Rebirth of wealth and freedom starts from the World Cup

The venue for the dinner was chosen to be a high-end restaurant on the Bund in Shanghai. As the lights came on, the night view of the Huangpu River was picturesque, reflecting the brightly lit high-rise buildings. The gentle breeze from the river was refreshing.

As the host, Huang Zheng specially prepared a table full of delicious food, from exquisite seafood to authentic local cuisine. Every dish was delicious and showed his attentiveness and taste.

After everyone was seated, Huang Zheng raised his glass and gave a passionate toast: "Thank you very much for coming tonight. Pinduoduo's success is inseparable from your support and trust. Let us raise our glasses together for the future of Pinduoduo and for our friendship and cooperation. Cheers!"

With the gentle clinking of wine glasses, the dinner officially began.

During the dinner, Zhao Zixuan and Zhang Zhen had a very interesting conversation. They talked about industry trends, investment strategies, market dynamics and personal hobbies, as if they were old friends. Not to be outdone, IDG representatives frequently joined the discussion and shared their views on the future market.

Chen Xiaohong skillfully guided the topic and occasionally inserted a few humorous jokes, making the atmosphere of the dinner more relaxed and enjoyable.

Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, an unexpected incident happened.

The waiter in the restaurant accidentally knocked over a dish, and the pieces flew everywhere. Everyone was startled, but Huang Zheng reacted quickly. He smiled and comforted the waiter, and squatted down to clean up the pieces himself.

This scene made everyone present feel Huang Zheng's friendliness and magnanimity, and they all said that there was no need to worry about such a small accident.

Huang Zheng took the opportunity to pick up the wine glass and said jokingly: "It seems that our party tonight is so lively that even the plates want to join in our discussion! Come on, let's have another drink and wish our party a complete success!"

This remark caused everyone to burst into laughter, and the atmosphere of the dinner became even more lively.

As the dinner progressed, everyone gradually relaxed and began to share their interesting stories and experiences.

Zhao Zixuan talked about the hardships and challenges he faced when he started his business, while Zhang Zhen shared his interesting anecdotes in the investment world. Not to be outdone, representatives from IDG talked about their experiences in working with major companies.

Chen Xiaohong sat quietly aside, listening to everyone's conversation, occasionally interjecting a word or two, always able to adjust the atmosphere just right.

Zhao Zixuan's impression of Chen Xiaohong deepened. Not only because of her perfect words, but also because of her extraordinary emotional intelligence and IQ. Her knowledge seemed boundless, and every time she spoke, she revealed her deep cultural heritage and unique views.

"Mr. Chen graduated from Jinghua, right?"

Zhao Zixuan asked tentatively. He remembered Pei Yuhan, who was also from Beijing, and her almost worshipful description of Chen Xiaohong.

Chen Xiaohong gave a warm smile and replied, "Zixuan, just call me Sister Hong. It will make us feel closer."

She paused for a moment, as if recalling the past. “I did graduate from Jinghua University, but later I chose to study at Rutgers University in New Jersey because it had the library science major that I was interested in, and that led me to become a librarian.”

Zhao Zixuan showed an expression of disbelief. It was hard for him to imagine that a librarian could have come this far and become a leader in the investment industry.

Chen Xiaohong seemed to understand his thoughts and began to describe her experience in detail.

After graduating from graduate school, she accidentally saw an advertisement for a librarian in the New York Times, which opened the door for her to enter the New York Media Commercial Bank. In the era when the Internet was just emerging, she was responsible for managing the company's precious archives. Her outstanding work also attracted the attention of CEO John Soule.

“Chen Xiaohong brings new meaning to hard work and dedication. She is better than any of our MBA colleagues.”

John Soule once said of her.

With the promotion of John Soule, Chen Xiaohong began to get involved in transactions and became the only Chinese woman in the company.

As time went on, her experience and confidence grew, and she brokered 45 publishing and education deals, rising to the position of Managing Director.

Later, Chen Xiaohong met Coleman, the founder of Tiger Global Management, which became another turning point in her career.

Under Coleman's guidance, she first worked at Joyo.com and then returned to China to assist in financing. Although Joyo.com was eventually sold to Amazon, Coleman saw Chen Xiaohong's potential and decided to launch an investment fund for her that focuses on education.

Half a year later, Chen Xiaohong officially joined Tiger Fund.

After joining the company, Chen Xiaohong led the first investment in the New Oriental project with her keen insight and deep understanding of the domestic education market.

