Chapter 309: First Meeting with Li Yanhong

As the door opened, Chen Yansen, Ma Wenteng, and Liu Zhiping entered, followed by Zhou Shouzhi, Huang Zheng, and Gao Weilin.

“Mr. Chen!”

“Mr. Ma!”

“Mr. Liu!”

Zhang Zhaoyang, Lei Yijun, and others immediately stood up, shaking hands and greeting with smiles.

“Don’t you have meetings tomorrow?” Chen Yansen glanced at the coffee table, where beer, red wine, and whiskey were piled high, and smirked teasingly.

“I’ve attended ten Internet conferences; none ever bring anything new. We drink tonight, then sleep through the venue tomorrow—perfect.”

Zhang Zhaoyang said with a laugh.

“...” Chen Yansen chuckled silently; that was exactly the kind of thing Zhang Zhaoyang would do.

If not for face-saving concerns, he probably wouldn’t have come at all.

The private room was spacious enough to hold forty or fifty people, yet still felt empty after they entered.

Everyone took their seats in turn. As soon as Chen Yansen sat down, Zhang Zhaoyang leaned over, filled his glass, then poured a whiskey for Ma Wenteng beside him and said, “Long time no see.”

“Yes, it’s been a while since we drank together,” Ma Wenteng raised his glass in response.

“You’re too busy,” Zhang Zhaoyang swirled his glass, speaking casually.

Ma Wenteng smiled but said nothing; unlike Zhang Zhaoyang, Penguin was still in its growth phase—he couldn’t afford to slack off.

If they missed the mobile internet wave, Penguin risked decline and could become the next Sohu—he had to be cautious.

“Mr. Chen, I heard Orange Phone plans to enter the Eastern European market?” Ding Lei asked curiously.

This question was meant for Zhang Zhaoyang, but since the man himself was right here, there was no need to go far.

“We’re considering it. We’re currently negotiating revenue-sharing terms with Eastern European telecom operators, and also coordinating improvements in hardware and network standards—likely not until Q4 for launch.”

Chen Yansen didn’t hide anything.

It was just Eastern Europe—not Western Europe!

If Xiaomi or NetEase wanted to enter, he wouldn’t stop them.

After all, both companies’ manufacturing orders were in his hands; the more phones Xiaomi and NetEase sold, the more jobs and livelihoods Orange Phone’s factory could provide.

Lei Yijun listened closely. After Chen Yansen finished, he interjected: “Xiaomi and Apple are strong mainly because of their overseas markets. Though China’s smartphone market is large, globally it’s only 30%. Entering overseas markets is the right choice.”

Take Xiaomi: it sells only about ten million smartphones per quarter in China, yet its global shipment volume exceeds fifty million.

“How far along is Xiaomi’s voice interaction engine development?” Chen Yansen asked casually.

After obtaining the patent license for the speech analysis development tools, Lei Yijun had founded Xiaomi’s AI Lab—over two months had passed; there should be some results by now.

“Miaoxiao is developing a voice interaction engine?” Before Lei Yijun could respond, Ding Lei’s face showed surprise and he blurted out.

“Yes, I purchased the patent technology for the development tools from Mr. Chen. We’ve just started and are still researching algorithm models.”

Lei Yijun answered honestly.

Since even the development tools came from Orange Tech, he had no reason to hide anything.

Ding Lei nodded; he had no interest in voice interaction engines.

The group drank and discussed cooperation until one a.m., when the second drinking session finally ended.

Chen Yansen waved goodbye to Ma Huateng, Zhang Zhaoyang, and others, then boarded a Maybach 62S back to the hotel.

The evening’s gathering wasn’t without gain—he’d secured next year’s Pinbei advertising business with Ding Lei and He Xiaopeng, plus pre-installation cooperation for UC Browser and NetEase clients.

Under the night sky, Beijing’s neon lights shimmered brilliantly, serene and still.

