Chapter 295: Price Hike, Yunsu Enters the Profit Era! Her Audacity is Growing Bolder!

In Xucheng, at the Zhu Xianzhuang Technology Park, Building Nine.

Twilight deepened; a faint crescent moon climbed high into the sky. The evening wind, carrying a chill, rustled the camphor branches with a hush-hush sound.

Chen Yansen stood by the window, gazing at Building Six directly across, brightly lit, and pressed the answer key on his phone.

"Chen Zong, the new 360 phone is ready. MediaTek MT6577 dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 4.5-inch IPS LCD touchscreen, 2GB RAM plus 16GB ROM memory configuration, Sony IMX145 rear 8-megapixel camera, running Aurora OS 1.3 operating system, selling for only 1699 yuan. Do you think sales will explode?"

Zhou Hongyi asked in a loud voice, rattling off all the core components in one breath.

"You're just afraid Xiaomi Mi2's sales are too good, rushing to smear Lei Yi's reputation."

Chen Yansen smiled faintly, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly, and teased mockingly.

Anyone with eyes could see Zhou Hongyi's little scheme: avoiding the price range of Sister Chengzi C3 and Qingcheng D1S to go head-to-head with Xiaomi Mi2.

Yet the selling price was 300 yuan cheaper than Xiaomi Mi2!

Of course, Zhou Hongyi had cut corners on chips, screens, casings, and batteries; combined with motherboards, RF modules, sensors, and interfaces, with Sister Chengzi Technology's supply chain strength, they could drive material costs down to around 900 yuan.

Even selling for just 1699 yuan, after deducting marketing, production, after-sales, and transportation costs, there was still a 10% hardware profit margin.

"Chen Zong, this isn't my fault. Because 360 and Haier made a special-ordered phone, Lei Buqun hired water army trolls to smear me. As a result, Haier W910 sold only 2000 units; the remaining 8000 units are still piled up in 360's warehouse. If Xiaomi can make phones, why can't 360? Too tyrannical!"

Zhou Hongyi snorted coldly, voluntarily revealing the truth of his falling-out with Lei Yi.

Haier W910?

Chen Yansen let out a speechless laugh, thinking: Did Lei Yi really need to smear you?

Haier W910 had poor battery life, high system memory usage, and a black-screen rate exceeding 10%. Before 360 G800 Pro Shiny launched, weren't there so many users online cursing you? Did you not see them?

Businessmen need thick skin and a black heart; Zhou Hongyi clearly understood this well. From his tone of voice, it was obvious he even dared to deceive himself.

Chen Yansen was too lazy to care about his feud with Lei Yi, so he changed the subject: "Are the components using the parts list Cao Dahua gave you?"

He only cared how much money Sister Chengzi Technology could make from 360's phone project. Besides assembly service fees, the profit margins from component distribution, after-sales repair services, and patent licensing fees were equally substantial.

"Yes, that's right."

Zhou Hongyi nodded in response.

He knew clearly that even if they bypassed Sister Chengzi Technology and bought first-hand electronic components directly from suppliers, given 360's procurement scale, the final cost wouldn't be much lower.

Because Sister Chengzi Technology, leveraging its scale advantage, had long become a top-tier purchaser in China's smartphone industry.

Although he knew Chen Yansen made a lot of profit from component markups, he was helpless.

Unless 360 phones reached an annual sales volume of ten million units, suppliers like Gao Tong, MediaTek, Sony, BOE, and Xia Pu would still quote high prices.

"Send the data to Cai Jingming at the Luzhou factory; just coordinate the OEM order details with him." Chen Yansen said casually.

"Chen Zong, 360 wants to join Pinba." Zhou Hongyi continued.

Selling exclusively on Shangcheng would inevitably affect overall sales. 360 Shiny didn't make money, but this 360 N1 was intended to be profitable, so he had the idea of expanding into third-party sales channels.

"I'll create a group chat shortly and have Pinba's people handle the liaison." Chen Yansen, never refusing a guest, readily agreed.

"Thank you, Chen Zong. When the Internet Conference is held later, come to Yanjing, and I'll thank you properly."

Zhou Hongyi said with a beaming smile.

In his view, the battle for mobile internet entry points was a battle for smartphone terminal market share; the higher 360 phones' sales, the greater their voice in the mobile era.

"No problem."

Chen Yansen smiled, finished dealing with Old Zhou, and hung up the phone.

The other party wanted to use phones to increase user stickiness for 360 products and seize mobile traffic, while he wanted to create more jobs and gain more human torches. Both sides hit it off; everyone had a bright future.

"Knock-knock-knock—!" A knocking sound came from outside the door.

Chen Yansen came to his senses and replied softly: "Come in!"

The door was slowly pushed open. Ye Qiuping, holding a document against her chest, stepped inside.

She wore a V-neck long-sleeve shirt on top, paired with a black skirt below. Her makeup was bright and charming, and she exuded the fragrance of ripe fruit.

"Boss, this is the Brand Department's September promotional budget. Please review it." Ye Qiuping bent forward, handing the document to Chen Yansen.

