On the way back, Chen Yansen came across the news about Jingdong and Wealth Treasure’s split.

To put it simply, Liu Qiangdong felt the rates were too high and that Ma Liyun was taking too big of a cut. From now on, shopping on Jingdong would no longer support payments through Wealth Treasure.

’He’s probably starting to shift from an offline mindset to an online one, realizing that without his own payment license, he’ll always be constrained.’

Chen Yansen murmured to himself with a smile.

In 2011, Jingdong was still using an offline model, not considering itself an internet company. It favored cash-on-delivery, but later gradually discovered that users preferred to pay online.

Only then did it begin developing its own payment method, starting several years behind everyone else. More than a decade later, it still hadn’t managed to become a major player.

"Brother Sen, Gaopeng Network’s Weibo giveaway for an iPhone 4 was exposed as a fake. Will it affect our upcoming brand group buy partnership?"

Wang Zihao held out his phone, pointing to a trending topic as he asked Chen Yansen.

"By the time Gao Peng’s event goes live, the negative fallout from this will have long blown over. Just proceed with the partnership as planned."

Chen Yansen glanced at it but didn’t think much of it.

He read some more news about the Group Buy industry and asked Zheng Yun from Gaopeng Network for an industry analysis report.

Juhuasuan had surpassed Lashou in just one month, with sales exceeding one billion in 30 days. Backed by Ah Li and leveraging tens of millions of daily active users and hundreds of thousands of merchants, their entry into the Group Buy market was like a battle between different dimensions.

But Ah Li lacked experience managing offline merchants, and its service quality was poor. Within two years, it was overtaken by other platforms. In the end, it had to spin off its O2O business and focus on special online sales.

Lashou was second, with monthly sales of 330 million.

Gaopeng Network was third, with monthly sales of 170 million.

Meituan and Nuomi Network were tied for fourth with sales of 150 million, and 30 million of that was contributed by FoxTao users.

’At this rate, the winner of the Group Buy Wars might be either Ah Li or Lashou.’

Chen Yansen let out a dry laugh. FoxTao’s brand-focused group buys had thrown all these group buy sites into chaos.

Meituan, which should have surpassed Lashou by now, still hadn’t managed to break into the top three.

’Chen Yansen couldn’t care less. These fat cats had money to burn, so what was wrong with him helping them spend a little?’

Take Nuomi Network, for example. Its operating costs were 30 million in the first quarter, and it had to spend another 30 million in the second. That was because the "big sucker" who had booked the entire June schedule for Super Rebates was none other than Nuomi.

Who could blame them? Its parent company, Renren Network, had just successfully gone public in the Lighthouse Country and raked in a ton of foreign money.

Of course they were spending money like water!

After all, everyone had seen the results of Lashou Network’s campaign: over 200,000 new customers and nearly 60 million in sales in just one month. Who wouldn’t be tempted by that?

Just then, an announcement came over the PA system.

The three of them grabbed their suitcases, walked across the jet bridge, and found their seats.

Song Yuncheng took the window seat, Chen Yansen was in the middle, and Wang Zihao was on the aisle.

Song Yuncheng glanced at Chen Yansen. She remembered him holding her on the way back from their last business trip to Yanjing, and a faint smile touched her lips.

’With Wang Zihao here, Chen Yansen wouldn’t dare try anything.’

Reassured, she took out her phone and started replying to work messages.

Having flown a few times now, she wasn’t as nervous as she had been on her first flight. Back then, she had squeezed her eyes shut and clung to Chen Yansen’s hand for dear life, as if letting go would send her plummeting from thirty thousand feet.

Her palms had been slick with cold sweat!

Now, she was used to it. She could even calmly reply to a few work messages before takeoff.

She had just sent the onboarding regulations for FoxTao’s B2C marketplace to her channel business contact at Sunning and was about to find and send the technical documentation for the CPS interface.

Her right hand was suddenly enveloped in Chen Yansen’s.

