Chapter 278: Too Early or Too Late—You

At 8: 0 p. ., Muse Bar in Hangcheng.

In a lavishly decorated private room on the second floor, Chen Yansen leaned back in the center of the sofa, with Ding Lei of NetEase on his left and Zhou Shouzhi, president of DST China, on his right.

Cheng Wei, Gao Weilin, and Song Yuncheng sat on either side, alongside the assistants of Ding Lei and Zhou Shouzhi.

"Chen Zong, I heard the subsidy war between Didi and KuaiDi is fierce—Li Yanhong is even losing his cool?"

Ding Lei swirled his glass, the ice cubes clinking softly against the rim; behind his glasses, his gaze held a hint of mockery, and a faint smile curled on his lips as he asked Chen Yansen.

"Burning cash is just the first step in fighting for market share—the real key is mastering the fundamentals," Chen Yansen replied with a smile, gently setting his glass on the coffee table.

He had studied both the passenger and driver apps of Didi, and found too many critical flaws, making it easy for gray-market studios to exploit system vulnerabilities.

Cheng Wei had told him that KuaiDi detected massive numbers of accounts using fake location software and multiple logins from the same device—essentially milking the system in every possible way.

Even though KuaiDi's risk control and anti-fraud mechanisms were strong enough, some Yangmaodang kept trying endlessly, with countless devices, accounts, and IPs banned daily.

Clearly, Didi's countless loopholes meant it lost astronomical sums in subsidies every day.

At that moment, Cheng Wei finally understood why Chen Yansen had demanded such strict risk controls when KuaiDi first launched.

Before KuaiDi's installer even hit app stores, they had updated their fake location software over ten times and developed Qiba different simulation programs for ride-running.

In fact, the fake location software in gray-market studios' hands was less stable, less hidden, and less secure than KuaiDi's own.

"Didi's technology in intelligent dispatch, geolocation, and route planning lags far behind KuaiDi's—that's why DST won't invest in Cheng Wei."

Zhou Shouzhi offered a faint smile, adding to Chen Yansen's point.

"Thank goodness Chen Zong didn't get into gaming—if he had, NetEase would be in trouble," Ding Lei raised his glass, clinking it with both men, jokingly.

"Who knows?" Chen Yansen feigned seriousness.

"Alright, when Chen Zong finally makes a game, DST will fully support it," Zhou Shouzhi said seriously.

Ding Lei's expression froze, then he sighed helplessly, picked up the wine bottle worth tens of thousands per bottle, and filled Chen Yansen's and Zhou Shouzhi's glasses to the brim.

He naturally took their banter as just that—banter.

"YaoYao Ride shut down. YiDao Chauffeur shut down too," Ding Lei leaned back, eyes half-lidded, sighing.

YaoYao Ride?

YiDao Chauffeur?

Chen Yansen had no recollection—Cheng Wei had never mentioned these two companies in his work emails.

"Boss, they're tiny ride-hailing startups with fewer than a thousand daily orders. When we entered Yancheng, their business vanished overnight, so I didn't pay much attention," Cheng Wei quickly explained.

"Oh," Chen Yansen nodded, not caring much.

Unaware that YaoYao Ride was negligible, but YiDao Chauffeur had once peaked at a $1 billion valuation three years later.

Now, before it even had a chance to rise, it had been crushed by KuaiDi and Didi.

The mastermind behind it all, upon hearing this, merely replied with a casual "Oh."

Chen Yansen knew well: the subsidy war in ride-hailing was no different from the price war in express delivery—no money, no resources, and you got eliminated.

Even though KuaiDi and Didi hadn't directly targeted YaoYao Ride or YiDao Chauffeur.

"The upfront investment for ride-hailing is too high, and with KuaiDi and Didi raising the industry's entry barrier, few competitors will emerge—it'll likely take no more than two or three years for this industry to reach its final round: three to two, then two to one."

The upfront costs for ride-hailing are too high, and with Kuai and Didi raising industry entry barriers, few competitors will emerge; within two or three years, this industry will rapidly enter the final stage of consolidation from three to two, then two to one.

"I hope KuaiDi becomes that 'one,'" Chen Yansen laughed aloud.

China's business environment was too cutthroat; though ride-hailing wasn't a quick-money industry, after 2015, competitors like CaoCao, T3, and ShenZhou still emerged.

Chen Yansen never intended to capture the entire market—KuaiDi only needed to be number one.

"I trust Chen Zong's strategic vision," Ding Lei nodded firmly, then added: "This toast is for you alone—if not for your support, NetEase's Ruiying G1 would never have sold 280, 00 pre-orders in its first week."

"The production line in Lucheng is ready. Wait two more weeks, Ding Zong, and NetEase Mall's sales link will switch to in-stock mode," Chen Yansen raised his glass in reply.

Zhou Shouzhi held his glass, idly tracing the stem with his fingertips, lost in thought.

He couldn't fathom Chen Yansen's intentions!

Anyone else would never license their own mobile OS to third-party manufacturers.

Sure, they'd earn a nice royalty income, but they'd also unintentionally increase competition for Orange Phone.

In his view, it was a net loss.

But Chen Yansen was clearly no fool—his move must have deeper strategic intent.

The three drank and chatted until past ten p. .

Chen Yansen glanced at his watch; Ding Lei immediately understood and ended the gathering.

"Zhou Zong, want to talk?" As soon as they stepped out of the bar, Chen Yansen invited Zhou Shouzhi.

"Sure," Zhou Shouzhi smiled, agreeing readily—he knew what Chen Yansen wanted to say.

