Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 376 Just for this moment

March 7th, Hong Kong.

Jack Ma, dressed in a formal suit, and Joseph Tsai, dressed in a suspender shirt reminiscent of old-fashioned men, were having tea on a high-rise building in Victoria Harbour.

Jack Ma suddenly received a phone call. After grunting twice, he said, "Give him my Hong Kong phone number."

After hanging up the phone, Jack Ma lightly tapped his toes, seemingly quite content.

"Who is it? Why are you so happy?" Tsai Chung-hsin asked with a smile.

"I told you about it, Mr. Chen, about the deal with Masayoshi Son to acquire ARM."

Joseph Tsai thought for a moment: "The one who used to be a merchant on Taobao?"

Recalling this history, Jack Ma took a sip of hot tea, shook his head, and said, "Yes, back on New Year's Day in 05, we were still selling pirated mobile phones on Taobao, and they were selling like hotcakes. At that time, Ake said that there was a very talented young seller who gave us a lot of advice. I remember talking to him on the phone back then, and he gave me six words: 'If you dare to pay, I dare to compensate!' That immediately woke me up! Later, he asked us to feature him on the homepage, and slowly we actually managed to get the first batch of crown accounts! A whole batch!"

"Then, just over a year later!" He put down his teacup, his expression gradually becoming more interesting, and clapped his hands, saying, "In just over a year, I saw him at a dinner party hosted by President Liu and Lao Guo, and he was already a famous investor! Can you believe it!"

“They’re probably just dabbling in it, and they’re interested in Taobao.” Joseph Tsai smiled. He himself is a descendant of a prominent lawyer in Taiwan and even became the Asia-Pacific president of a Swedish investment group. Yet, he still joined Alibaba’s small team of 20 people.

Jack Ma smacked his lips again and shook his head, saying, "I don't know, it's quite mysterious. Last year, Liu Chuan said he was investing in 3G and even got support from the Ministry of Information Industry. He also created a full-touchscreen smartphone—the world's first! Now he's investing in ARM. Oh, and he said he's going to build a big data center, saying he'll analyze user preferences through algorithms. It really scared me. I looked up this concept, and it doesn't exist internationally. Only Amazon proposed a 'cloud data center' concept in 06, which is a virtual server rental platform, quite different from what he's talking about. I think... are we moving too slowly? Their concepts are much newer than ours."

Tsai Chung-hsin's expression gradually became serious: "Not the national team, right? Military background?"

"It shouldn't be." Jack Ma gazed out the window and said leisurely, "I plan to cooperate with him in depth to explore the truth of his technology. Do you think we should bring him in as a strategic investor for this IPO?"

How much money does he have?

"I don't know, but all of his funds were top performers last year and made a lot of money. Yes, he has a very keen eye for investment."

"Won't it be called the Long March?"

"Yes, you've heard of it?"

Tsai Chung-hsin's eyes gradually showed surprise.

He comes from the private equity industry; I've not just heard of him, I've heard of him for a long time!
This fund is legendary in the industry; he's heard about it several times. Isn't it operated by a certain old godfather of Shanghai Securities?
"The phone is ringing."

Jack Ma picked up the phone on the table, pressed the answer button and put it on speakerphone, and smiled.

"Mr. Chen, what brings you here?"

"Why did you go to Hong Kong? I couldn't get through to you on the phone. I had to ask Ake for this number!"

"I know, I met with people from Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong!"

Morgan Stanley? They're your brokerage firm?

"Yes, the lead underwriter and sponsor are involved, with Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank also participating in the underwriting."

Jack Ma spoke with a hint of pride about his underwriting team, mentioning the dual engines of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, a configuration typically found among international giants.

Chen Xuebing simply asked, "Oh, how many of the shares sold before the IPO have been sold?"

"It's still early, there's no roadshow yet. What, Mr. Chen, are you interested? I'll save you a copy."

As Jack Ma spoke, he glanced at Joseph Tsai and raised his eyebrows.

Joseph Tsai wanted to shake his head. The share of Alibaba's IPO shares could potentially increase significantly; this was a favor! Even teams in Hong Kong IPOs were scrambling to get them! How could they just give it away so easily?

But since Jack Ma had already spoken, he could only hold up two fingers to make a card shape, press it down in the middle, and indicate that the share should be smaller.

Mr. Chen on the other end chuckled and said, "I'm not interested. Is the IPO application process complete? I'd like to send a team over to observe how the big investment banks operate."

"Not yet, the A1 application has been submitted, and we're waiting for the hearing. What, are you also planning to list in Hong Kong?"

"No, I plan to become a securities firm with dual licenses in the A-share and Hong Kong markets, so that people can come and learn some experience."

The two were shocked by these words.

“What qualifications do mainland private companies have to operate as Hong Kong securities firms? The new sponsorship qualifications in Hong Kong have been blocked by the Securities and Futures Commission. Only wholly state-owned or state-controlled companies are allowed! Foreign investment banks can only participate in partnerships, not hold controlling stakes!”

