Chapter 200: Zhang Yiming: What Won't Penguins Do!

The Liang family made its fortune in the roasted-snack business, earning their first bucket of gold with sunflower seeds and peanuts.

At its peak, Liang Hongbao brought in over ten million a year, but the good times didn't last—as Qiaqia, Zhenxin, and Shaazi sunflower seeds rose to prominence, the Liang family's business began to plummet.

Still, Liang Hongbao had earned quite a bit of money in the end: his eldest son Liang Anguo opened a supermarket in the city, his second son Liang Anjun took on the construction of a farmers' market at the T-shaped intersection, and the stall rents alone brought in a net seventy to eighty thousand a month.

His youngest son Liang Anmin opened a roasted-snack shop outside the city, essentially carrying on the Liang family's main business.

On top of that there were three internet cafes and a cinema—in 2012, these things were the equivalent of money-printing machines, bringing in over a million in revenue every year.

But even added together, the Liang family's assets didn't exceed a hundred million.

So when Liang Hongbao heard that Chen Yansen had 10 billion in cash on hand, he was instantly stunned speechless and looked to Liang Anguo for confirmation.

"Dad, it's all over the internet. Tonight's *First Time* news will probably have a report on it—I'll play it for you when it's on."

Seeing that the old man didn't believe it, Liang Anguo hurriedly explained.

"Enough. Huizhen's been gone so many years now, there's no need to make things so stiff between us. Do as you see fit."

Liang Hongbao was an old fox—how could he fail to see his son's little scheme? He deliberately sighed and gave a noncommittal answer.

"Fine, then I'll give Old Three a call."

Liang Anguo grinned, as if he could already see Chen Yansen waving a big hand and transferring five hundred million to him.

"Hello, Old Three, tell your brother-in-law to come home for dinner tomorrow."

Liang Anguo stood in the courtyard and called Liang Anmin.

"Chen Guobin? Big Brother, have you lost your mind?" Liang Anmin replied coolly.

"Old Three, how do you talk? No matter what, Chen Guobin is still my brother-in-law. What's wrong with having a meal together?"

Liang Anguo was displeased at this and fired back with his hands on his hips.

"I got it, but I can't guarantee he'll agree." Liang Anmin hung up after saying that.

He knew perfectly well what his big brother was scheming.

The things Liang Anguo, Liang Anjun, and their old man had done to Chen Guobin—even he couldn't stand to watch.

It was only out of respect for his sister that he was willing to secretly look after his brother-in-law and nephew.

Sitting in his office, Liang Anmin's mind conjured up the image of Liang Huizhen. He couldn't help but snort coldly, pulled out his phone, and dialed Chen Guobin's number.

"Hello! Xiao Min, what is it?" Chen Guobin asked with a smile.

His son had made something of himself—Huizhen would surely be happy, and if Huizhen was happy, so was he.

"Bin-ge, just call me Anmin." Liang Anmin said helplessly, a dark line crossing his forehead.

When he was a teenager, Chen Guobin, while dating his sister, would often drive him around Zhou Lai to have fun.

Back then he thought Chen Guobin could drive, was tall and handsome, had a college education, worked at the salt company, and could play the guitar—the perfect match for his sister.

But in Liang Hongbao's eyes, an orphan like Chen Guobin—what right did he have to marry his precious daughter?

Besides, Chen Guobin had neither money nor power, and was of no help whatsoever to the Liang family's business.

But Liang Huizhen had taken a fancy to Chen Guobin. She threatened to die, threw a huge fit, and then moved out of the Liang family home.

She married Chen Guobin in a cramped tube-shaped apartment, come what may.

"Anmin, sorry about that. I'm getting old, I love thinking about the past, and I called you the wrong name without realizing it. Right, what did you need?"

Chen Guobin scratched his head and asked with a smile.

"My brother wants you to come home for dinner tomorrow. The old man probably agreed too. Are you coming?"

Only then did Liang Anmin get to the point.

After saying it, he held his breath and waited for Chen Guobin's reply.

If Chen Guobin agreed—honestly, he wouldn't be happy about it. He knew his eldest and second brothers' characters all too well.

They just wanted to use the chance to get a handle on Chen Guobin, that's all.

"Anmin, let me ask Xiao Sen's opinion." Chen Guobin had been a college student over twenty years ago—stubborn by nature, but no fool.

He knew exactly what Liang Anguo was calculating.

If Liang Anmin knew that last Spring Festival he'd nearly come to blows with Liang Anguo, he probably wouldn't have invited this humiliation on himself by making the call.

"Bin-ge's right, Xiao Sen should decide. That kid has really changed a lot. When he was little I used to tease him, saying his little birdie had flown away, and he'd bawl his eyes out."

Liang Anmin recalled with a mischievous grin.

"Well, you go on with your work, we'll talk later." Chen Guobin smiled faintly and hung up.

After a moment's thought, he still dialed his son's cell number.

At that moment Chen Yansen was on his way back to Xu City. Getting a call from Old Chen left him slightly surprised.

