Reinventing the Millennium

"What? Son, are you one of the ten richest people in the country?"

"Mom, Hurun's rankings are all bullshit."

"What? You have a net worth of $450 million?"

"Mom, Hurun didn't even call me. What nonsense."

"What? The Internet also says that you are the richest person in Shanghai?"

"...Mom, are you listening to me?"

On the morning of New Year's Eve, Fang Zhuo was sitting cross-legged on the sofa watching TV with gusto, and then he saw his mother coming out holding a notebook.

Zhao Shumei didn't know how to use a laptop at first. Later, in order to find out what kind of economic activities her son was doing, she learned to use a laptop to surf the Internet flexibly.

She pointed at the screen and asked, "How can such a big ranking be bullshit?"

Fang Zhuo nodded and said seriously: "Of course, how can I get 450 million US dollars? It's too little."

Sina's stock price has been soaring, Yike's products have outperformed the two countries, and Medical Science has also been able to exert its strength due to the development of its software business. This does not include the fund's profits.

In terms of net worth alone, US$450 million is unstoppable. Of course, most of it will not be realized.

Zhao Shumei was choked and was stunned for a while before saying: "Is it too late for you to write a co-author?"

"No, that's why I said he was lying." Fang Zhuo said seriously.

Zhao Shumei looked at her son blankly, then turned around to yell at her husband, younger brother, sister-in-law, and niece to inform them of the news about the rich list.

In the next half day, Fang Zhuo's rare time watching TV was sacrificed.

Several people were holding notebooks dangling in front of their eyes, and they were contributing clicks to Sina News without even looking at other websites.

He is ranked ninth in the country on the ranking list, but Sina.com was the first to call his boss "the richest man in Shanghai".

The ninth one is not as majestic as the richest man, not to mention that the city of Shanghai is also very famous.

"You are not only the richest man in Shanghai, but also the richest man in our county." Zhao Shumei sighed with emotion.

"Yes, damn it, I'm obviously a county rich man." Fang Zhuo nodded repeatedly and pretended to be emotional.

Zhao Shumei stared at her son and marveled: "You don't look like the richest man, do you?"

Fang Zhuo took a handful of beans and asked, "What should the richest man look like?"

The younger sister next to her, Zhao Suqi, said solemnly: "Surrounded by stars, people are drinking and drinking, hugging each other, taking care of everything."

"Is there something wrong with your thinking? Aunt, aunt, don't you educate Qi Qi?" Fang Zhuo turned around and shouted.

Zhao Suqi quickly sought her aunt's support: "Aunt, do you think so?"

Zhao Shumei thought for two seconds and then nodded.

Isn’t that what the real richest man should be like?

He looks nothing like his son. The way he sits on the edge of the sofa and plucks beans really doesn't match the title of "the richest man."

"Qiqi, go to my bedroom and get my mobile phone and laptop and turn them on." Fang Zhuo was helpless, hugging him from left to right and unable to see him. He could always let his mother take a look at everything he had to do.

Soon, the turned-on mobile phone and the laptop logged into QQ were placed on the table.

There is almost no gap. The phone buzzes and vibrates, and the laptop emits chat messages intensively.

Fang Zhuo turned off his cell phone when he got up in the morning, but he also knew that the messages at this moment must contain both New Year greetings and congratulations.

The rich list has a strange magic power for the current era. Those who are on the list may not want to go up, and those who are not selected may be disappointed. Those at the top are fearful or proud, and those at the bottom are resentful or disdainful.

As for the onlookers, some sneered, some were envious, some entertained people according to their names, and some checked taxes according to the list.

But it is undeniable that it can focus on the media and has a huge influence in the country.

Hurun chose the release time this year very thoughtfully, giving those who pay attention to this list a lot more to talk about during the Chinese New Year.

Forbes China Rich List has a total of 100 people. The richest man in the country is Rong Zhijian with assets of US$850 million, and the 100th shortlisted is Sun Shilin with assets of US$84 million.

It just so happens that the core business of this list is real estate, which is the epitome of this list - most of them are real estate developers.

Fang Zhuo saw acquaintances on it, such as Wu Zheng, a member of the board of directors of Sina, who made the list with Sunshine Culture, which was listed in Xiangjiang. There were also people whose names he knew but had never met, such as Cao Dewang, who was ranked 95th, and Li Shufu, who was ranked 54th.

In addition, Ding Lei and Zhang Chaoyang, who he thought should be on the list, were not included in the list.

