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

Chapter 676 Galloping through the long street, dust rising; a universe hidden in his sleeve, the sun and moon concealed! Li Yanhong: Teacher Ma, can you win?
April 26, Yanjing International Conference Center.

More than 300 well-known media outlets from home and abroad and over 400 internet companies gathered together, creating a bustling and brightly lit atmosphere.

At the entrance stood hundreds of journalists from mainstream media outlets, as well as entrepreneurs who had not yet entered.

However, at this moment, most of these people had their mouths slightly open, their eyes filled with undisguised astonishment.

Following everyone's gaze, less than thirty meters from the conference hall, in the reception area, an elderly man and a young man walked slowly and with smiles on their faces.

The man walking in front looked to be in his early fifties. His black suit accentuated his tall and straight figure, while his red tie added to his spirit. Every gesture he made exuded a calm and dignified demeanor.

And standing beside him was Chen Yansen, who had been absent for some time.

Standing at 1.86 meters tall, he was extremely handsome. His neat short haircut was both stylish and energetic, exuding a capable and sophisticated aura. Paired with a tailor-made indigo suit, he radiated dazzling elegance and confidence from head to toe.

Riding a horse through the long street, dust rises in the air; within his sleeve, he conceals the universe, the sun and moon!
The first reporter to react quickly pressed the shutter to capture the scene.

Ma Liyun paused, looking at Chen Yansen coming towards her, her breath caught in her throat, and a feeling of bitterness quietly crept into her heart.

He couldn't help but recall that although Ali's MYbank had also obtained a financial license and business license, it was far inferior to Senlian Bank in terms of physical branches and business scope.

According to regulations, MYbank's offline branches are only allowed to conduct business in Hangzhou.

More importantly, many of the loan businesses that Senlian Bank can do are restricted for MYbank.

One policy for each region?
To put it bluntly, isn't it just differential treatment?

But he also knew in his heart that if Chen Yansen hadn't stood up to Zhao Binhai of the Banking Association under pressure at the closed-door meeting of financial leaders, MYbank would not have been able to set up more branches, let alone keep a single physical branch.

In addition, Chen Yansen also accompanied the delegation on two overseas trips, where he met face-to-face with the heads of the central departments in North America and Europe.

This time it's even more extraordinary!
He actually got out of Han Jinheng's car.

In China, very few businessmen can achieve this honor and reach this level.

Do not!
More accurately, it is absolutely unique in the entire country.

Why on earth is he?
Ma Liyun's lips trembled slightly as she pondered the matter over and over in her mind.

"The boss..."

Liao Wei, CEO of Yunsu Express, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but after a moment, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He had always felt that his boss's business acumen was comparable to that of the founding fathers, but the fact that Chen Yansen could ride in the same car with a super tycoon like Han Jinheng was far beyond his expectations and imagination.

This 30-meter stretch of road seemed as far as 3,000 meters to everyone else.

It wasn't until Chen Yansen approached that many people suddenly realized what was happening.

"Boss!" The heads of various subsidiaries under Senlian Capital called out in unison.

In addition to Chen Yansen, CEOs of companies such as Kuaipao, Gaode Map, ByteDance, Today, Orange Interactive Entertainment, OFO Bike, Pinbei, Orange Technology, and Orange Payment were also invited.

At first glance, it was a dark, dense mass.

Chen Yansen nodded slightly and waved to Wang Zihao in the crowd.

When Wang Zihao stepped forward, he jokingly asked with a smile, "Why are you so tanned again?"

"Sigh, running around the market every day, how can I not be ripped off! Now OFO's total deployment of bicycles and e-bikes is close to 2 million, with daily revenue exceeding 10 million, but it's difficult to expand business in third- and fourth-tier cities and county-level markets. I can't do without personally overseeing it."

Wang Zihao grinned, his tone carrying a hint of self-satisfaction.

"Thanks for your hard work!"

Chen Yansen patted Wang Zihao on the shoulder and casually offered a word of encouragement.

He paused and then said, "Go inside, don't just stand here, you're blocking the road."

Zhou Shouzhi, Liao Wei, Pei Yi and the others nodded quickly and followed closely behind him.

As for Han Jinheng, he had already gone to the lounge surrounded by his assistant and security personnel.

Chen Yansen led the heads of more than a dozen subsidiaries into the conference hall with great strides.

As I passed by the door, I happened to see Ma Liyun.

"Is Mr. Ma waiting for someone?" Chen Yansen asked softly.

Ma Liyun snapped out of her daze, immediately concealing the complex emotions on her face and replacing them with a standard business smile, though it still carried a hint of awkwardness: "President Chen is too kind. I just arrived and was about to go in. President Chen, this entourage today has certainly been an eye-opener for everyone."

