Chapter 936 Epilogue

One day in March 2002, cheers rang out from the building at No. 166 Chaonei Street.

Just now, the State Council officially issued a document to upgrade the level of Guowen Group to vice-ministerial level, making it one of the 49 vice-ministerial level central enterprises in the country.

The name of the deputy-ministerial central enterprises may sound inconspicuous, but the domestic people should be familiar with the big brothers among them, such as China Tobacco, COFCO, Sinopec...

Any name you mention is a large enterprise with huge influence in the country.

Compared with these big players, Guowen Group, which started out as a publishing house, looks unremarkable, even a little shabby.

But in fact, no one who really understands the inside story will underestimate this company.

Because this used to be a public institution but has now become a central enterprise, the four words "enterprise transformation and restructuring" represent a major breakthrough in China's economic and institutional reform.

From 1999 to 2002, in four years, Guowen Group delivered an excellent answer to its superiors with their practical actions.

As of the end of 2001, the group's total assets were 31.61 billion yuan, total liabilities were 1.842 billion yuan, and owners' equity was 29.768 billion yuan. It achieved operating income of 6.215 billion yuan and a net profit of 815 million yuan.

This figure is not impressive among many vice-ministerial enterprises in China, and its ranking can only be considered average. However, for Guowen Group, which started as a publishing organization, it has created assets worth tens of billions in just a few years, which is enough to attract the attention of higher-level departments and companies of the same level.

After all, Guowen Group's business has nothing to do with monopoly. Every number in the financial statements is true and represents real performance.

Therefore, with such success, it is not surprising that Guowen Group has become a vice-ministerial state-owned enterprise.

If we want to explore the reasons why Guowen Group transformed from a publishing organization into a large state-owned cultural media group in just a few years, we naturally cannot do without the many investments made by Guowen Group.

Wenhua Films and Wencheng Films, which are controlled by Guowen Group, have been listed on domestic stock exchanges one after another, and Sohu and NetEase, which participated in the investment, have also been listed on the US stock market.

In addition, Guowen Group has also participated in the investment of many domestic Internet companies and is one of the earliest companies in China to invest in the Internet industry.

In addition to the changes at the group level, there was another good thing happening to Guowen Group on this day.

That is, the headquarters building of Guowen Group, which has been under construction for three years, has finally been completed. In recent days, the most lively topic among the employees of Guowen Group has been discussing the relocation plan.

With the completion of the brand new and majestic headquarters building, employees no longer need to squeeze into the old office building on Chaonei Street or the store in the Guowen Society’s staff housing building to work. Isn’t this a happy thing for the workers?

While the Guowen Group was preparing to move, the employees of the People's Publishing House next door were in a very mixed mood.

As old neighbors for decades, Renmin Publishing House and Guowen Publishing House are close neighbors and enjoy good relations.

But no one could have expected that starting from the early 1990s, the good relationship between the two brothers was suddenly broken.

We agreed to be inactive together, but the Chinese Literature Society secretly took off.

The development over the years has been steady and steady, and now even the taillights of Renminshe can’t be seen.

Now, Guowen Group is about to move out of No. 166 Chaonei Street, and Renmin She will be the only unit left in the building.

In the past, we all worked in the same area and there were many times when we disliked each other and wanted to drive the Guowen Group away as soon as possible.

But now that the Guowen Group is really moving away, the people at Renmin Publishing House are feeling unhappy.

I am afraid that my brother is suffering, and I am even more afraid that my brother is driving a Land Rover.

However, the ideas of the employees of People's Society could not change what was going to happen. On April 23, 2002, it was time to break ground and move.

Several trucks and vans appeared in the yard of No. 166 Chaonei Street. The employees of Guowen Group happily loaded various office facilities and materials onto the vehicles. Strength lies in numbers. Before long, the cars drove away from No. 166 Chaonei Street one by one.

