Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 168 Capturing a Future Giant
A secluded mountain villa on the outskirts of Beijing.

A wine tasting event for fellow entrepreneurs from Lei Jun's hometown was underway. The atmosphere was relaxed, yet there was an undercurrent of tension typical of the business world. Many opportunists looking for opportunities also managed to sneak in using their own methods.

Lin Xiaohu led Zhou Shouzi and a baby-faced programmer who looked a little flustered, carrying a thick stack of project documents, into the villa.

At that moment, a small commotion broke out at the doorway.

"Boss Lei is out!"

"It looks like it's heading towards the door!"

"Wow, who has such a big influence that CEO Lei would personally go to the door to greet them?"

Lei Busi stood under the antique-style porch of the villa, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. He immediately noticed Zhou Shouzi, the outstanding and elite young man next to Lin Xiaohu, and his eyes lit up. He secretly took note of him.

Just then, a luxurious black sedan drove up smoothly and stopped at the entrance.

Lei Jun immediately put on a warm smile and personally went forward to open the back door.

"President Chen! You must be tired from your journey!" Lei Jun's voice was loud and clear, carrying the host's utmost sincerity.

Chen Mo bent down to get out of the car, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.

Curiosity, exploration, scrutiny—a complex interplay of emotions.

The identity of the young man who can be treated with such respect by Lei Jun, who is now successful, is already obvious - who else could it be but "Orange Chen" who caused a huge uproar in the business world last year?

Lei Jun's friendship with Chen Chengzi was no secret to the business elites present.

After all, the "Three Kingdoms" drama in the business world last year was so exciting, so everyone is naturally curious about the ins and outs of the feud between the three!

Upon meeting him in person, Orange Chen was noticeably younger than everyone had imagined.

"Mr. Lei, you're too kind! It's too kind of you to come and greet me personally!" Chen Mo said with a smile, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with Lei Jun.

The two exchanged a few words at the entrance and then walked into the villa side by side.

The reception was buffet style, with exquisite food and fine wines displayed in decanters.

Lei Jun, as the host, walked to the main area, picked up the microphone, and introduced himself to the business elites present with a hint of sarcasm:

"Fellow countrymen and friends, let me introduce you to Mr. Chen Mo of Orange Technology, who stirred up a storm last year and staged a wonderful 'Three Kingdoms' with Mr. Liu of Fantasy and Mr. Ma of Ali! Please welcome him!"

Applause erupted instantly, but most eyes were scrutinized and curious, focusing on this young "troublemaker in the business world."

Everyone present was shrewd. Although Chen Mo felt that he had been "tricked" badly by the two big shots, in their eyes, it was remarkable that a young man who had just started out could not only survive the attack of the two giants, but also stab Ahri in the back during the "Double Eleven" incident.

This skill and resilience alone are enough to earn the respect of these business elites.

You disagree? Go try offending Fantasy Liu and Ahri Ma!

Moreover, the Orange Group's current strategy is clear: Yuancheng's gaseous lithium is a key technology in the new energy sector, Orange smartphones are gaining momentum, and Orange Treasure mobile internet has mastered two major mobile internet technology infrastructures: application distribution and input methods.
This young man is no ordinary person!

Lei Jun then introduced several key fellow townsmen to Chen Mo, which could be considered as expanding his network of contacts.

Cheng Yizhou: My classmate from the top five universities, CEO of Renren.com, which just went public on the NYSE.

Ma Xin: My former colleague from Xinshan, CEO of Baofeng Video, which has over 100 million users.

Yuan Zhi: Chairman of Zhuoer Holdings. He's a local bigwig in Wuhan. If you want to make real investments, you can contact him.

Wang Yongchao: Founder of Truly Capital and a well-known investor.

Lu Ming: Acting Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company, with interests in pharmaceuticals and real estate.

Liu Baolin: Chairman of Jiuzhou Pharmaceutical.

Xia Zuoquan: Co-founder of BTD, focusing on investment in new energy vehicles.

