Shengsheng

As soon as Mr. Qu said this, Liang Sheng's playful smile that was still on the bright side also paused.

He almost thought that he had heard something wrong, but after his expression calmed down a little, his sober mind quickly became active.

He couldn't help thinking in his heart that the timing of Mr. Qu's words didn't sound right.

Why in the first few minutes, he was chatting with himself about the situation in the shopping mall and his life ideals with good wine and good food, but suddenly the conversation changed and he started to ask about his old background.

Liang Sheng thought this way because he was really unfamiliar with Qu Chao.

Although he knows that Mr. Qu is very powerful, he neither understands Qu Chao's personality nor his specific attitude towards low-level people, so he still has something to ask for next year's investment. It is inevitable that he will be up and down.

Seeing this, Qu Chao, who was still holding Liang Sheng's vegetables and pouring wine with chopsticks, was unmoved.

During the process, he drank more and ate less food. Most of the locals in Yunnan can drink quite a lot, and Qu Chao is obviously the same. Therefore, after drinking a series of red wine and white wine before, the face of Qu, who is still not talking much, is still a little bit. no change.

But even after drinking for three rounds, his unfathomable face, like a clay bodhisattva, seemed to be observing Liang Sheng's series of subtle facial reactions caused by his own words.

"...Qu, Brother Qu, you are just joking with me. Do you want to invest in the development of the next stage of the 'Maojin' assembly line...how can you have anything to do with my family...and Brother Cao The family is kind to me, and my younger brother is also my treasure. I can't lose this kind of thing..."

Probably because he really didn't dare to talk nonsense, and offended a big man like Qu Chao who he couldn't afford to offend.

Liang Sheng, who lowered his posture as much as possible, thought about it, and still opened the corners of his mouth to beg for mercy with a playful smile, but his mouth was also trying to enliven the atmosphere of stalemate between each other.

However, he hadn't finished his words trying to smooth things over, but Qu Chao, who seemed to be intentional, interrupted him again in a neutral manner.

"Liang Sheng."

Even though he just called out so lightly, Liang Sheng, who had clenched his palms tightly, immediately felt a nervous 'thump' in his heart.

Because he found that the corner of Qu Chao's eyes did not seem to be joking, and even his every move was actually an insight into his inner thoughts.

Thinking of this, Liang Sheng, whose back was a little hairy, seemed to have swallowed a big rock in his throat, unable to swallow it or spit it out.

Just waiting for Qu Chao to want to say something more, but as expected, the boss was not joking with him here at all, but continued to say with a flat expression,

"In your eyes, what are the numbers you can't understand that the stock exchange saw today?"

"number?"

Hearing this, Liang Sheng was taken aback.

As a layman who didn't know anything about investment and management before today, this very high-level question is obviously not something he can answer with his level of education.

"In Western market investment science, all numerical variables represent the original value of commodities and currencies."

"Price, value?"

"Well, the value of commodities, the value of currency, as you can see, the numbers on those big boards are all floating, even changing almost every moment, which is the same as the value of items that change every day in the big picture of the market The same, but the numbers are changeable and controllable, and that kind of law can be completely changed by human beings, and those who have the ability to master such manipulation ability are those with real trading ability.

"..."

"Liang Sheng, considering the talent you showed in the initial stage of managing 'Maojin', I have reason to believe that your mode of thinking is not conservative, or that your personality is naturally suitable for occupations with all risks. In your eyes, you know how to maximize the value of things in a correct and labor-saving way, so how much value do you think Boss Cao's family and your brother have in themselves compared to your value?

"..."

That's a bit cruel and inhumane to say.

But from a person like Qu Chao who follows absolute pragmatism in everything and converts everything into the greatest value, it can be foreseen that he will ask Liang Sheng such a question at this moment.

"Everything is about judgment and trade-offs. You are a smart person. We have spent half of our life in business just to break out of our own territory in this world. You are still young, and you will understand in the future that in the face of absolute financial interests, Some things are really not worth mentioning.”

