Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

Chen Yansen turned to look. Well, well, if it wasn’t Handsome Dong from Zhongguan Village.

"President Liu, let me make an introduction. This is Mr. Chen Yansen, the CEO of FoxTao. President Chen, this is—"

Ye Qiuping froze for a moment. Once she saw it was Liu Qiangdong, she quickly stood up and started to speak.

"President Liu, a pleasure to meet you!" Chen Yansen stood up with them, interrupting Ye Qiuping’s introduction and proactively offering his hand.

Up close, Liu Qiangdong, now in his late thirties, had quite a few wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and a tuft of white hair in his bangs. A deep worry was etched between his brows, but he still exuded a powerful presence.

Compared to the entrepreneurs of a decade-plus later, Liu Qiangdong had a thick, worldly aura about him. His accent was also heavy. He wore a short trench coat over a royal blue shirt, an outfit that perfectly matched his disposition.

Chen Yansen had a good impression of Old Liu. They had similar hobbies: both liked beautiful young women in their twenties.

"I’ve been hearing your name a lot in business circles these past few days, President Chen. Three days, one brand, 34 million in sales... You’ve shocked quite a few people."

Liu Qiangdong said with a laugh as he shook Chen Yansen’s hand.

"You’re too kind, President Liu. It was just a stroke of luck. Please, have a seat." Chen Yansen gave a slight smile and gestured for everyone to sit and talk.

"I heard you say just now that both Jingdong and Taobao will be successful in the future, but that they’ll also both fail," Liu Qiangdong said with a frown after sitting down. "Since you’ve made such a claim, President Chen, I assume you have your reasons."

"It was just an offhand remark, President Liu. Please don’t take it seriously," Chen Yansen demurred, not wanting to explain.

’The reason has to do with major future economic trends. Liu Qiangdong wouldn’t believe me even if I told him, not unless he was one hundred percent convinced I could predict the future.’

’That’s no different from being a fortune teller!’

Liu Qiangdong was momentarily stunned by his response, but he quickly came around. The business world was inherently unpredictable; who could really say what the future held?

Upon learning that Chen Yansen had reached an exclusive commission agreement with Jingdong, Liu Qiangdong was inwardly delighted. ’FoxTao’s performance is outstanding. If they can sell out clothing that costs several hundred yuan, then Jingdong’s small appliances in the same price range should be no problem. We might even be able to try moving our large appliance category, with items worth several thousand yuan.’

"President Chen, what are your thoughts on the large appliance market? Would you be interested in running a category-specific promotion with Jingdong?"

With this in mind, Liu Qiangdong couldn’t wait to ask.

In 2010, what Jingdong needed most was cash. Compounded by a failed 618 Grand Promotion and a late start to winter, they were saddled with a severe inventory backlog of large appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners, which was heavily impacting their cash flow.

"President Liu, large appliances cost at least 1,000 yuan apiece. Unlike apparel and general merchandise, these items have almost no repeat purchases and are heavily reliant on acquiring new customer traffic. FoxTao is certainly willing to work with Jingdong, but the final sales figures will depend on how much gross margin you’re prepared to part with."

Chen Yansen hadn’t expected Liu Qiangdong to be so proactive, but after a moment’s thought, he understood the crucial point.

’The fundamental reason is still a lack of cash!’

’On top of that, he needs to produce a stellar performance report to persuade investors.’

’After April of next year, Liu Qiangdong will close his 1.5 billion US Dollar Series C-2 financing round, and Jingdong will skyrocket. The chances of me having a casual chat like this with him again will be practically zero.’

"The manufacturing costs for large appliances are fixed. I can’t offer a commission as high as the one you got from Meiters," Liu Qiangdong said, shaking his head with a wry smile.

"For the customers, ’value’ is what’s key. If you’re serious about running a category promotion on FoxTao, President Liu, we can take our time discussing the specific commission rates, ad fees, and event format."

Chen Yansen stated calmly.

’It’s not like I haven’t dealt with the large appliance category before. I have a mature, ready-made plan right here in my head.’

’Still, it’s hard to say whether FoxTao’s current user base would accept items priced over 1,000 yuan.’

’I’d rather finish the first phase of the Super Rebate event and deliver even more spectacular results. Only then will Liu Qiangdong be willing to commit more resources to this category promotion.’

’I don’t want him just treating FoxTao as some test platform.’

