[{"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-180":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},2264393,4419,"Chapter 180: East Africa Ignites: Investment World","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-180",180,"\u003Cp>After handling the customer complaints, Pinnbei’s daily active users didn’t drop—they surged instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinling and others far away in Asbeba finally received the second batch of Orange F1 phones from the Shencheng factory, with inventory reaching 100,000 units.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, there were 30,000 Orange F2 phones, upgraded from the Orange C1, priced at $299.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Dahua said: the wholesale price to distributors could be reduced by another $10–20 depending on the partner’s sales scale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Orange F2’s chipset was switched from the Snapdragon MSM8260 dual-core processor to the cheaper, slightly less powerful MSM7225, and the screen was downgraded accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the speaker volume, number of SIM slots, and battery capacity were enhanced, making it better suited for the African market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Zhou, are we launching tomorrow?” Jin Xu asked with a smile as he moved the stock into the warehouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their station received 5,000 Orange F1 units and 1,500 Orange F2 units—based on the original sales pace, that would last at least a month and a half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No rush. I’ve arranged to meet a dozen or so local digital store owners at Kategnarestaurant to discuss cooperation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinling put on a suit, regaining a hint of his former swagger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kategnarestaurant was a restaurant in the nearby business district, serving local dishes like Shirro (chickpea stew), Tibs (stir-fried meat), and Injera (flatbread).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Xu and Qi Liang exchanged glances, unable to hide their wry smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because local food was cheap, they’d eaten these dishes often and were thoroughly sick of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Company expense account—eat your fill at lunch.” Zhou Jinling tightened his tie, clapped their shoulders, and teased them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to eat local food either, but the owners he invited were all locals—taking them to a Chinese restaurant would be inappropriate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Chinese restaurants in Asbeba charged prices comparable to French or Italian cuisine, absurdly expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Zhou, why not pick a Chinese restaurant instead? Let these big black guys experience our culinary culture,” Jin Xu grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Liang nodded along—even though Asbeba’s Chinese restaurants had adapted flavors, if the customer was Chinese, the chef cooked according to domestic tastes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The taste wasn’t bad at all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop talking nonsense. You two love Maoxuewang, fried pork intestines, and braised ribbon fish—do you think these local owners can even handle those?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinling rolled his eyes, unimpressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, fair point,” Qi Liang sighed, laughing awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Time’s up. Grab two samples—we’re leaving!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinling ordered the two, then led the way out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three walked along Old Anbo Road for about fifteen minutes before spotting the sign of Kategnarestaurant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Zhou Jinling stepped inside, three dark-skinned local owners surrounded him and ushered him to a table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Zhou Jinling had been the sole point of contact so far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Jin Xu and Qi Liang wore shirts too, their demeanor clearly ranked below Zhou Jinling’s—they were treated as assistants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around the table sat a dozen or so people, mostly Black, except one woman in a long dress with slightly lighter skin, looking more Southeast Asian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinling knew she was mixed-race, running a digital specialty store near the Sheraton Hotel on Bole Road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was sizable, specializing in Apple, Samsung, and Nokia phones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethiopia’s population exceeded 90 million; though most could only afford $30–40 feature phones, over 10 million had strong purchasing power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even the $799 iPhone 4 was hard to sell there—proof of local wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zhou, could we see the product first?” Eritta asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was the only female distributor among them—and the most powerful in the nearby business district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinling smiled, pulled out a chair, and sat down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Jin Xu placed a bag on the table and pulled out a palm-sized phone box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pure white, exquisitely designed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The front bore the label “orangef2.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eritta took it without hesitation, tore off the plastic wrap, and revealed a phone with ultra-narrow bezels and an ultra-thin body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She powered it on, connected to the restaurant’s Wi-Fi, and began testing it as if no one else was there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 2011 Ethiopia, internet infrastructure was still underdeveloped, but Asbeba, as the capital, had Wi-Fi in most upscale restaurants, cafes, hotels, and business centers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinling didn’t mind, sipping his tea slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Orange F2 had cut specs, it optimized speaker volume, SIM slots, and camera algorithms—and at just $299, with proper marketing, it would be a hot seller locally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Click!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eritta tested the camera—image quality didn’t match Apple’s, but her face was noticeably brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This showed Orange Tech cared more about Ethiopian users’ experience than Apple or Samsung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zhou, I’ll take 100 units of this model,” Eritta said, satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem.” Zhou Jinling hadn’t expected to seal the deal with the strongest distributor before even eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Eritta, may I see it too?” another digital store owner asked, seeing how impressed she was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eritta handed the phone over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Zhou Jinling’s spirits lifted—he called the waiter to order food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they ate and chatted, the dozen or so store owners who’d come all placed orders of varying sizes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Zhou Jinling had promised: if they couldn’t sell, they could return the phones anytime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the meal, Zhou Jinling led them back to the Orange Phone Specialty Store.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Money changed hands, phones changed hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just over ten minutes, Zhou Jinling presold 1,700 Orange F1 units and 480 Orange F2 units.