"..."

"Boss Cao and his wife are kind to you, but they don't need to drag the charity of their family like you are now. The business in your factory has not yet been fully rolled out, and the opening documents from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau have not yet been issued. After being approved, the disadvantages of the joint stock system of some small enterprises have not yet been revealed."

"..."

"But sooner or later you will understand that after a company or any kind of business model gradually expands in scale, the most direct relationship is the conflict of interests. The relationship between family and friends is extremely fragile and unreliable in front of money. The most hurtful thing is to keep playing tricks with outsiders, and to turn against the people you once trusted the most. They are your benefactors, but they are also the people who are likely to hold you back and make you unable to do anything in the future."

"..."

Having said that, it was a condescension tonight, and Qu Chao, who helped him analyze all the pros and cons, also put the Furong King in his hand in the ashtray and dropped a little ash.

The way that finger gently pressed the soot was as casual as if it had run over an ant that was too weak to resist.

Sure enough, as soon as the shattered ash floated in, it was blown away by the wind blown by the air conditioner on the wall next to it, leaving no ash left.

In fact, with the ability, status and financial resources of the two of them, let alone what will happen in the future.

Even now, it is rare for Qu Chao to tell him such an 'unpleasant' and 'harsh' truth.

After hearing this, Liang Sheng had to admit that some people who speak well seem to have their own unique language skills in the process of dialogue and negotiation with others.

Not only does it sound very convincing, but it can even make the dead alive.

From all aspects, he can easily suppress his weak momentum of trying to refute.

Especially since he has lived two lifetimes, it's not like he doesn't understand the simple truths that these adults should understand after a little bit of experience in the world.

This also caused Liang Sheng, who was always quick to respond and good at sophistry, but now sitting dryly with his head bowed, facing Qu Chaoyi, fell into a kind of nervousness, suffocation, or tormented silence.

"As for your younger brother who is still studying and has no viability, it is even more obvious. You can actually find him a suitable local foster family to live in, and let a healthy family take care of him and educate him instead of Distract and take on his life by yourself, because your education level also makes you not capable of educating a child."

"..."

"You are obviously aware of these pros and cons, but you still choose this kind of life, which makes me a little curious about your intentions, but I also want you to understand that I am not asking you to choose freely. , from the very beginning, the purpose of my liking for 'Maojin' was the same as that of our competitors at that time. What I looked at was the brand and you who are capable, not the whole 'Maojin'. I know that you need This opportunity, and I am willing to give it... so, what is the answer you give me now?"

This question came from the depths of the soul, but it was like a big stone pressing on the top of a person's head, so it fell without psychological preparation.

For a moment, Liang Sheng, whose forehead was covered with sweat, didn't know what was wrong with him.

The five fingers that were sticky with sweat seemed to be trembling a little, his ears were a little blocked, and the hoarse voice in his throat was inexplicably unable to utter.

But he seemed to know that his spine, which had no backbone, seemed a little timid under the nameless pressure that Qu Chao exerted on him, and he seemed to be unable to refute any decent words.

A little scared, a little flustered.

It's a bit hard to straighten your back, but also unconsciously being tempted to bend down to be humiliating and depressed like someone else's grandson.

But he didn't dare to look directly at Qu Chao's long-standing Vanity Fair eyes, so purely rational to the point of cruel eyes, and so guilty that he couldn't tell that he really didn't care at all, and one day he would really pack up and go back and become a miserable life of poverty and nothingness. .

Thinking of this, the chandelier on the ceiling of the high-end hotel above the head is still resplendent and magnificent, and the wind from the air conditioner makes people's neck faintly chill, and cold sweat can't help but break out.

But at first, this table was said to be for him to "receive the wind and wash away the dust", but Liang Sheng suddenly didn't dare to use his chopsticks casually because the stool under his buttocks was a little prickly.

"...Hello, gentlemen, the palace Buddha jumping wall you ordered just now is ready, why don't you bring it in while it's hot?"

