Chapter 199: Dad, your grandson's done well — over a hundred in cash alone

"President Chen, pardon the intrusion. I'm Zhang Liaoyuan, founder of Three Squirrels. We just opened our store on Pinbe Mall last week and are now doing a thousand orders a day. Many thanks to President Chen for giving us Hui'an businesspeople an online sales channel."

Zhang Liaoyuan stepped forward quickly, a flattering, admiring look on his face, and spoke with a smile.

This was his carefully weighed pitch — introducing himself and his brand while using their shared hometown to close the distance with Chen Yansen.

Xu Minggang lifted his slightly tipsy gaze, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, and studied Zhang Liaoyuan with interest.

In his view, the man did have a gambler's streak.

Fortune is sought in risk, and lost in risk.

If Chen Yansen found Zhang Liaoyuan's approach too brash, he wouldn't just fail to make a connection — he might earn Chen's disgust.

Three Squirrels?

Chen Yansen's brow furrowed slightly, his face full of puzzlement. Zhang Liaoyuan was no stranger to him — in his past life, both of them had been internet entrepreneurs from Hui'an and had even met privately.

Livestream rooms under Feiyu had once sold his products too.

By rights, at this point in time, Three Squirrels shouldn't have been founded yet.

But Zhang Liaoyuan had said it clearly — Three Squirrels had opened its Pinbe Mall store just last week.

Still, Chen Yansen thought it through and let it go. Under his influence, the e-commerce industry had already undergone tremendous changes.

The Thousand-Group War, which should have already had a winner, was still in fierce combat. Lashou and WoWo Tuan were pulling far ahead with no sign of flagging. Meituan's Wang Xin had used every trick in the book and only just edged past Nuomi and Dianping's market share to squeeze into the industry's top three.

Three Squirrels being founded a few months early was only natural.

Even ByteDance's Zhang Yiming hadn't gone into content-distribution apps, but was instead wholly focused on tinkering with a mobile browser.

"Oh, so you're President Zhang. Pleased to meet you." Chen Yansen gave a faint smile and replied in a flat tone.

Zhang Liaoyuan might well be very successful in the future — peak net worth over ten billion — but right now Three Squirrels had just gotten started. Put plainly, he was merely the head of a C-tier brand.

"Sorry, if there's nothing else, we'll be going." Xu Minggang waved a hand, signaling Zhang Liaoyuan to get lost.

He was treating today specifically to get closer to Chen Yansen.

A small fry like Zhang Liaoyuan, wasting one minute of his time — Xu Minggang not having his assistant throw the man out was already quite magnanimous.

"Sorry, President Chen, these are our company's products. If you have a moment, please try some."

Zhang Liaoyuan didn't know Xu Minggang's identity, but since the man could drink with Chen Yansen, his status was surely no small matter. He didn't dare offend him and could only apologize with an apologetic smile.

With that, he pulled a bag of mixed nuts from his pocket and, in an extremely humble posture, cupped his hands and offered it up.

"Thanks. Drop by Pinbe headquarters sometime."

Chen Yansen took the nuts, clapped Zhang Liaoyuan on the shoulder, tossed out that line, and turned to leave.

Regardless, a brand like Three Squirrels that had caught the e-commerce dividend — while luck certainly played a part — there was no denying that Zhang Liaoyuan's operational and managerial chops were absolutely up to par.

Back in the private room, Xu Minggang asked curiously, "President Chen, this guy reeks of the streets. Do you think he's worth backing?"

Zhang Liaoyuan, now thirty-six, had mixed with society, run street stalls, opened a cold-drink shop, and sold pirated discs.

It was only at twenty-seven that his life finally got on track, when he stepped into the nut industry that would shape his life.

Starting from the bottom in sales, it took him nine years to reach the position of general manager.

Two years ago, he founded the sub-brand Kekeguo for his old employer.

That was Three Squirrels' predecessor. It successfully test-launched on Taobao Mall, and within eight months of going live, cumulative sales broke ten million.

At that point Zhang Liaoyuan thought: he was the one who negotiated with suppliers, he was the one who built the online channels — why should he only get a pittance of the profit?

So he poached a batch of core members from Kekeguo and founded Three Squirrels.

Xu Minggang read people well. Zhang Liaoyuan wasn't just thick with thuggish air — his ambition was enormous.

"It's not so much about backing him. For me, a nut brand with a little potential like Three Squirrels—since we've crossed paths, why not give it a chance."

Chen Yansen explained with a smile.

Xu Minggang nodded slightly, raised his glass in invitation, and in the next instant had tossed Zhang Liaoyuan right out of his mind.

After all, in his eyes, Zhang Liaoyuan's modest achievements were no different from any random passerby.

After food and drink, Chen Yansen and Xu Minggang each got in their cars and waved goodbye.

Chen Yansen was clear-headed and alert, and instructed Gao Weilin to drive him back to the hotel.

Watching Old Gao's back, he couldn't help thinking: he really did need to hire a driver. No matter what, Gao Weilin was still the CFO of Senlian Capital.

