Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 180 A mess

"How much love can be rekindled? How many people are willing to wait, to return only after they've learned to cherish it..."

A melancholic female voice with a bluesy style resonated in the Jiefangbei-Jiaochangkou area.

Back then, before Liujia Wharf and Jiangbei Jiujie, Jiaochangkou was Chongqing's nightlife hotspot. Half-drunk, you could eat a bowl of chicken and silver noodle soup on Zhonghua Road and feel absolutely satisfied.

This street is filled with love stories, past events, and tales of the underworld.

Sometimes there is business and politics.

"Director Jiang, have you seen the revised proposal from last time? Here are some additional company information for BOE. I've added some details; please take a look."

Chen Xuebing sat by the window of the bar and handed a document to the person opposite him.

"I'm really not used to Mr. Chen being so frank all of a sudden." Secretary Jiang took the file bag and smiled, "BOE... Industry drives the development of the park, and development profits drive small and medium-sized venture capital. Mr. Chen's vision is much higher than I imagined. I am ashamed of myself! But you have revealed all your cards at once, and I have no job to do."

At the dinner table, Secretary Jiang spoke less evasively. After finishing his speech, he raised his glass, drank it all in one gulp, and toasted Chen Xuebing.

Chen Xuebing smiled and slowly drank it down.

If someone who knows Secretary Jiang were to see this scene, they would probably be wildly speculating about Chen Xuebing's identity.

The chief secretary is half the face of the leader. There are probably no more than a handful of businessmen in the entire YZ district who can get the secretary of the district chief to offer them a toast.

In his previous life, when Chen Xuebing's business was at its peak, he was already quite fortunate to be able to drink at the same table with someone like Secretary Jiang.

A person's status is not entirely determined by how much wealth they have accumulated, but also by the magnitude of their achievements and the dominant role they play in those achievements.

The government-guided industrial fund that Chen Xuebing is involved in is still in the discussion stage. The city is testing the waters to gauge the attitude of higher authorities. The documents are being submitted one after another, drafted by Chen Xuebing, polished by Secretary Jiang, signed by District Chief Huang, discussed and improved by the city, and continuously refined to get a satisfactory answer from higher authorities.

The process of central government approval takes a long time. Once the approval is made and the funding is allocated, Chongqing will need to study the matching funds at the municipal and district levels before deciding which local financing platform will provide the matching private funds.

If the final decision is made by Long March Capital, then Long March Capital will be the project leader.

Once Chen Xuebing assumes this important responsibility, his position in the entire Chongqing business community will be of paramount importance.

However, there are many difficulties and variables involved. In fact, Chen Xuebing himself felt that the possibility was very small, and Secretary Jiang also thought so.

But it was this small possibility that made Secretary Jiang respect Chen Xuebing enough.

Chen Xuebing was also convinced of his determination to do great things because of this respect. He wanted to gain the status of speaking on equal footing with a certain level of government, and that required the ability to influence the core economic development of that level of local government.

The Chongqing level is currently too high, so high that it confuses him and makes it impossible for him to grasp the full picture. With his current abilities, if he wants to control the overall situation, he still needs to start from the grassroots level and do more of his own work.

Thinking it over, Chen Xuebing poured himself a glass and raised it.

"Director Jiang, I invited you here today to ask for your help. There are a few things I'd like to ask you about."

Secretary Jiang raised his hand generously: "President Chen has helped us so much, please feel free to ask if you need anything."

He didn't use any bureaucratic language.

While it's true that in officialdom, it's best to be as vague as possible to leave room for maneuver, blindly pursuing ambiguity is simply the folly of a petty person. The more worthy a friend is, the clearer your attitude should be.

Chen Xuebing finally felt the demeanor of a chief secretary from the previously petty Secretary Jiang, and also knew that his guidance fund plan should have earned some praise for District Chief Hong.

Things are progressing relatively smoothly.

"Then I'll just say it directly, I heard that Chongqing Iron & Steel is going to be listed on the A-share market?"