At this moment, the waitress outside with a Guangzhou accent also knocked on the door with a very polite smile.The sudden sound distracted Liang Sheng, who was on the verge of admitting defeat, for a moment.

His reason for being distracted is actually a bit funny out of place.

Because the most expensive 'Buddha jumps over the wall' is marked on this bowl of restaurant menu - in fact, he just ordered it cheekily.

Qu Chao asked him what he wanted to eat when he was ordering food. He had no knowledge and didn't know what dishes were good or bad, so he licked his face and ordered this large portion of good things that couldn't be made up again.

Because Liang Sheng had heard people say that there were shark fins in "Buddha Jumping Over the Wall", he had never seen real shark fins in his previous two lives, so he wanted to see them for himself.

But at this moment, when ordinary people encounter this kind of situation, they probably won't have much appetite when they see this steaming pot of 'Buddha jumping over the wall'.

However, Liang Sheng, who was used to being a hooligan in his previous life, had the guts to fill himself with a big steaming bowl first, and then opened his mouth wide when he couldn't care less about the heat, radiating a sense of "fairy spirit". He frowned wolfishly and poured everything into his stomach.

Sea cucumber, fish maw, shark fin.

It was the first time in his life that Liang Sheng, who just ate this big bowl of good things in a daze, had seen everything.

Qu Chao, who was sitting next to him, silently watched his "crazy" behavior caused by himself, and didn't say a word for a while, just wanted to see what this kid was going to do next.

And after filling the bowl of 'Buddha Jumping the Wall', he wiped his mouth as if he had replenished his vitality. Liang Sheng, who had brought some things with him when he came to the restaurant with Qu Chaoshang for dinner, fumbled out of his jacket pocket. A dozen contract papers with his red handprint on them were slapped on the table.

"Peng—"

This time, it was quite loud.

The cutlery and wine glasses on the table were all shaken by Liang Sheng's reckless move.

As far as the eye can see, the folded and crumpled contract paper is impressively written with "'Xiaotian' Venture Capital Approval Plan". At the bottom of the picture is an intuitive tabular data chart of various aspects of performance and profits in the factory over the past year.

All the contents of this contract plan were handwritten by Liang Sheng himself.

He didn't know some words and professional vocabulary, so he specifically asked his own Xiaoshengsheng and the accountant Wang Xia, and then he seriously stayed in his rented house for a few nights to tell himself about the next year's "Maojin" or "Maojin". The overall development plan of the entire enterprise is listed.

During this process, I hadn’t read a book for several years, but my brother Cao Jinping and his wife, who helped him sort out the benefits of the factory over the years, provided him with several revision suggestions, and the technical staff of the third factory also worked overtime with him. Opened Xiaohui several times.

He originally wanted to formally hand over this plan that condensed the achievements of the big guy in the past year to his collaborator, so that this collaborator who helped everyone in the most difficult time can see himself, including all the help' Mokin' got this far thanks to the hard work of the big guys.

But...but now...

"...Brother Qu...Actually, in my eyes, the numbers I saw at the stock exchange today do not represent what you said..."

The conversation started quite suddenly, and Qu Chao finally looked at Liang Sheng's words with some interest as he lowered his head and looked unclear.

"Oh? Then in your eyes, what do those numbers represent?"

"It represents money, banknotes. When I saw '1' jumping out on the market, I thought of one dollar, and '2', I only had two dollars. The bigger the number, the more and more banknotes are flowing into my pocket. Out of your hand, banknotes, coins, seeing you operating those numbers on it, I can imagine that it is a lot of money, so I feel today... that feeling is very realistic... Let me be there..."

It seems that Liang Sheng's "vulgar" and "direct" point of view seems to be extremely interesting.

Qu Chao, who had been staying in Jutian Securities Trading Center for many years, faced the boring numbers on the screen, calmly and lightly beckoning him to continue talking.