Song Yuncheng glanced over. Wang Zihao was still engrossed in his phone. She didn’t dare make a sound, terrified of being noticed.

Then, working one-handed, she finished sending the technical documents and her instructions before switching her phone to airplane mode.

In the cramped space, their two hands played a quiet game of cat and mouse.

Wang Zihao secretly peeked at them before deciding to just close his eyes and pretend to be asleep. ’Brother Sen, you’re such a player,’ he thought. ’I thought you were just kidding about chasing the senior, but... ugh. Can’t you two be a little more discreet? This is so awkward for me.’

He and Meng Jie were best friends, having been classmates for three years, and his bond with Chen Yansen was even stronger.

Wang Zihao felt caught in the middle, torn. On one side was his brother, on the other, his best friend.

’Whatever. I’ll just pretend I’m blind and didn’t see a thing.’

After agonizing over it, Wang Zihao decided not to take anyone’s side. He’d just pretend he hadn’t seen anything.

After a moment, Chen Yansen grew tired of simply holding her hand and abruptly pulled Song Yuncheng into his lap.

"Stop it, he’ll see us!" Song Yuncheng struggled to sit up. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Don’t worry. He’s out like a light. A thunderstorm wouldn’t wake him."

Chen Yansen grinned wickedly. With his unusually sharp hearing, he had already figured out that Wang Zihao was only pretending to be asleep, but he said it anyway.

’That son of a bitch Chen Yansen,’ Wang Zihao cursed inwardly, his lips twitching. ’Just you wait, I’m going to sell you out.’

Two and a half hours later, the plane landed safely.

In the airport parking lot, the three found Chen Yansen’s BMW 750. After getting in, Wang Zihao resumed his role as the driver and headed toward Xuyuan.

"Brother Sen, maybe you should hire a driver?" Wang Zihao suggested.

"No need. You’re a steady driver."

Chen Yansen teased with a smile.

’A driver would be with him all day. If it wasn’t someone he could trust completely, he wouldn’t dare hire them.’

’Besides, he wasn’t even twenty yet and didn’t travel that much day-to-day. Keeping a driver on staff would be a waste of money.’

Wang Zihao sighed and gripped the steering wheel in resignation.

It was only three in the afternoon when they got back to the university.

The three of them hadn’t had lunch, only the light meal on the plane. Wang Zihao parked in front of QQ-E Family. "It’s been a while since I’ve had their Diguoji chicken. Want to grab lunch before we head back?"

"Sure." Chen Yansen patted his stomach. He was indeed hungry.

Song Yuncheng got out of the car and followed the two men, her mind flashing back to the first time the three of them had met. They had eaten lunch at QQ-E Family that day, too.

Back then, they had just met and were still calling each other "senior" and "junior." Now they were colleagues, and their entire conversation over the meal was about work.

"I’m not going to the Innovation Park. Tell Xu Dan we’re having an all-hands morning meeting tomorrow at 9 a.m."

Chen Yansen instructed Wang Zihao after he had eaten and drunk his fill.

"Okay, got it." Wang Zihao nodded.

He still had to make a trip to the Innovation Park to finalize next week’s ad materials and strategy with the placement team, and then confirm the channel payment process with the finance department.

Leaving the restaurant, Chen Yansen got into the driver’s seat, dropped the other two at the Xue Lin Road intersection, and drove straight back to Room 0418.

With the establishment of Orange Technology, Senlian Capital now had a growing number of companies under its umbrella. Chen Yansen was in urgent need of a financial chief to manage all the money.

But such a person had to be both exceptionally capable and trustworthy. Finding someone like that was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Chen Yansen went into his bedroom and rested his head on the pillow for a short nap.

After a while, he shot up. A name surfaced in his mind—Gao Weilin.

The CFO of Feiyu Technology. A Hong Kong Island native who had single-handedly maneuvered Feiyu to a main board listing.

In his past life, the man had been Chen Yansen’s right and left arm.

