Chapter 365: Earned 60 Million? Rumor! Jia Yaoting: Why Can't LeEco Make Mobile Phones?

At one in the afternoon, the recording site of the "Dialogue" program.

The more than eight hundred square meter studio was bright and spacious; lights poured down from above, illuminating the stage area with brilliant clarity.

Between two light gray single-seat sofas sat a half-person-high coffee table, on which were placed the Mo Si smart speaker, Alexa smart speaker, Sister Chengzi C3, Qingcheng D1s, Sister Chengzi Pad1, and MagicBook, among other products.

This was also the main reason Mr. Chen Yansen was willing to participate in the recording.

"Mr. Chen, this is the interview flow and dialogue script; it includes various data from the subsidiaries under Senlian Capital. Please review it first, and if there are no issues, we will officially begin."

The host, Chen Hongwei, politely handed over the materials and explained with a smile.

Inviting Mr. Chen Yansen had been decided more than a month ago; the big shots above had given the order to mold him into a benchmark for post-nineties entrepreneurs and establish the external image of Huaguo businessmen.

There was no choice; Mr. Chen was simply too suitable!

Young, handsome, and full of vitality!

At twenty-one years old, with a net worth of over fifty billion US dollars, he instantly surpassed Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg; using him as a promotional calling card was undoubtedly the best choice.

"Good." Mr. Chen Yansen nodded slightly, took the document, and casually flipped through it; it was only seven or eight pages long.

In the blink of an eye, he had firmly memorized it all.

On one side of the stage was a tiered audience area, where over a hundred undergraduate and master's students from Tsinghua, Peking University, Yancai, and Huamin universities were seated.

Song Yuncheng sat in the front row, her gaze burning as she looked at the man under the spotlight.

At this moment, Mr. Chen Yansen seemed to glow brilliantly, his silhouette deeply imprinted in her heart.

"The True Person is actually even more handsome than in the photos!"

"How tall is he?"

"Lingxi Encyclopedia says he's one meter eighty-six, but why do I feel he's one meter ninety?"

"His body proportions are too perfect!"

Some elites from the business schools of Tsinghua and Peking University, hearing the chattering discussions beside them, turned their faces black and inwardly complained: Mr. Chen Yansen's greatest achievement is his business success, yet why is everyone discussing his looks?

Two boom cameras pointed their lenses at the center of the stage to capture the subtle facial expressions of the host and guests; behind them stood a huge LED screen capable of switching background images at any time.

In this studio, Chen Hongwei had interviewed top figures from various fields, including Liu Chengzhi, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Ma Liyun, Ma Wenteng, Cao Wang, Jin Yong, and Cameron.

In terms of wealth, industry influence, and global fame, Mr. Chen Yansen was not the most outstanding figure, but he was certainly the youngest.

While checking the script, Chen Hongwei secretly sized up Mr. Chen Yansen.

A second-tier university, earning a net worth of over fifty billion in just over two years; even novels wouldn't dare write this. Could he have started using cheats?

No wonder the higher-ups specifically requested recording a program for him; just looking at his image and the demeanor with which he handled people, he was dozens of times better than same-age college student entrepreneurs.

Twenty minutes later, everything was ready.

Mr. Chen Yansen sat on the sofa to the right; Chen Hongwei followed suit and sat down, speaking the opening remarks to the camera:

"Good evening, audience friends, and welcome to this episode of 'Dialogue.' In today's era of booming internet development, a batch of technology enterprises with global influence has emerged in Huaguo.

And today's guest is one of the outstanding among them; he is an entrepreneur who founded a commercial empire valued at over one hundred billion at the mere age of twenty.

He led his team to successively launch well-known products such as Pinbei, Sister Chengzi Mobile Phone, Sister Chengzi Pay, and KuaiPao, thereby changing the lifestyles of hundreds of millions of countrymen. Let us welcome the Chairman of Senlian Technology, Mr. Chen Yansen!"

As soon as the words fell, applause thundered from the audience area!

Mr. Chen Yansen waved to the camera and jokingly quipped, "There is a piece of incorrect information; I am actually twenty-one years old this year."

"If your birthday hasn't arrived, it doesn't count." Chen Hongwei insisted in his tone.

"No, I must ask Mo Si. Mo Si, help me query Mr. Chen Yansen's age." Mr. Chen Yansen shifted the topic and spoke the wake-up command for the Mo Si smart speaker.

"Okay, relevant information has been found for you; Mr. Chen Yansen's age is twenty-one years old." Mo Si replied.

Mr. Chen Yansen spread his hands and looked at Chen Hongwei.

"It seems I was indeed mistaken." Chen Hongwei shrugged and readily admitted it.

The audience below smiled knowingly, naturally seeing this as a soft advertisement for Sister Chengzi Technology.

"Let us return to the main topic. Mr. Chen, I heard you started your entrepreneurial journey just as you entered university; at that time, why did you choose the internet track?" Chen Hongwei threw out the first question.

