Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

Monday, February 27th.

Youku Tudou jointly announced that on February 24th, the two parties signed a definitive agreement to merge through a 100% stock-for-stock transaction. Tudou.com would be delisted, and Youku would leapfrog to become the leader among video streaming websites.

Sohu Video ranked second in the industry with a 13.3% market share.

iQiyi, LeTV Network, and Penguin Video occupied the third, fourth, and fifth positions, respectively.

This was a far cry from the market landscape over a decade later. Youku, which was at its zenith now, would be relegated to the bottom of the industry by 2026, with its monthly active user data even falling short of Mango TV.

Chen Yansen glanced at the news with a faint smile on his lips. He had no particular interest in long-form video websites.

Just then, the phone on his desk suddenly rang.

Chen Yansen picked it up and saw it was Zhang Chaoyang. Without much thought, he pressed the answer button. ”Hello, Charles. Let’s get this straight first: drinks are fine, but acting is out of the question.”

After he got to know Zhang Chaoyang well, he had originally called him ”Old Zhang.” But Zhang Chaoyang had said, ”The old gatekeeper at Sohu is also called Old Zhang,” so Chen Yansen had to resort to using his English name.

Last week, Zhang Chaoyang had called to say that Sohu Video was preparing to shoot a sitcom called ”Diaosi Man,” and the director wanted Chen Yansen to play the role of a doctor.

If it had been any other director or any other short series, Chen Yansen might have agreed.

He could have repaid Zhang Chaoyang’s favor and promoted Orange Mobile Phones at the same time—a pure win-win.

But he knew in his heart that once this short series was filmed, it would become an indelible dark spot on his record.

So he came up with a compromise: he pushed Wang Teng forward instead.

After all, Wang Teng had hosted the new product launch for Orange Mobile Phone. Combined with his status as the general manager of Orange Technology and his 1.3 million Weibo followers, he could serve a similar promotional purpose just as well.

”You’re not even in Yanjing for a drink! I won’t beat around the bush. When is Fast Taxi starting its Series A funding round? Macquarie Capital is extremely bullish on the future of the ride-hailing sector.”

Zhang Chaoyang explained with a laugh.

Macquarie Capital was Sohu’s third-largest shareholder. They had previously communicated with Gao Weilin, but their request to invest had been rejected by Chen Yansen.

Of the six venture capital firms initially screened by Senlian Capital, aside from DST, the remaining five were all local investment companies. This was a result of his deliberate control.

But he still owed Zhang Chaoyang a favor. Now that the man had brought it up, Chen Yansen couldn’t just refuse him outright.

He thought for a moment, then decided to be frank. ”I don’t plan on bringing in too much foreign capital. So even if Macquarie Capital makes the cut for the Series A round, I will strictly limit its participation in subsequent funding rounds.”

Zhang Chaoyang was a smart man and understood Chen Yansen’s financing plans immediately. He replied, ”I’m just passing along the message. Whether this partnership works out or not, it makes no difference to me.”

Chen Yansen smiled and readily agreed. ”Since you’re the one who brought it up, there’s no harm in giving them a spot.”

”By the way, are you coming to the Yanjing Internet Conference in September? I can introduce you to some new friends then.”

Zhang Chaoyang nodded in satisfaction, then asked another question.

”In that case, you’d better prepare a few extra bottles of good wine,” Chen Yansen teased.

”No problem. That’s settled, then. Next time you’re in Yanjing on business, feel free to look me up,” Zhang Chaoyang replied briskly.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they both hung up.

’Old Zhang really has it made,’ Chen Yansen thought. ’He’s not even fifty, and he’s already living the retired life of drinking, clubbing, and practicing yoga.’

Chen Yansen put down his phone, opened the window, and let the chilly air pour in.

He took a deep breath, his thoughts turning to the second news item he had seen earlier: the Lighthouse Country’s Securities Association had approved Vipshop’s IPO application.

Unfortunately, this IPO was doomed to fail. Before the market opened, they slashed the issue price by 23.5%, reducing the funds raised to 70 million US Dollars and bringing the total market capitalization to just over 200 million US Dollars.

