How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 453

The students, dreaming of striking it rich, eagerly presented their savings to the fake Yang Chen for investment. The more he refused, the more insistent they became on giving him their money.

If Yang Chen hadn’t witnessed it himself, he wouldn’t have believed so many gullible people existed.

Observing them, one could understand why some women fall for scams. Even when the police intervene to prevent money transfers, they stubbornly insist on giving it to the scammers.

You can’t apply logical reasoning to understand such individuals.

When someone’s wealth exceeds their intelligence, fate often conspires to redistribute their money.

The fake Yang Chen sighed, feigning distress. “Everyone’s enthusiasm is truly touching,” he said. “But… alas… I can’t compromise my principles. Truthfully, many influential figures privately seek my investment management. I can’t refuse due to personal connections, so I accept limited funds, but not everything. For instance, just the other day, Pony Ma [Ma Huateng, founder of Tencent] from Tencent offered me 10 billion to invest as I saw fit, guaranteeing a 15% annual return. Don’t underestimate 15%; bank interest is less than two percent annually. The difference is substantial. Similarly, Wang Zhongfu [Wang Chuanfu, founder of BYD] from BYD, riding high on their recent success, has excess cash and wants me to manage it, promising at least a 10% annual return, with any extra profit as my commission.”

The students were ecstatic. Figures like Pony Ma and Wang Zhongfu were legendary, beyond their reach.

The thought of these titans begging Yang Chen to manage their money was incredibly gratifying.

“Mr. Yang, which other big shots have approached you?”

“Yes, please elaborate on the process of these big shots ‘begging’ you to take their money.”

“I’m just a guy with a 3,000-yuan monthly salary, and I live for these stories.”

“Haha…”

The fake Yang Chen, emboldened, smiled and said, “Let’s not dwell on bosses from elsewhere; consider those here in Shenzhen. Besides Mr. Ma and Mr. Wang, there’s Mr. Ren [Ren Zhengfei, founder of Huawei], from Huawei Group, you know him, right?”

The audience grew even more excited.

“Damn! Mr. Ren wants you to invest his money too?”

“Who doesn’t know Mr. Ren? Is there any Chinese person who doesn’t know Mr. Ren? Tell us what Mr. Ren said when he approached you.”

“Yes, yes, I’m just a guy with a 3,000-yuan monthly salary, and I love hearing these anecdotes about big shots. Tell us more, in detail.”

…

So, the fake Yang Chen began recounting his meeting with Mr. Ren.

“I recall the weather being unpleasant that day, snowing outside. I’m usually swamped, leading my team in researching company financial reports, analyzing domestic and international news, and teaching practical trading skills. That day, Mr. Ren arrived, and I was leading a seminar on global oil and the US banking industry. Could I simply abandon such a crucial seminar? Of course not. So, I asked my assistant to inform Mr. Ren to reschedule, as I was unavailable. But Mr. Ren insisted on waiting outside, saying he’d wait until I was free. Consequently, our seminar continued until after 8 PM, and Mr. Ren waited alone in the lounge for nearly eight hours. The lounge lacked air conditioning or heating; he sat there alone, lonely and cold, awaiting my availability. Honestly, I was deeply moved by such sincerity from an elder. Given his long wait, I anticipated a lengthy conversation. But he simply placed a card before me, stating it contained 20 billion, to be used as I saw fit, guaranteeing a 15% return. I was even more touched; Mr. Ren placed such immense trust in me.”

Applause erupted from the audience. Both the plants [paid audience members] and the genuinely interested students were thrilled.

They had likely imagined themselves in the fake Yang Chen’s position, explaining their excitement.

“Mr. Yang, you’ve already accepted Mr. Ren’s 20 billion; I only have 1 million here, easily incorporated. Please include me.”

“I only have 500,000; I’m not greedy, just seeking a stable 10% annual return. The extra profit can be your commission, Mr. Yang. What do you think?”

“I only have 300,000, saved by my husband working days and driving for a ride-hailing service at night. I feel he works too hard and want to help manage our finances. If I earn more, he can work less. Mr. Yang, please have pity on us Shenzhen drifters [people who migrated to Shenzhen for work]. We desperately want to settle down in this city; please help us.”

…

The fake Yang Chen closed his eyes, feigning contemplation, then abruptly opened them and slammed the table, declaring, “Alright! Seeing everyone’s sincerity and trust, I’ll agree…”

No!

I can’t let this continue.

