Chapter 750 A Trillion-Dollar Banquet! Ding Lei's Black Pig, Liu Qiangdong's Free-Range Chicken, and Lei Yijun's Rice Wine!
At 2 p.m., Blaise got into the limousine and sped off toward the ancient town of Sanhe.
After "using" Blaise, Chen Yansen turned around and went back to his office to rest for a while. Then he took half an hour to have a video conference with Cheng Weixing.
He knew Old Ma's temperament well; he wouldn't turn back until he hit a brick wall.
The other party invested in Uber for two reasons: first, to avoid direct competition with Senlian Capital; and second, to leverage its strength to weaken Kuaidi Dache's market share.
The ecological moat that Kesen Capital has built over the years is by no means empty talk. Users have long been accustomed to opening Gaode Maps, Orange Search, or Kuaipao to directly initiate ride-hailing orders.
Ali and Uber want to use this to change users' ingrained habits?
Simply throwing money at the problem won't work!
After all, Chen Yansen has neither a shortage of money nor a shortage of traffic. For him, what is more important right now is not to seize the market by burning money, but to figure out how to use this money that is destined to be spent as much as possible on full-time drivers.
Only by using money to spread humanitarianism can our spending be truly worthwhile!
Not long after, the cell phone on the table suddenly rang.
Chen Yansen raised his hand to Cheng Weixing on the other end of the video call to pause, then picked up his phone and pressed the answer button.
"Mr. Chen, Pony and I have arrived at your company entrance!"
Zhang Chaoyang's voice came through the phone, carrying a hint of sleepiness and an undisguised excitement.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yansen walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and glanced down. Sure enough, he saw several luxury cars worth tens of millions of yuan parked at the entrance of the park.
Logically, Zhang Chaoyang is based in Beijing and Ma Wenteng is based in Shenzhen, so their cars should remain in their respective cities. However, since many overseas companies attended this Internet conference, the two specially transported their cars to Luzhou for convenience.
"Okay, I'll be right down."
Chen Yansen readily agreed, hung up the phone, walked back to his seat, and instructed Cheng Weixing in front of the camera: "Just handle it normally. It's nothing more than a price war. I trust your abilities."
“Okay, Brother Sen, I understand.” Cheng Weixing nodded in response, without any panic.
Since founding Kuaidi Dache, what kind of malicious competition hasn't he experienced?
The closer it got to the big battle, the more excited he became, feeling as if all the strength in his body could be twisted into one rope.
Chen Yansen ended the video call, got up and walked out of the office, into the elevator, and pressed the button to go to the first floor.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters in Hangzhou, Cheng Weixing glanced at the time and, without delay, immediately instructed his assistant to prepare the car so they could head to Luzhou.
At the same time, Liao Wei, Ma Zhiao, Pei Yi, Xiao Jun, Mao Chaorong, Qu Fang, and others were all heading towards Luzhou by different means.
Some people drove at breakneck speed, some boarded high-speed trains, and others were already on flights bound for Luzhou.
Although they are nominally professional managers of Senlian Capital, Chen Yansen gave each of them a portion of equity early on.
More importantly, the projects they manage are almost all top performers in their respective industries.
Therefore, if this Internet conference only invited Chen Yansen but not the rest of them, its overall significance would be greatly reduced, and the event would be much less impressive.
With a "ding," the elevator doors opened!
Chen Yansen stepped out, and as soon as he reached the entrance of the hall, Zhang Chaoyang greeted him with a smile: "What do you mean? Now that we're on your turf, I'm not going to use my brain at all today. I'll follow your arrangements from start to finish."
Zhang Chaoyang looks like he's about to take advantage of a wealthy family!
"Yensen!"
Before drinking, Ma Wenteng seemed a little reserved, and simply waved to greet Chen Yansen.
"Shall we eat first?" Chen Yansen suggested.
“If you ask me, let’s drink first!” Zhang Chaoyang replied.
"Mr. Han will be hosting the opening ceremony and giving a speech tomorrow. Old Zhang, you better not fall asleep in the audience again. It won't look good if the reporters take pictures of you like that."
Chen Yansen joked with a smile.
"Sigh, Sohu has long since fallen to the second tier, who would still be paying attention to me?"
