Chapter 227: Chapter 198: Zhang Yiming: Is There Anything Penguin Won’t Do

"Good, as long as you get it. Stop wasting your time on this crap and focus on finding a wife. The fastest way to get over one relationship is to start another..."

Chen Yansen leaned back in his chair, casually offering advice to Lao Chen.

"Get lost! I’d rather take a shit than have a son like you!" Lao Chen’s furious roar came through the phone, followed by a BEEP... BEEP... BEEP.

Lao Chen had hung up!

"Was that Uncle Chen?" Meng Jie asked curiously.

"Yeah. No good deed goes unpunished. When he’s old and has no one to look after him, I’ll just toss him in a nursing home. With that foul temper of his, I wonder if the orderlies will beat him up."

Chen Yansen scoffed, speaking as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

"You’re just talking nonsense," Meng Jie said, rolling her eyes and giving Chen Yansen a punch.

"You know I’m just kidding, so why’d you hit me so hard? Not fair, I’m getting you back."

Chen Yansen said, raising his fist with mock ferocity.

Gao Weilin, who was driving, couldn’t help but chuckle. A father-son dynamic like Chen Yansen’s was certainly rare.

The night outside was dark and heavy. Just as they were about to exit the highway, a thin, veil-like fog began to rise.

"Old Gao, take a break. I’ll drive."

Chen Yansen noticed Gao Weilin slowing down and knew it was because the fog was getting thicker. Old Gao was just being safe.

"No need. We’re only twenty minutes away." Gao Weilin wouldn’t dare let his boss drive.

With his boss and the boss’s lady in the car, he was the only one left to do the hard work.

Chen Yansen nodded and didn’t insist.

But even while chatting with Meng Jie, he dedicated part of his attention to scouting the road ahead for Old Gao. Fortunately, they reached the East Gate of Xucheng without incident.

Gao Weilin got out, handed the keys back to Chen Yansen, and left. He lived just across from the campus and could walk home.

The two cars following them carried eight members of the finance and legal teams.

Chen Yansen told them to drive the cars back and give the keys to Xu Xingxing the next day.

With that said, he got into the driver’s seat and drove inside.

The guard had already spotted his license plate, and the retractable gate immediately slid open, creating a five-meter-wide opening.

"Old Zhang, on the night shift again, I see."

Chen Yansen leaned out the window, greeting him with a smile.

"Yes, President Chen. You should get some rest. It gets chilly at night."

The guard, Old Zhang, waved and replied with a smile.

"Here, have a smoke. Warm yourself up." From the driver’s side door, Chen Yansen pulled out a mostly full carton of cigarettes and pressed it into Old Zhang’s hand.

He had bought them in Luzhou for business entertainment. He’d only used two packs, leaving eight in the carton.

"Oh my, I... I can’t accept this, President Chen. Look at this..." Old Zhang glanced down at the eight packs. ’That’s several hundred yuan!’

Chen Yansen just waved him off and drove straight toward the faculty apartments.

At this hour, the girls’ dorms were long since locked for the night, so he took Meng Jie into Room 0418.

"I’m showering first. No peeking!" Meng Jie laid her suitcase down, pulled out a towel and pajamas, and didn’t forget to add a whispered warning.

"Let’s go together. We should save water."

Chen Yansen chuckled mischievously. He’d been rebellious since he was a kid; the more you told him not to do something, the more he wanted to do it.

He ignored Meng Jie’s protests and slipped into the bathroom with her. He spent a few moments admiring her body and testing the texture of her skin. Once all preparations were complete, he finally turned on the shower.

Steam rose, filling the room.

......

......

「The next morning.」

Song Yuncheng clutched the key to 0418. After a few seconds of hesitation, she opened the door.

The living room held two suitcases, one large and one small, with clothes scattered all over the floor.

Her face flushed red. She quickly backed out and closed the door behind her.

’That bastard. He didn’t even say he was back.’

Song Yuncheng scurried downstairs in a panic, her mind filled with the scene she had just witnessed.

"Huh? I think I just heard someone open the door?"

a sleepy Meng Jie said, shaking Chen Yansen’s arm.

"You heard wrong. That was Teacher Wang’s room next door," Chen Yansen fibbed, his expression perfectly natural. Of course, he knew it had been Song Yuncheng.

"Really? It sounded like it came from 0418," Meng Jie said confidently. But when she opened the bedroom door and saw the front door was shut tight, she scoffed at herself. ’I guess I really did mishear.’

Afterward, the two of them got up at a leisurely pace. After brushing their teeth, washing their faces, and getting dressed, they drove to the Science and Technology Park.

