Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 411 Free Time Before Fame
Chen Xuebing, who was in Shenzhen, hung up the phone with Dong Wenbiao, thought for a while, and then called Yu Zisu of Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group.

"Hello, Mr. Yu."

"Mr. Chen!"

"I'm calling you to explain something: I've temporarily sold my shares in Panzhihua Iron & Steel Group."

"Oh really? I didn't know that. What's wrong?"

When Yu Zisu said he didn't know, Chen Xuebing laughed.

How could Yu Zisu not know that hundreds of millions of yuan of his own listed company had flowed out, and that it involved betting funds? If he said he didn't know, he was just planning to turn a blind eye.

If everyone agrees, Chen Xuebing will stop there, and everyone will pretend they don't know anything.

However, given the immense future potential of Pangang, Chen Xuebing did not want to leave himself with any hidden dangers or disputes.

"Here's the thing, I'm currently acquiring shares in Minsheng Bank, and there's a crucial vote that requires me to increase my stake. I'm short of funds, so I've taken some from Panzhihua Iron & Steel. However, I don't intend to terminate our cooperation with Panzhihua Iron & Steel. I think that when Panzhihua Iron & Steel merges into three entities, it will need to raise funds, and having me as a bridge with Minsheng will provide another avenue, which will also benefit Panzhihua Iron & Steel, right? So, regarding the performance-based agreement, I hope Mr. Yu can help me explain it to the board of directors. I'll send someone over to sign a supplementary clause. If I lose the performance-based agreement, I will buy 7310 million shares of steel and vanadium from the stock market to compensate Panzhihua Iron & Steel."

The 0.5% stake in Minsheng Bank that Ren Ying contributed was funds he withdrew from Panzhihua Iron & Steel Group. With the recent good stock market performance, it was easy to enter and exit the market. The 7310 million shares were sold for 6.7 million yuan without much discount.

Minsheng Bank previously had a total market value of 1200 billion yuan, and a 0.5% stake should have been worth 6 million yuan. However, recently everyone has been secretly scrambling for shares, which has pushed up the market value of Minsheng Bank by more than 100 billion yuan. With his 6.7 million yuan, he only got a 0.5% stake.

The steel and vanadium company has stockpiled a large amount of long-term contract iron ore, which has huge potential for future appreciation. He plans to hold it for the long term. However, the news of Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group's large-scale purchase of iron ore has caused quite a stir in the industry, which has already slightly pushed up the price of ore. Last month, news also came out that Vale of Brazil and ThyssenKrupp of Germany had reached a 9.5% benchmark price increase. Steel and vanadium stocks have risen by 1.2 times along with the bullish sentiment, and some of the appreciation potential has already been realized.

In addition, since the livelihood issues are proceeding as planned, he has already set conditions with Dong Wenbiao. It is impossible for him to negotiate in his capacity as a "fund director." He also needs to hold some shares himself, become an individual shareholder, and place the fund's shares behind him.

Therefore, this individual equity investment will not be withdrawn from Minsheng Bank and will instead return to Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group.

Yu Zisu breathed a sigh of relief when Chen Xuebing was so frank.

He initially thought that Chen Xuebing's abrupt withdrawal of the money indicated a problem with the company's cash flow.

The acquisition of shares in China Minsheng Bank shows that not only is Mr. Chen's funding not in question, but his ambitions are also growing.

The key point is that Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group did make money.

From January to April, spot prices for Indian iron ore rose from $75/ton to $100/ton. Cyclones in Australia and the rainy season in Brazil caused supply disruptions in both regions. Now, Vale of Brazil and ThyssenKrupp of Germany have taken the lead in raising prices for China from the source. Australian miner BHP Billiton is demanding that Chinese steel mills pay an additional $8/ton for ocean freight on top of the benchmark price.

Now, 16 steel mills, led by Baosteel, have refused to accept this and have started negotiations with BHP Billiton.

The signs of shortages are becoming increasingly clear.

