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On the top floor of the Jiuzhou Building in Zhongguancun, Beijing, real-time transaction data is displayed on a huge electronic screen.

Suning unbuttoned his suit jacket and stared at the constantly updating numbers.

"President Su, the peak of Singles' Day has passed, and the final figure is 53.7 billion yuan." Chief Technology Officer Lin Tao's voice trembled slightly. "That's more than double that of Taobao."

Suning tapped his fingers lightly on the tempered glass tabletop, producing a crisp sound.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the lights of Beijing cascade like a galaxy.

What about the user growth curve?

“New users in third-tier cities surged by 287%,” said Chen Wen, marketing director, adjusting her glasses. “Especially after the ‘cut a discount’ feature was launched, the daily average number of shares exceeded 800 million.”

A sharp notification tone suddenly sounded.

Lin Tao quickly brought up the alert screen: "Taobao just updated its client and added a 'Friend Assistance' module."

The conference room fell silent.

Everyone looked at Su Ning, who was standing at the intersection of light and shadow.

“Interesting.” Su Ning suddenly smiled. He walked to the central control console, his fingers flying across the keyboard, and pulled up a set of data models. “Launch our ‘10,000-person group’ plan ahead of schedule, and activate Plan B at the same time.”

The CFO gasped, "President Su, the 10 billion yuan subsidy hasn't even broken even yet..."

“Ma Yun is copying us, so let’s show him what real social e-commerce is.” Suning’s eyes gleamed dangerously in the screen’s reflection. “Notify the tech department to work through the night. I need the ‘Jiuzhou Pinduoduo’ standalone app online within 24 hours.”

"Yes, Mr. Su."

……

In a remote town in Handan, Hebei Province, 28-year-old Cheng Jianjun wiped his sweat as he pasted the last "Jiuzhoufang Rural Service Station" poster on the wall of the village store at the entrance.

"Uncle, how about this?" he asked the shop owner, turning around. "The first batch of goods will arrive tomorrow; they are all the daily necessities you registered."

Shop owner Lao Li rubbed his hands together: "Xiao Cheng! Um... can it really be that much cheaper?"

Cheng Jianjun opened his computer and clicked on the demonstration video: "Look, the villagers come to me, place their orders here, and you receive the goods right away. I also get a commission on each order."

He pointed to the numbers on the screen, "Last month, Old Wang from Wangjiazhuang earned an extra 3500 yuan just from this."

"real or fake?"

"Of course it's true! Just tell me what you want to buy. The accounts are all registered with your own ID cards, and the rebates are all yours. You can also use cash on delivery, and you can return or exchange the goods without giving a reason if you are not satisfied."

"That's so good? What benefits do you get in return?"

"Courier services take a cut, and the platform also gives a share. All that adds up is better than working for someone else."

"Great! That sounds really good."

The roar of motorcycles could be heard in the distance.

Five young men in blue overalls drove up, with matching promotional materials strapped to the back seat of their vehicle.

"Team leader! All three villages on the west side are taken care of!" the young man at the front shouted, taking off his helmet.

Cheng Jianjun glanced at his watch: "Let's go, take over Lijiazhuang before dark."

He turned to Old Li and said, "Uncle, I'll bring a training specialist to teach you how to use the system tomorrow."

The motorcycle convoy sped away, kicking up dust.

Old Li watched their retreating figures, then glanced at the "Customer Benefits" slogan on the wall, and thoughtfully touched his three-year-old flip phone in his pocket.

The emergency meeting room at 3 a.m. in the Alipay building in Xixi, Hangzhou, was filled with smoke.

“Mr. Ma, JiuzhouPay’s offline merchant coverage has reached 68% this month,” the data analyst’s voice trembled slightly, “and our market share has dropped to 29%.”

Ma Yun slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to jump: "Where did they get so much money for subsidies?!"

“UnionPay is backing us up,” the CFO whispered. “What’s more troublesome is their zero-fee policy; even the old lady selling scallions at the market is using Kyushu Pay.”

A soft laugh suddenly came from the corner of the conference room.