After getting out of the car, Chen Yansen walked toward Building 6. As soon as he entered the lobby, he saw Song Yuncheng in the seating area, chatting with a dark-skinned man in a suit and black-rimmed glasses.

’This guy’s eager, isn’t he?’

Chen Yansen smiled to himself and walked over.

"President Chen, hello!" Zhang Liaoyuan quickly rose to his feet to greet him.

Just then, Song Yuncheng turned and saw Chen Yansen. She stood up as well. "Boss, you’re back."

"In a hurry, President Zhang?" Chen Yansen gestured for him to sit, but his opening line made Zhang Liaoyuan tense up.

He used to be an employee, but now he was an entrepreneur. Of course Zhang Liaoyuan was anxious; he was desperate to succeed.

Others were already rich and famous by thirty-six, while he was just getting started. How could he not be in a hurry?

"You jest, President Chen. A high-quality e-commerce platform like Pinbei is the stage every person in this industry dreams of."

Zhang Liaoyuan’s words were a bit sycophantic, but they echoed the sentiments of many brand owners.

It had been less than two months since Pinbei’s launch, yet it had already claimed the number three spot in the domestic e-commerce industry.

If not for its low average order value, which left its total sales volume lagging somewhat behind Jingdong, it would be the most powerful e-commerce company right under Taobao.

"President Zhang, we’re all smart people here, so let’s be frank. The nut brands on Pinbei already include Three Squirrels, Baicaowei, Bestore, Loulan Miyu, and Xin Nong Ge. What advantage do you have? What makes you different? Why should I give you a leg up?"

Chen Yansen asked bluntly.

"Three Squirrels has a stronger supply chain. We source all raw materials directly, cutting out the middleman. This lowers our costs, gives us a competitive price point, and ensures a stable supply..."

Zhang Liaoyuan had prepared for every possibility before this visit.

He had a systematically prepared speech in his head covering Three Squirrels’ market positioning, brand marketing, and strategies for differentiating the user experience.

After all, he had been deeply entrenched in the nut industry for nearly a decade. When it came to the supply chain, he was naturally eloquent and extremely persuasive.

"President Zhang, I don’t think you understood my question. I asked what makes Three Squirrels different from its competitors, and why Pinbei should be the one to back you."

Chen Yansen waved his hand, cutting Zhang Liaoyuan off.

"Uh... President Chen, I... I..." Zhang Liaoyuan was suddenly at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.

In reality, what did Three Squirrels have that Baicaowei, Bestore, Loulan Miyu, and Xin Nong Ge didn’t?

"Three Squirrels was just founded. Are you short on capital?" Seeing Zhang Liaoyuan struggle, Chen Yansen spelled it out for him.

"We’re not... short! No, President Chen, what I mean is, we are extremely short on capital."

Zhang Liaoyuan had almost refused out of reflex, but he caught himself instantly. He took a deep breath and answered seriously.

He was a smart man; a hint was all he needed. Even if he refused Chen Yansen’s demands, he was still confident he could make Three Squirrels a success.

But he was already thirty-six. He didn’t want to miss this opportunity; he just wanted to make money as fast as possible and start enjoying life.

He didn’t have the connections to get in with the likes of Ma Liyun or Liu Qiangdong.

So even though Chen Yansen’s opening was a play for equity in Three Squirrels, Zhang Liaoyuan wasn’t too concerned.

"Good that you’re short on money. Yuncheng, take President Zhang to Old Gao’s office."

Chen Yansen stood up, gave a few simple instructions, and headed for the elevators.

To him, taking a stake in Three Squirrels was like buying a roasted sweet potato from a street vendor—hardly worth his personal attention. He could leave it to Gao Weilin and Song Yuncheng to handle.

Back in his office, Chen Yansen opened up Sina. The top headline was a report on Penguin’s release of the QQ Mobile Browser. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

「Meanwhile.」

In Yanjing, Zhang Yiming also saw the news. He froze for a second before cursing in frustration, "Is there anything Penguin won’t do!"

Even with his explosive self-confidence, he didn’t think he could compete with Penguin.

’If Chen Yansen is willing to back me and pre-install Lingxi Browser on the Orange Mobile Phone, maybe I’d have a fighting chance against Penguin.’

The thought occurred to Zhang Yiming, and he began to ponder.

Lingxi Browser was the name of his new product. He had just finished the product documentation and was planning to start R&D as soon as the company was officially founded.

After returning from Hang City last time, he had met with several other investors. After all, compared to Senlian Capital, he had far too little say in the matter.

He needed to bring in other venture capital firms to dilute Chen Yansen’s influence over the new project and secure his own controlling stake.