Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

His words sounded harmless, but this was 2013, a time when parents were calling for the gaming industry’s head. His praise was a trap; if the topic gained too much traction, Penguin would just get lambasted again.

When talking about himself, he subtly engaged in self-praise, implying that Ah Li had boosted employment.

He hadn’t said much, but every word was dripping with cunning.

”President Li, suburban housing prices in Hu City, Yan City, and Shencheng City have all surpassed ten thousand yuan per square meter, with some areas reaching as high as twenty to thirty thousand. What are your thoughts on the conflict between the high cost of talent and these exorbitant housing prices?”

The host, sensing the escalating tension, didn’t wait for the two Mas to speak and instead turned the floor over to Li Yanhong.

”Let me give you an example. We have a new employee at Qian Du, who’s been with the company for less than a year. He posted on our internal forum that he genuinely wants to work hard, but with his current salary, he can’t afford to buy a house. He can’t even cover the down payment. I don’t think that’s the right mindset to have.”

Li Yanhong paused before adding, ”Frankly, renting is perfectly comfortable. In fact, engineers in Silicon Valley can’t afford to buy houses just two or three years after graduating, either.

”The reality is, whether at Qian Du, Ah Li, or Penguin, our compensation packages are top-tier in the industry. Young people should be more patient and just wait a few more years.”

Ma Wenteng shook his head repeatedly. ’Li Yanhong is just talking out of his ass. He’s already got his, so he doesn’t give a damn if anyone else lives or dies.’

He took the initiative to speak. ”Why do young people want to buy a house so badly? It’s because housing prices have skyrocketed in recent years. When we were young, prices were relatively stable. We can’t use our old way of thinking to stifle the ambitions of today’s youth.”

”To retain talent, Penguin has put a lot of effort into this, including our Home Purchase Plan, which provides interest-free loans to employees.”

”Ah Li has a similar iHome program,” Ma Liyun added in agreement.

’President Li lives in a villa that’s over ten thousand square feet and has more money than he could ever spend. Why would he give a damn about his employees?’

’What’s this, is everyone ganging up on me?’

Displeased, Li Yanhong turned his gaze to Chen Yansen.

”Senlian Capital doesn’t have one,” Chen Yansen stated matter-of-factly.

Li Yanhong felt a wave of relief. Suddenly, Chen Yansen’s irritating face seemed a little more pleasant.

’Good, he wasn’t alone!’

”However, all of Senlian Capital’s subsidiary companies provide every employee—from customer service reps, delivery riders, and couriers to supervisors, directors, and general managers—with a monthly housing subsidy equal to 20% of their base salary.”

Chen Yansen added.

The smile on Li Yanhong’s face vanished.

The host understood immediately. ’If someone’s monthly salary was fifteen thousand, their housing subsidy would be three thousand—that’s thirty-six thousand a year.’

’Giving your employees cash outright is way better than just lending it to them!’

’That’s not a housing subsidy; it’s a home-buying subsidy!’

”Furthermore, I disagree with President Li’s viewpoint. He doesn’t understand young people. I, on the other hand, completely understand the struggles of my generation. Who doesn’t want to buy a car, own a home, and marry a beautiful wife as soon as possible? President Li tells young people to wait a few more years, but their future mothers-in-law won’t.”

Chen Yansen couldn’t resist twisting the knife.

His words were incredibly down-to-earth and resonated deeply with many people.

’High housing prices, high cost of living, high bride prices... and you’re telling us to wait?’

’Wait my ass!’

”So, President Chen, are you advocating for raising employee salaries?” the host asked.

”Raises aren’t the most important thing,” Chen Yansen said calmly. ”Either pay employees for their overtime, or give them back their time.”

’Overtime pay in the tech industry? What’s that?’

’The employees just have such a high sense of duty. They volunteer for overtime; the company can’t stop them!’

Ma Wenteng, Ma Liyun, and Li Yanhong all looked deeply uncomfortable.

’Overtime pay?’

’What’s that?’

”President Chen, do employees at Senlian Capital need to work overtime?” the host asked with a smile, trying to break the awkward silence.

”They do. I won’t deny that,” Chen Yansen replied.

The host immediately caught on. If Chen Yansen had the guts to say this out loud, it meant his company absolutely paid overtime in accordance with labor laws.

Considering the workload in the tech industry, factoring in overtime pay could easily double an employee’s monthly salary.

At first glance, the base salaries at companies like Orange Technology, Pinbei Mall, Today Technology, and Byte Technology were only considered upper-mid-range for the industry. But once quarterly bonuses and overtime pay were factored in, their total compensation instantly blew past that of the BAT companies.

”President Chen, Orange Pay has rolled out features like Yu’e Bao, payment codes, and money transfers, all without charging transaction fees. This is being viewed as a direct challenge to the banking industry. What are your true intentions?”

The host had figured it out—Chen Yansen was the real conversation starter.