Everyone turned around and saw Joseph Tsai standing at the door, holding a pineapple-shaped phone, having just gotten off the plane.

“Old Ma, I just got back from Shenzhen,” he said, holding up his phone. “Do you know what Kyushu is doing? They’ve pre-loaded 200 yuan into the balance of every Pineapple phone user who uses Kyushu Pay.”

Ma Yun's face turned ashen: "Damn it! This is vicious competition!"

“No,” Cai Chongxin shook his head, “this is a dimensional reduction attack. Suning has created a closed-loop ecosystem of hardware, payment, and e-commerce.”

He opened the Kyushu app on his phone. "What's even more terrifying is this—their credit system."

The screen displayed "Jiuzhou Credit Score 650, Loan Limit 50000 Yuan".

"Strange! Where do they get the technology to support these apps? Even Apple in the US and Nokia in Finland can't do that, right?"

"I heard that Pineapple Mobile has developed its own mobile operating system, and these apps are also developed by themselves."

"This is too strange! Kyushu Group doesn't have any foreign capital system, so where did they get all this advanced technology?"

"Perhaps we all underestimated Su Ning! Besides, he is one of the few ruthless people in the business world. In order to enter the real estate industry, he directly kicked his father out."

"Yeah, I've heard a bit about it too! This guy is really ruthless."

……

Under the blazing sun in Lagos, Nigeria, hundreds of people gathered in front of a mobile phone store, waving cash and shouting.

A huge banner hangs above the store entrance: "Pineapple Phone 3 - 7 Days Battery!"

Local dealer Adebayo stood atop the cargo box with a megaphone: "Two SIMs! Big speaker! Only 199 dollars!"

The crowd erupted in even more frenzied shouts.

Two policemen were sweating profusely as they tried to maintain order, but people kept attempting to climb over the railings.

Across the street, Zhang Yi, president of Kyushu International Business, and his assistant stood in the shade, observing.

"Mr. Zhang, this is the third store this week that's been packed," the assistant said, wiping his sweat. "Our Kyushu production capacity really can't keep up."

Zhang Yi did not answer; his gaze fell on a ragged boy in the distance.

The child was carefully wiping a Pineapple 2nd generation mobile phone, his eyes focused and devout.

“Notify the Shenzhen Pineapple Mobile headquarters,” Zhang Yi suddenly said, “bring forward the refurbishment plan, buy back old models at half price, refurbish them, and then put them back on the market for $59.”

The assistant's eyes widened: "The profit margin..."

“What we want is not profit,” Zhang Yi pointed to the boy, “but the next billion users.”

"..."

……

On Saturday night, the neon lights at Jiuzhoufang Plaza in Chengdu illuminated the entire commercial complex, making it resemble a dream castle.

Twenty-year-old Lin Yuanyuan held her best friend's hand as they weaved through the crowds on the food street.

"Hurry! The 7:30 showing of 'Painted Skin' is about to start!" Lin Yuanyuan glanced at the countdown on the electronic screen at Kyushu Cinema. "I heard that Kyushu members only get half-price popcorn!"

Her best friend suddenly grabbed her: "Wait! They're having an event over there!"

On the central stage, the host loudly announced: "Jiuzhou Plaza Anniversary Celebration, scan the QR code for a chance to win prizes, with a top prize of 4999 yuan off!"

The number of participants and the list of winners were displayed in real time on the large screen.

Xiaoyu quickly took out her pineapple-shaped phone, only to find that her best friend had already opened Kyushu Pay to scan the QR code.

"When did you install Jiuzhou Pay?" she asked in surprise.

"I found this when I bought movie tickets last week," my best friend said, operating the app without looking up. "Paying with this is 10% cheaper than cash."

A burst of cheers suddenly erupted from the stage.

A middle-aged man excitedly held up his phone: "I won! My whole family's New Year's Eve dinner is free!"

Xiaoyu and her best friend exchanged a glance and quickened their pace as they ran towards the cinema.

As I passed by the arcade, cheerful electronic sounds and laughter mingled together.