"In the strict sense, the first pot of gold in my life was not the well-known Fox Tao, but selling MP3s and MP4s in the towns." Mr. Chen Yansen stated truthfully.

"MP3s and MP4s?" Chen Hongwei feigned a look of surprise.

After all, it was 2013; with the popularity of smartphones, MP3s and MP4s had been eliminated by the times.

"That was the summer vacation of 2010. Due to overcapacity in MP3 and MP4 production in Yangcheng, the wholesale prices were extremely low: an MP3 cost only 22 yuan, and an MP4 only 116 yuan. Although the market demand for MP3s and MP4s was shrinking day by day in first and second-tier cities, they still belonged to best-selling electronic products in eighteen-tier town areas. Additionally, the prices I sold them at were extremely low."

Mr. Chen Yansen spoke eloquently.

"So Mr. Chen's first startup capital was earned so arduously; in the sweltering August heat, going to different towns every day..." Chen Hongwei added next.

Mr. Chen Yansen thought for a moment; back then, he sat in the car blowing air conditioning, Wang Zihao was responsible for selling goods, Meng Jie was responsible for collecting money, and he himself was indeed very hardworking.

"Fox Tao, as your first startup project, achieved a valuation of over ten billion in just one year. Do you have any secrets of success to share with the audience?" Chen Hongwei continued to ask.

"Choice is greater than effort. I discovered a brand new niche track in the e-commerce industry: relying on platforms like Tmall Shangcheng, Jingdong, and Suning, utilizing the former's product and merchant resources to launch a shopping guide e-commerce platform, providing supporting services for merchants, platforms, and users. Facts have proven that my choice was correct."

Mr. Chen Yansen replied.

"The Sister Chengzi Pay 'Collect Five Fu' activity has become a phenomenon-level marketing plan; how did this idea come about?" Chen Hongwei asked again.

"The inspiration came from collecting stamps and collecting Water Margin cards when I was a child, because Chinese people have a strong collecting obsession, but the key lies in how to make this activity generate commercial value.

For this, we designed three levels: first, social fission—you must share to collect them all; second, brand exposure—every Fu card carries an advertisement; third, payment scenarios—you must use products like Pinbei, Gao De, and KuaiPao to obtain more Fu cards.

In this way, user growth, advertising revenue, and the cultivation of payment habits were all solved."

Mr. Chen Yansen smiled lightly and casually fabricated the story.

"It is said that this activity earned Sister Chengzi Pay over sixty million?" Chen Hongwei curiously pressed on.

"Rumors, that's all. Although a portion of the costs was covered through advertising cooperation, it fell far short of reaching one hundred million."

Mr. Chen Yansen flatly denied it. He couldn't possibly tell the users that Sister Chengzi Pay earned both cash and traffic, could he?

Some things are better left unsaid; it benefits both sides and saves users from feeling foolish.

Chen Hongwei chuckled inwardly, thinking: Truly a business genius; lying with a face that doesn't blush and a heart that doesn't skip a beat.

"In the e-commerce sector, Mama Ali and Jingdong have already secured an absolute advantage. How is Pinbei finding a breakthrough?" Chen Hongwei asked next.

"My thoughts are exactly opposite to yours. Although Mama Ali and Jingdong hold high market shares, there are lower-tier markets they cannot reach. Moreover, Pinbei can reduce customer acquisition costs through group-buying models and social fission."

Chen Yansen said, unconcerned.

"Mr. Chen, as far as I know, Pinbei launched an agricultural assistance program, bringing agricultural and sideline products from all over the country onto the e-commerce platform. In 2012 alone, it generated over 40 billion yuan in transaction volume. Compared to products like cosmetics and home appliances, agricultural products have lower profit margins. Why do you do this?" Chen Hongwei stared at Chen Yansen and asked seriously.

"To compete with Mama Ali and Jingdong at different peaks, forming a differentiated advantage for the platform, and increasing income for merchants in towns and rural areas. The dividends of internet technology should be shared by everyone, not limited to first- and second-tier cities."

Chen Yansen answered with a straight face.

Singing high tunes and waving grand principles, he was also very good at it.

His words sounded harmless at first, but upon closer thought, they revealed a bold criticism, deeply moving the college students in the audience area.

Chen Hongwei's heart gave a "thump." He turned to look at the producer, and only when he saw the other person nod did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Chen, what is the next key focus for Sister Chengzi Technology? Artificial intelligence or internationalization?"

Chen Hongwei quickly changed the subject, afraid to delve deeper, lest Chen Yansen get carried away and shout out remarks like "Wheat has ripened thousands of times; farmers shouldn't suffer too much."

"Why choose one over the other? I believe we can walk on two legs." Chen Yansen answered concisely.

He paused and added, "Both are very important. In terms of AI, Sister Chengzi Technology has established an Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, focusing on computer vision, speech recognition, and natural language processing. Mo Si and the Alexa smart speaker are research achievements of the AI laboratory."

