Chapter 67 - 66: The Man Who Refused 400 Million
"Yifeng, Chen Xu, I’ve asked around about this channel partner appreciation meeting. Some of the top merchants from the Tao ecosystem will be there. Your job is to show your faces, get their contact info, and plug FoxTao’s daily active users and average order value..."
A Mercedes-Benz Viano sped along the highway. Sitting in the back, Chen Yansen gave Chen Xu and Zhang Yifeng their detailed instructions.
Once the merchant backend system went live, Chen Yansen planned to partner with a group of brands. The goal was to first create a flagship case and generate some major buzz.
"Okay, Brother Sen." Chen Xu and Zhang Yifeng nodded in agreement.
After explaining the details, Chen Yansen turned to Song Yuncheng. "Do you have a driver’s license?"
"No," Song Yuncheng answered truthfully, a little confused.
After their last trip to Penguin, she wasn’t opposed to Chen Yansen bringing her to Hang City this time. Besides, having Chen Xu and Zhang Yifeng along made her feel even more at ease.
"Get your license later," Chen Yansen instructed. "Have Teacher Liu reimburse you for the cost."
He made the decision on the spot.
Back then, the trip from Xucheng to Hang City was several hundred kilometers, and there wasn’t even a high-speed train available. Left with no other choice, Chen Yansen had rented a van and hired a professional driver.
"Oh." Song Yuncheng didn’t ask any more questions this time.
’She knew that if she asked, Chen Yansen’s next line would be "Believe it or not, I’ll dock your pay." It was best to just do as she was told.’
Chen Xu and Zhang Yifeng looked at each other. As FoxTao’s very first employee, Song Yuncheng clearly received special treatment from the boss. Without a word, the two of them pulled out their phones and started playing games.
With the driver there, Chen Yansen couldn’t get handsy, so he just scrolled through the news out of boredom.
The 3G network could only handle images and text, making Chen Yansen nostalgic for the summer of 2018. Back then, opening a short-video app meant a screen full of lightly dressed girls. Swiping on your phone was like an emperor flipping through the name tablets of his concubines.
Too bad the three major carriers hadn’t even received their 4G licenses yet. Rebus’s Mi 1 phone probably wasn’t even in the design phase. Entertainment in 2010 was certainly a lot more monotonous.
Since it was a weekday, traffic on the highway was light. Chen Yansen dozed off for a while, and when he opened his eyes again, the car had already entered downtown Hang City.
At the time, Hang City was a forest of skyscrapers. Its finance, convention, and commerce industries were developing at lightning speed. On top of that, the presence of Ali Baba had earned the city the additional title of "E-commerce Capital."
Ah Li’s channel partner conference was being held at the Xinyao Holiday Hotel, not far from its headquarters. The moment Chen Yansen and his group stepped into the lobby, they spotted the Ah Li check-in desk.
"Hello sir, may I have your company’s full name? I’ll get you registered," the staff member at reception asked politely.
"Senhai Technology. Our product is called FoxTao," Chen Yansen answered concisely.
"Senhai, how do you spell... Oh! You’re the representative from FoxTao? Welcome to Hang City!" The staff member had been looking down, flipping through the guest list, but his face lit up the moment he heard the name "FoxTao." He quickly handed Chen Yansen a conference badge and very graciously explained the next day’s schedule.
This wasn’t because of any special instructions. It was because, thanks to FoxTao’s performance on Singles’ Day, their division had just hit the company’s one-billion-yuan target. With their year-end bonuses secured, their gazes toward Chen Yansen were particularly warm.
"It’s still early. If you two get bored at the hotel, you can go for a walk by West Lake. Just remember to attend the networking event tonight," Chen Yansen said quietly as they stepped into the elevator.
"Thanks, Brother Sen. On the way here, Brother Feng and I were just wondering if we should ask you for some time off, hehe," Chen Xu grinned, looking excited.
Chen Yansen just hummed in response and didn’t say anything else.
The elevator doors slid open. The group took their key cards and headed to their separate rooms.
Chen Yansen sat by the window with his laptop, reviewing the FoxTao promotional PPT that Song Yuncheng had made. The content placed special emphasis on the metrics that merchants cared about most: daily unique visitors, total registered users, and monthly order volume.
The first page of the PPT read: FoxTao | The One-Stop CPS Performance Marketing Platform!
’Damn it,’ Chen Yansen cursed under his breath. ’We’re just missing a flagship case study. We have no confidence for Investment Attraction without one.’
However, he had "optimized" the data. For instance, FoxTao’s actual total registered users were 4 million, but the PPT said 10 million. Daily active users went from 600,000 to 1 million, and daily orders were bumped from 70,000 to 150,000.
’When you’re out on the road, you’re already being polite if you don’t multiply your numbers by ten. Only a fool does business honestly.’
’Talk a big game first; securing the first wave of merchant resources is the top priority.’
"Come to my room. The PPT needs some edits." After confirming all the details, Chen Yansen sent a text to Song Yuncheng.
When Song Yuncheng received the text, she instinctively grabbed her laptop. But just as she reached the door, she turned back. After picking up a palm-sized paving stone, she finally left her room, feeling much more secure.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
There was a knock at the door, and Chen Yansen opened it.
Song Yuncheng walked into the room carrying her laptop. A pair of boxer briefs on the bed instantly caught her eye. The cute print on them made her unsure whether to laugh or cry. A blush spread across her cheeks, and she quickly turned her head away.
"What needs to be changed?" Song Yuncheng asked as she sat at the desk and opened her laptop.
But the image of the underwear’s pattern kept replaying in her mind, and she had to take a deep breath to push down her embarrassment.
"Here, add a zero to this value. Add another 50,000 to the daily new customer growth, and increase the conversion rate by 10%..." Chen Yansen stood behind her, pointing at the screen as he went through the changes one by one.
"Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?" Song Yuncheng asked in a low voice.