Chapter 74: How About I Be Your Daddy? (4k Big Chapter—Please Vote with Monthly Tickets!)

The plane landed at one in the morning.

Chen Yansen hailed a cab and headed straight for the Sheraton near the Amazon office, checked in quickly, then took the elevator to the top floor.

"Same as always—you sleep on the couch, I sleep on the bed."

The moment he entered the room, Chen Yansen took off his trench coat and tossed it on the table, saying to Song Yuncheng, "Hang it up for me!"

"Chen the Skinflint! What's the big deal about getting one more room!" Song Yuncheng smiled and nodded, but cursed up a storm inside.

"The person we're meeting tomorrow is a hustler in the industry—flashy résumé, but no real track record. We may need to wine and dine him, so brace yourself."

Before going into the bedroom, Chen Yansen reminded her softly.

"Got it." Song Yuncheng figured this guy was no different from Zheng Chunbin over at Paipai Net, so she didn't think much of it.

The next morning.

After breakfast, the two tidied up, then took a cab to Amazon's Yancheng office.

At this point, Amazon had not yet moved its Asia-Pacific headquarters to Yanjing, which showed that domestic e-commerce had yet to catch the attention of overseas giants.

They got out, signed in at the entrance, got visitor passes, and after waiting some ten minutes, saw a young man in his twenties striding toward them.

"Mr. Chen, I'm hollis—the one who contacted you yesterday. Please follow me."

Hollis greeted them with a smile.

Chen Yansen responded, gave a brief introduction, and the three of them walked into the office building.

The elevator shot straight up to the 16th floor and opened with a "ding."

Much like the last visit to Penguin, they were shown into a conference room to wait. About half an hour later—

A middle-aged man, around 1.6 meters tall and wearing glasses, pushed the door open with a smile, warmly shook Chen Yansen's hand and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Chen. Please, have a seat."

The man spoke with a Hong Kong accent, wore a proud look between his brows, and was about thirty percent reminiscent of Eric Tsang, but much leaner.

He was Zhang Hanhua, head of Amazon's channel department—his name and his looks were a terrible mismatch.

"Mr. Zhang, I've long admired your work. I've reviewed your company's contract template—no issues. Let's nail down the commission rates for each category first. If things move fast enough, by early next month Amazon can be added to Fox Taotao's Shangcheng cashback section."

After the pleasantries, Chen Yansen steered the conversation back to business. The other side wanted money anyway, so skipping the preliminaries and getting straight to the point was better.

"You young people are efficient. But in business, one must take it step by step and negotiate slowly."

Zhang Hanhua chuckled lightly, deliberately dragging things out.

"Mr. Zhang, I'm young, but I know the unwritten rules too. Once we lock down the details, the cooperation plan can actually land." Chen Yansen said with a smile.

Hearing him put particular weight on the words "unwritten rules," Zhang Hanhua knew he was dealing with a sharp, sensible man. His smile widened, and he had hollis bring out the documents prepared in advance for Chen Yansen to review.

"Books 5%, digital products 1%, apparel 5%, food 3%, beauty (S-tier 2%, A-tier 5%, C-tier and D-tier and below 8%)…"

Chen Yansen read through it carefully and felt it showed more sincerity than platforms like Moonbasa and Mai Mai Bao Bao.

Of course, he knew the other side wasn't up to any good—the more commission Fox Taotao earned, the more kickbacks Zhang Hanhua could pocket.

"Mr. Zhang, I'm very satisfied with the commission rates for each category. When can we sign the contract?"

Chen Yansen didn't haggle and agreed readily.

"No rush. Tomorrow evening, I've booked a table at Bai Family Courtyard. Mr. Chen, you must let me play the proper host." Zhang Hanhua said with a smile.

You bastard!

Eat and take!

Chen Yansen cursed inwardly. Zhang Hanhua wasn't rushing to sign the contract because he wanted to squeeze more perks out of it—might as well treat it as feeding a dog.

On the surface he kept his composure, smiled and agreed, then added that since Mr. Zhang was treating, he'd bring a good bottle of wine. See you at Bai Family Courtyard at six.

Chen Yansen made a point of mentioning he'd bring the contract along.

Seeing that he knew the game, Zhang Hanhua naturally agreed wholeheartedly, pulled Chen Yansen in for a cup of coffee, then signaled hollis to see them out.

Walking out of the Amazon office, Chen Yansen let out a long breath and muttered, "It's been ages since I had to swallow this kind of crap."

But there was nothing he could do. Zhang Hanhua's arrogance meant he definitely had a big boss backing him, and his Hong Kong accent meant it was a bunch of Hong Kong guys sticking together.

Chen Yansen had only two choices: give up the partnership, or throw money at him until he was fed.

"Mr. Zhang is treating you to dinner—why are you still angry?" Song Yuncheng was baffled; she hadn't picked up on the subtext of the conversation at all.

"Him treating? What are you thinking! He's making us book the table and buy the wine, so he can come enjoy it."

