Chapter 12

In the end, *Youth Literature* failed to interview Shen Zhenghui, but this did not stop them from using second-hand information and their own conjectures to craft a brilliant news article in response to the cultural guidelines of socialism with Chinese characteristics proposed since the 15th National Congress. Shen Zhenghui couldn't control how the journalists wrote, and the journalists themselves didn't care what Shen Zhenghui thought. On the other hand, the officials in Pengcheng probably approved of the thinking of the *Youth Literature* journalists. For officials, even if they had achievements, they needed necessary publicity; without publicity, the achievements might as well not have been made. So, very soon, Shen Zhenghui learned that he not only became one of the ten outstanding young people in Pengcheng but also became a candidate for one of the ten outstanding young people in Lingnan Province. The leaders of Pengcheng were fully pushing for this. For this completely disrespectful attitude that only notified him, Shen Zhenghui really didn't know what to say. If he complained, perhaps Liu Xin could understand a little, but Liu Dekai and Shen Xingguo would only scold him for not appreciating the favor. This was such a good thing; Liu Dekai wished he could take this spot himself. This was official recognition, and with this identity, there would be more opportunities to interact with leaders, wouldn't there?

Shen Zhenghui, of course, understood this, but all reborn people had a pretentious side. Even if they were incredibly powerful, they were still constrained by the real environment. Even if they were born into a top aristocratic family, they still faced the same troubles as Sun Jingfang.

Shen Zhenghui had to take time out of his work to build relationships with the leaders of Pengcheng. The Communist Youth League system, which he had not previously been involved with, now required more frequent visits. Although the people in this system currently had no real power, they were all candidates for future leadership positions, and it was good to invest early. In this regard, Shen Xingguo and Liu Dekai were much more enthusiastic than Shen Zhenghui.

The Pengcheng municipal government finally allocated a piece of land for Liu Dekai's business development. According to the previous plan by Shen Zhenghui and others, there should be a cinema, an animation city, and a series of commercial properties in this area. Following the city leaders' ideas, around these facilities, resettlement housing could be built to relocate some of the people in the urban area. Originally, they wanted to build the resettlement housing first, but since Shen Zhenghui and Liu Dekai were eager to invest, the leaders naturally drew a circle on the map. Liu Dekai felt a bit heartache for the surrounding area being too desolate, but Shen Zhenghui was already smiling at the map, knowing that in just five to six years, the money invested now would return tenfold. These commercial properties would be like endless printing machines. Shen Zhenghui began to consider whether to expand comprehensively, but without tens of billions of capital, real estate was really hard to do.

On the other hand, *Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf* began to stand out in various awards set up by the national cultural department. This was also part of the Pengcheng local government's efforts to highlight their achievements. With the nationwide craze following the popular broadcast on CCTV, the show quickly became a representative work of half-human, half-animal characters, attracting more capital to invest.

Shen Zhenghui unhesitatingly directed the establishment of a chain of toy stores to complement the animation, buying storefronts and opening stores in major cities across the country, or attracting franchisees to form a sufficient scale. Then, using this scale as collateral, they took out loans from banks for further expansion. In fact, the biggest asset in this expansion was not the scale itself but the real estate assets formed during the expansion process. This could only be done in 1998; by 2008, the price of commercial real estate in the city center would be unknown.

However, Shen Xingguo and Liu Dekai could only express their shock at such an expansion method. As Shen Zhenghui's plan was implemented, according to Marx, capital grew exponentially, and at the same time, debt also increased rapidly, almost every piece of capital was accumulated through debt. In China, this dangerous way of capital operation meant that if a bank manager, or even a credit officer, slightly delayed a loan, the capitalist would be left with no place to bury their body.

Shen Zhenghui, with infinite confidence in the future, pushed his plan forward. With the development of the Chinese economy, these projects would undoubtedly run smoothly. The flow of capital was not a problem—provided the bank did not unjustly withhold loans or demand early repayment.

Seeing the scale of the company he had invested in and the astonishing speed of debt growth, Liu Dekai's heart could not take it. He went to Shen Xingguo, "Brother Shen, can't you persuade your son to be more cautious? The company's financial statements scare me to death."

Shen Xingguo put on a calm face in front of Liu Dekai, "Which company's financial statements?"