Behind them, the giant logo in the square gleamed in the night.

In a secluded upscale club on the Bund in Shanghai, Ma Yun and Ma Huateng sat facing each other in a private room.

Cruise ships slowly passed by on the Huangpu River outside the window, casting shimmering light onto the ceiling.

“Suning’s closed-loop ecosystem has been formed,” Ma Yun said, swirling her teacup. “E-commerce drives traffic to payments, payments promote finance, finance supports hardware, and hardware brings back e-commerce…”

Ma Huateng looked out the window at the neon lights: "What's most terrifying is their offline layout. Jiuzhou Plaza is not only commercial real estate, but also an offline traffic portal, especially with their aggressive expansion into the rural market. Elderly people who don't know how to use mobile phones can place orders at franchise stores. I don't understand how Suning's brain works. They can't believe they can come up with such a dirty trick."

The waiter knocked on the door and came in, carrying a bottle of red wine.

After the waiter left, Ma Yun lowered his voice and said, "I heard his father is Zhao Xin, the richest man in the North?"

Ma Huateng nodded slightly: "Yes, it is said that he was kidnapped when he was nine years old and disappeared. After growing up, he swallowed up his father's business."

After a moment of silence, Ma Yun suddenly laughed: "Do you think Su Ning knows how many undercurrents exist beneath his empire?"

"Suning is so ruthless! Perhaps he doesn't care about these things?" "..."

Just then, Ma Huateng's phone lit up.

He glanced at the screen, his expression changing drastically: "Oh no! Kyushu Bank just got its license."

"What the heck? Is this even possible?"

"..."

The wine glass reflected a cold light between the two men, like a sharp sword about to be drawn.

……

On the 88th floor of the China World Trade Center Phase III in Beijing, Suning stands alone in front of the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the first rays of the new year's sunlight shining on the city.

Several documents were spread out on the desk behind him:

"Jiuzhou Smart Home Ecosystem White Paper"

Southeast Asia E-commerce and Payment Market Development Plan

"Pineapple 4th Generation Mobile Phone Development Progress Report"

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Zhang Yi in Africa: "BOSS. The Lagos Experience Store is opening, and the president himself came to cut the ribbon."

Another message popped up: Lin Tao, Technical Director of Kyushu Technology: "Kyushu Operating System version 2.0 has passed testing and is ready to go live at any time."

Suning did not respond immediately.

He gazed at the Kyushu Financial Building under construction in the distance, its glass curtain wall gleaming like a burning flame in the morning sun.

There was a gentle knock on the office door.

The secretary said cautiously, "Mr. Su, we received a call from the prison saying that Chen Hongxiong requests to see you."

Su Ning smiled slightly: "Tell him I'm very busy."

He turned around and picked up the car keys. "Get the car ready, let's go to the new Yizhuang Industrial Park. Today is the first prototype test of the Pineapple 4."

"Yes, Mr. Su."

As the elevator doors slowly closed, the rising sun rose just as it fully emerged above the horizon, bathing the entire city in gold.

Reflected in the metal walls of the elevator, Suning's image overlaps with countless data points, buildings, and crowds, like a giant beast awakening.

……

In the conference room on the 49th floor of the Kyushu Building, the projector of the listing preparation team projected sets of financial data into the dimly lit room.

Qi Dongcao pointed the laser pointer at the third-quarter report: "The debt-to-asset ratio has been reduced to 65%, but the China Securities Regulatory Commission is still questioning our commercial real estate valuation model."

The Queen quickly flipped through the documents: "We need to supplement three more quarters of operating data, so the earliest we can do this is Q2 of next year."

She looked up at Suning, who was in the main seat, and asked, "Suning, how about we consider spinning off the property management company for a separate listing?"

Su Ning stroked the newly sprouted stubble on his chin, the neon lights of Lujiazui outside the window casting ever-changing shadows on his sharply defined profile.

“No, it has to be listed as a whole.” He suddenly tapped the table. “Notify the Hangzhou project team to start the renovation plan for that unfinished building ahead of schedule.”