This is information that Mr. Lu from Shanghai, Lu Xiaochun, asked him to inquire about. Chongqing Iron & Steel has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for a long time and is now planning to restructure the company and list it on the A-share market as well, completing the "A+H" listing restructuring. Bosera Funds wants to invest and get a share of the profits.

"President Chen has also heard about this," Secretary Jiang said with a smile. "Yufu Capital helped Chongqing Iron & Steel get rid of the burden of special steel, making its financial statements look much better. Now it can start with a lighter load, and the listing should be coming soon."

"Abandon special steel?" Chen Xuebing was taken aback: "Wasn't it supposed to be an acquisition of special steel?"

Lu Xiaochun was telling him about Chongqing Iron & Steel acquiring Chongqing Special Steel, which would then be restructured and listed on the stock exchange.

Secretary Jiang gave him a deep look: "It seems that President Chen did not find out clearly. Special Steel is not what it used to be. It has become a junk asset. How could it be an acquisition? Chongqing Iron and Steel Group has already invested in Special Steel. It was Yufu Capital that helped Chongqing Iron and Steel Group deal with this negative asset, which allowed Chongqing Iron and Steel Group to get rid of it."

Chen Xuebing felt like cursing after hearing this.

Damn it, Lu Xiaochun spread false information and made him lose face.

His brow furrowed again.

You didn't intentionally spread false information to test me, just to see if I had paid attention to Chongqing Iron & Steel before, did you?
Those old foxes are all very wicked; I'll have to be careful when talking to them in the future.

But having already lost face, he didn't care anymore and asked directly, "Yufu Capital is also involved in the Chongqing Iron and Steel restructuring?"

“Yufu Capital is the city’s asset and debt clearing platform, so it’s natural for them to participate…” Secretary Jiang said, then his eyes suddenly looked strange.

Then, it dawned on me.

"You're not asking about Chongqing Iron and Steel Group, but about Chongqing Yufu Capital, right? Don't worry, although the city intends to let Chongqing Yufu Capital participate in the government-guided fund, Chongqing Yufu is currently sorting out the debts of Dongyuan Group and dealing with the more than 300 acres of land in Guanyinqiao. It just completed the shareholding in October and became the second largest shareholder of Dongyuan Group. It should be unable to continue to raise funds now, Mr. Chen, you don't need to worry."

After Secretary Jiang finished speaking, he looked at Chen Xuebing with some curiosity in his eyes.

It seems this Mr. Chen is quite remarkable; he knows everything that was discussed at the recent city government meeting.

He only learned about this matter because District Chief Huang attended the meeting as the person in charge. Under normal circumstances, he would not be qualified to know about this level of information.

Secretary Jiang couldn't help but chuckle, and tentatively asked, "President Chen... this matter was only discussed at the municipal government meeting the day before yesterday. Which leader told you about it?"

Chen Xuebing was stunned and somewhat bewildered.

what?

It does not make sense?

The city intends to have Chongqing Yufu participate in the guidance fund?!

Holy crap, did I accidentally get some crucial intelligence?

He looked at the meaningful look in Secretary Jiang's eyes and really wanted to say: It's a misunderstanding, it's all a fucking misunderstanding.

"Hey! What leader? I have a relative in the municipal government who is in charge of serving tea to the leaders at meetings."

Chen Xuebing chuckled calmly.

But in Secretary Jiang's eyes, he seemed even more mysterious.

While pouring tea, I overheard a discussion about the government's guidance fund?
I do not believe.

Chen Xuebing's mind was also in complete turmoil at this moment.

He didn't know about Chongqing Iron and Steel Group, but he did know something about Chongqing Capital, a company that had been one of the biggest capital moves in Chongqing over the past twenty years.

In recent years, many financial institutions and state-owned enterprises in the city have been poorly managed and are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, with a large number of bad debts, which could potentially trigger a chain reaction in the financial system.

Therefore, last year the city negotiated with the Chongqing branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China to acquire 170 billion yuan of bad debts from local enterprises at a discounted price and hand them over to the government for disposal.

As a result, the government became a creditor to many companies.