The two got into a Rolls-Royce Ghost; the driver, Gao Weilin, Cheng Wei, and others waited outside the door.

"By July, Orange Phone's annual shipment reached 26 million units—just 1. million behind Shanxing—with nearly 40 billion in revenue. But Orange Tech still has zero users in Europe and America. I need someone familiar with overseas markets to lead expansion," Chen Yansen said, staring straight at Zhou Shouzhi.

As of July, Orange Phone's annual shipment volume reached 26 million units, just 1. million below Shanxing, with revenue nearing 40 billion yuan—but Orange Tech has zero users in Europe and America. I need someone familiar with overseas markets to lead expansion." Chen Yansen stared fixedly at Zhou Shouzhi.

"Thank you for your trust, Chen Zong. But I'd like to know—why did you license AuroraOS to 360 and NetEase? I know Orange Tech doesn't need the licensing fees."

Zhou Shouzhi dodged the question, curious.

"I see Orange Tech as a research lab, not just a smartphone assembly brand. Deep customization on Android isn't the end goal."

I see Orange Tech as a research laboratory, not merely a smartphone assembly brand; deep customization on the Android system is not the ultimate goal.

"AuroraOS, camera algorithms, battery management systems, and Moss Voice AI are just the beginning—not the endpoint."

Zhou Shouzhi frowned, pondering Chen Yansen's words, then suddenly understood: he was aiming to push upstream from the industry's downstream, to become the rule-maker.

His ambition far exceeded Zhou Shouzhi's imagination.

Leave DST's position and resources behind to join Orange Tech?

Zhou Shouzhi hesitated.

"Timing matters. Too early or too late—you're not one of us. I don't have much patience. Miss the chance once, and you lose your right to join."

Chen Yansen shrugged, speaking slowly.

He meant this was his final invitation—if Zhou Shouzhi refused, he'd find someone else.

"Chen Zong, I understand. Give me two more days—I'll give you my answer soon," Zhou Shouzhi replied solemnly.

A phone company nearing a hundred billion in annual revenue offered a stage far from small compared to DST.

Besides, Chen Yansen's business genius had deeply impressed him.

Even Zuckerberg, who had just taken Facebook public and was worth over $20 billion, still fell short in his eyes compared to Chen Yansen.

"Alright, it's late—we've got serious business to discuss tomorrow," Chen Yansen said, waving his hand as Zhou Shouzhi finally committed.

Zhou Shouzhi nodded slightly, his expression complex, then stepped out of the car.

"Goodbye, Zhou Zong!" Gao Weilin, Cheng Wei, and others waved farewell.

"Gao Zong, Cheng Zong, see you tomorrow," Zhou Shouzhi smiled, then got into his own car and told the driver to head to the hotel.

In the southeast of Muse Bar, Ma Liyun, Zhu Xiaopeng, Yu Heng, and others sat in Max Bar, privately discussing KuaiDi's Series B funding.

Southeast of Muse Bar, Ma Liyun, Zhu Xiaohu, Yu Heng, and others sat inside Max Bar, privately discussing Kuai's Series B funding.

Hundreds of kilometers away in Yancheng, at No. 82, Sihuan Middle Road, Jin Chang'an Tower, RenRen's headquarters.

Chen Yizhou stared at the financial report sent by Shen Boyang, his eyebrows knotted tightly. As an old classmate of Lei Yi and a pre-millennium returnee,

he valued immediate profits over future prospects.

Nuomi. om lost $6. million in Q2, accounting for 15. % of the group's revenue—clearly, group-buying couldn't deliver him substantial profits.

On the social product front, with Weibo and WeChat rising, RenRen's growth slowed; total registrations stood at only 160 million, monthly active users at 45 million—barely a niche social app, with users steadily slipping away.

His mobile entry projects, "RenRen Check-in" and "RenRen Fly," also failed to ride the mobile internet wave as he'd hoped.

Chen Yizhou sensed that social products held no future.

Advertising revenue alone couldn't lift RenRen's stock price.

But RenRen Games gave him great confidence.

In 2011, RenRen Games earned $42. million; in just the first half of this year, Q1 and Q2 combined, it hit $44 million—60% of the group's revenue.

No wonder Ma Wenteng and Ding Lei kept getting flak but still pushed into gaming.

This was too profitable!

Chen Yizhou looked at Nuomi's report, then at RenRen Games' report, and made his decision: sell this money-losing asset fast—losing $20 to $30 million annually with no profit in sight.

Even KuaiPao had entered the group-buying market; Nuomi couldn't even beat Meituan, Lashou, or Dazhong Dianping, let alone the rapidly expanding KuaiPao.

Others had Senlian Capital backing them—they could burn cash for a year. What could RenRen do?

Thinking this through, Chen Yizhou immediately decided: optimize the group's liabilities and shift full focus to mobile gaming.

The next morning, he began asking around the circle to see who was interested in group-buying.

Chen Yansen was his first target.

And Chen Yansen was his first target.

Chen Yansen, after breakfast, was en route to the Jinsha Hall by West Lake when he received a call from Lei Yi.

"Chen Zong, Chen Yizhou of RenRen wants to sell Nuomi. He asked me for your contact info," Lei Yi explained simply.

"Give him my number," Chen Yansen replied without hesitation.

Nuomi, Lashou—it didn't matter. If the price was right, he had no objection to buying.

For KuaiPao to quickly establish itself in group-buying, acquiring a mature product was clearly the best choice.

For Kuaipao to quickly establish itself in the group-buying market, acquiring a maturely proven product is undoubtedly the best choice.

(End of chapter)