At that time, New Oriental was a project that Chen Xiaohong participated in promoting as a university professor. Relying on accurate prediction, she invested without hesitation.

Sure enough, two years later, New Oriental was successfully listed, and its market value soared fourfold in just one year, bringing Tiger Global Fund considerable profits. It also made Chen Xiaohong begin to attract attention in the investment field.

However, all this was just the beginning. What really made Chen Xiaohong famous was her investment in JD.com.

In 2009, competition in the domestic e-commerce market intensified and Taobao became famous nationwide. Alibaba thus firmly sat on the top spot in domestic e-commerce, with JD.com following closely behind.

When everyone's attention was focused on Taobao, Chen Xiaohong wisely chose to invest in JD.com.

"Everyone thought we were crazy, and everyone thought JD.com would go bankrupt."

Chen Xiaohong recalled with some pride.

In her view, once it reaches a certain scale, JD.com's profit margins will rise rapidly and give it a valuation that will surprise the technology industry.

Before JD.com went public, Tiger Global Management was its largest institutional investment shareholder.

根据陈晓红的描述，老虎环球基金对京东一共进行了三轮投资，最初在2009年12月投入了1.5亿美元，随后在2011年和2012年又分别追加了15亿和4亿美元的投资。

In May 2014, JD.com was successfully listed on the Nasdaq with a valuation of nearly US$5 billion, making Xu Xin of Today Capital and Zhang Lei of Hillhouse Capital famous, and also bringing rich returns to Tiger Global Management.

At this time, Chen Xiaohong, who had already placed most of her chips on JD.com, had transferred to H-Capital and became the founder.

Chen Xiaohong's story was like a legend, and Zhao Zixuan listened to it with great interest.

When Chen Xiaohong finished telling her story, she finally revealed the real purpose of this dinner trip.

She looked at Zhao Zixuan with smiling eyes and said softly but firmly: "Zixuan, if Heguang Technology has any plans to raise funds, please be sure to let me know. We at H-Capital will definitely give you a satisfactory offer."

"Okay, Sister Hong is so beautiful. If our Heguang Technology needs financing, I will definitely think of you first." Zhao Zixuan nodded slightly, not surprised by this.

After all, there are countless companies that want to get involved in Heguang technology nowadays.

Although H-Capital was established not long ago, as the first investment institution in China focusing on female leaders, its unique vision and strong strength are recognized by the industry.

At this time, Zhang Zhen saw that Zhao Zixuan and Chen Xiaohong were whispering to each other and not joining in the conversation, so he couldn't help but walk over with a glass of wine.

He interrupted, "Mr. Zhao, what little secrets are you talking about? How can you have fun without drinking? We agreed that we won't go home until we are drunk tonight, and no one is allowed to raise fish. Come on, Mr. Chen, let's have a drink together!" Zhao Zixuan smiled helplessly, raised his high-heeled wine glass, clinked glasses with Chen Xiaohong and Zhang Zhen, and took a sip.

Afterwards, other people came over to toast. As the hosts, Huang Zheng and Chen Sanshi played two rounds of games with almost everyone present.

After three rounds of drinking, Zhao Zixuan gradually felt a little tipsy. Although his head was a little high, he was still able to keep his body steady. Chen Xiaohong's face was already red all the way to her neck, her eyes were hazy, and she was staggering. It was obvious that she was not able to handle the alcohol.

"Sister Hong, Sister Hong?"

Zhao Zixuan frowned and looked at Chen Xiaohong.

What does it mean that you can't drink but still drink like this?
At this time, the IDG representative sitting opposite laughed and joked: "If a woman doesn't get drunk, the man has no chance. Mr. Zhao is so lucky!"

Zhao Zixuan had no intention of paying attention to the other party. After asking why Chen Xiaohong didn't bring a personal assistant, he called Huang Yingying and Liu Yue to come over to help take care of her.

"Mr. Huang, it's getting late. I think we should stop here today."

Zhao Zixuan had the idea of ​​leaving, but after all, the host today was Huang Zheng, so he asked politely.

Although Huang Zheng wanted to keep him, he actually cared about Zhao Zixuan's opinion, so he took the initiative to stand up and gave a speech with emotion: "Tonight is really a meaningful night. Thank you all for sharing and in-depth exchanges. I firmly believe that in the years to come, we can work hand in hand to create more brilliance together. Let us raise our glasses again, for our future, cheers!"

With the crisp sound of wine glasses clinking, the dinner came to a perfect end.

After the dinner, Zhao Zixuan, Huang Yingying, Liu Yue and others, helped Chen Xiaohong, who was obviously drunk, out of the restaurant.

