Chapter 640: Semir Online! Ma Liyun: How Does This Kid's Brain Work? Why Didn't I Think of That

Chapter 640: Chapter 457: Semir Online! Ma Liyun: How Does This Kid’s Brain Work? Why Didn’t I Think of That

The next morning, 360 Search launched its “Safe Medical” feature, further intensifying the battle with Qian Du for market share in the search business.

Zhou Hongyi was bent on dragging Qian Du Search from its number-one throne and grinding it under his heel.

Immediately after, Fast Taxi announced its entry into the designated driver market. Leveraging the foundation it had built in the ride-hailing space, it planned to capture 35 first- and second-tier cities within a month before expanding to third- and fourth-tier cities.

Sun Chuanjing, the Yanjing-based founder of e-Chauffeur, cursed eighteen generations of Cheng Weixing’s and Chen Yansen’s ancestors.

‘Why is Senlian Capital just like Penguin? Do they have to have a finger in every pie?’

But after his tirade, he realized he was utterly powerless.

He couldn’t stop Fast Taxi, let alone Senlian Capital.

Half an hour later, Kuai Pao released an update, adding a new “Online Booking” feature.

Now, Group Buy users could make online reservations, preventing them from showing up to a merchant only to be turned away.

In terms of user experience and the redemption process, Kuai Pao once again pulled ahead of Qian Du Delivery, Dianping, and Meituan Network.

Wealth Treasure partnered with Yintai Department Store, expanding its use cases for offline payments.

Vancl conducted massive layoffs, scaling back its operations in a bid for survival.

Shortly after, someone broke the news that Wang Fei and Li Yaping were divorcing. Weibo’s servers crashed instantly.

The drama-loving onlookers immediately opened Toutiao and dove into the gossip in the comments section.

Jia Yaoting was furious enough to start cursing.

LeTV Vision Pictures had just signed Zhang Yimou and was about to announce it, but Wang Fei had stolen all the media attention. They had no choice but to hold off and wait until the next day.

Sohu Video acquired the rights to the American series *House of Cards*.

A film version of *Dad, Where Are We Going?* was in the works.

The web series *Unexpected* surpassed two hundred million online views.

Evergrande Music sued Xiami for copyright infringement.

The entertainment industry in 2013 was far more vibrant than it would be a decade later.

The competition between Kuai Pao Ticketing and Guevara Films intensified. Pei Yi, in collaboration with the film’s producer, LeTV, dropped the pre-sale ticket price for *Tiny Times 2* to 7.9 yuan, even offering occasional buy-one-get-one-free flash sales.

Thanks to the massive success of *Tiny Times 1*, just two days into the pre-sale for *Tiny Times 2*, sales for its opening day had already surpassed one hundred million yuan.

Meanwhile, the highest-grossing film of 2013, *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons*, had a total box office of 1.24 billion. That *Tiny Times 2* could rake in a hundred million on its opening day alone was enough to make the jaws of China’s fifth- and sixth-generation directors hit the floor.

‘Who the hell was this Guo Xiaosi?’

They simply couldn’t fathom why audiences would rather watch such trash than buy tickets to see their own films.

…

…

After lunch, Chen Yansen was dozing on the soft sofa when someone drew the curtains behind him.

Ye Qiuping cradled his head, her small, smooth hands gently massaging his temples.

Three circles clockwise, three circles counter-clockwise.

A sweet, milky fragrance filled the air, teasing the tip of Chen Yansen’s nose.

“Get in touch with Zhao Maolin. Have him add Kuai Shou to the Starbright Card’s zero-rating list.”

Chen Yansen said suddenly, his eyes still closed.

“Kuai Shou?” Ye Qiuping was surprised, but she was quick on the uptake. A moment’s thought was all it took for her to guess the connection. “Is it also a Senlian Capital subsidiary?” she asked cautiously.

“Mhm.” Chen Yansen rolled over, settling into a more comfortable position.

“Yes, boss.” Ye Qiuping nodded, not pressing for details.

‘If the boss didn’t elaborate, she wouldn’t ask.’

