Formula For Success

"Janney, you seem very familiar with this Gu Changqing?" Murong Feng couldn't help but ask.

Tang Qing hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Yes, five years ago he spent some time in Beijing and was brought to our home as a guest by my grandfather's comrade. ... But neither grandfather nor I liked him. Grandfather's assessment of him was 'outwardly righteous but inwardly evil'..." She swallowed the last part, "not a good match."

Although she only said this much, Murong Feng still detected something. He smiled and said, "Did he pursue you?" Tang Qing's face reddened slightly as she chided, "Many people have pursued me, enough to form a line from here to Shenzhen. How could I remember them all!" She didn't answer directly, but at least expressed that she wasn't interested in him.

Murong Feng felt relieved, but then felt somewhat ashamed. What right did he have to be concerned about these things when it came to Tang Qing?

Seeing him silent, Tang Qing smiled and changed the subject, "Do you have any plans for tonight?" Murong Feng answered honestly, "Nothing, I was just having dinner with them when you called me out halfway through."

Tang Qing smiled charmingly, "Perfect, I just finished a meeting and haven't eaten yet. Why don't you treat me?" Murong Feng nodded with a smile, "It would be my honor!"

Tang Qing was delighted. She reached out her jade-like hand and held Murong Feng's large hand, savoring this moment of warmth together.

Guo Yong drove in the front seat, eyes straight ahead, secretly admiring the situation. Both Ye Zi and Tang Qing were exceptionally beautiful women, yet they were deeply in love with Murong Feng. One was pure and beautiful, the other heavenly gorgeous. Even as an observer, he didn't know how to choose, and he greatly admired Murong Feng for being in such a position.

Tang Qing loved Sichuan cuisine, especially the Sichuan Office Restaurant near her apartment, the most authentic Sichuan food in Beijing. Murong Feng sat with her at a small window table in the hall, watching her eat heartily, occasionally sticking out her tongue from the spiciness, smiling at him shyly. Her lightly made-up face was a joy to behold. Though she ate with gusto, she remained elegant, less regal than usual but more approachable, like a pretty girl next door.

Murong Feng felt a sense of calm and warmth.

After dinner, Murong Feng walked Tang Qing to her apartment building. They gazed at each other briefly, hugged gently, and parted with smiles.

On the way back, sitting in the backseat, Murong Feng silently recalled the scene, feeling grateful towards Tang Qing. Given their current relationship, if Tang Qing had invited him up, he couldn't have refused. But what then? He couldn't face his own conscience, let alone Ye Zi. Tang Qing's understanding made him feel even more guilty.

How could he repay such deep affection?

.....

The biggest news in Beijing's investment circles recently was the establishment of "Chang'an Capital" with Murong Feng and Zhou Haitao as partners!

Chang'an Capital managed investment funds totaling over $600 million. While not as large as PE firms like Goldman Sachs, Carlyle Group, or Hony Capital, it surpassed the $360 million scale of KPCB China Fund and was comparable to well-known top PE/VC firms like SoftBank and SAIF Partners.

There were two reasons why Chang'an Capital attracted widespread attention. First, its founding partner was Murong Feng, recently famous for his 1.5 billion yuan net worth and kidnapping case. Second, the sources of Chang'an Capital's fund-raising were renowned international family offices and institutions, such as RIT Capital Partners under the Rothschild Group, Rockefeller Financial Services, Sweden's Investor AB, and the University of Pennsylvania Endowment Fund. These traditional family funds and institutions with long histories and illustrious reputations in the international arena demonstrated Chang'an Capital's strong international capital background, earning respect from industry insiders.

Murong Feng was also surprised that Zhou Haitao could raise funds from these family funds. Zhou Haitao told him it was actually very simple. A classmate of his from Wharton Business School was an heir to the Swedish Wallenberg family. This classmate was very interested in Chang'an Capital and the Chinese market and introduced a few friends. This easily completed the fundraising process. In fact, these family funds had wanted to invest much larger amounts, but he had to decline most of it, believing that the current $600 million scale was already more than sufficient for the first phase.

Zhou Haitao smiled and said, "Generally, times of economic turmoil or financial difficulty are the best times to invest in private equity funds. If it weren't for the fact that our Chang'an Capital was a newly established company with insufficient manpower and experience, and limited projects, I really would have liked to raise a billion dollars or so in one go!"

Murong Feng was scared, "Over a billion US dollars! I wouldn't dare take that on!" His mindset hadn't changed yet.

He was used to spending his own money, and whether the investment failed or profited, there was no psychological burden. But now, suddenly taking on over 500 million US dollars from foreign investors to invest on their behalf, he was truly feeling anxious.

Regardless, Murong Feng was destined to become a topic of discussion in Beijing's business circles this year. His rapid growth was surprising, and his every move was unpredictable.

When he suddenly became famous at a young age, with millions in wealth, others thought he would spend the money on a luxurious lifestyle, buying mansions, dating celebrities and playing with yachts...

But instead he was passionate about charity, spending over 50 million yuan on various charitable donations and auctions. If you add on the 20 million he had donated to the city's Public Security Bureau after his kidnapping case, in just a short year, with a net worth of only 1.5 billion yuan1, his traceable donations alone amounted to over 70 million yuan!2

While he himself, until after the kidnapping case when he got himself bodyguards, had only bought a new car worth 2 million yuan, a low-key Maserati Quattroporte.

