Reaching the age of thirty, my income randomly doubled

The first day of the Senior Executive EMBA program began just like that.

By the afternoon, when formal classes started, the teacher was a senior professor in the field of economics.

He wasn't the type of expert that gets harshly criticized online, but rather someone who could participate in the research and formulation of economic policies.

This was indeed impressive as he also held high-ranking positions in multiple organizations.

In his late fifties, almost sixty, his hair was half grey, but he was still very spirited.

To be able to teach people like them, he must indeed possess substantial expertise and qualifications.

The first day's class mainly focused on the analysis of the domestic economic situation.

It's common knowledge among the wealthy in the country that this place is special, it's not purely a market economy.

It is an economy driven by policy.

Essentially, this is greatly different.

Simply put, it's policies first, followed by the economy. Hence, discussing international situations mainly involves analyzing the changes in policies over the past decades.

From the earliest reform and opening-up to the reform of state-owned enterprises.

Each stage witnessed historic policy changes, like the state-owned enterprise reform in the eighties.

Then came the Southern Talks in the nineties.

As well as the profound influence of housing market reforms in 1998.

Banks were allowed for the first time to give loans for buying houses, followed by the abolition of the welfare housing system.

Real estate was formally established as a pillar industry within the country.

That year, the real estate sector began to furiously drive economic growth.

It rapidly propelled local development and stimulated the construction industry, steel industry, home appliances, and a series of other major industries' exponential growth.

It could be said that in terms of economic contribution, all internet conglomerates combined don't even make up a tenth of real estate.

When discussing economic situations, it was almost inevitable to talk about real estate.

However, when it came to the current housing prices, the professor himself had quite a few concerns.

Simplifying, the problem was that housing prices were rising too fast.

Beyond real estate, the hottest industry without a doubt is the internet.

In these recent years, the internet has indeed been rapidly changing nationwide consumption habits. Whether traditional businesses should embrace it or how to adapt will be discussed later in the course.

In short, this kind of course wouldn't bother you with too much idle talk.

There's no absolute right or wrong, and all judgments must be made by yourself.

Chen Pingsheng thought it was quite good as it allowed him to more fully understand the era.

Just as many people have said,

It is an era of entrepreneurship for all, as well as an era of innovation for all.

No one knows when suddenly someone might emerge, changing the consumption habits of the whole nation.

In any case, embracing change and keeping up with it were mandatory lessons for these executives.

That afternoon, the professor gave two lectures and even left fifteen minutes for questions.

Liu Hai was the first to stand up and inquire about the future trends of housing prices.

Being in real estate himself, he understood the principle that the higher the prices rose, the better the sales, a notion even a fool would grasp.

However, everyone was aware that housing prices were already high, exceeding the reasonable range for ordinary people.

Despite various data showing that housing prices might still surge in the coming years,

Asking the question was still the right thing to do.

The professor didn't respond directly, as such a question could not be answered directly.

He merely shared a piece of urbanization data.

From these statistics, a large portion of the population is expected to buy houses in cities in the future, signaling a massive demand for housing.

Without committing to the idea that prices would rise, at the very least, they wouldn't fall.

He Bijing, a pig farmer, didn't know what to ask and could only sit, like Chen Pingsheng, listening to others pose their questions.

As for Tong Zelan from international investment banking, she asked about a topic even more sensitive than housing prices—international affairs.

The professor's answer was not optimistic, but there was no need for pessimism either.

If there were significant changes in international affairs, trade would be most affected.

This would lead to direct reductions in investment funds allocated by international investment banks in this area.

Put simply, Tong Zelan, apart from assessing the market, gave more weight to international affairs.

That's global industrialization.

In other words, where ordinary people can only see domestic markets, they can see globally.

Take the global Internet bubble of the year 2000, for example. At that time, the Internet was just starting to develop domestically.

People in the country were simply too afraid to invest, and no one believed in it.

Why?

Because there were no successful precedents domestically.

It was different abroad, though, where there were already many successful cases.

That was also the main reason Sun Zhengyi dared to invest in Alibaba at that time; to put it simply, he had a global perspective.

To predict the future business trends of developing regions based on the commercial development of advanced areas.

The question Tong Zelan asked was indeed closely related to her own investment direction.

As an investor, having awareness is very important.

In one sentence, no matter who you are, you can't earn money beyond your understanding.

Take Chen Pingsheng himself, he did not understand the Internet, so he didn't try to make money from it.

This is what lies outside of his understanding.

Of course, if there was a chance in the future, he could still consider investing a bit.

He was very satisfied with the fruitful results of the day.

After ending the day's course, Wang Yanfeng took Liu Hai and the others to his Feiying Entertainment.

Chen Pingsheng drove home to review and digest the knowledge thoroughly at night.

When it came to the Internet, he knew he couldn't do it on his own.

If he found the right people, he was still interested in investing in one or two reliable projects to give it a try.

What if it turned out to be a success?

Of course, that would be the best outcome, but even if he failed, he wouldn't be too heartbroken.

When he got home, Chen An'an was still in the backyard practicing the Praying Mantis Fist she had just learned.

When did she become so diligent?

He did not disturb her and went upstairs to check some data at ease.

He also needed a clear plan for his future business.

Fei Yangyang was progressing smoothly and did not need his attention at the moment.

Tengsheng Fruit was about to open five all-category fresh supermarkets soon.

This was the direction he needed to focus on at the current stage.

As for Water Cloud Space, it all depended on the Splendid Night at the end of the year.

Make a big splash of cash, and then formally move into the major sales markets next year.

As for Tengying, no matter what, it wouldn't incur losses.

After wrapping up Hua Qiangu, this year's biggest task was to introduce a major investment bank.

To push forward Tengying's IPO plan.

With such planning, his goals were crystal clear.

Tomorrow, he would still need to get in touch with that woman, Tong Zelan; even if it meant sacrificing a bit of pride, that could be an option.

Of course, that was just a joke, given his ordinary appearance.

With her standards, she probably wouldn't give him a second look.

If he could get her money for the first step for both Fei Yangyang and Tengying, that would really secure a large part of the IPO plans for the future.

He stroked his chin, wondering how to secure this woman's investment?

She wanted a stake in Water Cloud Space, but that was absolutely out of the question.

Never mind, he would take it one step at a time.

In the evening, when Song Yanxi came back,

Chen Pingsheng was considering signing her up for an executive class as well.

Studying this was indeed very beneficial.

It could greatly expand one's horizons.

Song Yanxi chuckled at him, "You finish one day of classes and you're already pushing me to attend. At least you could study for a couple more days."

"Alright, I'll finish the course over the next two days and then give you a summary of what I've learned."