The moving work of Guowen Group lasted a whole day. After the move was completed, the courtyard of No. 166 Chaonei Street suddenly became silent.

The previous hustle and bustle and the current loneliness and desolation form a sharp contrast.

The building was half empty, with only the silent employees of the People's Social Service left.

Before walking out of the building, Lin Weimin said hello to his old colleagues from the People's Publishing House. In the future, the Guowen Group will move to a new headquarters building, and the People's Publishing House will be the only one left here.

"Xiao Zhou, why haven't you left yet?" When he reached the door of the building, Lin Weimin saw that there was still someone in the message room.

It was Xiao Zhou who was wiping the filing cabinet and desk in the room meticulously with a rag.

"Chairman, I'll clean up." Xiao Zhou replied.

Lin Weimin looked at his expression and said nothing, leaving only one sentence: "Wipe it!"

When I went out, it was already dusk.

The courtyard was quiet and deserted, and old buildings stood on the side of Chaonei Street, just as they had been decades ago.

The next morning, at No. 39 East Third Ring Road, Guowen Group Headquarters Building.

There was no grand ceremony for the opening of the new headquarters building, but this did not dampen the employees' joyful mood at all.

The three towers, with the highest being 95 meters and the lowest being 65 meters, are staggered in height. The exterior of the building is mainly arc-shaped with flexible curves, like three intertwined mountains.

From a distance, it looks like a group of hidden mountains, which is not only full of artistic atmosphere, but also shows a full sense of futurism.

Lin Weimin walked into the lobby of Building 1 in the center. The over 8-meter-high ceiling and the arc-shaped dome design were eye-catching and provided an extremely broad view.

"Chairman!"

"Hello, Chairman!"

When the employees saw him, they greeted him with excitement and joy in their voices. This was the first day of Guowen Group's move, and Lin Weimin understood everyone's feelings.

After nodding, Lin Weimin took the elevator to the office.

After getting off the elevator, before I could even enter the office, I saw Zhang Chaoyang waiting there.

"You came early!" said Lin Weimin.

"It's a good opportunity to visit our group's building. It's so grand!" Zhang Chaoyang said with a smile.

Since the Nasdaq stock market crash in March 2000, Sohu's stock price has been falling, and its market value has fallen below 500 million US dollars this year. Guowen Group has previously become Sohu's second largest shareholder again by bottom fishing, with shareholding second only to Zhang Chaoyang.

He came today to discuss Sohu's leasing of the Guowen Group's headquarters building.

Considering the size of the Guowen Group's staff, only one of the three buildings was in use. When someone wanted to rent it, Lin Weimin was naturally happy to agree.

"It's something we've already agreed on, just discuss it with them."

Lin Weimin expressed his opinion and Zhang Chaoyang nodded.

As early as the beginning of the construction of the building, Zhang Chaoyang had mentioned this matter to Lin Weimin. He came to Lin Weimin specially today more to express an attitude.

Zhang Chaoyang, who was chatting with Lin Weimin, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the office, where the view overlooked half of the city of Yanjing.

“You have such a beautiful view here!”

"The scenery at high altitudes is always better." Lin Weimin said, looking into the distance.

Zhang Chaoyang looked at the scenery in front of him, feeling filled with emotion.

I remember when Sohu went public as China's first Internet stock, it was the talk of the town, with its market value soaring to tens of billions of dollars at one point.

No one had ever expected that a Nasdaq stock market crash would cause the Nasdaq to fall from its peak of 5,100 points to 1,100 points in two years, which was even worse than the A-share market. However, what was even worse was the domestic Internet companies.

Sohu, needless to say, although its revenue has increased and it has achieved profitability, its stock price has fallen to only one-tenth of its original value. NetEase and Sina are in the same boat, and the worst hit are those Internet companies that need financing. The chilling effect of the Nasdaq has spread to the Internet industry around the world in two years, and finding money has become a problem for all new companies.

