Chapter 634

September 1st, Central, Hong Kong Park, Hong Kong, where skyscrapers stand thick and tall—the International Finance Centre, Jardine House, and Exchange Square, along with the Stock Exchange, are all here.

It has the look of a bustling metropolis.

Beside the exchange stands a bronze bull, and at the main entrance is a fountain, in the center of which rests a stone Taiji statue.

To be honest, the carving is ugly.

In front of the fountain, three flags stand tall: the national flag, the regional flag, and a Propaganda Department flag.

Though the Hong Kong Stock Exchange looks grand, its entrance is plain—no bigger than a convenience store; without the simple sign hanging on the wall reading "Hong Kong Stock Exchange,"

outsiders might easily mistake the place.

After all, the building was constructed in the 1980s and is long outdated.

Since today is TuPiaoPiao's listing day, Hong Kong and Neidi media received the news early.

Though no one knows if Liu Tianxian will come, waiting here is always right, so financial reporters here are mixed with some entertainment reporters.

Of course, there are also onlookers gathered to watch the spectacle.

Around eight o'clock, people began entering the Hong Kong Stock Exchange one after another by identity verification—TuPiaoPiao management staff, intermediaries, investors—all arriving continuously, here to attend TuPiaoPiao's listing ceremony.

Reporters generally aren't recognized, so they aren't interviewed much.

After waiting a while, Fang Hong arrived in a suit and polished shoes, Liu Tianxian dressed in a professional women's suit, looking sharp and elegant.

Around them stood Zheng Zhihao, Gao Zhun, Lin Ning, lawyers, auditors, consultants, and a host of capital heavyweights and the team assisting with the listing.

More than a dozen people, all dressed in black suits and ties, impeccably groomed.

Outside their circle, several bodyguards surrounded them, clearing a path and keeping watch.

When reporters saw them approaching from afar, they rushed forward without hesitation, shouldering cameras and microphones, but were blocked by the bodyguards, who maintained a safe distance.

Yet the reporters persisted, stretching out their arms, shoving microphones forward, firing off question after question, while photographers snapped photos and filmed incessantly.

For a moment, lights flashed everywhere.

"Principal, why did TuPiaoPiao choose to list in Hong Kong?"

"Liu Tianxian, will you ring the bell with the Principal?"

"Principal, what's your take on the recent copyright dispute between Xiao Wang and Mango TV?"

"Liu Tianxian, how is your relationship with the Principal?"

"Principal, it's said TuPiaoPiao is still in the loss stage—will it break below its offering price after listing? What are your contingency plans?"

"Liu Tianxian, besides TuPiaoPiao's listing, are you and the Principal here in Hong Kong for your honeymoon?"

"Principal, what are your plans after TuPiaoPiao's listing?"

"Liu Tianxian, you and the Principal haven't appeared together in a long time—have you gotten pregnant?"

"."

For a while, the surrounding reporters walked alongside them, asking dozens of questions—some about TuPiaoPiao's listing.

Others about the two's gossip.

After all, compared to the dullness of a listing, the gossip about the two draws more viewers and more traffic.

As for others, reporters had no interest in interviewing them.

If it weren't for the Principal and Liu Tianxian showing up today, this place wouldn't be so lively—only a few financial reporters might have covered it.

Fang Hong and his group walked forward without responding, yet the reporters kept pressing, refusing to let up.

Only when they reached the steps did Fang Hong turn and reply: "Why did TuPiaoPiao choose to list in Hong Kong? There's no specific reason—it's simply more flexible, more tolerant, because TuPiaoPiao is still a company without profits."

"Won't lack of profits cause it to break below its offering price?" asked a reporter, arm outstretched.

"I don't know," Fang Hong said. "Though I personally have full confidence, who knows how the market will behave? You'll find out soon enough."

"Liu Tianxian, will you ring the bell with the Principal?" asked a reporter.

"You'll find out when the time comes," Liu Tianxian teased.

"Rumors say you're pregnant—is that true?" asked another reporter.

"You've asked this many times already. Fang Hong answered before—we're not pregnant. If I am, I'll notify you. Don't rush," Liu Tianxian remained as straightforward as ever, answering directly.

"Principal, what are your plans after TuPiaoPiao's listing?" asked a reporter.

"Not yet. We'll decide after the listing."

After answering, Fang Hong continued climbing the steps, answering a few questions casually to appease them.

The others followed, while bodyguards held back reporters and bystanders, preventing them from ascending further.

There are reporters inside the Hong Kong Stock Exchange too—but only those with verified credentials can enter; not just any reporter gets in.

Upon entering, financial PR staff handed each person a badge and a small red flower.

"We'll wear them ourselves," Fang Hong said, gesturing for the PR staff to hand him the items instead of helping him put them on.

Liu Tianxian also took hers and put it on herself.

Fang Hong pinned the badge and red flower to Liu Tianxian's chest; Liu Tianxian pinned the badge and red flower to Fang Hong's chest; then they exchanged a smile.

The others had their badges and flowers pinned on by the financial PR staff.

Then the financial PR staff led them to a nameplate for photos, with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange sign and emblem behind them.

