Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

In front of a mid-range women’s clothing store at the cultural plaza of Nanshan Science and Technology Park.

"Still not throwing those old clothes out? Are you really going to take them to Penguin Headquarters?" Chen Yansen said with a smile, glancing at Song Yuncheng.

Clothes make the man, as the saying goes. It was absolutely true.

After changing her outfit, Song Yuncheng had shed her unseasoned, youthful look. She wore a white, collarless blazer, her soft, jet-black hair tied up in a high ponytail. The look was crisp and professional, making her seem like a completely different person from half an hour ago. Now, she truly looked like she belonged in the workplace.

"These clothes aren’t torn. They’re still good to wear," Song Yuncheng said, clutching the bag with a pained expression.

Chen Yansen was speechless. ’What a cheapskate,’ he cursed internally. Ignoring Song Yuncheng, he walked straight to the curb to hail a cab.

The mall wasn’t far from Penguin Headquarters, so after they got in the taxi, it only took a few minutes to reach their destination.

Staring at the Penguin Headquarters building, Song Yuncheng felt conflicted. She knew that carrying this bag of old clothes would make a bad impression at the upcoming meeting.

Just as she was about to bite the bullet and toss the clothes, Chen Yansen suddenly spoke up. "Driver, could you take this bag to the lobby of the Venice Hotel? Tell the front desk that the guest from room 8688 is checking it."

He then took out a 50-yuan bill and handed it to the driver for his trouble.

"Don’t you worry, sir. I’ll make sure it gets done," the driver promised with a wide smile as he took the money.

After they got out of the car, Song Yuncheng quietly trailed behind Chen Yansen. ’Those few items of clothing probably weren’t even worth 50 yuan,’ she thought to herself.

"Chen Yansen, thank you," Song Yuncheng murmured softly, staring at his back.

Standing at the entrance, Chen Yansen called their contact. After waiting for over ten minutes, he saw a young man of medium height strolling leisurely toward them.

"President Chen, hello. I’m Liang Youzhi, the Channel Operations Manager for Paipai Network. Welcome to Shencheng City."

Liang Youzhi introduced himself before enthusiastically extending a hand to Chen Yansen.

"Hello, Manager Liang. But wasn’t it your company’s compliance department that scheduled this meeting?"

Chen Yansen was momentarily taken aback. His mind raced, and a suspicion began to form, but he didn’t voice it.

"The compliance department scheduled it, but the one who really wants to meet you is my boss, Zheng Chunbin."

Liang Youzhi explained honestly, then produced two visitor badges and gestured for Chen Yansen and Song Yuncheng to follow him.

’Damn it. Are they interested in my project, or in me?’

Chen Yansen felt a bit annoyed but followed him anyway.

Back then, Penguin, powered by QQ’s concurrent user base of over 100 million, was a predator feasting wantonly in the internet’s fish pond. Any company that caught its eye was either acquired or copied.

They would probably look down on a business model with a low ceiling like FoxTao’s. The only thing that could have possibly caught their attention was the astonishing viral growth rate of the "zero-yuan bargain" feature.

The three of them walked, taking an elevator up to the Paipai Network project building. DING. The elevator doors opened to reveal a spacious office area.

"Please wait here for a moment. President Zheng is still in a meeting and will be over shortly."

Liang Youzhi led them into a conference room, brought them two bottles of water, and spoke politely.

Chen Yansen grunted in acknowledgment. After Liang left, he twisted open his bottle of water and took a small sip.

"We were supposed to be meeting with the compliance department, but now it’s Paipai Network. Can our problem even be resolved anymore?"

Song Yuncheng asked in a low voice.

"Who cares? We’ll play it by ear. If you ask me, they’ve probably taken a liking to me."

Chen Yansen said confidently, rubbing his chin.

In his previous life, he’d never dealt with Zheng Chunbin, but he had heard about his career.

Zheng Chunbin was a top graduate from Huake. He joined Penguin in 2003 and reached the director level in just three years. Chen Yansen wasn’t sure of his current position but figured he was at least the head of product for Paipai Network.

