[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp":3,"chapter-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-323":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Get Stronger Every Payday—With One Billion Employees!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2264536,4419,"Chapter 323: Cheng Wei: You Think I","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-323",323,"\u003Cp>“Above isn’t acting?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Alibaba’s Hangzhou headquarters, Ma Liyun’s expression was a mix of relief and concern upon hearing the news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was relieved that, though there was no formal regulation, the Banking Association had no intention of suppressing internet finance—Zeromoney had no further worries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was troubled: it would still take four to five months before Zeromoney officially launched; if Yubao continued unchecked, Alibaba would lose its first-mover advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Ma, ZhiFuBao has 600 million registered users. Even if we’re a step behind, I’m certain that once Zeromoney launches, it will surpass Yubao’s asset scale within half a year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhaoxi spoke with full confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But ZhiFuBao’s daily active users are only one million.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Liyun sighed faintly, finally realizing a problem: Alibaba’s development in mobile wireless had fallen far behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>OrangePay had less than 200 million cumulative registered users, yet its daily active users neared 18 million—over ten times ZhiFuBao’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, registration means “how many people know you”; daily active users mean “how many people need you every day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 2012, ZhiFuBao survived by relying on Taobao, Tmall, and 1688, functioning merely as an “auxiliary tool” of e-commerce, not yet a “daily necessity” for users—users only logged into ZhiFuBao’s PC website or app when making purchases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since ZhiFuBao launched QuickPay, user login rates dropped sharply, and daily active figures fell further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taobao and Tmall users’ experience and payment success rates improved, yet ZhiFuBao’s condition became a mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alipay's offline payment and collection business is in a phase of rapid growth; last week's daily active data increased by 4.1% month-over-month. If we replicate this model nationwide, we can boost daily activity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhaoxi answered immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“WeChat is also building a payment tool?” Ma Liyun nodded slightly, paused, then asked suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, reportedly they’ve built a new product based on Tenpay. It shows fierce competition within Penguin Division.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhaoxi hummed in agreement, then added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, Tenpay had been online for over seven years and possessed extensive experience in handling high-concurrency transactions, reconciliation and settlement, data encryption, risk control, and fraud prevention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet WeChat insisted on independently developing its own payment tool, fearing Tenpay would seize its mobile traffic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, I understand.” Ma Liyun rubbed his temples, speaking calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, he rubbed his swollen temples; at forty-eight, his energy clearly paled beside that of Ma Wenteng and Chen Yansen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He delegated Alibaba’s daily operations mostly to Lu Zhaoxi, Zhang Yong, and others, retaining only oversight of the group’s strategic direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with the arrival of the mobile internet era, Ma Liyun had to raise his vigilance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to 2011, 2012 saw far more smartphone users; smartphones now filled every street and alley, with heads bowed everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet wireless users of Taobao, Tmall, and ZhiFuBao still accounted for less than 10%.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Ma Liyun sat in his office, gazing down over Alibaba’s entire headquarters through the glass window. Outside, sunlight shone brightly, yet a chill settled in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alibaba must ride the wave of mobile internet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baidu’s headquarters in Beijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanhong opened DiDi's business report; the “-6.1%” in the order month-over-month growth column stood out sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with three subsidies per day, DiDi’s order volume still dropped 6.1%?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did Xiang Hailong manage that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanhong snorted, barely holding back a bitter laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“DiDi’s ‘Ride and Get Yubao Experience Bonus’ and recharge card promotions have affected DiDi’s fulfilled order numbers…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon reading Xiang Hailong’s summary, Li Yanhong frowned, silently cursing: Had Baidu Cloud not given free storage space? Had Baidu Wenku not given free monthly memberships?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, Li Yanhong immediately considered replacing DiDi’s CEO.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who could he replace him with?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outsiders were untrustworthy; insiders were unreliable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had finally seen clearly: Xiang Hailong excelled in business negotiations and reporting, but he was clearly not a doer—his strategic execution was weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his leadership, DiDi would achieve little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was Cheng Wei doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For some reason, Cheng Wei’s name flashed through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanhong pondered silently: if he brought Cheng Wei back as COO and let Wang Jin manage R&D, combining Alibaba’s market expansion with Baidu’s technical depth, DiDi might still have a chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After more than ten days of fierce subsidy warfare, DiDi had burned through 400 million yuan, yet its market share hadn’t budged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanhong suddenly realized: Xiang Hailong was absolutely not DiDi’s best CEO candidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But calling Cheng Wei himself? He couldn’t bring himself to do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they hadn’t fully broken ties, he was the one who had kicked Cheng Wei out of the CEO seat—now asking him to return as COO? Wasn’t that an insult?