Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 198 The Battle of the Supermarket

On winter nights, the wind in Guangdong is not biting, but rather pleasant.

The dust on the ground at the hotel entrance swirled up like a miniature tornado.

The lights on the Coaster bus next to them finally dimmed a bit, the door opened, and several people got off the bus laughing.

Chen Xuebing got out of the car and stretched. A gust of wind blew in his face, and he felt a little sleepy and couldn't help but yawn.

I looked up and saw it was 3:30.

Tsk tsk.

He finally understood why an economic summit could last for several days, and why a four-hour discussion in the car could only yield a basic framework.

In two cases involving billions or tens of billions of dollars, no one felt that haggling over every penny was a waste of time. Everyone talked until they were hoarse, exchanging ideas and information.

We've finished discussing Sister Dong's matter, but as for Chen Xuebing's matter, we haven't reached an agreement yet.

In fact, both parties had the intention to cooperate, but they repeatedly deliberated on the source and allocation of funds.

Chen Xuebing conceded half a step, increasing the investment from 12 billion to 13 billion, with Changzheng Capital establishing a five-year special fund as the operator, taking a 30% cut of the profits, and providing them with some guidance on raising government funds.

Mayor Wu was satisfied with the terms and said he would go back to hold a meeting and contact BOE to see their attitude.

However, the key is Secretary Sun's attitude. If the two top officials meet and both agree, the funds can be raised as agreed, and the rest is just a matter of procedure.

"By the way, Mr. Chen!"

Mayor Wu walked over and said, "I haven't asked you yet, but are you so confident that you can convince your investors that this must be a profitable business?"

Regardless of whether BOE makes a profit or not, Hefei probably does.

After learning more about the situation, Mayor Wu believed that the establishment of this industry would have an impact on Hefei no less significant than that of an industrial park.

But for Chen Xuebing, that may not be the case.

Dong Mingzhu also folded her arms and leaned closer, looking somewhat curious.

After several hours of conversation, she no longer sees Chen Xuebing as a young man, but as a "young expert."

She comes from an old-school business background, having started in the early 90s. She inherited the spirit of industrialists and previously looked down on financing and loans, believing that as long as Gree had a good team and good technology, it could continue to make money and accumulate a wealth of assets.

Until this project, which leveraged a billion to generate billions, and then billions to generate tens of billions in a short period of time, exceeding the scale accumulated by Gree over more than a decade, was placed before her, she had to admit that the potential of finance was unimaginable. This field was entirely new to China, and the future belonged to the young.

"My judgment is very simple. It has nothing to do with the industry. It's just because BOE is a listed company, and the stock market is going to surge. BOE is the leading company in the sector, so its stock has a great chance of rising."

Chen Xuebing was very honest and didn't say anything vague about future industrial development, because that was one of his investment conditions.

His funds will be withdrawn after a one-year period.

In 2007, stock market investors will become fully active, and stock market liquidity will surge, with daily turnover exceeding 100 billion yuan. His funds are not large, and the stock market should be able to absorb them.

Ideally, Hefei should also withdraw a portion of its shares at the best possible time, allowing BOE to repurchase them at market price, thus maximizing its profits.

The total investment in Hefei, including loans, is at least several billion yuan. He knows very well how crazy the bull market of 2007 was, with prices rising two or three times across the board. BOE received such a large investment before the bull market arrived, which is a major positive news. It would be abnormal if it wasn't hyped up to more than five times its original value.

With such a huge base, even if he only takes 30% of the profits, it's still an outrageous figure.

Of course, the premise is that BOE can make money during this period. If they don't have money in their accounts to repurchase shares, they can only try to find a way through the stock market.

At this moment, we must make accurate predictions so that we can have the greatest say.

"stock market."

This touched on a blind spot for Mayor Wu, and he hesitated for a moment.

They are actively learning about finance, but during this period of business development, they haven't actually contacted any listed companies.

However, Gree is a long-established listed company, having been listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange since 96.

"We at Gree are also a leading company, so why hasn't our stock price increased?" Dong Mingzhu asked.

Chen Xuebing smiled enigmatically: "President Dong, your stock price was 9.5 yuan in early December, and now it's 12 yuan. Isn't that a rise?"

"It seems Mr. Chen is paying close attention to us. That's because our performance was good last year. A few small speculators took advantage of the annual report to push up our stock. The foundation is not solid, and the support below is very weak. The market knows our fundamentals. In a few months, it will drop again."

Dong Mingzhu, however, was quite outspoken, waving her hand dismissively.

Chen Xuebing was starting to admire this older woman's style, and he smiled as he reminded her, "Don't try to profit too much by taking advantage of this opportunity. The bull market is coming, and you will push up prices as well; it's only a matter of time. It's not worth it to profit now."

"Are you so sure? How much money has your fund made in the stock market?"

Chen Xuebing chuckled and looked at Kan Zhidong. This kind of pretentiousness is too low-class for someone to put on airs themselves.

Kan Zhidong was a little speechless, but pinched his nose and played along: "Private equity ranked first in returns in the fourth quarter of last year! Over thirty percent!"

Both Sister Dong and Mayor Wu were astonished.

"Wow! A stock market guru!"

Dong Mingzhu smiled smugly and walked over to pat Chen Xuebing's arm with the back of her hand.

