Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

For a moment, Liang Changlin was at a complete loss.

He currently had two companies under his name: Yaya Network and Dingdong Community.

As the three giants—Ah Li, Pinbei, and Jingdong—continuously expanded their business scope and product categories, Yaya Network’s market share was gradually being eroded.

Additionally, Sunning had spent 80 million US dollars to acquire Red Child Company, also entering the fray for the mother and baby market.

The business environment for vertical e-commerce platforms was becoming increasingly difficult!

And now, Dingdong Community’s business model had been repeatedly shot down by Chen Yansen.

Liang Changlin looked lost and remained silent. After a long moment, he finally lifted his head to look at Chen Yansen and said, "President Chen, could you perhaps show me the way forward?"

’I’m not your damn father!’

Chen Yansen complained internally, but he didn’t refuse outright. Instead, he feigned a thoughtful expression before speaking. "The number of users you can acquire, and in turn, the profit you can make, is determined by how many people you can serve. Social media, mobile games, and lifestyle services all have promising market prospects."

’Social media, mobile games, and lifestyle services?’

Liang Changlin gave it serious thought, his brow furrowing deeper. The industries Chen Yansen mentioned were already crowded with sharks and minnows. If a small fry like him jumped in, he would be nothing more than bait.

"Niche categories might have fewer competitors, but you never know when a bigger player will take notice,"

Chen Yansen added languidly. He then picked up the teapot, refilled his cup, and took a slow sip.

"Thank you for the guidance, President Chen. I brought you some local specialties from Hu City. Please consider it a small welcome gift, just a token of my appreciation. I hope you’ll accept it."

Liang Changlin gestured, and his assistant immediately picked up two exquisite gift boxes and placed them gently on the table.

"You’re too kind, President Liang."

Chen Yansen nodded slightly, his tone calm, and accepted the gifts graciously.

"So, by your estimation, President Chen, is there no future for Dingdong Community?" Liang Changlin asked, unwilling to give up.

"If you don’t believe me, President Liang, then by all means, follow your own plan. We’ll just see if Taobao Delivery, Meituan Takeout, and Qian Du Delivery don’t expand their operational categories," Chen Yansen said dismissively.

In reality, the future Dingdong Maicai would have its moment in the spotlight, but it would quickly decline under the relentless pressure of the internet giants.

Dingdong Maicai’s resources were scarce and its business model was singular. It was extremely dependent on high-frequency user consumption and order density. The moment user stickiness dropped, the fragility of its fulfillment system would be exposed.

To put it bluntly, its profit margins were low, its losses from spoilage were high, and it couldn’t afford to pay its employees.

For Meituan, Taobao, and Qian Du Delivery, however, fresh produce was just one part of their business and didn’t account for a high percentage of sales. They just had to use Liu Qiangdong’s strategy against Dangdang—suffering a small loss to inflict a thousand cuts—and they could bleed Dingdong dry through sheer competition.

They could afford to operate at a loss. Could he?

"Thank you, President Chen. I understand." Liang Changlin’s head was buzzing. Chen Yansen’s reminder was a wake-up call; he suddenly realized that the business he’d been eyeing was already on the menu for the industry titans.

"You don’t understand," Chen Yansen said abruptly.

Liang Changlin froze, confused. He pressed on with a puzzled look, "I’m sorry, President Chen. I’m not quite sure what you mean."

"Rather than waiting to be crushed in the future, it’s better to find a large company to back you now. It’s much easier to launch a successful venture when you’re not lacking capital and resources."

Chen Yansen stated his intentions plainly.

Liang Changlin was a smart man; he understood at once. He realized that Chen Yansen was trying to recruit him for Senlian Capital.

At this thought, a hesitant expression appeared on his face.

He’d been an entrepreneur ever since leaving the military.

"President Chen, I’ve never worked for anyone a day in my life," Liang Changlin said, politely declining.

"How will you know if you don’t try? Working for someone isn’t necessarily worse than being an entrepreneur," Chen Yansen said.