”Orange Pay’s services, including transfers, Yu’e Bao, and payment codes, all rely on the existing infrastructure of the banking industry. Orange Pay has no intention of challenging the banking and financial sectors. We are partners. Injecting a bit of internet DNA will foster better development for the entire industry.”

Chen Yansen wasn’t about to take the bait. His response was perfect.

Some things can be said but not done; other things can be done but not said.

Launching a blatant, all-out attack on the banks would bring Senlian Capital no benefits whatsoever.

If there were enough profit in it, Chen Yansen wouldn’t mind being the one to lead the charge and play the part of a hot-blooded revolutionary for a day.

But his mental age was approaching forty. President Chen knew very well that you had to pick your battles.

”So young, yet so shrewd. He doesn’t act like a twenty-one-year-old at all,” Yuan Ruli muttered from her seat in the audience.

For the rest of the ’BATS’ Big Four panel, Chen Yansen completely controlled the narrative.

His statements seemed bold, yet they were underpinned by a calm, veteran savvy.

In short, he simultaneously elevated his own company, crushed his competitors, delighted users, and catered to the authorities.

The man was a master of rhetoric.

Many people in the audience had a sudden epiphany, staring at Chen Yansen in stunned silence.

’Did this guy come out of the womb reading *The Art of War*, *The Prince*, and *Game Theory*?’

’And you’re telling me he’s a junior in college?’

Although many had already revised their estimates of his intellect and emotional intelligence upward due to his business accomplishments, they now realized they had still grossly underestimated him.

「Time flew, and noon arrived in a flash.」

The panel discussion concluded successfully. The afternoon was scheduled for speeches from various industry representatives.

The two-hour break in between was for rest and a luncheon.

The moment Chen Yansen stepped into the banquet hall, dozens of hostile glares locked onto him.

”President Chen, you may have gotten your digs in this morning, but you’ve also managed to offend every one of your IT peers in Shencheng City,” Ma Wenteng sighed, whispering a reminder.

”I know what I’m doing.”

Chen Yansen said, unfazed.

He was a lot like Little Ma in that regard. The more industries you entered, the more people would resent you. It was only natural.

Rather than let those people curse him behind his back, he’d rather be the one to fire the first shot and get his own satisfaction.

”Let me introduce you to a few new people.”

Ma Wenteng smiled, pulling Chen Yansen deeper into the banquet hall.

’If Chen Yansen himself didn’t care, what was there for him to worry about?’

With Little Ma making the introductions, Chen Yansen exchanged pleasantries with the heads of BYD, New Meiya, Huaji, and other corporations one by one.

With Ma Wenteng around, there wasn’t a circle he couldn’t join. The man’s nicknames, ”The Local Tyrant of Shencheng City” and ”Nanshan Pizza Hut,” were well-earned and his track record was a matter of public record.

Don’t be fooled by the way Zhou Hongyi constantly teased Ma Wenteng on Weibo; he still had to obediently pay five million yuan in damages to Penguin.

It looked like Penguin had lost face in the aftermath of the 3Q War, but in reality, 360 lost both face and ground.

Penguin Security Butler’s market share was soaring.

「Meanwhile.」

Chen Yansen’s speech at the ’IT Leaders Summit’ was reported by the media and quickly went viral.

Search terms like ”The Next Wave,” ”Senlian Capital Housing Subsidy,” and ”Pay Young People Their Overtime” were all over the trending news.

”A self-made billionaire who’s still willing to speak up for the younger generation. Just what you’d expect from a great boss.”

”President Chen’s father runs a small bookstore. He comes from an ordinary family, just like the rest of us. Of course he can empathize with young people.”

”FUCK! I’m only buying Orange Mobile Phones from now on!”

”Are the housing subsidy and overtime pay for real?”

”I’m a Kuai Pao delivery driver. I swear on my life, Chen Yansen didn’t tell a single lie.”

”I’m one of the Cloud Speed Couriers. The company pays for our social security and bought us accident insurance, third-party liability insurance, and supplemental commercial insurance. Everyone gets the housing subsidy and overtime pay.”

”Reporting from the Luzhou Orange Phone Factory! Room and board are covered, and overtime is calculated down to the minute. My greatest wish in this life is to work for President Chen in the next one, too!”

Although there were some doubtful voices in the comments, they were quickly drowned out by a flood of testimonials from Senlian Capital’s low-level employees.

In response, sales of the Qingcheng D2, Orange C3S, and Yaocheng X1 skyrocketed.

Downloads for products like Kuai Pao, Cloud Speed, Gaode, Toutiao, and the Lingxi Browser also saw a modest increase.

Chen Yansen had achieved his goal.

With just a few simple sentences, he had successfully built up his corporation’s public image.

He had subtly cultivated countless potential customers for Senlian Capital.

This group of people might not have the money to support Senlian Capital at the moment, but one day, they would transform into a tide of astonishing purchasing power.

After all, users grow up.