Chapter 190: 799 Ice-Cold Price, the True King of Cost-Performance! (Begging for)

The next morning, a few sparrows landed on the windowsill, chirping and chattering.

Chen Yansen slowly opened his eyes, got up, and walked outside.

Outside the window, the sky was just beginning to brighten; the city center of Shencheng was shrouded in a veil of mist.

He hadn't returned to the Xu Yuan the night before. With Wang Zihao and Song Yuncheng, he had booked a room directly at the Sky Garden so he could attend Sister Chengzi Tech's new product launch in the morning.

Chen Yansen came to the desk, sat down, opened his computer, and as usual checked the user, sales, and retention data for Pinbei and Sister Chengzi Tech.

He then opened his inbox. Cao Dahua reported that the last batch of Sister Chengzi F1 and F2 phones shipped to Abyssinia had already sold past the halfway mark of its inventory, and the factory was preparing to produce another 200,000 units of the F1 and 50,000 units of the F2 for the East African market.

Chen Yansen thought for a moment, then opened the sales reports sent by Zhou Jinling and the others. The daily sales figures, including data from both direct operations and distributors, instantly layered and overlapped in his mind.

After a few breaths, Chen Yansen replied to Cao Dahua, telling him to increase the shipment volume to Zhou Jinling and the others by another 50%.

From the data, Chen Yansen inferred that Sister Chengzi's phones in Abyssinia were only one suitable opportunity away from true explosive growth.

Increasing supply would give Zhou Jinling more room to maneuver.

In addition, Penguin, DST, and Jin Sha Ventures had all conducted comprehensive, in-depth investigations into Kuaipao's business model and profitability.

The final valuations they gave were 300 million, 160 million, and 210 million respectively.

In reality, if this project didn't have Chen Yansen backing it, the valuation would have to be slashed in half to be a reasonable offer.

Looking at the request email from Pei Yi, he replied "On Hold."

At Kuaipao's current scale, it hadn't even fully digested the Luzhou market. Rushing into financing would mean a big loss for Chen Yansen.

He just wanted to use Penguin's hand to pull up the expectations of the venture capital firms.

Once Kuaipao spent the 30 million in financing and successfully captured the Luzhou takeout market, that would be the optimal timing.

Until then, just drag things out slowly.

"Huh? You're awake?" Song Yuncheng's voice came from behind.

Chen Yansen glanced at the time—exactly a quarter past six.

He walked back to the bed, took Song Yuncheng into his arms: "Didn't sleep well? Just stay in the room and rest this morning, head back to the Tech Park in the afternoon."

"Mm, I'm still a bit sleepy. How come you always wake up before me?"

Song Yuncheng asked curiously.

"Getting old, less sleep." Chen Yansen smiled, making something up off the top of his head.

"You're a year younger than me, and you're still playing the elder in front of your sister. Call me 'Sister' and let me hear it?"

Song Yuncheng was amused by him, instantly forgetting to press further, and just wriggled about in Chen Yansen's arms.

"I'm afraid if I really call you that, you won't be happy again." Chen Yansen grinned wickedly, slipping his hand under the blanket.

"Brother, stop fooling around, let me get a bit more sleep." Song Yuncheng's cheeks grew redder and redder, her dewy eyes seeming as if they might drip water at any moment.

"Now it's too late to call me 'Brother.'" Chen Yansen's lips curved slightly, and he dove headfirst into the blankets.

It wasn't until the eight o'clock alarm went off that Chen Yansen walked into the bathroom. After washing up, he changed into a clean suit and headed to the restaurant, refreshed and energized.

By now, the ground floor was already packed with all manner of luxury cars.

Inspectors stood at the intersection, directing the invited peers, suppliers, partners, and media reporters to park in the specially designated areas.

Because Sister Chengzi phones had sold 11.25 million units in 2011, and with DST boss Yuri's lobbying, Qualcomm, Microsoft, Sony, and others all sent representatives of considerable rank to attend the launch.

Lei Yi had originally not wanted to come, but he also wanted to find out the price of Sister Chengzi's new phone as soon as possible, so he could adjust Mi's new products R&D plans.

This time, he didn't want to compete head-on with Sister Chengzi Tech anymore. If all the customers in the same price bracket went to buy Sister Chengzi phones, how would Mi sell?

If Sister Chengzi's new phone was 2,999 yuan, he would continue to focus on the 1,999 yuan market and launch a 1,499 yuan model, hoping to gain more market share.

Not long after Lei Yi entered with Li Wanqiang, OPPO's Chen Yongming and Meizu's Huang Zhang also walked into the launch hall one after another.

Huang Zhang shot Lei Yi a cold glance, didn't even acknowledge him, and walked with his assistant to his seat.

Ye Qiuping, Wang Teng, and others were responsible for greeting guests on the first floor.

When Chen Yansen arrived, he happened to see Huawei's Yu Chendong walking in.

