2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 562 Changfeng, who rides the wave of popularity

Orange Technology has officially gone public, and the young couple is much more relaxed, especially Gu Qingqing.

In this rare moment, I indulged my desires in the Manhattan Hotel, with dazzling skyscrapers outside the window and occasional lights shining through the curtains into the room.

Springtime beauty everywhere.

After returning to China, Gu Qingqing will begin preparing for her graduation defense. After that, she will gradually withdraw from the front-line management work of Orange Technology and is expected to officially step down as CEO of Orange Technology at the end of this year.

The initial plan is for Cheng Hao to take over as CEO.

Cheng Hao has done a great job as CTO. He has made significant contributions to the business of Kaixin.com. In addition, Cheng Hao's management skills are also strong. He has helped Gu Qingqing grow rapidly.

The matter of taking over as CEO has already been discussed with Cheng Hao, and Cheng Hao is currently gradually taking over Gu Qingqing's work.

"How many days are you planning to stay in the US? I can't wait if it's too long."

The night was deep and quiet, but neither of them felt sleepy.

"I won't stay long. I'll definitely be back before the 12th. I need to sign a contract with Yangzi Motors then. They've already accepted our offer."

Going back before the 12th wasn't for anything related to Yangzi Automobile, but I can't say that. However, Tan Jincheng wasn't talking nonsense.

On the last day of the May Day holiday, Changfeng Group officially submitted relevant documents to the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) regarding the sale of its subsidiary, Yangzi Automobile, and also issued an announcement.

"How much did you pay to buy the shares of Yangzi Automobile?" Gu Qingqing asked curiously.

"2.75 million for 51% of the shares, it's not really expensive, and it's not like the company is going bankrupt."

The overall valuation is less than 6 million, and the production capacity after the renovation can reach 5 vehicles per year, which is really a great deal. If it weren't for the repurchase clause in the contract and the company's financial problems, Li Jianxin would never have sold it.

Tan Jincheng wasn't too concerned about the repurchase clause. As long as Changfeng Group survived, it didn't matter. With the help of the automotive qualifications and production lines, they could develop some small-scale operations after the repurchase period ended.

If development fails, it can still be a way to recoup funds. However, if Changfeng Group cannot survive, then this repurchase clause will be invalid.

"2.75 million is indeed not expensive. Today's stock price increase could buy two of them."

"Haha, that's the difference between internet companies and traditional businesses. Just watch, in a few years, there will be more and more internet companies because it's too easy to make money. It's just that we traditional businesses will suffer."

Today alone, the increase in the apparent shareholding of Tan Jincheng is enough to buy the entire Yangtze Automobile Company. The myth of wealth creation through the internet is simply too tempting.

Cheng Hao, who was frustrated in the pig farm, only took two years to start a business together and transformed from a gloomy middle-aged man into a top billionaire with a net worth of nearly 200 million yuan, which means he made a net profit of 100 million yuan a year.

And people like Gu Yanning, who have connections and joined the company right after graduation, have unsurprisingly become millionaires in less than two years.

Born into wealth, Tan Jinyue's older brother casually gave her some shares, which are now worth over 1800 million yuan!
"The 12th is less than a week away, so we might not have much time to play. We need to deal with the share pledge first."

When it comes to raising money through share pledging, Tan Jincheng would naturally look to big investors like Sequoia Capital and Qiming Venture Partners. As for Tencent, Tan Jincheng wouldn't dare to pledge his shares to them. Currently, Tencent Investment holds 10% of Orange Technology's shares.

Tan Jincheng has his own plans regarding the cashing out of Orange Technology.

Gu Qingqing and her family members also hold some hidden shares. They will sell 3.5% of their shares on the secondary market, while she plans to pledge 6.5% of her own shares to raise 10% for cashing out.

Based on the current market value of 9 billion, the reduction in holdings could cash out 3.15 million yuan. Let's say 300 million. The pledged portion will definitely be discounted, but it should be easy to raise 400 to 500 million yuan.

That way, we can raise 8 million.

Orange Technology was originally intended to make money. Tan Jincheng's own investment was no more than 5000 million yuan. Not to mention the cash-out in the previous rounds, what difference would it make if the company lost 8 million yuan?

"You pledge yours, but what about the ones under my name? Should I handle it myself, or should I let President Cheng handle it?"

"Let him handle it. I'm just making some initial discussions. The specific cooperation will have to be formally signed after we get back. Otherwise, it will be a bit troublesome to take the money back with Old Mi."

The old man earns money and the old man spends it. The relationship between the two sides is good now, so the old man doesn't need to worry too much during his term. However, if the amount is too large, it will also be troublesome.

"After you step down from the CEO position, why don't you take a position at ByteDance's advertising platform? That would make it easier to manage our family trust fund." The money from Gu Qingqing's share reduction also belongs to Gu Qingqing. If Tan Jincheng needs to use it, he either has to borrow it or operate through the family trust fund. Compared to borrowing, operating through the family trust fund is better.