After saying this, his gaze unconsciously fell on the "CEO dream team" behind Chen Yansen.

From Zhang Yiming of ByteDance to Huang Zheng of Pinbei, and then to Liao Wei of Yunsu, Zhou Shouzhi of Orange Technology, and Liang Bo of Today Technology, each of them is a leading figure in the internet industry. Yet, they all gathered around Chen Yansen, with him at the head, displaying humility and respect.

This was a scene he had never witnessed even during the years he had been at the helm of Ahri.

Chen Yansen saw through his thoughts but didn't point them out.

Upon seeing this, a reporter nearby immediately raised his camera and pressed the shutter.

It's worth noting that the honeymoon period between Senlian Capital and Ali has long ended. Now, the two sides are fiercely competing for dominance in areas such as e-commerce, food delivery, group buying, and map navigation.

They had assumed that when "enemies" met, even if they didn't exchange insults, they would at least say something sarcastic or sarcastic.

However, Chen Yansen and Ma Liyun were both respectable people. Even though they had their own plans, they maintained a very polite and courteous demeanor in front of the media.

"It's almost time, Mr. Ma. Shall we go in first to avoid delaying the opening agenda?"

Chen Yansen raised his hand and glanced at his watch before speaking.

Ma Liyun nodded.

But when he caught a glimpse of the group of CEOs who had followed him, a strange feeling welled up inside him.

Ali also sent a number of participants to this Internet Conference, such as Peng Lei, CEO of Ant Financial, Gu Yongqiang of Youku, and Yu Yongfu of UC Browser. However, compared with Senlian Capital, the lineup seemed much thinner.

The two walked side by side into the hall, the red carpet beneath their feet stretching all the way to the main venue. The sound of camera shutters clicking on both sides of the hall was constant, and the flashes of the cameras formed a strip of light in the corridor.

"Brother Sen!"

"Mr. Chen!"

"Mr. Chen!"

The guests in the first three rows of the hall all stood up when they saw Chen Yansen.

Even if you are more than ten meters away, you should still greet them with a smile.

A person’s name is like a tree’s shadow!
Chen Yansen is undoubtedly a top-tier figure in China's internet industry.

“What time did you arrive last night? Charles dragged me drinking until the early hours of the morning, and then insisted on taking me fishing in the Bohai Sea. In the end, we only caught a few big black sea bream. It was such a waste.”

Ma Wenteng went up to him, and with a smile on his face, he complained.

"Where's Lao Zhang? The opening ceremony is about to start, and he's still not here?" Chen Yansen looked around and, not finding Zhang Chaoyang, asked.

"He drank too much, and I couldn't stop him! By the way, I have something to tell you. I've reached an agreement with Wanda to sell QQ Group Buying, Paipai.com, and YiXun.com as a package. After the three-month transition period, QQ Group Buying will be renamed Whale Group Buying."

Ma Wenteng lowered his voice and said with a smile, a look of relief appearing between his brows.

Finally, we've gotten rid of these hot potatoes! After all, in 2014, finding a sucker willing to take on such a burden wasn't an easy task.

"Wang Jianlin is also willing to take it?" Chen Yansen chuckled to himself.

"I promised to leave him an entry point on the secondary interface of QQ. In addition, QQ News and QQ Browser will also allocate traffic to his business, but all of this will cost money."

Ma Wenteng then explained, emphasizing that he would charge Wanda both exposure fees and CPS fees for the advertising space he provided.

The implication is that Tencent and Pinduoduo are actually one family.

The reason for giving Wanda e-commerce traffic is simply because Wanda is willing to take over.

As the two were talking, a commotion suddenly broke out at the entrance of the venue.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zhang Chaoyang walking in with slightly unsteady steps, puffy eyes, and wearing a casual suit. Compared to the other attendees who were dressed in suits, he seemed somewhat out of place.

They don't seem to be here for a meeting; they seem to be here to go clubbing.

Chen Yansen shook his head, having to admit that among the many internet tycoons, Zhang Chaoyang had the most carefree personality.

When I first made money in my youth, I decisively chose to lie down and do nothing.

After dating celebrities, throwing parties, and appearing on variety shows, when they were too tired to do those things anymore, they focused their energy on private jets, yachts, mountain climbing, swimming, and sea fishing.

People younger than him are not as rich as him.

People who are richer than him don't have as much fun and comfort as he does.

"Jensen, Pony!"

As soon as Zhang Chaoyang opened his mouth, a faint smell of alcohol wafted out.

