Chapter 505 She is very satisfied with God (revised): Is the building really going to collapse?

The boss is going crazy, throwing money around like crazy.

After eating a late-night snack made with gutter oil, he started thinking about turning gutter oil into high-grade lubricant, and even vowed that gutter oil could be sold for a higher price than cooking oil.

Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao both felt that the boss had drunk too much—even someone who doesn't usually drink much can be knocked out by just a few bottles of beer.

Their reasoning was that if gutter oil was more expensive than cooking oil, why wouldn't buyers just use cooking oil? Buying cooking oil would certainly be more convenient than recycling gutter oil.

Wang Xiao was truly tipsy. On her way back to the hotel after finishing her barbecue and spicy hot pot, she was still explaining to her bodyguards: "The fatty acid composition of gutter oil is more suitable for producing biodiesel, soap, and paint."

She hiccuped. "Besides, the policy support for bioenergy can ensure its stable sales."

If you have nothing to worry about selling, why would you worry about the price not going up?

Xiao Gao asked doubtfully, "Is the policy really supportive?"

He looked at the introduction to the new energy policy that Deputy Director Jiang gave to the boss last time, and it didn't seem to mention gutter oil.

"This is the general direction." Wang Xiao pointed to the night market stalls outside the car window.

The night was deep and dark, like a black velvet curtain, and the clusters of flickering firelight became diamonds on the velvet. Together they created the colors of human life.

She seemed to be talking to herself, "There will be even more people laid off later, and a large number of laid-off workers will stimulate the further development of the night market economy and the catering economy. And these will bring a lot of space for the production of gutter oil and the market for the use of gutter oil in the catering industry."

When the presence of gutter oil on dining tables sparks public outrage, policies should guide gutter oil out of the catering market.

Xiao Gao pressed on, asking, "Boss, how do you turn gutter oil into biodiesel?"

"I don't know," Wang Xiao said matter-of-factly. "I'm not involved in this kind of research."

Well, everyone on the bus was speechless.

Boss, you're speaking with such certainty, we thought you had already mastered the relevant technology when you worked at the chemical research institute back then.

Wang Xiao didn't know exactly what to do, but that didn't stop her from dreaming about the future.

Seriously, the next ten years will be the golden age for the gutter oil reprocessing industry because the catering industry is booming. Restaurants and night market stalls are packed with people, which will generate a lot of gutter oil.

The abundance of raw materials means that the cost of collecting gutter oil will decrease significantly. Furthermore, the large volume of gutter oil will further reduce reprocessing costs.

As for when the subsidy policy will come, and when biodiesel will be truly encouraged by policy, that's another matter.

Not all industries will become profitable quickly in the short term, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be viewed favorably.

Yahoo!, a renowned company, is one of the fastest-growing and most successful internet companies in the world. It was highly regarded from the moment it was founded, but it took it four years to become profitable.

Amazon, whose brand recognition is no less than Yahoo's, has yet to break even, but its stock price has still skyrocketed.

People invest in these kinds of companies because they are investing in the industry's prospects, and they are optimistic about the company's development potential and future.

Knowing his boss enjoyed listening to the news, the driver started the radio as soon as the car started. After the song "Boom Boom Boom Boom!!" ended, the news began.

Don't ask why upbeat dance music is combined with financial news. The answer is that they both have the same effect: they get people excited and hyped.

The stock market has been incredibly hot this year. Not to mention the Nasdaq, even the long-established Dow Jones Industrial Average has broken the 10,000-point mark five times this year.

In early 1995, IBM's stock price was $37; now it's among the top 30 industrial stocks on the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

The highest-priced stock in the market rose by 385% in four years.

Another established company, General Motors, had a stock price that was $40 higher than IBM's in early 1995. But now its stock price is only $90, an increase of only 125%.

Given this market trend, who wouldn't want to invest in emerging industries?

Wang Xiao muttered to himself, "IBM is IBM after all, the Blue Giant."

Xiao Zhao chimed in from the side: "But Microsoft is doing better right now."

Listen, it's already been reported in the news. Compared to the same period last year, Microsoft's stock price has soared from $15 in 1995 to over $190 now, more than tenfold.

Ultimately, Nasdaq's performance was more eye-catching than Dow Jones'.

This conspicuousness has made investors and the market envious.

