Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 587 "A Minor Heart"

The following afternoon, Chen Zhe and Song Shiwei both took leave and went to a "brand name limited-time discount website" in a warehouse in Liwan Industrial Park.

Chen Zhe is no ordinary person, so the founders Shen Ya and Hong Xiaobo, along with Shen Ya's wife Zhang Chunlan, sales director Yu Huifang, and technical director Feng Bin, all came downstairs to greet him.

As the Mercedes-Benz S600 slowly came to a stop, Shen Ya even came over to open the door himself.

However, Chen Zhe was one step ahead. After coming down, he warmly shook hands with everyone.

While exchanging pleasantries with Feng Bin, Shen Ya and the others were worried that Chen Zhe would criticize them, since Feng Bin had offended Song Shiwei before.

Unexpectedly, Chen acted as if nothing had happened, smiling and praising him.

"I thought President Chen was just giving President Song a hard time to curry favor with him."

Zhang Chunlan whispered to her husband.

Is Mr. Chen's magnanimity as insignificant as yours?

Shen Ya responded jokingly.

"cut!"

Zhang Chunlan said to herself, "Which girl doesn't want a boyfriend who will stand up for her no matter what she does?"

Shen Ya ignored his wife. "You're so obsessed with Taiwanese dramas, are you trying to play a domineering CEO?"
Engineer Feng is very important; the entire website setup depends on him.

Besides, Mr. Chen and Mr. Song might not even be a couple.

Although they seemed very well-matched, Mr. Song appeared less willing to communicate today compared to usual.

She simply stood beside President Chen, letting him take the lead and make the decisions.

……

As Chen followed Shen Ya and the others to the company entrance, he noticed three lines of promotional slogans.

Aesthetics: The professional team's aesthetic designs fully showcase the brand essence of each famous brand's products.

Taste: Choose high-end brand styles and appreciate the essence of a high-quality life.

Fashion Club: The latest fashion news, the trendiest designer discounts, creating the newest generation of fashion clubs.

Hong Xiaobo noticed that Chen Zhe had stopped and was deep in thought, so he quickly said, "President Chen, this is the corporate culture we want to build."

Chen glanced at him and asked with a smile, "Since the corporate culture is so elegant, why does the company name sound so rustic?"

"what……"

Shen Ya and Hong Xiaobo looked at each other in dismay. The "[Branded Limited-Time Discount Website]" did indeed have the feel of a knock-off "two-dollar store".

However, the company is still in its early stages, and we haven't had time to consult a fortune teller for a good name yet.

Zhang Ailan, being a woman, was quite adept at building rapport. Taking advantage of the two men's awkwardness, she took the initiative to speak:

"Mr. Chen is very knowledgeable. If you could give us some guidance on naming, it would be a great blessing for our company."

"Well……"

Chen really didn't hold back and started thinking about it.

Actually, he wasn't the kind of "old-fashioned leader" who liked to leave his calligraphy (signature) everywhere.

But this name originally belonged to Shen Ya and his group.

“Then… take the first character from each of the corporate cultures.”

Chen politely suggested, "How about we call it the 'Weimeipinhui' (Fashion Club)?"

Vipshop?

Shen Ya and the others fell silent.

Feng Bin almost burst out laughing.

Mr. Chen seems a bit overrated; could he be a spoiled rich kid relying on his family's wealth?

The fancy name "Vipshop" sounds a bit like a forced formula, while "Branded Limited-Time Discount Website" may not sound appealing, but it gives consumers a clear and concise understanding.

"What does Mr. Shen think?"

Once in the conference room, Chen asked Shen Ya for his opinion.

"I think... um..."

Shen Ya hesitated, intending to evade the question.

Looking at Chen's expression, Zhang Ailan realized that this young boss seemed eager for his company to become like Vipshop, so she made a firm decision and said decisively:
“I think this name is good. [Vipshop] emphasizes the trust of [the only genuine product], and [Member] implies the exclusive discounts for members. It is accurate, easy to remember, and reflects the nature of the company. We will change the name next week.”

