Chapter 205: Strategic Pre-Deployment: Building the O2O Closed Loop! Liu Qiangdong

The next day, nearing noon, Chen Yansen arrived in Lucheng.

The KuaiPao headquarters building stood in the northwest corner of Luyang District, surprisingly close to the factory plot Ma Yuanzhi had allocated him—just five or six kilometers away.

Pei Yi, Kang Guodong, Kou Zhen, and other KuaiPao executives stood at the park's main gate, watching a silver Bentley slowly approach the intersection.

When Xiao Li parked the car, Chen Yansen opened the door and stepped out.

"Boss!"

Pei Yi was the first to react, quickening his steps to greet him.

Though Kang Guodong had lost his CEO position and harbored a trace of resentment, he still showed Chen Yansen deep respect.

Before accepting Senlian Capital's funding, he held 70% equity but earned only three or four hundred thousand annually; after securing two rounds of funding and securing a homepage slot on Pinbei, KuaiPao's valuation skyrocketed, peaking at 1. billion.

Though his equity percentage shrank, its value soared, nearing the 7-million mark.

Moreover, Tencent, Sequoia, and Hillhouse Capital were still bidding fiercely for KuaiPao's Series A funding—perhaps by the time the round opened, his net worth would surpass 10 million.

Thus, Kang Guodong's mindset was extremely complex.

Kou Zhen, a senior hire, understood Chen Yansen's operational tactics better than Pei Yi or Kang Guodong.

Back at LaShou. om, he had witnessed the market director's sycophantic face while courting FoxTao's procurement team.

"You've worked hard—it's cold outside. Let's go inside and chat. You're all the backbone of KuaiPao; you must rest well to win the post-New Year purge battle."

Chen Yansen clapped Pei Yi on the shoulder and exchanged pleasantries with the group.

As the name implies, the purge battle meant going to Shanghai to eliminate Ele. e, their rival.

Pei Yi nodded in agreement and introduced Chen Yansen to the colleagues beside him.

The group walked and talked as they entered the building.

It was a four-story office building, originally a clothing factory's production workshop.

Faded advertising slogans still clung to the exterior walls, but the interior had been fully renovated, giving Chen Yansen a faint sense of visiting an internet company.

Each floor spanned 1, 00 square meters, filled with rows of tightly packed desks.

"Boss, we originally rented only one floor, but our expansion this past month was too rapid—we've now leased the other three. Though this area is a bit remote, office costs are low: just 0. yuan per square meter per day."

Pei Yi pointed to the first-floor workspace and explained slowly.

"How many people are at headquarters now? Where do they live? How do they handle meals?"

Chen Yansen asked casually.

The office building chosen by Pei Yi and Kang Guodong was indeed cost-effective—the saved funds were all channeled into new-user subsidies, ground promotions, and delivery riders.

This pleased him greatly.

"About 400 people total, but only around 300 come in daily to sit at desks—the rest are ground promotion staff, scattered across the commercial centers of Luyang, Yaohai, Shushan, and Baohe Districts, returning once a week."

Pei Yi replied.

He paused, then added: "Most employees live nearby in Rongfeng Garden. There's a snack street in the southeast corner of the community, and a mall three kilometers away."

"Since this was originally a clothing factory, it must have had a canteen—we can hire our own chefs. If employees eat well, they save time and can nap during lunch."

Chen Yansen nodded slightly and instructed.

After all, running a canteen could create ten or so new jobs, contributing hundreds of strands of humanistic energy to him annually.

"Understood, Boss. I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

Pei Yi quickly agreed.

"Guodong, I've reviewed your report. With over 100, 00 daily orders, as head of the tech department, you must ensure smooth order processing and dispatch—guaranteeing full-time riders' income while maintaining delivery speed. By the way, have any of you ever delivered takeout? Especially those in the route planning and efficiency optimization teams?"

