Chapter 100: Huang He’s Five Small Goals

[PS: This is Chapter 100—remarkably, the numbering coincides exactly with the most pivotal chapter outlined in the book. This chapter represents Huang He’s goal, as well as the core theme of the entire novel. If one were to ask which chapter embodies the central idea of the whole book based on reading comprehension, it would undoubtedly be this one.]

“This Masayoshi Son really isn’t very broad-minded!” Old Ma and Little Ma thought to themselves. Huang He hadn’t even spared him any face, and yet Son immediately declared he wouldn’t see Huang He again. Was this not a tacit way of saying Huang He would lose everything twenty years from now?

Or, once inside, he might never be seen again.

Or perhaps, twenty years later, Huang He might no longer even exist.

“Mr. Huang, now that you’ve spoken about our futures, could you share how you see the future for the four of us?” Son gestured politely.

“All right!” Huang He nodded decisively. “Brother Xiao Ma, your Penguin Empire will break the one-trillion market value mark. Apart from Brother Old Ma, no one in China can rival you. Unfortunately, your reputation will be destroyed by accusations of plagiarism. The more money you have, the more enemies you’ll make. Even if you jumped into the Yangtze River, Huang He, you’d never wash that stain clean in your lifetime.”

“And no matter how strong Tencent becomes in the future, it will always be a regional powerhouse. Once outside the Chinese market, no one will care!” Huang He then turned to Old Ma. “Brother Old Ma, you are the only one who could possibly defeat Xiao Ma. Your market value will also exceed one trillion, even once surpassing him. But alas, your desire for control is too strong—you try to hold everything in your own hands. In the end, except for the Forty Thieves, every company you meddle in will be beaten down by Xiao Ma!”

“By the way, please don’t tell outsiders that you dislike money or regret founding the Forty Thieves. If that’s true, you might as well sell it to me—I’ll give you a good price!”

“Similarly, you’re also a regional strongman. Without China, you’re nothing!” Huang He spoke bluntly. Yet, his predictions for their futures were the most extravagant—both would surpass the trillion-dollar valuation.

Only Huang He added silently in his mind, “If this world had no me.”

Huang He’s forecast left Brother Xiao Ma and Brother Old Ma with unsettled expressions. They had never dreamed Huang He would predict such a lofty future for them—companies valued over a trillion? Could such terrifying enterprises really exist? Could their own companies ever reach such heights? It seemed more like Huang He was speaking offhand, trying to pacify children.

It’s worth noting that when Huang He said they were regional strongmen, they weren’t particularly offended—they never intended to expand internationally. Being dominant at home was a skill in itself.

“And what about me?” Son raised his pineapple beer with a smile. “In Mr. Huang’s estimation, will I also have a trillion-dollar fortune?”

“You!” Huang He thought for a moment, scratched his nose, then spoke with utmost sincerity. “Here’s a piece of advice: never invest in American internet companies. Doing so will wipe out your billions and doom your old age.”

“...” Brother Xiao Ma and Brother Old Ma were both stunned. Damn! Huang He was insanely bold—he actually predicted that a titan like Son would have an ill-fated old age. Such audacity was beyond their lifetime’s reach.

“I’ll remember what you said today!” Son’s composure was impressive; he did not get angry. Instead, his tone grew colder. But it didn’t matter—Boss Huang never intended to get investment from Son anyway. Our Boss Huang never lacks money.

“Then, Mr. Huang, since you speak so frankly about others, how do you foresee your own future?” Son asked calmly.

“Me?” Huang He suddenly hesitated. He had spoken so easily about others’ futures because he was simply pulling predictions from thin air, using his foresight as a crutch. But when it came to himself, Huang He realized he was at a loss.

At first, his goal was simple: to stop Huang He from running off with his sister-in-law and prevent himself from becoming a subject of mockery.

Instead, he had plunged himself deeper into that abyss of ridicule. Fortunately, he managed to protect his sister-in-law—actually, five of them at once.

Looking further ahead, he now had Jiangnan Leather in hand, abundant capital, numerous trump cards, and a grasp of global trends for the next twenty years. Huang He was confident he could live a life above all others. Setting a modest goal of making a billion yuan a year was easy.

But was that really the future he desired?

To be honest, Huang He suddenly felt a wave of boredom. Even if he became the richest man in the world, controlling trillions in assets, it all seemed utterly unchallenging and dull.

He recalled watching Brother Old Ma’s interview years ago, where Old Ma declared no interest in money. Huang He had immediately scolded him for posturing. But holding over a hundred million yuan and facing a future free of failure risk, Huang He realized that money was just a number—he still ate cafeteria food and his mother-in-law’s home cooking. Even his car was the same old Mercedes.

At that moment, Huang He felt deeply dejected: the thrill of life had seemingly vanished.

Is this the lament of the wealthy?

Well, then he might as well lament a little more.

“What, Mr. Huang, you don’t even know your own future?” Son smiled again, having noticed Huang He’s silence for over a minute.

“I just find those futures unchallenging,” Huang He shook his head seriously. “I thought it through and set five modest goals for myself, hoping to achieve them all twenty years from now.”

“Oh, we’re eager to hear!” both Ma brothers said simultaneously.

“My first goal is to become the richest man in the world. I think this one is still quite challenging!” Huang He rubbed his nose.

“...” The Ma brothers both gaped. They had seen arrogance, but never this level. Becoming the richest man on earth was just a ‘small goal’? What were the other five?

“The second goal is to promote and spread Chinese culture, making China the center of world culture, so that the entire world understands and loves Chinese culture... Well, that might be too broad, so more specifically, I want one billion non-Chinese people worldwide to be learning Chinese, and for Chinese culture to become the mainstream globally!” Huang He continued.

The moment this goal was uttered, the two Mas realized ‘arrogant’ was no longer sufficient to describe Huang He. ‘Crazy’ was more fitting. Only a madman would say such a thing.

One billion non-Chinese learners of Chinese worldwide... English has about two billion speakers. Was Huang He aiming for Chinese to officially replace English as the world’s primary language?

That difficulty far surpassed becoming the richest man on earth, but Huang He still had three more goals to reveal.

“The third goal!” Huang He went on. “This isn’t just mine, but for all Chinese people. I hope that through everyone’s efforts, twenty years from now, China’s GDP surpasses that of the United States, becoming the world’s number one economy!”

“...” Faced with this third goal, the two Mas had no words left to mock.

Surpassing the UK and US? Was Huang He living fifty years in the past?

“The fourth goal... actually, it’s somewhat similar to the third. I’m tired of hearing about the US dollar all day, so twenty years from now, I want everyone to use another currency for global settlements. I think the renminbi is pretty good!” Huang He yawned as he spoke.

“Is Huang He daring the US Marines to come here and shoot him?” Son tried to keep his expression neutral.

“The last one!” Huang He scratched his head. “This is my personal dream—I really like mecha robots. So twenty years from now, I want to pilot a real, fully functional robot and stroll through the city. That would satisfy me. It doesn’t have to be too big—something like the Gundam from your RB animation, about five stories tall. Able to run, jump, fly, pose, shoot... Well, scratch the weapons part—they’re not allowed here. But other than that, it should be like Gundam!” Huang He said, full of anticipation.

This was truly Huang He’s personal wish. Having spent two or three years selling Gundam models in his past life and being a seasoned collector, he dreamed of piloting a Gundam himself.

Though every man should pilot a Zaku, it’s just too ugly—Gundam is far cooler.