When he returned to the Marco Polo Hotel, it was nearly one-thirty; he had two room cards in his pocket and pulled out the second one.

He swiped to unlock and stepped inside.

Song Yuncheng lay on the bed, cheeks flushed, eyes closed—she had waited too long and fallen asleep early.

Chen Yansen took off his coat and shirt, washed up briefly in the bathroom, then slipped into bed.

The next morning.

After breakfast, everyone boarded a car and headed for the International Convention Center. Turning right onto North Fourth Ring Road along Anli Road, they drove four hundred meters straight ahead and arrived.

Chen Yansen stepped out of the car, looked up at the International Convention Center, and saw a sea of media reporters standing on the outdoor grounds. Even from hundreds of meters away, he could hear the constant clicking of camera shutters.

This Internet Conference, besides domestic Internet firms, also invited overseas investment institutions like Goldman Sachs, Temasek, and IDG, as well as international giants like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.

In fact, this was one way the organizers attracted domestic entrepreneurs—most invitees came to seek partnerships and funding.

Chen Yansen walked into the conference hall, followed by Zhou Shouzhi, Huang Zheng, Xiao Jun, Pei Yi, and Cheng Weixing; Senlian Capital’s delegation was nothing short of stellar.

From smartphone R&D and manufacturing to social e-commerce, food delivery, group buying, ride-hailing, information services, express delivery, browsers, and electronic navigation maps, Senlian Capital operated across multiple sectors.

Before Chen Yansen’s group even reached the hall, reporters had already surrounded the entrance, blocking all passage.

Ma Liyun, Ma Wenteng, and Li Yanhong were regulars at the Internet Conference; their news angles had long been exhausted.

But Chen Yansen was different: at just twenty, he’d extended his business reach into every industry, with a net worth in the tens of billions—far more valuable to interview than the BAT giants.

“Mr. Chen, how do you balance studies and entrepreneurship? What’s the core logic of your time management?”

“Mr. Chen, your company has entered multiple sectors—food delivery, group buying, ride-hailing—how do you avoid resource dispersion? Besides burning cash to capture market share, what other core advantages do KuaiPao and KuaiDi Taxi have?”

“Mr. Chen, as a twenty-year-old student entrepreneur, have you faced trust barriers due to your age? How do you break such prejudice?”

“Mr. Chen...” Dozens of microphones instantly thrust forward. Chen Yansen stepped back, scanned the labels on the mics, and chose seven or eight influential media outlets, answering each question in turn.

Then he pushed Zhou Shouzhi and the others forward.

Accepting media interviews, increasing company and product exposure, and enhancing industry influence—these were key purposes of attending the Internet Conference.

Since Chen Yansen had come, he had no objection.

The group delayed at the entrance for over half an hour; with less than twenty minutes until the opening ceremony, Chen Yansen and the others were escorted by security directly into the hall.

Chen Yansen, Huang Zheng, and Zhou Shouzhi sat in the front row; others were scattered in the second and third rows.

Chen Yansen glanced around; most were familiar faces. Ma Liyun, upon seeing him, forced out a faint smile.

The formation of YunSu Express Alliance had caught him off guard.

Ma Wenteng wore a crisp suit, sitting upright, but his eyes were half-lidded, as if dozing—he’d clearly drunk too much the night before and hadn’t sobered up.

Cai Yongjin, managing director of Goldman Sachs Asia, waved at him with a smile.

Entrepreneurs in the front row mostly returned polite smiles upon seeing Chen Yansen.

Only Li Yanhong of Baidu had a tense face and a hostile gaze fixed on Chen Yansen.

Their competition in group buying, food delivery, and ride-hailing was fierce, with daily losses reaching 15 million yuan. Last time he proposed pausing subsidy wars, Chen Yansen gave him no face.

“Mr. Li, long time no see!”

Chen Yansen spoke first, looking at Li Yanhong.