Lin Xiaohu: Founder of Jinshajiang Venture Capital, focusing on consumer internet investment.

With Lei Jun's introduction, Chen Mo exchanged pleasantries with everyone, while his secretary Zhou Yumeng grew very quickly, cleverly exchanging business cards in the background to help her boss expand his network.

Soon, the ten key members of the party moved to the more private main seating area at the back.

Lei Jun jokingly teased Chen Mo, "President Chen, I saw it all on Weibo. You really stole the show at Peking University today!"

Chen Mo smiled and waved his hand: "President Lei, you flatter me. I couldn't help myself. I was mainly asked by Academician Zhang to give a special report on gaseous lithium, and it just so happened that we met!"

Everyone laughed and agreed.

The conversation quickly veered off into more general topics.

Lei Jun astutely discussed the currently booming internet video sector, then turned to Ma Xin with a hint of warning in his voice.

"Ma Xin, isn't Baofeng expanding too rapidly? 'Blind diversification' is a potential risk!"

Ma Xin outwardly agreed that Lei would consider it, but his dissatisfaction was quite evident in his expression.

Seeing this, Lei Jun shook his head inwardly and decided to give up investing in Baofeng and instead let Lao Xu, who was in charge, pay attention to UC Youshi.

Chen Mo sat in the second seat, next to Lin Xiaohu of Jinshajiang Venture Capital.

Lin Xiaohu asked with a tentative smile, "Mr. Chen, what do you think is the most promising area for entrepreneurship in the current internet industry?"

He deliberately mentioned the "infrastructure" status of Orange Treasure's app store and input method, as well as Chen Mo's control over mobile traffic during "Double Eleven," with the intention being self-evident—to probe Orange Treasure's financing prospects.

Chen Mo smiled politely and began to evade the question.

"Mr. Lin, you flatter me. I'm just a mobile phone guy. I'm not an expert in internet matters, so I wouldn't dare to speak presumptuously. The actual operations at Orange Treasure are all handled by the people below!"

Lin Xiaohu was rebuffed and wisely decided not to pursue the matter further.

Chen Mo wasn't particularly interested in red wine. After taking a small sip, he quietly listened to these business elites analyze the economic situation, learning this art of insincere social interaction.

As a straight-laced science and engineering guy, Chen Mo knew that he was no match for these old foxes in terms of shrewdness. It would be good to learn more so that he wouldn't be tricked by them in the future.

Once the core topic had come to a close, Lin Xiaohu seized the opportunity and said to Lei Jun with a smile, "Mr. Lei, let me introduce you to a great project. If I weren't a little short on cash flow lately, I would have invested in it myself!"

Lei Jun stared intently at him, and after a long while, he couldn't help but smile.

"Great! I'll definitely check out the project recommended by President Lin!"

Lin Xiaohu then beckoned to Zhou Shouzi and the baby-faced programmer in the corner: "Shouzi! Come here! Come and tell President Lei your thoughts!"

The two men walked over; Zhou Shouzi was composed and handled the situation appropriately.

The baby-faced programmer, clutching his documents, appeared somewhat nervous under the watchful eyes of so many industry leaders.

Lin Xiaohu introduced: "This is Zhou Shouzi, a star investor in DST, and the eldest son of a prominent family in Xing'erpo."

Then, he casually pointed to the baby-faced programmer: "This is Xiao Zhou's friend. He used to hang out with Wang Xingxing from Fanfou.com. After Fanfou failed, he started his own business!"

The protagonist of the startup is actually that baby-faced programmer who looks a bit timid?
The bigwigs present exchanged glances, showing little interest.

Out of respect for Lin Xiaohu, the baby-faced programmer was allowed to give a brief introduction to his project. It was an idea for a short-text community based on mobile devices.

After listening, the industry leaders shook their heads, feeling that in the current internet landscape, such a project was too idealistic and could hardly compete with the advantages of giants transplanting PC users to mobile devices.

However, a strange thing happened.