Pangang is not among these 16 companies. Its 2065 million tons of long-term contracted iron ore has become a hot commodity. Due to the influence of source price and freight, the price increase should be at least 25%, referencing the Indian market.

Once the weakest of the four major steel companies, it is now being overrun by steel mills.

Chen Xuebing refused to allow the sale, and even when the China Iron and Steel Association came to him, the sale was still not allowed. He claimed that there were multiple factors contributing to the price increase, and although Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group is a policy-driven enterprise, the current shortage is enormous, and it is not something that Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group alone can alleviate by releasing goods.

Moreover, Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group itself is at a critical juncture and needs money for development.

Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group (Pangang) became increasingly confident in General Manager Chen's judgment, and the chairman and general manager jointly ordered the company to close its doors to visitors.

Yu Zisu recently experienced the thrill of rising tides and felt extremely pleased.

"Did Mr. Chen also vote for a bank? What were the voting results?"

"The result is ideal, and it should be published in the newspaper tomorrow."

"Haha. Great news! That's fantastic! Our strategic partner gaining influence in such a large bank will undoubtedly have a huge impact on our reforms! This is easy, I'll go talk to them!"

It's just mutual flattery. If Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group needs money, it has the low interest rates of policy banks like the China Development Bank, so it doesn't care about the interest rates of commercial banks.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Yu. I also thank Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group for their support."

"Haha, let's support each other!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Xuebing smiled and hung up the phone, thus settling all the important matters of the day.

He looked at the men and women gathering seafood on the long beach in the distance and waved to Yang Qingyue.

Although Yang Qingyue was playing and talking, she kept glancing in Chen Xuebing's direction. When she saw him beckoning, she got up and came over, lifting the hem of her long skirt.

A gentle breeze blew by, and her light blue dress accentuated her straight and slender legs, while her hair swayed gently.

Chen Xuebing recalled that in his previous life, Yang Qingyue, who was thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, still looked as youthful as an apple. He suddenly wanted to make a youth-themed movie about her to record this moment.

"Is it fun?" Chen Xuebing asked with a smile.

There were only some small crabs and shellfish on the beach. He wasn't interested in this kind of playful, fruitless beachcombing, but he saw that Yang Qingyue was having a lot of fun.

Today he booked restaurants and hotels in Dameisha and asked Yang Qingyue to invite a few of her roommates and their boyfriends over. With so many people accompanying her, it was easier for him to work nearby.

"I hunted for you!" Yang Qingyue handed over a round, white seashell with a smile. "Look, doesn't it look like the moon? Here, take it and let it keep you company next time you work overtime."

Chen Xuebing took the moon, still warm in his palm, and felt a warmth spread through him. He teased, "Other people's tokens of love are diamond rings, but mine has become a seashell?"

“Diamonds are too cold,” she said in a soft, coquettish voice. “This is so much better; it’s made from the sea and sunshine.”

"Tsk tsk, Shenzhen University's talented women are indeed cultured. If this sentence were made into an advertisement and broadcast overseas, the stock prices of global diamond companies would drop by at least 10%, and the stocks of seaside development companies would rise accordingly."

Chen Xuebing chatted idly with a smile.

He only talks nonsense like this in front of close people. If someone with a discerning eye heard this, they might actually think he's trying to create some kind of publicity stunt.

However, to those who don't know him, these words have a different meaning.

"Hey, Qingyue, your boyfriend who works in investment is pretty dedicated. He's usually too busy with work to spend time with you, but now that he's finally here, he keeps talking about finance. He's got a real elite vibe."

Several classmates followed Yang Qingyue, one of whom spoke with a teasing tone.

If a man said that, there would be a bunch of people pretending to be weak while actually being strong today, and the Dragon King would be incredibly awesome.

But the person who said this was a girl, and she seemed to have a good relationship with Yang Qingyue, so Chen Xuebing just chuckled.