"...Ah...I think it's great too."

Shen Ya glanced at his wife and could only agree.

When they went out to get the documents, Shen Ya caught up with his wife and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Why did you agree to that? You even said you'd change the name, and now you can't do anything else."

"What can we do?"

Zhang Chunlan also had her own reasons: "We talked with President Song for so long and met with other investors. In the end, we all felt that President Song was more suitable. But President Chen could clearly sway President Song's decision. If we didn't agree, were we just going to let him leave?"

"I agree with Sister Lan's opinion."

At this moment, another partner, Hong Xiaobo, also came over.

"【Vipshop】sounds a bit strange at first, but it's quite interesting after reading it a few times. How strange can it be than 【Alibaba】?"

Hong Xiaobo used the "Hangzhou Horse" as an example, and Shen Ya couldn't say anything, he could only nod with a wry smile.

Back in the conference room, Shen Ya introduced the company's specific situation.

In particular, supplementary explanations were provided regarding Song Shiwei's previous points about "unsold goods, value loss, buyer constraints, and trying to build trust with brand distributors."

However, all of this requires money, so in the end, Shen Ya put forward his own conditions.

This is something I discussed with Sweet before; 30% of the company shares correspond to 700 million RMB.

"Mr. Chen should already know about our situation."

Shen Ya looked at Chen Zhe and said sincerely, "If President Chen can lend a helping hand, our pressure will be greatly reduced."

Judging from his tone, he hoped that Chen would provide additional support on top of the existing 700 million.

This is obviously impossible.

Negotiation is not child's play; you can't just back down or soften your stance because the other party complains a few times or plays the victim.

Chen fiddled with the edges of the documents on the table, seemingly oblivious to the hints in Shen Ya's words, and instead calmly changed the subject.

"I just heard Mr. Shen mention several times that the startup costs for e-commerce of affordable luxury goods are simply too high..."

Chen spoke in a relaxed tone, as if chatting casually: "Starting a business is inherently a process of overcoming difficulties. Take me for example, whether it's Zhongda Learning Network or Anju Real Estate Agency, we've encountered many difficulties in the process of development. But as the saying goes, 'When you encounter a mountain, you pave a road; when you encounter a river, you build a bridge,' when facing difficulties, we must first have the spirit of 'never backing down,' 'focus on the problem, implement precise measures, and push forward to solve it step by step,' Mr. Shen, don't you agree?"

"Yes Yes Yes."

Shen Ya nodded repeatedly.

Director Chen's speaking ability is beyond doubt. With just two sentences, he made Shen Ya and Hong Xiaobo stand up straight, and they almost had to write down the "spirit of the meeting".

The secretary smiled.

The boss and Weiwei have such different styles. Weiwei uses detailed data and rich theories to persuade the other party.

The boss will start by playing games with you, talking about the "spirit" and "philosophy," and giving you labels.

Focus on the heart.

Once the Vipshop team was getting into Director Chen's rhythm, he cleared his throat and said, "However, I think we should still cut costs where possible. For example, the website setup, Mr. Shen just said it would cost 120 million..."

"Mr. Chen!"

Technical lead Feng Bin couldn't help but chime in, "120 million might not even be enough! Renting servers, layout design, feature development, testing and launch, post-launch maintenance... none of these aspects can be omitted. 120 million is already a budget compressed based on the current needs."

Feng Bin assumed that Chen wanted to cut costs in building the website, so his tone was somewhat dissatisfied and contemptuous.

A complete computer novice, issuing commands haphazardly.

Zhang Chunlan nudged her husband under the table, as if to say, "See? President Chen really stood up for President Song."

Shen Ya frowned.

He felt that given Chen's current achievements, he shouldn't be so narrow-minded.

Moreover, Feng Bin is a technical staff member, and he is an indispensable part of the team. Even if General Manager Chen doesn't like him, I can't just fire him.

"Mr. Feng is right. 120 million is indeed not a lot for building a website that meets the company's needs."

Chen's tone remained gentle: "But..."

