2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 158 Life is full of surprises

School of Information and Engineering, Ningbo University.

Gu Qingqing smiled and refused yet another boy who asked for her contact information, then packed her things and left.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Gu Qingqing followed Tan Jincheng's advice and learned more about the Internet, so she often came to the Institute of Information Engineering to audit classes.

Engineering colleges are mostly male, and the few girls who are even remotely attractive have long been taken by upperclassmen. So when a girl from another department with an exceptional figure and looks suddenly appears, it naturally attracts a pack of wolves howling at her.

Unfortunately, she's already taken.

Whenever Gu Qingqing recalls her trip to Tianyi Square in Ningbo on September 17, 2005, the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, she always feels that the year was full of unexpected events.

I met a young man unexpectedly through my senior, and ended up working for him. Then, one day, I tried to get some information from him, which led to a deeper connection between us.

After they had more contact, things developed beyond Gu Qingqing's control. Out of curiosity, she even went to Shanghai with him to see celebrities, and they spent two months together during the summer vacation.

Of course, the main focus throughout the process was on work.

Everything changed the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Rewind to the morning of September 17th. When Tan Jincheng said "Be my girlfriend," Gu Qingqing was completely stunned.

It was the first time a boy had confessed his feelings to her, and it was someone she secretly liked. It would be a lie to say she wasn't happy, but she also had a lot of concerns. The first concern was the mismatch in their social status.

Tan Jincheng is a young tycoon with a net worth of over ten million. He is also handsome enough. If his identity were exposed, he would definitely have no shortage of women around him. Don't be fooled by his current life, which is no different from that of an ordinary factory owner. That's just because he hasn't realized his true identity yet.

When I was a child, my father told me that the super-rich people with businesses had very high status and position in the local area, and ordinary people dared not provoke them. As long as they didn't go too far, they could easily get whatever they wanted.

The reason is not because they have a lot of money, but because their businesses can solve many problems for the local area. Helping others solve problems is also helping themselves solve problems, so money seems less important.

If, as he claims, he can build his business into one with an annual output value of 10 billion within five years, that would be an extraordinary achievement, and his status would rise rapidly.

No matter what, I can't keep up with his pace. Will he still like me as much as before when the time comes?

On the other hand, I am only a sophomore now, and I still have two years before graduation. During these two years, I will definitely focus on my studies. Is it too early to make our relationship clear at this time?
As for the rumors and gossip, Gu Qingqing didn't care much about them, because she could be sure of her conscience. When she first met Tan Jincheng after graduation, her family was much better off, and she really wasn't dating him for money.

What attracted her most to Tan Jincheng was his good looks, his gentle and kind manner, and his enigmatic talent and work ability.

Fortunately, the omnipotent man had considered all these concerns.

"Human nature cannot withstand the test. I only know that I like you now, and I can't guarantee that I will like you like this in the future, but none of that matters. What matters is that we believe in liking you now."

"And you don't need to worry about this at all. As long as you're confident enough, who knows, maybe one day you'll not like me anymore and dump me?"

"Also, what I meant by those dreams I just mentioned was that I should focus on my career these next few years. We can maintain our relationship, but it's impossible for us to be together every day like other couples, so it's unlikely to interfere with your studies."

Yes, if I'm confident enough, why should I worry about these things? I can study hard and start my own business in the future. Besides, he has such big dreams, so it's impossible for us to be together every day like campus couples.

A light rain was falling from the sky. Gu Qingqing held an umbrella and walked towards the school bus stop. The School of Information Engineering was in the North Campus, and the School of Foreign Languages ​​was in the East Campus, about 3 kilometers apart. In the past, when the weather was fine, Gu Qingqing would ride her electric scooter.

Just then, the sound of a car horn rang out behind Gu Qingqing: "Beep beep beep."

Immediately afterwards, a familiar voice came through the lowered car window: "Beautiful lady, would you like a ride?"

Gu Qingqing turned around and saw Tan Jincheng. She stepped forward with some joy and said, "Why are you here?"

"I've come to pick you up. Come on up, let's go eat," Tan Jincheng said with a smile.

Gu Qingqing skillfully sat in the passenger seat, put her backpack on the back seat, and turned to look at Tan Jincheng, saying, "I was saying, why did you have time to come over today? It's not the weekend."

"Oh, I saw that it was raining quite heavily around noon, and I thought you probably wouldn't have ridden your bike over today. Anyway, I didn't have anything to do this afternoon, so I came to check on you."

Gu Qingqing said mischievously, "Didn't you say you wanted to focus on your career? How come you have nothing to do? You're just saying one thing and meaning another."

"Hey, little girl, you don't understand, do you? I'm waiting for you. I'm afraid you won't be able to keep up if I go too fast." "Pah, I don't believe you. You're just saying that."

