Extra (1): Noah's Ark & The Promised Land
In the desert, man-made cities are exceptionally dry and hot. Daytime temperatures can easily soar to 40 degrees Celsius, and the concrete jungle creates a heat island effect, making it feel like you're melting just by stepping outside.
During the day, there are almost no pedestrians on the road except for cars.
Vivian paused in front of her office door, admiring the shiny newness of everything. The ancient satirical saying about the nouveau riche, "The trees are small, the walls are new, the paintings are old-fashioned," likely refers to this place, and this entire city. This emerging financial district, in addition to numerous Chinese financial institutions, also boasts several recent booming new energy vehicle and mobile phone companies. Since "going global" became a buzzword in the financial media, these companies have been the loudest voices.
Of course, this ecosystem isn't limited to this. This is the visible, glamorous part. In the shadows, there are even more mysterious realms, hidden individuals who remain invisible. The cyber fraud industry is no longer limited to Cambodia and Laos. The dream of money is flourishing, and everyone dreams of getting rich overnight, believing in a new utopia, a den of illicit wealth, or even a Noah's Ark.
Everyone wants to join the game in person, surrender quickly, dig up a fortune before the great flood comes, and buy a first-class ticket.
However, those distant, shadowy events only appear in the news. The immediate, immediate events are dull and uninteresting. Work is the same no matter where you go, just like that office thousands of miles away in Beijing with a different coordinate system. It's a literal concrete jungle, with towering glass buildings and beautiful green spaces interspersed with shopping malls, restaurants, and cafes, a beautiful and exquisite beauty maintained at great expense.
Except heat. Endless, limitless... heat.
In the corners of the shadows that no one pays attention to are the black-skinned foreign workers who still have to work when the temperature feels 50 degrees Celsius.
This place really does categorize people by skin color and attire. While the streets are packed with luxury cars, the shuttle buses for migrant workers don't even have air conditioning.
Money has its magic, but it is still frightening to see it so nakedly.
She had been here once before, in transit, while still a student. Back then, she'd spent nearly a thousand yuan on a visa on arrival, and she'd been dying to visit the famous Burj Al Arab. But a full-on tour was too much of a luxury for a backpacker like her, so she walked along the beach for a long time, finally making her way to the ocean, closer to the boat. She also wanted to visit the desert ski slopes and the aquarium, but couldn't bear the expense, so she left with regret.
This place has it all—a ski resort in the desert, a giant scuba-diving aquarium—but no trees. Not really—there are actually tons of big trees in the shopping mall, all with giant, lush, fake canopies.
As we drove toward the airport, countless massive cranes reached into the clouds, shrouded in a shroud of mist. They were about to build the world's tallest building, a mere 500 meters tall. The vast road stretched into the distance, seemingly endless. The whole scene was surreal.
At that time, she thought to herself that she would never come to this place where there was no sign of life again.
But life is just like this, going around in circles, so interesting.
After a few days, she began to miss the dry and cold north with its distinct seasons. But people work not for fun, but to make money.
Besides Vivian, there were two other women in the office: Linda, the head of human resources, and Xiao Guo. The rest were all male. Local women still rarely work outside the home.
Among the many men, the three women felt like they were huddled together for warmth. It was like they were back in their school days. Besides spending eight hours facing each other, they also spent most of their free time together. Anyone who had lived in a communal dormitory during their school years would understand the subtleties of this.
Xiao Guo had just arrived and was still immersed in excitement when he received his first task, which was to receive a visiting delegation of colleagues led by his boss.
Linda was making a fuss and Xiao Guo was extremely nervous, which made Vivian anxious too.
In fact, in this line of work, the most common thing is all kinds of high-end activities, such as the richest man, godfather, prince, minister, etc. Even if you have not eaten pork, you have seen pigs run, so why are you still so nervous?
Perhaps it’s because Wang Yiran’s aura is too strong, making his subordinates walk on thin ice.
Vivian wasn't so much afraid of her, but she was nervous about meeting her former boss again.
After leaving my job, I ran into my former boss. It was truly unpleasant, like having to see my ex-boyfriend. It would have been fine if we had just had a good fight. Without breaking up, there's no building up. Just treat it like meeting someone new.
I was afraid of such a lukewarm attitude. I thought we would never see each other again, so I was extremely polite when I left, and the mask would last until I died. But the next day, I turned around and met him again. How embarrassing.
Seeing Wang Yiran again was a completely different scene. He was wearing a snow-white suit, as if carrying a reflector, making his face gleam with brilliance. Surrounded by a circle of men in darker formal attire, he literally stood out from the crowd.
Vivian was no stranger to this kind of women—the kind who had to be number one in any environment, whether it was academics, career, appearance, or love, and even the kind of hexagonal female warrior who had to take a conference call in the ward on the day of giving birth.
There was a group of well-known financial tycoons, and even though Zhang Ruolin had a good appearance, he was lost among them.
Vivian smiled secretly in her heart, feeling very happy.
