Chapter 635 - 453: 3 Years, 21 Years Old, 500 Billion Hua Yuan?

The next day, the last day of July.

Chen Yansen settled into the back seat of the Gusteau and instructed Lao Huang, "To the Sky Garden."

He didn’t want to work overtime, but the exclusive interview with *Time Magazine* was crucial for Senlian Capital’s overseas expansion strategy.

Whether it was Orange Mobile Phone, Deep Blue Battery, or products like Mimo, Kuai Pao, and Cloud Speed, they all had to expand overseas to earn more profit and Human Dao Fire.

Overseas influence, the group’s international brand—these things seemed insignificant, but when needed, they would be priceless.

It was the height of summer, not yet ten o’clock. Sunlight filtered through the plane trees lining the streets, painting the road with a brilliant, dappled golden light.

The car sped onward, heading toward the Sky Garden.

Online, the debate over the pay and benefits at Qian Du Delivery versus Kuai Pao Delivery was still escalating.

Li Yanhong had reluctantly offered ten thousand yuan, but not only did it fail to produce the desired effect, it also earned him a torrent of criticism. Even his wife and children were dragged into the online attacks.

Pei Yi seized the opportunity to increase the recruitment of full-time couriers, which directly caused severe delays and order overloads for Qian Du Delivery.

This was because all the experienced couriers went to interview at Kuai Pao’s depots.

Qian Du Delivery?

Even a dog wouldn’t deliver for them!

Li Yanhong didn’t treat the couriers as part of the team, so naturally, they couldn’t care less if Qian Du Delivery lived or died.

It’s true that ’if you won’t do the job, someone else will,’ but couriers who know the routes and deliver efficiently aren’t made overnight. They require a large volume of orders to train.

The moment Pei Yi expanded recruitment, Qian Du Delivery was thrown into chaos.

It just went to show that Qian Du Delivery’s logistics system was too fragile to withstand any real pressure.

「Meanwhile.」

In a conference hall on the top floor of the Sky Garden, Wang Shixiang, the director of brand for Orange Technology, was confirming the final details with Steel of *Time Magazine*.

From business etiquette to cultural taboos, everything had to be clearly understood beforehand to ensure the work proceeded smoothly.

This was Steel’s standard practice.

As the chief reporter for *Time Magazine’s* American Region, he had interviewed countless political and business luminaries, yet today’s subject was the youngest of them all.

Photographers, videographers, and other crew members were busy adjusting the lighting and checking the equipment.

A moment later, with a soft DING, the elevator doors slid open, and Chen Yansen walked into the conference hall, accompanied by two security guards.

"Mr. Chen, I’m Steel, the reporter for today’s interview." Steel, even more proactive than Wang Shixiang, strode forward to greet him.

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but size up Chen Yansen.

The man was in his early twenties, about three inches taller than Steel himself, dressed in a light-blue linen shirt and dark slacks. He wore a pair of gleaming leather shoes and a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist.

Aside from that, he wore no other accessories.

The young man before him was tall and handsome, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His eyes were deep and sharp, and he radiated a powerful, imposing aura.

"A pleasure, Steel." Chen Yansen shook his hand, offering a brief pleasantry.

This renowned *Time Magazine* reporter had supposedly interviewed two heads of the Lighthouse Country’s Central Bureau and had also conducted exclusive interviews with the likes of Bill Gates, Buffett, and Bezos.

Steel looked to be in his late forties, wearing an indigo suit with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, giving him a somewhat scholarly air.

"Boss, I’ve reviewed the question outline. Please take a look," Wang Shixiang said quietly, handing him a document.

Chen Yansen took it and glanced over it casually.

Wang Shixiang was someone Ye Qiuping had promoted. His résumé and experience were impeccable. He wasn’t exceptionally brilliant, but his strength lay in his steady and reliable nature.

’What could be wrong with an interview script that he had reviewed?’

