Chapter 276: I, Liao Wei, Am Putting in the Money! Rejecting Hangzhou Ma!

"Sorry, Mr. Ma, I've decided to withdraw from joining Cainiao Logistics."

This time, Chen Yan didn't drag things out—he firmly rejected the partnership proposal.

Yunsu holds over half of the express delivery industry's pickup volume and possesses the parcel locker technology that solves the last-mile delivery problem.

There's no need to open Yunsu's data interface to Alibaba just to reduce delivery costs in rural markets.

It's just a delivery station—can't Yunsu build its own?

In terms of digital management and big data analytics, Senlian Capital's technical foundation is no less than Alibaba's.

"Mr. Chen, we can discuss equity stakes gradually. Establishing Cainiao Logistics benefits all express companies—it allows shared access to nationwide warehousing, sorting centers, and transportation networks, lowering investment costs and improving sorting efficiency…"

After hearing this, Ma Liyun paused, then hurriedly urged him on.

"I understand the logic, but I simply refuse to open Yunsu's data interface to outsiders."

Chen Yan leaned back on the sofa and cut Ma Liyun off mid-sentence.

"No room for negotiation? What if I'm willing to give up controlling equity?" Ma Liyun took a deep breath, fell silent for over ten seconds, then suddenly asked.

Controlling equity?

Chen Yan smiled. "Then there's no problem."

You've got to be kidding me!

You want me to hand over my hard-earned logistics strategy?

Ma Liyun let out a dry, bitter laugh.

He finally understood—Chen Yan had never intended to cooperate. All their prior discussions were just about competing with STO, ZTO, and YTO, fearing Alibaba might interfere.

Now that Yunda and Zhongtong Express had been fully absorbed by Yunsu, with no more concerns, Chen Yan finally revealed his true intentions.

Once Ma Liyun saw through it, he dropped all pretense, frowned, and hung up the call.

"It's not impossible without Yunsu—SF Express, STO, and YTO have all agreed," said Lu Zhaoxi, sitting across from him, sighing.

"This kid shows zero respect! Alibaba is a major investor in DiDi and KuaiDi Taxi—I've backed his projects every time. Now when I need help, he stalls and tries to take over the whole thing."

Ma Liyun snorted, seething with rage.

"Still, competition and friction between Pinduoduo and Taobao are inevitable. His concern over data security is understandable," Zhang Yong interjected.

Ma Liyun narrowed his eyes and shot Zhang Yong a cold glance.

His hiring principle: ability comes second; loyalty—being one of "his people"—is paramount.

Zhang Yong's remark infuriated him.

"Why not support STO and YTO to compete for Yunsu's market share? As long as Cainiao captures enough market share, whether Yunsu joins or not doesn't matter."

Catching the cold glint in Ma Liyun's eyes, Zhang Yong realized his mistake and quickly tried to recover.

Ma Liyun's expression softened slightly, but he had no intention of investing in STO or YTO—better to do it himself than throw money at two useless companies.

In truth, he hadn't been sitting idle—he'd already planned his next move for Cainiao Logistics.

His vision: use Alibaba's order resources to lure Yunsu, SF Express, and STO into joining, accumulate industry operational experience, then pivot to self-operated express delivery to strengthen Alibaba's voice in the express industry.

But Chen Yan's refusal had crippled half his plan.

"Chen Dejun and Yu Weijiao lack capability. Rather than invest in STO and YTO, we should increase our stake in Best Express."

Ma Liyun spoke calmly.

As early as 2008, Alibaba had participated in Best Express's Series A funding; two years ago, it invested another $6 million.

Compared to STO and YTO, Best Express was Alibaba's true favorite.

After confirming Yunsu's exit, Ma Liyun immediately launched Cainiao Logistics' preparatory phase, bringing in Intime, Fuchun, and Fosun Group—partly to spread investment risk, partly because these three firms had deep technical expertise and extensive networks in warehouse construction and land acquisition.

The participating express companies were SF Express, STO, YTO, and Best Express.

Meanwhile.

Shortly after Chen Yan hung up his phone, an unexpected call came in.

"Mr. Wang, what can I do for you?" Chen Yan asked with a smile.

Since Yunsu launched its cold-chain service, competition with SF Express had intensified.

Plus, Liao Wei had bought six secondhand planes from Air China and was rushing to retrofit them for the air express market.

The two companies had plenty of friction.

Wang Wei calling him personally was genuinely surprising.