"You said...numbers are the value of items. I think you are right. Any commodity, currency, including people has its own value. This is very esoteric, but I can understand it, and because of this, I I don’t want to deny the value of brother Cao, sister-in-law, and my younger brother who accompany me to live a hard life together..."

Sitting in the private room of the hotel, he wiped his face with heat, and truthfully told the person in front of him what he felt when he was in Jutian during the day.

My mind is very hot now, I don't care about other Liang students, and I don't know if what I said is right, so I just talked about the agitation and incredibleness in my heart in a fierce tone.

"Qu...Brother Qu, in fact, we are in a new society. Could it be that it is like the old society drama, Chen Shimei must abandon his wife if he wants to marry a princess? Let me tell you, this is too stupid. ... Ha, of course, I'm not talking about you, I understand what you say, but everyone wants to make a fortune and a good reputation, why give yourself a bad hint at the very beginning, you will definitely be there One day in the future, will there be a choice between the two?"

"Then what do you mean?"

Qu Chao asked him.

"I don't hide from you either. If I dare to go into troubled waters and start doing business like crazy, it shows that I am a person who is greedy and values ​​money in my heart. We look down on small wealth, and only real wealth can be earned. My eyes, this also proves that I am a very greedy person."

"..."

"Big house, good car, famous watch, famous wine, these things, I have never seen them in my life and my previous life. Those who have not seen them will lose their confidence, just like this 'Buddha jumping over the wall'. I just drank porridge. After drinking, you can only fill your stomach, and you can’t taste a specific taste. I don’t know how rich people are rich, but I know too well how poor people are poor. Poor days are really too much. Too bad, it's the kind of bad that most people can't imagine. Poor people can't read books and afford children's education. This indirectly leads to a person's vision and knowledge may be limited to this. The poor make people sick, because the poor Looking down on diseases, looking down on minor illnesses and dragging them into serious illnesses, this is poverty..."

"..."

"You may not know that for truly greedy people, we never choose between the two. In fact, in the face of this, it is simply difficult for us to choose. I will only say, I want both of these two. ! Why do I have to lose the things I care about when I have money? Or if I have these, I can only live in poverty in the countryside for the rest of my life? I don’t believe in this truth..."

"..."

"Since we have to decide to throw everything away, let's not choose, and take care of both, so that even if one day, I really lose nothing, I will not regret it, and I will not feel sorry in my heart. Anyone, because this is also because I am greedy, I dare, but if I win, I will have everything, this is the choice that a truly brave person will make, and this is also... the choice in my heart, what do you think?"

After finishing talking about not being afraid of death, Liang Sheng, who closed his eyes and talked nonsense, felt that he was almost 'game over'.

However, when his limbs and even his legs began to feel weak due to a little guilty conscience, Qu Chao, who had been silently listening to his words until the end, asked him such a strange question in a very calm tone.

"Does 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall' taste good?"

"Ah, huh? It's not bad, it's just...a smell of old fire soup with plum blossom monosodium glutamate..."

"Then give me a bowl and let me taste it too."

"..."

"Actually, I've lived so long, and I've never eaten 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall'. For the first half of my life, I ate a lot of steamed buns and porridge. It's rare to spend my own money to see the world."

Liang Sheng: "..."

I don't know if I was joking with him or telling the truth.

But in short, Qu Chao then really filled a bowl for himself in a decent manner, and he ate it slowly with a porcelain spoon after eating well.

Waiting for Liang Sheng, the inner guy, to stare nervously at Xiaoshi, the man who is born to be so slow, Mr. Qu knocked on the table and said these words to him lightly.

"Well, then leave the handwritten plan in your hand."

"...You? What did you just say?"

"Let me read it for one night first. I will read the content carefully and let Jiang Qingquan reply to you and my decision on the phone tomorrow."

In any case, he never expected that such a sentence would finally come out of Qu Chao's mouth.

Liang Sheng's appearance of almost fainting from excitement made the corner of the opposite boss's mouth reveal a rare smile.