"Got some inside information? We have some spare cash, can you include us?"

“Sure.” Chen Xuebing readily agreed, but then changed the subject: “You’re so familiar with Mr. Zhang from Suning, could you introduce me to him? I have a mobile phone factory in Shenzhen, and our new products will be launched next year.”

He was just talking in the car when he heard Dong Mingzhu mention a deep collaboration with Suning, which reminded him of the distribution channels.

Qidian has been expanding its mobile phone sales channels by selling counterfeit products through on-the-ground promotions, but these are mostly small shopping malls and mobile phone stores. The places that sell Huaqiangbei mobile phones are not very high-end.

These days, there's no such thing as an online retailer. This is an entire brand, not a small-scale operation like a Taobao shop. Even if you become an online merchant, the results will likely be limited.

To become popular, you need to get into mainstream home appliance stores.

Suning is definitely a very good choice. It already sells mobile phones and is one of the largest mobile phone retailers in the country. In his previous life, he had shopped at Suning a long time ago. The location and style were good. Some of its stores were even located in large shopping malls. It carried brands such as Huawei, Apple, OPPO, and Xiaomi. Although he didn't know the sales volume, the foot traffic was very large.

Upon hearing this, Sister Dong exclaimed "Oh!" again.

"You're also making phones? That's quite a diversified business! No wonder you're so interested in screens! You're killing multiple birds with one stone!"
"However, if you want to find Zhang Jindong, it's simple. He's currently at war with Gome, and both sides are completely embroiled in a fierce battle. Gome has capitalists helping them, putting a lot of pressure on him. If you, as a capitalist, are willing to help him find a solution, he'll help you sell not only mobile phones but also airplanes. However, I think Suning is in a precarious situation. It might be swallowed up by Gome next year. Huang Guangyu also likes capitalists and is always following those people in Hong Kong around. Why don't you go find him?"

Chen Xuebing's mouth twitched as he listened.

You could tell that Sister Dong was very familiar with these supermarket owners, but she was really sharp-tongued.

"Sister Dong, you're really being too harsh! We're your competitors, after all. I think Mr. Zhang's prospects are pretty good."

Sister Dong glanced at him.

“What’s the use of just saying nice things? If you really believe in him, then invest in him. He’s short of money to expand right now.”

Gree and Gome ended their cooperation in 2004 due to price issues. Now Gome is selling other people's air conditioners. Of course, Dong Mingzhu hopes that Suning can win, but the reality is that the situation is unforgiving.

Huang became the richest man in China in 05, and his momentum was strong. When he attacked Suning, he also killed Yongle Electric Appliances, the third richest man in China. Now he is in talks to acquire it, and his next plan is to acquire the fourth richest man, Dazhong Electric Appliances.

Now, Gome is attacking Suning's home base in Nanjing, while Suning is attacking Gome's home base in Beijing. Although the two sides are going back and forth, Gome's acquisition strategy is going very smoothly and its expansion is too fast, putting Suning in a precarious position.

Dong Mingzhu has a clear understanding of the development of electrical appliance distributors.

But she could never know what would happen afterward.

But it was in Chen Xuebing's mind.

Huang was imprisoned in 08, and he also hired a manager who betrayed the company. Since then, Gome has been plagued by internal disputes over equity.

It won't be more than two years; his phone won't be released until next year.
The situation is about to turn around. If he doesn't go after the rising star Lao Zhang, why would he go after Lao Huang, who is starting a business in prison?

"Hehe, Sister Dong, what a coincidence, I actually invested in Suning's IPO, and now I hold 1000 million shares of Suning. If you don't believe me, call Mr. Zhang and ask him; he knows."

Listed companies can see real-time data on changes in their shareholders, including those in the stock market.

Suning's total share capital is less than 1 billion, and Chen Xuebing holds more than 10% of the shares. If a general meeting of shareholders were held, he would be seated in at least the first two rows. If Zhang Jindong wanted to check this list, he would definitely see the name of Changzheng Capital.

Chen Xuebing actually does hold Suning stock. Dong Mingzhu, unusually, is repeatedly criticized and falls into a disadvantageous position. Arms crossed, she says unhappily:

"If you're a shareholder, why don't you just convene a shareholders' meeting and order him to do it? Why are you asking me to introduce you?"

Chen Xuebing chuckled awkwardly, "I'm just a supporting actor, a minor one, okay? Can you lend me a hand?"

He gradually demonstrated his strength, which was accompanied by an unpredictable sense of mystery. Dong Mingzhu was certainly willing to befriend him, otherwise she wouldn't have spoken so frankly.

"I'll ask him when I get back to Nanjing and give you an answer."

It is said that President Dong is from Nanjing, and happens to be at Suning's headquarters.

Chen Xuebing immediately exchanged phone numbers with this Chinese rich woman, who was among the top 10 richest women in China.

As for why the renowned Ms. Dong is only in the top 10?

After all, they are just small shareholders who receive incentive shares.

Do you know Miss Wu from Longfor? Do you know Miss Yang from Country Garden? Do you know Miss Chen, the one Tang Seng married?
The "List of Rich Women in China" is the fastest way for reborn individuals with some beauty and strong physique to make money. Although Chen Xuebing has never used it, the information of each beauty in it has always been deeply ingrained in his mind.

(End of this chapter)