How about letting Old Chen be his driver?

Chen Guobin had twenty years behind the wheel — a proper veteran driver.

No way!

Old Chen loved meddling in everything. If he found out Chen Yansen had roughly two girlfriends, wouldn't he raise hell?

Chen Yansen shook his head repeatedly at the thought.

Forget it — he'd have Xiong Li put out a job posting later and see if any reliable candidates turned up.

The next morning.

At JD. com headquarters, the conference hall was packed with local Luzhou media reporters.

The equity swap between Sister Chengzi Tech, Luzhou Urban Construction, and Xincheng International was leaked by Tao Jingwen's instruction — through her assistant — to the people in charge of Luzhou Daily, Luzhou Broadcasting and Television Station, and Luzhou Online as soon as it happened.

He wanted to use this opportunity to promote Luzhou's calling card in the LCD panel industry.

"President Chen, I didn't expect that one moment we're partners and the next we're family."

JD. com CEO Wang Dongsheng gripped Chen Yansen's right hand and said with a rueful smile.

Two months earlier, Gao Weilin had come calling, wanting to buy a stake in JD. com. Out of consideration for the fact that Sister Chengzi Tech was a major JD. com client, Wang Dongsheng had his subordinates entertain Gao Weilin well, but he politely declined the equity sale.

Afterwards, the securities affairs representative discovered that a third-party investment firm was buying JD. com's Class A shares in small, staggered batches. After an investigation, they learned it was Senlian Capital.

Wang Dongsheng hadn't thought much of it at the time — they were all floating shares anyway, and Senlian Capital's purchases had even pushed JD. com's stock price up a few points.

Who would have thought that the other party would, in the blink of an eye, work through Meng Yuanzhi's connections and buy 3% of the equity from both Luzhou Urban Construction and Xincheng International, vaulting to become JD. com's third-largest shareholder.

In truth, Wang Dongsheng didn't resist this.

You have to understand that Orange Tech, in just under half a year last year, pushed its smartphone shipments to fourth place in the country.

An annual procurement volume of at least twenty million screens is expected to bring Jingfang nearly two billion in revenue.

Latching onto this big client, Jingfang's stock will not only surge, but will very likely turn a profit in 2012.

"President Wang, for the Q1 supply price, you've got to treat Orange Tech like one of your own."

Chen Yansen replied with a smile.

"No problem. Once the contract is signed, we'll chat slowly." Wang Dongsheng agreed readily.

"Boss, everything's ready. We can sign the agreement now." Gao Weilin leaned over and reminded him quietly.

Chen Yansen gave an "mm," followed Gao Weilin to the desk and sat down. Xu Minggang gave him a faint smile, while Wang Qingsheng kept a cold face and said nothing.

The room was full of journalists, with cameras and still cameras pointed at them. Wang Qingsheng didn't dare cause a scene either, and silently signed his name on the equity transfer agreement.

Chen Yansen and Xu Minggang did the same.

Only, before signing, Chen Yansen quickly read through the contract once more, and only after making sure there were no errors did he begin to sign.

He only trusted himself.

"Click—!"

The shutter clicked nonstop, and the flash almost never stopped.

Under the lens of a Jianghuai Evening News reporter, twenty-year-old Chen Yansen stood tall, handsome, and striking, wearing a light gray suit, laughing and shaking hands with Xincheng International's chairman Xu Minggang.

Young and accomplished, full of high spirits.

"A figure like this probably won't appear once in fifty years."

The journalist muttered this assessment as he pressed the shutter.

The news spread quickly. Jingfang's stock price that day soared in response, jumping from 1.63 yuan per share to 1.77 yuan, with buy orders far outnumbering sell orders.

Retail investors were clutching their shares tight. At this rate, without five or six consecutive limit-ups, probably no one would sell.

Meanwhile.

Chen Yansen walked into a private room at Luzhou Mansion with Wang Dongsheng, Xu Minggang, Tao Jingwen, and others, raising cups and toasting one another.

After the meal, the supply prices for LCD and AMOLED screens had dropped by 8% and 5% respectively, saving Orange Tech over a billion in procurement costs for the year.

When leaving, Tao Jingwen called him "little brother" at every turn, and Xu Minggang even personally saw Chen Yansen off to his car.

These two men—one is Meng Yuanzhi's personal chief secretary, the other is the chairman of Xincheng International—with a stomp of their feet, the surrounding ten-plus miles would have to tremble.

"Next time you come to Luzhou, let your brother know in advance."

Xu Minggang, swaying slightly and a little tipsy, urged him.

"Brother Chen, I'll get the paperwork for the Orange phone factory sorted for you as soon as possible. As for the low-interest loan, I've already spoken to Old Zhao at Industrial Bank. It'll be in the account before the New Year, guaranteed."

Tao Jingwen slapped his chest and promised.

"No problem. Next time I'll host and take you out to sea for abalone." Chen Yansen replied with a smile, handling it with practiced ease.