"Regarding internationalization, we have chosen Africa as the first stop and the Eastern European market as the second. Last year, the total sales volume of Sister Chengzi phones was 6.7 million units. This year's target is 20 million units."

Seeing that Chen Yansen wasn't causing any more trouble, the heavy stone in Chen Hongwei's heart was put down. He smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, do you think young people today should work for big companies or start their own businesses?"

"My suggestion is to work in a big company for two or three years first. The capabilities required for entrepreneurship are too comprehensive. If one can quickly build industry awareness and accumulate networking resources, the time can be shortened to one or two years."

"In this era, the only constant is change itself. A company's moat is not technology or capital, but the ability to continuously innovate."

Chen Yansen said slowly and deliberately.

Meanwhile, on the LED screen behind the stage, interview videos from the "Dialogue" program team were playing continuously. The interviewees covered positions such as Yunsu Express couriers, Sister Chengzi phone factory operators, and Kuai Pao food delivery riders.

Next, the program recording went very smoothly. Normally, one episode would take two or three hours to record, but today the entire process took only one and a half hours.

"Mr. Chen, you've worked hard. Thank you for your cooperation." Chen Hongwei, along with the producer, director, and others, escorted Chen Yansen out of the television station.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Yansen took Song Yuncheng, got into the Maybach 62S, and then drove off.

"I finally understand why they chose him as a promotional icon. His ability and emotional intelligence are impeccable. Although his words are radical, he grasps the balance very well," the director sighed softly.

"Young people are like the sun at seven or eight in the morning." Chen Hongwei smiled and agreed.

"You two are too naive! Every word he says is carefully calculated. An entrepreneur who can earn tens of billions of US dollars won't have too many emotional factors in his mind."

The producer analyzed calmly.

"The heat of this episode of 'Dialogue' is likely to explode." Chen Hongwei recalled Chen Yansen's last few words. As long as it passed the review, it would definitely push him to the forefront of controversy.

"Don't worry unnecessarily. The big shots above are watching." The producer pouted, turned his head, and walked back.

On the other side.

Chen Yansen returned to the hotel for a short rest. At six o'clock, he took a car to Jingzhaoyin.

Zhou Hongyi had privately invited him seven or eight times. After all, the other party was a major client of the Sister Chengzi phone factory, so he couldn't keep refusing.

Plus, the presence of Accountant Jia sparked a bit of interest in him.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of the main gate of Jingzhaoyin.

Zhou Hongyi pulled Jia Yaoting; the two stood beside a screen wall, peering out on tiptoe. Upon seeing Chen Yansen get out of the car, they immediately rushed forward.

He knew clearly that without the help of Sister Chengzi Technology, 360 phones could not compete with Xiaomi.

This year, he had slapped Lei Yijun's face so hard it was swollen. Now, seeing Chen Yansen, he was as warm as if meeting a relative.

Jia Yaoting followed closely behind, carefully sizing up the young man before him.

Around twenty years old, wearing an indigo shirt paired with a suit jacket. The other person was much taller than him; he could only look up to meet his gaze.

"Mr. Chen, it's not easy to meet you." Zhou Hongyi greeted cheerfully.

"Then why didn't you come to Xucheng to find me?" Chen Yansen asked in return.

While speaking, he glanced at Jia Yaoting out of the corner of his eye.

What talent!

The PPT car-making master, capable of deceiving both old insiders and foreigners. If not for bad timing, Jia Yaoting might have truly succeeded.

"Mr. Chen, hello. I am Jia Yaoting from LeEco. I have long heard of your name. Today, I take the liberty of disturbing you at Mr. Zhou's drinking gathering; please forgive me."

Seeing Chen Yansen look at him, Jia Yaoting immediately stepped forward to introduce himself.

"Mr. Jia, a pleasure." Chen Yansen replied.

"Let's go inside and talk slowly." Zhou Hongyi suggested.

After speaking, he led Chen Yuncheng and Jia Yaoting around the courtyard with a sky well, through pavilions and terraces, to an antique-style private room.

As soon as they sat down, Zhou Hongyi said with a beaming smile, "Last year, 360 phone sales were 1.13 million units higher than Xiaomi's. It all thanks to Mr. Chen's support. For this first cup, I must toast you first."

"360 N2 carries the Aurora Future OS system, no problem, right?" Chen Yansen held his wine glass and asked abruptly before it touched his lips.

"I trust Sister Chengzi Technology, and I trust Mr. Chen even more." Zhou Hongyi spoke beautifully.

Anyway, Chen Yansen didn't force 360 N2 to use Aurora Future OS. When the time comes, just release two versions and let users choose for themselves, right?

Jia Yaoting looked at Zhou Hongyi and couldn't help but think: If even this kind of person can make phones, why can't LeEco?

(End of this chapter)