Chapter 645: Musk: It Feels Like I'm Working for Chen Yansen? Li Yanhong: What Are You Guys Up To?

Chapter 645: Chapter 461: Musk: It Feels Like I’m Working for Chen Yansen? Li Yanhong: What Are You Guys Up To?

Night fell over Yanjing’s Second Ring Road.

A Maybach 62S pulled to a slow stop in front of an antique-style restaurant.

The brass rings on the vermilion-lacquered main gate had a matte sheen under the streetlights. A plaque hanging on the lintel read “Jingzhao Prefect.” The powerful calligraphy was made even clearer by the lanterns hanging from the eaves.

Huang Boxiang brought the car to a halt and opened the door for Chen Yansen.

As far as the eye could see, there were luxury cars like Mercedes-Benzes, Hummers, Land Rovers, Hongqis, and Bentleys.

This truly was a gathering place for the powerful and influential. The air itself seemed to reek of money.

Not far off, several middle-aged men in haute couture suits were chatting and laughing, the Vacheron Constantin watches on their wrists glittering brightly.

The moment Chen Yansen stepped out of the car, he immediately drew a great deal of attention.

While the Maybach 62S was valuable, its “leopard-spot” Yanjing license plate—with its repeating digits—was even more precious.

An ordinary person could never get their hands on such a plate, and even if they could, they might not have the clout to display it.

“Whoa! Well, I’ll be. It’s Chen Yansen from Senlian Capital!”

“What’s he doing in Yanjing?”

“The 12th Hua Country Internet Conference is tomorrow. He was probably called in to add some weight to the event.”

Many people recognized Chen Yansen at a glance and began whispering to their friends.

Some couldn’t resist the urge to go over, say hello, and try to get their face known.

But before they could make a move, four security guards emerged from a Mercedes MPV and quickly formed a perimeter around Chen Yansen. Strangers didn’t even have a chance to get close.

“President Chen, I’m President Zhang’s assistant. Please, follow me.”

Just then, a young man of about twenty-six or twenty-seven approached them. He was dressed sharply in a suit and had a gentle smile on his face.

Chen Yansen recognized him as Zhang Chaoyang’s personal assistant and followed him through the front courtyard to the door of a private room.

The door was ajar. Inside, Ma Wenteng and Zhou Hongyi were glaring daggers at each other, while Zhang Chaoyang watched the spectacle from the side with a calm expression, as if it had nothing to do with him.

There were no harsh electric lights in the room. Instead, it was illuminated by high-hanging palace lanterns and candlesticks on the table. Warm light spilled through the carved wooden window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the blue brick floor.

A pear wood round table was set by the window. A bronze censer on the corner of the table burned with faint sandalwood, its wispy smoke mingling with the scent of hibiscus blossoms drifting in from outside.

The moment Ma Wenteng saw Chen Yansen, his face instantly broke into a wide smile. He got up, trotted over, and gave him a hug.

“President Chen, you have to have a few drinks with us tonight! I brought several cases of good liquor just for you, all the way from Shencheng City,” Ma Wenteng said with great enthusiasm.

He had made a fortune over the past two years by investing in Senlian Capital.

In his eyes, Chen Yansen was dearer to him than his own wife and children.

“A pleasant buzz is better than getting wasted. As long as we’re happy,” Chen Yansen replied with a light smile.

“You can hold your liquor. By the time you’re feeling a buzz, Old Zhang and I will probably be dead drunk,” Ma Wenteng joked.

“Pony, don’t just block the door. Let Jensen come in. Let’s drink our fill first, then we’ll head to a bar for the after-party. I’ll call a few celebrities over then,” Zhang Chaoyang called out.

Sohu Entertainment had invested in plenty of variety shows, movies, and short dramas. He’d even had a hand in last year’s hit, *Hua Country’s Voice*. The after-party was even held at his villa.

Hearing this, Ma Wenteng quickly pulled Chen Yansen to a seat.

“President Chen, congratulations! I hear Deep Blue Battery’s production orders are backed up all the way to 2015,” Zhou Hongyi said with a grin, his compliment flowing naturally.

Even though he was worth billions, it was nothing in front of Chen Yansen.

