I can become stronger by paying salaries. I have one billion employees!

Chapter 288 Handsome Dong, you really collect junk? Expected revenue of 80 billion US dollars!

In late August, a gentle breeze blew through the city, adding a touch of coolness to the evening.

At the entrance of the most luxurious Sky Garden Hotel in the city center, Chen Yansen smiled faintly at the middle-aged man who came to greet him, and took two more steps forward.

"Is Mr. Ma here to attend Orange Mobile's new product launch?"

Chen Yansen stopped and looked at Ma Wenteng, asking a question.

What does Mr. Chen think?

With a smile, Ma Wenteng grasped Chen Yansen's right hand and asked in a noncommittal manner.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Chen Yansen shrugged.

“We’ve only met two or three times, and Tencent has already invested five or six hundred million US dollars in you. If you don’t come to this virtual city soon, I’ll have to visit Luzhou.”

Ma Wenteng smiled and teased her.

Liu Zhiping stood to one side, followed by four bodyguards and assistants.

The news that Senlian Capital bought a 47-square-meter industrial land in Luzhou to build its headquarters building had already spread throughout the industry.

"Is Mr. Ma worried about my abilities, or about my project?"

Chen Yansen casually joked, then nodded to Liu Zhiping and gave him a brief greeting.

"Martin, see this? This kid hasn't changed at all since two years ago. He's still confident and arrogant."

Ma Wenteng nudged Liu Zhiping beside him and shook his head helplessly.

Although his face wore a mocking expression, his eyes were full of admiration.

He seemed to see his former self in Chen Yansen, dashing and spirited.

Even in terms of business achievements, Chen Yansen far surpasses him.

After all, when he was twenty, he was still holed up in the computer lab at Shenzhen University coding, while Chen Yansen had already become a figure stirring up the business world in China.

“Talented people are usually like that,” Liu Zhiping said, adjusting his glasses and playing the straight man.

“Yes, Martin makes a good point.” Ma Wenteng nodded in agreement.

Chen Yansen was both amused and exasperated. The two people in front of him, one with a net worth of over 40 billion and the other with a net worth of over 2 billion, were actually making fun of him in a coordinated way.

"Mr. Ma, this is Zhou Shouzhi, the new CFO of Orange Technology, and this is Ye Qiuping, the brand director of Orange Technology."

Chen Yansen changed the subject, pointing to Zhou Shouzhi and introducing him.

As the chief steward of Senlian Capital, Gao Weilin was already familiar to Ma Wenteng and Liu Zhiping due to the financing cooperation with Pinbei, so there was no need for a special introduction.

"Nice to meet you!" Ma Wenteng's gaze swept over Zhou Shouzhi and Ye Qiuping.

He knew Zhou Shouzhi, co-founder of DST Capital Greater China. It is said that Zhou's wife's family is quite influential in the North American financial circle.

Although Ye Qiuping had never heard of her, the fact that Chen Yansen kept her by his side meant she was probably one of Chen Yansen's "own people".

Therefore, Ma Wenteng gave them ample face, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with them without showing any arrogance.

"Mr. Ma, let's go inside and talk."

Chen Yansen glanced around and saw that some passersby had already recognized him and Ma Wenteng and were standing in small groups discussing them, with some even holding up their phones.

"Stop calling me Mr. Ma all the time. Just call me Pony, like Martin does."

Ma Wenteng responded and turned to walk into the hotel side by side with Chen Yansen.

In his view, Chen Yansen, who owns companies such as Orange Technology, Pinbei, and Yunsu Express, already has a status that is equal to his own.

"Okay, Pony! But everyone calls me Brother Sen, this..."

Chen Yansen readily agreed and replied in a low voice.

Ma Wenteng was slightly taken aback, his face stiffened, and his lips twitched. He wanted to laugh but forcibly held it back. Liu Zhiping, however, couldn't help himself and burst into laughter.

Ma Wenteng looked slightly embarrassed and rolled his eyes at Liu Zhiping. He had underestimated how shameless and ruthless Chen Yansen was, who actually wanted to take advantage of him.

"Just kidding," Chen Yansen added with a grin.

"Ah Sen, let's go inside and talk slowly."

Ma Wenteng pulled Chen Yansen along and headed straight for the elevator.

The group arrived at a private room on the top floor and took their seats in turn. Gao Weilin called over a waitress and asked her to fetch two bottles of fine wine that Chen Yansen had previously stored there.

"When it comes to business, Ah Sen is the best. He's handsome and shrewd. In this search engine war, you hid behind the scenes and ate up a lot of market share, didn't you?"

Ma Wenteng took off his suit jacket, revealing himself wearing only a white shirt, and asked slowly.

"Only 4%, less than half of 360 Search's," Chen Yansen replied casually.