Looking through the rankings, it turns out that the only person in charge of China Portal is himself, and the IT industry has no performance at all.

This is somewhat dazzling.

Sure enough, the text messages Fang Zhuo received on his phone contained media interview invitations. Some even listed interview outlines to show their sincerity, and there were questions on the IT industry that were so few on the list.

This is not a small media, but this is how people react to today’s Forbes rankings.

Fang Zhuo also understood that this was related to the fact that he had appeared on the stage of CCTV programs twice and was firmly optimistic about the Internet industry, but what could he say?

Do you blame Ma Huateng for not working hard and making good use of your money?

As he thought this, he actually saw Pony Ma's congratulations in the New Year's message.

"The spring of the Internet has come, and the IT industry will bring more and more wealth. I am a little surprised that my name appears on this list, but more joy comes from the fact that I am almost certain that it will be the IT industry. A signal to achieve great things. Good luck in the Year of the Sheep. I’ll teach you how to make money when I have time.”

Fang Zhuo edited a text message to reply to Pony Ma, then threw the phone to his sister and said: "Qiqi, please change the last sentence of my text message to a blessing, and then reply to those Internet people who sent text messages."

This is not the first time that Zhao Suqi has done this job. He responded to the New Year message from Sina President to domestic Internet speakers or executives with ease.

"You didn't even reply by yourself? Did you also copy it?" Mother Zhao Shumei watched this scene. Now she is racking her brains not to repeat the words when she receives text messages.

Fang Zhuo replied calmly: "The richest man is just perfunctory like this."

Zhao Shumei: "..."

Soon, she felt something more special about the richest man in the family.

“That’s how the richest man doesn’t make the dumplings but only tastes them.”

"The richest man just sits there and watches TV with his head bent."

In the evening alone, Zhao Shumei's patience with the richest man in Shanghai was exhausted. She found it natural to scold him again and had the full confidence to say, "You are the richest man and I am the richest man's mother."

On New Year's Eve, the family was watching the Spring Festival Gala in the living room. Fang Zhuo's cell phone gradually became quiet after being bombarded with calls and text messages. He kept replying with blessings.

A while later, after watching Zhao Benshan's sketch "Heart Disease", leader Zheng Danrui, who had already celebrated the New Year, called me.

"Mr. Fang, happy New Year." Zheng Danrui only exchanged greetings and asked directly, "I just saw that Mr. Fang was on Forbes today. Congratulations."

Fang Zhuo also said Happy New Year, but it felt strange to hear such a congratulation expressed by a dignified deputy mayor. His mind was spinning rapidly and he smiled:

"I didn't expect that I would be listed on the Forbes list, but that's right. The companies under my name are either listed with figures, or their valuations have been disclosed through the media. They are clean and easy to calculate."

Zheng Danrui had to lament that Fang Zhuo on the other end of the phone was a smart man and responded too quickly to one sentence. The four words "innocent" were very important.

He said "hmm" and asked more bluntly: "What is your company's financial and tax situation?"

"Absolutely normal." Fang Zhuo assured, "There is no tax evasion at all, and the tax refund for Yike's export products is completely normal. Our company has no idea of ​​tampering in this regard."

Zheng Danrui felt relieved and warned: "Please pay more attention, this list may not be all good things."

"Yes, thank you for your concern, Brother Zheng. My company will definitely be fine." Fang Zhuo was wondering if this person had any rumors, but even if he didn't, he meant well.

The current Forbes list is also jokingly called the "Pig Killing List" or the "Prisoner List", a bit like the "King of Standards" in CCTV advertisements a few years ago. The media focus has brought rich people such as Yang Rong and Yang Bin to the judicial process. trial.

call ended.

Fang Zhuo carefully thought about his behavior and confirmed that there was generally nothing wrong with it. Yike and Medical Branch were not afraid of investigation. The fund's scope of operations so far was abroad. Even when it comes to the Anliang Chamber of Commerce, people must be allowed to have financial management concepts. ah.

There was no other news on New Year's Eve. With the sound of firecrackers bidding farewell to the new year, the family was scheduled for a physical examination after the new year.

According to Fang Shaofu, his medical group has preferential cooperation with the hospital, and not having a physical examination will waste the quota...

Anyway, he forcefully stated that the family physical examination will be a reserved item every year in the future, and that we must pay attention to our health, so that we can enjoy the wealth of the "richest man".

The parents complained a little, but their son was firm and agreed.

