Chapter 199 Giving Advice Is Helping Him
Seeing how polite I was, the other party asked, "You?"
I sat down and said, "Mr. Lu, I've heard your name from my master. Many years ago, he met you at a dinner party in Beidaihe. It was organized by a boss named Lan Lisheng. One of the attendees was called the Second Young Master."
Mr. Lu thought for a while and said with a smile, "I often attend dinners with friends in certain circles, but forget about them after eating."
Mr. Lu, sitting before me, is a well-known hidden rich man. He mines in Africa, but his company is not listed on the stock market. He is a truly wealthy man.
He usually keeps a low profile and doesn't accept media interviews. It's fair to say that even if he revealed his name, few would know it. Besides, there are many people with the same name.
"Nice to meet you, nice to meet you, Mr. Lu."
Mr. Lu said, "Now that you know my true identity, we are destined to be together. Don't worry, just say whatever you want."
Of course, what he said was exactly what I was thinking. I couldn't let him put me down just because he was rich and famous. He had his pride, and I had my ability to see through things.
"Mr. Lu, now that I know your true identity, I'll be frank and say that I'm not a biographer."
He didn't react for a moment and asked, "Mr. Wan, what do you mean by this?"
"Because biographers will write you up to be fantastic in order to please you and get a big enough check."
He smiled.
"The biggest harm these writers do is poison their readers. They write about entrepreneurs as if they were mythical. They talk about them starting from scratch and having a long-term vision. But how many people have started from scratch?
I dug up the family histories of Ma, Ma, Wang, Liu, and Cao and told them all.”
He nodded: "I've read several biographies, all of them are lofty and noble."
"It's good that you have such a clear understanding. Although you don't accept interviews and are a hidden millionaire, there are still sporadic introductions about you online. I read them a few years ago.
So, let me start with your unfortunate teenage years. That wasn't the life you wanted, nor was it something you could have chosen. But when it came to biographers, it became "Suffering is a good school that can train people."
In fact, suffering is suffering. Maybe a few people can be trained out of it, but most people are suffering, starting from a lower level than others, and the vast majority suffer throughout their lives.
Let’s start from the days when you went to Shenzhen to work. You earned the recognition of your boss through your hard work and were asked to work in sales, earning your first pot of gold in life. It was not because you had great ambitions. If you were not down-to-earth, you might end up sleeping under a bridge again.
But biographers portray you as harboring grand ambitions, aiming to strike it rich and start a new business. That's deceiving. At the time, you simply wanted to be a little more prosperous.
When you went to Africa to pan for gold, you were simply trying your luck. Choosing to start a mine was your only correct decision. It coincided with the rapid growth of the global economy, especially the domestic economy, which created a huge demand for raw materials. It was a great opportunity.
In reality, it wasn't that you had exceptional foresight, but rather that you encountered a great era. This is called luck, or simply good fortune. It's fair to say that you were also deeply panicked at the time. If you failed, you would be destitute, perhaps even jumping off a building.
In this process where both risks and profits are huge, you have no capital to be proud of. Over-interpreting your vision is just hindsight.
You went to Africa to open a mine, and you applied the same methods you had in China to perfection. Because in the sales process, you understood China's national conditions and applied the relationship-building methods to Africa.
You chose the path of cooperating with the government to open a mine, which involved the transfer of benefits, and therefore received strong support and protection from local officials.
You made a killing, not because you invented some high-tech invention, but because backward regions like Africa have room for officials to seek rent through power. You two hit it off.
Now, let’s go back to mobile phones. Mobile phones are a purely technical industry, and it is obviously ridiculous to transfer profits to certain parties.
The reason you make mobile phones is that you are surrounded by a group of flatterers. In order to gain more appreciation and benefits from you, they are the same as biographers, praising you every day as if you were born to be a groundbreaking businessman with unique vision and foresight.
You are flattered by their praise and think you are omnipotent. You believe that your choice will be unstoppable. So, you are tempted.
I have finished speaking. It may make you unhappy, but I have nothing to ask of you."
Mr. Lu smiled and said, "A conversation with you is worth ten years of reading. Thank you very much for your advice. How do I pay for this?"
I took my phone, checked the time, pulled out a receipt, filled in two hours in the time column, and handed it to him: "Sign your name. When you check out, the front desk will add this fee. You will pay for it then."
He stood up, extended his hand, and said, "Thank you, Mr. Wan."
Then, left.
I closed the door. I knew he was upset, but he'd thank me later. It was like pulling out pus. At the time, you'd definitely resent the person pulling it out, but later you'd realize it would have become a serious problem if you hadn't pulled it out sooner.
…
The next morning, Yifan called and said, "Mr. Lan called me because he forgot to ask for your phone number last night and asked if he could tell him. I said I had to ask you before I could give you an answer."
"Give it to him."
Since the phone call woke me up, I sat on the bed and picked up my phone to look through it.
"If the world is filled with only interests, marriages, complicated calculations, and constant suspicion, I really want to say that I hope for a pure friendship. It's late at night, I can't sleep, so I'm writing this."
This is the message Zuo Qingfen sent me.
Should I reply or not?
If I answer, "I also hope for such a friendship," will we gradually become friends? Once we become friends, will we become impure?
Wouldn't it be rude not to reply?
I thought about it for a while and replied:
"You can write so well even if you just write casually. If you are serious, why don't you become a writer?"
Then the phone call came: "Teacher Wan, why didn't you reply to my message last night?"
"I went to talk to my girlfriend."
"Oh, you can talk to your girlfriend, and you can talk to me too."
"hehe."
"Really? I have something on my mind, and I need your help to sort it out."
"Sure. If there's a chance."
"Hey, if there's still a chance, how far away is it? It only takes half an hour. Next time I invite you, you must come out."
"Okay, okay."
I looked at the time and it was already past nine. I hurried to wash my face and rinse my mouth. I hadn't eaten breakfast yet. I made a packet of milk and was just about to drink it when Secretary Ma called: "Mr. Wan, Mr. Chen wants you to come over."
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