A month passed, and Tencent's total market value soared, directly surpassing the 800 billion US Dollar mark. In the face of such a fierce momentum, other internet companies almost had no way to resist.
Soon, Tencent developed several different games in succession. Of course, these were relatively small-scale online games. However, insiders revealed that Tencent was devoting itself to creating a massive role-playing game!
This game would have various exquisite maps, a comprehensive system, and could even allow players to experience the fun of a "second world." The market impact of this was unprecedented, and anyone who could afford the equipment would throw themselves into this game without reservation.
With the stock prices skyrocketing, Ma Teng's personal assets experienced a surge, directly surpassing Jeff Bezos and landing him the first place on the Forbes ranking.
Aside from other assets, just the value of his Tencent shares alone exceeded more than twice Jeff Bezos' personal wealth.
Although Fang Jueyu owned more shares than Ma Teng, it's worth noting that Fang Jueyu shelled out a significant amount of money when acquiring Tencent shares. Official estimates suggested Fang Jueyu's assets might be slightly inferior to Ma Teng, so he temporarily ranked second.
"Is Mr. Ma the richest man? I'm the first to disagree on behalf of my husband!"
"What the hell, is there a mistake? Who's evaluating this? Was your math taught by a language teacher?"
"What kind of idiot thinks Dean Fang's assets are only the Tencent shares? Stand up and take a beating!"
The comments under this news were almost all showing dissatisfaction for Fang Jueyu, but there was nothing they could do. Except for a small portion, they had no idea how much wealth and enterprise Fang Jueyu really had, let alone assess it!
While the evaluators were flustered by the public pressure, Ma Teng was the first to speak up.
"I think there are some errors in the Forbes ranking. I believe being ranked second would be more appropriate for me."
As soon as these words came out, they caused a huge sensation. Ma Teng was openly admitting that his assets couldn't compare to Fang Jueyu's.
Forbes magazine editors were discussing whether to revise the rankings, and several more messages suddenly appeared online.
"According to insiders, Fang Jueyu appeared at the Lianhua Group headquarters a few months ago, and the chairman, who owned 71% of the group's shares, claimed all his shares were merely in trust for him!"
"Mr. Hilton from the Hilton Group stated that Mr. Fang is also among the shareholders of the Hilton Group, though his specific holding cannot be disclosed."
"Mr. Fang Jueyu was present at the Queen of England's birthday banquet and rode in the same car with the Queen."
"Mr. Fang Jueyu is one of the legal agents for Huaxia Thunder Technology, holding 70% of the shares!"
"Mr. Fang Jueyu is also a shareholder in the Haili Group, holding 28.7% of the shares!"
Wang Cong: "I know this dog thief is definitely the richest man in the world, but I won't say it!"
Gradually, Fang Jueyu's various assets were exposed one by one, cumulatively even exceeding his holdings in Tencent!
"Heavens, how much more is Dean Fang's?"
"Dear Lord, I'm going crazy, Dean, do your companies need more management?"
"Damn it, these people are making a fuss!" Fang Jueyu couldn't sit still at home. Some messages and calls from former classmates were about to blow up his phone. He just wanted to lay low and be a good-for-nothing who only eats, drinks, and plays. Why was it so difficult?
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He spent so much money to buy Tencent shares just to quickly spend a large sum to complete a task. But who knew that not long after, the money spent all came back, and even more! Was this the power of technology?
Discovering their mistake, the Forbes magazine promptly reordered the rankings. Fang Jueyu rose to the top with an estimated asset of over 500 billion US Dollars.
"Tch! Only 500 billion US Dollars, not even a tenth of this dog's assets!" Wang Cong, who knew Fang Jueyu's strength the best, commented on his microblog to add to the spectacle.
"If you talk nonsense again, I'll buy your dad's Patek Philippe!" Fang Jueyu threatened at once in the comments.
"Go ahead and buy it, if you do, your assets will be exposed again!" Wang Cong teased, fearing the world was not chaotic enough.
"Damn it, I can't keep this hidden anymore." Fang Jueyu dropped his mouse. He also wanted to be low-key, but his ability didn't allow it. He had no idea how his father and grandfather managed to keep it a secret.
Fang Jueyu drew the curtains. He didn't know who had revealed his address, but a large number of reporters were gathered at the entrance of Jiangnan Bi Yuan. He figured that as soon as he went out, he'd be instantly surrounded by frenzied reporters.
Huaxia had produced a world's richest man; this was no small event and was sure to stay on the trending topics list for weeks. Even people around him would be harassed to death by reporters.
Fortunately, Fang Jueyu had a Super God Academy. Although he couldn't yet change his physique and appearance at will like Gu Yi, his disguise technique was quite exceptional, allowing him to come and go freely under the reporters' noses.
As for Ma Teng, he was in a dire situation, attending one press conference after another. He had no idea how Fang Jueyu managed to evade the reporters' watchful eyes. Surely he couldn't stay indoors all the time without going out?
As the New Year approached, Fang Jueyu found some downtime. His family wasn't on this planet, so celebrating the New Year didn't make much difference to him. This year, he probably would spend the holiday with Guo Xinyu at her family's place.
Fang Jueyu's birthday was on December 26, just a few days before the New Year. In past years, there was always a holiday by this time. Friends would be busy going home for the holidays, preparing diligently for the New Year, so everything was simple.
But on his birthday this year, he received an unusual letter.
He found it odd. With communications so advanced in this age, why would someone still use this kind of letter?
"Sister Xiao Ying, where did this letter come from?" Fang Jueyu asked casually.
"Oh, it was dropped in the mailbox outside this morning. I found it quite strange too. Maybe it's from one of your friends with a peculiar hobby, young master!"
Fang Jueyu had heard of people who enjoyed using such a method to write letters to friends while traveling, but he didn't think he had such friends either.
He opened the letter. The content wasn't printed by a computer, nor was it written with a common pen. It seemed to have been penned with a brush, the characters vigorous and powerful, clearly showing years of skill:
To Mr. Fang Jueyu, the richest man in the world,
Congratulations on becoming the richest man in the world. On behalf of the Ancient Martial Arts Association, I express our gratitude to Mr. Fang. To ensure the normal operation of Mr. Fang's industries without disturbances, the Ancient Martial Arts Association will charge 30% of your annual income as a management fee. Three days later, the Gucang Sword Sect will come to collect this fee on behalf of the Ancient Martial Arts Association, please be informed.
Sect Leader Gu Rufeng of the Gucang Sword Sect
"Damn? What is this all about?" Fang Jueyu was dumbfounded after reading the letter. Did this mean they were asking for a protection fee? Was such a thing even possible?