Chen Yansen shot her a look and said irritably.

"Did I lose my memory? Mr. Zhang clearly said he was treating you to dinner." Song Yuncheng asked.

Chen Yansen just smiled and didn't mock her. After all, Song Yuncheng was only a sophomore—she'd seen little of the filthy side of society, so it was normal not to get it.

As they walked, he explained to Song Yuncheng the hidden meaning behind Zhang Hanhua's words.

"He wants a five-point cut on top of that?" Song Yuncheng said, astonished after hearing his analysis.

"That's how the world works. Pay up, and the deal goes through." Chen Yansen said, narrowing his eyes, stating it plainly.

"Can't you report him to his superiors?" Song Yuncheng pressed.

"Don't be naive! Of those five points, three might be going straight to his boss."

Chen Yansen ruffled Song Yuncheng's hair, looking at her the way you'd look at a child.

"It's a bit complicated. I always thought the premise of two companies working together was mutual benefit…" Song Yuncheng's worldview was crumbling a little; she murmured softly.

"From a higher level, you're not wrong. But wherever there are people, there are filthy, grubby dealings. You'll get used to it. Learn to understand, and once you can use these tactics yourself, you'll be able to hold your own."

Chen Yansen said with a faint smile, calmly.

"You're only a freshman—why do you know so much?" Song Yuncheng thought for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"Maybe I was just born this way. The things you and Zhang Hanhua have to learn, I understood from birth."

Chen Yansen shrugged self-deprecatingly, a careless smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Song Yuncheng instinctively took a step back at that, then reconsidered—was Chen Yansen really as bad as he claimed?

No!

Song Yuncheng shook her head secretly, quickened her pace a few steps, and obediently followed beside Chen Yansen.

She understood that Chen Yansen was training her; based on his performance on the second floor of the startup park, he normally didn't have the patience to explain these things to people.

"Chen Yansen, can I call you Master?" Song Yuncheng requested out of nowhere.

"How about I be your daddy?" Chen Yansen countered lightly.

Song Yuncheng was stunned, puffed up with anger and chased after him, spreading her two hands like an angry kitten. She thought about it for a long time but didn't really dare to take revenge on Chen Yansen, only scratching fiercely at his back a few times to vent her dissatisfaction.

Noon.

The two bought two bottles of Maotai at the mall and had lunch along the way. In between, Chen Yansen called the Bai Family Compound to reserve a private room, with a minimum spend of eight thousand eight hundred.

If the cooperation works out, there'll be at least tens of millions in profit a year—spending a few ten-thousand yuan to feed a dog is still a bargain.

In the afternoon, Chen Yansen took Song Yuncheng to the museum and Badaling, and only at 5 PM did they take a taxi to the Bai Family Compound.

Chen Yansen entered the private room first, confirmed the dishes with the waiter, and waited another half hour before Zhang Hanhua arrived fashionably late with hollis.

"Sorry to keep President Chen waiting so long."

Zhang Hanhua walked straight to the host seat and sat down, apologizing verbally but without the slightest hint of embarrassment on his face.

At this point, he stopped pretending. He took off his jacket, picked up the Maotai and commented: "I didn't used to like drinking, but since I've come to Yanjing, I suppose I'm going along with the local customs."

"President Zhang, how about we settle the matter first, so that later the alcohol doesn't cloud our heads and affect the cooperation."

Seeing that he was still playing dumb, Chen Yansen's patience ran out and he got straight to the point.

"You know the rules, right?"

Zhang Hanhua's face darkened, a flash of displeasure crossing his eyes, and he asked in a deep voice.

"Five points. I understand the industry rules." Chen Yansen opened the Maotai and poured the wine.

"I want ten points." Zhang Hanhua had originally wanted to shout eight points, but after a glance at the youthful Song Yuncheng, he changed his mind on the spot.

"Clang—"

Chen Yansen put down the bottle and questioned coldly: "President Zhang, is this your rule, or a new industry rule?"

Industry unspoken rules aren't broken just because someone says so. If Zhang Hanhua names an outrageous price, who would dare cooperate with him in the future?

"Young people are so impulsive. Everything can be negotiated, what's the rush? How could I let President Chen pour the wine himself? Hey, you there, the assistant—don't you have any sense of awareness?"

Zhang Hanhua saw Chen Yansen's cold face and let out a laugh, trying to ease the atmosphere.

Song Yuncheng saw the other party pointing at her, looked at Chen Yansen and then at Zhang Hanhua. She knew the key to this cooperation lay with Zhang Hanhua.

She took a deep breath, carried the wine over, and a stream of clear liquor fell into the glass.

Zhang Hanhua stared at Song Yuncheng for a moment and said: "Where did President Chen find this assistant? Pretty face, nice figure too. There's an industry exchange tomorrow evening, I need a dancing partner—would President Chen be willing to part with her?"

Chen Yansen grinned. This kind of person was rare even in the business circle more than a decade later.

Greasy, greedy, lecherous!

He hit every single one!