The news reported that Nasdaq was making intensive preparations to cooperate with Japanese high-tech giant SoftBank to establish a Nasdaq Japan.

Its entry requirements are lower than those of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, making it easier for high-tech companies to raise funds.

Wang Xiao stared blankly at the car radio, wondering if he should also list the company on NASDAQ in Tokyo.

Oh dear, I can't take it anymore. Too much beer is really making me dizzy. I need to go back and sleep first.

When she woke up the next day at noon, her border pass was already on her bedside table.

Yes, theoretically speaking, you must be present in person to apply for a border pass.

You need to fill out a "Border Pass Application Form" and submit your resident ID card or other valid documents. After the review is completed, it will take some time before you can get your border pass.

There will always be a gap between theory and reality, and some people will always receive preferential treatment.

Mr. Wang belongs to that group of people who receive preferential treatment.

She didn't even see what the application form looked like, nor did she know where to apply. After her assistant made a few phone calls, Wang Xiao finished breakfast at the hotel and boarded the plane with her border pass.

In 1999, you could take a train from Shanghai to Shenzhen, an express train. You could board in the afternoon, play cards all afternoon, sleep overnight, and arrive at Shenzhen around 8 a.m. the next morning after 18 hours and 55 minutes.

It was actually a great trip, with 15 stops along the way and passing through four provinces and cities. How interesting!

If Ivan were here, Wang Xiao would definitely take him on this train so he could see the beautiful spring scenery along the way in southern China.

But if she leads the team alone, the train journey will be a bit boring.

Although her bodyguards and assistants were with her every day, there were some things she could only discuss with Ivan; they were her partners.

Since that's the case, let's not waste time on the road and hurry up and take a plane to Shenzhen.

The assistant secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the boss's decision.

He called Secretary Fang's chief secretary, Sun, to arrange the border pass, which was then specially processed and airlifted from Jinning to Zhimen.

While waiting for the certificate, he had already booked the train and plane tickets, just waiting for his boss's order.

Thank goodness, the boss flew to Shenzhen, which shows how eager she was to see the grate furnace equipment.

If it were a train, he was really afraid that the boss would get impatient after being jostled around for eighteen or nineteen hours and change his mind about not burning the garbage, but instead go and process the gutter oil.

He didn't think the boss was crazy for changing his mind; after all, the whole world is crazy.

The US stock market has doubled the world's wealth in almost a year. Isn't that even more insane?

Even though countless financial experts have warned that a stock market boom is inevitably followed by a crash, and that the US stock market boom is a typical example of a bubble economy, it hasn't stopped the stock index from continuing to rise.

Because the 21st century is inherently dreamlike, everyone has a fire burning in their hearts, with passion and restlessness surging. People are eager to break away from the 20th century and welcome a brand new millennium.

In this social atmosphere, any choice, no matter how strange, is considered normal.

The flight took two and a half hours to fly from Shanghai Pudong Airport to Shenzhen Huangtian Airport.

Don't ask what kind of airport this is. It's the first time Wang Xiao has ever heard of it. Before she traveled through time, she always thought that Shenzhen's airport was called Bao'an Airport.

As for whether Huangtian Airport was later abandoned or what happened, she had no idea.

However, Huangtian Airport does not look dilapidated; on the contrary, it is quite fashionable and has the air of an international airport, which is very much in line with Shenzhen's position as the forefront of reform and opening up.

Tang Yicheng received a reminder call from his boss's assistant this morning, and without saying a word, he rushed over from Hong Kong and even went to the airport to pick up his boss.

When Wang Xiao saw him, she smiled and said, "Oh, our CEO Tang is so busy, yet he still made a special trip. I'm truly flattered."

Actually, she really didn't expect that Tang Yicheng would receive her in Shenzhen. Little Tang has his own things to do.

She wasn't worried about not having anyone to receive her; the Jiangdong Provincial Government's Shenzhen office was already waiting for her at the airport with a sign.

Tang Yicheng laughed heartily: "It is my honor to see you, boss, once again."

He even actively encouraged him, "Boss, would you like to go to Hong Kong again?"

Wang Xiao, with his bare hands, followed the group forward and asked curiously, "Is something wrong in Hong Kong this time? Is the Li family's Cyberport failing, or has the Hong Kong government changed its mind and no longer wants to develop high-tech industries?"