The automotive industry chain is a very large industry, and Tan Jincheng cannot keep all the companies under his own name. He needs someone to help him set up other companies.

Married couples are the best community. Although there are cases like seizing the company seal, most of the time it is about shared interests. Even divorces like Zhou Hongyi's are just for the convenience of reducing shareholdings.

Gu Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "It's possible, but the school wants me to be recommended for postgraduate studies, and I'm afraid I don't have that much energy."

Stepping down as CEO doesn't mean Gu Qingqing is completely withdrawing from the operation of Orange Technology. The company needs someone to oversee it, and Tan Jincheng doesn't have that much time to manage it, so it can only be her.

Ningbo University clearly doesn't want to give up this valuable asset; having Gu Qingqing is a guarantee for student recruitment, and Ningbo University's admission scores have risen significantly in the past two years.

A guaranteed spot in a master's program can secure a school's enrollment for the next few years; any school would be happy to accept that.

Graduated students are not as easy to talk to as current students. Yongcheng University is not short of money, but it doesn't mind having a rich student. Gu Qingqing's internet resources and Tan Jincheng's business resources are very useful for the employment of Yongcheng University graduates.

Therefore, even though Gu Qingqing had previously expressed that she didn't want to take the postgraduate entrance exam anymore, the school still tried its best to keep her.

"You don't need to do the specific work. Your role is just to supervise and manage the finances. It's the same with Orange. You're a hands-off manager."

"As for whether or not to pursue a master's degree, that's up to you. You have plenty of time, and I doubt any professor would dare to make things difficult for you as a graduate student. It's up to you when you go."

"I'll go back and think about it. I need to plan my future properly."

"Let's plan the wedding first, haha. We're getting married on National Day, so we can't worry about anything else for now. You'll be Mrs. Tan then."

Five years have passed since his rebirth, and Tan Jincheng has come into contact with far more people than in his previous life.

There are celebrities, intellectuals, and entrepreneurs like Dong Jinggui who came from humble backgrounds. The majority of these are middle-aged people, while the company's employees are mainly young people under 30.

This resulted in Boss Tan having a personality that resembled a dual personality, possessing the shrewdness and composure of a middle-aged person, as well as the mischievousness of a young person in their twenties.

They got their marriage certificate on National Day. As for the wedding, Tan Jincheng didn't plan to have a big celebration, but there should still be some proper ceremonies, not only for Gu Qingqing but also for himself.
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On the first trading day after the May Day holiday, affected by the news of the sale of a subsidiary, the share price of Changfeng Group surged 6.04% to close at 9.65 yuan, and the share price returned to the vicinity of the 10 yuan mark.

Selling a subsidiary is hardly good news, but the announcement also stated that Changfeng Group is about to reach a strategic cooperation agreement with Weilai Automobile, a subsidiary of Shanchi Group.

With Orange Technology's IPO, Tan Jincheng's net worth skyrocketed, placing him at the peak of his fame.

With a large amount of cash at its disposal and Orange Technology's stock price soaring, Boss Tan is ambitiously entering the automotive industry. By associating with such a wealthy and ambitious individual, he can definitely be considered to be riding the wave of popularity.

Stock speculation is all about expectations. If a cooperation agreement had been officially signed with Flashpoint now, the stock price probably wouldn't have risen so much; it might even have plummeted.

However, given this expectation, it is only natural that Changfeng Group's stock price rose against the market trend. Moreover, they have been making every effort to maintain the stock price recently, fearing that the market value would fall below 30 billion yuan.

However, this caused Cheng Linfeng some trouble. With the stock price continuing to rise and the expectation of cooperation, Changfeng Group's stock became quite sought after again, and some institutions and large retail investors were no longer in such a hurry to sell.

Buying is not out of the question, but the price will be higher. As for the acquisitions made before, there's nothing to say about them; we should just accept them.

It has to be said that Changfeng Group knows how to ride the wave of popularity. During the few days that Tan Jincheng stayed in the United States, Li Jianxin also gave several public interviews, praising the corporate culture of Flash and Orange.

He claimed that what was good for the employees and how everyone could make money together was what Tan Jincheng was all about. He was a man of integrity who could speak his mind and was willing to do anything to boost the stock price.

Although there wasn't a huge surge to the daily limit, it must be said that Changfeng Group's stock price performed quite well during the few days Tan Jincheng was in the United States. Instead of falling with the broader market, it followed an independent trend.

Until the day before Tan Jincheng returned to China, Changfeng Group's stock price remained steadily above 9 yuan, returning to the level of early April.

"Hey, Mr. Huang's method works! What are these stock traders after? They actually believe whatever you say."

Huang Ming was a scoundrel. He only cared about lowering the price and negotiating more discounts, without considering whether Cheng Linfeng would cause any trouble. He even gave Li Jianxin some advice.

(End of this chapter)