An hour later, Chen Yansen walked into the conference room and announced bluntly,

"Regarding the raises, I’ll keep it brief. Xu Dan will send out the salary adjustment notices before the end of the workday. Effective this month, everyone will receive a twenty percent raise, and that includes our part-time customer service staff."

"Brother Sen, are the Investment Attraction positions being adjusted as well?" Xu Dan asked.

"The base salary for Investment Attraction is also part of the adjustment."

Chen Yansen said calmly.

Yuan Wei, Zhang Yifeng, and Li Hui exchanged joyful smiles. While the increase to their base pay was just a drop in the bucket for them, who would ever complain about having more money?

Song Yuncheng watched Chen Yansen. ’This salary adjustment feels so sudden,’ she thought. ’It doesn’t seem like it was part of the original plan.’

"Alright, everyone get back to work." After a few more brief instructions, Chen Yansen waved his hand dismissively.

Once everyone was gone, Song Yuncheng doubled back, closed the conference room door, and fixed her gaze on Chen Yansen. "I think it’s a little strange that you suddenly gave everyone a raise."

Her tone was firm.

"You’re so smart. It’s a shame you didn’t end up at a more prestigious university." Chen Yansen shrugged, a playful smile on his face.

"So does that mean the rumors were true?" Song Yuncheng pulled up a chair next to Chen Yansen, her curiosity piqued.

"What rumors? Why are you asking about this?" Chen Yansen chuckled, feigning indifference.

The negotiations between Gao Weilin and the investment firms hadn’t yet reached the pricing and deliberation stage. Chen Yansen wouldn’t leak any information to anyone, and that included Song Yuncheng.

"If you sell FoxTao, I’ll follow you to Orange Technology." Song Yuncheng looked Chen Yansen straight in the eye, her gaze both gentle and resolute.

"What, you plan on sticking with me forever?" Chen Yansen teased.

In truth, he wouldn’t have minded if she stayed at FoxTao, but her words still warmed his heart.

She was only twenty. Although she was a capable worker, she was far less calculating than the women he had dated in his past life.

"Don’t worry. You’re my employee number one. I won’t abandon you."

Chen Yansen replied ambiguously.

Song Yuncheng’s heart sank. She had a vague idea of what Chen Yansen was planning.

She had heard Chen Yansen describe the shopping guide e-commerce model, so she understood that even if he didn’t sell FoxTao, its market share would be gradually eroded by competitors within two or three years.

Chen Yansen stood and headed out.

When he reached the faculty apartment building, he opened the door to his BMW 750 and got inside.

As he passed the women’s dormitory, he waited a few minutes before spotting Meng Jie jogging toward him, clutching a laptop.

"Hop in. I’m taking you to check out Orange Technology."

Chen Yansen opened her door, helped her with her seatbelt, and said with a smile.

Parents and students lining the road stared. Someone asked a student from the welcoming committee, "Is that young man a teacher here? He looks so young, but his car is incredible."

A BMW 750 might not turn any heads a decade later, but in 2011, it was a true luxury car that cost over two million to get on the road.

"Him? That’s Chen Yansen from the School of Communication and Culture, the business genius of Xuyuan! Sir, have you ever heard of FoxTao?"

The sophomore turned to look and asked with a grin.

"Never heard of it. What is it?" the parent asked, shaking his head.

"Well, have you heard of the Orange Mobile Phone? He’s the founder of both FoxTao and Orange Mobile Phone. His net worth is in the tens of billions."

The sophomore said, his voice full of envy as he watched the BMW disappear into the distance.

"So that’s Chen Yansen!" The parent and son exchanged a look of sudden understanding.

Before they arrived, his son had been going on and on about a super-successful sophomore businessman at Xuyuan.

He hadn’t believed it at the time. ’If he’s that incredible, why did he only get into Xucheng Academy?’ he had thought.

But a quick online search left him speechless.

Chen Yansen really was more than just incredible. Before he even turned twenty, he had founded two successful companies.

Orange Technology’s valuation hadn’t been publicly announced, but Xiaomi Technology—a company with phone sales far below Orange’s—was already valued at roughly 1.5 billion US dollars.

By that calculation, once you added FoxTao to the equation, Chen Yansen’s net worth was well over ten billion.

"You’re an e-commerce major, right? FoxTao loves recruiting from your program. If you get a chance to join, I’d suggest going for a position in their business department."