"Alright. Let’s have a verbal agreement for now, and I’ll have Ye Qiuping follow up later," Liu Qiangdong said, understanding the implication in Chen Yansen’s words.

He then introduced the two men with him to Chen Yansen. One was the general manager of the North China Region, and the other was Zhang Limin from the delivery department. Both were core figures at Jingdong.

After they exchanged business cards, Liu Qiangdong left with his men, heading toward Yinfeng Mansion.

"Sister Ping, your President Liu is so low-key, eating lunch at a small place like this," Song Yuncheng, who had been quiet the whole time, asked in surprise.

"You’d be mistaken. The cheapest combo here costs 48 yuan. Most office workers wouldn’t be willing to spend that much," Chen Yansen said with a chuckle as he opened the menu.

’Forget 2010; even in 2026, you’d be hard-pressed to find many white-collar workers willing to spend 48 yuan on a quick meal.’

Song Yuncheng murmured an "oh," thinking to herself: ’From that perspective, Zhang Hanhua from Amazon really is greedy, trying to fleece Chen Yansen for ten to twenty thousand yuan over a single meal.’

The three of them finished their lunch unhurriedly and then started walking back.

After signing the contract that afternoon, Chen Yansen stood up to take his leave. As for the dedicated category event with Jingdong, that would have to wait for their operations department to select the products and their warehouse staff to complete an inventory count before they could move forward.

「Yanjing Airport, Departure Lounge.」

"This trip wasn’t a waste after all. Jingdong is so much bigger and more efficient than Amazon. Isn’t Amazon a foreign enterprise? Why does it operate like a shell company?"

Song Yuncheng asked in confusion from her seat.

"It has nothing to do with it being a foreign company. Some people are just plain greedy and lecherous. It’s a rotten part of their nature, and it can’t be fixed."

Chen Yansen snorted in contempt as he recalled his experiences from his past life.

’People in channel management, business development, and operations secretly lining their own pockets... isn’t that just an unwritten rule of the industry?’

’If you’re lucky, you get away scot-free. If you’re not, you earn yourself a one-way ticket to prison.’

’As far as I know, there are plenty of people far greedier than Zhang Hanhua. For instance, the head of the home goods category at a certain major internet firm. To line his pockets, he colluded with a third-party supplier, passing off domestic latex mattresses as imported ones. The price difference on a single mattress was over five hundred yuan.’

’He bought 30 million worth of the product in one go and pocketed 5 million in kickbacks. If a customer hadn’t later discovered that the mattress they received was a centimeter shorter than the authentic version, the whole scheme probably would’ve never come to light.’

’The big boss of the company was so enraged he decided on the spot to send everyone involved in that home goods line to prison for a few years.’

"Will FoxTao have people like that in the future?" Song Yuncheng asked.

"What do you think?" Chen Yansen countered with a smile.

"Boss, can I change my position? After going on these business trips, I’ve realized I’m a better fit for a role in channel management or business development," Song Yuncheng said, biting her lip as if she had made a monumental decision.

Changing one’s entire career path was easier said than done.

"Aren’t you afraid of running into more people like Zhang Hanhua?" Chen Yansen teased, leaning back in his seat.

"You once said that while these interpersonal dealings seem complicated, at their core, they’re all about human nature. Once you master that, you can get twice the results with half the effort," Song Yuncheng replied, full of confidence.

"Alright! I want to see Zhang Hanhua completely and utterly ruined. You’ll be in charge of taking him down. Once the job is done, I’ll approve your transfer."

Chen Yansen nodded, agreeing readily.

"Me?" Song Yuncheng’s face stiffened. She had only wanted to switch positions, but Chen Yansen had given her such a monumental task.

"As an employee, you need to prove your capabilities first, don’t you?" Chen Yansen said matter-of-factly. "There’s no rush. Take your time and think it over."

Song Yuncheng looked up, her gaze fixed on Chen Yansen. "I can do it."

Chen Yansen remained silent, wondering to himself, ’Does this count as me leading her astray?’

’Heh, who cares! In this day and age, what damn good is being a nice guy!’

Chen Yansen scoffed inwardly.

...

...

Zhang Hanhua stewed in his office all day but couldn’t think of a way to teach Chen Yansen a lesson.

Playing dirty could easily blow the situation out of proportion. As for a head-on confrontation, the most he could do was have Amazon sever its cooperation with FoxTao.

