Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 374 A Gathering of Big Shots
Unfortunately, Ma Yun did not fall for it.

If Ma Yun falls for the trap and gains absolute control, he can delay the release of Alipay Insurance for a few more years.

Once Alipay is launched, the era of e-commerce will arrive. Although Musk's PayPal already exists overseas, PayPal and Alipay are completely different. At this time, PayPal only has one payment mode called email invoice mode, which is similar to eBay's money order. It sends invoices to customers via email. The content of the invoice is customized by the merchant. After receiving the invoice, the customer can choose the appropriate payment method as needed. This appropriate payment method includes, but is not limited to, money orders, bank transfers, etc.

While e-commerce is convenient, it has a major drawback: funds cannot be localized.

Under normal circumstances, when locals spend money locally, the money circulates locally.

The emergence of e-commerce and online shopping has led to a large amount of funds from all over the country converging in a certain location, which makes those regions without e-commerce conditions increasingly poor and eventually struggling to survive.

The initial intention of e-commerce for businesses is good: to serve businesses, and when businesses make profits, they pay taxes to the local area, thus revitalizing the local economy.

But gradually, e-commerce transformed into online shopping and completely changed its nature, shifting entirely online from a combination of offline and online channels.

Some regions have naturally advantageous conditions where items costing only a penny can be shipped free of charge, while in many other regions, shipping costs alone can amount to several dollars.

Although the difference is only a few dollars, the resulting gap is huge.

When all the money in the country is concentrated in a certain region or a certain group, there will be no good business to be done in the world.

Therefore, payment insurance cannot be implemented, and even if it is implemented, it needs to be subject to certain restrictions.

However, Cheng Yi wasn't sure he could rein in this wild horse that had run wild beside him.

This wild horse has an extremely imaginative mind and is full of fighting spirit.

Ma Yun is very good at controlling his emotions. He quickly acted as if nothing had happened and continued drinking and chatting with Cheng Yi and the others.

This was the most Cheng Yi had ever drunk since his rebirth.

In the year since his rebirth, Cheng Yi has occasionally taken a sip of alcohol, slowly working on building up his tolerance.

So after five or six beers, Cheng Yi's face only turned red.

They drank until 9 p.m., then Cheng Yi exchanged contact information with the three and took Lin Qingyin back to the Jin Mao Tower.

Lin Qingyin's phone kept ringing throughout the journey.

It was the accompanying mentor calling.

The tutor was getting anxious when he saw that Lin Qingyin hadn't returned so late.

As soon as Lin Qingyin got out of the Audi, a middle-aged woman rushed over angrily.

When she saw Cheng Yi, she was so angry she almost exploded. She yelled, "Cheng Yi? It's you? What were you doing with Lin Qingyin?"

"Let's have barbecue," Cheng Yi replied frankly.

This middle-aged woman is Sun Xiao, a master's supervisor at the School of Computer Science, Handong University.

Sun Xiao is highly respected in the School of Computer Science. She is a member of the "anti-Cheng faction" and once advocated that the school should severely punish Cheng Yi, who had been skipping classes.

Sun Xiao glared at Cheng Yi, then looked at Lin Qingyin and asked with concern, "Lin Qingyin, are you alright?"

"Teacher Sun, I'm sorry." Lin Qingyin said apologetically, "Cheng Yi and I went shopping and got something to eat. I forgot to tell you."

"It's good that you're alright. Did he do anything to you?" Sun Xiao asked with concern.

"No, no." Lin Qingyin understood what Sun Xiao was referring to, her cheeks flushed, and she said softly.

Sun Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and yelled at Cheng Yi, "Cheng Yi, don't think that just because Lin Shengjie is protecting you, I can't do anything to you! If you dare to make a move on Lin Qingyin, I'll go to the principal and demand an explanation!"

Cheng Yi smiled and said, "Teacher Sun, Lin Qingyin and I are boyfriend and girlfriend. We confirmed our relationship before entering university. We have been cooperating with the school's rules and regulations. At school, we have always pretended that we are not very familiar with each other, but in fact, I have obtained permission from Lin Qingyin's father."

"???" Sun Xiao wondered if she had misheard.

Lin Qingyin and Cheng Yi are actually boyfriend and girlfriend? And they even confirmed their relationship before they enrolled in school?
Cheng Yi continued, "Lin Qingyin and I are both from Dongcang County, Lanling City. Teacher Sun should know that, right?"

Sun Xiao fell silent.

She couldn't accept this reality.

Lin Qingyin's computer talent was among the best even in the elite class, and she was also very well-behaved.

