Omniscient Investment Point - Chapter 280



Only Noblemtl

280 Clues – 1

(1)

When I opened my eyes, it was morning.

“Are you awake?”

“Ah···, yes······.”

My memory was blacked out, and I got up and headed to the bathroom, vowing never to drink Chinese liquor again.

I was so embarrassed in front of Bang Jeong-hyeon that I didn’t even want to show my face right away.

But I, who am usually armed with shamelessness, come out after showering and say this as if nothing had happened.

“I shouldn’t drink too much anymore. Hahaha.”

“Hahaha, a man can do that.”

“Oh, but yesterday’s conversation went well.”

“It ended smoothly. It would be nice if the important national affairs were carried out as we said, but things in the world don’t always go that smoothly.”

“Yes, of course.”

We were just secret envoys.

That is, he was given the task of communicating with Chinese diplomatic secretaries here without Koreans knowing.

It may seem like a huge deal, but in reality, national affairs do not proceed as planned just because we agree on something.

“We’ve agreed to meet again tomorrow, so let’s go sightseeing in Beijing today.”

“Is that so?”

Actually, I know that there are two purposes for Beijing tourism that Bang Jeong-hyeon mentioned.

The first is to tour Beijing in its purest sense.

In other words, it is real tourism.

The second is to carry out the request of my mother-in-law, the grandmother from Cheongdam-dong.

‘It means there is someone you have to meet separately.’

It was exactly as I predicted.

Bang Jeong-hyeon called a taxi and relayed the message to me in fluent Chinese.

“There is a place called Zhongguancun, the Silicon Valley of China.”

“Oh, yes, yes. I know.”

Zhongguancun, a place where China has artificially encouraged young people to start ICT businesses.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that many of the IT companies that lead China were born here.

then······.

‘Coins might work too.’

Cryptocurrency is closely related to IT.

Of course, you can also try to find out Choi Hoon-seop’s whereabouts there.

“You are truly amazing, sir.”

“huh?”

“I can’t even imagine how far-sighted he is. Just from what I know, there are think tanks in the US, political circles in Japan, and connections here in China. I can’t help but be surprised that he knows someone in Zhongguancun.”

“Heh heh heh.”

For a moment, a good-natured smile appeared on his face, and then Bang Jeong-hyeon answered.

“Well, even so, does that compare to how surprised I am when I see you?”

“Me?”

“Yes. Actually, I’m over seventy. I’ve been going around here and there, and I’ve made connections with people. But this all started when I was well over forty. But what about you? You’re still a long way from being forty, aren’t you?”

“Hey, I’m turning forty in two days.”

“Hey, this guy!”

Did I round too much?

Bang Jeong-hyeon scolded me slightly and then continued speaking.

“Then let me say this. The era I lived in and the era you will live in are different, so your connections will inevitably be different.”

“Oh, I see what you mean.”

In our country’s 20th century, Bang Jeong-hyeon, in his 40s, probably looked into the world with the intention of breaking through the limitations of developing countries.

But what about ‘longevity’ for me, who is very active in the 21st century?

In South Korea, which has already caught up with advanced countries, we were looking up to higher places.

Since the starting point is different, the connections you need to build are bound to be different.

The development of transportation and communication is a bonus.

No, it would be more accurate to say that it is the advancement of technology.

“So, since you’ve come to China, you should build up some connections.”

“Connections······.”

“Yeah, your own network.”

I nodded.

I didn’t ask how to stack them, but you already told me the answer.

My identity is an investment, that is, my personal network is actually gained through investment.

So, I thought that I should meet people in that direction today, and after a while, I looked into Bang Jeong-hyeon’s connections first.

(2)

Beijing and Tsinghua were the two cities that competed for the top universities in China.

Zhongguancun was home to many universities and graduate schools, including Beijing and Tsinghua.

Of course, I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but it was something I heard while riding in a taxi.

The reason Bang Jeong-Hyeon told me that was simple.

Because the person I was meeting was a professor at Peking University.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Zhao Shihan.”

“Oh, yes, nice to meet you.”

Since he looks almost the same age as Bang Jeong-hyeon, you can’t help but be surprised when you meet him.

This is because virtual currency is an environment that is relatively difficult for scholars of this age to access.

It wasn’t my preconception that it would cause generational conflict.

Most of the 70-year-old seniors I’ve seen don’t really understand the concept of virtual currency, and even if you force it into their heads, they give themselves a no-access order because of the huge risk.

however······.

“I think the era of virtual currency will come sometime in the near future. No, I think it has to come.”

Zhao Shihan was a man who dreamed of a utopia in that direction.

The second thing that surprised me was that Bang Jeong-hyeon was startled and asked him.

“Why is that? Is there a reason you think of separately······?”

Then, looking around, Zhao Shihan smiled and said:

“Can you still see me? I developed a habit of looking left and right. It’s because I thought someone might be watching me.”

“Ah······. Yes······.”

“The same goes for money. Anyone can monitor the money I spend at any time. But in the world of virtual currency, that’s nearly impossible.”