Vipshop’s ”bleeding IPO” undoubtedly cast a shadow over domestic e-commerce companies, sending a clear signal: investors across the ocean had no faith in Hua Country’s e-commerce.

However, this had little effect on Pinbei. It was Ah Li that got caught in the crossfire. Ma Liyun had originally planned to push for an IPO immediately after completing his share buyback plan.

But Vipshop’s cold reception on its debut day forced Ma Liyun to be more cautious. After weighing the pros and cons, he signaled for Cai Xin to slow down the pace of the IPO and continue to wait for the right moment.

As noon approached, Chen Yansen went downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch.

On the way, he ran into Zhou Chuangxi and Daniel, who were walking together, talking and laughing.

”Daniel, are you getting used to living in Xucheng?”

Chen Yansen asked casually.

”The water is a bit hard,” Daniel said, pushing up his glasses. He then ran a hand through his hair, and a dozen or so brown strands fell into his palm.

”I suggest you stick to bottled water,” Chen Yansen said with a smile.

”Thanks for your concern, Boss. I actually ordered a water dispenser from Pinbei Mall yesterday. Hopefully, I’ll receive it soon.”

Daniel shrugged. With Zhou Chuangxi’s help, he had quickly adapted to life in Xucheng and even learned how to shop online on Pinbei.

”When can we expect ’YuXi’ to go live?” Chen Yansen asked, his expression turning serious.

”Around mid-March. Ke Da Xunfei’s voice data standards should be finalized by tomorrow. Daniel will then integrate Gaussian mixture and neural network models to further improve the training efficiency of the acoustic model,” Zhou Chuangxi replied.

”’YuXi’ is just Orange Technology’s first step into the field of artificial intelligence. Developing an advanced AI interaction engine using ’YuXi’ will be the second step.”

Chen Yansen said in a level tone.

Daniel nodded slightly. He had seen the recognition framework and underlying code for ’YuXi’. In terms of technical skill, he felt Chen Yansen’s abilities far surpassed his own.

This was one of the reasons he was willing to stay at Orange Technology. On the other hand, he was also very satisfied with the research environment at the company.

As the three of them walked and talked, Zhou Chuangxi suddenly added, ”Daniel and I are also Visiting Professors at Xucheng Academy now.”

Chen Yansen was taken aback for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh. ’Tang Qingshan sure knows how to pull in resources and build connections.’

Although Johns Hopkins University isn’t a traditional Ivy League member, its academic strength and global influence are in no way inferior to Qingbei.

He was highly skeptical about how many students could actually understand Daniel, who didn’t speak Chinese, during his lectures. But seeing Daniel’s vibrant expression, Chen Yansen didn’t voice his question. Perhaps this job allowed him, outside of his main work, to recapture the feeling of teaching at Johns Hopkins University.

Some people are just born with an intense desire to share and express themselves.

The three of them walked into the cafeteria. Chen Yansen glanced around and realized he didn’t recognize half of the employees.

Pinbei, Orange Pay, and Orange Technology were hiring forty to fifty new employees every day. It wasn’t that he couldn’t remember them; he was just too busy with business to have the time to get to know each one.

Chen Yansen got his food from the line and had just taken two steps with his tray when he saw Wang Teng waving at him. Wang Zihao was sitting next to him.

He then led Zhou Chuangxi and Daniel over to their table.

「Meanwhile.」

In a warehouse belonging to the Shaopei Grain and Oil Company hundreds of kilometers away in Chunshen, more than 300 workers were bustling with activity.

They packed five-jin and ten-jin bags of rice into protective foam packaging, sealed them tightly with tape, and then sent them to the next station.

Two young men affixed the shipping labels one by one.

A Cloud Speed Express truck was parked at the entrance, and a forklift operator inside the factory continuously loaded the packed parcels into the truck.

The factory owner stood on the second floor, watching the busy scene. His grin stretched nearly ear to ear, and he felt like he was walking on air.

”Boss Zhu, how many orders did you sell yesterday?” asked Grand Secretary Zhao Siyuan of the Central Bureau.