Zhang Chaoyang waved his hand dismissively.
"Sleepy Master" and "Death Diva" are his two main nicknames. Netizens often tease him, but as the saying goes, "the more debts you have, the less you worry; the more lice you have, the less they itch," he doesn't care at all.
"Then let's go to Sanhe Ancient Town. Luzhou Prefecture has opened a branch in the town."
After a moment's thought, Chen Yansen said.
If you eat in the city, you'll have to go through the hassle of traveling back and forth to Sanhe Ancient Town after the banquet ends. It's too much trouble.
"Yansen, you've come all this way, let's take a look around first."
Ma Wenteng chimed in.
He and Zhang Chaoyang are about the same; they both love to drink, but before dealing with serious matters, he still has more self-control than Zhang.
Unlike Lao Zhang, who spends his time doing yoga in the office and then either drinks at a bar or throws parties in a villa or on a yacht in the Bohai Sea after get off work.
“Pony is right, it’s time to make a change.”
Zhang Chaoyang thought for a moment and then said.
Chen Yansen smiled slightly and led the two from Pinbei to Orange Technology, then to Tiangong, Orange Payment, Semir Online, Today Technology and Orange Communications, etc.
Finally, the three of them stopped in front of Building No. 1, took a quick group photo, and then, urged by Zhang Chaoyang, got into their respective cars. The convoy immediately sped towards Sanhe Ancient Town.
Upon arriving at the ancient town, the usual bustling crowds of tourists were nowhere to be seen, and the entire street was unusually quiet.
It turns out that the town's two entrances, one by water and one by land, had long been sealed off by the inspection station. Currently, only town staff, conference volunteers, and invited business representatives are allowed to enter with valid credentials.
The entrance was packed with reporters.
It's not that they can't get in; they're just waiting here on purpose.
As soon as Chen Yansen, Ma Wenteng, and Zhang Chaoyang got out of the car, they couldn't wait to surround them.
The sound of camera shutters was like a dense raindrop hitting the bluestone slabs, and the microphones in the reporters' hands were crowded together, as if they wanted to stuff them all into Mr. Chen's mouth.
"Mr. Chen! Why was the first Internet Conference held in Sanhe Ancient Town instead of a convention center in a first-tier city?"
A reporter from Science and Technology Daily broke through the crowd first, almost holding the microphone to Chen Yansen's nose.
"I think it's more appropriate to leave this question to the organizers."
Chen Yansen responded calmly.
In fact, the reporter came to ask the question with an answer in mind.
The core reasons for choosing this location to hold the conference are threefold: First, Sanhe Ancient Town is not only a typical water town in Jiangnan, but also carries the traditional culture of China, making it an excellent representative of cultural symbols.
Secondly, Luzhou is the home base of Senlian Capital. With the help of Senlian Capital's existing overseas influence, it will be easier to push Chinese Internet companies onto the global stage.
Thirdly, Luzhou had already established a complete ecosystem from digital payment to smart transportation, with full 4G network and WIFI coverage, supporting QR code scanning, and even hotels had introduced robot food delivery experiences. Although these technologies were still somewhat immature at the time, they were a rare opportunity to showcase China's advanced technology to the outside world.
After Chen Yansen finished speaking, a reporter from the Financial Times squeezed forward two steps: "Mr. Chen, as a core force in China's internet industry, what specific role did Senlian Capital play in the preparation of the conference? There are rumors that many overseas companies invited to this conference were facilitated by your personal resources. Is this true?"
These words were somewhat probing, and they also piqued the curiosity of many people present.
"Senlian Capital did participate in the preparatory work, mainly responsible for technical support and liaison with some enterprises, such as the construction of the AR guide system in the ancient town, the deployment of OFO bicycles and e-bikes, and the full coverage of QR code scanning function."
Chen Yansen said slowly.
As for the questions he doesn't want to answer, he can simply choose to ignore them.
"Mr. Chen, what are your thoughts on the collaboration between Ali and Uber? Are you worried that the establishment of Uber China will impact Kuaidi Dache's market position?"
"That's what the reporter from The Paper asked."
The question immediately silenced the room, with even Zhang Chaoyang and Ma Wenteng pricking up their ears to hear Chen Yansen's opinion.