Seeing them staring blankly, the sophomore added with a smile.

"Why? I looked it up online. The best future jobs for e-commerce majors are in operations and management," the freshman asked, looking puzzled.

"How much do you think you can make in operations? Senior Zhang Yifeng from our School of Business joined FoxTao last year, and his monthly salary is now this much!"

The sophomore looked incredibly smug, as if he were the one earning over a hundred thousand a month.

"A hundred thousand?" The parent was incredulous.

"That’s right! I’m a sophomore now, and next year, when I’m a junior, I’m definitely going to interview at FoxTao," the sophomore said with a grin.

「Meanwhile.」

Chen Yansen drove toward Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park.

Along the way, there were hardly any other cars on the road, just endless fields of winter wheat.

"It’s so desolate out here," Meng Jie remarked.

"There are two sides to every coin. The surrounding amenities might be a little lacking, but the rent is cheap."

Chen Yansen explained with a smile.

"Heh, I guess that’s true," Meng Jie agreed, licking her lips and nodding.

"There’s some water on your right."

Chen Yansen reminded her.

The early September weather was still sweltering. Combined with her short jog earlier, fine beads of sweat dotted Meng Jie’s forehead.

The car’s air conditioning was blasting, which could easily dry out one’s lips.

Meng Jie hummed in acknowledgment, grabbing the water and taking a few small sips.

A few minutes later, a sprawling, hundred-mu science park came into view, with a dozen office buildings scattered throughout.

Meng Jie immediately recognized the Orange Technology building; a giant Orange logo was mounted on the front of the sixth floor.

"The logo Senior Sister Song designed is gorgeous. The colors and lines are so striking, you remember it instantly."

Meng Jie said, praising Song Yuncheng to Chen Yansen’s face.

Chen Yansen just smiled without a word. He parked on the ground floor and led Meng Jie into an elevator, taking them straight up to the fifth floor.

"My office is up ahead," Chen Yansen said.

CLICK, CLACK, CLICK—

Just then, Ye Qiuping came striding over, holding a document.

Chen Yansen’s visits to the Science and Technology Park were unpredictable, so Ye Qiuping had specifically instructed the ground-floor receptionist to inform her the moment the boss arrived.

"President Chen, there’s a contract that needs your signature," Ye Qiuping said, standing at the doorway and glancing at Meng Jie.

"Just leave it here," Chen Yansen said softly, gesturing to his desk.

"Of course, President Chen." Ye Qiuping set the document down and turned to leave.

Although she was curious about Meng Jie’s identity, she knew better than to ask questions if Chen Yansen didn’t offer any information.

"That woman is so beautiful, and her figure is amazing," Meng Jie whispered, her face full of envy.

Chen Yansen broke into a wide grin.

Meng Jie was a B-cup, while Ye Qiuping was a D. There really was no comparison.

"Lao Gao, come to my office."

Chen Yansen picked up the phone and called Gao Weilin.

Since he was looking for an experienced mentor in finance for Meng Jie, Gao Weilin was undoubtedly the most suitable choice.

"Boss, you were looking for me?" Gao Weilin asked as he knocked and entered.

"Let me introduce you. This is Meng Jie, a sophomore in the accounting program at Xuyuan. I want you to take her under your wing for a while."

Chen Yansen instructed him simply.

"Hello. I’m Gao Weilin, the CFO of Orange Technology. You can also call me Dylan."

Gao Weilin glanced from Chen Yansen to Meng Jie and took the initiative to greet her. Ever the cautious man, he didn’t even offer a handshake.

"Hello, Director Gao," Meng Jie replied politely.

"Boss, I’ll take Meng Jie to the finance department to help her get familiar with the place."

Gao Weilin said, seeking approval.

Chen Yansen gave a slight nod, signaling for Meng Jie to go with him.

About half an hour after they left, Gao Weilin returned, striding back in with a laptop.

"Boss, Meng Jie is all set. I’ve asked Xiaolin to show her around for the next couple of days."

Gao Weilin sat down to report.

"I appreciate it." Chen Yansen didn’t elaborate.

Gao Weilin’s attitude made it clear he had likely guessed Meng Jie’s identity, and Chen Yansen saw no reason to spell it out.

’Gao Weilin wasn’t surprised by this. His boss was young, rich, and handsome; how could he possibly have only one girlfriend?’