”43,000 orders for the five-jin bags and 25,000 for the ten-jin bags. It’s down quite a bit compared to early February,” Zhu Debao said, but his face was wreathed in smiles.

After deducting labor costs, he could make a net profit of over a hundred thousand yuan in a single day.

The net profit was only a little over one yuan per bag, which seemed small, but the sheer volume made up for it!

Thinking of this, Zhu Debao turned to Zhao Siyuan and said, ”Secretary Zhao, I owe all of my success today to you and Boss Tang.”

”You must maintain strict quality control. President Chen gave you this opportunity to make money. If you drop the ball, no one can help you.”

Zhao Siyuan chuckled lightly, not forgetting to remind him again.

As far as he knew, quite a few merchants on Pinbei had been penalized for selling counterfeit or substandard goods. Some not only had their payments withheld but had also received letters from Pinbei’s legal department.

Zhao Siyuan didn’t want Zhu Debao to make a foolish mistake!

The Shaopei Grain and Oil Factory alone provided over 300 jobs. Although they were a bit low-end, they genuinely increased the income of the local residents.

”Don’t worry, Secretary Zhao. I understand the difference between eating one full meal and eating well every day.”

Zhu Debao promised, patting his chest.

In the past, to open up sales channels, he had to spend all day begging and pleading, wining, dining, and flattering everyone. He had to keep the grain and oil wholesalers, supermarket and convenience store owners, farmers’ market vendors, and the procurement managers of restaurants, hotels, and school and corporate cafeterias all happy just to have a prosperous year.

It was so much easier now. He no longer had to beg anyone!

With a daily net profit of over a hundred thousand yuan, if this momentum continued for two or three years, his influence in the county would rise by several levels at least.

Frankly, he had considered mixing old rice with new rice to sell, which would earn him an extra 0.5 to 1 yuan per bag. But after careful consideration, he didn’t dare to do it.

Mainly because Pinbei’s penalty rules were too harsh!

’They impose a tenfold fine for a single fake product!’

”Remember to come to the county seat later. Boss Tang is personally hosting the rural products exchange meeting. Don’t forget,”

Zhao Siyuan said.

Pinbei had supported a total of 37 businesses like the Shaopei Grain and Oil Food Factory. In terms of sales figures, the Shaopei factory was only considered average.

There was a large-scale breeder in Shan Jue Town who could sell 2 million yuan worth of products daily on Pinbei’s ”Ten Billion Subsidy” channel. Their main products were Muscovy ducks and white geese, offered both as fresh goods shipped via cold chain and as cured preserved meats.

They were extremely popular in the eastern market!

Tang Lixin and Zhao Siyuan had initially thought this agricultural support program was just an excuse Chen Yansen used to brush them off. But when they saw that these thirty-plus companies could generate over 10 million yuan in additional daily sales, they were shocked to realize the extent of Pinbei’s influence in the e-commerce industry.

’An annual revenue of three to four billion yuan might actually be achievable!’

Lately, while Chen Guobin was minding his bookstore, big bosses driving BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes would often show up with bags of gifts to pay him a visit.

Some of them looked more than a decade older than Chen Guobin himself, yet they constantly addressed him as ”Uncle Chen, Uncle Chen.” You couldn’t imagine how enthusiastic they were.

This left Chen Guobin speechless. After asking around, he found out it was all his son Chen Yansen’s doing.

All these influential figures in Chunshen regarded Chen Yansen as a God of Wealth.

And that naturally made Chen Guobin the God of Wealth’s father!

At some point, an inspection post was set up right at the entrance of the National Guest Bookstore, ostensibly to protect the students of Chunshen Middle School.

But this inspection post was three or four hundred meters away from the school!

’Who were they trying to fool?’

For a time, Chen Guobin’s name gradually became well-known in the circles of Chunshen’s local power players.

’Whether you operate in the light or in the shadows, just don’t mess with the owner of the National Guest Bookstore!’

When Chen Guobin found out, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself, ’So I guess this is what they call basking in my son’s glory, huh?’