Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

In late January, the north wind cut like a knife, sending flurries of snow swirling through the air.

The bronze bells on the corner towers whimpered in the biting wind as neon lights snaked between skyscrapers, painting Yanjing in a riot of color.

A black Maybach 62S sped along Songyu Avenue, the cityscape blurring past the windows.

Chen Yansen looked ahead, his eyes landing on a magnificent, glittering sign that bore just two simple words: ”Yun Ku.”

”You know,” Song Yuncheng remarked softly from the side, ”it seems like every time Zhang Chaoyang invites you out, it’s to a bar.”

”He’s asked me to go hiking, deep-sea fishing, and play golf, but I’m not interested,” Chen Yansen replied.

The truth was, it wasn’t a lack of interest. President Chen just preferred to enjoy those activities with beautiful women who had great figures.

’With Old Zhang?’

’Forget it!’

The moment a valet saw the Maybach 62S and its ”leopard” plate—a coveted series of repeating numbers—he immediately guided the driver to a spacious parking spot.

Xiaoli was the first to exit, promptly opening the door for Chen Yansen.

’Chen Yansen of Senlian Capital?’

The valet froze for a moment, having instantly recognized Chen Yansen, but he said nothing more.

The reason Yun Ku was becoming more and more popular in Chaoyang District, a favorite among tech magnates and celebrities, was its impeccable training. The service staff was exceptionally discreet and perceptive.

Regardless of whether a guest was Ma Liyun or Li Yanhong, they would never presume to disturb them.

Just as the valet was about to approach, someone pushed past him from behind.

The bar’s marketing manager, dressed to the nines in a suit with slick, gleaming hair, hurried over with a beaming smile. ”Good evening, President Chen. President Zhang is waiting upstairs. I’ll take you to him.”

Chen Yansen nodded slightly, signaling for the manager to lead on.

Song Yuncheng walked to his right, while Xiaoli fell back half a step, switching from his role as driver to that of a temporary bodyguard.

They wound past the decadent scene at the dance floor and bar and took an elevator to a private room on the top floor.

The marketing manager pushed open the door, and a blast of singing in a heavy Beihu accent washed over Chen Yansen.

♫ Run forward, braving the cold eyes and ridicule

♫ How can you feel life’s vastness without suffering through hardship... ♫

Lei Yijun, dressed in a blue-striped shirt, was sitting on a leather sofa with a wireless microphone in hand, completely lost in his singing.

Chen Yansen frowned, his face a mask of distaste.

Zhang Chaoyang, Ding Lei, and Liu Qiangdong were nursing their drinks. Next to them sat a man in his mid-thirties, wearing a white shirt and a black, polka-dotted tie. He was neither drinking nor singing and seemed somewhat out of place.

Hearing the commotion, Lei Yijun spotted Chen Yansen from the corner of his eye. He immediately dropped the mic, abandoned his song, and greeted him with a huge grin. ”President Chen!”

Hearing the greeting, Zhang Chaoyang put down his glass, rose, and walked to the door to pull Chen Yansen in.

”Let me introduce you to a Little Brother, Wang Xiaochuan, the CEO of Sogou. He’s my right-hand man.”

Zhang Chaoyang said with a smile, pointing at Wang Xiaochuan.

”President Chen, hello. A pleasure to meet you!” Wang Xiaochuan said, leaning forward slightly in a polite and respectful greeting.

”None of that ’President Chen’ formality. Call him Brother Sen!” Zhang Chaoyang scolded playfully.

Wang Xiaochuan was thirty-five years old. He looked at Chen Yansen, who was fourteen years younger than him, but without any awkwardness, he readily added, ”Brother Sen.”

His eyes held a hint of admiration.

After all, among young entrepreneurs, Chen Yansen was in a league of his own. Never mind his own post-90s generation—even a crowd of entrepreneurs from the post-80s and post-70s eras couldn’t match his net worth and industry influence.

”Sogou’s search engine, input method, and web directory are all excellent. If I weren’t worried about Old Zhang’s feelings, I would have tried to poach you long ago.”

Chen Yansen said with a laugh, shaking the man’s right hand.

”If you poach Xiaochuan, that’ll be the end of our friendship.”

Zhang Chaoyang said, feigning a straight face as he played along with Chen Yansen’s joke.

”You flatter me, Brother Sen. Compared to your achievements, Sogou’s are trivial,” Wang Xiaochuan said modestly.

”All right, enough standing on ceremony. Let’s drink.” Zhang Chaoyang clapped Wang Xiaochuan on the shoulder and pulled him down into a seat.

Song Yuncheng was no stranger to Zhang Chaoyang, Lei Yijun, and the others. After exchanging a few pleasantries, they also took a seat.

”President Chen, what’s Orange Technology’s sales target for next year?” Ding Lei asked casually as he lifted a bottle of whiskey and filled a third of a glass for Chen Yansen.

”One hundred million,” Chen Yansen said, accepting the glass and taking a small sip.

”Units sold?” Lei Yijun’s eyes widened in astonishment as he jumped in before Ding Lei could even react.

”You think I meant revenue?” Chen Yansen quipped.

”Doubling in a year? I’d say that’s definitely possible!” Ding Lei declared with conviction.

In his view, if even NetEase’s phones could move four to five million units in half a year, then after selling 50 million last year, Orange Mobile Phone could surely sell seventy to eighty million this year, even if they fell short of one hundred million.

”President Chen, a toast. To Orange Mobile Phone breaking the one-hundred-million-unit sales mark,” Liu Qiangdong interjected, raising his glass.

Ever since Orange Technology had returned to the Jingdong platform, Jingdong’s daily gross merchandise volume had increased by sixty to seventy million, which in turn had boosted its own valuation.

Thus, even though the two were competitors, Liu Qiangdong’s feelings toward Chen Yansen were complex; he wanted to be on good terms with him while remaining perpetually on guard.

”Thanks. I heard Jingdong’s gross merchandise volume surpassed 100 billion in 2012. Congratulations,” Chen Yansen responded with a smile, clinking glasses with Handsome Dong.

Liu Qiangdong’s expression stiffened, and his heart ached with bitterness.

Pinbei’s total annual sales had reached over 300 billion, far surpassing Jingdong.

Given the current state of the e-commerce industry, his bold proclamation of overtaking Ah Li in three years had become a joke. Now, even Pinbei stood before Jingdong like an insurmountable mountain.