But soon the seemingly unsmiling Mr. Qu began to eat and drink with Liang Sheng normally as if entertaining guests, but after this wave, Liang Sheng, who was so ecstatic that he almost lost his ability to think, was still in the mood to eat.

When Qu Chao poured him wine, he was fainted.

When Qu Chao was serving him vegetables, he was dizzy.

When the two finished their dinner and paid the bill and went downstairs, Qu Chao's driver came to pick him up in person. Qu Chao, who was handicapped with his legs and feet, walked into the car step by step with a cane, opened the window and waved for him to come over, He was still fainting.

"Liang Sheng, characters in Jin Yong's novels, you shouldn't like Qiao Feng and Linghu Chong the most."

"Huh? Well, that boss... who do you think I should like?"

Liang Sheng, who was lying on the edge of the car window with a short-circuited mind, began to giggle.

"Master Wei, someone like Wei Xiaobao may be more suitable for you."

"..."

"If you want to survive in this world, it is not a bad thing to learn to be greedy and rape alone. Come on, I am very optimistic about your future, Boss Xiaoliang."

Liang Sheng, who was still carrying the 'Buddha Jumping Bridge' packing box outside, said these words, and Mr. Qu raised his hand to signal the driver to close the window and leave.

After drinking a lot of wine, his head was a little dizzy, but to be honest, his mood was a little uneasy. Liang Sheng silently wiped his face to force himself to calm down. After a long time, he squatted on the curb, showing a little spirit. Laugh after exhaustion.

"Hahahahahaha!"

In the evening wind, the night sky of the provincial capital was startled by this triumphant, presumptuous, uncontrollable laughter.The night passed in such a hurry until dawn.

……

That night, I had a conversation with Qu Chao.

It can be said that Liang Sheng's anxiety of rushing to the provincial capital for investment for many days was completely dispelled.

Early the next morning, he received a 'mysterious' text message from Secretary Xiao Jiang on his small Motorola mobile phone. The content of the text message was temporarily unknown except for the two of them, but some 'results' were already doomed.

In the next few days, Lao Cao's tax declaration at the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and the factory license for the coming year have been finalized.

Qu Chao asked Jiang Qingquan to help them find a relationship. When doing business and dealing with government agencies, you always have to eat, so this meal of good wine and food, plus the gift of cigarettes and alcohol, although in the end the money is spent, But it is true that all links have also helped them get things done through the fastest channels.

As for the sausages, lamb ribs, pickles and various local specialties they brought, as long as they didn't intentionally scare people, Boss Qu, who is very easy-going, finally accepted it politely.

Their next step is to end their trip to the provincial capital and go back to City Y and his family Xiao Sheng, and spend a comfortable New Year with their family.

The rest about expanding the scale of the 'Maojin' brand enterprise and starting new financing will be discussed in the coming year.

Among them, the most surprising and exciting thing for him was the official seal contract in duplicate that Secretary Xiao Jiang personally delivered to Liang Sheng the night before he left.

'Xiaotian' Venture Capital Approval Program.

The initial investment amount is set at 980 million working capital per year, and the time limit is eight years. Party A, Qu Chao, and Party B, Liang Sheng.

This contract offset all Liang Sheng's hard work and toss in the provincial capital at once.

Mr. Qu did what he said, he really read his plan carefully, and gave Liang Sheng absolutely abundant financial backing and technical support to the greatest extent.

This was the best encouragement and help from a venture capitalist with a truly forward-looking investment vision, and it also made it difficult for Liang Sheng to express his gratitude to Qu Chao except gratitude and admiration.

【"Liang Sheng, are you confident?"】

【"Boss, what do you mean by confidence...?"】

【"I'll give you eight years to swallow half of the land in the southern district, are you confident?"】

【“…”】

【"Boss, you really underestimated me."】

【“…”】

【"Give me eight years, and I'll take down the entire southern part of the provincial capital and send it to you. What do you think?"】

Before leaving, Liang Sheng took a boat to see the Yangtze River alone.