Chen Yansen's gaze never left Ye Qiuping; a patch of snow-white caught his eye. The other party's little intentions were obvious, and she had deliberately sprayed his favorite Parfums de Marly Calone, the milky-sweet scent gradually spreading.

"Come here, bend over!"

Chen Yansen glanced at the document content, signed his name, tossed it onto the desk, and commanded Ye Qiuping.

Ye Qiuping pressed her lips in a faint smile, a blush rising on her pretty face. Her eyes, like water, flashed with a hint of secret joy. Then she obediently bent over the desk, her back to Chen Yansen.

Chen Yansen waved his hand; the curtains fell with a rustle, completely blocking the scene inside the room.

Hearing the noise, Ye Qiuping instinctively wanted to turn around.

"Don't look back."

Chen Yansen lowered his voice, placing his hand on Ye Qiuping's waist. It wasn't particularly thin, but full and shapely, with excellent texture.

The pen holder on the desk wobbled; several pens clattered together, making a rustling sound.

Two hours later, the clear moon hung high, the night was as dark as ink, and everything returned to calm.

Chen Yansen plopped down into his chair and let out a long sigh.

He leaned back in the chair, smiling, watching Ye Qiuping clean up the aftermath, as if returning to the scene of the two of them together in his previous life.

"I made sweet soup."

Three minutes later, Ye Qiuping, fully dressed, said in a gentle voice.

"Next time."

Chen Yansen waved his hand, signaling that Master Ye could leave.

Ye Qiuping's expression froze; she couldn't help but mutter inwardly: Flips the switch as soon as he pulls up his pants. Worse than an animal.

"Okay, Boss." Ye Qiuping replied.

"I like eating Sichuan pickled vegetables." Just as she was about to walk out of the office, a light voice came from behind her.

"I can make pickled vegetables too." Ye Qiuping turned to look at Chen Yansen and said with a smile.

Chen Yansen said nothing, merely nodding slightly.

Ye Qiuping, in high spirits, held her head high and walked toward the elevator bank, leaving a trail of "tap-tap-tap" footsteps.

"Mom, this is the third one. You never told me in a dream which one you liked best, so I guess I still have to work harder."

Chen Yansen lowered his eyelids and muttered softly.

After sighing, he rubbed his stomach, pushed open the door, and walked out, planning to go to the cafeteria for a bowl of beef noodles to replenish his energy.

Taking the elevator to the first floor, he strolled leisurely toward the cafeteria.

By now, it was well past mealtime. The noodle chef in the cafeteria was just about to clock off when he saw his boss strolling over. "President Chen, haven't eaten yet? Shall I make you a bowl of 'erxi' noodles?"

The chef quickly stopped his work and called out with a smile.

Previously, he had worked in the back kitchen of a hotel in the city center, working himself to death every day for merely average pay. By a stroke of luck, he had stumbled upon the cafeteria recruitment notice from Sister Chengzi Technology.

Originally, he had just wanted to take a look, but during the interview, the HR representative listed a long string of benefits, including but not limited to base salary, overtime pay, quarterly bonuses, housing subsidies, meal allowances, transportation subsidies, five social insurances and one housing fund, holiday red envelopes, and travel funds, totaling over a dozen benefits.

At that time, he had stupidly asked, "Do chefs also get travel funds?"

Who would have thought the HR representative would smile and say, "It's just a reason for the boss to give us money. Like the housing subsidy, whether you rent a house or not, the money is issued as usual, and everyone gets a share."

In the end, he signed the labor contract on the spot, fearing he might miss out on a god-tier job.

"Make it 'jiuye' noodles; 'erxi' is too thin to satisfy." Chen Yansen replied.

Having spoken, he found a seat and sat down.

"Got it, coming right up!" the noodle chef responded immediately.

Chen Yansen took out a 64GB Sister Chengzi C3, opened Toutiao, and started browsing the hot news.

"iPhone 5 is here! Sister Chengzi C3 sales may be affected!"

"A roundup of continuity errors in 'iPartment 3'!"

"Behind-the-scenes footage from 'Lost in Thailand' leaks!"

"Dangdang. com CEO Li Guoqing slams JD. com: Funds only enough to burn until September!"

"The disappearing 'San Tong Yi Da': Shentong and Yuantong Express will follow the footsteps of Yunda and Zhongtong, merging into Yunsu Express!"

"JD. com cancels CPS rebates, confirming rumors of tight funds!"

Handsome Dong has no money?

Chen Yansen thought for a moment, then dismissed Li Guoqing's baseless speculation. If not for introducing OTPP Fund's investment into JD. com, how could Zhao Yingchun have taken the position of Vice President?

This news was personally told to him by Ma Wenteng. Either Li Guoqing was unaware, or he was trying to annoy Liu Qiangdong, using public opinion to cause a negative impact on JD. com.

Chen Yansen continued reading down; it was all the latest developments in the group-buying and food delivery industries. At 10:00 AM, Qiandu announced it would launch Qiandu Food Delivery soon, officially joining the food delivery war.

