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

Chapter 529 A meteoric rise! 1223 billion US dollars! Crushing Facebook, becoming the second largest internet company in China!

7 PM, Chun Shen No. 2 Middle School, Grade 11, Class 8.

Fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boys, dressed in blue and white school uniforms, were engrossed in doing their exams under the cool lamplight.

Some people hid their Qingcheng phones under the table, busy scrolling through Douyin (TikTok); some had just finished dinner, their heads still hot and dizzy; some opened "Three Years of Simulation, Five Years of College Entrance Examination" and did reading comprehension exercises.

With the doors and windows tightly closed, the carbon dioxide levels in the classroom were too high, and many people felt drowsy.

"You damn principal, I'm only a first-year high school student, and I have to study until 10:15 in the evening. Have some decency! I really want to call and complain about this."

"Hey, how about we skip class and play a round of challenge mode at New Wave?"

"No way! I might consider playing League of Legends, but CrossFire is outdated, I'm not playing it."

"One hour each?"

"make a deal!"

In the last row of the sunny beach area, two boys with bluish-black fuzz on their lips chuckled and then tried to sneak out from backstage.

"Where do you want to go?"

Zhang Li, holding a computer, stood blocking the back door, watching the two of them with a smile.

"Teacher Zhang, my legs are numb. I'd like to get up and move around a bit."

"Teacher Zhang, me too."

The two boys smiled awkwardly, and quickly came up with a lame excuse.

"Go back! Sit down!"

Zhang Li rolled her eyes at the two of them.

After saying that, she took her laptop and walked up to the podium, saying softly, "Watch the live stream tonight; your senior Chen's company has gone public."

Wow! It feels so good not to have to go to class!

"Chen Yansen is really awesome! This company is worth hundreds of billions. If I get a hundred million, I won't have to study anymore."

"I heard that Senior Chen donated 80 million yuan to No. 2 High School, and there is a Yansen Library in the new campus."

"Forgot the 'I heard'! The cash prizes for the top ten in every monthly exam are all paid for by the senior students. Do you think Baldy Wang would be willing to give out money?"

The students were whispering among themselves.

Wang Tuzi's full name is Wang Shiyang, and he is also the principal of Chun Shen No. 2 Middle School.

Zhang Li smiled and shook her head. She set up the projector, opened the Douyin desktop version, typed "Pinbei," and the first result was the official live stream entrance.

She clicked on it and saw the screen displaying the entrance to the New York Stock Exchange, with Pinbei's core business philosophy hanging on the six pillars: Customer First, Integrity-Based, Agile Innovation, Collaborative Coexistence, Ultimate Efficiency, and Responsibility.

The bright orange color is extremely eye-catching!
Below is a huge billboard with the words 'Pinbei Group' printed on it.

The staff in the Douyin live stream gave an introduction in both Chinese and English throughout the entire process. Then the scene switched to the entrance of the exchange's lobby.

Chen Yansen, Ma Wenteng, Duan Yongping, Musk, and Zhou Jiancheng stood in a row, smiling and chatting amiably.

This scene thrilled the students in the audience.

In their eyes, they were not far from Chen Yansen.

Strictly speaking, they were all Chen's juniors, only six years apart.

Zhang Li moved a chair and sat down to watch as well.

She knew in her heart that Chen Yansen was probably the most outstanding student she had ever had, without exception.

at the same time.

The auditorium of the Virtual City Academy was also broadcasting a live stream of Pinduoduo's IPO.

Chen Yansen's reputation at school far surpasses Tang Qingshan's; at the very least, he ensures that everyone can enjoy air conditioning.

Senlian Capital's cloud customer service positions also have preferential policies for students from the virtual college. Any college student who wants to do part-time work can earn 12 yuan per hour as long as their typing speed is up to standard.

Many students at Virtual City Academy dream of getting a job at Senlian Capital after graduation.

"Brother Sen is amazing! Everyone here attends the same school, the difference between them is just too big."

“880 billion US dollars, even if you spend 1 million US dollars a year, it would take 800 years to spend it all.”

"I really envy the senior students who started their businesses with Brother Sen. Now they are all worth tens of millions, and some even have hundreds of millions."

"It is said that when Brother Sen sold FoxTao, more than a dozen people gave up their million-dollar annual salary with Ali and chose to start over with Brother Sen. Unexpectedly, their efforts have paid off in just two years."

The majority of the audience in the auditorium were students from the School of Literature and Communication, who were all talking at once.

The deans of various departments sat in the first row. Tang Qingshan, holding a teacup, stared at the projection screen with a ruddy complexion.

Student officers from the school's publicity department watched the live stream while taking notes of key points, preparing to write an article to publish on the school's official website.

the other side.

