Pei Wencong

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Pei Wencong (裴文聪)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Wave Literature Publishing House / Treading Waves Publishing House; Fenghua Apparel
Occupation/Role	Publishing-house owner; businessman and investor
Education	Graduate of the University of Hong Kong 155
Status	Alive 1745
First Appearance	Chapter 146

Background

Pei Wencong was raised in a poor family. His mother supported the household through a food stall, while his younger sister, Pei Wenhui, helped from childhood and once left school for a year so that he could attend university. After graduating from the University of Hong Kong, he bought a new home for the family, transferred his sister to a better school, and paid to treat his mother’s chronic back pain. 277 880 881

Before becoming successful, he sold fruit, worked as a laborer, and resold adult magazines. His early publishing company had only three people—including Pei himself—and was burdened by financial pressure, debts, and employee difficulties. 146 147 301 375

Business Career

Period / Venture	Chapter	Details
Struggling Wave Literature Publishing House	146, 147	Operates a financially distressed magazine and publishing business while managing staff resignations and creditor pressure.
Publication of Shuo Feng Fei Yang	147, 154, 155	Recognizes the commercial potential of the Tang-dynasty novel, places it prominently in the magazine, and benefits from repeated print runs.
Partnership with Li Ye / “Seven-Inch Blade”	154, 155, 190	Is contacted by the novel’s author, who demands 20% of profits and a Hong Kong invitation; later meets Li Ye in person at Sino-British Street.
Overseas literary expansion	171, 202, 283	Uses the success of Shuo Feng Fei Yang, Great Han National Prestige, and later works to expand sales into Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong; considers English-language publishing and adaptation rights.
Fu Corporation acquisition	354, 359	Purchases 45% of Fu Corporation, proposes a capital increase to dilute the Fu family’s control, and ultimately secures a majority stake.
Mainland manufacturing and beverage projects	359, 361, 553	Works with Li Ye and Hao Jian on a Pengcheng factory, Fenghua Brand sponsorship, Pengcheng Red Bull production, and a long-term mainland-manufacturing investment pact.
Computer and telecommunications investment	470–472	Shifts attention from radios and televisions to pagers, mobile phones, personal computers, program-controlled exchanges, and related technology; negotiates with Liu Lianxiang and Ni Guangnan.
Overseas venture capital and acquisitions	646, 651, 1252–1256	Seeks a Lighthouse-based venture-capital partner and later pursues the acquisition and restructuring of An Wang Computers.
Hong Kong Jinshan	1590	His endorsement enables Fu Yiruo’s acquisition of Hong Kong Jinshan; Qiu Bojun elects to remain with the company because of Pei’s reputation and prior investment record.

Publishing

Pei Wencong initially sees Shuo Feng Fei Yang as the chance to save his business. He personally plans the magazine layout and promotes the work under an author credit describing its writer as a senior professor and novelist. 147

Its success transforms Wave Literature from a small, strained operation into a flourishing publishing house. When competing historical novels enter the Hong Kong market, Pei becomes anxious about being overtaken, but overseas sales exceed expectations and help sustain the company’s growth. 154 171

He later receives Li Ye’s English manuscript for A Song of Ice and Fire. Though he doubts whether an English commercial novel by a mainland author can be easily promoted abroad, he reads the manuscript seriously and provides a measured assessment rather than dismissing it outright. 202

Investment and Industrial Development

Pei becomes Li Ye’s primary Hong Kong-side business partner. He handles publishing, finance, negotiations, investment arrangements, overseas contacts, and practical execution while relying heavily on Li Ye’s forecasts and strategic direction. 203 410 470

After becoming wealthy, he invests in mainland industry rather than focusing only on short-term Hong Kong returns. His projects include apparel, beverages, film production, family-reunification efforts, computer technology, telecommunications equipment, and scientific research. 308 361 472 553 881

He and Li Ye propose a “twenty-year pact” under which investment profits are reinvested into mainland manufacturing for two decades. This commitment makes him increasingly identified as a patriotic Hong Kong businessman, though it also narrows his options among Hong Kong’s established wealthy families. 553 1494

Personality

Pei Wencong is highly conscious of status and respect. During his poorer years, he maintained a polished outward appearance with sharp suits, polished shoes, and a worn Corolla, but privately felt insecure about the insincerity of others’ treatment. Wealth gives him greater confidence, though it does not entirely erase his anxiety about competition and social standing. 147 171

He is pragmatic, socially adaptable, and capable of negotiating with very different kinds of people. He can be tactful and deferential when necessary, but he is also capable of firmly refusing unwanted business approaches or confronting people who disparage the mainland and his investment choices. 333 1254 1256

Despite his ambition, he is portrayed as possessing a conscience. He supports Aqiang’s education, rewards employees when business improves, continues family-reunification work after becoming rich, and earns a reputation for generosity and credibility in Hong Kong business circles. 154 171 375 881 1590

His greatest weakness is his near-reverence for Li Ye. A fortune-teller’s prediction that Li Ye would bring him forty years of good fortune initially unsettles him, but years of successful cooperation make that belief increasingly entrenched. 205 206 470 779 1243

Relationships

• Li Ye / Seven-Inch Blade — Publishing partner, business collaborator, and the person Pei considers his greatest benefactor. Their relationship begins with negotiations over Shuo Feng Fei Yang profits and grows into cooperation across publishing, finance, manufacturing, technology, and overseas investment. 154 155 190 470 553
• Pei Wenhui — Younger sister. She sacrificed part of her schooling for Pei’s university education; he later supports her education, career, and marriage to Li Dayong. 277 878 880
• Pei’s mother — Raised Pei and Pei Wenhui through severe poverty. She remains proud of his success but openly criticizes his womanizing reputation and pressures him to settle down. 779 880
• Luo Runbo — University classmate, financial associate, and close friend. They trade and invest together, frequently bicker, and share a long-standing friendship rooted in similar humble backgrounds. 203 834
• Amin — Employee at Wave Literature Publishing House. She openly complains about Pei’s frugality but trusts that he will reward employees when the company prospers. 146 154
• Aqiang — Early employee and protégée. Pei employed him when the company was still poor, encouraged his education, and became a brother-like figure to him. 147 154 375
• Hao Jian — Business associate in Fenghua Brand and Pengcheng Red Bull projects; they jointly secure a ten-year mainland women’s volleyball sponsorship deal. 361
• Fu Guiru — Business counterpart in the Fu Corporation acquisition and subsequent mainland factory plans. 354 359
• Sisi — A woman from the Huo family whom Pei later identifies as his intended marriage partner. 1494
• Unnamed wife and son — By a later period, Pei is married and has a young son. 1492 1727

Story Role

Pei Wencong serves as Li Ye’s Hong Kong-based gateway into commercial publishing, overseas finance, investment, and international business. His early financial desperation makes him receptive to Li Ye’s literary work, while his later wealth and credibility give Li Ye a dependable operator outside the mainland. 146 147 410

His rise from a debt-ridden publisher to a billionaire investor illustrates both the opportunities created by Li Ye’s foresight and Pei’s own willingness to take risks, execute plans, and reinvest in long-term projects. 292 471 497

He also helps connect mainland and overseas Chinese communities. His continued family-search work facilitates reunions, including Uncle Wang’s return to Dongshan, and he receives recognition alongside Li Ye after a successful cross-strait telephone connection. 333 633 881

Notable Quotes

“If I become successful, my difficult life will be a good story. If I fall into destitution, it won't be a story, it'll be a joke!” 302

“I will assist you, Mr. Li, and strive for the Four Modernizations.” 775

“Since I've chosen this path, I will follow Mr. Li to the end.” 1494