“I didn’t say I would do it myself. Anyway, let’s get down to business. Remember the Hong Kong symposium I talked to Wu Guangzheng about last time? I’m planning to ask you to host it and invite mainland internet companies to a Hong Kong forum.”

"You really want to do this?" Jack Ma was somewhat incredulous, recalling that day when he thought Chen Xuebing was just talking nonsense while drunk.

"Yes, everything is settled. I am the chief consultant of the CEPA Internet Industry Reform Pilot Group, representing the Shenzhen government. If we do a good job, this group will be upgraded, and in the future, leaders from Shenzhen or Guangdong may personally take charge of the group. Now I am formally inviting you to be a consultant. Are you coming or not?"

Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai stared at each other.

“The first batch of companies on the whitelist for companies going to Hong Kong will definitely be on the advisory board,” Chen Xuebing said casually.

"When?" Jack Ma asked without hesitation.

"Are you free on the 10th? I'd like to invite a few friends to dinner at the Shanghai Pujiang Hotel for a face-to-face meeting."

"Who else is there?"

"You'll know when you get here."

"Okay! I'll go back tomorrow!"

Beijing, Haidian District, a building in the Rongke Information Center.

"Haha, okay! I'll come over then!"

"Sure! I'll make the arrangements for you! It's been a long time since I've seen those old friends from Shanghai!"

Liu Chuan laughed loudly while holding the phone for a while before hanging up.

Liu Qing came out of the bathroom, toothbrush in hand: "Dad! Everyone upstairs and downstairs could hear you laughing! Who was it?"

Liu Chuan smiled mysteriously: "The God of Investment!"

"I think you should buy a bigger house. I don't even want to come back to this place; it's not soundproof at all. Why do you insist on living near your workplace? What are you pretending to be poor for? Hey, I heard that Zhonghe Group acquired a piece of land and is building a luxury residential project. Construction has already started; it's called Diaoyutai No. 7. How about it?"

Liu Qing raised her chin as she spoke: "Buy a set?"

Liu Chuan waved his hand: "What do you know! Lenovo is still part of the Computer Institute! We're paid by Lenovo, and those employees are still waiting for the company to allocate housing for them! It's better for us to keep a low profile for now! But don't worry, I've just stepped down as chairman of the board. Once my open investments have made a lot of money, no one can say anything! I'll openly buy a big house! One with a swimming pool! Then you and the kids can move in!"

Liu Qing rolled her eyes: "Your projects are lousy, slow to pay off, and you only have a small equity stake. I'm waiting for you to invest and make money."

Liu Chuan scoffed, "Let me tell you, your dad's hitched a ride on this wave! Money's coming in fast! In just three months, $5 million has multiplied to $10 million, and it's going to multiply several times over! By next year at the latest, we'll be buying a mansion!"

Liu Qing was stunned.

"Who is it? Doubling your money in three months? You haven't been scammed, have you?"

"Ha, a lie? Do you think the data from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange can fool me? There are always experts in this world! You'll see in time." Liu Chuan strolled back to his room with his hands behind his back.

Shanghai, the chairman's office of Zendai Group.

Dai Zhikang held the landline receiver, his expression indifferent.

"Mr. Chen, I sold BOE shares according to your instructions. I didn't try to trick you, did I? We're not really friends, so let's skip the dinner."

Laughter came from the other end: "President Dai, you tried to scheme against me, and now you've lost big time. BOE promised you'd sell for three yuan, but if you had waited, you could have sold for five! You're making a fortune now, aren't you? Don't be so resentful now that you've made money. I invited you here because your Lianyang community development is quite good. Last year you also developed Jinxiu Mansion in Chengdu. Our investment locations overlap, and we'll see each other all the time. I invited you to dinner so we can talk about real estate and see if there are any opportunities for cooperative development. What, you don't want to be friends with me, Chen? You insist on going down the same dark path as Xu Xiang?"

Dai Zhikang was silent for a moment, then chuckled dryly, "Judging from what President Chen is saying, Zendai still has a chance to participate in the Long March project?"

"Being friends naturally creates opportunities. Land in Shanghai is hard to acquire, and development is not easy either. Having more friends means having more options. In the future, if we pool our land resources, we might be able to create a big project."

When Chen Xuebing said this, Dai Zhikang naturally couldn't help but think the worst.

"Is Mr. Chen planning to take over the land I own?"

Land in Shanghai is currently extremely valuable, with both sales volume and prices rising. Speculative buying groups from Wenzhou are active, and ordinary people are buying properties in a panic. Many projects are sold out as soon as they open, and people even have to pay "tea money" to queue up and register.

In this situation, no one would easily sell their land.

His Lianyang plot is now a prime asset, and many high-income people are eagerly waiting for Zendai to develop it.