Looking at Cheng Yi, this guy doesn't look like a student at all.

I really don't know how he got into Handong University.

Sun Xiao slowly looked at Lin Qingyin, and after seeing Lin Qingyin nod in agreement, Sun Xiao felt as if the sky had fallen.

How could this flower...?

Sun Xiao looked at Cheng Yi, this pile of cow dung, and said with a stern face, "Even if you two are boyfriend and girlfriend, you can't act like this! Tomorrow is the final of the competition! If you affect Lin Qingyin's performance, you will be a sinner of Handong University."

"So I quickly sent Lin Qingyin back." Cheng Yi laughed. "Alright, Teacher Sun, you should take Lin Qingyin back and get some rest. If Lin Qingyin doesn't get enough rest, you'll be a sinner against Handong University."

Before Sun Xiao could say anything more, Cheng Yi immediately got into the car and drove off.

He returned to the hotel and first called Du Yusheng, asking him to prepare the materials for signing a contract with Lianzhong Games.

Lianzhong Games' users are all high-quality, paying players. Trading the energetic young men from internet cafes for Lianzhong Games' paying players is an incredibly profitable business.

We must strike while the iron is hot.

He needs to make Lianzhong Games taste the sweetness before the legendary contract expires.

In this way, Lianzhong Games will become their strongest ally in the Momo Group.

In 2002, looking at the national game market, only Lianzhong Games could compete with Shengda.

The National Undergraduate Computer Game Competition Finals finally kicked off on the second day.

Cheng Yi arrived in the corridor early in the morning.

This time, several more high-profile figures appeared in the corridor. Not only did Bao Yueqiao come, but even Yang Yuanqing, the president of Lianxiang Group, was there.

When Cheng Yi stepped out of the elevator, Yang Yuanqing had just arrived.

At this moment, Yang Yuanqing was surrounded by a large group of internet tycoons.

When these internet moguls met Yang Yuanqing, it was as if they had met a major investor; they all rushed to hand her their business cards.

"Mr. Bao, aren't you going to hand over your business card?" Cheng Yi asked with a smile, standing next to Bao Yueqiao.

Bao Yueqiao said, "He and I are both among the top ten IT figures in China, and we've already exchanged business cards."

When Bao Yueqiao said that they had exchanged business cards, there was a clear hint of pride in his tone.

This is the president of Lianxiang Group, not just anyone.

In 2001, Lianxiang Group's market value had already reached 1100 billion, while Apple's market value was only 100 billion US dollars during the same period.

It's fair to say that Lianxiang Group is already a top-tier IT company in China. Bao Yueqiao should indeed feel proud to exchange business cards with the president of Lianxiang Group.

Bao Yueqiao said in a low voice, "Would you like me to introduce you to them later? Your Momo Group is in the internet cafe industry, so knowing Lianxiang Group would be a great help to you."

Cheng Yi shook his head and laughed, "Forget it, I'm not worthy."

“Yes.” Bao Yueqiao nodded and sighed, “We are too small to compete with Lianxiang Group.”

As they were talking, the elevator doors opened.

Five or six men in suits quickly stepped out of the elevator. As soon as they saw Yang Yuanqing, the middle-aged man in the lead immediately beamed with joy and hurried over, saying, "Oh dear, Mr. Yang, why didn't you tell us you were coming? We could have received you in advance. Look at the mess this has made; it's a serious dereliction of duty on our part."

Yang Yuanqing looked at the middle-aged man at the head of the group and said with a smile, "Mr. Li, you're too kind. I just happened to be passing by and came to take a look. I'll be leaving soon."

The middle-aged man's tone was full of obsequiousness as he said with a smile, "How can that be? Our chairman is on his way, and we absolutely must have a welcome dinner for you this noon."

Yang Yuanqing's expression was calm, and she said in a composed tone, "Alright, you can also call the organizers of this event. I'd like to meet them. Our Lianxiang Group still has a few openings. If necessary, we can choose from these winners."

“No problem.” The middle-aged man quickly smiled and said, “I will contact Chairman Xing of Dazhong Software Group right away. Being able to join Lianxiang is absolutely fantastic news for the contestants.”

"Yes, we don't have many spots available, at most five people." Yang Yuanqing nodded slowly, straightened his sleeves, and said.

"Who is this person?" Cheng Yi asked Bao Yueqiao in a low voice.

Bao Yueqiao whispered, "Li Xing, the general manager of Jin Mao Tower."

"Oh." Cheng Yi suddenly realized.

Yang Yuanqing's appearance immediately alarmed the senior management of Jinmao Tower. It has to be said that the influence of Lianxiang Group is truly terrifying.

