Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

Lu Chen stayed in South Korea for a week.

His schedule was packed this week – first, he inspected Golden Harvest Properties’ core projects in Seoul and Busan, and then he took some time to visit Golden Harvest’s port park, where he met with local partners and signed several new cooperation agreements.

However, what truly drew attention was his contact with the three major South Korean conglomerates: Samsung, Hyundai, and Daewoo.

In South Korea, there are very few people who can receive invitations from Samsung, Hyundai, and Daewoo simultaneously. But for Lu Chen, this was just a natural part of his trip to South Korea.

……

February 1st, Giheung Industrial Complex, Gyeonggi Province.

The convoy slowly drove into Samsung's factory area, where three gray-white factory buildings came into view from afar. This was Samsung Electronics' newly built and operational semiconductor factory, one of the world's most advanced DRAM production lines.

As the car door opened, Lee Kun-hee, the current chairman of Samsung, was already waiting at the entrance with a group of senior executives to personally greet Lu Chen and accompany him throughout the visit.

The newly appointed head of Samsung is 46 years old. He wears gold-rimmed glasses, is slender, speaks slowly and deliberately, and exudes a rigorous demeanor.

"Mr. Lu, this way please," Lee Kun-hee led Lu Chen through the air shower and into the cleanroom. "Look, this is our wafer fabrication line, which just went into production at the end of last year."

The workshop was filled with a peculiar chemical smell. Lu Chen looked inside through the dustproof glass—several stepper lithography machines were working. Under the orange-yellow lights, robotic arms fed four-inch wafers into the lithography machine cavity to complete exposure, development, and etching. The process flowed smoothly, step by step.

"That's impressive. What's the current monthly production capacity of this line?"

"Our four-inch production line currently produces around 10,000 wafers per month," Lee Kun-hee said, his voice brimming with undisguised pride. "We are currently working at full capacity to expand our six-inch production line, and we expect to double that next year."

Lu Chen nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on the lithography machines for a couple more seconds—almost all of these machines came from the US or Japan. Samsung was still playing the role of a follower.

"Chairman Lee," Lu Chen withdrew his gaze and asked curiously, "the semiconductor industry is incredibly expensive. How much does Samsung invest in R&D each year?"

"It accounts for about 20 percent of Samsung's total revenue," Lee Kun-hee replied. "We've identified this direction, and we won't turn back."

"Okay," Lu Chen smiled, his tone enigmatic, "That's bold."

In his memory, this South Korean company, which is still struggling to survive in the gaps between Japanese and American tech giants, will become the global semiconductor industry leader in the next thirty years—relying on the cyclical dividends of memory chips, it will devour its competitors wave after wave, and extend into fields such as displays and mobile phones, eventually growing into a global tech giant.

In its past life, Samsung was reaped by the United States during the financial crisis; in this life, it's Samsung's turn to reap the rewards.

……

February 2nd, Ulsan Metropolitan City.

Compared to the precision and quietness of Samsung's semiconductor factory, Hyundai's production line appears particularly rugged and awe-inspiring.

In the stamping workshop, the huge stamping machines roared, pressing steel plates into car body parts ton by ton; in the welding workshop, sparks flew, some processes had already used welding robots, but most of the time workers wearing masks held welding guns, welding the car body seams one by one.

Chung Ju-yung is seventy-two years old this year. His hair is gray, but his back is still straight. He is wearing a simple jacket and personally led Lu Chen through the entire production line, introducing things as they go. His voice is loud and clear, full of energy, and you can't tell that he is an elderly man over seventy.

"Mr. Lu, look at this line," Zheng Zhouyong said, pointing to the slowly moving assembly line in the final assembly workshop. "From stamping to final assembly, it only takes forty minutes for a car to roll off the line. Our current annual production capacity is 200,000 vehicles, and we plan to expand production next year."

"I've heard of it," Lu Chen said, "Pony and Excel sell well in both South and North America."

"Hahaha!" Zheng Zhouyong laughed heartily. "Mr. Lu, you're well-informed! To be honest, we're preparing a new model for the North American market—the 'Sonata'—which will be launched next year."

"Sonata," Lu Chen repeated the name, then nodded, "a good name."

As he watched the cars slowly moving on the assembly line, he was thinking about something else entirely—this brand, which was still relying on cheap models to penetrate the international market, would become one of the top five automotive giants in the world in twenty years, with huge factories in North America, Europe, and China.

Its most glorious wave of benefits is yet to come.

……

February 3rd, Geoje Island, Gyeongsangnam-do.

As one of the world's largest single shipbuilding bases, the imposing scale of Daewoo's Okpo Shipyard is breathtaking. Kim Woo-jung, the founder of Daewoo Group, stood by the dock waiting for Lu Chen, the sea breeze making his suit flutter.