“Mr. Chen, pleasure to meet you!” Li Yanhong instinctively extended his right hand, eyes blazing as he stared at Chen Yansen.

In his view, though Chen Yansen was young, his threat to Baidu was significant.

For Baidu’s LBS division to advance its planned O2O strategy, it first had to clear away Senlian Capital as a mountain blocking its path.

“Mr. Li, how long can Didi Taxi hold out?” Chen Yansen gripped Li Yanhong’s hand and asked with a light smile.

“How long can KuaiDi Taxi last?” Li Yanhong shot back without backing down.

“My funding for KuaiDi Taxi has no upper limit,” Chen Yansen’s smile vanished, his tone turning serious.

“Funny—I’m the same,” Li Yanhong unconsciously tightened his grip.

Chen Yansen felt it, and applied slight pressure.

Li Yanhong’s mouth twitched, his palm throbbing with pain—he silently cursed: This guy’s got insane strength.

Chen Yansen smiled faintly, only releasing his grip once Li Yanhong’s facial expression was nearly out of control.

Li Yanhong had initiated the move; Chen Yansen was merely responding.

Wang Xin of Meituan sat in the fourth row, squinting, staring fixedly at Chen Yansen’s back.

Zhang Tao of Dianping leaned forward, sneaking glances at Chen Yansen, his expression complex.

Chen Yansen sensed their gazes but didn’t turn—he thought: Senlian Capital has many friends, but also many enemies.

If he dared attend an electronics manufacturing forum in Shenzhen, he’d truly understand what it felt like to be surrounded by enemies.

Because of Orange Phone’s factory, labor rates in Huaqiangbei had been raised by five yuan per hour.

Without higher pay, you couldn’t find workers!

Many electronics factory owners wanted to shove him and Cao Dahua into the stamping machines.

Ma Wenteng had been dozing, but the sound of Chen Yansen and Li Yanhong’s exchange woke him. Seeing Chen Yansen there, he decided to chat with him.

Zhang Zhaoyang sat in the second row, head bowed, fast asleep.

Also, whether by design or accident, the organizers had seated Lei Yijun and Zhou Hongyi together, with only one seat between them.

Zhou Hongyi had arrived first and now sat back, head tilted, resting.

His sleeping posture was even more brazen than Zhang Zhaoyang’s—he didn’t notice Lei Yijun glaring at him from beside him.

Thinking of Zhou Hongyi’s online teasing, Lei Yijun clenched his fists, eager to challenge him to another boxing match.

Meanwhile.

KuaiPao’s group-buying codes had become universally adopted, bringing convenience to merchants and users.

In Shanghai, at the Ri Yue Guang subway station, there is a Happy Lemon milk tea shop.

A long line formed at the door, mostly young people, each holding a smartphone displaying KuaiPao’s group-buying order page.

At the top was the group-buying item title: “Yuan Yuan Xiao Wa Zi Milk Tea,” with a group-buying price of 6.9 yuan beside it.

Below were the group-buying voucher number and QR code voucher number.

Happy Lemon’s staff had clear roles; during peak orders, they assigned one employee solely to verify vouchers.

Previously, verification required manual input; now, opening the merchant backend and scanning with a phone took one second—efficiency improved tenfold.

Meituan, Lashou, and Dazhong Dianping, which lacked the group-buy QR code feature, were rejected by both merchants and users.

After Kuaipao launched its group-buy QR code feature, although Meituan, Lashou, and Dazhong Dianping’s development teams worked overtime to create similar functions, they still required some time.

During this period, Kuaipao enabled milk tea shops, restaurants, KTVs, and movie theaters to experience explosive order volumes through its ultra-low commission rates, commission-free periods, and various marketing campaigns.

As a result, Kuaipao’s group-buy business grew its market share at an extremely rapid pace; within just a few days, its daily transaction volume caught up to Lashou’s.

In other words, as long as it could maintain this momentum, Kuaipao would firmly secure the third position in the group-buy market.

(End of Chapter)