Chapter 60: The Pony Didn't Fall to His Knees? A Ten-Million Angel Round

A freshman, in just two months, growing users from zero to a million, with monthly sales nearing ten million?

After hearing Chen Yansen's pitch for Fox Treasure, Ma Wengteng merely nodded slightly, no surprise on his face.

Given his breadth of experience, he had seen far too many geniuses; Chen Yansen was outstanding, but not enough to move him.

Even a terrifying viral product like the zero-yuan bargaining feature failed to stir a ripple in his heart.

Would QQ ever lack users and traffic?

Whenever he wished, he could funnel tens of millions of daily impressions into any new product.

"So what makes you think Paipai Net is headed for a dead end?"

Ma Wengteng waved a hand and took the floor himself.

"First, no differentiated platform advantage. C-end users will pick Taobao and JD, B-end users will pick Mama Ali Baba and JD—what does Paipai Net have? It's like three beef-noodle shops on one street: Taobao's noodles are a good deal, JD's noodles have that springy bite, and Paipai Net looks reasonably priced and tastes fine, but it loses because it has no signature."

Chen Yansen remarked casually.

Inside the Penguin empire, Paipai Net occupied an awkward position. The board wanted to grow it, but with limited resources and a wavering strategy, it never received the group's top-tier support.

Too big to grow, too stubborn to die.

"Everything you've said is worthless." Ma Wengteng felt a sudden wave of disappointment.

Fair enough—what deep insight could a college freshman possibly have?

"Second, Penguin has no e-commerce DNA. In supply-chain management, in shaping user shopping habits, in platform operations and merchant ecosystem, it has neither put in the effort nor invested enough resources. Merchants can't make a living—who'd follow you?"

Chen Yansen understood that for a comprehensive e-commerce platform, the core wasn't traffic or resources, but ensuring every participant had a good experience: buyers receiving products they love, sellers making money.

The later rise of Pinduoduo would prove this point well—as long as there's profit to be had, merchants will go all in, even at the risk of fines.

"Third, and most critical: Paipai Net's B2C business share is far too low; it's almost entirely C2C. As long as the dark side of human nature exists, counterfeits under the C2C model cannot be eradicated. An e-commerce platform overrun with fakes—even with QQ's backing—no one dares to shop there."

Chen Yansen curled his lip and said dismissively.

In his memory, every platform that dared to run C2C—apart from the later Xianyu and Zhuanzhuan—ended the same way: a spectacular death.

"So by your logic, I cut the C2C business and focus on B2C?" Ma Wengteng scoffed, not buying Chen Yansen's view.

"Pony-ge, Penguin's core strength lies in connecting people and content, not in running an e-commerce platform. Zheng Chunbin isn't cut out for e-commerce, and neither are you."

Chen Yansen shrugged and spoke candidly.

But his words were so shocking and cutting that Liang Youzhi and Liu Zhiping nearby were left dumbfounded—who would have imagined Little Ma getting roasted to his face by a college freshman?

"And I suppose you are?" Ma Wengteng pushed his glasses up, his face cold, clearly annoyed.

"If Paipai Net were in my hands, multiplying its scale several times over within a year wouldn't be hard—but I have no interest in working for someone else."

Chen Yansen said without a trace of fear, his tone easy.

"You met Zheng Chunbin to seek investment? Didn't work out?" Ma Wengteng stood up and asked offhandedly.

From Chen Yansen, he hadn't gotten the answer he wanted. In his view, Chen Yansen's arguments were superficial; those problems he already knew, yet when it came to execution, things always turned into a mess.

One person in charge after another, yet no results.

"Not quite—President Zheng wanted to invite me to join Paipai Net; I simply declined." Chen Yansen rose as well, politely assuming a see-them-out posture.

Zheng Chunbin was rejected?

This kid is really arrogant!

Ma Huateng didn't want to deal with Chen Yansen any longer, feeling the past ten-plus minutes had been a complete waste of time.

"Pony-ge thinks my words make no sense, simply because my identity has biased you. How about a bet: I can grow Fox Treasure to 100 million users within a year."