In the dock, the hull of a giant cargo ship is taking shape. Huge steel plates are being lifted and assembled piece by piece by cranes, and the blue light of welding flashes across the hull, with sparks flying like fireworks. In the distance, a newly launched bulk carrier is slowly sailing into open water, leaving a long white trail behind it.

"Mr. Lu," Kim Woo-jung said, pointing to the giant ship under construction, a hint of pride in his voice, "this is a 250,000-ton bulk carrier we're building for a European shipowner. It will be launched next year. When it's delivered, it will be the largest ship in Korean shipbuilding history."

"Global shipping is slowly recovering," Lu Chen said calmly, looking at the steel behemoth in the dock, "and I believe Daewoo can also take advantage of this recovery to continue its ascent to new heights."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Kim Woo-chung's eyes as he tentatively asked, "I know that Jiahe Shipping has been placing huge orders for ocean-going freighters with major shipyards around the world in recent years. If there is an opportunity for cooperation, Daewoo will definitely do its utmost to cooperate."

"I'm sorry, Jiahe Shipping's new ship schedule is fully booked for the time being, and there are no new slots available at the moment." Lu Chen didn't continue the conversation, politely declining the offer, "Next time, for sure."

The main reason was that he knew all too well the Daewoo Group, which appeared to be incredibly successful on the surface and was even the most powerful of the three major conglomerates in South Korea. In the Asian financial crisis that followed, this arrogantly expanding behemoth would collapse in a massive debt crisis, leaving behind hundreds of billions of dollars in bad debts and becoming the largest bankruptcy case in South Korean history.

However, there are still several years before the crisis occurs, and Softstar Entertainment still has some remaining value in the short term.

……

After completing the factory site visit, Lu Chen was invited to dinner with several chaebol leaders, including Lee Kun-hee, Chung Ju-yung, and Kim Woo-jung.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was almost too harmonious. These powerful chaebols, who wielded considerable influence in South Korea, all toned down their authority and arrogance in front of Lu Chen. When toasting, each one adopted a humble posture and offered a more thoughtful toast than the last.

There was no way around it; these three tycoon heads were powerful figures in South Korea, but compared to Golden Harvest, they were just small fry.

"Mr. Lu, Samsung very much hopes to have in-depth cooperation with Longteng Technology in the semiconductor field—"

"Mr. Lu, regarding Hyundai cars, if Jiahe is interested, we can provide custom-made vehicles—"

"Mr. Lu, Daewoo Shipbuilding's construction schedule and quality are absolutely top-notch in the world. If Jiahe Shipping has any needs, Daewoo will be there whenever you call."

Lee Kun-hee held a wine glass with a gentle smile; Chung Ju-yung raised his glass frequently with a booming voice; Kim Woo-chung was the most enthusiastic, subtly probing Golden Harvest's next investment direction in his words.

Lu Chen sat in the main seat, entertaining everyone with pleasantries and laughter, ensuring the atmosphere remained lively without making any empty promises.

The conversation at the dinner table always circled back to the same point: wanting to follow in Jiahe's footsteps and reap some of the benefits of the international market.

However, these three could never have imagined that while they were happily planning how to get a taste of soup with Lu Chen, the young man sitting in the main seat was secretly plotting to take over their family business.

Samsung's semiconductors, Hyundai's cars, Daewoo's—let's leave Daewoo aside... In short, he will eventually take over all of South Korea's industries one by one.

Of course, he wouldn't reveal a single word about these hidden fangs to anyone.

Lu Chen simply picked up his wine glass, raised it towards Lee Kun-hee, and wore an impeccable smile.

"Chairman Lee," he said, "I have high hopes for Samsung's future."

……

February 6th, Seoul, the hotel suite where Lu Chen is staying.

The Han River outside the window shimmered with a grayish-white light under the winter sun. Lu Chen sat on the sofa, flipping through an analysis report on the structure of South Korean conglomerates. Ba Wang Hua stood beside him, quietly reporting the intelligence gathered over the past few days.

Just then, the cell phone on the table rang.

"Mr. Lu!" Jeon Jong-un's voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying an unusual enthusiasm. "How have you been in South Korea these past few days? We've discussed it—we'd like to talk about the matter you mentioned last time in person. Would it be convenient for you to come to the Blue House tomorrow?"

Lu Chen leaned back on the sofa, a slight smile curving his lips.

"Of course," he said, "I look forward to meeting you, President."

"It's settled then! I'll be waiting for you at the Blue House tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.!"

"good."

The phone hangs up.

Lu Chen put his phone back on the table, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a shadowy silhouette on his face.

He smiled slightly.

The matter is more than half done.