Before Chen Yansen could reply, he smiled and suggested, "I'll make the arrangements for Yunku tonight. Let's invite a few more friends; the more people, the more lively it will be."

"Charles, Mr. Han is the one giving the opening speech today, you'd better watch your tone."

Ma Wenteng rubbed his forehead and smiled wryly, offering a well-intentioned reminder.

"Every year's Internet Conference is the same; they say the same things over and over again."

Zhang Chaoyang muttered to himself.

"Old Zhang, drink less. You're fifty years old, do you really think you're a young man in your early twenties?"

Chen Yansen patted Zhang Chaoyang on the shoulder and offered some words of advice.

In the media's writings, Zhang Chaoyang is described as the "godfather of the Internet generation," the "pioneer of portal websites," and the "abandoned tycoon of the previous generation."

But in his memory, Zhang Chaoyang's life was very simple: he was either partying or on his way to a party.

“I drink occasionally, do you think I drink every day? I’m not an alcoholic,” Zhang Chaoyang retorted.

do not you?

Chen Yansen found it amusing, but didn't say anything more.

The three of them then stood together and chatted casually.

Seeing this, Liu Qiangdong, Lei Yijun, and Zhou Hongyi couldn't help but move over as well.

Li Yanhong, sitting alone in the first group, exchanged a glance with Ma Liyun next to him.

"If I had invested in Kuaidi Dache and Kuaipao back then, I could probably have made a fortune like Ma Wenteng and gained a powerful business partner."

Li Yanhong pondered to himself, filled with regret.

"Mr. Li, what are you thinking about?" Ma Liyun's voice suddenly rang in his ears, interrupting Li Yanhong's thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Li Yanhong forced a smile: "It's nothing."

"It's normal to lose to Chen Yansen. Look at the people around him. They almost occupy half of the internet. They have no shortage of money, traffic, or connections."

Ma Liyun said it casually.

You might not find another entrepreneur who can ride in the same car as Han Jinheng even 30 years ago or 30 years from now.

Li Yanhong felt the same way after hearing this.

Although Baidu has been trying to transform itself in recent years, and has been investing in fields such as artificial intelligence and autonomous driving, its influence in the consumer market has been gradually weakening.

Especially in the mobile internet era, from social networking and e-commerce to travel and local services, it seems like we've caught the wave of the times every time, but we've always been a step behind.

The difficulty of catching up now is self-evident.

What troubled him even more was that Chen Yansen, together with Zhou Hongyi, Ma Wenteng, and Zhang Chaoyang, had shattered Baidu's market share in the search engine field, leaving it with less than 30%.

Compared to a year ago, market share has plummeted by 45%.

Baidu has fallen from the top search engine to second place in the industry, with 360 Search closing in and eyeing its position with predatory intent.

Its market value has dropped by 70%, and is now comparable to Vipshop, at only 15 billion US dollars.

"Does Mr. Ma think Ali can beat Pinduoduo?"

Li Yanhong asked kindly.

But his words immediately broke Ma Liyun's defenses.

After pondering for a while, Lao Ma said quietly, "It's just a matter of temporary success or failure. Take Zhang Chaoyang, for example. He was a big shot back then, but now he's lost his former glory. Senlian Capital won't always have smooth sailing either; there will always be a day when it declines."

After hearing this, Li Yanhong felt a little better.

Soon, everyone found their seats and waited for the opening ceremony to begin.

A giant LED screen was placed in the center of the conference hall, displaying the slogan "Creating unlimited opportunities and building an economic engine for the new era".

At 9:30 sharp, the host walked onto the stage on time, said a few words of opening remarks, and then announced the start of the speech session.

The original spokesperson was Li Qingsong, but Han Jinheng was temporarily replaced.

Upon seeing this, the thousands of attendees below the stage immediately fell silent, adjusting their postures and adopting an attentive listening posture.

Only Zhang Chaoyang looked extremely tired. He blinked, feeling his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. Before Han Jinheng could even speak, he had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep on the spot.

Although the snoring was soft, it was clearly audible to those around him.

A dozen minutes later, Han Jinheng stepped down from the stage.

Following that, representatives from the China Association for Industry and Information Technology, the Internet Society of China, and the China Business Association took turns to speak.

An hour later, the host looked down at the audience and called out Chen Yansen's name: "Please welcome Mr. Chen Yansen, the main forum mentor of this conference and chairman of Senlian Capital, to the stage to deliver a speech to all the guests!"

Chen Yansen first straightened the wrinkles on his clothes before leisurely stepping onto the stage.

He looked up at the audience. The conference hall, spanning thousands of square meters, was filled with industry leaders. You could throw a brick here and hit several billionaires.

(End of this chapter)