Chapter 296: 20 Billion U.S. Dollars

At dawn the next day, the sky was dimly lit, and a fine rain drifted outside the window.

Chen Yansen slowly opened his eyes, gently shifted Song Yuncheng, who had been lying on him, to the side, then put on his shoes and got out of bed, heading toward the bathroom.

While showering, he brushed his teeth and washed his face, then changed into a clean set of pajamas and lay on the sofa to read.

Outside, the pattering rain and splashing droplets brought a coolness to the late summer morning.

But at this moment, Liang Changlin's heart felt like it had plunged into an ice cellar, and he kept muttering curses at Pei Yi.

Dingdong Community had been online for only a month; though its business overlapped minimally with Kuai Pao, it had already drawn attention.

At 10 a. . on August 28, after the Kuai Pao app updated, it added a lifestyle services section, incorporating housekeeping, printing, laundry, lock changing, and appliance repair into its scope.

Instantly, Dingdong Community's partners switched over to Kuai Pao.

Daily active users dropped from 1, 00 to 800, order volume fell from 400 to 300, and business volume shrank by a quarter.

Pei Yi's move delivered a crushing blow to Liang Changlin.

Dingdong Community hadn't even left the Xinshoucun before being deliberately targeted by the boss monster.

To say he wasn't afraid was false.

Facing Kuai Pao 's challenge, Meituan, Dazhong Dianping, and Lashou all had to raise their guard and respond actively—how much more so Dingdong Community?

The only silver lining was that before Kuai Pao launched its lifestyle services, Liang Changlin had secured a hundred million Huayuan in angel investment.

But Liang Changlin knew this money wouldn't last long; in a price war, he was no match for Pei Yi.

In terms of financial strength, Dingdong Community couldn't even come close—after all, Kuai Pao was taking on three rivals at once and still holding its own against Wang Xin, Zhang Tao, and Gong Zhenbing, clearly demonstrating its deep pockets.

Avoid its edge? Shift to other categories?

But what business should he do?

Liang Changlin stood on his balcony, holding a Zhonghua cigarette, occasionally taking a drag, yet still couldn't think of a good idea.

At 8: 0 a. ., No. 200 Longcao Road, Yi Yuan Office Building.

Shan Jiawei, dressed sharply in a suit, drove into the parking lot, opened his umbrella, and ran toward Building A.

"Sorry, we don't issue cards or sell insurance—please leave immediately," a Kuai Pao marketing employee said, frowning as he looked up at Shan Jiawei's entrance.

Because at Kuai Pao headquarters, no one dressed so formally; most wore T-shirts, shirts, and shorts.

Last week, a credit card salesperson had slipped in and tricked a few naive employees using the company's name.

Thinking of this, the Kuai Pao marketing employee silently cursed: the security guard at the back door was slacking again.

Shan Jiawei paused, glanced down at his 6, 00-yuan suit, and wondered: Do I really look like an insurance salesman?

He smiled helplessly, extended his hand, and introduced himself: "Hello, I'm Shan Jiawei, Director of Business Development for the Group Purchase Division."

Director of Business Development for the Group Purchase Division?

Shan Jiawei?

Then Shan Jiawei showed his credentials.

This time, the marketing employee was stunned—he widened his eyes and replied awkwardly: "Sorry, Director Shan!"

"No problem. I guess I'm dressed too formally. Which department are you from?"

Seeing there was still time, Shan Jiawei didn't rush to report to Pei Yi; instead, he leaned against the desk and chatted casually with the man.

"Marketing Department, Zhao Kai," Zhao Kai replied nervously, glancing at Shan Jiawei, afraid he'd get revenge later.

"Oh, then you must be part of the Thousand People, Hundred Cities plan—Meituan, Lashou, and Dazhong Dianping have been crushed by you; your capability rivals A Li's Hua Gong Iron Army!"

Shan Jiawei gave a thumbs-up, speaking in a relaxed tone, as if to an old friend.

"Director Shan, I heard you and the founder of Didi Chuxing both came from Hua Gong Iron Army?"

Seeing Shan Jiawei had no intention of reporting him, Zhao Kai relaxed and grinned:

"You mean Cheng Wei? He did work at Hua Gong Supplier, but the one who really thrived was A Li's CEO Lu Zhaoxi—he used to be my boss. Kuai Pao 's group purchase business has grown fast—what's your current market share now…?"

After giving a brief reply, Shan Jiawei seized the chance to probe Kuai Pao 's internal situation, chatting with Zhao Kai about recent industry shifts.

Only when Pei Yi passed by the first floor did he notice Shan Jiawei.

"Director Shan, welcome to Kuai Pao!" Pei Yi didn't overthink it, cleared his throat, and stepped forward to greet him.

"Director Pei, I've long admired your name! To be honest, I've wanted to join sooner, but I had to wrap up Lashou's affairs. You're even younger and more capable than I imagined—defeating Ele. e in two months and launching the Thousand People, Hundred Cities plan—impressive!"

Shan Jiawei left Zhao Kai behind, stepped forward eagerly, leaned slightly forward with a smile, and spoke fluently.

First, to show he was a man of integrity; second, to flatter the man heavily.

Bosses never dislike sharp-witted, smooth-talking people.

Hearing this, Pei Yi's lips curled slightly.

If not for clinging to Chen Yansen's big tree, he'd once have lacked even the qualification to exchange pleasantries with Shan Jiawei.