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After much internal struggle, Li Yanhong still couldn’t decide. Finally, he sighed and called Liang Zhixiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, you wanted me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three minutes later, Liang Zhixiang knocked and entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you still have contact with Cheng Wei?” Li Yanhong, too proud to ask directly, circled the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“None.” Liang Zhixiang answered honestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was Baidu’s vice president—what was there to discuss with a founder who’d been kicked out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you seen DiDi’s weekly business report?” Li Yanhong asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang nodded, puzzled—he knew DiDi’s progress was troubled, but as head of investment, he had no authority to interfere in other departments’ operations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiang Hailong’s performance has disappointed me,” Li Yanhong said coldly, staring at Liang Zhixiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boss wants to replace him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the candidate is still Cheng Wei?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang’s heart jolted; his scalp prickled. To drive someone out, then bring him back? Wasn’t that treating him like a monkey?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, Xiang Hailong was a veteran, having followed Li Yanhong for seven or eight years—could he really be replaced just because of a temporary setback?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang stayed silent, not understanding Li Yanhong’s move—but he knew clearly: if the boss had spoken, his mind was made up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His advice would be useless, and might even label him “not one of us.” In seconds, he understood. He smiled and asked: “Boss wants Cheng Wei to return as CEO?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! I want him to take the COO position.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanhong waved his hand, dismissing it outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>COO? That’s just an operations director!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would Cheng Wei accept?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang’s vision darkened; he felt immense difficulty—but the boss had spoken. Whether it worked or not, he had to try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll contact Cheng Wei right away,” Liang Zhixiang declared immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Victor, thank you for your effort,” Li Yanhong stood, patted Liang Zhixiang’s shoulder, and warmly encouraged him, using his English name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew this was hard—but DiDi’s daily massive losses had worn him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't just the money he felt pain over; it was that DiDi was burning cash with no results—that was what he couldn't bear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After accepting the task, Liang Zhixiang left the office and immediately called Cheng Wei. Dozens of kilometers away, in Digital Valley Software Park, Cheng Wei was in a meeting with R&D, finalizing the development plan for late October.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, his phone rang in his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep going.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Wei pulled out his phone. After seeing the caller’s name, he paused briefly, then decided to answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he and Baidu had clashed bitterly two months ago, after reflecting repeatedly, he had let go of his resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baidu was still the top among BAT giants; alienating them brought no benefit. It was better to have one more friend than one more enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DiDi Bike used an AB share structure; this time, he wasn’t afraid of dilution losing him control of the company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if Liang Zhixiang wanted to invest in DiDi Bike, he welcomed it with open arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Wei took his phone, stepped outside the meeting room, stood on the balcony, and pressed answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Cheng, free for coffee?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang laughed loudly, acting familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, Boss Liang, company business is busy—I really can’t get away,” Cheng Wei replied with a polite smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Company?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang froze, instinctively asking: “Boss Cheng has a new project?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, similar to DiDi, still in public transportation.” Cheng Wei answered vaguely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ride-hailing?” Liang Zhixiang’s heart sank; he asked anxiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shared bikes!” Cheng Wei didn’t hide it—he answered frankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DiDi Bike had already deployed over 600 bikes in Beijing; its business process and model were proven. He planned to expand to 3,000 bikes by late October.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, even if he said nothing, DiDi Bike’s market scale would draw Liang Zhixiang’s attention anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Wei paused, then added: “In Beijing, and across China’s first- and second-tier cities, there’s a ‘last-mile commuting problem’ between buses and subways, subways and residential areas, buses and residential areas. Walking is too tiring; taxis are too expensive. That’s the value of DiDi Bike.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DiDi Bike?