[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp":3,"chapter-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-127":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Get Stronger Every Payday—With One Billion Employees!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2264340,4419,"Chapter 127: Zhongsha Industrial Park: The Starting Point of the Orange","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-127",127,"\u003Cp>Wang Zihao drove a Mercedes, circling the Saige Technology Park twice while Zuo Hongyu led the way ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen wasn’t satisfied with any of the three factories he inspected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the area was too small—the smallest was 800 square meters, the largest barely over 2,000; second, the factories were cluttered with outdated production lines, and if they rented, they’d have to buy these useless machines, as if the landlords were trying to swindle them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen sighed and signaled everyone to get back in the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Chen, Saige Technology Park borders Huaqiangbei. This area used to be full of counterfeit phone factories—over a thousand at its peak—so the factory spaces are fragmented. My idea is to rent several and connect them into one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Hongyu stood outside the car, explaining slowly and offering a solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no choice—the larger factories in the park were already taken, and their owners produced legitimate smart phones, outside the scope of the Double Strike campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The factories Zuo Hongyu contacted were all abandoned after their owners fled following the Double Strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last year, rent was 1.5 yuan per square meter per day; now it’s dropped to 1.1 yuan, and some are even below 1 yuan, yet very few bosses come to negotiate deals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the factory owners saw the group preparing to leave, they quickly lowered prices, offering rent discounts and cheap sales of the equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chen Yansen found the area too small and walked away without looking back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s look elsewhere. Saige’s location is good, but the factories are too scattered. I already said we need at least 10,000 square meters of floor area.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen waved his hand, cutting off Zuo Hongyu’s attempt to explain further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood Zuo Hongyu’s thinking—he wanted to lease a dozen small factories under one contract—but each factory had different owners, making rent prices, lease terms, and payment cycles nearly impossible to align.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Chen, then we can only go to Zhongsha Village. Rent there is at least 50% cheaper than Saige, but the location and transportation are worse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Hongyu nodded and proposed an alternative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How far is it from here?” Chen Yansen asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About nine kilometers—fifteen minutes by car,” Zuo Hongyu replied immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go see it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen didn’t hesitate, instructing Zuo Hongyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Chen Yansen began to agree with Cao Dahua’s assessment of Zuo Hongyu: honest, quiet, reliable, and methodical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Chen Yansen expressed dissatisfaction with Saige’s factories, Zuo Hongyu immediately presented a new plan—he’d clearly prepared in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This morning, to dissuade his old friend from suicide, Zuo Hongyu risked offending his new boss by arriving half an hour late and bringing Zhou Jinling along without permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had the face of a villain, in this money-driven era, he still cared about loyalty and righteousness. He might not make a good boss, but he’d be an excellent employee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, the two cars sped along Binjiang Avenue, passing Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center and Tian’an Digital City, finally arriving at Zhongsha Village Industrial Park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zuo Hongyu had said, the surroundings were desolate; they saw only one truck pass by in half an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Locals in baggy shorts and flip-flops rode electric scooters past them, fishing rods in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen got out of the car, surveyed the surroundings, assessed transportation and infrastructure—inferior to Saige, but superior in quiet, peaceful surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far away, a large cluster of factories stood connected, not fragmented like Saige’s cubicle-like units.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Hongyu pulled out his phone and made a call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a man in his forties wearing a collared polo shirt arrived on an electric scooter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Zuo, is Dabolu going to expand production again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man stopped his scooter, looking puzzled, unable to resist asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Huang, I resigned from Dabolu last week. Let me introduce you—this is my new boss, Chen Yansen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Hongyu led Huang Qiming to Chen Yansen and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow! Boss Chen, you’re a good-looking fella. Let’s go check out the factory first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qiming sized up Chen Yansen, complimented him, then pointed ahead and got straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nice to meet you, Boss Huang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen replied and followed Huang Qiming toward the industrial park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Dahua, Wang Zihao, and Song Yuncheng followed behind, scanning the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This area is A3, covering 3,400 square meters. Most buildings are three stories, plus a six-story dormitory—total floor area 11,000 square meters. With equipment in place, you can produce five million counterfeit phones a year!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qiming pointed to his own factory and boasted grandly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Huang, producing counterfeit phones in Shenzhen now is a dead end,” Zuo Hongyu said dryly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha, then let’s make branded phones!” Huang Qiming laughed awkwardly, trying to brush it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no choice—after the Double Strike, 80% of the phone factories in Huaqiangbei shut down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Saige’s factories couldn’t be rented out, let alone Zhongsha’s remote industrial park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With rent at 6,000 to 8,000 yuan per day for such a large facility, sitting empty meant losing money every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Desperate, Huang Qiming was just making empty claims.