Inside and outside the No. 5 and No. 6 office buildings in Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park, where Pinbei is located, the area is brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. On each floor, various kinds of food and drinks are displayed, and carnival activities are being held simultaneously.

"Brother Li sent out a notification, hurry up and go to the first floor to collect your gold coins!"

Someone suddenly shouted.

The others quickly opened the Yunzhou project group, and after confirming that the information was correct, they excitedly walked up the stairs or took the elevator to the lobby on the first floor.

They were distributed among departments, with the customer service department receiving them first.

Pinbei's listing commemorative gifts are simple: a gold coin and a health-preserving hammer shaped like a hammer.

The gold coin features the Pinbei brand logo on the front, and it looks quite heavy.

"Brother Li, how many grams is this?"

Customer Service Director Fei Qiwen looked at Xiong Li and asked.

Xiong Li rolled his eyes and said with a wry smile, "President Fei, could you please stop calling me Brother Li?"

“Okay, Brother Li,” Fei Qiwen said seriously.

"..." Xiong Li waved his hand weakly and replied helplessly, "50 grams, the same for everyone."

50 grams?
The customer service staff gasped in astonishment. These weren't gold coins; they were gold ingots!

Based on a price of 240 yuan per gram, this gold coin is worth 1.2 yuan!

With over 6,000 employees in the company, each receiving one piece, the total value exceeds 70 million!

"Brother Sen is really generous! Other companies offer gold coins in 5 or 10 grams, but we start with 50 grams!"

"Gold is great! I'll melt it down and make a gold bracelet for my mom!"

"Only a fool would subscribe to this! There are only a little over six thousand of these in the entire company. What a great souvenir!"

The customer service staff in line were chatting and laughing.

The LED screen on the second floor was displaying live footage from across the ocean.

In fact, besides Douyin, Mimo also opened a live streaming room.

The difference between the two is that the former is aimed at domestic audiences, while the latter is aimed at overseas audiences.

The number of real-time viewers on both platforms skyrocketed, exceeding ten million before 8 o'clock.

The live stream featured frequent lucky draws and password-protected red envelopes, as well as perks like Pinduoduo coupons, Kuaidi Dache coupons, and OFO cycling coupons.

at the same time.

Chen Yansen and Ma Ge walked into the exchange hall together. As soon as they stopped, financial media from home and abroad surrounded them.

"Mr. Chen, what do you think is the significance of Pinduoduo to China and the internet industry?"

A reporter from the National Daily asked a question while holding up a microphone.

"In 2013, which is about to end, Pinbei helped 63.7 merchants achieve a transaction volume of 6719 billion yuan and created more than 400 million jobs. I think this is the value of Pinbei's existence."

Chen Yansen smiled gently and answered confidently and calmly.

"Mr. Chen, why are there not only Pinbei's investors and executives, but also Pinbei's users, merchants, and deliverymen among the representatives ringing the bell? What is your reasoning for doing this?"

A reporter from The New York Times asked.

“It was thanks to Pony’s investment and support that Pinbei was able to take its first step, and Mr. Zhou was the first brand to join Pinbei. These eight people are the cornerstone of Pinbei’s success.”

Chen Yansen immediately switched to English and began to speak fluently.

His fluency and captivating delivery of language stunned the overseas journalists present.

After all, everyone knows that Chen Yansen's college entrance examination score was only above the second-tier university admission line, and his English score was 80, which was not even a passing grade.

"Mr. Chen, what are your thoughts after becoming the richest person in China and the world?"

A reporter from Forbes magazine asked a third question.

"To be honest, I don't feel anything at all. How much money I make is not important; what matters is how much I spend it."

Chen Yansen shrugged. "Mr. Chen, Pinduoduo, as China's second-largest e-commerce platform, has developed rapidly since its inception. What is your next goal? Is it to defeat Alibaba, or to take the first step towards internationalization and compete with Amazon?"

A reporter from Time magazine stepped forward and looked at Chen Yansen, asking him a question.

"In fact, Pinbei has already taken its first step towards internationalization. Pinbei International's cross-border business achieved sales of 1000 billion yuan in 2013. We have sold cosmetics, health products and trendy clothing from North America to Asia. Recently, we have also been communicating with farms and ranches in South America to bring local beef, lamb and cherries to the tables of Chinese people."

Competition is merely a symptom of internationalization, not its purpose!

Pinduoduo will definitely expand to more countries and regions in the future, but our goal is not to defeat or eliminate anyone, but to build a platform to help more people do business well.

Chen Yansen didn't fall into the other party's trap at all, and instead spoke evasively.

A group of reporters from top international media outlets exchanged bewildered glances. They were surprised to find that Chen Yansen's response was watertight, making it difficult to uncover any juicy news. So they turned their microphones around and pressed Ma Wenteng for answers:
"Mr. Ma, according to Tencent's investment timeline, Pinbei's app hadn't even been launched yet, and you hadn't even seen the product prototype, yet you still gave Mr. Chen 3 million US dollars. What prompted you to make this decision?"