"You... You’re so shameless," Song Yuncheng muttered.

Chen Yansen just smiled and didn’t reply. He leaned back in his chair, playing on his phone to pass the time.

Who knew how long their meeting would last?

He wasn’t about to just sit there like an idiot, staring at the ceiling.

「Meanwhile.」

Liang Youzhi returned to his office and reported to Zheng Chunbin about his encounter with Chen Yansen.

"Ah Zhi, what do you think of him?" Zheng Chunbin asked, leaning back in his executive chair with narrowed eyes.

"Mature. Composed. Doesn’t act like a college freshman," Liang Youzhi commented succinctly.

"Anything else?" Zheng Chunbin asked noncommittally.

"I think he’s already guessed your intentions," Liang Youzhi said confidently after a moment of thought.

"Oh? In that case, I really must meet him. I admire intelligent people, especially when they’re young," Zheng Chunbin said, his interest piqued as he sat up straight.

He had intended to make Chen Yansen wait for a while to knock him down a peg and make negotiating easier. But based on what Liang Youzhi said, that tactic probably wouldn’t work.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—

Zheng Chunbin and Liang Youzhi entered the conference room, one after the other.

Chen Yansen was quick to react, but Zheng Chunbin still caught a glimpse of his phone screen. The kid was actually playing a game.

"President Chen, allow me to introduce you. This is the Vice President of Paipai Network, Mr. Zheng Chunbin," Liang Youzhi said with a smile once they were inside.

"President Zheng, I’ve heard so much about you," Chen Yansen said, rising slowly to shake his hand.

Zheng Chunbin looked to be in his early thirties. He wore a pair of rimless glasses, and with his warm smile, he appeared refined and amiable.

"I haven’t achieved anything particularly outstanding at Penguin. Mr. Chen’s praise leaves me feeling a bit undeserving."

Zheng Chunbin replied with a light chuckle, but his words held a hidden barb.

"As they say, a truly skilled general has no famous victories. The fact that President Zheng is in charge of Paipai Network is proof enough of how highly Penguin’s management values you. Besides, seven years ago, you were the product manager for QQ Pets. Who among us ’90s kids hasn’t used that product?"

Chen Yansen wasn’t flustered in the slightest, continuing the pleasantries with composure.

Zheng Chunbin was stunned. He glanced at Liang Youzhi, who shook his head slightly, signaling that he hadn’t been the one to leak that information.

’Interesting!’

Zheng Chunbin gestured for Chen Yansen to sit. Whether it was due to a busy schedule, a lack of time, or simply his personality, he got straight to the point the moment he sat down. "President Chen, are you interested in joining Paipai Network?"

"What do you mean by that, President Zheng?" Chen Yansen asked, testing the waters.

"I can offer you a level 3-1 position, responsible for product strategy and implementation at Paipai Network. Starting annual salary of 500,000."

Zheng Chunbin was brimming with confidence. In an era where the average monthly salary was just three thousand yuan, his offer was enough to entice a whole host of graduates from top universities like Qingbei, let alone a freshman from a second-tier college.

In his eyes, FoxTao itself had little value; the real prize was Chen Yansen. To have grown a user base to the millions in just two months, with only a few hundred thousand in capital, meant Chen Yansen was a true talent.

"Thank you for the high praise, President Zheng, but I’m used to doing my own thing. I have no interest in working for someone else or being anyone’s subordinate."

Chen Yansen’s smile faded as he replied with a serious expression.

Zheng Chunbin was stunned. He hadn’t expected to be rejected. "As long as you deliver results," he added quickly, "I guarantee a promotion to level 3-2 within three years. You’ll even have a chance to reach 4-1 after that, with an annual salary of at least 2 million."

"President Zheng, I just don’t like working for a boss," Chen Yansen said, unmoved, with an easy smile.

’As for his talk of promotions to 3-2 in three years and 4-1 in the future, I don’t believe a single word of it. Zheng Chunbin isn’t Lao Ma, so where does he get off making such guarantees?’