Seeing Ma Huateng about to walk out the door, Chen Yansen cut straight to the other's thoughts and tossed out an irresistible hook.

He had never imagined that a few words could make a big shot like Ma Wengteng fall to his knees on the spot. That works in novels, but in reality, getting him to stop and chat for two sentences was already a stroke of luck.

100 million users?

Ma Wengteng stopped, staring straight at Chen Yansen. The young man before him was tall and handsome, his eyes brimming with confidence, utterly unaware of the word "lose." Meeting his gaze, it was firm and powerful.

That look reminded him of his own early entrepreneurial days—back then, he hadn't possessed such an ironclad belief in victory.

"Martin, give the investment team a heads-up—have them put in ten million and see how it goes. By the way, what's your product called?"

Ma Wengteng turned and asked.

"Pony-ge, our product is called Fox Treasure."

Chen Yansen had wanted to play it cool and notch up an achievement of refusing Shencheng Ma, but the other side's offer was simply too generous to refuse.

What does ten million even mean?

Enough to scale up the zero-yuan bargaining campaign by ten or twenty times!

Chen Yansen looked at Ma Wengteng with a strange expression, muttering inwardly: Could this guy be a masochist? All that seasoned advice earlier failed to move him, but after being roasted a few times, he's chasing me down to invest.

Isn't that just asking for it!

"Chen Yansen, right? I'm Liu Zhiping—you can call me Martin-ge. Wait here a moment; I'll have someone from the venture capital team come coordinate with you."

Liu Zhiping patted Chen Yansen on the shoulder with a faint smile.

Ma Wengteng's change in attitude let him glimpse an opportunity, so naturally he felt a bit more appreciation for Chen Yansen—the one who had caused that change.

Whether this ten million pans out isn't the point; the key is that he saw in it a chance to persuade Ma Huateng and shift the group's strategy.

"Thanks, Martin-ge." Chen Yansen gripped his hand, his tone sincere.

Ma Huateng said nothing more and led a group of people toward Zheng Chunbin's office.

After everyone had left, Song Yuncheng finally let out a long breath and said, "That was terrifying! That man is a super-rich tycoon worth tens of billions, and you roasted him to his face—aren't you afraid he'd turn on you?"

"With someone like him, sucking up only breeds contempt. Express a different opinion in moderation, and he'll actually think you're different. See? Didn't that ten million just land in our lap?"

"Besides—am I supposed to be scared he'll ban my QQ account?"

Chen Yansen also exhaled in relief, picked up a bottle of mineral water, and took a sip.

"Chen Yansen, you're really amazing." Song Yuncheng was amused by him; her taut nerves gradually eased, and she sighed sincerely.

When Chen Yansen had started blasting Zheng Chunbin, she had been scared out of her wits. She never expected such a twist—not only were the domain and IP-blocking issues resolved, but the project had also landed ten million in investment.

"Actually, I'm even more impressive in other areas." Chen Yansen silently added in his heart.

As for the little blue pills and such, those were things he had spent money to buy, so of course they counted as part of his strength.

The subsequent process moved far faster than Chen Yansen had imagined.

Perhaps because the amount was small, or perhaps because Pony had personally arranged it, Chen Yansen spent the whole day at Penguin, mooched two employee meals, and when leaving, even received an investment contract.

10 million yuan for 6% equity!

Although Penguin's venture capital division, based on Fox Taobao's business model maturity, growth data, and market competition status, was only willing to offer an 80 million yuan valuation, they were talked back into it by Chen Yansen's single line: "I only used two months—no, to be precise, just one week—to break through the million-user mark."

In fact, Fox Taobao was already the leader in the shopping guide e-commerce sector, so its valuation naturally had to be raised another notch.

Future competitors like Mushroom Street, Meili Shuo, and Smzdm had either not yet been established or were still exploring profit models, and simply couldn't compare to Fox Taobao.

Combined with Ma Wenteng's personal intervention, the venture capital division's liaison, after much deliberation, still agreed to Chen Yansen's asking price.