He paused deliberately, waiting for everyone's attention to be focused on him, before speaking slowly and deliberately: "I think this money can be saved in half."

Before Feng Bin could refute, Chen leaned forward, his usual smile fading slightly.
"Suhui has both experience and technical skills in building websites, and we can use servers from a national-level laboratory." "If we become a family in the future, why not let Suhui build our website?"

"It's not just about saving money; stability is also a factor. Our servers can handle more visitors and clicks."

……

Yes!

Shen Ya and Hong Xiaobo exchanged a glance after hearing this.

How could I forget this!
The company already has two well-established websites, Zhongda Learning Network and Anju Real Estate Network, both of which have been tested by the market and consumers.

In particular, Zhongda Learning Network has sponsored Olympic Games and is rumored to have a "China Computer Software Research Institute" providing technical support behind it.

Although Engineer Feng is good, can he compare to the strength of a research institute?
Shen Ya glanced at Feng Bin out of the corner of his eye.

Feng Bin was in a state of shock, but his eyes were already starting to show signs of panic.

The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became somewhat oppressive. No one expected that President Chen would actually want to get rid of Feng Bin.

At first, President Song simply asked Feng Bin to leave the meeting room.

Shen Ya crossed his arms, indicating that he was also a little embarrassed. He forced himself not to look at Feng Bin's reaction, took a deep breath, and asked, "Going back to the other side, is it really only 60?"

Feng Bin's expression had changed from "beginning to panic" to "extreme shock".

Hong Xiaobo sighed silently.

Starting a business is difficult, especially in the field you choose, where the financial pressure is immense.

Buyout procurement requires a large amount of capital. In the early stages when order volume is small, the deposit needs to cover more than 6 months of operating costs.

If you can save 60 yuan and the website performs even better, who can resist such a temptation?

I hope Lao Feng, who is purely a technical person, can understand.

"If we save some money, it might only cost 50 to get it done."

Chen replied meaningfully, "We have many PhDs in the field of computer science..."

Although Feng Bin is also a PhD, his research has "a lot" of background knowledge.

In the conference room, only the low hum of the air conditioner could be heard.

"Mr. Chen, what about Lao Feng?"

Just as the atmosphere was becoming tense, Zhang Chunlan broke the silence: "Old Feng also made great contributions to the company in the early stages."

"I never said I was going to fire Engineer Feng."

Chen suddenly smiled, and the faint pressure from before vanished instantly, as if he had just made a casual joke with everyone.

"My idea is to set up a website development team, with Mr. Feng as the deputy team leader..."

Chen proposed a win-win suggestion, which both Shen Ya and Hong Xiaobo thought was good.

But Feng Bin refused: "Sorry, if you want me to be your deputy, I'd rather resign."

After saying that, he suddenly stood up and walked out of the conference room without looking back.

Hong Xiaobo glanced at Chen Zhe subconsciously, and seeing that he didn't look angry, he chased after him.

A short while later, the sounds of arguing, trying to comfort each other, and even the sound of a computer being smashed could be heard outside.

The sound traveled back to the conference room in wisps, clear yet jarring.

Shen Ya opened his mouth, but was stopped by a look from his wife. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly.

Song, the school beauty, also looked puzzled, but she didn't ask.

Only Director Chen remained calm, casually fiddling with a ballpoint pen, as if listening to a trivial interlude.

Not long after, the company door slammed shut with a loud bang, as if someone had left, and the arguing outside ceased.

Hong Xiaobo returned alone.

He picked up his teacup, took a couple of sips to calm himself, and then said, "Engineer Feng needs to take a long leave of absence. Where were we?"

"Bah!"

Chen suddenly put down his pen: "I don't see anything else to discuss. If everyone agrees, we can talk about the repurchase terms, liquidation preference, anti-dilution clauses, and other details, and then we can sign the contract."

"So fast?"

Shen Ya and Hong Xiaobo were extremely surprised.

It seemed as if Mr. Chen's appearance was merely to drive Feng Bin away.