Fortunately, there is a major financial sponsor in China, Guowen Group. When investment institutions and investors all over the world are not optimistic about the Internet industry, they are bullish against the market trend and invest heavily in domestic Internet companies.

In the past two years, it has continuously invested more than 2 billion yuan in the domestic Internet market, supporting many potential Internet companies.

Of course, in the context of a sluggish market, there are more companies that fail to make money.

But no matter what, Guowen Group's investment has retained a group of backbone forces with great potential for the domestic Internet industry.

In addition to domestic investments, Guowen Group has also been buying up U.S. stocks at the bottom in the past two years. If the Nasdaq index can rise further in the future, Guowen Group may make another fortune.

The scale of this windfall may be even greater than the profits that Guowen Group made when it sold off its stake in Sohu.

Zhang Chaoyang glanced at Lin Weimin. Looking down at Yanjing City, Lin Weimin looked relaxed and calm. But in Zhang Chaoyang's eyes, he was as majestic as a deep and towering mountain.

I just don't know when this time will come.

Everyone knows that the market cannot remain so depressed forever, but no one can predict the exact time.

Zhang Chaoyang’s doubts did not last long. In November 2002, a terrible virus broke out and swept the world in a short period of time.

As people were forced to stay at home, the Internet once again ushered in its golden age.

In the six months since the outbreak of the virus, the Nasdaq index has almost doubled, and Guowen Group has also ushered in the harvest season. The shares + valuation value of technology companies in China and the United States, including Internet companies, held by it have exceeded 100 billion yuan in one fell swoop.

The arrival of this virus has changed the development of the world and China to a certain extent. This is a major change in the trend.

When it comes to individuals, countless people have been affected.

For example, in the novel "Li Jianguo" published by Lin Weimin a few years ago, the book mentioned that the world faced an unprecedented virus wave in 2005, and the content described was almost very similar to this virus.

Therefore, after the virus outbreak, in addition to isatis root and masks being out of stock, Lin Weimin's "Li Jianguo" also became a hot item.

Ordinary people are eager to see how Lin Weimin accurately predicted this pandemic that swept the world several years ago. This is true not only in China, but also abroad.

The curiosity of readers also led to the sales of "Li Jianguo" exceeding 60 million copies worldwide in more than half a year, with cumulative sales exceeding 80 million copies. This sales volume is rare in the history of human literature.

In addition to this, there is another thing.

Teacher Tao is pregnant again.

What to do when you are at home with nothing to do?

There was a little too much activity and someone accidentally got killed.

Fortunately, Tao Huimin is not too old, only 37 years old, so there is no risk in getting pregnant.

September 2003, two months after the SARS pandemic ended.

Early in the morning, after finishing her meal, Tao Huimin took a walk in the yard with her big belly. After walking for a while and taking a rest, she felt a little hungry and wanted to eat something.

Just after I ate two grapes that Sister Qin had washed, I was stared at by the little bean bun.

"I've told you so many times not to eat too much. Your blood sugar is so high and you're about to give birth, but you don't pay any attention at all."

Because of good nutrition and well-developed motor nerves, the little Doubao who is in the sixth grade of primary school already looks like a grown-up girl.

Before she had eaten a few grapes, they were snatched away by her daughter. Tao Huimin was in a very bad mood.

SARS was raging during her pregnancy. She stayed at home all day. The two nannies at home cooked all kinds of food for her. She felt like a balloon and gained 50 kilograms in less than half a year.

It is normal to gain some weight during pregnancy, but because her weight changed so quickly, her blood sugar became abnormal and she had to control her diet.

Fortunately, when she discovered that her blood sugar was high, she had already entered the late stage of pregnancy, so she didn't need to worry about the nutrition of the baby in her belly.

But she had been used to eating this way these days, and it was very difficult for her to pay attention to her diet all of a sudden.

Lin Weimin watched her suffer during the pregnancy and sometimes turned a blind eye, but Xiao Doubao acted like a black-hearted supervisor in the old society, staring at his greedy old mother all day long.