Lei Jun seemed uninterested in the main character, but instead chatted with Zhou Shouzi, who had accompanied him. The two hit it off as they talked, and there was a sense of regret in their eyes that they had met too late.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo, who had been sitting in the main seat and seemingly indifferent, suddenly stood up and walked towards the neglected baby-faced girl.

"Mr. Zhang? Would it be convenient for us to talk about your project privately?" Chen Mo's voice carried a reassuring quality.

The baby-faced programmer paused for a moment, then quickly nodded.

Chen Mo led him to a relatively quiet lounge area for the buffet.

Zhou Yumeng immediately followed dutifully, standing like a gatekeeper on the outside, politely stopping other guests who wanted to come over.

Chen Mo handed the baby-faced programmer a glass of red wine, his smile gentle: "Don't be nervous. I'm very interested in your project. Tell me, what are your thoughts on the future of mobile internet?"

Perhaps it was Chen Mo's sincere encouragement, or perhaps it was the effect of the red wine, but the baby-faced programmer took a deep breath, his eyes gradually becoming focused and confident, and he began to articulate his thoughts with clear logic.

"Mr. Chen, I believe that the development of my country's Internet is essentially following the country's basic hardware construction. Just like in the broadband era, different Internet companies were born."

The dial-up era (56K) gave rise to text-based communities and forums (such as Yinghaiwei and Tianya).

ADSL Era (1M): The rise of text and image portal websites (Souhu, Wangyi); (10M): The emergence of user interaction platforms (Baidu, QChat, Taobao, Weibo).

The Fiber Optic Era (100M): The Explosion of Video Content (Youku, Tudou, Baofeng).

The same applies to mobile internet now!
We have just completed 3G infrastructure construction, but data traffic is expensive (30MB/5 yuan). The most suitable thing to do is a lightweight text forum and community similar to the first generation of the Internet!
Once 4G is rolled out next year, with faster internet speeds and lower costs, we can create image and text information feeds.

The mobile video market will truly explode when 4G is expanded or 5G becomes widespread!

My idea is simple: by keeping pace with the national mobile network infrastructure development, my product design will never fall behind the times!

A hint of admiration flashed in Chen Mo's eyes: "You're not an ordinary entrepreneur, you're a strategist who has seen through the development of the internet!"

The baby-faced programmer was a little embarrassed by the compliments, but his thinking became clearer.

"Thank you, Mr. Chen! But I also know that the BTA giants can easily 'borrow' my ideas. My only advantage might be a personalized recommendation algorithm that is still in its infancy, which can categorize and push content based on user preferences. But if the giants really want to 'borrow' it..."

Chen Mo interrupted him, her tone resolute: "Don't be afraid! As long as I vote for you, what about a lawsuit? We at Orange will fight to the bitter end! We'll fight until the end of time!"

Having defeated Pingguo and Yudong, Takiha is an undefeated team!
Nanshan Pizza Hut: Let me see what they mean by that?
"Besides, Penguin's Little Ma is my senior, so he'll give me some face, right?" Chen Mo said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Penguin. Pony's junior?" The baby-faced programmer belatedly realized that the young investor in front of him was no ordinary person!
陈.
orange…

Penguin Horse's junior
Lei Jun's friends
Orange Chen!!!
"You...you are Mr. Chen from Orange Technology! I...I even won an Apple Companion in a raffle on your official Weibo account!"

He was so excited that he was almost incoherent. Last year's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and the name "Orange Chen" were a momentous event in the minds of him and other young entrepreneurs like Wang Xingxing!

After all, which young entrepreneur doesn't have that kind of "I'm the only one who can do it" spirit?
Chen Mo was amused: "Oh? That's quite a coincidence! It seems we were destined to do something in the 3G era!"

The baby-faced programmer nodded vigorously. He hadn't expected that this discerning CEO Chen would understand and support his logic of building internet infrastructure so well.

What are the risks associated with the profit model and the transplantation of users by tech giants?

He really hadn't figured out what to do yet, which was also the reason why other investors refused.