At the last launch, Huawei hadn't taken Sister Chengzi Tech seriously at all, but in just half a year, Sister Chengzi Tech had, with a single product, surged to fourth place on the smartphone sales charts, and naturally drew their attention.

Yu Chendong had led his team, specially traveling from Shencheng to Shencheng.

"Mr. Chen, what a pleasure! I've long admired your name. It seems the young people of our Hui'an not only have business smarts, but are also good-looking."

Yu Chendong said with a smile, offering praise.

He was also from Hui'an, truly a fellow townsman of Chen Yansen. The moment they met, he broke into a wide smile, radiating warmth.

"Mr. Yu, you're too kind. Please, come inside."

Chen Yansen gave a faint smile and led Yu Chendong toward the elevator.

Huawei had only just undergone its transformation two years earlier in 2012. Under Yu Chendong's leadership, its smartphone shipments easily secured second place in the market.

Although carrier-branded and custom-built phones accounted for half the share, shipments of over 20 million units still indirectly reflected Yu Chendong's business capabilities.

As Yu Chendong walked, he observed his fellow townsman—tall and upright, composure in his expression. No wonder he had earned a ten-billion fortune before the age of twenty.

After seeing Yu Chendong onto the elevator, Chen Yansen turned around and headed back.

Tang Qingshan had specifically instructed that several bigwigs from Shencheng would be attending this launch, and told him not to mess up.

Chen Yansen was hardly short on experience dealing with such people. In his previous life at Feiyu Tech, he had even set up a dedicated Public Relations department, spending 2 million a year to keep a second-generation rich kid on retainer to handle the company's external relations.

Put plainly, it was to help him smooth over minor hassles with the tax bureau, market regulators, fire department, and other associations.

Don't be fooled by these people having no real ability—their connections are solid enough. Procedures others can't get done, these people can settle with a single word.

Chen Yansen had, for this reason, entertained the local bigwigs more than once. In his view, let them come—he wasn't afraid.

Just as he was thinking this, a black older-model Audi A6 rolled up slowly.

The inspector at the door, the moment he saw the license plate, immediately straightened his back, his expression instantly tensing.

*Click! *

A man just over fifty stepped out from the rear seat, wearing a gray jacket, followed by a thirty-something man—presumably his assistant or secretary.

"Classmate Chen, we finally meet today. Old Tang has been mentioning your name in front of me all the time."

Xu Zhenhui walked over with a smile, extending his right hand and holding it suspended in mid-air.

"President Xu, welcome, welcome! Last time with the matter in Hu City, I never got the chance to thank you in person. This time I must formally say thank you to you."

Chen Yansen gripped the other's hand at once, saying with a beaming smile.

When Tang Qingshan had pulled strings to get him out back then, it was Xu Zhenhui who had made the call. Chen Yansen had not thanked him personally before because their statuses were different.

But once he sold Fox Tao and cashed out over 10 billion in cash, his importance in Xu Zhenhui's eyes instantly shot up more than a dozen notches.

His taking the initiative to attend Sister Chengzi Tech's new product launch this time was also meant to show support for Sister Chengzi Tech and Chen Yansen, and to make his stance clear.

After all, privately, Luzhou on that side had always wanted Sister Chengzi and Pinie to relocate their companies there.

Xu Zhenhui naturally disagreed. He also wanted to take this opportunity to talk with Chen Yansen, to see if a mobile phone assembly plant could be built in Xu City to solve the local employment problem.

"Tang the principal and I are old classmates too. You're his student, so that makes you my student as well. If you run into problems in the future, you can contact my secretary."

Xu Zhenhui nodded slightly and said with a smile.

The secretary beside him, upon hearing this, promptly handed over a business card.

Chen Yansen took it and put it in his pocket, but his heart involuntarily gave a sudden thump.

As the saying goes, when one offers unsolicited courtesy, it's either treachery or theft.

Chen Yansen understood very well what people like Xu Zhenhui were after — what they sought was nothing more than performance achievements, to accumulate capital for promotion.

"President Xu, let me take you up first." Chen Yansen let out a breath of relief, but didn't pay it much mind.

Given his current wealth and industry influence, if someone made him unhappy, at worst he'd just switch to another city. He wasn't the type to be easily pushed around.

Xu Zhenhui responded in the affirmative and walked into the elevator hall with his secretary.

Chen Yansen accompanied him, chatting as they walked, and finally seated him in the front row before going out and heading downstairs.

Afterwards.

ZTE Mobile's business head He Shiyou entered the conference hall with his assistant.

Ku Sect and Lenovo were also absent — clearly they wanted to figure out Sister Chengzi Tech's new product specs and exact pricing.

The last to arrive, fashionably late, were the co-founders of several investment banks: Zhang Lei of Gao Ling, Zhu Xiaohu of Jin Sha Ventures, and Zhou Shouzhi of dst.

"Sorry, President Chen, the traffic wasn't great. I'm a bit late."