"I heard you declined Cainiao Logistics' invitation, but I think Ma Liyun's proposal makes sense. Warehouse and sorting center infrastructure costs are too high—for example, in Yancheng, everyone has to buy land and build warehouses, with painfully long payback cycles. Better to share and win together."

Wang Wei was puzzled. In his view, Chen Yan was a shrewd businessman—he wouldn't reject a beneficial opportunity just because of Pinduoduo and Taobao's rivalry.

"Alibaba was founded in 1999, focusing on B2B; Taobao launched in 2003, focusing on C2C; Tmall was established in 2008, focusing on B2C."

Chen Yan answered without preamble.

Wang Wei blinked, then realized: "You mean Ma Liyun plans to launch self-operated express delivery? Impossible! Alibaba has always operated as a light-asset model—it's always looked down on JD's self-built logistics approach."

"People change," Chen Yan replied succinctly, then teased, "Mr. Wang, technically we're competitors. I just cleared up your confusion—what's in it for me?"

"Thank you, Mr. Chen. I'll consider it. If what you say is true, I owe you one."

Wang Wei spoke seriously, making a firm promise.

"We'll see," Chen Yan said, lacking confidence in Wang Wei.

Ma Liyun's persuasion skills weren't for show—Wang Wei, Chen Dejun, Yu Weijiao, and others had all been outmaneuvered by him in the last life.

Though Wang Wei was the first to wake up, by the time SF Express exited Cainiao, four years had passed.

By then, Cainiao had grown strong. Soon after, Ma Liyun dropped all pretense and launched his own express brand—Cainiao Express.

Before his rebirth, Cainiao Express already served over 400 cities with more than 3, 00 stations nationwide.

So Chen Yan had long seen through Ma Liyun's scheme.

Just as Ma Liyun suspected, Chen Yan had initially feared Alibaba's entry into express delivery would disrupt Yunsu's expansion rhythm.

Only after STO, ZTO, and YTO were gradually defeated did Chen Yan reveal his true intentions.

But one thing was true: if Ma Liyun offered controlling equity, Chen Yan would immediately invest money and effort to help Alibaba build Cainiao Logistics' organizational framework.

Wang Wei didn't fully believe Chen Yan—after all, Pinduoduo and Taobao were rivals. Maybe Chen Yan was just trying to keep Alibaba out of express delivery.

That's why Chen Yan didn't care about Wang Wei's "favor."

First, Ma Liyun had hidden Cainiao Logistics' ultimate strategic goal extremely well;

second, Wang Wei was suspicious by nature—no matter how Chen Yan explained, he'd always decide based on SF Express's interests.

After dealing with Wang Wei, Chen Yan called Liao Wei. They talked for half an hour before hanging up.

Then he opened Cheng Wei's financial weekly report. The $90 million from Series A funding had been burned through rapidly in the subsidy war with DiDi—only $30 million remained.

'Time to launch Series B funding.'

Chen Yan thought to himself.

As for whether Alibaba would follow up, he didn't care. Given Ma Liyun's style, he'd likely still yield to profit and choose the option most aligned with the group's interests.

Meanwhile.

In Tangshan's ride-hailing market, with DiDi and KuaiDi Taxi entering, the industry boomed.

At train stations, bus terminals, and airport terminals, drivers gathered, loudly shouting: "Rides are free!"

"Free rides—get in and go!"

In the local drivers' words, why pay for a ride these days?

That's what a fool would do!

"Driver, is it really free? Is your taxi company running a promotion?"

A tourist from out of town asked.

"Do you have a smartphone? Download KuaiDi Taxi and DiDi—you can ride free twice a day."

The driver smiled, but he wouldn't mention that each ride only got a maximum $1. 0 discount, and after the new-user subsidy ended, it was just $1. 0 off.

But most passengers, hearing "free rides," instantly downloaded the apps.

KuaiDi and DiDi were burning cash furiously to capture markets in Yancheng, Changshan, Anci, Jinmen, and Tangcheng, spending over $20 million daily on subsidies.

Everyone was holding on.

Li Yanhong of Baidu didn't even bother opening Cheng Wei's financial report.

He didn't need to guess—the promotion costs last week were at least $70 million. This spending rate made him ache.

On July 27, Senlian Capital launched KuaiDi Taxi's Series B funding. Tencent, DST, Huake, and Jinsha Venture Capital all followed with additional investment.

After a brief hesitation, Ma Liyun sent Ji Gang to represent Alibaba at the Series B funding talks for KuaiDi Taxi.

Compared to DiDi and Cheng Wei, he trusted Chen Yan's capabilities more.

(End of Chapter)