The content primarily revolved around East-West business competition and debates on social responsibility, interspersed with questions about his personal life and his company’s trajectory.

It was clear from the outline that *Time Magazine* intended to present Chen Yansen as the face of young Asian entrepreneurs, not to play any games with him.

After all, Chen Yansen had a large overseas fanbase and owned a short-video platform with over a hundred million registered users. Combined with his immense fortune, *Time Magazine* wouldn’t dare try to trap him with their questions.

Next, a makeup artist did a quick touch-up on his face, and the interview officially began.

Chen Yansen sat in a tan armchair, with Steel to his right.

"Mr. Chen, how did you earn eighty billion US Dollars in three years?" Steel asked his first question, pressing the record button on his pen.

’Eighty billion US Dollars?’

’When did that number get updated?’

’Nobody told me!’

Chen Yansen smiled faintly and said at a leisurely pace, "To be honest, I don’t know how many assets I have to my name. Most of my companies aren’t publicly listed, so the equity has poor liquidity and tradability. It’s all just book value, anyway."

’He couldn’t even produce eighty billion Hua Yuan in cash, so a net worth of eighty billion US Dollars was absurdly inflated.’

"Do you think eighty billion US Dollars is too high or too low? I can tell you definitively that this figure comes from *Forbes* business magazine.

They spent three months compiling the shareholding percentages and latest valuations of Senlian Capital’s subsidiaries and investment companies, along with other assets like real estate and patents."

Steel added.

Since he was the one asking, he had naturally come prepared, with sound reasoning for every piece of data.

’In reality, companies like Orange Technology, Pinbei, and Cloud Speed haven’t taken any investment in a year. Estimating their valuation based on business scale alone is bound to be inaccurate, whether it’s an overestimation or an underestimation.’

’*Forbes* is just trying to cash in on my hype!’

"In my view, how much wealth one possesses isn’t important. It’s more meaningful to spend it," Chen Yansen replied succinctly.

"So you’ve extended your business into all sorts of industries, including chip design and mobile operating systems. Are you trying to beat Google or Qualcomm?" Steel asked bluntly.

"I don’t agree with that sentiment. The market is vast. Orange Technology is focused on integration, not monopolization. Android, iOS, Aurora Future, Windows Phone—they’re all part of the smartphone ecosystem.

The world isn’t black and white. Just look at companies like Qualcomm, Broadcom, and Texas Instruments—there is both competition and cooperation," Chen Yansen said with a shrug.

"But every industry has a leader. What are your expectations for Orange Technology?" Steel pressed.

"I hope it can provide more users with better products and services," Chen Yansen replied.

"Are you aiming to surpass Apple and Mountain Star?" Steel asked, slowing his speech and fixing his gaze on Chen Yansen.

"Who wants to be number three forever? Just like Cook probably doesn’t want to be number two," Chen Yansen said with a nod.

"Of all Senlian Capital’s subsidiaries, which one do you value the most?" Steel continued.

"Every one of them is important. If I didn’t care about a project, I wouldn’t have invested in it," Chen Yansen answered with practiced ease.

Steel pushed up his glasses, refusing to give up. He pressed, "But if you had to pick one, or even three?"

"Cloud Speed Express, Kuai Pao, and the Orange Phone Factory," Chen Yansen answered.

"Why not Orange Technology or Pinbei? Those two companies have the highest valuations and earn you tens of billions in net profit every year," Steel asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Cloud Speed Express, Kuai Pao, and the Orange Phone Factory employ over 200,000 people." Chen Yansen paused, his gaze calm as he looked at Steel. "While Orange Technology and Pinbei are highly profitable, they are technology-driven, asset-light businesses. They support far fewer jobs."

"Are you saying that in your business decisions, social responsibility takes precedence over return on capital?" Steel’s hand, which held his pen, paused. His eyes behind his lenses took on a more probing look.