Chen Yansen stopped walking and looked at Pei Yi, Kang Guodong, and the others.

Delivering takeout?

That caught them off guard.

"Boss, before, I and Brother Kang delivered food around Feicui Lake University Town," Pei Yi answered.

"Boss, KuaiPao's order allocation algorithm and real-time tracking rely primarily on GPS positioning and message push systems to assign orders quickly and accurately to riders and update users promptly—initial results have been decent," Kang Guodong followed up.

Chen Yansen understood: none of the staff in route planning or efficiency optimization had ever delivered food themselves—they lacked a clear grasp of the actual delivery pathways.

"These two roles must each undergo at least one week of hands-on delivery experience. Delivery speed isn't just about algorithms—it depends on rider numbers and order distribution capacity."

Chen Yansen spoke seriously, his voice low.

In plain terms, if manpower is insufficient, hire more delivery staff—there's no need to compress delivery times to the extreme just to boost efficiency.

He had no desire to create a "king rider" earning 20, 00 to 30, 00 yuan a month, nor did he intend to market delivery riding as a job everyone wanted.

Xia Xiangyu, head of the rider department, pondered Chen Yansen's words repeatedly, sensing the unspoken implication behind them—he nodded firmly: "Boss, I understand."

"Guodong, I've read your report. The biggest obstacle to route optimization is the lack of real-time traffic, congestion, and accident data from Baidu or AutoNavi maps. I've discussed this with Shen Nanpeng of Sequoia Capital—he'll resolve it for you no later than mid-February."

"Guodong, I've reviewed your work report. The biggest issue hindering route optimization is that we can't obtain real-time traffic conditions, congestion data, or accident information from QianDu or GaoDe maps. I've discussed this with Shen Nanpeng at Sequoia Capital, and he'll resolve it for you no later than mid-February."

For Kang Guodong's wise decision to step down as CEO, Chen Yansen treated him with relative courtesy—he was mediocre in management but an exceptional programmer.

Zhang Xuhao and his team of top Shanghai Jiao Tong graduates had spent two years building an order allocation system that still couldn't match Kang Guodong's product, developed in half a year.

Chen Yansen's solution was simple and blunt: he had Liu Zhiping arrange a dinner party, inviting not only Shen Nanpeng of Sequoia Capital but also Cheng Congwu of AutoNavi Maps.

For an O2O platform like KuaiPao, the mobile nature of map navigation apps was perfectly aligned.

In early 2012, Alibaba hadn't gone public, and Meituan hadn't yet emerged from the "Thousand Group Battle."

AutoNavi Maps was still seen as a traditional map software, primarily partnering with car manufacturers.

Though it had begun transitioning into the internet industry, investors hadn't taken notice.

Two years ago, AutoNavi went public on Nasdaq, opening at a 1. 9 USD increase, peaking at 13. 9 USD.

But two years later, its share price still hovered around 12 USD, indicating investors saw its potential as exhausted—worth at most 1 billion USD.

After all, mobile internet was still emerging: Taobao's total sales last year reached 600 billion, yet mobile Taobao had only generated just over 10 billion, with PC still dominating.

So it was natural that AutoNavi Maps was ignored by internet giants and investors alike.

When Shen Nanpeng heard Chen Yansen of Senlian Capital planned a strategic investment in AutoNavi Maps, he saw an opportunity to mediate—and quietly sell part of Sequoia's stake.

Chen Yansen's original intentions were simple:

First, AutoNavi Maps held top-tier qualifications for electronic navigation maps, aerial photography, and internet map services, with a 26. % market share—leading Google Maps and crushing Baidu Maps; its product quality was solid.

Second, to lay groundwork for mobile internet: KuaiDian, YunSu Express, and KuaiPao all depended on map navigation tech. Rather than pay massive fees to Alibaba later, it was better to acquire AutoNavi now, while its stock was low, before Ma Liyun acted.