Zhou Shouzhi had been on a business trip in Jin Ling yesterday. Early this morning, he had rushed to Xu City without stopping, his schedule packed full.

As Sister Chengzi Tech's sole investor, dst naturally wouldn't miss such an important occasion.

"President Zhou, you're too kind. There are still ten minutes until the launch begins — how can that count as late?"

Chen Yansen pulled Zhou Shouzhi inside, looking thoroughly familiar.

Zhou Shouzhi's execution was extremely strong, and he tackled tasks with drive. Chen Yansen very much wanted to appoint him as CEO of Sister Chengzi Tech, but when he had tested the waters before, the other party had politely declined.

This showed that at this point, Zhou Shouzhi still leaned more toward the investment field.

Chen Yansen didn't mind. The world changes, and people change too. It was enough to plant a seed in the other's heart ahead of time.

When the two walked into the elevator, Zhou Shouzhi suddenly spoke up and asked: "President Chen, when does Pinie plan to kick off its Series A funding round?"

"Does dst have an investment interest?" Chen Yansen asked back.

If Pinie were added, dst would have invested in the top three domestic e-commerce platforms.

"Investing in Pinie aligns with dst's overall interests," Zhou Shouzhi replied with a smile.

"No funding plans for now, but if there's a need, I'll definitely give dst first consideration."

Chen Yansen declined with a smile.

Zhou Shouzhi nodded, understanding in his heart that Pinie, in Chen Yansen's hands, would never be short on cash.

Given his influence in the country, even without dst stepping in, there would be plenty of local investment institutions waving cash around, begging him to take it.

The two walked into the conference hall and sat down. It was almost ten o'clock.

Wang Teng was wearing a Sister Chengzi Tech workwear short-sleeve T-shirt today, with the words "Let Technology Change Lives" printed on the chest, a plaid shirt over it, casual pants on the bottom, and a pair of sneakers — looking extremely casual.

This was the image carefully designed for him by the branding and marketing departments. According to Ye Qiuping, Sister Chengzi Phone's users were mostly young people and office workers.

If he copied Chen Yansen's polished suit-and-tie look, it would instead create a sense of distance with users — not down-to-earth enough.

Wang Teng swept his gaze around and happened to see his own boss looking at him with a beaming smile.

He took a deep breath and walked with steady steps toward the center of the stage.

"Hello everyone, I'm Wang Teng, general manager of Sister Chengzi Phone, and also an R&D engineer for Aurora OS. Today I'll be introducing Sister Chengzi Tech's two new products to you all."

Wang Teng tried his best to slow his speaking pace, to make himself appear less nervous.

Taking on this job and getting a general manager title in exchange — he felt it was well worth it.

Privately, he had repeatedly studied Chen Yansen's speech videos, but in the end gave up on the idea of imitating him.

Because he realized he didn't have his boss's killer looks, nor did he possess a more outstanding ability to render language.

His only advantage was: an in-depth understanding of Aurora OS's R&D process, and having participated in the testing of the Sister Chengzi D1 and Sister Chengzi C2.

The placement of every single electronic component, he knew it like the back of his hand, and could explain the underlying logic of why it was designed that way.

"The first product is the Sister Chengzi D1, built by the design department over half a year of effort, specifically crafted for young users: it uses a MediaTek MT6573 processor, a 4.0-inch TFT screen, 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of storage, a 5-megapixel rear camera…"

Wang Teng introduced it slowly.

From the chip processor to the battery capacity, and the design rationale behind the core components, he could share with the audience in a way that was both deep and accessible.

Having an engineer pitch new products to users — the entire process was steeped in a strong science-and-engineering atmosphere.

Although the news media and Sister Chengzi Phone fans in the audience didn't fully understand some of the technical terms, it wasn't hard to feel his sincerity from Wang Teng's words.

Especially when he talked about the technical efforts the Sister Chengzi D1 had made to narrow the bezels, the audience felt even more the entire process of how a smartphone went from initial concept to finished product.

"I'm sure everyone is very concerned about its price. I can only say this is a pricing full of sincerity, one that lets everyone afford it."

"799 yuan!"

Wang Teng pressed the remote, and the large screen behind him immediately switched to a high-definition CG image of the Sister Chengzi D1, every detail clearly visible.

Lei Yijun couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

But the representatives of several phone manufacturers — Ku Sect, Lenovo, and ZTE — immediately furrowed their brows, for this phone was aimed at the low-end market, which was the comfort zone of the three of them.

Next, competition was inevitable!

The bill of materials cost of the Sister Chengzi D1 was around 390 yuan; adding R&D, production, marketing, patent licensing, and after-sales costs, there was still at least a 15% gross margin.

Chen Yansen felt they had already made plenty!

Although the Sister Chengzi D1 only had 512 MB of RAM, the price of 799 was enough to overshadow all of its shortcomings.

(End of this chapter)