She was a sensible woman who knew the score. Even knowing that Chen Yansen might discard her in a few years when her looks began to fade, she never considered pulling any schemes—like getting pregnant and running off, or trying to trap him with a baby.

First, she knew she couldn’t outsmart Chen Yansen.

Second, she couldn’t bear to give up her job at Orange Technology.

Third, Chen Yansen was young and cunning; as for who was playing whom, that was still an open question.

Ye Qiuping certainly didn’t think she was getting the short end of the stick.

“I’m in the mood for a sweet dessert soup. The water chestnut and cogon grass kind,” Chen Yansen said softly.

“I’ll make it for you after work, then.” Ye Qiuping instantly understood the meaning behind his words. She would be playing private chef at the Delta Villa tonight.

BUZZ—!

Just then, the phone on the coffee table buzzed.

Ye Qiuping picked it up, glanced at the caller ID, and said, “It’s Mr. Ma from Penguin.”

“Speakerphone.” Chen Yansen was enjoying the massage and couldn’t free up a hand.

“President Chen, I have good news,” Ma Wenteng said cheerfully.

“Did the General Insurance Association approve our application?” Chen Yansen countered.

“It’s always a pleasure talking to a smart person.” Ma Wenteng offered a bit of subtle flattery.

“It seems Ma Zheming put in a lot of effort. Three months ago, the General Insurance Association was dead set against it,” Chen Yansen said.

Ever since Yu’e Bao launched, he’d had the idea of entering the insurance industry, but he had neither the connections nor the license.

The last time he was in Shencheng City, he’d discussed the issue with Ma Wenteng, who had also shown interest.

Little Ma was on good personal terms with Ma Zheming of Ping’an.

As soon as Chen Yansen heard that, he immediately brought Ma Wenteng and Ma Zheming on board to establish Semir Online Insurance.

The name was simple and direct, a combination of their own names.

Aside from sounding awful, it had no other flaws.

“Ma Zheming? It wasn’t really about him. The main reason is that Deep Blue Battery is so influential. Someone with connections to the very top personally vouched for you.”

Ma Wenteng said, his voice low.

‘Someone with connections to the very top?’

Chen Yansen just smiled, not giving it much thought.

‘In this world, no one shows goodwill for no reason. They were willing to help simply because they saw him as valuable.’

“Let’s stick to the plan. We’ll start with accident insurance, third-party liability, and shipping insurance,” Chen Yansen said after a moment of thought.

His reason for starting Semir Online was simple: he didn’t want to let other insurance companies profit from his businesses.

Given his current portfolio of businesses, the food delivery, courier, and ride-hailing sectors alone would have tens of millions of employees needing various kinds of insurance in the future.

‘Instead of handing that money over to insurance companies, why not do it himself?’

Furthermore, with the continued growth of e-commerce, the cost of return shipping had become a major deterrent for customers placing orders.

Shipping insurance was an absolute must!

“No problem. We’ll stick to the contract: Senlian Capital handles the day-to-day operations, Penguin provides resources, funding, and business volume, and Ping’an takes care of optimizing the insurance products.”

Ma Wenteng reiterated that he had no interest in the management of Semir Online.

After discussions and weighing their respective contributions of capital, technology, and manpower, the final ownership stakes were set: Penguin with 15%, Ping’an with 20%, and Senlian Capital with 65%.

Chen Yansen was the majority shareholder and chairman of the board.

Moreover, Ma Wenteng had complete faith in Chen Yansen’s leadership. He even helped persuade Ma Zheming to not interfere in Semir Online’s operations and to only provide resources and networking support.

“I’ll need to find someone to head this up. Semir Online is just a shell company for now. Looks like things are about to get busy again.”

Chen Yansen straightened up and sat upright, a faint smile on his lips.

“The more capable the man, the more he works. I have faith in you.” After 2010, Ma Wenteng had developed a particular habit: investing in Chen Yansen and every single one of his projects.

Because Chen Yansen had never once let him down.

In the past, Penguin’s board of directors had frequently voiced objections to Ma Wenteng repeatedly investing in Senlian Capital’s subsidiaries at a premium.

