Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 206 2006
After settling things with Sharp, Chen Xuebing left the guesthouse. The streets, which had been bustling in the morning, suddenly began to close up shop and became noticeably deserted. His mind went blank, and he gradually entered a state of sagehood.

I'm done with my work.

It's Lunar New Year's Eve.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and every family celebrates the New Year.

Where to go?
It seems like there's nowhere to eat lunch this afternoon.

I had originally thought that after finishing my busy schedule before the New Year, I would have some free time to visit Cheng Danting in Lu'an, which is nearby, or to find a nice hotel for a relaxing vacation and rest for a few days.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving in Hefei, I encountered a lack of cooperation from BOE, and I was busy until the Chinese New Year.

There's not even a car, so it's a hassle to go out and explore the surrounding area. And finding Cheng Danting is out of the question; who calls someone out on New Year's Eve?

You shouldn't make appointments with people on short notice, as that would seem insincere.

This year's New Year was pretty boring.

Even after becoming a billionaire, he's still like this.

……

Yes, he is already a billionaire.

Moreover, it's not just 100 million.

During this period, although the group's people were in Anhui, they were not idle. The first thing Cai Zhi did after taking office was to take stock of the various assets under the group.

He hadn't looked into the construction labor company's business, but based on the information he obtained from his communication with Yu Chunyin, the two major projects currently underway—the livelihood project and the Taohuaxi comprehensive renovation project—are both centered around Taohuaxi. They are expected to bring in approximately 800 million and 500 million yuan in profits respectively over the next year. Furthermore, due to the sand-selling model, the company can not only be self-sufficient in funds, but also provide a certain amount of cash flow to the group after the Taohuaxi renovation project commences.

Considering the need to acquire a Class B construction company to expand qualifications, and the uncertainty of the company's future prospects, he conservatively valued it based on simple future profit returns.

Ten million.

Chen Xuebing disagreed. He felt that after expanding the qualifications, the company should be worth at least 20 million yuan, and once it entered large-scale projects and introduced bank capital, the expansion would be very rapid.

Cai Zhijian also doesn't understand engineering, so the two have reserved their differences.

Cai Zhijian is very optimistic about Singularity Technology.

In the past year, "Huaqiangbei mobile phones" have become a major force in China that can rival Nokia at an astounding speed, and the mobile phone production of Guangdong Province has reached the same level as the total output of the other top ten provinces in the country.

The main production is in Huaqiangbei.

Official estimates suggest that Huaqiangbei accounts for 10% of the country's total output of 3 million units, or 3000 million units. However, insiders in Huaqiangbei all scoff at this claim.

Not only, absolutely not only.

It should at least double.

Huo Xiaowen, a veteran of Huaqiangbei, has a lot to say on this.

Although Qidian Technology is not well-known and has not officially established a brand, it is now a high-end player in Huaqiangbei.

Chen Xuebing hasn't paid much attention to things in Huaqiangbei these past few months, but in fact, since Lu Weibing and the R&D team joined, Qidian's sales and status in Huaqiangbei have been rising rapidly.

This team is a complete game-changer for the small business owners in Huaqiangbei.

After last year's stockpiling spree, Qidian Technology has already made a name for itself in Huaqiangbei.

Now everyone in the Yuanwang and Feiyang markets knows that the factory behind Boss Huo's counter has incredibly advanced technology. The UI system they produce can't even match MediaTek's templates. They also do their own R&D. If it weren't for their average production capacity, their sales would definitely crush their competitors.

But they're already expanding their factory.

Moreover, the ground sales team is also very large, covering surrounding cities and towns, and is also selling to Southeast Asia.

With the storm of the four major mobile phone manufacturers jointly challenging the Ministry of Information Industry last year gradually subsiding, the wave of counterfeit phones brought by MediaTek began to generate huge profits for Shenzhen. Shenzhen began to intentionally allow Huaqiangbei to develop, and the restrictions on mobile phone production qualifications were weakened in this local area, allowing counterfeit phone manufacturers to gradually step into the limelight.

