Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

By the time the luncheon ended, Chen Yansen still hadn’t managed to change Zhang Yiming’s mind.

Zhang Yiming was now more convinced than ever that combining a mobile browser with search engine algorithms had huge potential.

Chen Yansen let out a helpless laugh. In the end, he couldn’t be bothered to persuade him any further.

After a short break, the event moved on to the business cooperation segment. Several brick-and-mortar factories approached Wang Shubin of Shangtongda to sign operational agency contracts.

Song Yuncheng also signed several merchant partnership agreements. After all, any factory owner who could attend this conference was bound to be a sizable operation.

Thanks to Pinbei’s outstanding performance during the Double Twelve shopping festival, Song Yuncheng had it easy; half of the merchants approached her on their own initiative.

Gao Weilin was also surrounded by entrepreneurs seeking funding. By the time he made his rounds, he had collected a thick stack of business plans.

Chen Yansen glanced at his watch. The air in the conference hall felt too stuffy, so he pulled Wang Zihao outside for a breather.

Before long, Cheng Weixing of Pan City Technology found them and confirmed the time and place for that evening’s get-together.

Chen Yansen noted that he was quick-witted and tactful. Since he had nothing better to do, he chatted with him for a bit.

”I’m a civil engineering graduate from Zhejiang University. I founded the *Science and Innovation* magazine in my sophomore year and established Pan City Technology in my junior year. Although *Magic Academy* earned me tens of millions, the new games we’ve launched in the past two years haven’t really made a splash.”

Cheng Weixing introduced himself. Despite his self-deprecating remarks, the impression he left on Chen Yansen and Wang Zihao was overwhelmingly positive.

If not for the comparison with Chen Yansen, Cheng Weixing’s resume was the very template of a novel’s protagonist.

Worth tens of millions before he’d even graduated from college.

To be frank, when Lei Yijun was his age, he definitely didn’t have this much money.

Chen Yansen nodded slightly. ’In the future,’ he thought, ’the power in the domestic gaming industry will gradually be consolidated in the hands of a few top giants.’

’With the three great mountains of Penguin, NetEase, and Perfect World bearing down, it’s very hard for newcomers to get ahead.’

’If Cheng Weixing can read the situation clearly and pivot in time, he might have a chance to rise again.’

Chen Yansen remained silent, making his assessment internally.

”So, I’m planning to use Pan City Technology’s resources to develop an O2O ride-hailing app based on LBS technology. To put it simply, it uses the GPS system to get the location of both passengers and taxis. That way, passengers can hail a cab anytime, anywhere, and drivers can reduce their deadhead rate, increasing their earning efficiency.”

Cheng Weixing said with a smile.

’A ride-hailing app?’

Chen Yansen was taken aback for a moment, then asked with curiosity, ”President Cheng, what is your product called?”

”I haven’t settled on a name yet, but I heard you, President Chen, invested in a food delivery platform called Kuai Pao. I think the two business models are very similar, so how about calling it Fast! As in, the fastest taxi!”

Cheng Weixing replied offhandedly.

’Fast?’

’The founder of a ride-hailing company?’

Chen Yansen knew that over a decade later, the dominant force in ride-hailing would be a combination of DiDi, Fast, and Uber Hua Country, backed by the intertwined interests of more than a dozen domestic and international investment firms.

’But who was Cheng Weixing?’

Chen Yansen had no memory of him. He only knew that DiDi’s founder was Chen Wei, and his successor was Liu Qing.

At the same time, he understood what Cheng Weixing was getting at. He was simply looking for an investment or hoping to leverage Senlian Capital’s reputation in the industry.

’Is this Fast Taxi the same Fast Taxi I’m thinking of?’

Chen Yansen was a little puzzled, but he had a good impression of Cheng Weixing and didn’t overthink it. He smiled and asked, ”It sounds good. Does the project need funding?”

In reality, Cheng Weixing wasn’t short on cash. The funds he had on hand were enough to grow Fast Taxi to a user base of at least five million.

But he knew that pioneering a completely new track would require massive capital to cultivate the market, much like the food delivery industry.

He was worried about not securing follow-up funding and having his cash flow dry up.

Cheng Weixing had gone to great lengths just to hear those words from Chen Yansen. He said calmly, ”Thank you for your support, President Chen. If you need it, I can provide a more detailed business plan.”

’Does this thing even need a business plan?’

’You just burn money to capture the market!’

Chen Yansen grumbled internally but gave a slight nod. ”You should talk to President Gao at Senlian Capital about this,” he added.

”Thank you, President Chen.” Cheng Weixing expressed his gratitude again after receiving the positive response.

By getting in with Senlian Capital, Fast Taxi could quickly make a name for itself in investment circles.

Take Kuai Pao, for example. Before Chen Yansen invested, not a single investment consultant would even give Kang Guodong and Pei Yi the time of day.

Now, Penguin, DST, and Jinsha Venture Capital had all expressed interest in investing in Kuai Pao.

In just two short months, had the food delivery industry really undergone such a dramatic transformation?

Cheng Weixing knew it hadn’t. It was simply because Chen Yansen had bought a stake in Kuai Pao. Penguin, DST, and Jinsha Venture Capital were just betting on Chen Yansen’s decision and following his lead.

Often, investment banking was like dating: if no one else wanted it, you didn’t either; but if everyone was fighting over it, you had to get a piece of the action.

Chen Yansen smiled. When he then learned that Cheng Weixing had already registered the trademark, he was certain: this was the ”Fast” that would wage a subsidy war against DiDi.

’As for Cheng Weixing, he was probably kicked to the curb by the investors after his equity was diluted.’

’Even DiDi’s Chen Wei couldn’t hold on to his CEO position. Cheng Weixing might seem shrewd and have five or six years of startup experience, but against the Liu Family and major capital, he clearly didn’t stand a chance.’

Chen Yansen had Wang Zihao go back to the conference hall and get Gao Weilin.