Seeing Chen Xuebing's "frivolous smile," the girl became even more impolite: "Let me tell you, Qingyue is too honest and easily bullied. She can tolerate it, but we can't stand it. Who works all day long? I've seen plenty of people in finance who say they're entertaining clients, but they're always going to nightclubs. You're about our age, so you're probably just a VP, right? You're so busy, still getting calls even after coming to Shenzhen? Can't you ask for a day off? Which organization do you work for?"

Before Chen Xuebing could even speak, he turned to Yang Qingyue and said, "Qingyue, you're treating her like a treasure, aren't you going to introduce her to us?"

His rapid-fire Beijing accent left the two of them speechless.

Yang Qingyue was a little embarrassed: "Oh dear! He's really busy! His name is Chen Xuebing." As she spoke, she introduced Chen Xuebing, "Her name is Bao Rong, she's my roommate, and we've always been like this."

She only introduced the names of both parties, but still did not introduce Chen Xuebing's identity.

She usually only talks about her boyfriend with close classmates, and that her boyfriend is very busy with work. She only mentioned "making investments" today to appease her classmates who were asking about it.

She knew Chen Xuebing's identity very well, and if she revealed it, the media might pay attention.

I wonder if there will be any negative consequences.

Chen Xuebing was indeed quite afraid of the media digging into his past and had expressed his concerns to Yang Qingyue, but he doesn't care anymore. He and Xin Mengzhen have already "reconciled."

He smiled and said, "Oh, I work at Gu'an Group."

Then, seeing the doubt in Bao Rong's eyes, and a hint of interest in learning about his company's reputation, he said, "Changzheng Capital, you know it now? Don't pretend you know finance if you don't."

Bao Rong was stumped by the word "Long March." She really didn't know anything about the Long March. The few large financial companies she had heard of were all things she had heard about from her father, who worked at a securities company. She had just wanted to expose Chen Xuebing's so-called "investment man" identity, since there were quite a few people who made up stories these days, and they would be exposed as soon as she pointed it out. But now that he had actually mentioned a company name, she was a bit clueless.

"Among domestic investment companies, I only know E Fund! All the big investment banks I've heard of are Goldman Sachs and SoftBank! You know SoftBank, right? The one that invested in Yahoo and Alibaba! The richest man in Asia!"

Her financial knowledge was indeed limited, and in order to suppress Chen Xuebing's arrogance, she always exaggerated.

Chen Xuebing laughed: "You said that of these three, only Goldman Sachs is an investment bank, and investment banks are responsible for listing and recommendation business. E Fund is one of the 'old ten' mutual funds, responsible for public fundraising and stock market investment management. SoftBank is an investment holding company, which profits by acquiring equity in other companies using personal funds and IPO financing."

"Oh? You actually know that?" With just a few words, Bao Rong was at least certain that the other person wasn't a low-level swindler, so her tone softened a bit. "So, what type of company is yours?"

"Us? We're like SoftBank, we have some cooperation with SoftBank."

Actually, there was some cooperation with Goldman Sachs, but Chen Xuebing was dissatisfied with Goldman Sachs.

E Fund is only larger in terms of fundraising scale, and its current returns are just average. Their top fund manager, Xiao Jian, of E Fund Strategy Growth Hybrid Fund, often calls Kan Zhidong to ask for advice, claiming to be Kan's protégé.

"You can even cooperate with SoftBank?" Bao Rong was a little surprised. "What's your position in your company?"

Chen Xuebing smiled and said, "Chairman."

The air is stagnant.

Are you kidding me?

Bao Rong realized that the other party was playing a trick on her, and she blushed a little.

"You...you're Chen Xuebing? Is it really Chen Xuebing?" A trendy-looking boy finally asked with a hint of disbelief.

"You know him? He looks a lot like me." Chen Xuebing became interested.

He wasn't really sure how famous he was. In any case, apart from being followed by reporters, his daily life was hardly bothered. He was never blocked on the street. Even when he took the initiative to introduce himself, the other person would have to stare at his face repeatedly after hearing his name before they could possibly confirm his identity.