Despite saying that, Gu Qingqing was still extremely happy inside. Even the most rational girl longs for these little surprises in a relationship.

The last time we met was four days ago, over the weekend.

"What have you been learning? Tell me about your recent learning progress."

"I haven't learned much. I've only just started to understand these things, and I'm not even a beginner yet."

"No rush, take your time. There are still two years left. If you can learn something and build up some connections in the School of Information Science and Technology after graduation, I'll give you a surprise."

"What? You're going to support my business startup?"

"Yeah, how about I be your angel investor then?"

Aren't you afraid of losing money?

"What am I afraid of? Besides, I'm here."

Since Gu Qingqing has ideas about starting an internet business, it's not impossible for her to make some arrangements without affecting her main business. We are still in the era of PC-based internet, and capital has not yet formed a true monopoly, so it can be described as a free-for-all.

However, by the time Gu Qingqing graduated, it was already 2008. 08 should be the year 3G was launched? Android entered China in 2009, which also means that the PC version was already on its last legs.

The timing is just right. After graduation, I will start to develop my mobile internet business. In the early stages, I will develop my skills cautiously and accumulate them gradually. When the time is right, I may be able to use them.

The mobile internet era belongs to giants. In terms of burning money, Tan Jincheng certainly can't compare with the giants. However, it's not impossible for him to find a way to break through the giants at a very low cost.

People like the two Mas and one Zhang are destined to rise to prominence. You can't stop them from doing so. Forget about the two Mas; the real business is to focus on getting more shares of the Ma family. The Ma family's stock performed quite well in September.

Now that I have money in hand, I can repay the money I lent to Flash in my personal name. Plus, I have some free time in September, so I might as well buy stocks.

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Tan Jincheng commissioned a stockbroker in Hong Kong to purchase another 10 shares of QQ at HK$7.8. He currently holds 20 shares of QQ. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, QQ continued its astonishing rise, and as of now, it has exceeded HK$9, with a market value of over HK$180 million.

As for Moutai, Tan Jincheng did not give up either. In August, Moutai distributed dividends and bonus shares, distributing 5 yuan per 10 shares and issuing 2 bonus shares per 8 shares. After the dividend, the number of Moutai shares held in the account reached 5400.

So Tan Jincheng used the cash dividends plus the more than 1 yuan transferred in to buy another 4600 shares, making a total of 2000 shares. At its peak, the market value alone exceeded 20 million yuan. Adding the dividends from previous years, it was no small sum.

However, Moutai actually gave a high stock dividend, which was somewhat unexpected for Tan Jincheng. He remembered that the media used to report that Moutai had always paid dividends, but had never raised funds again after listing. So what was the point of this high stock dividend?
Regardless, a stock price of 40 or 50 yuan with a high stock dividend is practically giving away money. However, Moutai's upward trend is much worse than QQ's. Tan Jincheng bought it around 47 yuan, and now Moutai's stock price is only around 48 yuan, and it looks like it's going to fall further.

Unlike QQ, where the first purchase yielded a 70% profit and the second purchase yielded a 15% return, the Pony Ma family is much more generous when it comes to stocks. Unlike Old Ma, whose stocks are off-limits, you can't even touch the stocks he's invested in.

The companies' styles determine the investment styles of the two companies. QQ can provide traffic to its investors; it provides money and resources as needed. Therefore, the companies that Pony Ma invests in are generally doing relatively well.

The situation is different for Ma's family. The companies he invests in are all designed to provide traffic to the Taobao system. One generates revenue while the other drains it, so the outcomes are naturally different.

As for Zhang Ge's family, he is currently in university and there is no need for him to make any moves at the moment. Of course, he will definitely not miss the opportunity if it comes. It would be good to invest in some of Xiao Ma's stocks and exchange them for resources when needed in the future.

These three companies definitely can't compete with them and the capital behind them if they don't focus on their core business. One approach, like Durant, is to join them if you can't beat them.

Aside from this somewhat embarrassing idea, there are other methods.

If we're talking about who makes the most money, then without a doubt it's women. You can make money off women online too. In my past life, there were two apps that still thrived despite being besieged by tech giants.

One of them, by 2023, was not only thriving but also wielding considerable influence. That company was a certain book that Zhang Ge had tried to acquire for $200 billion but failed to do so.

Tan Jincheng's foray into the internet is not for profit, but to gain control of media discourse, which would be more beneficial for promoting his own brand. Investing in Douyin (TikTok) is the best way to achieve this.

If that fails, a certain book is also a good channel. If Gu Qingqing can get the book published first and it develops along the same trajectory as in her previous life, it might be a good negotiating tool.

If I am fortunate enough to spend my life with Gu Qingqing, and the husband becomes an industrial tycoon while the wife becomes an internet elite, it would be a remarkable story in the business world.

(End of this chapter)