However, the government cannot reduce debt by increasing leverage, so Vice Mayor Huang of the city took the lead in establishing Yufu Capital as an asset management company to assist institutional enterprises in restructuring and even listing.

This was a wise decision. Through debt restructuring, the government discounted its debts and disposed of bad debts; through asset restructuring, Chongqing Yufu Capital injected new capital into policy bank loans; and through shareholder restructuring, the corporate governance structure was adjusted.

Many large enterprises have been revitalized.

In the following decade or so, Yufu Capital became a well-known "debt reduction model" in Chongqing.

Of course, the underlying logic behind this model in leveraging capital is the continuous appreciation of land value.

The status and influence of Chongqing Capital are self-evident.

If this company enters the market and competes with him, the hope of Changzheng Capital leading the guidance fund will become even more remote.

Moreover, about 15 years ago, BOE's 8.5-generation production line, worth more than 300 billion yuan, was established in Chongqing, which was invested in by Yufu Capital.

Secretary Jiang said that "Yufu can't get funding," but he didn't believe it at all. With such a large scale and policy support, how could Yufu directly borrow money to join the battle?
Chen Xuebing's head was buzzing.

Unable to find a solution immediately, they could only focus on the immediate issue. "Do you know Director Jiang, the leader in charge of financing at Chongqing Iron and Steel Group? Could you introduce us?"

He called Secretary Jiang over today because the headquarters of Chongqing Iron and Steel Group is in Changshou, where District Chief Huang used to work.

"You really want to invest in Chongqing Iron & Steel?" Secretary Jiang frowned. "They are still in the restructuring stage and haven't submitted their application yet. Whether it will be approved and when it will be listed are uncertain."

The listing process can be roughly divided into the restructuring stage, the guidance stage, the application stage, the queuing stage, and the stock issuance stage.

Financial review takes a considerable amount of time, guidance from various institutions can take several months, and the application waiting time can vary greatly, ranging from several months to a year.

All things considered, it's been at least a year.

If it were Chen Xuebing, he wouldn't invest in such a medium- to long-term plan, but for Bosera Funds, it's an opportunity to participate early.

Once listed, the stock price is likely to rise several times over, and once the news is confirmed, everyone will be scrambling to buy it.

"It wasn't me who invested; it was a friend from Shanghai, a fund manager at Bosera Funds."

In matters introduced through intermediaries, disclosure is mandatory, and Chen Xuebing made no attempt to conceal anything.

Bosera Funds has a very large brand name, and Secretary Jiang clicked his tongue again upon hearing this.

"Mr. Chen has a wide network of connections... Okay, no problem, I'll ask around for you later."

"Thank you so much." After expressing his gratitude, Chen Xuebing didn't stop there. He then shamelessly asked, "What's the relationship between District Chief Huang and Secretary Lan of Pengshui?"

"Pengshui?" Secretary Jiang frowned. He hadn't expected Chen Xuebing's business to extend to the countryside. But the secretary of the village was still a secretary, after all, the top leader. He couldn't easily give a reply to someone of that level.

He coughed lightly and said, "We're probably not very familiar with each other."

Chen Xuebing raised his eyebrows.

For him, the best choice to "start from the grassroots" was undoubtedly Pengshui.

That was where Gu'an Labor Service, the eldest son of the company, started his career. In his heart, there was also a promise to the fishery industry in Furong Village.

He now has some ideas for Pengshui, and he can completely transform "Guan Labor Service Company" into "Guan Construction Group", but he needs strong government support.

Moreover, he still keeps thinking about that Maotian Cement Plant, and reporters still visit it from time to time to try and stop them from getting a loan.

He had met Secretary Lan once before, and the construction site in Gonghe Village that he was assigned to was handled very well. There was a reason for him to go directly to Lan's house to talk to him, but it wasn't to the point where they could discuss big business right away. It might take some persuasion to make contact.

Actually, this is a good thing for Pengshui, but since they don't want to introduce it, he can't say anything.

The two toasted each other, and when Secretary Jiang was quite drunk, he said that the city should be holding a demonstration meeting soon, and he might be asked to go as an advisor to the preparatory group so that he could make full preparations.