Meituan and Dianping immediately followed the marketing policies of KuaiPao and Laoshou Wang, desperately issuing coupons to users to protect their market share.

A cup of Pearl Milk Tea from Shanghai Aunty, normally priced at 7.9 yuan for group buying, with coupons stacked, the final price was 2.9 yuan. In a day, nearly seven or eight thousand orders were sold. A long queue formed at the milk tea shop entrance, all users waiting to verify their coupons.

Pei Yi's move was even more ruthless: four 1-yuan flash sale events every day, covering most milk tea brands, such as Happy Lemon, CoCo, and Bifengtang, among others.

In addition, there were numerous 9.9-yuan group-buying flash sales, including haircuts, KTV, teeth cleaning, billiards, internet cafes, and other items.

Even after absorbing Nuomi Wang's resources, KuaiPao started making moves in the hotel and movie categories, driving prices down to rock bottom.

Whichever category had high gross profit margins for Meituan and Dianping, Pei Yi would attack that category.

Wang Xin and Zhang Tao were so angry they cursed, but with no choice, they could only follow suit and lower prices.

When no one had any gross profit margins, whoever offered the best fulfillment service and the strongest after-sales capability would capture the users' minds.

Chen Yansen had instructed Pei Yi: for merchants and group-buying products handled by ground promotion staff, if a user fails to verify a group-buy coupon code three times, fire them immediately!

The less money made, the more important it is to ensure a good user experience!

"President Chen, your noodles."

At that moment, the noodle chef brought a bowl of steaming hot noodles, gently set it down, with a thick layer of beef floating on the soup.

Chen Yansen picked up a pair of chopsticks and began eating in large mouthfuls.

Meanwhile.

Far away at Mama Ali's headquarters in Hangcheng, Ma Liyun paced back and forth in his office, his face showing signs of anxiety.

"Impossible! There's no reason for Chen Yansen to offer such a high price; it completely contradicts his usual style of conduct."

"It's all Chen Dejun and Yu Weijiao's fault. If they had come together, I would have absolutely paid to buy Shentong and Yuantong."

"What about Cainiao Logistics?"

Ma Liyun frowned deeply, muttering to himself. Due to his misjudgment, he had personally pushed Shentong and Yuantong Express into Yunsu's hands.

Nowadays, the only express companies that had verbally agreed to join Cainiao Logistics were SF, Best, Tian Tian, and Guofeng. Except for SF and Best, whose parcel collection volumes ranked in the top ten of the industry, the rest were unknown small players.

Their industry status and delivery efficiency had deteriorated to the point where buyers despised them: "Dare to ship via Tian Tian or Guofeng, and we'll give a direct negative review!"

"President Ma, actually, this matter is beneficial for both Cainiao and Best?" Lu Zhaoxi, sitting nearby, suddenly said.

"Perhaps. The express war has finally ended."

Ma Liyun sighed deeply and said with a bitter smile.

The reason he didn't invest in Shentong and Yuantong was twofold: on one hand, he wanted to suppress the price; on the other hand, funds were indeed tight.

To ensure his own "son," Best Express, could survive this price war, Mama Ali had poured in no small amount of money to provide blood transfusions.

Judging by the shareholding ratio, Mama Ali had long ago become the largest shareholder of Best Express.

In fact, Ma Liyun and Lu Zhaoxi's guess was correct.

As early as three days ago, Liao Wei had received Chen Yansen's order: the charging standard for Yunsu E-commerce Small Packages would increase from a minimum of 1.5 yuan to 3.5 yuan, depending on the region and the distance of transportation.

For merchants with a monthly shipment volume of less than 2,000 orders, the minimum price is 5 yuan.

In short, the express price war, which lasted nearly a year, has temporarily come to an end.

Yunsu Express is about to shift from a loss-making to a profit-making model; everyone can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Of course, for merchants joining Pinbai, especially those supported by the Farmer Assistance Plan, Yunsu has also introduced corresponding preferential policies: for packages within one kilogram, the price per shipment ranges from 2.5 yuan to 3 yuan.

Upon learning this news, Tao Bao and JD merchants rushed to set up shops, treating Pinbei as the second most important online sales channel.

The bosses of Tian Tian and Guofeng, upon hearing the news of Yunsu Express raising its prices, actually felt a sense of relief after surviving a disaster.

At least they survived; like Sufeng, Guotong, Kua jie, Suer, and Feibao, more than twenty private courier companies died silently without even making a splash.

On the other side.

After finishing dinner, Chen Yansen drove back to the Void Courtyard, seeing many students carrying suitcases walking into the school one after another along the way.

September is approaching; it is once again the annual back-to-school season!

The contract phone packages for Chengzi C3 and Qingcheng D1s were communicated with Zhao Maolin last week; unlike prices outside the province, Hui'an Province's prices are lower and the package contents are more generous.

The Bentley drove onto the campus.

One minute later, Chen Yansen parked the car and went upstairs; just as he reached the fourth floor, he saw a familiar figure and couldn't help but think: Her courage is getting bolder and bolder.

(End of this chapter)