Dad, this kind of thing can only happen once. Next time, we must ensure the safety of our cash flow," He Zhengcheng advised Father He. Now that the problem was solved, perhaps a few stern words would get through to him.
"I'll also keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't mess around," said Mother He, Tan Yingyao.
"Stock and futures trading are too risky," He Wenxuan remarked.
"So, Dad, do you have any ideas now?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"What ideas?" Tan Yingyao questioned.
"Dad, are you content to stay in our small hotel your whole life? Don't you want to look north to the Central Plains and see the vast world outside?" He Zhengcheng pressed.
"Look north to the Central Plains!" He Wenxuan exclaimed.
"Our family has been to the mainland before, what's so great about it!" Tan Yingyao retorted.
"Dad shouldn't think that way, right? What was Hong Kong like twenty years ago, and what is it like now? Even if Daxia Country's overall development speed can't compare to Hong Kong, what about Daxia Country's big cities? Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Guangdong Province, Rong City in the Southwest—are these places worse than Hong Kong? Perhaps in ten years, Daxia Country's annual university graduates might exceed Hong Kong's entire population. At that time, what advantages will Hong Kong still have?" He Zhengcheng unleashed the same persuasive power he used on the Shanhai Capital natives, beginning to sway his family.
Things that would be obvious twenty years later, few people were willing to admit now. This was like asking a man to admit he was inferior to another classmate in front of the girl he liked. If we can't compete in hardware, let's compete in software, 'I'm sincere, he's fake'—isn't that all nonsense? Aside from some obvious scumbag behavior, how many people can distinguish between sincerity and insincerity? Most feelings change with the passage of time, such as love turning into familial affection.
"You mean for me to go to Daxia Country..." He Wenxuan trailed off.
"Dad, you should have seen the reputation of our Shanhai Capital these past few days. We have an internal view: for a person to develop, the most important thing is making choices, followed by effort. Following the trend of an era's development can lead to great success; following the trend of a local area's development can lead to small success.
Dad's ability is no worse than others, so why did our family still face a crisis like this year? There are two reasons: one is that our strength is not strong enough, and the other is that Hong Kong encountered the Asian Financial Crisis—when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. If we had one-tenth of Li Ban Cheng's wealth, we wouldn't be in this predicament this year. If our industrial base were in the United States or Daxia Country, we wouldn't face the current crisis.
We are now Daxia people. Establishing a foundation in Daxia can significantly enhance our family's ability to resist risks.
Our Shanhai Capital proposes a viewpoint, Dad, see if it makes sense!"
"What viewpoint?" He Wenxuan asked.
"We believe that whether it's investing or speculating, both have the nature of gambling. However, the greatest returns in this world come from gambling on the national destiny. Think about it, if we had founded our family business in America in the 1950s, how strong would it be now? Similarly, if Daxia Country can rise, and we happen to develop within it, will we not grow stronger as Daxia Country develops and expands?
Hong Kong is merely a small stream; Daxia is a great river. If we stay here to develop, Dad's talents will be suppressed by real estate developers like Li Ban Cheng, working for them. Only in Daxia Country is there vast space, allowing Dad the opportunity to grow into a wealthy magnate like Li Ban Cheng!" He Zhengcheng explained.
"All these things you're saying..." Tan Yingyao found it a bit difficult to understand.
"Cheng Zai is right. Opportunities in Hong Kong are dwindling. We've been in so many industries over the years and earned a lot, but why did we choose to open a hotel? Wasn't it because we saw no opportunities in those other industries? Unfortunately, in the end, all profits went to the real estate developers. If it weren't for Cheng Zai, we might not have even kept this hotel." He Zhengcheng sighed deeply. He was also a restless person, but how could a great dragon emerge from a small pond? It was already a miracle for so many world-class billionaires to appear in a small place like Hong Kong. Did they want to defy the heavens? Even minor figures in the primordial era had a chance to achieve enlightenment with primordial purple qi. The number of saints in the world is fixed, so why would a city's development have no upper limit?
"I know, but your hard work in previous years... Our family has just settled down now, why do you have to do this again?" Tan Yingyao said.
"Ayao, you know me. If there were no opportunities, I'd let it be, but now that there are, I want to try, no matter what." He Wenxuan held Mother He's hand, gazing at her with deep affection.
"Brother Xuan, I'll support whatever you do. Haven't we been together our whole lives? If I don't support you, who will I support!" Tan Yingyao replied.
"I knew Ayao was the best to me!" He Wenxuan said, looking blissful.
"Haha!" He Zhengcheng watched his parents' display of affection, feeling quite jealous.
"Our Shanhai Capital's strategy is primarily to bet on national destiny, and then to invest in the strongest. That means Daxia Country and the United States are our two most important investment locations. As for the industries we invest in, we've chosen the information industry, but that's clearly not suitable for our family's situation. Dad, do you have any thoughts?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"What industries in Daxia Country can make money?" He Wenxuan inquired.
"Dad should ask what doesn't make money in Daxia Country," He Zhengcheng countered.
"Yes, although Daxia Country isn't exactly 'a hundred wastes waiting to be revived,' there are indeed opportunities everywhere. We should choose the industry that suits us best," He Wenxuan said with a sigh after a moment of thought.
"Automobiles, steel, non-ferrous metal mining, equipment manufacturing, electronic information, textile processing, shipbuilding, petrochemicals—all of these have vast development potential. What do you think, Dad?" He Zhengcheng asked.
"What do I think? What can I do? I can't do any of those," He Wenxuan replied.
"Then what about real estate? Dad, you seem to have done real estate development before," He Zhengcheng said. If Father He hadn't worked in many industries and only opened a small hotel, he wouldn't have earned much money, and certainly wouldn't have 20-30 million Hong Kong dollars in savings to buy a house.
"The most crucial thing in the real estate industry is acquiring land. I can't acquire land in Hong Kong, so what would I rely on to acquire land in the mainland?" He Wenxuan was still very rational when discussing business.
"What exactly are you thinking, boy? Just say it now, don't waste time here!" He Wenxuan said, pointing at He Zhengcheng with some annoyance.
"I still can't hide anything from you, old man. Actually, I've had an idea for a while: to open a chain of budget hotels in Daxia Country. The last time we went to Daxia Country, there didn't seem to be many cheap hotels to stay in, which is very unreasonable," He Zhengcheng explained.
"Budget hotels?" He Wenxuan asked. In fact, their family's hotel was also a budget hotel.
"If we can have a unified chain management system and standardized operations, we can improve hotel management and reduce management costs. Then, we can provide customers with affordable, simple, safe, clean, and high-value hotels. I think this business should be very good. If we have ample funds, we can even directly buy the local properties, which means we'd be investing in local real estate. Given the current situation in Daxia Country, their appreciation potential should be very significant!" He Zhengcheng elaborated.
"I'll go to Daxia Country and take a closer look!" He Wenxuan turned and looked at Mother He tenderly.
"Okay, I support you!" Tan Yingyao responded slowly and firmly, her eyes seemingly filled with deep affection.
"Thank you for your support. Without you, I don't know how I'd live," He Wenxuan said.
"Don't worry, I'll always take care of you," Tan Yingyao replied.
The two then began to dote on each other without any restraint... Damn it, can you two stop showing off in front of a single dog! Where is my little darling? Why can't I find her yet?