After the "points of conflict" were cleared up, the subsequent negotiations went exceptionally smoothly. Chen was willing to make concessions on many details, which further convinced the Vipshop team of his goal.

A young man's anger was for the sake of a beautiful woman!
After the meeting, the cooperation framework was basically reached, and Shen Ya suggested having a casual meal to celebrate.

In the past, when Song Shiwei came to discuss matters, she never stayed for a meal, but since Chen Zhe agreed this time, she wouldn't object.

After Chen led them downstairs, Shen Ya and his wife returned to their office to get the wine. Zhang Chunlan looked at her husband's thoughtful face and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking……"

Shen Ya shook his head and said, "President Chen doesn't seem like someone who's blinded by love, but he actually drove away Lao Feng just to please President Song. Is he really that petty?"

"It's not surprising that he achieved success at a young age."

Zhang Chunlan instructed her husband, "When you have time, help Lao Feng find a new job, but don't let General Manager Chen know."

In the eyes of those at Vipshop, Director Chen's "love-obsessed" nature is probably already confirmed.

……

During dinner that evening, two "uninvited guests" suddenly showed up unannounced.

One is Qiao Yi, the director of the Guangdong Customs Branch. He is a graduate of Sun Yat-sen University and a member of the "Sun Yat-sen University Clique".

One is Feng Haoqiang, the director of the Commodity Inspection Department of the General Administration of Customs. He used to be a leader at CITIC Group and was later transferred to the General Administration of Customs.

The key point is that Director Feng and Director Qiao had just parted ways at a dinner party at noon, and now they "met again," leaving both of them somewhat bewildered.

Chen Zhe was equally bewildered.

"You called him?"

Chen asked Sweet Sister.

Song Shi blinked slightly, then took out her phone and called Lao Song.

"...It just so happens that your Uncle Feng is on a business trip in Guangdong, so I invited him to come over for a visit. I heard that you invested in a foreign trade company..."

Song Zuomin said with a smile.

Although it was a bit of a misunderstanding, it allowed Shen Ya and the others to see the network of relationships behind Chen Zhe and Song Shiwei, and they were all secretly glad that they had made the right choice.

If you're in foreign trade and have connections with customs, it might not be a huge help, but it will definitely save you a lot of trouble.

Chen drank alcohol that night, so he asked Ma Haijun to come and drive him.

In the cold, whistling train carriage, Chen revealed the deeper considerations behind his insistence on letting Feng Bin leave.

"For companies like Vipshop, their initial core competitiveness was their [strategy], because there are currently no e-commerce companies in China that focus on affordable luxury goods."

"As companies develop, procurement channels will gradually replace ideas and become the core competitiveness in the next stage. Whoever controls more brand resources and supply chains will be able to gain a foothold in the market."

"As we move forward, industry information will become more and more transparent, and distribution channels will no longer be a unique advantage. At that time, the lifeline of a company will lie in the website itself. System stability, user experience, data processing capabilities... these are the real barriers to entry."

“I personally built this website, and all the data is here. If President Shen and President Hong have other ideas in the future, they will think twice. I really don’t want a repeat of the Wang Haibin incident.”

"Why should we tear off the mask for the sake of profit when we can all be happy friends?"

Director Chen's voice carried a complex meaning.

Song Shiwei's eyes flickered slightly.

It turns out that he used absolute power to define the boundaries of his business.

From now on, there's no need to test human nature; everyone will simply be "forced" to be a good person.

"I guess in the minds of both President Shen and President Hong, you have a very narrow mind."

The secretary said indignantly.

Although she didn't like her boss's views on love, she didn't want her boss to be looked down upon.

"so what?"

Chen smiled indifferently, then looked at Song, the school beauty, with "affectionate eyes": "Although you have a small heart, you are full of your own people."

A blush crept onto Sweetie's cheeks, making her even more captivating than usual.

The secretary rolled her eyes. "Damn! You actually managed to fool me?"
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(It's a bit late, please vote with your monthly tickets, thank you everyone.)
(End of this chapter)