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This success came from his half-month of visiting each store personally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While waiting for factory shipments, Zhou Jinling experimented with wall advertisements and explored marketing methods suited to the local market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Ethiopia, where e-commerce was underdeveloped, offline channel expansion—like the model Wu Han originally used—was far more effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Zhou, only you could do this! In just a while, you sold a month’s worth,” Qi Liang flattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just presales—whether they sell out depends on how hard these guys push and whether our wall ads work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinling didn’t sound overly optimistic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think it’s fine—the Orange F1 prototype sold 10 million units back home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Xu cited domestic sales to boost morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Open the door! Welcome customers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Jinling nodded slightly, forced a smile, and called out loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, over a dozen buyers had already lined up—they’d seen the shelves packed with phones through the door crack while Eritta and others picked up their orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a month of buzz, the Orange F1 had gained minor fame locally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For just $99, you could get a 3.7-inch screen, quad-SIM, dual-battery, 8GB storage smartphone—it instantly became a trendy item among youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for half a month, the store door had hung a “Sold Out” sign, leaving people disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This unintentional scarcity marketing had quietly built up a huge pool of potential buyers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Xu and Qi Liang glanced outside—the queue was growing longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They quickly opened the door, stood behind the counter, and reopened for business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In one afternoon, they sold 47 Orange F1 units and 12 Orange F2 units—since the price difference was triple, F2 sales naturally lagged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other Orange Phone market teams also reported strong sales; many others, like Zhou Jinling, had built basic distribution networks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just three days, Ethiopia absorbed 27,000 Orange F1 units and 6,000 Orange F2 units.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sales were heating up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to October and November, Orange phones finally took root in East Africa, winning users with their excellent camera, long battery life, and multi-SIM design.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finalizing cooperation with Suning and Vancl, Chen Yansen decided to hold Pinnbei’s first investor conference on December 28.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Building on existing merchants, he aimed to attract more brands and factory sources, boosting Pinnbei’s influence and seeking new business models.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Pinnbei had only been online for over a month, its strong sales drew a flood of merchants to attend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the official in charge of commerce in Xucheng immediately assigned two teams of Police Inspectors to secure the event.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember, in 2011, Xucheng was still an agricultural city, its pillars being forestry, coal-power, and light textile and food industries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten years later, industries like auto parts, photovoltaic energy, cloud computing big data, and new materials—except for cloud computing, which had just begun—had no trace at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This showed how highly Orange Tech and Pinnbei Tech were valued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day before December 28, people began arriving in Xucheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Chen Yansen’s surprise, Zhang Jindong from Suning came in person with his team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Suning’s online sales in 2011 were under 10 billion, its real strength lay offline—with 1,500 chain stores nationwide, it held the top spot in China’s home appliance retail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worth $3–4 billion, ranked in the top ten of Forbes’ billionaires, riding high on success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen knew well the power of this Jinling giant—he wasn’t afraid, but he wouldn’t turn away a business opportunity that came to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In business, a friend is better than an enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, bringing in Suning gave Pinnbei another option before fully refining its merchant system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Chen, young and talented—pleased to meet you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jindong extended his hand warmly upon meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly fifty, Zhang wore a navy blue bespoke suit, a streak of white hair on his forehead, glowing complexion, stepping out from the back of a Bentley with license plate “66999.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him followed assistants and bodyguards, radiating authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had planned the same path for his own son as Chen Yansen’s—had Kang Yang not still been studying in Pennsylvania, Zhang Jindong would have brought his son to meet Chen Yansen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zhang, you flatter me—please come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen stepped forward with a smile to shake hands and exchange pleasantries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Zhang Jindong and couldn’t help but sigh: a merchant who fails to keep pace with the times struggles to hold onto his wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jindong made two critical mistakes: first, he failed to successfully transform, losing his online business to Jingdong; second, he made reckless investments—acquiring Inter Milan, Wanda Mall, Carrefour, then pouring money into Jia Yueting and Evergrande, losing forty to fifty billion in one go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A true guiding lantern for the investment world!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jindong gazed at Chen Yansen with satisfaction; technically, a man of his status had no need to attend an event of this scale, yet he had come solely to meet Chen Yansen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under twenty, thriving in e-commerce and mobile phones, worth tens of billions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhang Jindong shared the same thought as Ma Wenteng and Ma Liyun: knowing it was impossible, yet still wanting to recruit Chen Yansen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked and chatted, they headed toward the lobby of Building 6.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside and outside the building, besides the security personnel on patrol, there was also a team of Police Inspectors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The parking lot was filled with luxury cars, since every merchant invited to the investment summit was at least a B-tier brand or owned a factory with substantial capacity—BBA models were common, and over a dozen Maybachs, Bentleys, Porsches, and Land Rovers were parked there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen led Zhang Jindong to the front row of the conference hall on the eighth floor and sat down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no sooner had Zhang Jindong sat than his expression turned cold: three seats away sat the CEO of Jingdong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though fellow townspeople, they had fiercely competed in the digital appliances sector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zhang, I didn’t expect to run into you at an event of this scale.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Qiangdong smiled, his tone laced with mild mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1899,"2026-06-19T19:17:18.227Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b66e35ac01dc727b0e01c9edd5b08f7e93eff2af876587ed0dd01157c0d8815d","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-181","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-179",387,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-cover.jpg"]