I'm so jealous!

Last year, Richard Li, the youngest son of the Li family, obtained a 64-acre plot of land from the Hong Kong government for free through the Cyberport project, securing the exclusive development rights for the Hong Kong Information Technology Park—Cyberport.

Do you know how much that costs? Given the current frenzy in Hong Kong's real estate market, this 64-acre plot of land is practically paved with gold.

Of course, Tang Yicheng also took advantage of this opportunity and, by leveraging the momentum, secured a contract with Taiwan's World Wide Semiconductor Corporation to jointly build a chip manufacturing plant, and also obtained two more acres of land from the Hong Kong government.

But can you compare them? One is 64 acres, and the other is only two acres.

One acre is approximately equal to 6.07 mu, so 64 acres would be 388.5 mu!

Jealousy! Wang Xiao made no attempt to hide his jealousy.

Anyway, Cyberport in Hong Kong hasn't really boosted the development of the digital industry; real estate projects have a stronger presence.

Tang Yicheng could also see the boss's jealousy. Anyone would be jealous, right?

Acquiring land for free in Hong Kong is something that makes people extremely envious.

Unfortunately—

He had to tell his boss, "Cyberport is progressing very well. Last month, the Cyberport development plan was announced, with a total investment of HK$15.8 billion. Young Master Li is buying companies, probably to raise funds through a backdoor listing."

After grinding his teeth, Wang Xiao had to suppress his burning jealousy and nodded, saying, "Then let's take advantage of the Li family's influence. They're the richest family in Hong Kong, with deep pockets and connections everywhere. When it comes to policy support, they'll definitely get the best. Even if we can't get the meat, we can still get some soup."

Tang Yicheng nodded with a smile: "That's exactly what I think."

Perhaps it's because of Mr. Wang's influence, but he now feels indifferent towards so-called business leaders like Li Ka-shing.

Especially since the other party released countless press releases in mainland China, emphasizing how frugal his life was, Mr. Tang felt that he was being pretentious.

Because this guy is clearly the largest Patek Philippe collector in Asia.

Oh, other people buying cars and yachts is considered extravagant and wasteful, but he wears someone else's car on his wrist and it's considered elegant?

As for the appreciation and preservation of value of watches, in Mr. Tang's view, it's similar to the concept of diamonds; it's all hype created by advertisers.

What's the use of a watch? To put it simply, isn't it for telling time?

All its other additional functions are artificially assigned, depending entirely on what others say.

Once in the car, Wang Xiao listened to Brother Tang's rambling and laughed out loud: "That's how luxury goods are; their greatest value lies in being social symbols that identify those who share the same interests."

Because there wasn't enough room in the car, the staff from the Jiangdong Province office in Shenzhen drove themselves.

Before leaving, they made a special trip over to greet Wang Xiao. Upon hearing about watches and luxury goods, Section Chief Hong, who was in charge of picking them up, exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, Mr. Wang, you don't even wear a watch."

A high-end watch has long been a standard accessory for elite business people.

Wang Xiao shook his empty wrist and said with a grin, "That's why I'm not an elite. I still need the help of you elites to inspect the waste incineration power plant."

Section Chief Hong waved his hand repeatedly: "You're too kind, you're too kind. We really need to learn from elites like you."

He said these words with genuine feeling.

People who have lived in Shenzhen for a long time tend to have a very strong sense of economics.

Looking across mainland China, those willing to leave their public office and devote themselves to the business world are a minority.

But in Shenzhen, if there's an opportunity to make big money in a company, there are plenty of people willing to switch careers.

He had heard that this Mr. Tang from Hong Kong was just an ordinary veteran, but because he had been working with Mr. Wang for a long time, he was now a well-known figure in Hong Kong.

If one day I could be like President Tang, wearing designer clothes, driving luxury cars, and always looking glamorous, then I would consider my life worthwhile.

The car windows were closed, and several cars drove forward one after another.

Wang Xiao curiously peered out the car window.

It's truly incredible that she came into this world in the fall of 1990 and then traveled all over the country doing business.

But to this day, this is her first time in Shenzhen, the forefront of China's reform and opening up.

Tang Yicheng asked with great interest, "So, boss? What do you think of Shenzhen?"