Over the years, how many spankings had Lin Qianxun received? Wasn't this the day she was waiting for?

Where can I find such a good opportunity that can both legitimately cause trouble to my old mother and make her helpless?

All the stolen grapes went into Xiao Doubao's mouth, filling her mouth like a little squirrel.

Tao Huimin was furious and stared at her daughter with eyes like knives, but she could do nothing.

“Ouch!”

She suddenly covered her stomach, her face showing pain, and she called Lin Weimin's name.

Lin Weimin, who was writing and drawing in the study, rushed out the door, looking anxious, "What's wrong? What's wrong? Is she going to give birth?"

Tao Huimin endured the severe pain and said unhappily: "How should I know?"

Tao Huimin also experienced this situation two weeks ago, and it turned out to be a false alarm when she was sent to the hospital.

The couple was unsure of what was going on. As they were talking, Xiao Doubao pointed at Tao Huimin's lower body and said in surprise, "Mom, you peed your pants!"

Tao Huimin looked down and was anxious and angry. It was clearly her amniotic fluid that broke.

At this moment, she was too lazy to argue with the crazy girl who "slandered" her, and said to Lin Weimin: "Hurry up and take me to the hospital!"

Without her saying anything, Lin Weimin had already taken action.

He arranged for Sister Qin and he to help Tao Huimin get into the car, and Sister Qian stayed at home to look after Xiao Doubao.

But the girl shouted, "I want to go too!"

The family was in turmoil, so Lin Weimin did not insist. After arriving at the hospital, the doctor gave Tao Huimin a simple checkup and she was sent to the delivery room.

Lin Weimin couldn't concentrate at all while listening to the doctor's instructions. After becoming a father again after eleven years, he seemed to have completely forgotten his experience as a father of a child, like a novice who had never experienced anything in life.

"Doctor, if there is any problem, you must save the child!"

He said this out of the blue, leaving the doctor speechless. "It's just a baby. I've told you about the results of the examination just now. There shouldn't be any problem."

"Yes, yes, what you said makes sense. I'm just worried..." Lin Weimin muttered.

Not only was the doctor speechless, but the little kid next to him couldn't stand it anymore, "Dad, please let the doctor in to help mom deliver the baby."

Lin Weimin finally reacted, loosened his hand around the doctor, and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

The doctor walked into the delivery room, shaking his head.

During the delivery, Lin Weimin was so anxious that he scratched his head and walked back and forth in the corridor, and from time to time he would go to the door of the delivery room to listen to the noise.

"Why haven't you come out yet?"

"How long has this been going on?"

"Is there something wrong?"

Not only Xiao Doubao, but also Tao's father and mother and Han Dingbang who arrived later were speechless.

You've been a father once, why are you still acting like a young boy?

Time passed slowly, and after nearly two hours, the door of the delivery room finally opened.

The nurse came out holding the tightly swaddled baby, "It's a boy, 8.6 jin."

Mr. and Mrs. Tao smiled happily, "Oh my, my grandson!"

Lin Weimin stretched his neck to look inside the ward, "Nurse, when will the master come out?"

"Wait a moment, we still need to observe."

The nurse looked at Lin Weimin and saw that he was looking towards the ward and had no intention of taking the child, so she had to hand the baby to Tao's mother.

Tao's mother held her newborn grandson in her arms and her mouth was wide open. Tao's father and Han Dingbang surrounded her. The three old people looked at the baby in their arms as if he were a rare treasure.

"I want to see it too! I want to see it too!" The little kid on the side was so anxious that he jumped up and down.

Mother Tao lowered her body, revealing the appearance of a little baby.

His hair was like a broom, his face was wrinkled, and his skin was dark and red.

Oh! So ugly!

I have an ugly brother!

Little Doubao glanced at him with disdain and didn't want to look at him anymore. She couldn't help but imagine in her mind what would happen if she took her brother out to play in the future and people asked: Is this your brother?