"Old Chen, what's up?" Chen Yansen asked directly.

"Your Third Uncle just called, saying he wants me to go to the Liang family for dinner tomorrow." Chen Guobin reported faithfully.

"And then? It's not like they're asking me to dinner—why are you telling me all this?"

Chen Yansen dropped his smile, raised an eyebrow, and countered blandly.

"I wanted to ask your opinion—should we go?" Chen Guobin continued.

"Dad, forget it. Mom's been gone twenty years now—she's probably already been reincarnated and is waiting for you. Besides, do you even have any ties with the Liang family? Just go eat."

Chen Yansen rarely called out "Dad," but his words carried barbs along with a teasing tone.

"I'm no fool, of course I know what Liang Anguo is after, so I'm asking for your opinion."

Hearing this long-awaited "Dad," Chen Guobin didn't even mind Chen Yansen's teasing. His heart warmed, and he spoke his true feelings.

"You understand, that's good. Spend less time mulling over this kind of petty nonsense, and put your energy into finding a wife. The fastest way to forget a relationship is to start a new one…"

Chen Yansen leaned back in his chair and gave Old Chen some blunt advice.

"Get lost! Even taking a shit would be better than having a brat like you!" Old Chen's furious roar came from the other end, followed by a beep-beep-beep.

Old Chen had hung up!

"Is that Uncle Chen?" Meng Jie asked curiously.

"Yeah, take good intentions for a donkey's liver and lungs. When he gets old and no one takes care of him, just toss him into a nursing home. With that rotten temper of his, do you think the caretakers won't beat him up?"

Chen Yansen curled his lip and said, looking utterly heartless.

"You just love talking nonsense." Meng Jie rolled her eyes and threw a punch at Chen Yansen.

"You knew I was talking nonsense, yet you still hit that hard? No way, I have to hit you back."

Chen Yansen raised his fist viciously and said.

Gao Weilin, who was driving up front, couldn't help but laugh out loud. A father-son dynamic like Chen Yansen's was indeed rare.

Outside the window the night was gloomy, and just as they were about to exit the highway, a veil of thin mist rose up.

"Old Gao, take a rest for a while, I'll switch and drive."

Chen Yansen saw Gao Weilin ease off the accelerator and knew the fog was getting thicker; Old Gao was only doing it for safety.

"No need, only twenty minutes of driving left and we'll be there." How could Gao Weilin dare let the boss drive.

In this Bentley, one was the boss, the other was the boss's wife; he was the only one who could suffer.

Chen Yansen nodded and stopped insisting.

But while chatting with Meng Jie, he still split off part of his attention to help Old Gao scan the road conditions ahead. Fortunately, they made it to the east gate of Xucheng without incident.

Gao Weilin got out of the car and returned the keys to Chen Yansen. He lived right across from the school, so walking back would do.

In the two cars behind sat eight finance and legal staff members.

Chen Yansen told them to drive the cars back and hand the keys to Xu Xingxing tomorrow.

After saying that, he got into the driver's seat and drove inward.

The gate guard had long since spotted his license plate number, and the retractable gate immediately opened a gap five meters wide.

"Old Zhang, you're on night shift again."

Chen Yansen stuck his head out and greeted him with a smile.

"Yes, Chen Zong. Go back and rest early, the night is chilly."

The gate guard Old Zhang waved his hand and replied with a smile.

"Take these and smoke, warm yourself up." Chen Yansen took out more than half a carton of Zhonghua from the left side of the car door and stuffed it into Old Zhang's hand.

These had been bought in Luzhou for socializing; only two packs had been used, with eight still left inside.

"Oh my, I-I couldn't possibly. Chen Zong, look—" Old Zhang glanced at it—eight packs of soft Zhonghua, several hundred yuan.

Chen Yansen waved his hand and drove straight toward the faculty apartments.

At this hour, the girls' dormitory had long been locked. He took Meng Jie and walked into 0418.

"I'm going to shower first, no peeking!" Meng Jie set down her suitcase, took out a bath towel and pajamas from inside, and not forgetting, warned in a low voice.

"Let's go together, save water."

Chen Yansen grinned. He'd been rebellious since childhood—the more he was told not to do something, the more he wanted to do it.

Ignoring Meng Jie's objections, after entering the bathroom he first studied the headlights for a while, then tested the viscosity of the car paint. Only after everything was prepared did he turn on the showerhead.

Steam rose, filling the room.

……

……

The next morning.

Song Yuncheng held the key to 0418. After hesitating for a few seconds, she still opened the door.

She saw two suitcases, one large and one small, in the living room, with various clothes scattered all over the floor.

Her face reddened. She quickly retreated and shut the door again.

That bastard, came back without even saying a word.

Song Yuncheng flustered as she ran downstairs, her mind full of the scene from just now.

"Huh? I think I just heard someone open a door?"

Sleepy-eyed Meng Jie shook Chen Yansen's arm.