This time, he didn't ask the driver of Qu Chao's company to take him off. It happened that brother Cao also went shopping for foreign trade for relatives in his hometown, so he didn't go with him.

So, wearing the leather jacket and jeans I brought from home, I bought a ticket for a ferry across the river with my packed luggage, and came to the other side of the river with an inexplicable mood.

When he got off the boat and passed the transitional pier, he bought an old salt water popsicle that was rarely seen in winter on the old-fashioned popsicle drink tricycle.

The boss’s popsicle costs [-] cents a piece, which quenches thirst better than sugar soda. The old man who sells popsicles is from Hubei. I heard that he will go to the other side of the river to sell hot dry noodles in the morning.

Speaking of which, he was born and raised in City Y, but he grew up so big that he had never seen the Yangtze River with his own eyes.

So this time it was very whim, when he was about to leave the provincial capital, he chose not to go anywhere, but came here alone, sat by the river and watched the Yangtze River under the sunset for a while.

Along the lively Hankou River Beach, there are hawkers selling balloons and plastic yo-yos.

There are small stalls selling grilled small yellow croakers, there are nearby residents who come out for winter swimming after dinner to keep fit, and there are also long-bearded old men playing Tai Chi sword in a chic style by the reef.

Fishing boats, cargo ships, ports, and the soon-to-be-built Yangtze River Bridge all gave people such a shocking visual experience that Liang Sheng walked a long way on the bridge and turned his head, only to realize that the sun was almost completely out of the river.

"The beauty of the Yangtze River, the water of the Yangtze River, the fine nectar and jade liquid are heavenly beauty..."

The fishing boat passed by the river beach, and the eldest girl on the boat, who was washing vegetables and preparing to fry them, faintly laughed and sang in dialect in the wind.

His ears were deafened, and Liang Sheng, who followed him with a smile, squatted down and played with the sand silently for a while like a child, and finally let it fall down between his fingers.

At this moment, the wind by the river was very strong, but it also made people's minds extraordinarily clear and thorough.In the distance, the tide is ebbing along the river, and the afterglow of the setting sun is passing the horizon.

For the first time, he knew that the Yangtze River covered by crowds of people along the river in the sunset could be so beautiful.

It is also the first time I understand that the development of light industry and trade along the river has actually reached such a gratifying and exciting level.

In his eyes, the Yangtze River is a river full of vitality and wealth in China since ancient times.

This endless river connects the economic prosperity of all the delta regions of Nanjing, Wuhan, and Yichang. The river water has nourished the 'sea lung', raised the 'horse head fish', and raised the fertile soil that nourishes generations. Liang Sheng, who is about to grow gradually in the future, wants to touch a starting point of more worlds little by little.

[Zhongshan is pale and yellow from the wind and rain, and a million soldiers cross the river. 】

This is vaguely a poem written in Liang Sheng's third-grade textbook when he was in elementary school.

For more than ten years, he entered the society, worked as a gangster, worked in big business, and even survived a catastrophe and was reborn once by chance. He once left behind a lot of things he learned from books, but he still remembered This is a great leader's poem describing the Yangtze River.

But now, he seems to vaguely understand the true spirit and pride in this leader's poem.

And an hour later, there was the sound of splashing waves under the railing of the bridge where Liang Sheng, who had stood alone for a long time and finally left, was standing.

When the sun is about to set, I can vaguely see the river water in three colors rolling down southward.

The cloud cargo ships along the Yangtze River Delta are fully loaded with fresh goods from the Yangtze River. Ten years later, China's trade along the Yangtze River has not reached such an unmatched height.

The torrents and waves that have gone far away have turned into the tide-makers of this era and rushed to the battlefield, the field of money, and the field of power. No one knows what kind of new world China will usher in in the next era of uncertain times.

But fortunately, the opening of the world, the ringing of the bell, the bell of the new era has already sounded in the dark.

This day was December 2002rd, 12, and it happened to be... a brand new year when the half-life legend of the name Liang Sheng was about to turn a small page.