A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 42: A show of force

When night falls, it is the best time to reflect the gap between the rich and the poor in Shanghaitan.

The poor live in shanty towns, enduring no lights, no running water, and even hunger and cold; while the rich hold cocktail parties in luxurious villas or go to entertainment venues with bright lights and wine to buy prostitutes.

Chen Guangliang, who changed into a suit, finally experienced for the first time the life of the rich in this era.

He took his own rickshaw to No. 203 Yingchunfang, Lane 13, Hubei Road.

It happened that other guests came, and they were actually riding in cars. Gu's disciples opened the car door for them, and they were treated with great respect.

In contrast, Chen Guangliang could only get off the rickshaw and walk towards the Gu family’s gate.

"Sir, do you have an invitation?"

The people in front didn't even need to show their invitations, but when it came to him, the Gu family disciples had to show their invitations.

Of course, Chen Guangliang still took out the invitation.

"It's Mr. Chen, please come in!"

It's not really a matter of making things difficult, but it is also a matter of "serving different people differently".

"Welcome, Mr. Chen"

The one who came to greet him was Sun Yingjie.

"Manager Sun"

Chen Guangliang took off his hat and handed it to the servant, then walked into the party hall under the guidance of Sun Yingjie.

This is the large living room on the first floor of the villa. It can easily accommodate dozens of people for a party, and there is even space for a dance floor.

"Mr. Chen, take your time, I'll go entertain others!"

"Manager Sun, please."

In this way, Chen Guangliang was "abandoned" and walked around the party alone.

No one would care about a small character like him, and no one would come to say hello to him.

If it were a human being, he would naturally feel uncomfortable, but Chen Guangliang didn't care.

He is a time traveler who has infinite confidence in his future prospects. Although he is still a small figure today, he is very rich in his heart.

So he didn't feel embarrassed about being ignored by everyone, but moved around the party freely.

There were about twenty guests tonight, many of whom came with their female relatives.

"Thank you"

Seeing a servant carrying foreign wine, Chen Guangliang took a glass with a simple "thank you".

Of course, there is no need to give tips in such occasions. After all, the servants are all from the Gu family and they don’t have to worry about food, clothing or other expenses.

If the guest gives it, it will actually be seen as disparaging the host.

Holding a glass of wine, he continued to wander around the party, looking for his target.

"Mr. Gao, what do you think of the future trend of Shanghai Real Estate?"

"It's hard to say. The Nationalist government is winning victory after victory across the country. I wonder if they will consider taking back the concessions."

"That makes sense. The British began increasing their troops by 1.6 at the beginning of this year. Other countries have also increased their troops and conducted frequent military exercises. The atmosphere is quite tense."

Seeing several people sitting around on the sofa, discussing real estate and securities, Chen Guangliang took the initiative to step forward.

“I don’t think this is a crisis!”

The five or six people gathered around looked at Chen Guangliang, and one of them said, "What do you think, sir?"

Seeing this, Chen Guangliang naturally came to the side of the few people, then said with a smile: "As of now, the Nationalist government has no intention of taking back the concession, which is not in their own interests. So this is not a crisis, but a godsend opportunity for us business people." "Please advise"

Chen Guangliang continued, "First, the Nationalist government intended to control the national economy by controlling the Shanghai economy. Therefore, they would not sabotage it. On the contrary, they established a special city last month. This intention is already very clear."

"Secondly, have you noticed that intellectuals and wealthy individuals from across the country are flocking to Shanghai because other places are unsafe for them? These people have brought knowledge and wealth to Shanghai, and I believe much of this wealth will flow into real estate and the stock market."

"Third, the world's leading economic power, the United States, has seen significant growth in both real estate and the economy in recent years, fully demonstrating that the international economic situation is also very bright."

"That's why I said this is an opportunity for the Shanghai Stock Exchange."

Chen Guangliang spoke boastfully and soon everyone nodded in agreement.

He didn't care about making friends with "like-minded" people. After all, the little money he had invested in real estate and securities wouldn't even make a ripple.

Not to mention, his words will not become golden sayings - asking these people to immediately take out all their assets to gamble will at most make everyone feel that it makes sense and use it as a reference for their own investment.

Just like the speeches of some experts, they have a certain influence, but it is also limited.

at this time.

Gu Zhuxuan, standing on the second floor, with Sun Yingjie beside him, was looking at the party on the first floor.

When he saw Chen Guangliang mingle among the celebrities at the party, talking big and making his guests nod frequently, he smiled and walked downstairs.

In fact, he wanted to give Chen Guangliang a warning tonight.

In his opinion, if Chen Guangliang, a peasant, had achieved his current success solely by luck and a little cleverness, then he would certainly not be able to adapt to this evening party, as if he was a person from two different societies.

In this way, he could hit Chen Guangliang's morale, demonstrate his own power, and achieve "victory without fighting."

Chen Guangliang's remarks sparked the interest and goodwill of several people present. One of them said, "I haven't asked this gentleman's name yet, and what industry he is in?"

Gu Zhuxuan came over from behind and said with a smile, "This is my little brother, Chen Guangliang. He's in the rickshaw business just like me, and he also started from scratch. Please take care of him!"

Everyone was surprised, thinking that Chen Guangliang must be from a wealthy family to have such knowledge.

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Mr. Gu is right and wrong. I do run a small rickshaw business, but Mr. Gu's business has long since expanded to include theaters, restaurants, teahouses, and the shipping industry. It's not just a rickshaw business, so I can't compare to him at all!"

"Ha ha"

"Haha!" Gu Zhuxuan laughed happily, and then he took the initiative to introduce Chen Guangliang: "Guangliang, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Cheng, the general manager of the Shanghai branch of Jincheng Bank."

Chen Guangliang took the initiative to extend his hand, bowed and said: "Hello, Mr. Cheng"

"Hello"

Gu Zhuxuan continued to introduce: "This is Mr. Wu, a real estate tycoon. This is Mr. Jiang, a well-known lawyer. This is Dr. Gao, the attending physician."

They are all well-known figures, even the "doctors and lawyers" are wealthy and have high status.

After the introduction, Gu Zhuxuan took the initiative to say, "I heard you were discussing real estate just now. Are there any good opportunities?"

Manager Cheng of Jincheng Bank smiled and said, "It's Mr. Gu's words that make us feel very reasonable. He said that these three points are indeed very reasonable!"

Gu Zhuxuan was on the second floor and couldn't hear clearly, so he said in surprise: "So, real estate prices will increase in the next few years?"

After saying that, he looked at Chen Guangliang.

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "In theory, that's right. Shanghai will have a wave of development opportunities in the future, which may last for many years."

“Haha, that’s insightful!”

Since then, Chen Guangliang has received several business cards, including one from Cheng Zikang, the general manager of Jincheng Bank's Shanghai branch.

Chen Guangliang had some knowledge about this bank. He knew that in the 1930s during the Republic of China, this bank and the Shanghai Commercial Savings Bank were both leading private banks, and the deposits of the two banks were ranked first and second alternately.

It just so happened that Jincheng Bank was a northern bank (the head office moved to Shanghai in the 1930s), and Shanghai Commercial Savings Bank was a southern bank, one in the south and one in the north.

(End of this chapter)