Zhang Hanhua saw him smile, thought he agreed, and reached out to pull Song Yuncheng over as he spoke.

Song Yuncheng shrank back, caught the smile on Chen Yansen's face from the corner of her eye, and her chest tightened, as if blocked by something.

"Bang!"

A wine glass smashed toward Zhang Hanhua's face!

Chen Yansen pushed back his chair, pulled Song Yuncheng over, stepped forward, grabbed Zhang Hanhua by the collar and sneered: "Giving you face and you don't want it! What the hell are you! Five points still isn't enough to feed you? Damn, you won't even follow the rules anymore?"

Zhang Hanhua only felt intense pain in his face, his vision blurred by the wine. By the time he reacted, he was already firmly pinned to the chair by Chen Yansen.

hollis tried to pull Chen Yansen away upon seeing this, but was pushed lightly by him and landed on his butt on the floor.

"What incredible strength!" hollis was secretly shocked.

"None of your business! Get lost!" Chen Yansen glared at him.

"Chen Yansen, are you crazy? Believe it or not I'll call the police and have you arrested?" Zhang Hanhua struggled a few times, found he couldn't break free at all, and could only threaten with a fierce voice but timid heart.

"Go ahead, call! Every single word you just said, I've recorded it all. I'll spend money to buy you a trending topic later and let you have your moment of fame."

Chen Yansen raised his right hand and repeatedly slapped Zhang Hanhua across the face.

"If you dare do that, who will ever cooperate with you in the future? The whole industry will blacklist Fox Treasure—"

Zhang Hanhua growled lowly, looking utterly wretched.

"You dare ask for a 10% rebate, what do I not dare to do? Here, take your phone, call the police."

Chen Yansen shoved Zhang Hanhua's phone into his hand, speaking with complete confidence.

Zhang Hanhua kept threatening with an industry-wide blacklist, really thinking that just because he was young, he could be intimidated?

"President Chen, please let go of President Zhang first, he may have had too much to drink and caused a misunderstanding." hollis climbed up from the floor and hurriedly tried to mediate.

God knew whether Zhang Hanhua would lose his head and actually call the police. If things blew up, no one would come out of it well.

He cursed inwardly: The agreed five points, yet he had to shout a random price. Sure, the guy is young, but he's not stupid.

"Had too much to drink? Which bathroom did you drink like this in? I gave the industry-standard five points, whatever you wanted to eat or drink, I gave you the face too—how dare you still try to take advantage of my youth?"

Chen Yansen scoffed, mocking mercilessly.

Zhang Hanhua held his phone, his expression shifting between dark and light. He had thought Chen Yansen was young and easy to push around, but hadn't expected such a fiery temper—turning hostile in an instant.

"President Chen, I was wrong, can you let me go first?" After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Hanhua backed down, begging pitifully.

"Scram!"

Chen Yansen released his collar and said flatly.

Having come to this point, the cooperation was definitely dead. If he had agreed to ten points, this guy would definitely dare ask for fifteen tomorrow.

Zhang Hanhua picked up his things, retreated to the door with his assistant, and only then dared to drop a harsh line: "Chen Yansen, you just wait for me, this isn't over."

Having said that, he hurried outside, afraid Chen Yansen would catch up and beat him.

"This contract?" Song Yuncheng held the contract waiting to be signed, at a loss.

"Throw it away!"

Chen Yansen let out a breath, sat back down, picked up a slice of soft-centered abalone and put it in his mouth. Seeing Song Yuncheng frozen in place, he couldn't help urging, "Eat up, what are you staring at? This table's nearly ten thousand."

"You can still eat? Aren't you afraid Zhang Hanhua will call the police on you?" Song Yuncheng said, face full of worry, anxious as if on fire.

"First, he wouldn't dare — the moment he shouted for a ten-percent cut, he broke the rules. Second, a place like the Inspection Office, good people fear it; I don't."

After saying that, Chen Yansen poured himself a glass of wine and sank into enjoyment.

"I'm sorry, it's me who dragged the company down, who couldn't close this deal," Song Yuncheng said softly.

"You thought he wanted a drinking-party dance partner, but what he wanted was a bed partner — you idiot." Chen Yansen cursed.

Hearing that, Song Yuncheng looked straight at Chen Yansen, and only then understood the second reason he had flown into a rage.

"Then shall we head back to Xucheng tomorrow?" Song Yuncheng asked carefully — she was afraid that right now Chen Yansen was only pretending to be calm.

"No rush, let's finish dinner first. Jingdong is in Yanjing too, we'll go take a look tomorrow," Chen Yansen replied unhurriedly.

At this moment, Liu Qiangdong's days were surely not easy — short on money and short on traffic.

Adding flowers to brocade is not as good as sending charcoal in the snow. Fox Tao's daily active users were already approaching a million; even if it couldn't reach one-third of Jingdong's, it was close to one-fifth.

That alone was enough to make the other side take it seriously.

After all, blockheads like Zhang Hanhua were still in the minority.

(End of chapter)