"Scientists explain the world with formulas; businessmen reconstruct it with numbers. I love money, I’m very interested in it. Putting return on capital first is always the right decision!"

Chen Yansen shook his head, offering a disingenuous denial.

Steel didn’t buy it. He had compared the pay and benefits for employees at Kuai Pao, Cloud Speed, and the Orange Phone Factory with those of their peers in Hua Country. The terms Chen Yansen offered were clearly far more generous.

But he was a journalist, not a debater. It wasn’t his place to judge Chen Yansen’s words; he would leave that to his audience.

"The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is evaluating the Deep Blue Battery for its scientific breakthrough, its disruptive impact, and its contribution to human society. To put it simply, Senlian Capital has a very high chance of winning this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Will you lead your team to Sweden to accept the award in person?"

Steel was now steering the conversation toward the interview’s main focus.

Currently, 90% of the attention on Chen Yansen from academic and tech circles in Europe and America was focused on the Deep Blue Battery.

"Perhaps," Chen Yansen replied, showing little enthusiasm for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

’After all, in his eyes, Human Dao Fire, cash, and pretty girls were much higher priorities.’

’The Nobel Prize is awarded annually. By now, there must be eight hundred, if not a thousand, laureates.’

’Sure, the award would boost Senlian Battery’s international influence, but that’s about it.’

"Will you license the lithium-sulfur battery patents to foreign companies?" Steel asked.

"Not for now. In the future, who knows?" Chen Yansen answered noncommittally.

’Even domestic companies had to go through multiple rounds of review by the Peace Association to get a patent license.’

’As for foreign companies?’

’They want a license?’

’In their dreams!’

’They can wait until President Chen has made a killing on his own terms!’

Steel fell silent for a moment, understanding the subtext in Chen Yansen’s words.

It was just like how corporations from the Lighthouse Country would never license their core communications and semiconductor patents to foreign competitors.

They could obediently fork over a high price for the finished product, and that was about it.

"The European and American media have dubbed you and Zuckerberg the world’s most outstanding young entrepreneurs. What are your thoughts on Facebook’s business prospects?" Steel asked after a moment’s thought.

"Hard to say. I’m not familiar with the social media industry," Chen Yansen replied dismissively.

’He wasn’t short on hype and media traffic lately, otherwise he would have said something different, like: ’Zuckerberg? Don’t know him!’ or ’I don’t bother comparing myself to the weak.’’

Seeing Chen Yansen’s unwillingness to play along, Steel sighed faintly. There was nothing he could do.

The interview lasted over an hour before finally concluding.

Chen Yansen treated the *Time Magazine* team to lunch, then returned by car to the Delta Villa.

After returning to his hotel, Steel transcribed the interview, trying to find a sensational angle for his story.

But *Time Magazine* headquarters was already impatient. They contacted him specifically to request the photos from the shoot, intending to use one for the next issue’s cover.

There was no helping it; the hype around lithium-sulfur batteries was just too immense. Even ordinary people who paid no attention to the tech industry understood that doubling energy density would bring revolutionary changes to the world.

...

...

On August 1st, the latest issue of *Time Magazine* went live. The cover featured a portrait of Chen Yansen holding a Yaocheng X1 SE battery.

The headline read: Senlian Capital’s Chen Yansen Is Helping Hua Country Win the 21st Century!

The preview article practically hailed Chen Yansen as the richest man in Asia and a strong contender for the title of world’s richest person of 2013, calling him a super-tycoon worth 80 billion US Dollars.

Influencers in Europe and America scrambled to record videos, endlessly praising Chen Yansen’s academic and entrepreneurial journey.

When the news reached back home, the entire domestic internet was thrown into an uproar.

billion US Dollars?

A quick conversion put that at nearly 500 billion Hua Yuan!

Three years. Twenty-one years old. 500 billion Hua Yuan?

Forget just the domestic web—print and television media across all of Asia began running stories on Chen Yansen.