Yang Chen immediately stood and loudly interrupted, “Mr. Yang, words are meaningless. How can you prove the truth of your claims?”

Everyone stared, as if at an alien.

Before the fake Yang Chen could respond, his plants and the brainwashed individuals launched an attack on Yang Chen.

“Young man, don’t you follow financial news? Are you unaware of Starlight Investment?”

“That’s right, harvesting the global oil industry, the US banking industry, and even Buffett – with such god-level achievements, it’s no surprise that even the most awesome big shots would kneel and lick.”

“Because he is Yang Chen, the behind-the-scenes boss of Starlight Investment, it’s perfectly reasonable for Mr. Ren and others to scramble to give him money to manage.”

…

Yang Chen quickly explained, “First, how can he prove he’s Yang Chen, the behind-the-scenes boss of Starlight Investment? Second, these big shots possess vast wealth, but primarily in equity, not tens of billions in cash. Finally…”

Clearly, this was an attempt to sabotage the event. The fake Yang Chen couldn’t allow Yang Chen to continue, so he interrupted, “Young man, your questions are understandable. Here’s my business card, please take it.”

He produced a business card.

Yang Chen immediately recognized it as an exact replica of his own.

Jin Ming rushed to retrieve the card, equally shocked.

“It’s really Mr. Yang’s business card; how did this fake obtain it?” Jin Ming wondered, hurrying back to show Yang Chen.

Yang Chen’s business card was gold-plated, lacking a phone number, listing only the companies he currently controlled, omitting those he didn’t.

It lacked a photo but featured a QR code with a serial number. Scanning the code revealed Yang Chen’s headshot and his company holdings.

The card also bore the inscription “Please do not show this card to others” to limit awareness of Yang Chen’s wealth.

Yang Chen rarely exchanged cards, but each one had a unique serial number, allowing him to track its recipient.

The fake Yang Chen’s card lacked a serial number on the QR code, making it obviously fake. However, it was clear he had seen Yang Chen’s card but couldn’t discern its exact contents, so he roughly recreated it based on observation.

Yang Chen scanned the QR code, revealing the fake Yang Chen’s “achievements.”

For example, harvesting the global oil industry, harvesting the US banking industry and Buffett, and the A-shares [shares of mainland China-based companies] that Starlight Investment had traded.

Yang Chen smiled, “It seems Mr. Yang knows some big shots.”

This statement was accurate. The fake Yang Chen must have seen Yang Chen’s card at some influential person’s place. Those who exchanged cards with Yang Chen were certainly not ordinary.

The fake Yang Chen replied smugly, “Naturally, I’m friends with many bosses everyone knows.”

Yang Chen: “Is that so? Tencent Group isn’t far. Can Mr. Yang call Pony Ma to show us? I particularly admire Pony Ma. If he vouches for you, I’ll immediately invest the 20 million I received from my house demolition, seeking only a 15% annual return. I believe everyone shares my desire to see big shots like Pony Ma.”

The plants remained silent, but the brainwashed students were excited.

“Yes, yes, I also want to see Pony Ma and them.”

“Mr. Yang, can you fulfill our wish? Call Pony Ma; we just want to meet him.”

“I want to see Mr. Ren; he’s my idol, a true national entrepreneur.”

“I’m a BYD car owner; I want to see Wang Zhongfu. Is that possible? If I can see Wang Zhongfu, I’ll give you all 800,000 of my family’s savings to invest.”

…

This situation seemed unfavorable to the fake Yang Chen, but he was prepared.

After all, someone daring to play so big must consider every angle.

The fake Yang Chen smiled, “Calling them over is impossible. They’re busy people. It’s unreasonable to summon them for support without cause. But I can call them and put it on speakerphone for everyone to hear. Would that satisfy you?”

The students nodded in agreement.

The fake Yang Chen called Pony Ma and activated the speakerphone.

The call connected quickly.

Pony Ma’s voice came through the phone.

Pony Ma: “Hello, Mr. Yang, how are you? Why the sudden call? Did the funds I gave you generate significant profits again? Haha…”

Mr. Yang: “Your funds are secure and generating stable returns, rest assured. I called to say hello, as I was bored.”

Pony Ma: “Haha… Of course, it’s great that Mr. Yang wants to talk. Wait, I’ll ask my secretary to cancel my client meeting; I’ll have a good chat with Mr. Yang.”

Yang Chen listened, puzzled, and turned to Jin Ming.

Jin Ming whispered, “The voice sounds like Mr. Ma. What’s going on?”