The night breeze is cool, but the night view of the Huangpu River is still dazzling. The lights are reflected on the river surface, like a flowing ribbon, making the city more charming.

Chen Xiaohong kept her eyes closed throughout the whole process, mumbling something softly, as if she was reminiscing about the past, or as if she was talking in her sleep.

Huang Yingying held her hand gently and comforted her tenderly.

Liu Yue looked at Zhao Zixuan nervously, as if waiting for his next instruction.

At this moment, Zhao Zixuan suddenly saw a beautiful figure that seemed familiar. They passed each other on the street, but because it was too dark, he was not sure if he was seeing things.

He turned around and stared at the figure for a long time, took a deep breath of the cool night breeze, and then said to the two of them, "Yingying, Xiao Liu, call a car to take Sister Hong to the hotel and settle her down. Be sure to wait until she sobers up before leaving."

Huang Yingying looked at him with some concern, "Boss, aren't you going to the hotel?"

Zhao Zixuan glanced at his watch and shook his head gently: "It's still early now. I want to take a walk along the river. I haven't been to the Magic City for a long time."

Huang Yingying said: "Then I will stay with you."

Zhao Zixuan thought about it for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, then let Lin Dong and Xiao Liu go, and you accompany me for a walk by the river."

Soon, Liu Yue and Xu Lindong, who had hurried over, helped Chen Xiaohong leave, while Zhao Zixuan and Huang Yingying strolled along the Huangpu River scenic belt.

The two walked side by side in the night. The breeze from the river brought a bit of coolness and also took away some of the drunkenness.

Zhao Zixuan gazed at the towering buildings and twinkling lights on the opposite bank, with an inexplicable emotion surging in his heart.

"The Magic City is such a fascinating place! What a pity..."

He sighed softly, a hint of sadness revealed in his words.

Huang Yingying keenly caught his emotional changes and asked softly: "What's the pity? Has the boss been to the Magic City before?"

Zhao Zixuan thought to himself that his connection with the Magic City was more than just “having been there before”.

This place can almost be said to be his spiritual home, and he knows every inch of this land well.

After all, the first university he attended was Magic City University.

But he did not answer Huang Yingying directly. Instead, he looked into the distance and muttered to himself: "If nothing had changed, she should be studying at Magic City University now."

"She?" Huang Yingying's face was full of confusion, and she was full of curiosity about the "she" Zhao Zixuan mentioned.

Zhao Zixuan had no intention of explaining. He stretched his body, then turned around and leaned against the railing by the river, looking up at the starry night sky. There was a hint of sadness in his tone: "Yingying, in the eyes of you girls, what is love? Is it about growing old together? Is it about living and dying together?"

"Love? This question..."

Huang Yingying frowned slightly and fell into deep thought. "For everyone, the definition of love may be different. Some people think that love is growing old together, long-term companionship and the accumulation of years. Some people think that love is the burning passion, the heartbeat and obsession at that moment."

She looked at Zhao Zixuan who was leaning against the railing. His profile looked particularly profound in the night. "Boss, why do you ask this? Are you thinking of someone or something?"

Zhao Zixuan did not answer immediately. He took a deep breath of the cool night breeze from the river, as if he was recalling something.

After a while, he slowly spoke, "Yes, I remembered some things in the past. Love is indeed very complicated. Sometimes, you think you have got it, but you find it slipping away from your fingertips. Sometimes, you think you have lost it, but you don't know that it has always been in your heart."

Huang Yingying could feel the helplessness and melancholy in Zhao Zixuan's words, and she couldn't help but be curious about who the person was that he missed so much.

But she knew that now was not the time to ask further questions.

So, she said softly: "Boss, no matter what happened, it's in the past. What's important is the present and the future. If you want, you can share your thoughts with me. I will be a good listener."

Zhao Zixuan smiled slightly and shook his head. "Thank you, Yingying. Some things may still require me to slowly digest and accept them. However, I am very happy to have you by my side."

Huang Yingying was slightly moved. This was the first time she heard Zhao Zixuan say this. She used to think that she was just an insignificant assistant who could not provide any help except causing trouble for Zhao Zixuan.

But now it seems different.

Zhao Zixuan seems to have begun...

Look her in the face?
The two stood side by side by the river, each immersed in their own thoughts.

The night wind blew gently, the river water sparkled, and the night scene of the Magic City was like a flowing oil painting, slowly unfolding before their eyes. (End of this chapter)