In particular, the chairman of Lianxiang Group is hailed as the godfather of Chinese business.

Zhang Chaoyang and his group in the internet industry are just considered outcasts; companies like Jin Mao Tower, which focus on manufacturing, look down on these internet companies.

In the eyes of industrialists, these people in the internet industry are a bunch of charlatans and swindlers. They all share a consensus that the internet is practically a bubble.

So when Zhang Chaoyang and his group came over, the higher-ups at Jinmao Tower didn't even bother to lift their eyelids, but Yang Yuanqing was different.

As the right-hand man of the godfather of Chinese business, Yang Yuanqing's status is roughly equivalent to that of a junior godfather in the business world.

Yang Yuanqing casually handed the business cards she had just collected to her assistant and said to Li Xing, "Can I go in and take a look at the exam venue?"

“Of course, no problem. It’s an honor for these candidates that President Yang can personally inspect the area,” Li Xing said with a smile. “I’ll accompany President Yang.”

"Okay." Yang Yuanqing nodded slowly.

Li Xing quickly had the security guards remove the barriers and personally led the way, inviting Yang Yuanqing and her two companions into the competition venue.

Once Yang Yuanqing and his group had disappeared from sight, these internet moguls began to whisper among themselves.

Compared to Yang Yuanqing, their social status was vastly different.

For example, Sina, which had the highest revenue among the companies, only had $2470 million in revenue for the entire year of 2001, while Sohu's revenue for the entire year was only $1300 million.

They are not even worth a hair on the head of the Lianxiang Group.

In their eyes, Lianxiang Group is everything.

Yang Yuanqing's unexpected appearance shifted everyone's attention from recruiting genius programmers to Lianxiang Group. Now that Yang Yuanqing is here, they no longer need to consider top-tier programmers.

They simply cannot compete with Yang Yuanqing.

From their sighs, one could hear how much they admired Lianxiang Group.

"Looks like I came all this way for nothing." Bao Yueqiao shook his head helplessly and said, "I was originally planning to recruit a few better programmers to optimize our game lobby."

Cheng Yi smiled and said, "Our Momo Group can help with that."

“Oh right, I completely forgot about you guys.” Bao Yueqiao laughed. “Where did you get your programmers from Momo Group? They can even create computer systems.”

Bao Yueqiao's doubts are also the doubts of many people in the industry.

It seems rather absurd that someone who runs an internet cafe would create a commercially viable computer system.

Cheng Yi laughed and said, "I invited a group of retired employees from Huaxia Software Group."

"Retirees?" Bao Yueqiao's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

When will this kind of procedure be available for retired people?

Just as Bao Yueqiao was about to ask a question, the elevator doors opened again.

This time, it was Cheng Yi's old acquaintances who came out.

Chen Tianqiao and Luo Shenyi.

"Mr. Chen."

"Mr. Chen."

Upon seeing Chen Tianqiao, the internet moguls immediately began to greet him.

Chen Tianqiao's legendary story unexpectedly went viral, instantly propelling him to the top of the internet circle, making him the envy of many.

Chen Tianqiao's attitude was much better than Yang Yuanqing's. After all, Chen Tianqiao had only risen to prominence for less than a year, and his behavior was still very humble.

He looked around at everyone, smiling and nodding to greet each one.

When his head turned to Cheng Yi's position, the smile on his face vanished instantly.

When he saw Bao Yueqiao next to Cheng Yi, he managed a smile.

This is a man who has an exceptionally high level of control over his smile.

"Hello, Mr. Chen." Cheng Yi greeted Chen Tianqiao first.

Chen Tianqiao frowned slightly and said, "So President Cheng has come too."

Everyone present looked on with surprise when they saw Chen Tianqiao take the initiative to greet a young man.

Cheng Yi laughed and said, "It's just a coincidence. When I come across such a grand event, of course I have to come and join in the fun."

In Chen Tianqiao's view, Cheng Yi is the ultimate person responsible for leading the Momo Legend.

It can be said that, looking at the entire Momo Group, Chen Tianqiao only hates Cheng Yi.

Having already decided to sever ties with Momo Group, Chen Tianqiao naturally didn't have a friendly attitude towards Cheng Yi. He glanced at Luo Shengyi and deliberately said, "President Luo, President Cheng is coming over, why didn't you inform me?"

"I'm sorry, Chairman, you've been so busy lately, so I didn't dare disturb you," Luo Shengyi said immediately. "I've already met with President Cheng, and we had a very pleasant conversation."

(End of this chapter)