"Market competition is nothing new. Ali's decision to cooperate with Uber is a business judgment, and we respect every company's choice. But when it comes to impacting Kuaidi Dache's market position, I think the user's choice is the most crucial factor."
Chen Yansen answered slowly and deliberately.
"What if Uber starts a price war in China? And given Uber's mature operational experience in the global market, and Ali's massive user base, wouldn't the combination of the two pose a significant threat?"
The reporter from The Paper pressed for an answer.
Chen Yansen chuckled and raised his voice slightly: "Global experience does not equal local adaptation. Uber needs time to adapt to the ride-hailing market in China, and Ali needs time to convert traffic into ride-hailing users, but Kuaidi Dache will not wait for them."
Furthermore, Kuaidi Dache also possesses extensive global market operation experience. Since KuaiGo went global in 2013, it has successfully established stable overseas markets in 29 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the United States.
The implication is that Uber China should carefully consider its own capabilities before trying to compete with Kuaidi Dache.
Some reporters who couldn't get close to Chen Yansen immediately turned their cameras on Ma Wenteng and Zhang Chaoyang, with one of them asking Ma Wenteng a question first.
"Mr. Ma, as a giant in the internet industry, will Tencent announce any new strategic plans at this Internet Conference? There were previous reports that WeChat would launch new features for enterprise users; will this conference bring any related developments?"
After hearing this, Ma Wenteng subconsciously glanced guiltily in Chen Yansen's direction.
It's a foregone conclusion that WeChat will release an enterprise version, but this will undoubtedly create direct competition with Yunzhou, a company under Chen Yansen.
He composed himself and cautiously replied, "Tencent has always paid close attention to innovation and development in the internet industry. We are here at this conference primarily to learn and exchange ideas. Regarding the new features of WeChat, they are currently in the internal testing phase. Any confirmed information will be released through official channels as soon as possible."
These words neither confirmed nor denied, thus avoiding the core of the reporter's questions.
A dozen minutes later, Chen Yansen and his entourage evaded the reporters who were surrounding them and slowly walked to the ancient town branch of Luzhou Prefecture.
This shop is a three-story building right next to the river, with typical Hui-style architectural style.
The exterior walls have a vintage feel and a touch of antiquity, while the interior decoration is extremely luxurious, with exquisite details.
As soon as the lobby manager recognized Chen Yansen, Ma Wenteng, and Zhang Chaoyang, he quickly came forward and respectfully led them to the private room on the top floor.
Looking out through the ornately decorated windows of the private room, one can take in the entire water town scenery of Sanhe Ancient Town, offering an excellent view.
Subsequently, Ding Lei of NetEase, Jia Yaoting of LeEco, Lei Yijun of Xiaomi, Zhou Hongyi of 360, Xiao Jun of Gaode Map, Pei Yi of Kuaipao, Liu Qiangdong of JD.com and others arrived one after another and stepped into the third floor of Luzhoufu.
This small gathering was hosted by Chen Yansen, who was entertaining the invited entrepreneurs.
After all, Senlian Capital's headquarters are in Luzhou, so he can be considered a legitimate host.
Ding Lei brought half a carcass of black pork, Liu Qiangdong carried several free-range chickens, and Lei Yijun brought a case of rice wine from his hometown.
Reporters waiting downstairs could vaguely glimpse the scene inside through a half-open window.
The people inside were all super-rich individuals with assets worth billions or even tens of billions. Even excluding Chen Yansen, their combined wealth was close to breaking one trillion.
at the same time.
As soon as Ma Liyun and Li Yanhong arrived in Sanhe Ancient Town, they heard about Chen Yansen organizing the "Yansen Wine Party".
The two exchanged a glance, unwilling to be outdone, and gathered a group of people to hold a faction gathering at a small tavern next door.
Fearing that reporters wouldn't see them, they specifically chose a window seat on the first floor.
Those present included Cao Weiguo and Wang Dongzhi from Sina, Gu Yongqiang from Youku, and the heads of iQiyi and Zongheng Literature.
However, compared to Chen Yansen's drinking party, the difference in quality was immediately apparent. Ma Liyun's party was clearly much more "shabby".
(End of this chapter)
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