Chapter 89: Arrival in Shencheng

After several hours on the road, they finally arrived at their destination—Shencheng!

Shen Guodong and Zhou Meiniang got off the train. Coincidentally, standing next to them during ticket inspection was none other than Chen Longhui.

Having lost face on the train earlier, Chen Longhui had managed to regain some dignity afterward, but the incident still haunted him, leaving him thoroughly disgruntled. Now, running into Shen Guodong and Zhou Meiniang again, he could only sneer and turn his head away, though the look in his eyes was tinged with a mocking amusement.

Clearly, he was a man who never forgot a slight. If he ever got the chance, he would never let Shen Guodong off so easily.

What Shen Guodong did not know was that, before long, their paths would cross again.

The two took a car to the Shencheng Steel Mill.

This negotiation was essentially an open tender, but in reality, the steel mill had already thoroughly researched the basic situation of each factory. They already knew in their hearts which factory's subsidiary would get the business, but the formalities still had to be observed.

Shen Guodong and his companions weren’t sure whether the opportunity would fall to them or not. For them, they had to give it a try—such was the nature of things.

It was already past one in the afternoon when they arrived at the Shencheng Steel Mill.

They barely had time for lunch before reporting in.

“So this is a state-owned enterprise in Shencheng! The scale is truly impressive, and the city itself is nothing like ours. Compared to this place, Fengcheng feels like a rural backwater. Here is what a real city looks like,” Zhou Meiniang exclaimed in awe, having seldom traveled far from home.

Shen Guodong smiled. “Big cities are certainly more prosperous. Right now, Shencheng ranks among the most vibrant cities in the country—only a handful are more so. For example, there’s the Northern Imperial City, the Southern Metropolis, and Huadu, the provincial capital in Guangdong. Only those are more bustling than Shencheng, which is firmly ranked fourth.”

In the 1980s, the focus was on heavy industry, mostly concentrated in the north. The south mainly developed light industry, with little emphasis on heavy manufacturing. This economic model led to an imbalance between north and south, so among the country’s top ten cities, the south occupied only two or three spots.

The Southern Metropolis and Huadu consistently ranked among the top three, their status unshakable. For a thousand years, Huadu, as a commercial capital and a vital southern gateway, had thrived as a major port. The Southern Metropolis, meanwhile, was the nation’s financial center, with a status that could not be challenged.

Other southern cities simply couldn’t break into the top ten, and even if they did, they were quickly pushed out. Back then, the northern economy was far ahead of the south. But from the 1990s onward, this situation began to shift. A wave of layoffs in the early nineties led to the collapse of countless state-owned enterprises.

The nation sought ways to transform and decided to focus on light industry, accelerating trade. This shift rapidly revived the economy in the south, making it one of the most prosperous regions. Products made in the south sold nationwide.

Since then, a clear economic divergence developed between north and south. Decades later, the once-glorious northern cities gradually slipped from the top ranks. The trajectory was unmistakable.

Signs of change were already emerging. Heavy industry’s environmental toll was severe, making it hard for northern cities to retain their populations. People left in droves for the south, with the three northeastern provinces suffering especially serious population loss.

Still, for now, the north dominated.

Shen Guodong gazed at the city. In those days, people cared little for the environment. But as time went on, attitudes would inevitably shift.

Zhou Meiniang, struggling to understand his words, asked in surprise, “If Shencheng is already this prosperous, are there really places even more vibrant?”

She had never left Fengcheng in her life. Her world was limited.

Shen Guodong chuckled. “Of course. Shencheng isn’t the most prosperous. If we get the chance, I’ll take you to the Imperial City, the Southern Metropolis, and Huadu someday.”

Naturally, this was only to be expected. Shen Guodong’s ambitions were always national in scope.

His dreams were expansive, never confined to a single place or moment. He wanted to keep every aspect of his enterprise tightly within his grasp, not just one segment—depending on others carried too much risk.

In any industry, whether in production, sales, or logistics, even if he wasn’t directly involved, he needed to invest. Only then could profits be maximized.

The future would belong to the internet and finance, but the internet would only begin to rise in the 1990s. For now, real industry was the path to follow.

For the next decade, Shen Guodong would focus on solid, practical industry before transitioning to the internet, ultimately combining the two for maximum benefit.

Neither traditional industry nor the internet alone could produce a truly global enterprise.

But Shen Guodong’s aspirations weren’t limited to the internet; he aimed to build a company on par with Mango Mobile.

He’d harbored this idea for a long time, but in his previous life, by the time he began to lay out his plans, the overall situation was already set. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the established powers.

It wasn’t that Shen Guodong lacked ability, but the circumstances didn’t allow for it.

Every successful entrepreneur needed personal capability, but timing, location, and human factors were equally crucial. Otherwise, building a business was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Why were there so few successful startups in the internet space after 2000? Because by then, the landscape was already fixed.

Any enterprise seeking success had to curry favor with the two internet giants, Ali and Feinia. If they wanted you to rise, they’d provide resources; if not, they’d simply create their own version of your business. With capital, talent, market share, and traffic all in their grasp, what could you possibly compete with?