"Isn't it all the companies we invested in?"

"Each company's financial status is independent," Shen Xingguo spread his hands, "Don't worry, at most, one company will go bankrupt, it won't cause a chain reaction."

"I don't believe you!" Liu Dekai said disdainfully, "When the debt collectors come, they won't care about your excuses."

"Be bolder! Move faster!" Shen Xingguo said with a smile, "Have you calculated the scale of your investment yet?"

"Of course, I can't deny that, but," Liu Dekai sighed, "the debt is too scary, isn't it?"

"Of course, how can you develop so fast without using the bank's money? You want to be a hero and a good man, how is that possible?" Shen Xingguo said with disdain.

"Brother Shen, don't say that," Liu Dekai widened his eyes, "Aren't you afraid?"

"Of course," Shen Xingguo stretched his neck, "I am afraid." Seeing Liu Dekai's puzzled expression, Shen Xingguo continued, "Brother Liu, think about it, weren't we afraid and worried when we did business before? You encountered unpaid project fees, and I encountered foreign scammers. Now, my son isn't doing fundraising or loan fraud. Tell me, what do you think of this plan? Is it understandable and feasible?"

"Well, but..." Liu Dekai hesitated.

"Besides, the main work is done by my son. Look, isn't everything going well at this stage? The animation is broadcast on CCTV, and the toys are sold nationwide. This isn't something we just threw money at. The funds are returning according to the plan. What do you have to worry about? Neither of us needs to worry; let the kids worry."

Liu Dekai was silent for a long time, then blurted out, "Nonsense, aren't you worried about your son?"

"Of course, I am worried, but not to the extent you are!" Shen Xingguo spread his hands.

Liu Dekai was somewhat resentful, "That animation, I don't understand it, but now it's because of Minister Wu. If Minister Wu is no longer in that position..."

"Old Liu, you're just overthinking it," Shen Xingguo shook his head. "Since it's already broadcast on CCTV, there's nothing to worry about. Unless the quality drops significantly, which TV station wouldn't buy it? Which leader wouldn't see it as an achievement? Isn't it just white money?" Shen Xingguo sneered, "Not to mention, when we visited the newly appointed Secretary Gao, didn't he meet us? This shows it's already on the leaders' radar."

Hearing Shen Xingguo's words, Liu Dekai's expression relaxed a bit. But then he turned his eyes, "Old Shen, what do you think about Zhenghui and our daughter Xin Xin?"

"Well, it's up to the young people," Shen Xingguo smiled slightly, but in his heart, he was calculating how much of the shares Liu Dekai had invested in the company under Liu Xin's name, and how much money that was now worth. If Liu Xin didn't end up marrying Shen Zhenghui, what would the loss be? Of course, Shen Xingguo had a deeper thought: given the current situation, it was necessary to take the path of collusion between officials and businessmen. If possible, it would be a good move for his son to marry the daughter of a high-ranking official. However, this involved political alignment, which was a headache. In previous conversations with his son, he seemed very optimistic about the newly appointed Secretary Gao, saying he might reach the position of a grand elder, and he heard that Secretary Gao had a daughter.

Of course, all this was just Shen Xingguo's occasional wild thoughts. In recent years, he had gradually let go of his own business and focused on his son's career. Looking at financial statements and calculating capital growth was his favorite thing to do, and he was surprisingly consistent with Liu Dekai, except that Liu Dekai also had to focus on his construction company and his daughter's marriage. Soon, Liu Dekai would discover that the property under his daughter's name would nominally far exceed his own, although the use of her shares was still under his control. Therefore, he was particularly concerned about the company's future, fearing that Shen Zhenghui's business plan would turn out to be a fleeting success.

Taking this opportunity, he and Shen Xingguo discussed the plan again and were shocked to find that if the plan succeeded, according to the data proposed by Shen Zhenghui, the combined assets of the two families would be in the billions. Liu Dekai felt his hands trembling.

Shen Xingguo was much calmer, probably because he calculated it every day, "Didn't we estimate this from the beginning? Don't you remember?"

"Old man," Liu Dekai swallowed, "I thought your son was just boasting."

"When has my son ever boasted?" Shen Xingguo said with a self-satisfied look.

"No way!" Liu Dekai slammed the table, "Old Shen, your son must be my son-in-law!"