’On Hong Kong Island, it wasn’t uncommon for a man to have two wives. It wasn’t even considered strange for the first wife to take care of the second during her postpartum confinement.’

"Boss, SoftBank and Ah Li have accepted the proposal from Lotte and Augusta. Lotte and Augusta will launch a joint acquisition of FoxTao, and Ah Li will use equity in Wealth Treasure and Ali Baba to exchange for its stake in FoxTao."

Gao Weilin’s tone shifted as he got down to business.

"That’s their problem. As long as Lotte and Augusta are fronting the cash, it’s fine. What’s their current offer?" Chen Yansen asked.

"Eighteen billion! I told Lotte and Augusta our bottom line is twenty billion, minimum. Otherwise, there’s no deal. They said they need a fifteen-day evaluation period before deciding whether to proceed with the acquisition."

Gao Weilin replied.

"That comes out to just three billion US dollars. Lao Ma is really willing to spend a fortune to shore up his third-party traffic portal."

Chen Yansen remarked with some surprise.

From what he remembered of his past life, Ah Li had indeed planned to acquire a leading shopping guide e-commerce company in the latter half of 2013 and merge it with Yitao Network. The deal just fell through because they couldn’t agree on a price.

Chen Yansen knew perfectly well that if it weren’t for the two deep-pocketed spenders, Lotte and Augusta, there would be no negotiation to speak of. After all, Lao Ma was genuinely short on cash at the moment.

Otherwise, when he’d met with Ma Liyun, the man wouldn’t have proposed an equity-only payment to acquire FoxTao.

The last time he was in Yanjing, he’d learned from a chat with Zhou Shouzhi that Ma Liyun was in talks with Yahoo to buy back their forty percent stake before the IPO.

To do so, Ma Liyun had not only borrowed money from banks but had also roped in a group of deep-pocketed venture capital firms for financial backing.

"Boss, the money in the internet industry is just so easy to make. With your skills, you’ll surpass Superman Li in less than ten years."

Gao Weilin said with a flattering smile.

Chen Yansen just smiled faintly and said he wasn’t interested in money.

’Superman Li will die,’ he thought, ’but I won’t!’

’What does Superman Li have on me? Is he even worthy of comparison?’

Gao Weilin roared with laughter, assuming his boss was just kidding.

’Who in this world doesn’t love money?’

In the period that followed, the countdown to extinction began for the group-buy websites.

Before the first week of September was even over, more than two hundred group-buy sites had already gone bankrupt one after another.

Lashou, WoWo Group, Nuomi, and Meituan entered a deathmatch, and fueled by a constant transfusion of venture capital, the battle grew even more brutal than it had been in the first half of the year.

The users, however, were ecstatic. The platforms were flooded with heavily subsidized deals. Things like 9.9 yuan karaoke packages, 1 yuan KFC family buckets, and 19 yuan hotel rooms were everywhere.

What surprised Chen Yansen was that Nuomi Network actually managed to pull ahead of the pack.

Its parent company, Renren Network, wasn’t flush with cash, but through its outstanding marketing prowess, it managed to push down WoWo Group and claim the number two spot in the group-buy race.

Soon after, Meituan’s market share also surpassed WoWo Group’s, landing it in the industry’s top three.

Dianping, based in Hu City, had built up a massive base of merchants and users through its restaurant review model. After securing its Series C funding, it was no longer content to stay in its home territory.

It immediately pivoted to the group-buy business and began expanding aggressively across the six provinces of East China.

Having previously been ranked outside the top ten, its market share began to surge in September, kicking Gaopeng Network out of the top ten.

Seeing this, Chen Yansen couldn’t help but marvel at what a 24-karat, pure-gold failure Gao Peng was. It was backed by two behemoths—the original group-buy giant, Groupon, and the titan, Penguin—and was even being secretly fed traffic from FoxTao, yet its business was still a complete disaster.

This only strengthened Chen Yansen’s conviction: even the most brilliant idea requires powerful execution to become a reality.

The success of any plan is one percent planning and ninety-nine percent execution.

Finally, on the third day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the headquarters of Lotte and Augusta Capital gave the final approval for the FoxTao acquisition, placing a massive bet on China’s e-commerce sector.

The acquisition, which involved multiple companies, officially entered the negotiation phase.