What he didn’t expect was that not only had he been beaten up for nothing, but the man behind it was now plotting how to take him down even further.

「Meanwhile.」

By the time Chen Yansen and Song Yuncheng got out of the car, the sky was pitch-black. He glanced at his watch; it was already 11:10 PM.

"The couch?" Chen Yansen asked.

"Mhm," Song Yuncheng agreed.

The wheels of her suitcase rumbled over the concrete, the SCRAPING sound particularly jarring on the empty campus.

"Are you sure you want to change positions? Design is your actual major, after all," Chen Yansen suddenly asked as they walked.

"The business development role pays more," Song Yuncheng answered, concise and direct.

"I’ll have Xu Dan hire another designer tomorrow. Just focus on a smooth handover," Chen Yansen said softly.

"But didn’t you say..." Song Yuncheng’s face was a mask of confusion. The entire way back, she had been racking her brain, trying to figure out how to get "revenge" on Zhang Hanhua.

She hadn’t even come up with a plan yet, and now Chen Yansen had changed his mind again.

"You need to be in business development to have a shot at taking him down. What’s the alternative? Are you going to draw a picture so funny it makes Zhang Hanhua die of laughter?" Chen Yansen quipped.

"Chen Yansen, thank you," Song Yuncheng said, her eyes sincere.

"Is a simple ’thank you’ all I get? No tangible show of gratitude?" Chen Yansen asked, pointing to his lips with obvious intent.

Song Yuncheng rolled her eyes at him and fell back, pushing her suitcase from behind.

The late autumn wind was cold and desolate. The plane trees lining Xue Lin Road rustled, and every so often, a few withered yellow leaves would drift to the ground.

When he saw she wasn’t speaking, Chen Yansen fell silent too. The two of them walked at a leisurely pace. The short, few-hundred-meter walk from the campus gate to the faculty apartments took them more than ten minutes.

Song Yuncheng’s opinion of Chen Yansen was changing. ’Aside from his bad habit of trying to flirt with me, he really does look out for me, both in our personal lives and at work.’

’Plus, he’s 1.86 meters tall and incredibly handsome. It’d be a lie to say I’m not the least bit tempted. But thinking about my own situation, and the fact that he has a girlfriend...’ Her resolve hardened.

"Can you please stop being so nice to me?" Song Yuncheng whispered to his back.

...

...

「The next morning. Room 206, Innovation Park.」

Chen Yansen logged into the data backend and exported the order data from the Meiters brand group promotion. The spreadsheet columns included information such as Product ID, Title, Link, Order Volume, Total Order Value, and Gross Profit.

Total sales reached 34.69 million, with a gross profit of 5.97 million, for a gross profit margin of nearly 20%.

’This is the advantage of doing branded flash sales!’

’FoxTao’s usual gross margin is only 14%, and that number will only continue to drop as competition in the industry heats up.’

’But doing branded flash sales is a different story. The merchant and brand resources create an intangible competitive moat, raising the barrier to entry in this industry.’

’In the future, someone is bound to copy FoxTao’s business model!’

’But by that point, I’ll have already made a fortune and gotten out of the game.’

After reviewing the data and finishing the morning meeting, Chen Yansen picked up the résumés of the candidates who had passed the initial screening and walked straight into the interview room.

「At the same time.」

「Hundreds of miles away in Hu City.」

In a coffee shop, Gu Yaosheng and his business partner finally met with Zhang Jiancheng, the venture capital director from Siwei Capital.

"I’m sorry, but my boss and I have both reviewed your business plan. Neither your profit model nor your level of profitability meets Siwei Capital’s standards. Furthermore, your industry already has a clear leader. We have no reason to back a second or even third-tier competitor when we could invest in the front-runner."

Zhang Jiancheng spread his hands, rejecting Gu Yaosheng’s request for funding.

In an instant, Gu Yaosheng’s heart filled with despair. His mind went blank, and his limbs felt frozen.

Four years of hard work had all come to nothing. Anyone else in his shoes would have reacted the same.

Chen Yansen never would have guessed that a future unicorn company had just been snuffed out in its infancy because of him.

But even if he had known, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

In this country, there was never a shortage of competition or copycats. If it wasn’t Gu Yaosheng, it would just be some Li Yaosheng or Wang Yaosheng.

Back in his office, Chen Yansen looked at the young man sitting across from him and asked casually:

"Have you used FoxTao before? Are you an F1 or F2-level user?"