Liang Changlin shook his head, his mind still racing with plans for Dingdong Community. ’If selling groceries won’t work, then I’ll do at-home car washes, manicures, and cleaning services. I refuse to believe I can’t find the right path.’

"Thank you for the offer, President Chen. I’d like to think about joining Senlian Capital," Liang Changlin said, not daring to refuse outright for fear of offending Chen Yansen.

Chen Yansen smiled faintly and glanced at his watch.

Seeing this, Liang Changlin’s expression darkened. ’You’re so damn pragmatic,’ he thought. ’The second I say I won’t work for you, you’re ready to kick me out!’

"President Chen, I’ve taken up enough of your time." Liang Changlin sighed, tactfully getting to his feet to take his leave.

"No rush. I’ve booked a private room at a restaurant in the city."

Chen Yansen waved his hand, gesturing for Liang Changlin to sit down again.

Liang Changlin stared into Chen Yansen’s eyes. Seeing that the other man’s expression wasn’t fake, he paused for a few seconds before sitting back down.

They then moved on, avoiding the topics of Dingdong Community and joining Senlian Capital, and instead chatted casually about the state of e-commerce, O2O, and other industries in 2012.

Liang Changlin grew increasingly astounded. Chen Yansen’s predictions about industry trends were remarkably accurate, and he was also incredibly knowledgeable about popular overseas software.

Little did he know, this had nothing to do with predictions.

Chen Yansen was operating on a higher level and had access to more information, so of course he could see further ahead.

The two didn’t leave the office until eleven-thirty. The clay teapot on the table had been emptied and refilled time and time again.

On the way to the restaurant, Chen Yansen casually mentioned Pei Yi and Xiao Jun. In terms of business accomplishments, Liang Changlin was nowhere near their level.

The implication was clear: ’There’s no shame in working for me.’

’Plenty of people more capable than you are already here. If you miss this chance, joining Senlian Capital next time won’t be this easy.’

Finally, Liang Changlin gave a heavy nod. "President Chen, give me two... one day to consider. I’ll give you my answer tomorrow."

"Fine," Chen Yansen replied.

「Two hours later, the dinner party concluded.」

Liang Changlin remained at his hotel to rest. After Chen Yansen’s lengthy persuasion, his resolve had begun to waver.

Of course, the failure of the Dingdong Community project had dealt him a heavy blow. For one, he had no good explanation for his investors. For another, he had diverted funds from Yaya Network, putting the cash flow for both companies at risk.

His current situation was even more dire than Chen Yansen imagined.

Before leaving for Xucheng, he had already considered that if things really didn’t work out, he would sell Yaya Network to Xuesi, raise some capital, and roll the dice one last time.

While Liang Changlin was wavering, the R&D department at Orange Pay was working overtime to develop their "Collect the Five Fortunes, Split 100 Million in Cash" event.

With the Spring Festival just over a month away, Chen Yansen had no intention of missing this golden opportunity to promote the red envelope feature.

If this year’s Spring Festival Gala hadn’t canceled advertising placements, Chen Yansen would have undoubtedly spent another hundred million to secure the naming rights for the New Year’s Eve broadcast.

Chen Yansen didn’t go to the office that afternoon. After leaving the Sky Garden, he drove straight toward his villa.

「Meanwhile.」

DiDi Bike and Little Yellow Bike were locked in a fierce, head-on conflict in Yanjing, waging a subsidy war. Users could ride for free for half an hour each day, and upon completing a ride, they would receive a one-Hua Yuan-off coupon.

Having already experienced the ride-hailing price wars, Cheng Wei wasn’t fazed in the slightest. He immediately upped the ante, giving each user five ride coupons per day—far more than anyone would normally need.

This resulted in Little Yellow Bikes going completely unused!

Chang Wei had no choice but to bite the bullet and match the offer.

Meanwhile, with no competitors in the East China Region, Ofo Bike’s daily revenue had already surpassed 300,000 Hua Yuan!