Here, ‘someone’ clearly meant the state or those in power.

In that sense, Zhao Shihan seemed to be a man who was not satisfied with the power of his own country.

Leaving that behind, Bang Jeong-hyeon continued to ask questions he was curious about.

“Me. The more I come to China, the more I feel that it’s difficult to use cash. Even the taxi I caught earlier was done using an app or something by our CEO Jang.”

It’s true.

This is something I saw and heard a lot when I was preparing to go to China from Korea.

China is moving towards a cashless society.

“That’s right. At first, we Chinese people were quite uncomfortable, but now it’s really convenient because we can go anywhere without cash. I checked the official data a while ago, and 80% of Chinese people use mobile payments. Maybe in a few years, real cash will disappear.”

Should we call this the downfall of physical currency?

Indeed, 10-won coins, which were commonly seen just 20 years ago, have become rare, and 1-won and 5-won coins are considered antiques.

“So, are virtual currency and mobile payments headed in similar directions?”

“That may or may not be the case. Mobile payments are actively borrowing from cryptocurrency technology, but authorities are very wary of currencies that escape surveillance.”

“So China doesn’t have Bitcoin.”

“No. It’s not that there aren’t any. In fact, there are more of them than before. It’s just that the government’s surveillance and control are so intense that the coin market has taken care of itself. Of course, they don’t control individual holdings.”

The bottom line is that it doesn’t control holdings, but it does prevent trading.

To my ears, that’s what it sounds like.

I don’t know what will happen if times and governments change.

Anyway, Bang Jeong-Hyeon’s curiosity was satisfied for a while, and at some point, the direction of the questions began to change.

“Then, there will come a time when China will also invest openly in coins. That’s what you’re saying.”

“Who can go against the flow of time?”

“There will be people preparing for that.”

“Of course. Even the authorities are preparing. Well, I can’t tell you the specifics about that.”

“Oh, yes. Even if I heard about it, it wouldn’t be easy to understand. But I’m curious to know if there’s anyone among those preparing who might know the person I’m looking for.”

“Come to think of it, that’s why Chairman Bang came to see me. Hehehe.”

“You finally got caught. Hehehe.”

As good-natured laughter burst out from the mouths of the two old men at the same time, I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly too.

But then, I was shocked again by the fastball that Bang Jeong-hyeon threw.

“There was a coin listing scam in Hong Kong this year. I suspect the main person was a Korean named Choi Hoon-seop.”

“Oh, if it’s a Hong Kong coin listing scam, I know about it too. But it’s the first time I’ve heard of Choi Hoon-seop.”

“okay.”

“Anyway, I think Chairman Bang came here to be introduced to someone he knows.”

“Hahaha, this is it. I can’t fool the professor.”

“I’m the one who can’t always keep up with Chairman Bang’s grand plans. Hehehe.”

What on earth is this conversation that is almost like a Zen question?

I thought that I couldn’t live up to the dignity of people in their 70s.

“Just a moment. I’ll write down your address and name. Then, if you meet the young man and tell him your story, I can tell you more in detail. But please make sure there are no police officers around.”

“thank you.”

Zhao Shihan seemed to be afraid of someone’s surveillance the whole time.

‘But if there’s wiretapping, it’ll be caught right away······.’

Even if you speak English, it’s not like the Chinese government doesn’t understand you.

Leaving these concerns behind, Bang Jeong-hyeon and I left Professor Zhao Shihan’s laboratory.

And then after taking a taxi, I went to the building that Zhao Shihan had told me about.

‘hmm······.’

Here I finally found an investment target.

(3)

“This is Cheng Zixian.”

The young man who revealed his name is now a little over twenty years old, I guess?

The generation gap among the Chinese people I met today was significant.

My face is so young, I wonder if I will be seen as an old fart in front of Cheng Zixian.

So much so that I felt a sense of distance.

‘That won’t work. We should be friends.’

Why? Because of the ‘±20’ engraved in my eyes.

That is, since I met the first Chinese person who could extend my life, I needed to maintain a relationship with him.

Of course, I was more proactive than Bang Jeong-hyeon.

“I heard you’re a startup operator. What’s your involvement?”

“It’s fintech.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Excuse me, professor, why did you introduce me to me?”

“I’m looking for a person. My name is Choi Hoon-seop, and I’m Korean. I’m involved in the Hong Kong coin listing scam. However, I’m also interested in investing in talents working in China’s Silicon Valley, so I’m asking.”

“ah······.”

Cheng Zixian let out a small exclamation, and I glanced at Fang Zhengxian.

It’s to send an apologetic look because it seems like I’m being too showy.

Then, Bang Jeong-hyeon nodded, as if he understood what I meant.

“As expected, old people can’t keep up with the conversation speed of young people.”

“haha······.”

Behind my awkward laugh, I hear the voice of a young man, Cheng Zixian, who is younger than me and has a fresh face.

“Choi Hoon-seop, I’ve heard of it.”

“······!”