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To seal the deal, he spent half a day showing them around A3, detailing everything—the power room, air compressor room, refrigeration station, and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen said nothing, leaving all negotiations to Zuo Hongyu and Cao Dahua.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qiming’s factory was indeed well-equipped—complete with dormitories, parking, waste stations, and a sensible layout, clearly designed by professionals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Hongyu glanced at Chen Yansen, saw his boss give a slight nod, understood, and began negotiating rent, lease term, and payment cycles with Huang Qiming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“0.65 yuan per square meter per day, settled every three months, minimum two-year lease, contract renewed every two years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Zuo Hongyu’s interest, Huang Qiming quickly quoted his price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Huang, you might fool amateurs, but we’ve been in Shenzhen for over a decade—we know prices well. If you think Boss Chen is an outsider you can cheat, we’ll just go elsewhere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Hongyu shook his head, his expression darkening with displeasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rent settled annually, contract signed for eight years—but the price needs to drop further. How about 0.5 yuan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Dahua, belly protruding, smiled pleasantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching them haggle, Chen Yansen lost interest and left Wang Zihao to observe while he and Song Yuncheng wandered the park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You sold 5% of FoxTao’s equity just to make phones?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yuncheng asked softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s part of the reason,” Chen Yansen replied, gazing at the setting sunset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Online, everyone says you’re planning to sell FoxTao as a package,” Song Yuncheng hesitated, then asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shouldn’t you be happy about that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen turned, teasing with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yuncheng, Zhang Wenbo, Xiang Pengfei, and others each held 100,000 stock options—valued at over three million yuan based on the 16-billion-yuan valuation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, housing prices in Yanhu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen ranged from 10,000 to 20,000 yuan per square meter; even remote suburbs were around 8,000 yuan. If Chen Yansen sold the company, they’d all become rich overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We all want to make FoxTao stronger and bigger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yuncheng shook his head seriously—this sentiment echoed among many at FoxTao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Chen Yansen still held nearly 70% of equity after selling 5%, most startup founders don’t dilute equity during a company’s growth phase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen’s move clearly signaled to outsiders: he wants to cash out early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—I don’t plan to sell FoxTao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen smiled, silently adding in his mind: not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FoxTao’s performance wasn’t stable enough. Augusta Capital’s 16-billion-yuan valuation was inflated—finding a domestic buyer would be difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Aili could go public next year, Ma Liyun might be interested—but right now, Yahoo had detected Aili’s transfer of ownership of Zhifu Bao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two companies were publicly feuding, and Ma would need at least five billion U.S. dollars to resolve the issue and repurchase Yahoo’s shares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no capacity to take over!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when Chen Yansen said he wouldn’t sell, it simply meant no suitable buyer had appeared yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Chen Yansen’s words, Song Yuncheng felt reassured but whispered a reminder: “Many on the team are gossiping. I think you should hold an all-hands meeting to explain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, have Xu Dan arrange it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen raised his hand and ruffled Song Yuncheng’s hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Chen…” Wang Zihao walked over after the price negotiation, about to call out—then saw Chen Yansen touching Song Yuncheng’s head and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the movement behind him, Chen Yansen patted Song Yuncheng’s shoulder and walked back casually, as if nothing happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zihao opened his mouth, hesitated, then said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the office, Zuo Hongyu and Cao Dahua were waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen picked up the draft contract: lease term five years, rent renegotiated every three years, settled every six months, at 0.5 yuan per square meter per day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was 20% lower than Huang Qiming’s original quote—and half the rent of Saige Technology Park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen did a quick calculation: nearly two million yuan in annual rent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Huang Qiming’s attire, he clearly didn’t look like a billionaire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen nodded and handed the follow-up to Zuo Hongyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Dahua decided to stay in Shenzhen to help source equipment and assemble the production line—testing instruments, injection molding machines, and CNC lathes were all available in Huaqiangbei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for SMT pick-and-place machines, they felt buying new was wasteful; luckily, a major electronics auction was happening in Shenzhen this month, offering a chance to acquire a batch at low prices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen wouldn’t let Cao Dahua help for free—he gave him a separate salary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Chen Yansen’s eyes, though Cao Dahua had failed in business, he was still capable of running errands and sourcing equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, according to Cao Dahua himself, he was merely mentoring university students’ startups—his real job was still as a university professor, so earning two salaries was perfectly fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four came, three returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1647,"2026-06-19T19:17:18.227Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a89a06b1310d692c213ea1fd59f98a2a74e77121e1f3ba5ab60ce1661447b255","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-128","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-126",387,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-cover.jpg"]