Around nine o'clock, in the oval hall—the venue for the listing ceremony—spacious, with a tall stage at one end and a main screen behind it.

Around the walls, projection screens cycled through the company's promotional video.

The guest seats below the stage were already filled with representatives attending the bell-ringing ceremony.

Each looked dignified and pompous.

Reporters were also present; as Fang Hong and his group entered the hall, reporters immediately raised their cameras and began snapping photos.

They met Li Xiaojia, CEO of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Group, and Dai Zhijian, COO, and shook hands with them.

"Principal, nice to finally meet you in person," said Li Xiaojia, a small old man.

A smile always hung on his face, making him look quite approachable.

"I've also long admired President Li's great name. I kept saying I'd come to Hong Kong to learn from you about finance, but it never materialized. What a shame," Fang Hong bluffed.

"There'll be opportunities, there'll be opportunities. Next time your Yutu or Chang'e comes to list, I'll personally escort you through it," Li Xiaojia said.

What he didn't know was that those two companies had never planned to go public, and never would.

Li Xiaojia turned again to Liu Tianxian, smiling. "This must be your wife. Truly like a heavenly maiden descended to earth."

"You're too kind. I'm just a very ordinary woman," Liu Tianxian said.

"That's modesty. Beauty unrecognized by its owner."

Li Xiaojia chatted and laughed with them, then shook hands and made acquaintances with a few others.

The venue buzzed with conversation—some were looking at the Propaganda Department materials for Tu Piaopiao, some were on the phone, some were on their laptops.

Whether to buy at the opening bell, and how much, they were all preparing.

Reporters also captured the scene of Li Xiaojia talking with Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian.

Soon it was quarter past nine. Li Xiaojia took the stage to give an address, recounting the brilliant achievements of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange this year—from an initial fifty trillion, growing year by year, total market value breaking through to 2.4 quadrillion.

A glorious history, a promising future, a scene of flourishing prosperity.

Then Fang Hong took the center of the stage, with the Best Special Effects glowing on the main screen behind him. Standing there, he gave off a feeling of radiant brilliance.

"Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon," Fang Hong paused at this point.

Liu Tianxian watched from below and wanted to laugh—he couldn't speak English yet insisted on showing off a couple of English lines.

But these were all financial figures; he couldn't let people see he was uncultured. It was understandable—Lei Bus's English wasn't standard either.

The crowd below all looked at the Principal, faces neither pleased nor worried, not finding it funny either.

"On this day of universal celebration, my heart is stirred, because Tu Piaopiao was founded by my own hands. From its earliest babbling when it could only crawl, then needing support to walk, then learning to walk, then learning to run, and now grown up—I've raised it every step of the way, through thick and thin."

Before Fang Hong finished, loud "hahaha" laughter erupted in the venue.

Only Zheng Zhihao didn't laugh. Tu Piaopiao really had been pulled up by the Principal every step of the way—he himself had just picked up the finished product.

From the initial founding, pulling in investors, deploying ticketing machines across nationwide offline cinemas, Yutu Distribution giving full support to Yutu's development and filling its losses.

Then Chang'e Technology providing technical support, opening online channels for publicity, integrating precise online audience targeting, and so on.

All of it was step by step supporting Tu Piaopiao as it walked, and even helping it deal with ceaseless outside competition.

So the Principal's metaphor wasn't wrong at all—it really was raising it through thick and thin.

"Don't laugh. Although the metaphor is inelegant, that's really how it was. Starting a business isn't easy, and keeping it going is even harder. The difficulties and challenges of building a venture—I think many people have tasted that flavor," Fang Hong said.

At these words, many in the venue fell silent. Indeed, starting a business is hard; only one in ten thousand succeeds.

Capital, resources, connections, perseverance, and tactics—none can be missing. Failure isn't a matter of starting over; it's that you've gambled all your capital, connections, and resources.

To try again, unless your family is well-off, those who aren't can only go work and accumulate again.

Those who succeeded had failed many times before. Wang Xing, Zhang Yiming, Jack Ma, and others had started businesses many times before succeeding, accumulating experience.

But they all had good family backgrounds, many connections, and could withstand the pressure. Those who couldn't were doomed to obscurity.

So starting a business is very hard. The challenges, anxiety, and pressure it brings rob one of sleep and appetite. Setting everything else aside, just being able to employ people is a difficult thing.

Being able to afford to employ people already makes one a very capable enterprise.

"Today is the day Tu Piaopiao lists on the main board, meaning Tu Piaopiao has grown up. Growing up means repaying one's parents. Those early investors are undoubtedly the happiest, as it means their investments have yielded substantial returns."

Fang Hong was referring to Tencent, Wanda, Meituan, and the like—these were all early investors who hadn't exited, only had their stakes diluted a bit, and still held shares.

In half a year, they could cash out in batches over one to three years. If you want to get money immediately from an investment, that's impossible.

They held large stakes early on; dumping all at once would surely affect the stock price, so they could only sell in batches.

When Fang Hong bought Tesla, he also sold off over half a year—the market was large.

"As for how this stock will perform in the future, I don't dare make any promises. Weigh it yourselves," Fang Hong said, not peddling empty grand talk.

Whether to buy, whether to invest—up to them.

(End of chapter)