When he frequently began participating in associations like the Chamber of Commerce, it led many people to think he was actively approaching political circles, but then news came out of his 200 million yuan investment into Harbor Technology and the establishment of Chang'an Capital which held nearly ¥5 billion RMB in investment funds. This showed his determination and confidence in focusing on business and the emerging economy.

He was fast becoming the representative for China's new economic era, with a strong sense of social responsibility, concern for people's livelihood, involvement in charity, and active participation in politics. 

Although Xiao Qiang harbored resentment towards him, she had to come to the newly established Beijing office of Chang'an Capital to interview Murong Feng again.

This time, Murong Feng's acceptance of the interview was not to promote Chang'an Capital, but out of courtesy. The Financial Weekly was a subsidiary of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and the editor-in-chief Chen Qiao was also with him in the Political Participation Committee of the Beijing Federation of Industry and Commerce. Murong Feng couldn't refuse to give him face.

Chang'an Capital's office was located on the 18th floor of the Yinglan Building on the Financial Street. Murong Feng bought the entire 18th floor as Chang'an Capital's office. This skyscraper, fully named "Yinglan International Financial Center Building," housed offices of many foreign banks and famous investment institutions. UBS, where Zhou Haitao had previously worked, was on the 28th floor, while JP Morgan's office was right below Chang'an Capital, and the Royal Bank of Canada, another foreign financial giant, was above.

Choosing to set up the office here also proved Murong Feng and Zhou Haitao's ambitions. Only with top-level aspirations and ambition alongside top-level work and effort, could a top-level company and career be built. 

In an elegantly decorated and spacious office, Murong Feng sat down for an interview with Xiao Qiang. The office seemed rather empty as Zhou Haitao was currently in the United States, persuading some Chinese Ivy League MBA graduates from Wall Street to join Chang'an Capital. At the moment, the company, besides having two pretty receptionists, only had three actual investment managers, all of whom Zhou Haitao had recently poached from other institutions.

Murong Feng sat in his nearly 100-square-meter office, receiving Xiao Qiang's interview.

Xiao Qiang looked at the young man in front of her, dressed in a minimalist-style casual suit. She still couldn't imagine how he had risen from obscurity to become such a prominent figure in the business and financial world in just a few short years. Recalling the various media reports and speculations about Murong Feng, such as "the most difficult celebrity to interview," "the most eligible bachelor in the city," "the new financial elite," and so on, she found it hard to associate the graceful and successful man in front of her with Hua Zi, the character she deeply admired from "Striving Youth."

For a moment, she even felt an uncontrollable urge to tear off his elegant and noble facade to see if there was a heart as bright, loyal, and manly as Hua Zi's inside.

Murong Feng noticed the dazed look in the beautiful reporter's eyes and kindly asked, "Miss Xiao, shall we begin?"

Xiao Qiang snapped back to reality, and her first question left Murong Feng stunned.

"Mr. Murong, do you still remember the character Hua Zi you played?"

Murong Feng nodded and smiled, "Of course I remember."

"Do you think your current success is the same kind of success that Hua Zi hoped for in the TV series?"

Murong Feng frowned slightly. Xiao Qiang's question was unusual, and he had never thought about it in that way.

Success? Am I considered successful now? Hua Zi's hoped-for success? My previous dreams of success? My current success? Are they the same? Murong Feng fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, he looked up and asked, "Miss Xiao, have you ever read a book called 'The Rules of Success'? It contains a formula for success: Success = Knowledge + Confidence + Dreams + Effort. When you have knowledge, are filled with confidence, and strive to achieve your dreams, then you have the possibility of success. From this perspective, my dreams have not yet been realized, so I can't be considered successful."

Xiao Qiang curiously asked, "What are your dreams?"

Murong Feng smiled and shook his head without speaking.

Dreams. His dream was to live a free, joyful, and worry-free life with his loved ones. So, perhaps it wouldn't be until the end of his life, looking back, that he could judge whether he had been successful.

During this interview, unlike last time, Murong Feng wasn't as reserved. After all, much of his story was already covered in the news. He focused on his confidence in the current domestic economy and his views on charity and social responsibility.

He spoke optimistically about the future prospects of media, telecommunications, and the internet in the new economic era, gradually positioning himself as an investment fund manager, speaking eloquently.

Xiao Qiang's professional demeanor and Murong Feng's cooperative attitude made this interview a great success.

However, just as Xiao Qiang was about to leave, she couldn't resist asking, "Mr. Murong, what kind of women do you fancy?" She still felt slighted by Murong Feng's previous indifference.

Murong Feng was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, "Miss Xiao, this personal question isn't part of our interview today, so I can choose not to answer."

Xiao Qiang, not giving up, smiled and said, "But many female readers are very interested in this question. You have now been voted 'The Most Eligible Bachelor in Beijing.'"

Murong Feng remained unfazed and smiled, "I'm not an entertainment star. Well then, thank you, Miss Xiao."

Xiao Qiang retreated again, silently blaming Murong Feng for his coldness.

...

The woman Murong Feng fancied, Ye Zi, was still diligently studying to become a registered sponsor representative...