4%? That's all?

Ma Wenteng snorted coldly and said irritably, "Penguin Search has been around for six years, and its market share is only 2.9%."

You're so bad, and you still want to compete with me?

Chen Yansen couldn't help but complain in his heart, but he comforted the company by saying, "Tencent's home turf is in the fields of games and social software, and so is the company. There are always strengths and weaknesses, and it is impossible to be good at everything."

In 2011, Tencent's total revenue was 292 billion yuan, with games accounting for 64% and advertising revenue accounting for 21%.

In reality, however, Penguin's business spans more than 20 sectors, but very few of its projects are profitable.

It is evident that, apart from games and advertising, Ma Huateng's methods for monetizing Tencent are rather unremarkable.

To put it bluntly, Tencent's current business model heavily relies on social traffic and game monetization. Its e-commerce, group buying, search, and security products are all questionable, like leeches clinging to Tencent, wasting resources without producing anything in return.

"Hasn't Asen ever thought about making games?" Ma Wenteng asked tentatively, squinting his eyes.

"I have no interest in the gaming industry. Let Tencent, NetEase, Perfect World, and Shanda handle it. As long as Orange Technology makes good terminal devices, it can still make a considerable profit from the gaming industry."

Chen Yansen said dismissively.

The implication is that Senlian Capital has no intention of getting involved in the gaming industry. Since it can obtain corresponding profits through advertising fees, recharge commissions, and other means, there is no need to do everything.

After listening, Ma Wenteng pondered the meaning behind Chen Yansen's words repeatedly.

Tencent now faces the choice of whether to pursue a "large and comprehensive" development model or focus on its core strengths and shift towards leveraging its traffic.

This is also his main purpose for this trip!
Two weeks ago, JD.com's handsome young man, Dong, approached Liu Zhiping seeking a financing plan. After a conversation, Ma Wenteng believed that Tencent's e-commerce ecosystem should not be entirely entrusted to Pinduoduo.

The two hit it off immediately and reached a cooperation agreement on the spot.

Ma Wenteng wanted to diversify investment risks, while Liu Qiangdong wanted to leverage Tencent's traffic resources to increase Tencent's IPO valuation.

Ali, Pinduoduo, and JD.com – who will have the last laugh? Nobody can say for sure.

By supporting another e-commerce platform, Ma Wenteng could increase his chances of winning. His idea was exactly the same as Yuri's at DST Capital.

However, Yuri was even more ruthless, wanting to invest in all three companies! If Chen Yansen hadn't refused, DST would probably have invested in all three of the top e-commerce companies in China.

"When will Pinbei's Series B financing begin?" Ma Wenteng asked directly.

Although he had long been prepared to accept Jingdong, he still had to consider which side should be given more support.

That depends on how much of a bargaining chip Chen Yansen is willing to offer.

"General Manager Gao is still communicating with people from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Goldman Sachs, probably after September."

Chen Yansen raised his eyelids and stared intently at Ma Wenteng.

Judging from the other party's sudden visit and the tone of their inquiry, it's not hard to guess that Tencent's attitude towards Pinduoduo has undergone a complete change.

“Let’s raise funds in stages, with Tencent investing first,” Ma Wenteng immediately suggested.

"Is Tencent eyeing a new project in the e-commerce sector? JD.com, Suning, or Gome?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yansen became even more certain, so he went straight to the point and asked, his expression calm and showing no sign of emotional fluctuation.

He knew in his heart that even if Tencent invested in Pinduoduo and JD.com, it would not extinguish its ambition to do e-commerce.

A few years later, Ma Wenteng tried a series of e-commerce projects, including WeChat Mini Store, Xiaoe Pinpin, Penguin Huiju, QQ Mini Store, and Eman Upin.

They just didn't make a splash; either no one used them, or they went bankrupt.

'Feeling dissatisfied?'

'Doesn't matter?'

Ma Wenteng secretly observed Chen Yansen's facial expression, but he quickly gave up. The man's shrewdness was far beyond his years. Even a seasoned businessman like himself couldn't glean any information from Chen Yansen's face.

“It’s Liu Qiangdong, Liu Qiangdong is willing to take over QQ Shopping, Paipai.com and Yixun.com,” Ma Wenteng said truthfully after thinking for a moment.

Is Handsome Dong really a junk collector now?
Chen Yansen scoffed, but he understood that Liu Qiangdong had no choice.

Tunghwa's two IPO attempts both failed, with brokerages in Hong Kong and the United States offering only a low valuation of US$60 billion.

Liu Qiangdong's bottom line is 120 to 150 billion US dollars, so he would rather bear the pressure from investors than go public at a loss.

He saw an opportunity for JD.com in the strategic partnership between Pinduoduo and Tencent.