"After all, I have to make a living under the richest man in the future." Mother Zhao Shumei learned to use the word "richest man" to joke.

"Mom, you can get your driver's license if you have time. My dad gave you a jade bracelet during the Chinese New Year, and I can give you a car," Fang Zhuo said.

"Let your dad drive. He always brags about how good his truck skills are." Zhao Shumei smiled, "Now I have a chance to show off."

Fang Zhuo looked at his father and considered adding another family car. The Audi A6 was a good choice.

Or, since my parents are willing to come to Shanghai, can they buy a property and no longer rent it?

He talked about this topic with his mother, and by the way, they talked about the domestic housing price trend. After his uncle and his father joined the discussion, he talked about the prosperity of the U.S. real estate market.

By the time dinner started, the topic had turned to the current international situation, whether the United States would use force against Iraq, and how the situation in the Gulf would develop.

My father and uncle each had their own opinions, and the debate was very heated.

Fang Zhuo stood on the sidelines and just said he didn't understand anything when asked. Listening to the discussion was like "just listen to what you say."

The end of the year is slowly passed by adjusting to and ridiculing the richest man, planning for the future of the family, and discussing national events.

…

In comparison, another rich man, Xu Mingchang, had a less comfortable New Year.

The old city renovation in Jing'an District, Shanghai has been completed, but the demolition work has not gone smoothly and has also caused some dissatisfaction from the administrative department.

This dissatisfaction became even deeper after residents persisted in complaining a year ago.

However, on New Year's Eve, Xu Mingchang saw the 2002 Forbes rich list. His assets had improved, but he was still behind Fang Zhuo's ninth place.

Xu Mingchang was very unhappy.

Immediately, something even more unpleasant happened. Sina.com, owned by Fang Zhuo, publicly shouted, "The richest man in Shanghai has changed hands."

Xu Mingchang believes that this kind of behavior is shameless. He earned his reputation as the "richest man in Shanghai" by buying a mansion in Xiangjiang that is comparable to the rich man Liu Luanxiong, operating and controlling listed companies, and spending money on different occasions.

Why can a website change owners with just a few words?

Is it just based on Hurun’s messy lists?

Xu Mingchang had an unhappy New Year, and even wondered whether Fang Zhuo, who had a strong presence recently, was related to the renovation of the old city.

It may not be an immediate conflict of interest, but someone may want to gain something by doing something for themselves.

Xu Mingchang had behaved like this towards others before, so it was natural for him to have such suspicions.

This mood lasted until I was participating in a mahjong game. The table mates chatted about the Forbes rankings and jokingly asked Xu Mingchang to try to catch up. Xu Mingchang suddenly changed his face and expressed his real dissatisfaction.

Although the others are not as rich as Xu Mingchang, they are also prominent local figures.

The game ended unhappily.

Xu Mingchang was even more annoyed by this incident.

He became even more dissatisfied with his name. He remembered the last time he was dissatisfied with this list. At that time, he revealed through the media that he had assets close to 15 billion Huaxia coins.

This time, Hurun obviously calculated the ranking based on the self-exposure last time. It is really a pheasant list.

Xu Mingchan was very dissatisfied and decided to do it this way.

However, the rich man did not have a media company under him, so he had to take the initiative to contact the media if he wanted to speak out. He simply did not ask his subordinates to do anything, and directly found the number of the editor-in-chief of Shanghai Media and called him.

"I am Xu Mingchang."

"Hello, I want to break the news."

"No, it's not a revelation, it's a correction. There's something wrong with Hurun's estimation of the Forbes rankings. Please give me the entire interview later."

"I want to talk about the significance of the renovation of our old city in Shanghai for urban development, and by the way, I want to talk about the absurdity of a list like Forbes'."

Xu Mingchang also had his own considerations in his momentary mood. The renovation of the old city in Jing'an District was highly valued by the superiors, and it was now more stringent than in the previous two years. He could consider another way to exert influence.

As a native of Shanghai, Xu Mingchang can grasp the local people's views on the city and wealth. He has always been good at shaping public image. He has gained many practical benefits and conveniences by using the title of "Shanghai's richest man" .

In this way, Xu Mingchang, who is suspected to be the former richest man in Shanghai, made an appointment with a media to conduct an exclusive interview on February 28th, focusing on the development of his own companies, and also talked about how a Shanghai native made great changes in Hong Kong, and how he interacted with those wealthy people in Hong Kong. Talking and laughing.