’He’s just saying that because I’m young, trying to pull a fast one on me.’

’Just the fact that I’m a college freshman with only a high school diploma would make getting into Penguin a bureaucratic nightmare. Even if they made an exception, I’d probably get a T-2 title at best—a grunt, in other words.’

’I wouldn’t just turn down Zheng Chunbin; I’d turn down Shencheng Ma himself.’

’Who does he think he is? Trying to be my boss?’

Having been rejected twice, Zheng Chunbin didn’t show it on his face, but he was seething inside. Storming out would be a loss of composure, so he said coldly, "Well then, I wish President Chen’s FoxTao the best of luck in one day breaking into the top 100 shopping websites."

Chen Yansen laughed at that. ’You fucking prick,’ he thought. ’The second your recruitment fails, you turn hostile. No wonder Paipai Network is half-dead under your leadership. With that loser look on your face, you won’t last more than a few years at Penguin anyway.’

"Getting into the top 100 is no easy feat. It’ll probably take me a good three to five months. But you, President Zheng, you’re the one who needs to step it up. If you don’t work harder, I’m afraid Paipai Network won’t even be able to hold on to a top-ten market share this year."

Chen Yansen wasn’t one to suffer the slightest insult; he went straight for the throat.

In fact, just two years ago, Paipai Network had a 7.2% market share. But this year, Vancl’s market share had surged and was on the verge of overtaking it.

Lies often don’t hurt. It’s the truth that cuts you to the core.

Zheng Chunbin hadn’t expected the young man across from him to be such a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest provocation. ’Does he not know who I am at Penguin?’

He suppressed his rage and waved a hand at Liang Youzhi. "Ah Zhi, show him out."

With that, he dropped the facade and stormed out of the conference room.

The negotiation had completely broken down after just a few sentences. Liang Youzhi hadn’t seen this coming. He gave a dry laugh and offered some well-meaning advice, "President Chen, you could have been a bit more tactful. Was that really necessary?"

"Manager Liang, let me give you some advice. Quit, and do it soon. If you want to be in e-commerce, go to Ah Li or Jingdong. With Zheng Chunbin in charge, Paipai Network is a dead end. In less than two years, Pony will probably give up on his dream of running his own e-commerce platform."

Chen Yansen stood up nonchalantly, adjusted his collar, and prepared to leave.

Just then, Ma Wenteng, who was inspecting Paipai Network’s operations, happened to be walking past the conference room door.

Zheng Chunbin had left in such a hurry that the door was wide open. Ma Wenteng heard the phrase "Paipai Network is a dead end" crystal clear. He stopped in his tracks, stood in the doorway, and asked with a frown:

"And who might this be?"

In his own headquarters, on his own turf, someone was cursing one of his projects. Ma Wenteng was absolutely furious.

The conglomerate’s e-commerce division had been stagnating for a while. Far from growing bigger and stronger, Paipai Network was now on the verge of losing the market share it already had.

Liu Zhiping had advised him to give up and shift their strategy to investing in other e-commerce platforms, which would allow them to reap the enormous benefits of the sector’s growth. But he had never agreed.

For one, he was unwilling to admit defeat. For another, he refused to believe it couldn’t be done. He had survived the great internet winter of ’08; how could he possibly fail at a small e-commerce project?

When Liang Youzhi recognized the newcomer and Liu Zhiping beside him, he quickly made the introductions. "Little Ma, President Liu, this is Chen Yansen, the founder of FoxTao."

"Brother Pony, if you think I’m wrong, we can sit down and have a nice long chat about it."

Chen Yansen grinned, his confidence on full display.

Facing a key investor in Feiyu from his past life, he was completely relaxed. His tone was as casual as if he were talking to an old friend.

"???"

Ma Wenteng’s face was a mask of confusion. After a moment’s contemplation, he found himself impressed by Chen Yansen’s confidence. He beckoned to Liu Zhiping, and the two of them entered the conference room.