Made out like a bandit!

Having hitched a ride on QQ's big ship, who would dare block his links in the future?

"Are we going back to Xucheng now?" Song Yuncheng gently nudged Chen Yansen and asked softly.

The day's experience at Penguin had matured her quite a bit; after all, she had even met big shots like Ma Wenteng and Liu Zhiping, and when liaising with the investment division, she could calmly introduce Fox Taobao's development situation, current data, and future plans.

"We'll go back tomorrow. You're in charge of booking the tickets—preferably a flight that lands in the afternoon. Shencheng is a nice place; I'll take you out tonight for a stroll, as a reward for your hard work."

Chen Yansen thought for a moment and said.

"Boss, can you cash it out directly?" Song Yuncheng squinted her eyes, her face plastered with smiles, looking utterly sycophantic.

"Song Yuncheng, if you're so hard up for money, why won't you be my girlfriend? If it's about the money, I can pay you twenty thousand a month."

Chen Yansen said, his face full of puzzlement.

"Stop! Don't bring up this topic again, or else…" Song Yuncheng instinctively reached for the brick, only to realize she wasn't carrying her backpack, then looked around, trying to find a handy weapon for self-defense.

"Fine, fine, fine! You really are no fun." Chen Yansen rolled his eyes, walked two steps toward the roadside, and hailed a taxi.

After getting in, Chen Yansen asked the driver: "Driver, where do rich people in Shencheng like to go at night?"

"Of course Sun Island! Plenty of pretty girls, and great figures too—simply a man's paradise!"

The driver, speaking in the local dialect, enthusiastically made his introductions.

"Pretty girls? I brought my own." Chen Yansen said, pointing at Song Yuncheng.

"Then go to Window of the World, or Meisha Beach—those places are suitable for you youngsters." The driver, hearing that his Cantonese wasn't quite authentic, switched to Mandarin.

"Then let's go to Window of the World."

If he hadn't brought Song Yuncheng along, Chen Yansen would definitely have chosen Sun Island, to test whether his eighteen-year-old "mighty spear and sharp cannon" was sharp enough.

Shencheng at night was a riot of colors, far more prosperous than a nowhere city like Xucheng. Chen Yansen took Song Yuncheng on a tour of Window of the World, then went to the beach to feel the breeze for a while, until the traffic on the streets gradually thinned out, and only then did the two return to the hotel.

"Song Yuncheng, come here!"

Chen Yansen walked into the room, saw Song Yuncheng hugging her laptop and about to book tickets, and beckoned her over.

"What is it?" Song Yuncheng hugged her laptop and trotted over to him, thinking he had more work matters to assign.

"There's still one reward I haven't given you." Chen Yansen said, putting on a mysterious air.

"Can it be cashed out…" Song Yuncheng's words were cut off as Chen Yansen sealed her lips.

With last time's experience in mind, the moment Song Yuncheng tried to bite down hard, Chen Yansen pulled back and dodged her snapping attack.

"Wangcai! Good night!"

Chen Yansen's face broke into a triumphant grin; he waved his hand and walked straight back to his room.

Song Yuncheng, standing where she was, looked at the half-brick in her backpack, and ultimately couldn't bring herself to grab the weapon and crack Chen Yansen's skull open.

Meanwhile.

Startup Hub rooms 206, 208, and 204 were ablaze with lights at this moment. Upon learning that Chen Yansen had solved the link-blocking problem, everyone shouted excitedly, letting loose all the pent-up frustration of the past two days.

"Brother Sen also said Penguin invested 10 million yuan in our project!"

Zhuang Rui, sitting in front of his computer, added with a hint of hesitation. When he first saw the news, his first reaction was that he was seeing things, and his second was that Chen Yansen must be joking.

"How much did you say?" Zhang Wenbo stood dumbfounded on the spot, his face full of disbelief.

The others' expressions were more or less the same.

Today should be the last day on the New Book rankings, with the highest rank being 17—I didn't make it into the top 10. How could I not feel regret! Thank you, bosses, for your support!

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(End of this chapter)