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang’s face darkened. The name clearly piggybacked on DiDi’s popularity, easily misleading users into thinking it was a DiDi product.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Cheng, is the product name DiDi Bike?” Liang Zhixiang probed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘di’ with three water radicals—DiDi Bike,” Cheng Wei smiled, eyes half-lidded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew what Liang Zhixiang was thinking—but the trademark for “DiDi Bike” was already registered. He did want to ride DiDi’s coattails—so what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Li Yanhong disagrees, let him sue!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>DiDi Bike?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s no different from DiDi Bike!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang suppressed his anger and said patiently, “How much money can shared bikes make? Boss Cheng, why not go back to DiDi Ride and continue your unfinished career? Boss Li is willing to give you the COO position.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Cheng Wei sneered. Did Li Yanhong really see him as a dog—to be called when needed and kicked away when not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell is a COO? He didn’t care!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally saw clearly: Li Yanhong was fickle and had zero patience. Within three months of taking over DiDi Ride, he was already thinking of replacing people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he scurried back, he might not last a few months before being kicked out again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, Cheng Wei, was a man—not Li Yanhong’s dog!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, I have no interest in the COO position at DiDi Ride,” Cheng Wei refused again, without the slightest hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although DiDi Bike was a small project, he was building it steadily and had already secured 50 million yuan in angel investment from Innovation Works. Its market potential might not match the ride-hailing sector, but he had full control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, then it’s settled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang’s smile faded, his expression slowly turning grim, then he hung up the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, he walked straight into Li Yanhong’s office carrying a file on the DiDi Bike project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did Cheng Wei say?” Li Yanhong asked eagerly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is his new startup project.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liang Zhixiang pulled over a chair, sat across from Li Yanhong, and handed him the documents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanhong instantly understood: if Cheng Wei had a new project, he wouldn’t accept the COO position at DiDi Ride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“DiDi Bike?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His peripheral vision caught the text on the file cover. Li Yanhong’s pupils contracted—he immediately grasped Liang Zhixiang’s meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That bastard Cheng Wei had named his new product to piggyback on DiDi Ride’s popularity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Cheng Wei was the founder of DiDi Ride, Li Yanhong had long regarded him as his possession, planning to slowly eliminate him through financing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Notify the Fawu Force. Send him a cease-and-desist letter. Don’t let him use the name DiDi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yanhong ordered Liang Zhixiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The DiDi Ride trademark was registered by Cheng Wei. After Baidu took over, they immediately filed defensive trademarks: “DiDi Private Car,” “DiDi Rental,” “DiDi Private Car,” “DiDi Rental,” “DiDa Ride,” and others, fearing other companies would hijack their traffic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, every company did this—mainly because China had too many trademark trolls. For example, Tencent and Groupon’s joint venture, GaoPeng Group, ideally wanted the domain groupon, but TuanBao got there first, forcing GaoPeng Group to use gaopeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, Orange Tech had registered a slew of defensive trademarks like “Red Orange,” “Green Orange,” and “Lemon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Yanhong never imagined Cheng Wei would turn to shared bikes and create “DiDi Bike”—it was utterly unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood, Boss,” Liang Zhixiang replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon, Cheng Wei received a cease-and-desist letter from Baidu. He sneered and tossed it aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared to use the name—he wasn’t afraid of Li Yanhong suing him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One setback, one lesson: Cheng Wei’s business acumen had matured, and his boldness had grown significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen received a call from Cheng Weixing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, I have an older classmate—the CEO of Geeker Auto magazine. She’s launched a project and is seeking angel funding,” Cheng Weixing said bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why not just send her Gao Da’s contact?” Chen Yansen replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She wants to meet you in person,” Cheng Weixing said shamelessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no choice: back in school, this classmate had been a star and had helped him greatly. One had to know how to repay kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, I’ll give Boss Cheng a favor. Tell her to add me on WeChat,” Chen Yansen agreed with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Boss. This classmate is very capable—she’s in the same major as you,” Cheng Weixing added.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Journalism?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who the hell studies journalism?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yansen instantly lost interest and hung up, not giving it another thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2186,"2026-06-19T19:17:19.606Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","776956eca2ebf82788d8496d95c400023845e178eed612bc5f046b059180e475","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-324","i-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-chapter-322",387,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-get-stronger-every-payday-with-one-billion-emp-cover.jpg"]