In the mobile phone industry alone, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Chen Yansen “big brother.”

“It won’t take that long. Once the two production bases in Shencheng City are fully operational, we’ll be able to clear the backlog in less than six months.”

Chen Yansen said with a wave of his hand.

Zhang Chaoyang was busy opening and pouring drinks, his mind already on the after-party. He could almost hear the intense drum beat in his ears.

At his age, nearly fifty, if he didn’t party now, he’d be too old for it soon. He was in his last phase of wild partying.

Seeing this, the assistant waiting outside the door immediately had the waiters bring in the dishes.

“According to the CNCC data report, Qian Du Search still holds 40% of the market share. That’s a tougher nut to crack than we thought.”

Zhou Hongyi’s eyes narrowed, a fierce look flashing across his face. After exceeding 15%, 360 Search’s market share had completely stagnated. No matter what he tried, it never broke past 15.5%.

On the other hand, Lingxi Search, boosted by the Moss Assistant, saw its market share soar. It had already surpassed 25% two weeks ago.

He was getting really anxious.

He wanted to both increase his business share and see Li Yanhong drop dead.

After all, during the ‘3B War,’ both sides had gone for the jugular, accumulating a considerable amount of enmity.

“User habits are hard to change. Take it slow, there’s no rush,” Chen Yansen said calmly.

Ma Wenteng pushed the glass Zhang Chaoyang had filled over to Chen Yansen.

There were only a few cold appetizers on the table to go with the drinks, which was fitting for the current season.

The four of them clinked glasses and drank. In no time, a jar of yellow wine, with a price comparable to aged Maotai, was empty.

His face flushed, Zhang Chaoyang shouted, “This wine is too weak! Let’s switch to whiskey!”

With that, he waved to his assistant, telling him to bring two bottles of Karuizawa 1960.

‘Looks like we’ll have to talk business tomorrow,’ Chen Yansen thought. ‘Judging by Old Zhang’s condition, he’ll be lucky to even make it to the after-party.’

Ma Wenteng unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. With a cigarette between his fingers and a hazy look in his eyes, he asked Zhou Hongyi, “What kind of wine is this?”

Little Ma felt that the alcohol content was off.

“You’re drunk after a bit of yellow wine?” Zhou Hongyi taunted.

With Chen Yansen present, the two of them couldn’t very well start a fight, so they were both trying their best to maintain a veneer of civility.

“In terms of power, you’re lacking; in terms of drinking capacity, you’re also lacking,” Ma Wenteng snorted, giving Zhou Hongyi a sideways glance.

Chen Yansen nodded in agreement. “Mr. Ma can certainly hold his liquor.”

Among the internet tycoons, Ma Wenteng and Ma Liyun’s drinking abilities were top-tier. Despite Zhang Chaoyang constantly organizing drinking parties, his tolerance was only good enough for the warm-up round.

Usually, Old Zhang would be fast asleep before the first half was even over.

Between Xiaoma and Lao Ma, one had a fast metabolism, while the other drank like his life depended on it.

“Is Mr. Ma sure he wants to have a drinking contest with one of the Beihu People?” Zhou Hongyi chuckled, his tone dripping with disdain.

A day for a Beihu native starts with morning drinks.

“Charles, open two more bottles! One for President Zhou and one for me,” Little Ma said to Zhang Chaoyang with a grand wave of his hand, fully prepared to send Zhou Hongyi to the hospital.

Chen Yansen was secretly amused. ‘These two are sitting together, not cursing, not fighting, but having a drinking contest instead.’ ‘Who would believe it if word got out?’ ‘Tycoons worth billions, even tens of billions, still have to settle their scores at the drinking table.’

Zhang Chaoyang tried to mediate, but when they both ignored him, he gave up. ‘It’d be for the best if they drank themselves to death,’ he thought. ‘The circle would be rid of two menaces.’

He raised his glass, clinked it gently against Chen Yansen’s, and asked in a low voice, “I see you’ve been focusing on short-form video. Why not long-form? Not interested?”

There was a clear probing tone in Zhang Chaoyang’s question.

Chen Yansen glanced at Ma Wenteng, then turned back to Zhang Chaoyang. “Didn’t Senlian Capital invest in Penguin Video? There’s no need to do everything ourselves.”