Little Ma did not answer immediately, but instead turned his gaze to Chen Yansen.

He knew very well who the main character was today.

Chen Yansen nodded slightly, indicating that Ma Wenteng could do as he pleased, because he only cared about the upcoming inquiry, issue price, and opening price.

At that moment, Harvey Schwartz, the global co-head of Goldman Sachs' securities division, walked over and whispered, "Mr. Chen, David Eisrich, the vice president of the NYSE, has arrived."

Chen Yansen immediately understood, made an apologetic gesture to the media, and then, accompanied by Harvey, walked towards the podium where David Eisridge was speaking.

Pony Ma's voice came from behind: "Investing is actually very simple, not that complicated. First, you have to see if the entrepreneur is reliable, and second, you have to see if the project is reliable. I personally have great faith in Chen Yansen's abilities, which is why Tencent has successively participated in the financing of Kuaidi Pao, Kuaidi Dache and OFO Bike."

Zhou Jiancheng, Wang Zihao, Song Yuncheng, Meng Xibo, Zhou Lijuan, Ding Yuhang, and Lu Hua also received media attention, being bombarded with questions by reporters from home and abroad.

"David, this is Mr. Chen Yansen, the founder of Pinbei."

Harvey from Goldman Sachs Securities Department led Chen Yansen to a middle-aged white man and introduced him.

"Mr. Chen, welcome!"

David Eisridge extended his right hand, greeting him with a broad smile.

Pinbei's choice of the New York Stock Exchange can bring considerable direct economic benefits to the NYSE, such as listing service fees and software fees. It can also attract more investors to open accounts and trade on the NYSE, creating growth opportunities for other related businesses of the NYSE and increasing indirect revenue.

Meanwhile, Pinduoduo raised $88 billion on the day of its IPO, breaking the NYSE's fundraising record set in 2013.

It's worth noting that Hilton Worldwide, a subsidiary of Blackstone Group, only raised $23.5 billion.

Chen Yansen shook hands with the other party, a smile playing on his lips, and exchanged pleasantries with composure.

In front of the reporter's camera, he was surrounded by a group of Goldman Sachs and NYSE executives, giving him the air of being the center of attention.

Flashes of light kept going off!
The president of Goldman Sachs' securities division leaned over and whispered to him, while several directors from the New York Stock Exchange stood to his left and right. Chen Yansen, standing at 1.86 meters tall, was extremely conspicuous in the crowd.

Young, energetic, tall and handsome.

As a representative of young Chinese entrepreneurs, Chen Yansen has an excellent appearance—handsome, tall, and capable—plus a staggering net worth of 1000 billion US dollars, which has easily garnered him hundreds of millions of fans worldwide.

Some of the comments in the live stream chat were extremely offensive.

For example, "Is it big?" or "It has a great figure, but I don't know how strong it is."

When women in Europe and America get a little wild, men have absolutely no say.

Domestic media outlets such as Sina, NetEase, Sohu, Tencent, and Toutiao are all providing text, images, and selected video reports.

On the homepages of major portal websites, there is almost always a half-body photo of Chen Yansen standing at the entrance of the New York Stock Exchange, waving at the camera.

The overwhelming media coverage made Chen Yansen's name known in every corner of the internet.

At nine o'clock, David Eisridge took to the stage and slowly recounted Pinbei's entrepreneurial background, experience, and achievements. He also stated frankly that due to the booming investment market, Pinbei's price inquiry process was very likely to be delayed.

Price inquiry is the best way to determine a reasonable offering price, balancing the common interests of issuers, investors, and the market, and avoiding resource misallocation caused by price distortion.

To put it simply, it depends on the situation; if there's a strong demand, the issue price will be raised again.

The interests of listed companies, securities firms, and stock exchanges are aligned; they work together to drive up stock prices and make money together.

The news came as a shock to all potential investors.

Based on Pinduoduo's estimated annual transaction volume of 6700 billion yuan, and combined with the valuation forecasts of Alibaba by investment banks such as Morgan Stanley, and comparing data with peers, Pinduoduo is at most worth 700 billion US dollars.

The offering price has risen from $34 to $40 per share, which is already a premium. Will it rise further?
Time passed by second by second, and before we knew it, it was 9:30.

Chen Yansen strode onto the stage, followed closely by Ma Wenteng, Zhou Jiancheng, Song Yuncheng, Huang Zheng, and others.

Each person held a small wooden mallet and, circling the bronze bell, symbolically struck it once.

"Boom--!"

In an instant, the bells rang in all four trading areas of the New York Stock Exchange!