If for no other reason than to see my former boss, whom I respected so much, also having such a moment.
In addition to visiting several local sovereign wealth funds, they will also hold discussions with the Chamber of Commerce and financial institutions. They would have come sooner or later, but this time they were just meeting acquaintances, and the atmosphere was particularly cordial.
The Middle East has become China's GP
General Partner (general partner) can be roughly understood as the fund manager
This is the most visited destination for business trips, and during peak season, it's said that hundreds of institutions come here to raise funds. The joke is that even a few hundred princes wouldn't be enough, but the reality is that airfare and hotel prices are constantly rising.
This scene is exactly what happened in Singapore in 2022. Back then, a stone dropped on the streets of Singapore could hit three or five Chinese GPs, and five-star hotels were selling for tens of thousands of yuan a night, yet rooms were hard to come by.
In the past—which sounds like a long time ago, like a white-haired palace maid sitting around and talking about Emperor Xuanzong, but was really only eight or ten years ago—European and American LPs were the best financiers, operating under strict rules and generously, writing checks for hundreds of millions of dollars and not interfering with daily operations. Unlike some so-called high-net-worth individuals, who would literally hang banners on their doors or give AMAC a slap on the wrist if their wishes weren't met.
Fund Industry Association
Write a letter of complaint.
But as time passes, European and American financiers gradually drift away, and the wealthiest people today are the Middle Eastern tycoons. With money, they naturally seek ways to make more money. Thus, this region has become a new gold rush.
The promised land flowing with milk and honey.
The delegation was led by Wang Yiran, and when they arrived, besides liaising with resources and organising the visit, they naturally had to host. Linda and Xiao Guo were completely busy with this. It wasn't Vivian's job, but she was happy to lend a hand. She wasn't keen on sitting with her boss among a group of men, no matter how self-righteous they might be.
Eating and drinking with people provides emotional value but does not increase wages.
Don't say this is too realistic; the reality is even more cruel. Many people think they are so smart that they are treated like stars among the bigwigs, as if they are toyed with at their will, but in fact they are just embellishments.
There are probably only a few people like Wang Yiran in ten thousand. In most cases, they are just treated as jokes, snacks, or toys.
Don't mind such harsh words, as they are scolding your past self.
Now she is very realistic and self-disciplined. She works her way through the day getting paid, feeling at ease and owing nothing to anyone.
Just as her favorite stand-up comedian Hu Lan said, it would be best if wages could be paid daily so that the loss is less.
At the dinner, Wang still sat at the main seat. According to seniority, it was not her turn, but in this all-male party except her, there was no need to strictly follow seniority. It was natural for everyone to be the center of the party.
On one side stood Zhang Ruolin, Wang Yiran's "biological senior brother," and on the other side stood someone unexpected. Vivian was a little surprised to see him.
This person is a celebrity of some degree or another. His business is not outstanding, but he can be seen expressing his opinions in the media every day, and he is considered an internet celebrity investor.
However, he also has another very indecent nickname.
...The King of Cannons.
There is no need to explain the meaning in detail.
The King of Cannons’ ability is OK, the hype is in place, but his character is questionable.
Being placed in this position, Zhang Ruolin was half proud and half angry, with a subtle expression on his face. He was probably angry that he, a man of integrity, had been associated with such a villain.
But no one cared. As the drinking got more intense, the so-called bigwigs gradually shed their facades, unfazed by the exposure of their vulgarity. The slicked-back CEO of the Web3 Foundation, the internet-famous economist, after a little alcohol, became just another guy, the kind who cracked silly jokes and called each other bros.
Having heard and seen this, I really can’t read romance novels with “investment tycoons” or “venture capital elites” as the male protagonists.
The self-controlled, calm, and capable boss who helps you solve life's problems in your imagination may actually be a heartless, promiscuous, and ordinary man who still shamelessly acts as a life mentor.
Vivian secretly observed everything, of course not to scold the financial man again.
She was really curious about the things between her former boss and her current boss.
Everyone loves gossip, and it's not vulgar, she convinced herself. Yuval Noah Harari, in his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, argues that the reason our ancestors, Homo sapiens, triumphed over other species and became the masters of all creation was precisely because they learned storytelling. Storytelling unites tribes and builds consensus.
Gossip has noble value.
When the show ended, Wang, still looking a little tired, dodged the Cannon King's undue attention. Her eyes, half-asleep and tearful, seemed to be staring at him with exceptional intensity when she looked up. Vivian felt a flicker of fire in those eyes, and for no apparent reason, she felt that fire had been picked up by Zhang Ruolin.
It is a god-level interpretation of the four words "tacit understanding".
In fact, Wang Yiran and Zhang Ruolin are indeed real senior and junior brothers and sisters, but they have an age difference and have no overlapping time in school.
In the world of fame and fortune, the terms "senior" and "junior" are naturally more intimate than "Mr./Ms./Boss." The word "campus" often evokes a sense of utopia, a world without calculations or class distinctions, a world of pure innocence and loveliness, a world of universal peace.