There had been significant internal opposition, but as Pinbei, Kuai Pao, and Fast Taxi’s business volumes and valuations soared, all voices of doubt vanished.

Now, a whole host of directors and shareholders would fawn over Ma Wenteng in meetings, shamelessly sucking up to him.

It couldn’t be helped. For the most part, the people of Hua Country judged others by their successes and failures.

The more successful Chen Yansen’s businesses became, the more it proved Ma Wenteng’s keen eye for investment.

In reality, the ultimate reason Little Ma dared to make such huge bets time and again was Chen Yansen’s brilliant and verifiable track record.

Starting with FoxTao, every single one of his projects had been wildly profitable.

As long as Chen Yansen kept winning, he could probably fart, package it as an app, and still easily get a one-billion-US-dollar valuation.

That’s what you call a reputation!

Take Wang Ning, the founder of Pop Mart. Before he became successful, investors described him as having a mediocre education and being an uninspiring speaker.

After he succeeded, those same investors, all smiles, would declare that Wang Ning had a steady, unflappable personality, never letting his emotions show.

“Once I am successful and famous, the great scholars will come to justify my scriptures.”

That saying couldn’t be more fitting for the world of internet business.

If people could believe bullshit like Ma Liyun claiming he didn’t care about money, then was anything truly impossible?

Chen Yansen and Ma Wenteng chatted for another ten minutes or so, making plans to go deep-sea fishing with Zhang Chaoyang next week when they were in Yanjing for the 12th Internet Conference.

Little Ma indulged in both smoking and drinking, so it was no surprise he got along with Zhang Chaoyang.

Chen Yansen hung up, tossed the phone aside, and lay back down.

He couldn’t sleep, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying life.

Ye Qiuping smiled sweetly and continued her massage.

“Don’t just massage the big head,” President Chen protested nonchalantly after some time had passed.

Ye Qiuping couldn’t help but snort with laughter. The man had the stamina of a twenty-one-year-old, but his shamelessness, repertoire of positions, and cunning mind were utterly incongruous with his age.

「Meanwhile.」

After receiving the notice from the General Insurance Association, the three giants—Ping’an, Penguin, and Senlian Capital—immediately began pulling together personnel, simultaneously building an organizational structure and searching for a suitable office building.

Ma Wenteng proposed Shencheng City.

Ma Zheming suggested Hu City.

For ease of management, Chen Yansen chose Luzhou as the headquarters, with branch offices to be established in Hu City and Shencheng City.

He reserved the CEO position for Gao Weilin.

“Me? CEO?” When Old Gao heard the news, he pointed at his own nose and asked in disbelief.

“Some seats, you’ll find they’re not so hard to fill once you’re in them.”

Chen Yansen said with a smile.

“Boss, you could have just said you chose me to be CEO because you value my outstanding abilities and dazzling talent.”

Gao Weilin said shamelessly, breaking into a wide grin.

Nobody turns down a promotion and a raise, and he was no exception!

“Delegate the initial prep work to your subordinates. I’m giving you a week off to go to Yanjing for a full physical.”

Chen Yansen ignored Old Gao’s antics and continued with his instructions.

“Okay, thank you, Brother Sen.” A warmth spread through Gao Weilin’s chest as he quickly agreed.

‘The boss reminding him once might be a formality, but twice meant he was genuinely concerned about his health.’

He was so moved that the more familiar “Brother Sen” slipped out.

“Go on,” Chen Yansen said with a wave of his hand.

‘In any case, Old Gao was one of his own. He had been a diligent worker for him across two lifetimes.’

‘He really didn’t want Gao Weilin to die from liver cancer within a few years, just like in his previous life.’

‘If Old Gao were gone, who would manage his money for him?’

「On the other side.」

Ma Liyun soon learned of Semir Online’s existence. After making inquiries through various channels, he figured out their “shipping insurance” business model.

He paced his office three times, teacup in hand, before muttering to himself, “How is that kid’s brain wired? Why didn’t I think of that!”