Chapter 46

Buried line unsuccessful, misunderstood by book friends as meddling—!

Catching a rich second generation, can only pick up the first generation's wealth! In fact, what Song Chen had in mind was more about laying a good foundation for future interpersonal relationships! Keeping it rotten is useless, why not use it as a favor? Right?

***

"I had a brief interaction and cooperation with your father! Of course, that was back in 1979."

At the Zhang family banquet, Zhang Hua sat at the head of the table, with his wife Zhao Yingying on his left and Song Chen and Zhang Ruoxi on his right. Looking at the well-matched couple, Zhang Hua grew more and more satisfied. Zhao Yingying, on the other side, found that although Song Chen was not particularly handsome or tall, his features were delicate and he was steady and reserved, giving the impression of a boy who disliked superficiality, which pleased her greatly.

"Doing business back then was nerve-wracking!" Although he didn't like to talk about his father, Song Chen still maintained a restrained smile and continued the conversation, "My father often mentioned to me how he would look around warily for police every time he sold goods in a new place, as if he were a thief!"

"Ha ha! It seems your father still has lingering fears!" Zhang Hua laughed and said, "That was indeed the case! But the policies were inconsistent, making life hard for us who traveled far and wide!"

"Those days, we were always on edge, fearing that my husband would be caught for speculation and taken away by the police!" Zhao Yingying also laughed and said.

"Those were hard times!" Zhang Hua sighed and smiled at Song Chen, "But whenever I recall those hard times to my children, they always dismiss it! The younger generation can't understand the hardships the older generation faced! Just like Ruoxi's brother Qidong, he always says the times have changed, and we need to look forward!"

Seeing Song Chen turn to look at her, Zhang Ruoxi stuck out her tongue and corrected, "Actually, it's looking at money!"

Song Chen smiled and turned back to Zhang Hua, "When my father talks about these things, my attitude is similar! But now that I'm in business myself, I have a better understanding of the anxiety my father felt when he was in business!"

The conversation gradually turned to business, and Zhang Hua nodded and smiled, "I heard from Ruoxi that you mortgaged your house to open an internet cafe. How's business?"

Song Chen smiled modestly and said, "The profit is decent. Business has been quite good these past few days, making about 2,500 yuan a day!"

"2,500 yuan a day?" Although they had heard their daughter mention the high profits of the internet cafe, the high profit still made Zhang Hua and Zhao Yingying find it hard to believe. "So, you can recover your capital in less than two months?"

"If this good business continues, I can indeed recover the costs!" Song Chen smiled and said, "But the high profits of internet cafes have already caught the attention of others. I estimate this situation won't last long! At the latest, another internet cafe will appear nearby within two months! And like video game arcades, it's a high-risk, high-reward industry. This boom won't last long before it's shut down!"

This young man is forward-thinking and has a long-term vision, indeed not just as Ruoxi casually praised! Zhang Hua nodded, "I'm curious about something! Ruoxi mentioned that you planned the internet cafe investment for Yang De and others. Why didn't you operate it yourself and instead told others? Is it just a matter of capital? I don't think so! If it were just a matter of capital, you could have asked your father for help with this plan! If he saw such a plan and didn't get excited, he wouldn't be Song Hua!"

The complexity of the situation was hard for Song Chen to explain. But his expression was very calm, and he smiled, "My relationship with my father is complicated. I wouldn't ask him for help unless absolutely necessary! This... can be considered a way to vent my frustration with my mother! If my father knew I gave such a good investment to others, he would probably be furious!"

Zhang Ruoxi giggled and gave Song Chen a playful glare, scolding, "How can you treat your father like that!" Zhang Hua and Zhao Yingying exchanged glances and both shook their heads with a bitter smile. In fact, after getting the news from Shi Tao's father, Shi Dongsheng, Song Hua was indeed furious, but that's another story!

"Without other options besides my father, I met Yang De and others through Zhao Lin's help, and thus the story unfolded!" Song Chen shrugged and said calmly, "The 10% dry share in the internet cafe is valuable, but it's not essential to me. If I had three million yuan instead of the 120,000 yuan I got from mortgaging my house, I might have surpassed my father in assets before the year 2000!"

"That's a pity!" Zhang Ruoxi sighed.

"Why just 'might'?" Zhang Hua's eyes gleamed, catching the implication in Song Chen's words.