Hearing this, Ma Wenteng couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

A flicker of relief also appeared in Zhang Chaoyang’s eyes.

Although he was on good terms with Chen Yansen, he was still afraid of Senlian Capital crossing over to snatch his business.

In truth, the costs for bandwidth, content, copyright, and operations required to build a long-form video website were far higher than for short-form video.

Furthermore, the monetization model was limited, making it not only difficult to turn a profit but also offering few job opportunities.

Chen Yansen hadn’t entered the field directly, but had merely made some investments.

「Meanwhile.」

Reporters from a dozen or so media outlets, including Yanjing Satellite TV, Yanjing Evening News, Yanjing Business Daily, and 21st Century IT Net, successively received a tip: the founders of Senlian Capital, Penguin, 360, and Sohu had all appeared at the Jingzhao Prefect, very likely for the same dinner party.

Ma Wenteng and Zhou Hongyi eating together—now that was a huge story.

Local media rushed over immediately, stationing themselves at the exits of Jingzhao Prefect and across the street, setting up their cameras with lenses aimed at the main gate.

It wasn’t until ten o’clock at night that the four men, Chen Yansen included, walked out of the restaurant, followed by their assistants and security personnel.

Zhang Chaoyang’s face was flushed. He chatted with Chen Yansen for a moment, then waved at Ma Wenteng before diving into a car. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to roll down the window and make a “let’s go” gesture.

Chen Yansen hooked his left arm around Little Ma’s neck and his right arm around Zhou Daqiang’s shoulder. In a deep voice, he said, “Let’s put everything else aside for now. First, we need a united front to seize the search engine market share. The Moss large language model can be licensed to 360 and Penguin. As for the fees, we can talk about that later.”

“No problem, I have no objections. But will Zhou Hongyi even remember this tomorrow?”

Ma Wenteng grinned mischievously.

If Chen Yansen wasn’t holding Zhou Hongyi up, he’d probably be on the floor by now.

‘Trying to outdrink him? That’s just asking for death!’

After speaking, Little Ma patted his pocket, pulled out a pack of Zhenlong cigarettes, and offered it to Chen Yansen.

Chen Yansen waved it away. He knew reporters were swarming the area. But even if there weren’t any, he wouldn’t have accepted a cigarette from Little Ma, because he didn’t smoke in the first place.

The sight of the three of them with their arms around each other’s shoulders made the reporters’ eyes light up.

They frantically mashed their shutter buttons!

Chen Yansen had intended to have Lao Zhou’s secretary take him back to the hotel, but Zhou Hongyi refused to admit defeat and insisted on going to the bar.

Ma Wenteng chuckled and took out his phone to snap a picture of the drunken Zhou Hongyi.

Chen Yansen let out a helpless laugh, not bothering with the two of them anymore, and got into a car to head to the bar Zhang Chaoyang had mentioned.

「Elsewhere.」

The photo of Ma Wenteng supporting Zhou Hongyi and Chen Yansen with his arms around both of them quickly shot to the top of the news and started trending on Weibo.

“Ma Wenteng and Zhou Hongyi are so close, their mouths are almost touching.”

“Oh my god! It burns my eyes! Aren’t they enemies? How are they eating together again?”

“Didn’t you see who’s in the middle?”

“Is Chen Yansen really that badass?”

“Are you questioning the caliber of Hua Country’s richest man? Even Zuckerberg would have to propose a toast to President Chen if he were here.”

Netizens gossiped excitedly.

At the same time, Li Yanhong was staring at his phone, his brow furrowed in thought. ‘What are those three up to, getting together like that?’

Meanwhile, upon seeing the trending topic, Zhang Chaoyang spat, “So I guess my name and Sohu’s aren’t even worthy of a mention?”

…

…

On the other side of the ocean, Musk was lying on a factory floor. He first had an employee from the branding department take a set of photos for promotional use.

Then he opened his computer and glanced at the pre-order numbers for the Model S Long Range. In just over ten days, 8,200 units had been sold.

The estimated transaction value was 1.3 billion US Dollars!

From that amount, Musk would earn 140 million US Dollars!

And Chen Yansen would earn 340 million US Dollars!