunities he had back then.

With ten thousand yuan in hand, Chen Xuebing would find it even harder to make any waves.

That's how people are. When the environment becomes increasingly difficult, they always think that the current environment is the most difficult one, and they recall the past as a time of great triumph.

If Chen Xuebing could hear Yu Chunyin's thoughts, he would probably just laugh: Starting a business now is difficult? Do you know what the environment will be like in 20 years?

However, Chen Xuebing also knows that the situation in 2024 may not be the most difficult.

China managed to withstand the disadvantages of the United States during the two-year financial war. Before its rebirth, the United States was heavily indebted and had to talk about interest rate cuts. If that dollar tide had successfully harvested Chinese assets, then the "lost thirty years" that began in Japan in the 90s would probably have been the situation that ordinary Chinese people would have faced.

Thirty years—half a lifetime for many people.

The invisible war will likely continue into future generations.

No, it will definitely continue. The US will not be content to be second, or even willing to give up its unipolar hegemony. Financial war, trade war, and even localized proxy wars are not impossible.

Abandon illusions and prepare for struggle.

Returning to the present, Chen Xuebing is full of confidence, still seeing China as a rapidly rising nation.

"By the way, Uncle, why did you call me here? Are you planning to switch to a different contract section?"

“You’re too late. I was planning to take you to see the site yesterday. I’ve already been there and come back. The situation is indeed as you said. The third section is very likely to have a large amount of sand mixed with gravel.”

Yu Chunyin said with a touch of emotion, this intelligence was indeed important, and this kid might have gotten him a hand in the deal.

Chen Xuebing frowned: "You're only looking at the third phase? Have you even looked into the land acquisition situation for the second phase?"

“No need to look.” Yu Chunyin waved his hand: “I asked a friend in the local town government about the situation. The area that the second section passes through is an agricultural demonstration village. In the past two years, they have been supporting the planting of sweet corn. The price is very high. The planting time is just in the autumn and the harvest will not be until October. The compensation for the seedlings along the way may be very high. There is a high chance that the route will be changed. Your guess makes sense.”

Chen Xuebing raised his eyebrows.

He had thought he would have to go to the countryside with his uncle and ask around, but the matter turned out to be resolved much more simply than he had imagined.

Connections can indeed solve a lot of problems sometimes.

"So it's settled, three bids?" "Settled." Yu Chunyin said, then looked into the distance and clicked his tongue.

Chen Xuebing knew what he was clicking his tongue at, and smiled shrewdly:
"Wouldn't it be awkward to change how I address my boss?"

Yu Chunyin's thoughts were guessed. He turned to look at Chen Xuebing, who looked confident. He wanted to ask, but as his uncle, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He maintained his elder's dignity and said, "It's not just about changing the way you address someone. The other party has almost given up and agreed to do the third standard. This matter... is not easy to handle."

The leaders helped him secure the second bid, and now he's trying to dodge both sides in front of them; that won't do.

If you rush to negotiate with the other party, they will definitely be on guard, and you might even discover something.

"We can only contact the other party," Chen Xuebing concluded.

"We can't just go directly to them..."

Before Yu Chunyin could speak, Chen Xuebing interrupted, "I'll give you a suggestion, just two words."

"What trick?"

"Borrow money."

"Borrow money?" Yu Chunyin wasn't stupid. After muttering it, her eyes lit up: "Borrow from him?"

"Yes, you need to find a middleman and 'reveal' to him that you're having some cash flow problems and urgently need money, but have nowhere to borrow from. Wait a few days, and if he doesn't contact you through the middleman, then go to him directly and ask to borrow. This will make you seem more urgent. Whether you write an IOU or not, or even if you try to scam him, use this as a condition to get you to withdraw from the second loan. As for how much to borrow, you need to find out about the other party's financial situation."

After Chen Xuebing finished speaking, Yu Chunyin took a deep breath.

"What if they don't lend it to you? It's real money, you don't know how hard it is to get it out."

Chen Xuebing chuckled: "So what if they don't lend it to you? They've judged you to be short of funds. Can they really advance funds for the second contract? If they don't try to get it, or take the opportunity to spread the word about your financial situation, they'll pass the news to the general contractor. When the leaders ask, you can pretend you don't want to put them in a difficult position and say you've had some minor problems lately. Then, put on a high-handed attitude and take the initiative to go for the third contract. If you make money from the third contract, everyone will think that the other party used underhanded tactics and ruined their own career. You deserve to make money."

"If he doesn't lend money or take any action, it means he might really know something, or he's just a complete idiot. In that case, we can only try to seduce him again. If that doesn't work, we'll have to bid again. You need to be prepared to negotiate with the designers and the client, get on site as early as possible, and rush the work to minimize the need for detours and preserve the length of the river dredging to the greatest extent possible."

Chen Xuebing added that he was even teaching the nanny, fearing that something might go wrong.

That's about all Zhuge Liang could have considered when leaving the brocade pouch.

The autumn wind was chilly, and a gust of wind made Yu Chunyin shiver, a shiver that was also somewhat exciting.

This excitement stemmed from both the engineering aspect and the recognition of Chen Xuebing's abilities.

He had no son, but God sent him a genius nephew!
Yu Chunyin thought for a moment, then patted Chen Xuebing on the shoulder heavily and said:

"Are you sure you want to go to Shenzhen? Will there be expenses for the journey? Do you have enough money?"

"Taking the bus won't cost much, it'll be enough for now."

How long until you leave?

"It's up to you." Chen Xuebing glanced around and laughed, "If you do it my way, I'll help you pack for two days before you leave. If you're worried about spending money, I'll take the nearest bus."

Yu Chunyin immediately glared at him.

"Trying to shut me up, huh? Fine, if you can get these workers under control, you're in charge of the next construction site!"

"Hey." Chen Xuebing laughed: "Uncle, I'll help you manage it. I won't gain any more weight. If I manage it well, I'll help you manage it again. What kind of conditions are these? I feel like you're just trying to freeload here."

(End of this chapter)