Finally, in a secluded corner where no one would disturb him, Chen Mo made the decision on the spot.

"I've invested in your company! 800 million yuan, for a 10% stake. In addition, Orange Treasure's App Store will provide full support for your new app's launch!"

He specifically emphasized "all out".

The baby-faced programmer was overjoyed; this was the resource he had always dreamed of!
A 10% stake in a company that hasn't even been established yet, in exchange for 800 million RMB plus top-tier traffic support—it's worth it!

On the other side, Zhou Shouzi and Lei Busi's conversation was also coming to an end. The two had a pleasant chat and their eyes were filled with admiration for each other.

Lei Jun even extended an olive branch, inviting Zhou Shouzi to join Wheat Technology.

Although Zhou Shouzi did not agree on the spot, his attitude had softened.

The two met at the door, and Zhou Shouzi asked with concern, "How did it go? I've also reached an agreement with President Lei. If he doesn't invest, President Lei is fine with it."

The baby-faced programmer excitedly put his arm around Zhou Shouzi's shoulder and waved the "lucky draw" apple companion in his hand.

"Investment approved! That young man is Chen from Orange Technology! He invested! 800 million, 10%! Plus, the full support from Appbao!"

He shared the good news in a rapid-fire manner.

Zhou Shouzi smiled sincerely, happy for his good friend: "Congratulations!"

He then calmly added, "I've agreed to go to General Manager Lei's company!"

The baby-faced programmer's smile froze for a moment, then he punched Zhou Shouzi with a relieved laugh: "Damn! You rascal... Well, I wish you all the best in your future!"

"Haha! I wish your new company all the best!" Zhou Shouzi replied with sincere blessings.

The two exchanged a smile; their years of brotherhood needed no further explanation. In the end, they remained silent, walked out of the manor side by side, and embarked on their respective new journeys.

On the way back to the hotel, Rolls-Royce Ghost.

Chen Mo handed a simple investment intention memorandum to Zhou Yumeng, who was in the front passenger seat.

"Xiao Meng, contact Manager Lin tomorrow and ask him to fly to Beijing as soon as possible to finalize the investment agreement for this project that I negotiated. Transfer the 800 million to him in one lump sum."

Then, he paused and added, "Also, contact Mr. He from Chengbao, and when his app goes live, use it as a demonstration! Include this inside joke on App Store!"

Chen Mo paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Give it a featured splash screen ad, the first of its kind on App Store, with a strong push and plenty of time! Do it for free!"

This is a good opportunity to demonstrate to all Android developers just how powerful the App Store splash screen ads are!
From now on, besides app rankings, splash screen ads will be a new and important source of revenue for our app! Understand?

Zhou Yumeng immediately understood President Chen's deeper meaning. This was not only support for the baby-faced programmer, but also an excellent business demonstration and a preview of the future profit model!

She nodded solemnly: "Understood, Mr. Chen! I will definitely coordinate everything before tomorrow to ensure it is implemented properly!"

As the car blended into the Beijing nightscape, Chen Mo leaned back in the comfortable back seat, closing his eyes to rest.

This trip was very fruitful. Not only did we pave the way for Orange Technology's environmental control module through Academician Zhang, but we also unexpectedly captured a "giant" of the future mobile internet era.

He only wanted 500 million for his 10% stake, but Chen Mo proactively raised the price to 800 million, demanding priority matching rights for financing, hoping to maintain Orange's voice and ultimately achieve a strategic shareholding goal before the IPO.

On the chessboard of the mobile internet, Orange Group has quietly placed another key piece, meaning that Orange Group will at least gradually gain control of its online discourse.

The internal jokes were destined to fail, but the personalized recommendation algorithm in its early stages would evolve after this failure, accumulating experience for text and image information flow products in the 4G era.

Once personalized recommendation algorithms mature in the 4G era, and then enter the 4.5G and 5G eras, this will create a technological advantage that is significantly greater than before.

(End of this chapter)