His first trip back to Shenzhen was when they first started their clothing business; he came with Xiang Dong to purchase goods.

My biggest feeling at that time was, wow, Shenzhen really lives up to its name.

It can be said that his first impressions of modern cities all came from Shenzhen.

Wang Xiao smiled and nodded: "It's fine."

April in Shenzhen is already summer; the streets are full of men and women dressed in bright colors, each trying to outdo the other in style. Everyone is in a hurry, with no sign of leisure.

Tang Yicheng laughed and said, "Those are the landlords who sit and collect money."

Although he had previously joined his boss in despising businesses that relied on property rentals, he believed they were no different from the landlords and wealthy people of the old society.

But to be honest, being a landlord or landlady is indeed a comfortable life.

Wang Xiao nodded with a smile: "Only those who have no worries about food and clothing can live a carefree life."

The rest are all people who are constantly struggling for a bowl of rice.

The plane arrived in Shenzhen at dusk.

So Tang Yicheng didn't assign work to the boss, but instead sent him to the hotel to drop off his luggage and then immediately took him out to eat.

Upon hearing the location he had chosen, Section Chief Hong gave a thumbs up and exclaimed, "President Tang truly lives up to his reputation; he's an expert even when it comes to food. Having lived in Shenzhen for so many years, I genuinely believe his restaurant ranks among the top three."

Tang Yicheng laughed and said, "There's no other way, things in Hong Kong are too expensive, we need to save money."

Everyone says that prices in Shenzhen are crazy, but they are still much better than in Hong Kong.

Moreover, Shenzhen is close to the mainland and has a wealth of culinary talent. If you're a true gourmet, you'd be willing to travel a little further to Shenzhen to eat.

Wang Xiao asked curiously, "Oh, what are some of their signature dishes?"

“Seafood,” Tang Yicheng explained. “His family cooks seafood in a modified Cantonese style, which is best enjoyed at night.”

It definitely felt that way, because the restaurant had no seats available, so they had to sit at tables on the roadside.

Tang Yicheng repeatedly bowed and apologized: "His business is just too good. You have to book a table at least a month in advance. I could only get a table on the street."

In an attempt to lessen his sentence, he even pointed to the building in front of him and showed it to his boss, saying, "This is SEG Plaza."

It was getting late, and the streetlights couldn't clearly illuminate the outline of SEG Plaza; Wang Xiao could only see clusters of lights.

She raised her eyebrows with amusement: "How's business here these days?"

"Quite good." Tang Yicheng used tea to rinse the owner's bowls and chopsticks and introduced, "The shops are selling very well, but the office buildings are not selling. They've been calling my cell phone every day, trying to get me to build office buildings here."

Wang Xiao was overjoyed: "This will make our CEO Tang famous!"

Tang Yicheng shook his head with a smile and said to the boss, "I reckon its office building won't sell."

Wang Xiao became interested: "Why? The SEG Plaza is quite nice, and it's popular."

In fact, office buildings are generally not selling well right now, as the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis has not completely subsided. This is especially true in places like Shenzhen, which heavily relies on foreign investment and is therefore more affected by the financial crisis.

However, the vacancy rate of office buildings in Shenzhen is not generally high, and SEG Plaza has a good reputation. Companies would also give priority to SEG Plaza in order to quickly increase their brand awareness and gain social recognition.

"The positioning is incorrect."

The salt-baked shrimp was already on the table. Tang Yicheng gestured to the owner, "Try this. Their salt-baked shrimp is their signature dish, and the taste is truly exceptional."

Wang Xiao picked up a salt-baked shrimp and listened to Tang Yicheng ramble on: "The SEG Plaza is positioned as an electronics, high-tech business, and its electronics market is the most successful. Because Huaqiangbei used to be an industrial area with a lot of electronics factories, but now that land prices and labor costs have risen, it has shifted from industrial to commercial development. But with so many factories and so much supply, the electronics market is naturally doing well."

Wang Xiao listened and nodded.

She initially envied the success of Huaqiangbei, so she set up electronics markets in both Shanghai and Beijing, creating her own Huaqiangbei.

Even so, the Huaqiangbei electronics sales market will naturally rise when the time is right.

After all, China's consumer market is so huge that if it is fully explored, it can support far more than just Huaqiangbei.