Just then, Zhang Xuhao, who had just been transferred to the Shanghai branch two days ago, walked up behind him. When he heard Shan Jiawei mention "Ele. e," his expression froze.

Damn it!

I must achieve something at Kuai Pao —or I'll spend my life as Pei Yi's background character.

Zhang Xuhao silently resolved. Pei Yi, hearing the noise behind him, glanced sideways and saw Zhang Xuhao—he pulled him forward and introduced him: "This is Zhang Xuhao, Head of the East China Region for the Group Purchase Division. You two should communicate more."

"Hello, Director Zhang," Shan Jiawei shook Zhang Xuhao's right hand politely.

He couldn't shake the feeling that this name sounded familiar.

"Director Shan, I'm the one who lost to Director Pei—Zhang Xuhao. Pleased to meet you."

Zhang Xuhao pushed up his glasses and chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Damn it! You lost to the boss!" Pei Yi burst out laughing.

Shan Jiawei's nervousness vanished instantly—Chen Yansen was willing to take in even a defeated subordinate like Zhang Xuhao; he certainly wouldn't mind Shan Jiawei's frequent job-hopping.

Zhang Xuhao, standing opposite, thought similarly: Chen Yansen accepts even a "three-time turncoat"—he surely won't restrict my growth at Kuai Pao.

The two exchanged smiles, their worries finally laid to rest.

With Shan Jiawei and Zhang Xuhao's help, Pei Yi handled the acquisition and restructuring of Nuomi. om with greater ease.

After all, the optimization of Lashou's ground promotion structure had been led entirely by Shan Jiawei—he was experienced, mature, and never took a wrong turn.

Moreover, with Shan Jiawei's arrival, Kuai Pao gained Hua Gong Iron Army's sales incentive system, sharing spirit, talent development mechanisms, and powerful execution.

Thus, Kuai Pao 's core decision-making team was preliminarily formed.

Meanwhile.

Far away in Yanjing, Cheng Wei, drawing on his Didi Chuxing experience, easily assembled a R&D team in an office building near Digital Valley, urgently developing the "Didi Bike" app.

To achieve direct interaction between users and Didi Bike, the most critical issue now was solving the positioning and communication technology challenges.

Fortunately, in 2012, built-in GPS modules could use GPS positioning to obtain real-time LBS location data for the bikes, making it easier for users to find them and for the company to manage them.

The communication module could use SMS interfaces—when the bike received an SMS unlock command from the server, it would unlock.

Additionally, effort was needed in smart locks, smart lock power systems, and bike body design.

"Director Li, yes, good—we'll discuss details in person."

Cheng Wei smiled faintly and hung up the phone satisfied.

Compared to Didi Chuxing's rocky funding journey, Didi Bike's path was far smoother—the app's development had just begun.

Li Fu, founder of Innovation Works, had already extended an olive branch.

Though in the ride-hailing market he was undoubtedly a "failure"—even his own company had been seized by Li Yanhong—he couldn't fake Didi Chuxing's 4-billion-dollar valuation.

Typically, any entrepreneur who could push a project's valuation to the billion-dollar level was already exceptional.

At least in outcome, Cheng Wei's business acumen was undeniable—that was the main reason Li Fu was willing to invest.

But this time, Cheng Wei had learned wisdom—he designed a dual-class share structure and told Li Fu plainly: he would only accept Class A shares with the least voting rights.

In other words, Innovation Works had only the right to economic returns, not control.

Li Fu didn't hesitate—he agreed readily.

After organizing his thoughts, Cheng Wei picked up his car keys, grabbed an assistant, and sped toward their meeting point.

…

…

"Eastern European market? Don't report details to me—go ahead and act. I trust your ability."

Chen Yansen sat in his office, looking at Zhou Shouzhi across from him, dismissively.

Zhou Shouzhi wanted to use DST's network to first sell Orange Phones in Eastern Europe, then expand into Western Europe, and finally enter North and South America.

"Consumers in some Eastern European countries are price-sensitive and prefer mid- to low-end products—I suggest leading with Orange D1 and Qingcheng D1S, supplementing with Orange C3, to gradually open the local market."

Zhou Shouzhi handed over a plan, speaking confidently.

"For product improvements, coordinate with Zhang Cong and Zhou Ze; for network compatibility and software localization, contact Wang Teng."

Chen Yansen nodded slightly, arranging everything for Zhou Shouzhi.

Eastern Europe's winters are long and freezing, so phone stability in low temperatures must be ensured—shells, internal components, and batteries all need adjustment to prevent freezing-induced shutdowns or drastic battery drain.

As for sales channels, rely on DST Capital's familiar operators and offline retailers.

Every yuan Chen Yansen paid Zhou Shouzhi would be well spent—anyone else, without connections, would dream of securing Eastern European operators.

In Eastern Europe, half of smartphone sales come from operators, 40% from offline retailers, and only 10% from online retail—completely different from the domestic situation.

"Understood, boss," Zhou Shouzhi replied with a smile.

After joining Orange Tech, he learned that Orange Phones' total sales across China had already surpassed all rivals to claim the top spot.

Though Shanxing was strong, in the mid- to low-end market, Orange Phones were unquestionably the king.

If he could help Chen Yansen build the overseas market, Orange Tech's valuation would surely exceed 5 billion, 10 billion, even 20 billion U. . dollars.

This stage was no smaller than DST's!

(End of Chapter)