Of course, the sound was not produced by Chen Yansen and his group, but by an electric bell, which was synchronously controlled by a unified control console.

The audience erupted in applause and cheers!

Reporters from CCTV, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and other media outlets, carrying cameras, kept their lenses fixed on Chen Yansen.

Although Pinduoduo's market value is not high, and it can't even make it into the top ten in the world, only barely making it into the top thirty, its founder has a big background. He was the world's richest man in 2013. This alone can bring tens of thousands of views to major media outlets.

Local New York television talk shows are all secretly vying for the right to interview Chen Yansen for the first time in North America.

However, after the market opened, Pinbei's shares were not issued for a long time!

Market demand is high, and inquiries are rising steadily!
After repeated communication with underwriters, investment institutions, and market makers, Chen Yansen and Huang Zheng finally settled on a final offering price of $42 per share an hour later.

Officially on sale at 10:03 AM!
Pinbei's stock code is 'PINB', and it instantly turned green!

Buy orders far outnumber sell orders!

The stock price soared from $42 and broke through the $43 mark in less than ten minutes.

Half an hour later, it broke through 44 US dollars!

An hour later, it reached $45!

"Oh my God! This price is outrageous!"

"Its market capitalization is almost 1000 billion US dollars!"

"Who exactly is buying? $45 is insane!"

Media representatives, financial institution representatives, and securities professionals from the United States stared wide-eyed at the exchange's electronic display screens, occasionally letting out low growls.

At 11:07 AM, Pinduoduo's market value surpassed 1000 billion US dollars!
China's second company with a market capitalization exceeding 100 billion US dollars has emerged!

Wang Zihao, Meng Xibo, and the others stared in disbelief, their mouths agape, while their minds raced as they calculated the value of their shares.

Song Yuncheng stood to the side, her eyes fixed intently on Chen Yansen. In her eyes, there was only the master who was teaching her knowledge and posture step by step.

Harvey Schwartz, head of Goldman Sachs' securities division, was visibly excited. Clearly, underwriting Pinbei's stock had brought substantial profits to the company and earned him considerable commissions.

At this time, it was past midnight in China, but millions of people were still watching the live stream.

"Holy crap! The last password was a red envelope worth 888 yuan!"

"They're all gone! They're all sold out! I couldn't even get one of the 10,000 spots. I'm practically crippled!"

"Hehe, the largest denomination is 4999 yuan, don't ask me how I know."

"Damn! The 10 yuan coupon from Pinduoduo can only buy a pack of toilet paper!"

After Pinduoduo's market value exceeded 1000 billion US dollars, Douyin staff released a red envelope code and distributed tens of millions of yuan in cash red envelopes in one go.

Investors' enthusiasm had not yet subsided, and at 1:43 p.m. in New York, after several rounds of ups and downs, Pinduoduo's stock broke through the $49 mark.

At 2:19 PM, it reached $55!

After 2:40 PM, the stock price began to pull back!
Peak price: $55.1!

The closing price was $48.6, and the market capitalization was $1078.9 billion!
It has a market capitalization more than $300 billion higher than Facebook, and only more than $200 billion lower than Amazon, Intel, and Tencent.

Bloomberg's headline read, "Pinbei's IPO raises $88 billion, setting a new NYSE record and potentially becoming the biggest bubble of 2013!"

For most people, Pinduoduo's stock price is too high; a return to between $35 and $40 would be a reasonable price.

The New York Times' front-page headline read, "Pinbei surges 31% on first day, reaching a peak market capitalization of $1223.2 billion!"

The BBC's headline is: "Pinbei IPO: China's social e-commerce giant lands in North America!"

Huaguo Securities reported: "Pinbei listed on the NYSE with a market value exceeding 1000 billion US dollars. Is it 'undervalued' or 'overvalued'?"

The Paper, starting with the millionaires and billionaires created by Pinduoduo, provided a detailed analysis of the identities of the four bell-ringers: Wang Zihao, Song Yuncheng, Xu Xingxing, and Meng Xibo.

After reading the news, netizens were so jealous that they couldn't even control their facial expressions, murmuring with red eyes, "A senior in college, three years of work experience, and a net worth of over 100 million?"

Many people couldn't help but exclaim, "So this is what they mean by 'when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven'!"

Pinbei has over 3000 employees and a net worth of nearly 400 million yuan!
Saying you've achieved financial freedom is a bit of an exaggeration, but as long as you don't spend recklessly, you'll never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of your life.

The domestic investment community is envious of Tencent. Two investments totaling less than 12 billion US dollars have yielded a return of 170 billion US dollars!

Chen Yansen's net worth reached 750 billion US dollars with just his company Pinbei!
The following evening, Chen Yansen appeared on the evening news again.

(End of this chapter)