Chen Xuebing chuckled, remembering that he was still a government advisor, and jokingly asked if the district could give him a more impressive title after the fund was successfully established.

Secretary Jiang laughed heartily.

“There will definitely be one!”

The next day, morning.

After receiving another phone call, Chen Xuebing walked into his office on the 46th floor of the Gu'an Holding Group building.

Office of the Chairman.

When the people in the group company heard that the chairman had returned from Shanghai, they spent the weekend selecting office supplies and providing him with all the basic necessities for his office.

Office desk, computer, sofa, bookcase, and a plaque with the words "Shede" (meaning "willing to give") on the wall.

On his desk, there was also a two-branch table runner, one with the national flag and the other with the party flag.

A very standard executive office.

"Hmm, hmm, thank you for your help."

"Thank you."

Chen Xuebing mumbled a few "uh-huhs" and hung up the phone call from the Sina staff.

His blog's personal verification account has been approved.

In the past two days, the meme about "General Manager Chen" has continued to spread on various forums. The reply post on Li Yi Bar has attracted a lot of attention from the forum members, with more than 5,000 posts. Many people are speculating whether the post was actually replied by "General Manager Chen" himself.

If it weren't for the current limitations of the internet environment, where there are almost no channels for netizens to leave comments except for forums and blogs, he should have been even more popular if the TV topic had been combined with Tencent's pop-up ads.

Sina Blog is actively inviting celebrities to promote their platform, and we welcome his arrival. He just called to remind him of some points to note when posting. Sina Blog has stricter censorship rules than Blogcn.com, so he should be careful not to violate them excessively.

The call had barely ended when Li Xueling called again.

"Mr. Chen, has the account been taken care of?"

"It's all taken care of, thank you. Also, thank you for your help with NetEase's retraction of the article..."

Just as Chen Xuebing was about to say a few polite words, Li Xueling changed the subject.

"Well, Lin Bin has arrived at the company and is already at work."

"Oh, I know." Upon hearing this, Chen Xuebing seemed to remember something and almost wanted to hang up.

Li Xueling said quietly, "President Chen, I've been in Shenzhen for over a month, and Lin Bin is here too. When are you going to transfer your eight million investment to me?"

Chen Xuebing touched his forehead: "Soon."

"How fast?"

"At most... two months."

"Holy crap, two months? Mr. Chen, you're not kidding me, are you?"

"You're already at my company, why would I try to fool you? You're not short of money right now, are you? Focus on your work! The money will arrive in two months, plus a 2% late fee, 160,000! Is that alright?"

"Tsk, Mr. Chen, you're being too polite. I don't think it's appropriate..."

"Okay, then forget about the late payment fee."

"Well, what I mean is that we don't need to use the company account. We don't need to tell Mr. Lei about this. I can handle two months. I'll send you my bank card number, and the late payment fee can be deposited into my personal account."

"MMP."

Chen Xuebing hung up the phone, cursing, and walked to his desk, turning on his computer.

Administrative Director He Yue entered.

He crossed his arms, looking somewhat reserved.

"Chairman, what do you think of the office? Is there anything we'd like to add?"

"Hmm..." Chen Xuebing looked around and pointed to the table runner on the table, saying, "We are a private company. Putting this on doesn't violate the National Flag Law, right?"

"Oh, it's not against the rules. Just keep the national flag clean. I just think displaying the national flag and the party flag makes it look more solemn."

He Yue used to work for a state-owned enterprise and even earlier served as the secretary of the subdistrict office, so she still retains some of her old habits when setting up her desk.

However, Chen Xuebing was quite satisfied with this habit.

"Hmm...that's good. When the group has more people in the future, we can count the party members and set up a party branch in the group."

"Oh... then you need more than 100 party members to apply. With 100 party members, you can apply to the grassroots party committee."

As He Yue spoke, she asked again, "Are you a Party member?"

At this moment, Chen Xuebing really wanted to bring up his identity as the secretary of the Communist Youth League branch in college.

But the Communist Youth League is not the Communist Party.

"Well, we'll talk about it later. You can go out now."

(End of this chapter)