"You heard wrong, that was the next-door Teacher Wang's room." Chen Yansen of course knew it was Song Yuncheng, and lied with a perfectly natural expression.

"Really? But it sounded like 0418." Meng Jie's tone was certain, but when she opened the bedroom door, she saw the front door tightly shut. She laughed to herself: she really had heard wrong.

Afterward, the two got up unhurriedly, brushed their teeth and washed their faces. After getting properly dressed, they drove to the tech park.

After getting out of the car, Chen Yansen headed toward Building 6. Just as he entered the lobby, he saw Song Yuncheng sitting in the lounge chatting with a dark-skinned man in a suit wearing black-framed glasses.

"This guy sure is eager."

Chen Yansen smiled slightly and walked over.

"Chen Zong, hello!" Zhang Liaoyuan hurriedly stood up and greeted him first.

At this moment, Song Yuncheng turned and also saw Chen Yansen. She stood up as well and said: "Boss, you're back."

"In quite a rush, Mr. Zhang?" Chen Yansen gestured for him to sit and talk, but this opening line made Zhang Liaoyuan nervous.

He used to be an employee, now he was starting a business. Zhang Liaoyuan was naturally anxious—he was dying to succeed.

Others had already made their mark at thirty-six; he was only just starting out. How could he not be anxious?

"Chen Zong, you jest. For every e-commerce person, a premium platform like PinBe is a dream stage."

Zhang Liaoyuan's words were somewhat flattering, but they also represented the sentiments of many brand owners.

Less than two months since PinBe launched, it had already claimed the third seat in the domestic e-commerce industry.

If not for its low average order value, leaving a gap in total sales compared to JingDong, it would be the strongest e-commerce company under TaoBao.

"Mr. Zhang, we're all smart people here, let's be frank. Besides Three Squirrels, the nut brands that have entered PinBe include Baicaowei, Liangpin Puzi, Loulan Miyu, and Xin Nong Ge. What advantages and differences do you have that would make me give you a hand?"

Chen Yansen asked point-blank.

"Three Squirrels' supply chain construction is stronger; all raw materials are sourced directly, eliminating intermediate circulation links, reducing costs, giving products price competitiveness, and ensuring stable product supply..."

Before the visit, Zhang Liaoyuan had made complete preparations.

Regarding Three Squirrels' market positioning, brand marketing, and differentiated user experience plans, he had systematic talking points in his mind.

After all, he had been deeply entrenched in the nut industry for nearly ten years; when discussing the supply chain, he spoke fluently and was extremely persuasive.

"General Zhang, I think you didn't understand. I'm asking what differences exist between Three Squirrels and these competitors, and on what basis Pinbai supports you."

Chen Yansen waved his hand, interrupting Zhang Liaoyuan's statement.

"Uh, General Chen, I... I..." Zhang Liaoyuan was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to answer.

In fact, if Three Squirrels had it, didn't Baicaowei, Bestore, Loulan Honey, and Xinongge have it too?

"Three Squirrels just started; do they lack funds?" Seeing Zhang Liaoyuan stuck, Chen Yansen stated the point directly.

"No lack! No, General Chen, I mean we lack funds very much."

Zhang Liaoyuan instinctively wanted to refuse, but he immediately realized his mistake, took a deep breath, and answered seriously.

He was a smart man; once pointed out, he understood. Even without agreeing to Chen Yansen's request, he was confident he could build Three Squirrels.

But he was already thirty-six this year; he didn't want to miss this opportunity. He just wanted to make money quickly and enjoy life.

He couldn't get close to the relationships of Ma Liyun or Liu Qiangdong either.

Although Chen Yansen mentioned Three Squirrels' equity right at the start, Zhang Liaoyuan didn't pay much attention.

"Lacking money is good. Yuncheng, take General Zhang to Old Gao's office."

Chen Yansen stood up, gave brief instructions, and walked toward the elevator lobby.

Taking a stake in Three Squirrels was, for him, like buying a roasted sweet potato on the street corner; it wasn't worth much attention. Leaving it to Gao Weilin and Song Yuncheng to handle was enough.

Back in his office, Chen Yansen opened Sina; the first headline was a report on Penguin launching the QQ mobile browser.

At the same time.

Zhang Yiming in Yanjing also saw the news; he paused for a moment, then angrily cursed, "Is there any product Penguin doesn't make!"

Even with his overflowing confidence, he didn't think he could compete against Penguin.

"If Chen Yansen were willing to support me, pre-installing the Lingxi browser in the Chengzi phone, perhaps I wouldn't necessarily lose to Penguin."

Zhang Yiming thought again, pondering silently.

Lingxi Browser was the name of his new product; he had just finished writing the product documentation and planned to start R&D work after the company was established.

After returning from Hangcheng last time, he had met with several more investors; after all, compared to Senlian Capital, his own leverage was too small.

He needed to introduce other venture capital firms to weaken Chen Yansen's influence over the new project, only then could he guarantee his own controlling stake.

(End of this chapter)