Just like this boy.

In this day and age, the lack of multimedia networks has reduced a lot of trouble for him.

However, this is probably his last bit of freedom, at most this year, maybe sooner. After that, if he wants to go shopping or anything, he'll have to wear sunglasses.

"I know! I know! What do you mean 'looks alike'? How could someone have the exact same face and name? It's you! I've seen your press conference! I'm even a fan of your blog!" The boy's voice became excited.

"Hiss—it's that one! That Kirin phone—" Another boy who came over holding Bao Rong's hand also looked shocked. "Weibo!! Bao Rong, the Weibo we were talking about this morning! It's from their company! Yes! Singularity Technology!"

Bao Rong was completely stunned.

Chen Xuebing laughed and counted the heads. Apart from Yang Qingyue, there were seven people.

Not bad, three-sevenths of the young people present already know about the Singularity.

The Long March was a game for a select few; it's best if the average person doesn't know about it.

It's too early to say that Gu'an Real Estate's brand needs to be spread through scale and quality.

The singularity's fame, however, is very important.

A group of people started chattering, discussing Chen Xuebing's background.

"Really? Such a big boss! Qingyue, you've never mentioned this before!" Bao Rong's tone had lost its previous sharpness, replaced by immense confusion and a hint of embarrassment. "You said last time he treated his office like home and ate instant noodles every meal."

Yang Qingyue tightened her grip on the hem of her skirt, becoming somewhat nervous.

"He gets busy. That's how it is."

“That was true before.” Chen Xuebing stood up, put his arm around Yang Qingyue, and smiled calmly, “How about we try some activities? Haven’t you always wanted to try that jet ski? I’ll take you.”

He has no interest in showing off in front of others; it would be a waste of time for him now, and he can no longer integrate into the world of ordinary people.

However, enjoying ordinary life with important people remains his way of resting his soul.

"Okay!" Yang Qingyue exclaimed happily.

"Hey, hey, he hasn't admitted it yet! Is it really that person?" A girl still couldn't believe that such an important person had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"Yes! Aren't you Chen Xuebing?"

“Yes.” Chen Xuebing led Yang Qingyue toward the beach project area.

"Is it Chen Xuebing?"

"you guess."

"Qingyue! With such an important person hiding in your family, you're too approachable!"

"Mr. Chen, can we take a photo together? I promise I won't post it on my blog!"

"Jet skis, one on each side, if you win I'll take a picture with you! But I can't post it on my blog, only on Weibo!"

The following morning, at the Huanggang Port in Shenzhen.

"Mr. Chen!"

"boss Zhang!"

"President Cao!"

A group of well-known internet figures gathered here and, led by the Shenzhen-Hong Kong service company, entered the "Privilege Pass" VIP lounge to wait for a while. They were exempted from the "Immigration Declaration Form" and only underwent a small amount of manual verification before boarding a white Toyota Coaste bus with a Guangdong-Hong Kong license plate to go to Shekou Port to board the ship.

The business company made thorough preparations. This bus has a rare dual-license plate (Shenzhen-Hong Kong), allowing it to travel with the ferry and accompany everyone on the entire Shenzhen-Hong Kong journey.

Once on the ferry to Central, the conversation became lively.

"Mr. Chen, I heard you've done something big again! You've stolen from the homes of Mr. Cao, Mr. Zhang, and Mr. Ding??"

As soon as Jack Ma, who had organized everyone to come, boarded the ship, he winked at Chen Xuebing, his tone seemingly filled with righteous indignation, but the joy in his eyes was evident.

Chen Xuebing actually opened the door to the portal website!
Mr. Chen, teach them a lesson!

Chen Xuebing frowned, looking confused: "What's the big deal?"

The internet tycoons exchanged bewildered glances, and the atmosphere became somewhat strange.

(End of this chapter)