"Hehe, what if Mr. Dai wants to sell sometime? Real estate policies can change, and land won't always be valuable. Don't worry, I don't force deals. I'm the kind of person who never lets my friends suffer losses."

Dai Zhikang pondered for a while.

"Okay, sometime."

"Saturday, Pujiang Hotel."

Shanghai's stock market is bustling with activity.

Cai Zhijian returned to Chungking Mansions to organize the relocation work, while Kan Zhidong cooperated with Shanghai Pudong Development Bank to approve the loan.

For the past two days, Mr. Chen has been looking at a map of Shanghai, marking it, and then inviting bigwigs from Shanghai.

The real estate business in Shanghai won't always be easy.

From speculators camping out in sales halls to snap up properties, to mortgaging their homes and taking them to the rooftop, it all happened in just one year.

From this March to next March, it will be a period of scorching heat to the depths of winter.

Even if the real estate market in Shanghai is difficult to develop, it's not his place to do it alone.

Competition from competitors and planning adjustments mean that land in Shanghai is not subject to monopoly. In the past few years, regardless of whether the Shanghai real estate market was hot or cold, no single company has been able to acquire more than five plots of land. Even Lujiazui Group, the "favored son" of Pudong New Area, only acquired 20 square meters of land a few years ago.

The undeveloped land in Shanghai is held by dozens of companies in the same industry. When the market comes down next year, it will be difficult for him to quickly buy at the bottom. He can only keep an eye on the small amount that the government releases.

Gu An is still a newcomer to the real estate industry, so he needs to quickly build up his network of connections.

Moreover, these Shanghai counterparts hold not only land in Shanghai, but also prime locations in many other major cities.

The financial boom in the A-shares market will soon be over, but he will make a killing in the real estate boom next year, and rise to become one of the largest real estate developers in the country.

Only in this way can one avoid the huge pitfalls of technology company investments.

Business is not something that can be done overnight; things for next year must be started this year.

This year, we need to make money and also create momentum.

On March 10th, several groups of people converged on Shanghai.

In the afternoon, Chen Xuebing answered various phone calls and headed to the Bund.

One phone call after another came in, and then Lu Weibing suddenly called.

Chen Xuebing didn't have time to reply and hung up.

They called again.

This meant there was an emergency, and Chen Xuebing answered the call immediately.

The voice on the other end was incredibly excited.

"Chairman! The image analysis research lab has made a breakthrough! Projected capacitive touchscreen!"

"what?"

Chen Xuebing had barely asked one question when Lu Weibing started rambling on and on:

"The new capacitive touch technology is a breakthrough! It supports 5-point touch, has a theoretical light transmittance of over 90%, and also supports touch on insulators!"
"In terms of physical structure, it does not require a 4-layer composite structure like Apple's, nor is it a rhomboid electrode that is easily affected by edge interference, but rather a spiral concentric circle electrode."

"The core effect is that it can greatly reduce the accidental touch rate, and can still recognize certain operations even when wearing gloves or when the screen is wet. Moreover, it breaks through Apple's two-point touch limitation, and can achieve the level of playing the piano on the phone!"

"We're in the lab right now, and we've just verified it! The lab has achieved initial success!"

Chen Xuebing stopped talking and listened quietly to the other person for a while, his grip on the phone gradually tightening.

They've really come up with something new.

Moreover, its patent strategy differs from Apple's.

This new patent draws on and improves upon a patent from the Swiss IDIAP Institute, titled "WO2005040996," which has not yet entered China. Moreover, the Swiss institute's application of this patent is not in this direction, so it can seize the opportunity through improvements.

The only drawback is that laboratory simulation and industrial manufacturing are completely different. The parameters of the optical adhesive and outer screen materials need to be adjusted by Japanese and American manufacturers and then imported. A technically mature capacitive touch manufacturer is also needed to conduct industrial public relations and verification. Moreover, to complete the application and industrial production on mobile phones, a specially designed touch chip is required.

The entire chain requires a long time to coordinate, and even with smooth communication, it is estimated that the technology will take more than 18 months to be implemented.

Chen Xuebing inquired about the various data related to the laboratory's breakthroughs, and then became very excited. He immediately ordered: "Complete the patent registration as quickly as possible. The laboratory should continue to invest in research, and seize all relevant international patents that can be obtained!"

"We'll get it done right away!" Lu Weibing immediately seized the opportunity and added, "Chairman, we need to build more laboratories like this!"

You've done a great job. If you don't take advantage of the chairman's good mood now to make demands, when will you?

Chen Xuebing let out a long sigh of relief, and then laughed.

There has been a technological breakthrough, and it is a high parameter that does not yet exist internationally.

All our efforts have been for this moment.

The news of the breakthrough in the laboratory surpassed the satisfaction of countless times making money in the past; it felt like raising a child.

He suddenly felt his eyes welling up with tears. After a long silence, he slowly said, "Go ahead and do it. As long as you guys are capable, all my money will be earned by you."

(End of this chapter)