“Reckless youth and unrestrained speech” is the bio Wang Sicong wrote on Weibo himself.

As the son of China's new richest man and Wanda Group chairman Wang Jianlin, Wang Sicong and his affairs had been low-key and mysterious until Weibo allowed everyone to suddenly discover they could closely observe the son of the richest man—and he truly lives up to that self-introduction, mocking or criticizing anyone he finds displeasing, causing various disturbances and providing countless entertainment topics. Amid the label of "nouveau riche", perhaps we never really knew what this young man is truly like.

Wang Sicong looks not to be trifled with—young and rich, these two things themselves embolden people, and moreover he has a history of online arguments, presenting the image of a dissolute, sharp-tongued playboy. I thought arranging an interview with him would involve a lot of talk, but unexpectedly he agreed readily and showed up on time.

However, he expressed confusion: What do I have to say? I have nothing to say. But when asked what cannot be said, he answered frankly: Anything can be said. There is nothing that cannot be said. Then he began to regret agreeing to the interview. But since he had already agreed, he continued. Then he was shocked again: What? Photos too? Can we not take photos? If I had known there would be photos, I wouldn't have agreed. What? I have to change clothes for the photos? Can I not change? Oh, fine. —This was also his first interview, not as adept as other celebrities, nor as bad-tempered as imagined; with a little persuasion, he obediently followed the editor, made slightly exaggerated expressions when asked, and by the third outfit change, he was almost resigned and no longer resisted.

At this moment, I realized he is actually a gentle and polite young man, easier to communicate with than most celebrities. Although after the photo shoot he said he would never accept an interview again, seeing this side of the real person makes one realize that our impressions of people are often biased—those are abstract labels; only through deeper understanding can we discover the vivid and real “person”.

You're all talking about things I don't care about

Wang Sicong now has 3 million followers on Weibo, but he speaks less and less. Earlier, to celebrate a million followers, he launched a lottery, which almost crashed Sina Weibo's lottery platform, and the frenzy of gaining and losing followers around the lottery became a joke.

After the famous "South Beauty" war of words, he was asked, "Did your father tell you to be careful about what you say on Weibo?" Wang Sicong said: "My dad generally doesn't care what I say on Weibo, but later he said, 'Don't curse my friends,' but he has too many friends, so later he said, 'If you must curse people, don't name names.'" This reflects the old-school reluctance to provoke trouble, but Wang Sicong simply doesn't care.

The phrase "don't care" almost runs through his entire value system, though the public often crudely retorts, "So what if you're rich?" Admittedly, money can give people more freedom and indeed a sense of security and confidence, but if it becomes this kind of crude confrontation, it falls into another cliché. "Being rich" can indeed reinforce certain "don't cares," but if forced to admit he cares about something, he would choose "IQ." After all, compared to being rich, the ability to manage money is a manifestation of IQ; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many stories of people who won huge lottery jackpots and were back to square one a few years later.

I also have IQ discrimination syndrome

While chatting with Wang Sicong, I found him clear-headed with distinct views, quickly giving a conclusion or summary. Combined with his various "don't cares," it almost feels like "can we even continue this conversation?" He went abroad at age five for primary, middle, and high school, completed his education in the UK, and graduated from the Department of Philosophy at University College London. Having received a complete Western education, Wang Sicong developed his own way of thinking early on. "Logic is very important, and then you must have your own views; everything you say and do must follow your views." This is how he approaches problems.

Thus he is a difficult person to persuade. Because the cards in his hand are too good, and his philosophy major and logic courses taught him how to play them. Then he has no patience for anything stupid, and is enthusiastic about things that require brainpower, earning him the nickname "Teacher Wang Who Loves to Explain." He speaks without reservation: "Today's college students are too stupid, completely lacking independent thinking ability, just joining in the fun, deceived by chicken soup for the soul and life mentors. It's really worrying."

So in Wang Sicong, born in 1988, there is rarely the confusion and bewilderment of his peers; some of his views are already quite firm. He completely doesn't care how others see or evaluate him: "Your thoughts and comments can't change my current situation, so say whatever you want; I don't need to prove anything to you."

But there must be some words that can make Wang Sicong care or get angry, right? Asked "What can't you stand people saying about you?" he almost swore on the spot: "...Saying I'm bad at studying makes me most angry! I studied so hard and my grades were excellent, yet they say my diploma was bought!"

Why rush to make money? I'm not short of money

What kind of projects to invest in? What are the selection criteria? Wang Sicong couldn't hold back his sharp tongue because he receives many private messages every day, besides those wanting to bear his children, there are those asking him for investment.

"I want to meet people with real ideas, truly creative people who can produce great products," he said. "I don't want to go public, I don't want to cash out; with money, I can slowly choose the projects I want to invest in, and I don't need to rush for returns because I don't rely on the company to make a living."

"What is success? For me, it's doing whatever I want." Regarding future investment plans, he has already invested in a dental clinic and examined the top 10 hospitals in the US, planning to build a first-class hospital in eastern Beijing.

People should know how to use their advantages; my advantage is being rich.

Rarely is an interview as simple and crude as this one, always revolving around the word “money.” But there's no choice, because Wang Sicong and his father Wang Jianlin are indeed rich. Both bear the title of “richest man”; deliberately avoiding money and insisting on discussing lofty meanings would be another kind of hypocrisy. And “view of money” is three wonderful words—it's your attitude toward money, the way you spend it.

Wang Sicong has two good friends, classmates from his studies in the UK; they even traveled together last month. Their families have ordinary backgrounds like doctors or teachers. He doesn't mix much with so-called rich second generations; it's boring. "I don't care about my friends' family backgrounds; it's about the person themselves—whether they're fun, have good character. Rich or not is too unimportant. Anyway, none are richer than me."

Another friend sells pirated discs; they met while buying discs and became friends over time. Now he is in the catering business and has achieved some entrepreneurial success. “Since we're friends, and there wasn't much business dealings before, I can give him some advice. I gave him a car for his birthday, but I didn't invest in him.”

"People should know how to use their advantages." Having rich parents is also an advantage in Wang Sicong's eyes. "If you're good-looking, you should act; if you're talented, you should write books; if you're rich, you should let money play its role. Is it fun to compete with others using your disadvantages?"

"Truly rich people are not vain," Wang Sicong said. In his view, you can spend a lot on things, but don't have rampant materialism. He doesn't go shopping or buy blindly; he just plays games, and can even make money from it. If you ask him if he really has a view on money, actually he doesn't; he just clearly distinguishes what money should be spent on and what shouldn't. This is often where successful people draw clear boundaries.