Gao Weilin had a bachelor’s in accounting from Hong Kong Island University of Technology, as well as dual master’s degrees in law and financial management. He was an expert in international financial regulations, tax law, and budget control.

The reason Chen Yansen hadn’t thought of him right away was because the man had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer the same year Feiyu went public.

In Chen Yansen’s subconscious, the man was long gone.

’But right now, Old Gao was probably still the financial director at Zhaoye. He hadn’t come to the Mainland to get into the internet scene yet. I wonder if a headhunter could poach him?’

"Fuck, with how money-grubbing Old Gao is, if I offer him an extra twenty or thirty thousand a month, he’ll come running for sure."

Chen Yansen’s tone was certain as the thought crossed his mind.

Thinking of this, Chen Yansen called Xu Dan and told her to have a headhunter reach out to Gao Weilin and feel him out.

「Meanwhile.」

Gao Weilin stepped out of the MTR. Briefcase in hand, he walked briskly toward a skyscraper in the Central District.

Thanks to his outstanding education and abilities, he had joined a mid-sized trading company three years ago. His monthly salary was 60,000, which was considered an upper-middle-class income locally.

He was quite satisfied with the job; he could even see Victoria Harbor from his office.

At this moment, Gao Weilin couldn’t possibly imagine that in the future, he would run off to Hu City in search of a job just to make more money.

RING RING RING—

The phone in his pocket suddenly rang.

Gao Weilin took out his phone and saw it was an unfamiliar number. Based on the "86" prefix, he knew it was a call from the Mainland.

He hesitated for a moment before pressing the answer button.

"Hello, this is Gao Weilin from Zhaoye Group. To whom am I speaking?" Gao Weilin asked.

"Mr. Gao, hello. I’m with Shangde Headhunting Company. I’ve been hired to invite you to join a new company..."

the person on the other end of the line explained politely.

"Sorry, but I’m not thinking about changing jobs at the moment," Gao Weilin cut in, refusing directly.

"Mr. Gao, the terms they’re offering are extremely generous. Are you sure you won’t even consider it?"

The headhunter wasn’t fazed by Gao Weilin’s refusal. After all, the client was offering a monthly salary of eighty thousand. He didn’t believe for a second that Gao Weilin wouldn’t be tempted.

Generous?

That was the keyword Gao Weilin latched onto. He quickly asked, "What are the terms?"

Because his father was from the Mainland, his Mandarin was actually quite good.

"A monthly salary of 80,000. It’s an investment firm focused on the internet sector. In addition to your salary, there’s a monthly allowance equal to 20% of your salary for housing, meals, supplemental commercial health insurance, and a quarterly bonus..."

A smile played on the headhunter’s lips. He was confident he could persuade Gao Weilin.

Before making the call, they had hired a consulting firm on Hong Kong Island to investigate Gao Weilin’s income. It was 50,000 to 60,000 Hong Kong dollars at most.

A monthly salary of 80,000!

With a 20% housing allowance on top of that every month?

And a quarterly bonus every three months.

That added up to over 100,000 a month!

Gao Weilin was stunned. He was instantly tempted. This was more than double his current income.

However, he didn’t agree right away. After asking for the company’s name, he planned to do some research first.

He had heard that many internet companies on the Mainland only had a lifespan of one or two years. If the venture wasn’t solid, a high salary wouldn’t last long, no matter how good it was.

When he found out the investment company was registered in Hu City, Gao Weilin breathed a sigh of relief. At least it was a first-tier city.

The company’s actual controller had the same name as the founder of FoxTao, which matched what the headhunter had told him.

After some research, Gao Weilin got a clear picture of Senlian Capital’s strength.

Its most valuable asset was FoxTao, which, after an investment from Augusta earlier in the month, had reached a valuation of 16 billion.

If this information was correct, the other party was indeed powerful—stronger than the company he was currently working for.

Gao Weilin agonized over it for two days before finally calling the headhunter back. He had decided to head north to seek his fortune.