So embarrassing!

"For the people!"

Mother Tao called out, calling Lin Weimin's attention back, "Hold the child."

Lin Weimin looked at the door of the delivery room, took the child in his arms, and took a look at him. "Oh! Why is this kid so ugly?"

Tao's mother standing by was immediately unhappy. Her eldest grandson looked so handsome, with such a full forehead, such a straight nose, and such eyes... They weren't even open yet.

"Dad, Dad, was I so ugly when I was just born?" asked the little bean bun.

Lin Weimin thought about it and said, "When you were born, you were much prettier than him. Your skin was white and rosy, like a peach."

Little Doubao was delighted to hear what his father said, because it turned out that he had been beautiful since he was a child.

Tao's father, Tao's mother and Han Dingbang were all speechless after listening to Lin Weimin's words.

It’s bad enough that you favor girls over boys, but why do you ignore the facts?

Mother Tao looked at her grandson who was not even half an hour old and couldn't help feeling a little pity in her heart: My poor grandson, he has not been liked by his father since he was born.

Half an hour later, Tao Huimin was finally pushed out of the delivery room.

Lin Weimin ran over with the child in his arms, as if he were presenting a treasure. "Hui Min, Hui Min, look, our eldest son, does he look like me?"

Tao Huimin had just given birth and looked pale and weak. She glanced at her son and said perfunctorily, "Looks like him!"

Lin Weimin smiled immediately and looked at his son again. He didn't seem so ugly anymore.

Tao's mother saw her daughter's expression and felt even more miserable: It's over. Not only is she disliked by her father, but she is also disliked by her mother.

She secretly made up her mind to love her grandson even more in the future.

Because it was a normal birth, Tao Huimin could be discharged from the hospital on the same day, but to be cautious, the doctor asked Tao Huimin to stay in the hospital for three days to observe the situation.

In the evening, Tao Huimin was feeding her son, and Xiao Doubao was staring at her beside him, looking at his ugly brother with his dark eyes.

"Mom, have you decided on a name for your little brother?"

"Your dad hasn't made up his mind yet!" said Tao Huimin.

Xiao Doubao looked at his father and said, "Dad, I gave my brother a name that sounds really nice."

Lin Weimin smiled and asked, "What's the name?"

"Have you ever heard Xin Qiji's poem 'Qing Yu'an Lantern Festival'?" Xiao Doubao asked with a bit of pride on his face.

Lin Weimin had a bad feeling in his heart, "The name you are thinking of won't be..."

The smile on Xiao Doubao's face widened, and he became even more proud. "That's right! 'I searched for him thousands of times in the crowd'. My name is Qianxun, and my brother's name is Baidu. 'I searched for him thousands of times in the crowd', oh, what a beautiful conception! I'm really good at naming!"

Immersed in self-admiration, Xiao Doubao didn't notice his old father's stiff face at all.

"Mom, what do you think of the name I gave it?" After feeling proud, Xiao Doubao turned around and asked Tao Huimin for credit.

"Not so good!" Tao Huimin rejected her daughter's suggestion mercilessly.

Xiao Doubao suddenly felt extremely frustrated and muttered, "What a nice name!"

After rejecting Xiao Doubao's proposal, Tao Huimin and Lin Weimin seriously discussed their son's name and did not notice the strange light that flashed in their daughter's eyes at this time.

Three years later, the impact of the Nasdaq stock market crash has completely passed, and Guowen Group has grown into a behemoth with assets exceeding 200 billion yuan.

Not only has it made huge profits from investing in domestic and foreign Internet companies, but its traditional cultural industry has also flourished.

In October 2006, Guowen Animation, its third film and television company focusing on animation, went public, and the employees of Guowen Group ushered in another wave of wealth.

Guowen Animation focuses on the production and distribution of animation films and television. Although it was established not long ago, it has dozens of animation IPs that have a significant influence in China.