Despite Ma Wenteng's extremely harsh conditions, he reluctantly agreed.

Who wouldn't want WeChat and QQ as primary traffic entry points?

"If Pinbei fully acquires QQ Shopping, Paipai.com, and Yixun.com, can Tencent sign an exclusivity agreement with Senlian to ensure that neither third-party e-commerce nor its own e-commerce will compete with Pinbei for traffic resources?"

Chen Yansen asked seriously.

Ma Wenteng took a deep breath and refused without hesitation: "Ah Sen, you can't put all your eggs in one basket. Whether Penguin can do e-commerce and whether it can do e-commerce well are two different things."

A fully functional man who doesn't marry or have children shouldn't be sent to become a eunuch.

Chen Yansen smiled. Although he was unhappy, he would make the same choice if he and Ma Wenteng switched roles.

Fortunately, he had taken precautions, and the daily active users of Lingxi Browser and Toutiao were also growing rapidly, which could still bring sufficient external traffic to Pinbei.

At this moment, several well-built, young and beautiful waitresses slowly walked over, and in no time, the mahogany-based, marble-paved table was filled with all kinds of exquisite dishes.

Gao Weilin skillfully opened the wine bottle and filled the glasses of Chen Yansen, Ma Wenteng, Liu Zhiping and others.

"Asen, Pinduoduo remains the most important part of Tencent's e-commerce ecosystem, and the primary traffic entrances of QQ and WeChat will always be open to Pinduoduo."

Ma Wenteng picked up his wine glass and said with a serious expression.

forever?

Chen Yansen found it amusing; even relationships can't last forever, so how could a business possibly sustain one?
"Thank you, Tencent will always be Senlian's strategic partner." Chen Yansen clinked glasses with Ma Wenteng and replied with a smile.

That's how it is at drinking parties; people say things they don't mean, things they don't even believe themselves.

It's all just mutual deception!

Chen Yansen has never considered getting involved in the gaming industry, but who knows what might happen in a year, two years, or three years?

People always change!
When the era of widespread 3G network coverage, 4G network license issuance, and faster speeds and lower prices arrives, Senlian Capital will inevitably take advantage of the explosive growth of the short video sector and then covet the huge pie of social software.

Ma Wenteng's feelings at that time must have been very complicated.

But at this moment, the two seemed incredibly affectionate, calling each other "Ah Sen" and "Pony".

After a few rounds of drinks, Ma Wenteng's face was flushed, his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and he was smoking a cigarette with a contented expression.

In his early forties, he had no worries at all. If he did have any, it was that he had too much money to spend and wanted to expand his business to earn more money.

The two chatted about everything from Pinduoduo to Kuaidi Dache, and finally about Ali's IPO.

"You still have 0.8% of Ali's shares?" Ma Wenteng asked.

Road.

“It’s 1% now, plus another 1.13% of Zhifubao’s equity,” Chen Yansen nodded in reply.

"Based on the latest business data from Ali, Wall Street brokers have given it a valuation of 780 billion US dollars," Ma Wenteng said, slightly unconvinced.

This number has already exceeded the US stock market capitalization of Penguin.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Penguin's profit model was too simple and its scale was not large enough. In the eyes of European and American investors, it was not even as good as Alibaba.

At the same time, he greatly admired Chen Yansen's choice.

A year ago, Rakuten, Augusta, and Ali joined forces to acquire Senhai Technology (FoxTao). Faced with two payment options, cash and equity, Chen Yansen chose the latter.

A 1% stake may seem small, but it was worth $7.8 million, more than double its value at the time.

Chen Yansen remained silent. To prevent the dilution of his equity, in mid-last month, Senlian Capital increased its investment in Ali's Pre-IPO round of financing, raising its shareholding from 0.8% to 1%.

Once Ali goes public, they can cash out at the peak of the stock price, which would be worth at least 70 to 80 billion US dollars.

The drinking party didn't finally end until 10:30 p.m.

Chen Yansen and Ye Qiuping were in one car, while Gao Weilin and Zhou Shouzhi were in another. After leaving the hotel, they quickly disappeared into the night.

“Martin, from a business investment perspective, I did nothing wrong.” Ma Wenteng stood by the window and turned his gaze back.

"Yes," Liu Zhiping affirmed.

He understood Ma Wenteng's truest thoughts. This seemingly declarative yet inquiring question was not asking for his opinion, but rather seeking his approval.

Anyone who dares to contradict Ma Wenteng to his face will be kicked out of the "one of us" list.

On the other side, Chen Yansen, sitting in the car, took out his phone and pulled up his call log.

Chen Yizhou made three phone calls at 6:20 PM, 8:15 PM, and 9:30 PM, sounding very anxious.

(End of this chapter)