Huo Xiaowen is awesome now.

His status in Huaqiangbei is several levels higher than that of General Manager Zhao back then. He can get thousands of units from various stalls just by using his face. Many out-of-town distributors who come here because of his reputation hope to cooperate with him.

The Taobao stores that initially had the upper hand are still only making around a million yuan in profit, which is no longer comparable to offline businesses.

Selling individual units is nowhere as fast as selling them by the box at a wholesale center.

With such advantages, Cai Zhijian and Lu Weibing both believed that if they expanded their scale and found an OEM manufacturer to cooperate with, their annual profit could easily exceed 100 million yuan, or even reach 200 million yuan, making them the undisputed No. 1 in Huaqiangbei.

This was all thanks to the foundation laid by Chen Xuebing, yet he firmly disagreed with investing too much energy in this area and instead focused on expanding the business overseas.

The two knew that Chen Xuebing had grand ambitions and did not want to be the head of the piracy ring, so they could only follow the path he had set.

This segment, encompassing offline, online, and overseas business, generates a net profit of over 500 million per month.

In Cai Zhijian's eyes, this business is worth at least 200 million yuan.

As for the Kirin series of phones, Cai Zhijian believes that the cost is too high and the final gross profit may not exceed 30%. It can be used as a long-term strategy to enter the high-end markets of Hong Kong and Europe and the United States.

The popcorn brand series led by Lu Weibing will rely on the development of the mythical beast series to gain a technological advantage. As long as the Qilin series is successful, the sales of popcorn should be very high.

Cai Zhijian was cautious about this business and did not include it in the valuation.

The remaining Long March Capital consists of cash assets, which are readily available.

Of the 2.4 million, 1.25 million was cost and 4200 million was profit, which belonged to others, while the remaining 7300 million belonged to him.

However, this 7300 million includes 1100 million from Xin Mengzhen's grandfather, as well as profits.

It belongs to him, about 6000 million.

In just three months, Changzheng Capital turned a principal of 20 million into 60 million, demonstrating a terrifying ability to generate returns.

However, this is not the most valuable thing; the most valuable thing is the 4200 million in profit generated for others.

This will give Chen Xuebing tremendous financing capabilities.

Chen Xuebing is very good at using this ability, as exemplified by BOE in the present case.

In conclusion, Cai Zhijian believes that Mr. Chen, who has less than 100 million in cash, should have an estimated wealth of 200-300 million, with a potential wealth of over 1 billion.

No wonder he was the man who built a $4700 billion AMTD AMTD Group in his previous life. However, Chen Xuebing felt that Cai Zhijian was still underdeveloped and a bit conservative.

Shangcheng, Shangcheng, he thought Cai Zhijian was very good at multiplication.

Why only take such a small amount?
This morning has been very busy.

Chen Xuebing's phone was plugged into the charger the whole time, and it almost ran out of battery and shut down.

I received a lot of calls and made a lot of calls.

Hu Li was the first to call and wish him a Happy New Year, and then she took the opportunity to ask him a lot of questions about promoting the iQiyi website.

My colleagues and a few brothers from the company called me one by one.

My mom also called to say she was playing at Uncle Jiang and Aunt Liu's house. Now, showing off the kids during holidays has become her entertainment. Whenever there are many people around, my mom calls him to ask what he's doing.

Actually, his mother knew what he was doing; Chen Xuebing had already informed her that he would be going on a business trip to Hefei for the Spring Festival.

But she just wanted to hear it again, and might even have turned it on speakerphone.

Chen Xuebing also cracked a joke, saying that when he invested in Hefei, the city leaders specially received him, and he even drank with city officials a couple of days ago.

As soon as I finished speaking, there was a burst of praise from the other end.

"The Party Secretary? The Party Secretary is drinking with Xuebing?"

"Wow, Xuebing is really doing well now, so very well!"