Calabash Brothers, Black Cat Sheriff, Shuke and Beta, The Sloppy King, Pippi Longstocking and Luxixi, Big Ear Tutu, Chinese Tales, The Legend of Qin, Kuiba... have hundreds of millions of children watching in China, and through the development of animated films and cartoons, have driven the entire upstream and downstream industries of the animation industry.

One of the purposes of Guowen Animation's IPO financing this time is to build an animation IP park, claiming that it is a competitor to Disney.

As soon as the news came out, it immediately attracted the interest of countless investment institutions.

The stock, which was originally planned to be priced at 16.48 yuan per share, was finally set at 30.65 yuan due to the pursuit of institutions. On the opening day, the stock price of Guowen Animation soared by 195%, and the total market value reached 32.5 billion yuan. This market value directly crushed the two big brothers Wencheng and Wenhua, which had been listed for several years, and it is also at the level of a small overlord in the A-share market.

What the market invests in is future potential, and the future planned by Chinese animation just happens to suit the appetite of those investors and investment institutions.

The successful listing of Guowen Animation made the cultural industry layout of Guowen Group more complete, and the group company gradually got on the right track. Lin Weimin also gradually gave up his power and faded his presence. Only the title of chairman remained on him, and he devoted more time and energy to family life.

It was Friday. Lin Weimin got off work early and was watering the flowers in the yard when he heard a heart-wrenching sound coming from the gate.

He put down the kettle. "What's going on?"

Tao Huimin was holding a chubby, round boy in her hands, with a fierce look on her face.

"It's all because of your good daughter!"

"What happened to Doubao?"

Tao Huimin put the little fat boy on the ground and said unhappily, "Ask him!"

Lin Weimin glanced at his son and said, "Erzhuang, what's going on?"

The nickname is Erzhuang, which was simply because Lin Weimin and his wife were too lazy to think of a name and just used Han Zhuangzhuang's name. The eldest nephew has expressed his dissatisfaction many times because of this, but since he and the little kid in front of him are of the same generation, his objection was futile.

However, the nickname was given perfunctorily, but Lin Weimin and his wife were very clear about his real name, after all, he was their biological son.

Link's disease!

Teacher Lin was inspired by the country's victory over SARS in 2003 and gave his son this very commemorative name.

The little fat boy had tear marks on his face, and he whimpered and couldn’t speak clearly, “Oh oh oh…”

Tao Huimin looked at him anxiously and said, "Your good son, tell others in kindergarten that his full name is Lin Baidu, the Baidu that Baidu searches for!"

Baidu was founded in 2000 and received investment from Guowen Group that year. It was successfully listed on the Nasdaq in the United States last year. The name of Baidu Search is well-known in China.

Lin Weimin understood immediately and laughed, "This girl is really a thief with a heart of her own!"

"Laughing, you're still laughing? Do you know that your son has a nickname in kindergarten now, Lin Baidu." Tao Huimin was extremely angry and looked towards the yard, "Where is that girl?"

"School isn't over yet!" Little Doubao is just in the third year of junior high school this year.

Tao Huimin held her breath as she carried the fat boy Linkbing into the house to clean up the house, while not forgetting to keep an eye on what was happening in the yard.

Before dinner in the evening, when Little Doubao just walked into the house with his schoolbag, he saw his old father making faces.

Xiao Doubao was very familiar with her father's expression, which was obviously hinting to her that something big was going to happen.

"Lin Qianxun!"

The little girl instinctively shuddered at the sound of a lion's roar. Looking at Tao Huimin approaching with a feather duster, she backed away while arguing, "Mom, mom, listen to my explanation... No, mom! Mom!"

There was a burst of ghostly howling in the yard. The fat boy Link was clapping his hands at the lively scene, but his old father's tears were in his eyes.

The old father who was a daughter slave asked unhappily: "Why are you laughing when your sister was beaten? You are so heartless!"

(End of this chapter)