Song Chen smiled faintly and said with a calm demeanor, "If my plan were to set up five internet cafes in the main districts of Dongou City within a year, the capital operation method would be risky but manageable. The fear is that a large-scale aggressive layout might turn into a defensive one due to attracting too much attention! And I am just one person, with no background and no extra circulating funds to deal with crises! It might end up being a situation where others reap the benefits of my efforts!"

"But it's different with Yang De and others! They have the ability and capital! Backed by high-ranking relatives and a network of connections, my plan can be executed perfectly!" He smiled faintly and continued, "If Yang De and others were a bit greedier, they could register more internet cafes in a short time and have Zhao Lin or Jiang Yan lobby the city bureau to suspend new internet cafe licenses... This would create a short-term monopoly!"

"Wow! There's that step too?" Zhang Hua looked at Song Chen, who was calm and composed, with admiration. He marveled at this young boy's business acumen and foresight, which surpassed his father's.

Song Chen nodded and smiled, "But I didn't tell them that! I don't want these young masters to look down on me!"

Zhang Ruoxi gave Song Chen a playful glare and pouted, "You may not say it, but I know you're thinking it!"

Song Chen grinned, "As a shareholder of the internet cafe, it's not illegal to think about it, right?" Of course, there was one point Song Chen didn't mention: speed! Speed is crucial, and this speed is based on the authority of Cui Yang, Cui Yao's father.

Zhang Hua and Zhao Yingying both smiled, and Zhang Hua, who had already recognized Song Chen's abilities, eagerly brought up the pharmaceutical industry.

"That depends on Uncle's determination! In this era of medical shortages, medical equipment and imported drugs can bring huge profits!" Song Chen smiled and said slowly, "I'm confident that hospitals will welcome imported medical equipment because domestic companies couldn't manufacture many large medical devices back then, so they had to import from abroad. The state implemented different pricing standards for domestic and imported equipment. The price of imported medical equipment is one to several times higher than domestic ones! So..."

"So imported medical equipment won't be hard to sell!" Zhang Hua's eyes lit up.

"But compared to importing and selling medical devices, I see more potential in the pharmaceutical industry! Importing medical devices involves competition with many import-export traders and international medical device manufacturers. The biggest profit isn't with the manufacturers but with the hospitals!"

Looking at Zhang Hua, who was deep in thought, Song Chen said calmly, "Why is the pharmaceutical industry so profitable? Because when drug manufacturers report costs to the price bureau, they can creatively list all sorts of fictitious expenses to get approval. So, a cost of one yuan can be reported as ten yuan or even more. Most importantly, once a drug gains a reputation in the domestic market, it's much more stable and profitable than import-export trade, which is sensitive to economic fluctuations!"

Zhang Hua pondered for a moment and looked at Song Chen, "Where did you learn about the drug manufacturers' cost reporting tricks? At your age of nineteen, you shouldn't notice these details! Besides, don't all drugs have patents?"

Song Chen's eyes gleamed, but his expression remained calm, "Many people are aware of these things! I just happened to notice it! And it's not important! What's important is whether it has reference value and can help Uncle's business!"

"As for patents..." Song Chen pondered and shook his head with a smile, "Uncle might not have heard of generic drugs? I remember someone said, 'I usually think these drugs (generic drugs) are the same unless someone proves otherwise. If you always take the cheapest drug, I don't think you're losing anything.'"

Song Chen smiled faintly, "This industry is similar to health supplements, where marketing is more important than efficacy! There are many connections to be made, but once the hospitals are on board, the profits will roll in!" How to get the hospitals on board? Kickbacks!

This was something Song Chen couldn't say outright, but Zhang Hua, with his rich life experience, could easily understand the details. Often, a good investment project just needs a shift in perspective to reveal hidden huge profits! Those who make this shift become wealthy.

Zhang Hua smiled knowingly, understanding the key.

"If I want to invest in the pharmaceutical industry, what should I do now?" Looking at the young man in front of him, Zhang Hua put aside his seniority and asked for Song Chen's advice. This surprised Zhao Yingying and Zhang Ruoxi, the latter feeling a sense of pride.

"Domestic research and manufacturing levels are too low. Since Uncle is an import-export trader, why not look abroad?" Song Chen smiled and casually said.

"For example, the struggling Southeast Asian countries, where many high-quality companies are on the brink of bankruptcy due to broken capital chains. You can consult professional investment banks for specific operations..."

Zhao Yingying looked at Song Chen and said with concern, "What about my brother's company? So much inventory is piled up in the warehouse!"

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