"Is this abalone legit though?" Xu Minggang asked with an ambiguous look.

Tao Jingwen smiled and shook his head, not chiming in. After all, in public he represented Meng Yuanzhi's image, and didn't dare be as uninhibited as Xu Minggang.

"That mainly depends on President Xu's preferences." Chen Yansen replied with a smile.

"Alright, you two—one is the chairman of a construction company, the other is the CEO of a tech enterprise. If people heard this and posted it online, it'd be the face of Hui'an entrepreneurs that gets lost."

Tao Jingwen, looking helpless, quickly cut off the exchange between Chen Yansen and Xu Minggang.

Chen Yansen smiled, said goodbye to the three of them, and took a car back to the hotel.

The instant the car door closed, the smile vanished from Chen Yansen's face. At the same time he rolled down the window, letting the cold wind pour into the car.

He didn't think that one or two meals would make him brothers with Tao Jingwen, Xu Minggang, and the others.

The friendship forged over drinks isn't worth a fart in terms of solidity.

All under heaven are busy and bustling, all for profit they come and go.

Chen Yansen was very familiar with this tactic. Everyone was after their own interests, and in the future they'd fall out over interests too.

For example, Liu Qiangdong and Li Guoqing, Ma Liyun and Wang Xin, Lei Yijun and Huang Zhang.

When all is said and done, it's just business.

"Boss, are we heading back to Xucheng tomorrow?" Gao Weilin sat in the driver's seat and asked, turning his head.

"There's still plenty of time. We'll head back to the hotel for a short rest, and go back to Xucheng in the afternoon."

Chen Yansen thought for a moment, then said to Old Gao.

"Got it, boss." Gao Weilin sighed inwardly. Being stuck with such an energetic boss inevitably meant a lot more hard work.

Meanwhile.

The news of Orange Tech's equity swap with Jingfang had already been trending on the hot search for three hours.

For the vast majority of ordinary people, they didn't know the strategic significance behind it. A small group of sharp-minded folks took the opportunity to buy Jingfang stock and sit tight waiting for the limit-up.

But in the eyes of OPPO's Chen Yongming, Meizu's Huang Zhang, and Huawei's Yu Chengdong, Chen Yansen's ambitions were bigger than they'd imagined.

Phone makers who could start building out their supply chain as early as 2012 were few and far between.

Lei Yi, upon learning of it, was silent for quite a while, and couldn't help thinking: should he invest in a screen supplier too?

Xiaomi's current supplier was Xia Pu, and the price wasn't low.

Thinking of this, Lei Yi called Li Wanqiang and told him to go to Luzhou to investigate. If there were no problems, switch Xiaomi's new phone screen supplier to Jingfang.

Far away in Chunshen, Chen Guobin squatted at the entrance of a bookstore, holding an Orange C1 phone, scrolling through the news.

"Good news! Orange Tech officially takes a stake in Jingfang, achieving self-production and self-sales!"

"Orange Tech CEO Chen Yansen signed the equity transfer agreement on January 10th. According to insiders, besides Jingfang, Orange Tech has also invested in Desay Battery…"

"Jingfang discloses latest shareholder list, Senlian Capital ranks third!"

Chen Guobin looked at the photo of Chen Yansen, opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Was that young man, who dominated the business world and was surrounded by a circle of state-capital magnates in the news, really his own son?

Thinking back to when he often kicked Chen Yansen as a child, Chen Guobin was filled with regret—if he'd kicked him less, maybe his son would have awakened sooner.

"Uncle Chen, give me a copy of Reader."

"Chen Zong, I want to buy a copy of Youth Digest."

Just as Chen Guobin was stunned, two girls in Chunshen No. 2 High School uniforms walked up and said.

Under Chen Yansen's influence, Old Chen's business remained bustling even during the winter break.

These seventeen- and eighteen-year-old boys all regarded Chen Yansen as their idol and future goal.

On the other side.

In a villa in Chunshen's outer city, Liang Anguo earnestly urged his father: "Dad, I'm planning to have the third son invite my brother-in-law over for dinner tomorrow—please don't give him a cold shoulder."

Over the past year, my nephew's fame has outshone that of any celebrity.

A twenty-year-old billionaire, even dropping a crumb from his fingers, could make him rich beyond measure.

"Brother-in-law? Where did you get a brother-in-law?" Liang Hongbao asked, momentarily confused.

"Of course, Chen Guobin," Liang Anguo replied as if it were obvious.

The beggar, the waste, the dog he'd once mocked had now become "brother-in-law"—and was called with startling warmth.

"Why are you letting that dog come to our house? I won't see him!" Liang Hongbao scowled, angry and disgusted.

"Dad, you don't know—your grandson has made it big; he alone holds over ten billion in cash. Chen Guobin is my own sister's husband; we must keep in touch."

Liang Anguo quickly explained.

"How much? Ten billion?" Liang Hongbao's eyes lit up, disbelievingly asking.

(End of Chapter)