Third, AutoNavi's data capabilities could synergize powerfully with Pinbei, YunSu, and Orange Pay, forming a complete O2O closed loop.

At the time, AutoNavi's market cap was only 650 million USD; once mobile networks became mainstream, its valuation could easily rise to 10 billion or even 20 billion USD.

The prospect of over tenfold returns and incalculable traffic value stirred Chen Yansen's interest.

Hearing this, Kang Guodong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied: "Thank you, Boss."

"By the way, at tonight's annual meeting, Tao Jingwen from the Central Office will come too—assign someone sharp to monitor the first-floor dining area and don't let her feel neglected."

Chen Yansen turned to Pei Yi and instructed.

Since KuaiPao's headquarters was in Lucheng, this connection with Tao Jingwen must not be wasted.

Kuai Pao's headquarters is in Lucheng; this connection with Tao Jingwen must not be wasted.

Secretary Tao?

Pei Yi nodded obediently—he still hadn't shed his graduate student mindset, instinctively revering people like Tao Jingwen.

Chen Yansen glanced at him, reading his thoughts, and smiled: "Snap out of it. Don't embarrass the CEO of KuaiPao. She's just a senior secretary—if I took you to meet Meng Yuanzhi, would you crawl there?"

"Boss, I've never interacted with people like her—I don't know how to talk to them," Pei Yi laughed awkwardly, embarrassed.

He wasn't lacking in interpersonal experience—he simply hadn't dealt with someone like Tao Jingwen. That was normal.

Chen Yansen smiled and pulled Pei Yi, Kang Guodong, Kou Zhen, and Xia Xiangyu into a meeting room, sharing with them how to handle relations with market supervision, fire safety, and industry associations.

After listening for a few minutes, Kou Zhen's pupils widened involuntarily—he stared at Chen Yansen in astonishment.

Business acumen could be explained as talent, but Chen Yansen's experience dealing with all kinds of industry associations left them utterly behind.

Xia Xiangyu and Kou Zhen exchanged glances, both sensing shock in each other's eyes.

"For a local life app like KuaiPao, public relations must be prepared in advance—if problems arise, the authorities won't protect you."

Chen Yansen added solemnly.

"Boss, I understand. It's getting late—shall we go for lunch?"

Pei Yi suggested.

"General Xia, please arrange a few sets of KuaiPao uniforms for me—this afternoon, I'll experience the daily delivery work myself."

Chen Yansen instructed Xia Xiangyu.

"Yes, Boss. I'll have them prepared right away," Xia Xiangyu replied, though deeply surprised.

"Boss, it's too cold out!" Pei Yi blurted out instinctively.

"Do any of KuaiPao's eight hundred riders complain about the cold?" Chen Yansen countered.

His reasoning was simple: first, promote KuaiPao; second, personally experience its order allocation and route planning functions.

Otherwise, relying solely on PPT data made it impossible to truly grasp the current state of KuaiPao's operations.

His plan was simple: first, promote KuaiPao; second, experience its order distribution and route planning features.

Liu Qiangdong drove a delivery van, wearing JD. om's red uniform, traveling down the streets of Beijing.

He was an entrepreneur with exceptional execution—he acted immediately, delivering several packages that morning without a single customer recognizing him.

As the second-largest e-commerce player, even Ma Liyun had little national recognition, let alone Liu Qiangdong.

During his deliveries, Liu Qiangdong encountered a bizarre customer: the delivery address was unclear, the phone went unanswered, so he left the package at the guardhouse.

Within two minutes, he received a negative review accusing him of failing to deliver to the door.

During his delivery route, Liu Qiangdong encountered a strange customer whose delivery address was unclear and who didn't answer phone calls, so he left the package at the building's front desk.

Less than two minutes later, he received a negative review claiming he hadn't delivered the package to the door.

Enraged, Liu Qiangdong cursed loudly, feeling just how treacherous human nature could be!

(End of Chapter)