The same is true of many people enthusiastically pursuing EMBAs. Beyond connections, they care more about the illusion of youth. Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on this illusion is completely worth it, because in reality, they've long lost that innocence and are even being schemed against day and night by their children, partners, and half-brothers.
Vivian pretended not to notice the hidden agenda, and while everyone was celebrating their farewells in the hotel lobby, she quietly returned to her room. Half an hour later, she went downstairs to have a drink in the lobby bar.
But Wang was still sitting there quietly. When she was alone, she seemed to shed her indestructible shell and looked like just an ordinary beauty.
Unable to avoid it, Vivian had to go over and say hello. Just as she was about to leave, the boss asked her to sit down.
"Guess," she asked without thinking, "what did Lao Jin promise me?"
The King of Cannons’ surname is Jin.
Vivian waited quietly, she knew that her boss didn't need an answer at the moment, he just wanted to talk.
After all, who can resist walking at night in fine clothes?
“They are doing S funds
Secondary Fund, generally translated as "second-hand share transfer fund"
, and are willing to take on some of our projects.”
This is just a short sentence, but it is quite valuable. In the past two years, the primary market has been stagnant and projects on hand cannot be withdrawn.
"Then... should it be a discount?" Vivian asked knowingly.
"Of course he's not stupid, so he'll bargain. But since there's no obvious way out, I'll give him a discount and I'll get DPI.
The dividend rate on invested capital refers to the cash return received by fund investors (LPs)
, each taking what they need.”
Vivian nodded. Of course, she didn't need to ask what was behind it.
"Do you think," Wang Yiran sneered, the glass of wine in front of him almost empty, which was probably why he was so talkative tonight, "that these methods are not acceptable?"
"No, no, no, no." She shook her head like a rattle.
Wang Yiran, perhaps a little drunk, suddenly launched into a discussion, "Let me tell you, women sometimes just have too strong a sense of morality. Before anyone else says anything, they're already imposing countless rules on themselves, wanting to be both the heroine and Joan of Arc. Who knows, are those bigwigs really that innocent?"
"A poor boy once made his fortune thanks to his wife, but today, there are resentful spirits under Yueming Tower. A rich girl married a pauper until he became a gambling king, while she lost one son and one daughter, one dead and one insane. She made her fortune in real estate thanks to her father-in-law, then married a third-rate fake-faced actress and flaunted herself around the world, and still had the nerve to call herself the godfather."
"Talking about a wife sharing the hardships of life is even more ridiculous. Who of them has ever seen love in their eyes? When they're young, they look for someone who can help their careers and easily suck their blood. When they're middle-aged, they look for someone with big breasts to fill the emptiness in their hearts. When they're old, they switch to a nanny or housekeeper, someone who can serve people and is easy to control. Then they have a few children, let them fight with each other, and then they think they can be the boss and their empire will last forever."
"Who among them would dare to admit that their great achievements were made possible by the Yue family? Instead, they all brag about their diligence, hard work, and high moral standards, worthy of being role models? In my opinion, the reason women can't accomplish anything is because they're too self-disciplined, which is completely unnecessary. Not to mention the women themselves, who are always shouting for violence and killing, and even before anyone else starts to criticize them, they're already fighting among themselves, using their feuding for a long time as a token of their allegiance to the male-dominated society."
"You might think tonight's scene wasn't classy or engaging, but that's because you haven't seen how these men humble themselves and lick the flesh of a higher-ranking member of the same sex. In the animal world, defeated monkeys express their loyalty by licking the king's wounds. These men are no different from monkeys."
"Also, seeing a woman succeed and then spreading rumors that she slept her way to her success is ridiculous. These people tonight want to sleep with us. There are small anchors, small celebrities, and high-end escorts of all colors from all over the world. Beauty is the most important, and the least important. They are actually ridiculous and pathetic. They just want a little understanding and admiration."
The boss suddenly started teaching a class, and his subordinates could only nod in agreement.
Vivian didn't object to this argument. However, not everyone could handle such advanced tasks. Without a sharp mind, one would only end up losing both the wife and the army.
Just like in the stories of the "gold-digger girl" novel, the heroine spends all her savings to package herself into the upper class and everyone falls for her. In the real world, she will quickly lose everything, or be scammed and forced to live in a partitioned room and eat fine food.
Wang Yiran, who had been talking at length, suddenly paused. A small flame flickered in his eyes, and a simple smile, a kind of smile Vivian had never seen before, appeared on his face. Without even turning around, Vivian felt she had guessed correctly.
Turning back only added to the embarrassment. She pretended not to notice.
Wang Yiran leaned towards her and whispered, "The relationship between me and my senior brother is far better than this."
Leaving behind a meaningful expression, he stood up and left.
Whether it is true or false is not important, what matters most is that the viewer believes it.
Vivian resisted the urge to look back, but she seemed to see her snow-white, thin figure gradually disappearing into the night.
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