Yang Chen shook his head, equally confused.

At that moment, new students arrived.

Hearing the fake Yang Chen speaking with Mr. Ma instantly dispelled their doubts.

Soon, the fake Yang Chen concluded his conversation with Pony Ma and hung up.

The students were even more excited.

“It’s really Mr. Ma; the voice is identical.”

“That’s right; what Mr. Ma said perfectly aligned with Mr. Yang’s earlier statements.”

“He called suddenly in front of us; there’s no way to fake that. Young man, do you still have doubts?”

“You shouldn’t doubt Mr. Yang’s ability; his power is beyond your imagination.”

…

Damn it, Yang Chen felt, for the first time, that being praised wasn’t a good thing.

Seeing these people’s behavior, it was clear they were being deceived. If they actually handed over their money, discovering the truth later would lead to sensationalized news of being scammed by Yang Chen, the boss of Starlight Investment.

Starlight Investment and Yang Chen would then have to issue clarifications and engage in public relations, which would be very troublesome.

Therefore, Yang Chen wanted to nip this in the bud.

Yang Chen: “Brother, you shouldn’t use the name of Starlight Investment and Yang Chen to deceive people. Learn from those success gurus and fool people with your real name; I’d admire you as a real man. I’m too lazy to argue with someone like you; you should take your team to the police station to turn yourselves in immediately. If you’ve already cheated someone, return their money immediately. Starlight Investment and Yang Chen won’t take the blame!”

Good heavens, the brainwashed fools were not happy.

“Wow, why are you talking like that?”

“He’s already shown you his business card and called Pony Ma in front of us; how could it be fake?”

“If you don’t want to make money, get out; don’t be smart here.”

…

Seeing them like this, Yang Chen could better understand the thoughts of women who fall victim to telecom fraud.

Normal people get angry seeing those women ignoring police advice and insisting on sending money to scammers, while they themselves insist they haven’t been deceived and want to continue sending money.

The brainwashed students and those scammed women who still want to send money are definitely the same type of people.

At this time, staff entered and asked Yang Chen to leave immediately and not disturb the event.

The fake Yang Chen said pretentiously, “Young man, I’m truly saddened by your doubts. I only wanted to share financial investment knowledge; I never intended to take your money. It’s just that the enthusiastic students wanted to make money with me, so I reluctantly prepared to agree. Alas… I shouldn’t have compromised; I should have insisted on not accepting other people’s funds. I harvested the global oil industry, harvested the US banking industry, and pulled Buffett down from his throne. Even if I retire now, it’s enough for me to be remembered in history. My momentary lapse of judgment ruined the reputation I’ve built for half my life. Forget it, today’s free class ends here; everyone leave.”

The brainwashed students instantly exploded.

“Mr. Yang, don’t! It’s his business if he doesn’t believe you; we believe you. Don’t blame us all together.”

“That’s right; we’re truly sincere in wanting to make money with you. Please take us with you.”

“Young man, if you don’t believe Mr. Yang, leave the venue and research Mr. Yang’s great achievements online; then you’ll know how ignorant you are.”

“Hurry up and leave; don’t implicate us.”

…

Yang Chen: “Damn it! You fools deserve to be scammed. If he wasn’t using the name of Starlight Investment and me to deceive people, I wouldn’t bother. Your intelligence doesn’t match your wealth; it should flow into society and be distributed to others. I’ve already called the police; they should be here soon. No one can leave today; all relevant personnel must accept the investigation. I know there must be plants hidden among these students; you’re also accomplices. Don’t even think about escaping.”

At this time, there was a commotion outside.

Soon, the assistant ran over to report to the fake Yang Chen in a panic, “Mr. Yang, it’s not good! Five big men came to the door and locked it, no one is allowed to enter or leave, saying they are waiting for the police to come and deal with it.”

The fake Yang Chen panicked and quickly questioned, “Who are you? Why are you smashing my place?”

Yang Chen: “I said just now, you shouldn’t use the name of Starlight Investment and me to deceive people. If you had used a different person and company name today, I wouldn’t have bothered. Damn it, it makes me so conflicted. I don’t allow you to use the name of Starlight Investment and me to deceive people, but I also want you to scam the money from these people who are talking back to me. Damn!”

The fake Yang Chen panicked and clenched his fists subconsciously, revealing his nervousness.

The fake Yang Chen swallowed and asked with a guilty conscience, “Are you Yang Chen, the behind-the-scenes boss of Starlight Investment? How do you prove it?”