Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

What businesses sought was nothing more than a stable and fair commercial environment, lower tax rates, and industrial land subsidies. Could Shencheng City really not offer the same terms as Luzhou?

What a joke!

When it came to attracting investment, Shencheng City was the boldest of them all!

”Since Mr. Yuan is asking, of course I’m available,” Chen Yansen agreed readily.

’It couldn’t hurt to talk. Who knows, there might be a pleasant surprise?’

Just then, another commotion erupted outside the door.

Chen Yansen turned his head. It was Ma Wenteng and Ma Liyun, walking in together. The founders of Penguin and Ali Baba, appearing at the same time, instantly became the focus of the media frenzy.

The moment Little Ma saw Chen Yansen and Yuan Ruli, he picked up his pace, striding purposefully toward them and leaving Ma Liyun behind in an instant.

Lao Ma took a couple of steps to catch up, but realizing his short legs couldn’t keep up, he simply stopped and, seizing the opportunity, began answering questions from the reporters.

”Mr. Yuan. President Chen,” Ma Wenteng said, raising a hand in greeting.

Then, he pulled Wu Ying, who was standing beside him, forward for an introduction. ”President Wu, this is Chen Yansen of Senlian Capital. President Chen, this is Mr. Wu Ying, the chairman of Huaze Investment.”

”President Wu, it’s a pleasure. I’ve heard so much about you.” Chen Yansen extended his right hand, sizing up the fully bearded man before him.

He was in his fifties, with a rather tragic hairline and a pair of heavy brows that gave his face a rugged look.

Although the ”Little Smart” phone system had long been relegated to the dustbin of history, Wu Ying had earned at least ten billion back in UTStarcom’s heyday.

”The Orange Mobile Phone is excellent, and the Aurora Future OS is every bit as good as Android and iOS,” Wu Ying stated frankly.

”We still have a long road ahead. If it weren’t for Mr. Ma’s strong support, the launch of Aurora Future OS wouldn’t have been nearly so smooth.”

Chen Yansen was buttering Ma Wenteng up.

”Huh? Is that Robin?” Wu Ying muttered suddenly, waving toward the entrance.

Li Yanhong was about to head over, but the moment he saw Chen Yansen, his brow furrowed.

DiDi Dache was being so thoroughly crushed by Fast Taxi it couldn’t even lift its head. Gaode Map was relentlessly squeezing the market share of Qian Du Map. As for Qian Du’s Delivery and Group Buy services, they were completely stagnant and no match for Kuai Pao whatsoever.

On top of that, Pinbei and Ah Li were forcing merchants into exclusive ”choose one” deals, which had half-crippled Qian Du Weigou. So how could he possibly be pleasant to Chen Yansen?

If it weren’t for the reporters, his expression would have soured long ago.

But since Wu Ying had called out to him personally, he couldn’t very well refuse.

After all, the man was an industry senior and wielded considerable influence in the IT field. Net worth aside, Wu Ying was considered a top-tier figure among the conference attendees.

Li Yanhong’s expression was a bit strained as he greeted Yuan Ruli, Wu Ying, and Ma Wenteng one by one. Finally, his gaze fell upon Chen Yansen.

Bound by decorum, he forced himself to speak. ”President Chen.”

”Ah, President Li. We meet again.” Chen Yansen extended his hand.

Li Yanhong subconsciously extended his right hand, but then he remembered the man’s terrifying strength. He was afraid Chen Yansen would pull a fast one and embarrass him.

His hand stopped halfway, hovering in mid-air, leaving him in an awkward limbo.

Seeing this, Chen Yansen couldn’t help but crack a smile. He saw right through Li Yanhong’s hesitation and scoffed inwardly. ’I’m an outstanding young entrepreneur, not a boxer. What, you think I’m going to beat you up or something?’

”The BATS are all here! Let’s get a photo together. With President Chen in the picture, it’ll generate even more buzz for the conference.”

Wu Ying subtly gave Li Yanhong a tug, pushing his right hand forward. Seeing their hands finally clasp, he then made his suggestion.

”An excellent idea, President Wu,” Yuan Ruli immediately chimed in.

Li Yanhong wanted to refuse, but since Yuan Ruli himself had spoken, he couldn’t very well slight such a heavyweight. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and join Chen Yansen, Ma Wenteng, and Ma Liyun on stage.

”Mr. Ma, as the most senior among us, it’s only right that you stand in the center.”

the three of them suggested in unison.

”You Little Siths, you’re just calling me short, aren’t you?” The corners of Ma Liyun’s mouth drooped. He wanted to roll his eyes, but after a glance at the cameras, he forced himself to hold back.

Ma Wenteng and Li Yanhong flanked him, while Chen Yansen stood on the outermost edge.

The four men squeezed out insincere smiles for the first-ever group photo of the ’BATS’ Sect Leaders.

Little Ma had the best control over his expression, delivering a perfect, ten-out-of-ten fake smile.

Lao Ma’s eyelids were half-closed, giving the subtle impression of a sneer that conveyed both arrogance and contempt.

Li Yanhong bared his teeth in something that was not quite a smile, looking somewhat pained.

Chen Yansen’s smile was the most brilliant, full of youthful energy yet not lacking in maturity.

In comparison, Little Ma looked like an underling, Lao Ma like a butler, and Li Yanhong like a security guard.

The conference staff member taking the photo had a strange look on his face. It wasn’t that Ma Wenteng and Li Yanhong were bad-looking or lacked presence—Lao Ma aside—but, as they say, comparisons are cruel.

Chen Yansen and the others came down from the stage, bade farewell to Yuan Ruli, and were led to their seats in the front row by a staff member.

The arrival of Facebook’s founder, Zuckerberg, also caused quite a stir.

From his place in the audience, Wang Tao stared at Chen Yansen for a long time. It was only after Chen Yansen had taken his seat that he hurried over to introduce himself. ”President Chen, hello. I’m Wang Tao, from DJI Innovation.”

Chen Yansen stood up and exchanged smiling pleasantries with Wang Tao.

Unlike many products that first established a foothold in the domestic market before ”going global,” both the Alexa Smart Speaker and the DJI Drone had followed a different path. They first gained recognition in the European and American Markets before being ”sold back” to China.

The previous October, DJI had launched its Ace One flight control system, which had attracted a fair amount of attention from the investment community.

When it came down to a choice between Senlian Capital and Redwood Capital, Wang Tao ultimately chose Senlian Capital, as they had a better understanding of overseas markets.

After all, the Alexa Smart Speaker had sold millions of units in the European and American Markets, and Senlian Capital possessed a vast and comprehensive network of both online and offline sales channels.