He spent almost half an hour showing off to his mother in front of others before finally hanging up the phone. Yang Qingyue had called him several times during that time, and the phone rang again as soon as he hung up.

She said she was going out to dinner with her parents that night, and her father's colleague was there, so it wasn't convenient for her to call him. However, she would bring her camera to take pictures of the Hong Kong New Year's Eve fireworks for him.

Chen Xuebing keenly sensed that Xin Mengzhen's parents might be there, and that Xin Mengzhen might be there too. He immediately said, "You guys have fun, focus on having fun, don't fight, I'm busy too."

I had planned to send Xin Mengzhen a text message, but I gave up on that idea.

After lying in bed in silence for a while, I called my high school homeroom teacher, Mr. Guo, my father's colleagues, Uncle Zhang and Uncle Zhao, Dean Zhou of the school, and District Chief Hong to wish them a Happy New Year.

Just as I was getting parched from talking and wondering where to take the company's group of people for lunch that afternoon, Mayor Wu called.

They said that Secretary Sun had arranged a New Year's Eve dinner for them in the government reception hall.

However, Secretary Sun was quite busy. As the first political commissar of the garrison, he had to visit the troops, and Mayor Wu was also visiting the medical system. Therefore, he would not have dinner with the comrades from Gu'an. Instead, Minister He from the United Front Work Department was arranged to accompany them.

These past few days, Minister He has been very attentive to their affairs and has been visiting them frequently. Chen Xuebing didn't have much contact with this person's position in his previous life, but he roughly knew that he was the weakest member of the Standing Committee, so he made a special investigation.

The United Front Work Department, officially known as the United Front Work Department, is responsible for uniting non-Party members, ethnic and religious groups, compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and people in the non-public sector of the economy, and building sound social and political-business relations.

Before 2004, the position was usually held concurrently by the vice chairman of the CPPCC. Since 2004, the United Front work has gradually gained importance, and the United Front Ministers at the provincial level and below are, in principle, members of the Party Committee, who have the power to coordinate and lead multiple departments.

Surprisingly, the United Front Work Department is quite well-suited to attracting investment.

At 7 p.m., Luzhou roast duck, Cao Cao chicken, Bao Gong fish, Sanhe rice dumplings, knife-cut noodles, and eight-treasure vegetables—a variety of local delicacies—were served one by one.

Just as we started dinner, fireworks lit up the sky outside the window in Hefei, turning the wine in our glasses into colorful displays.

Chen Xuebing raised his glass in a toast.

"Minister He, you guys really enjoy making a scene here. You set off fireworks while everyone else is having their New Year's Eve dinner?"

Minister He laughed heartily: "In Chuzhou, we don't call it New Year's Eve dinner, we call it New Year's meal! On the morning of New Year's Eve, we have to go to the ancestral graves, and after we come back, we eat New Year's meal at noon. This is a custom left over from when the Anhui Army went out to fight the Japanese. Our Hubei-Henan-Anhui region is an old revolutionary base area. Back then, the Anhui Army had already finished fighting the Japanese! It is said that those soldiers were afraid of being ambushed while eating at night, so they ate New Year's meal at noon. Later, some families passed it down. Now, some people in Anhui eat New Year's meal at noon, and in the afternoon, they make dumplings and eat the leftovers! At this time, many people have already finished eating! We people in Anhui like it lively and bright. After setting off fireworks at night, we still have to keep the lights on until dawn!"

The topic started with everyone discussing the New Year customs of their respective hometowns.

Guangdong people have the most diverse traditions, including Yingge dance, lion dance, flower markets, and welcoming the God of Wealth.

Hong Kong people are the most practical; they give out red envelopes.

When it was Chen Xuebing's turn, a native of Chongqing, he hesitated for a long time before finally managing to say, "Smoked bacon, wrapped sausages."

Ren Ying asked curiously, "We have so many customs in Chongqing! We have dragon dances, temple fairs, and relatives take turns hosting meals at rotating banquets! Doesn't your family eat rotating banquets?"