Tang Yicheng then tried to sell braised cuttlefish to the boss, continuing to ramble on about his real estate expertise: "But it's mispositioned. High-tech companies and Yimi Cabinets are two different things. The business that's doing well is Yimi Cabinets, not high-tech companies. And the better Yimi Cabinets does, the further away the high-tech companies will go."

Xiao Gao listened with great interest, but was also full of doubt: "Why? Doesn't good business mean there's no worry about shipping? The electronics company should be happy."

Tang Yicheng was really having a headache. Although Xiao Gao and Xiao Zhao weren't his underlings, they were quite close to him, and he always felt like his own family was losing face.

He had to point to the still brightly lit electronics plaza: "Think about it, what kind of people make those one-meter cabinets? Small vendors, many of them didn't even finish elementary school, they're practically illiterate. Can they possibly be on the same wavelength as those PhDs from electronics companies who've studied abroad?"

Wang Xiao listened and laughed.

When the real estate market is booming, the type of housing that is hardest to sell is called resettlement housing, because buyers of commercial housing are unwilling to deal with resettled residents.

People have their own social circles.

The circles of people working in high-tech electronics companies are not the same as those of electronics market vendors, and the two are difficult to reconcile.

Tang Yicheng shook his head: "In the end, it's just that the leaders above are lazy. They think the electronics industry is all high-tech, without considering that an industry is also a pyramid, divided into different levels. Putting the top level together with the bottom level is a joke, isn't it? High-tech companies are trying to avoid these neighbors like the plague."

This is the mainland market; it's unique, and you can't simply apply examples from foreign markets to it.

As he spoke, he took the opportunity to flatter his boss, "Look how smart our boss is. On the same piece of land, the electronics market is the electronics market and the R&D center is the R&D center. They can only pass each other through the passageway, so they don't disturb each other."

Section Chief Hong quickly gave a thumbs up: "That's why we have our Boss Wang! He thinks ten steps ahead for every step he takes, that's exactly what Boss Wang is all about. Come on, Boss Wang, let me toast you."

Wang Xiao didn't hesitate and clinked glasses with him for a beer, but shook her head with a smile: "I don't have that kind of magic. In Beijing, due to height restrictions, they can't build more than a few stories in total. In Shanghai, it's because the electronics market is above the computer mall. People in the office buildings above find the elevators too crowded, so they added a separate elevator on the exterior wall to save everyone time."

Now, listening to Tang Yicheng's analysis of the SEG Plaza, she felt she should offer incense to the heavens.

She was so lucky; he somehow managed to avoid falling into the obvious trap.

Actually, the electronics market in Beijing is a research and development center, and the people coming and going are mainly former Soviet electronics experts she invited from Moscow and other places.

But these scientists don't seem to mind the vendors in the electronics market; they can even drink together after the vendors have finished their business in the evening.

Looking back now, it was probably just a twist of fate.

Coming from the Soviet Union, both geographically and historically, they must have felt incredibly lonely in a foreign land and desperately needed the warmth and liveliness of everyday life.

Wang Xiao raised his glass towards the sky, indicating his satisfaction with the arrangement made by fate.

Keep it up! Stay humble and avoid complacency. Keep striving and pray that I can reach new heights.

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[Starry-eyed] Sales of the nearly 100,000 square meters of office space in SEG Plaza have indeed been very poor. From May 1999 to November 2001, after nearly three years of sales and four different sales agencies, the sales rate only reached about 40%, and a significant portion of the sales were achieved through bundled sales of shops and office space. [Winking]

Furthermore, regarding Hong Kong's Cyberport, in 2023, Cyberport was recognized by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China as a "National-level Science and Technology Business Incubator," which affirms its outstanding achievements in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Hong Kong. However, Cyberport did face some challenges in its early development, such as a limited number of early tenants and slower-than-expected growth. Moreover, its significant influence from real estate development has somewhat overshadowed its achievements in the digital technology sector, leading some to believe that it has not effectively driven the development of Hong Kong's digital sector.

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport officially opened on October 12, 1991, initially named Shenzhen Huangtian Airport. On September 18, 2001, with the approval of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Shenzhen Huangtian International Airport was officially renamed Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. Therefore, when Mr. Wang went to Shenzhen in 1999, the airport was still called Huangtian Airport. [Laughing and crying emoji]