Chen Xuebing smiled and waved his hand: "We have few family members, and my husband passed away early. We don't have many relatives, so we don't do these things."

Ren Ying remembered Chen Xuebing's family situation and hurriedly covered her mouth, apologetically trying to salvage the situation: "Then come to our house for a meal next year!"

Chen Xuebing glanced at her: "I'm not your son-in-law. Why would I eat at your house? Don't you dare imply that you're too old for me!"

Ren Ying held her breath, and everyone burst into laughter.

Ren Ying is a good girl in every way, except that she is too serious. Chen Xuebing found her boring and was too lazy to tease her anymore.

As he spoke, Chen Xuebing really started to miss home. After eating a few bites, he went to the side and made a phone call to his mother to check on her.

When I called back, my mom was still at the Jiang family's house, where a large group of neighbors were having their New Year's Eve dinner, which was quite lively.

Jiang Hanhan also shouted that she would be 1.4 meters tall soon.

Chen Xuebing replied with a smile that he would bring her a Barbie doll when he returned to Chongqing.

With his mother having a lively place to go, he felt relieved. He said a few auspicious words to the neighbors and then hung up the phone.

We have no distant relatives but we have close neighbors, so it's not bad for my mom to stay in the old house.

However, when I turned around after making the call, I found that everyone was talking to their families.

He had been making phone calls all day in the hotel, but now there was no one to ask him.

After thinking for a moment, he opened his contacts and dialed Cheng Danting's number.

The phone rang several times before I answered it and said "hello".

It was unusually quiet over there.

"Happy New Year, squad leader," Chen Xuebing said with a smile.

"Secretary, you must be happy too. It's an honor to receive your greetings." Cheng Danting chimed in, playing the straight man.

Chen Xuebing rarely gets joked with, so he walked to the window and pointed his phone out the window.

"Does this firecracker sound familiar?"

"Could it be that you've sponsored a fireworks display? And you called us poor folks just to let us have a good bang?"

"Hehe, you don't understand the lifestyle of us rich people. The richer you are, the stingier you are. You won't show it to the poor for free. Even if you hear a sound, you'll feel like you've been taken advantage of."

"Alright, Mr. Grandet, can you reveal the answer now?" Cheng Danting's words were still light, but her voice seemed a little urgent.

"Family member of the patient! Come here for a moment!"

"Hey, here we come!"

"Will you sign or will your dad sign?"

"I sign."

Chen Xuebing frowned: "You're in the hospital? Is someone in your family sick?"

After a long pause, the other end finally replied, "Yes, my mom needs to have surgery."

"What surgery?"

"surgical."

"Don't just blurt out one word at a time."

Cheng Danting was also in a state of confusion, and sighed: "Heart bypass surgery, coronary heart disease."

"Heart bypass surgery? That requires open-chest surgery, which is quite difficult, isn't it? Why didn't you come to Hefei to find a major hospital for treatment?"

"It's not easy to get into a big hospital in Hefei. This illness is quite urgent. If you want to find a good hospital, you have to wait in line for a long time. I took my mother there a few times before, but the specialist appointments were all reserved. We couldn't get an appointment for several days. Are you in Hefei?"

Cheng Danting noticed the words "Come to Hefei".

"Hmm, do you want to come? If you do, I can ask around for you. I happen to have a supervisor here with me."

"Really? Won't that be troublesome?" Cheng Danting asked excitedly.

Chen Xuebing turned to look at Minister He.

Minister He has already heard the conversation.

"What's wrong? Does someone in your family need to see a doctor?"

"Ah."

Minister He immediately nodded: "No problem! There are preferential policies in place! I'll give you a card in a bit, you can go directly to the University of Science and Technology of China Affiliated Hospital!"

Chen Xuebing then said into the phone, "USTC Affiliated Hospital, shall we come?"

"Come!"

(End of this chapter)