The CFO hesitated, then said, "Mr. Su, what's the payback period for that project...?"

“Account it as employee welfare housing.” Suning interrupted him, “Before the IPO, we need a landmark project that benefits people’s livelihood.”

He turned to the design director: "I'll go to the construction site myself tomorrow."

"clear."

"Su Ning, Dad is going home in a few days to move Grandpa and Grandma's graves. Do you want to come with me?"

"Why would I go back? To cause trouble for Zhao Xin?"

"But……"

"Alright, Dongcao, don't forget not to mention the Zhao family in front of me."

"..."

……

At this time, the mountainous area of ​​Tangshan was shrouded in the thin mist of early spring, and twenty black Mercedes-Benz cars wound their way up the mountain road.

Zhao Xin sat in the back of the lead car, his fingers unconsciously stroking the family crest embroidery on the leather seat.

"The feng shui of the old man's grave was chosen by a Hong Kong master back then." Qi Dongzhang, in the passenger seat, observed Zhao Xin's expression through the rearview mirror. "This relocation..."

“The new cemetery will be located on Qinglong Mountain,” Zhao Xin interrupted him, his voice sounding as if it had been sanded. “It is surrounded by water on three sides and faces southeast.”

He suddenly changed the subject: "What has Suning been busy with lately?"

Qi Dongzhang's back was beaded with sweat; he dreaded mentioning Suning the most: "Jiuzhou Real Estate is preparing for its IPO and is pushing forward with employee welfare housing..."

"Converting unfinished buildings into welfare housing?" Zhao Xin sneered. "You've really mastered the art of winning people over. But such behavior is just too foolish."

He looked out the window at the mountain village that was passing by, where a stage had already been set up and Zhao Dabiao was directing the stacking of Red Fuji apples on the octagonal table.

As the convoy passed the village entrance, several elderly people knelt down and kowtowed, trembling.

Zhao Xin's pupils contracted slightly. They were kneeling on the Zhao family's ancestral copper bell hanging from the front of the car, not on the people inside the car.

……

The visiting room at the Hangzhou Detention Center was brighter than I had imagined.

Looking at Chen Hongxiong, who had shaved his head, across the glass, Wei Jinghai found it hard to connect this man in an orange vest with the once-powerful underground emperor.

"Jiuzhou Real Estate is going public." Wei Jinghai pushed a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes over. "Suning has turned its unfinished buildings into employee welfare housing, and its stock price will at least triple."

Chen Hongxiong didn't touch the cigarette, but instead pulled out half a pack of Liqun cigarettes from his pocket: "Does President Wei know why I got a three-year reduction in my sentence?"

He lit a cigarette, and the smoke he exhaled blurred on the bulletproof glass. "Because I've been working on supply chain solutions for Kyushu Logistics for five years."

Wei Jinghai's expression changed drastically: "You've sided with Suning?"

“I figured something out in prison.” Chen Hongxiong drew a circle on the table with his cigarette butt. “Back then, my fight with Zhao Xin was like two ants fighting over breadcrumbs.”

He suddenly lowered his voice: "And Su Ning is the child with the magnifying glass. He may seem like a little kid, but little do people know that he is the real primordial beast."

"..."

The bell signaling the end of visiting hours rang shrilly.

When Wei Jinghai got up, he found that the back of his suit was soaked with sweat.

However, he would never be content with this. Although Suning was indeed very powerful, it was backed by the Li Group and was not invincible.

……

An unfinished building in Beijing.

"The entire steel structure here needs to be replaced." Su Ning walked into the unfinished building, stepping on the broken pieces of steel and cement, his brow furrowed under his hard hat.

A dozen or so project managers jogged to catch up, while drones hovered overhead taking pictures.

The designer, wiping sweat, explained, "If we convert it to a smaller apartment, the load-bearing capacity..."

"No small apartments." Suning stopped at the gap in the twelfth floor, with the wind from the Huangpu River blowing in their faces. "Make them all lofts, with a ceiling height of 5.4 meters."

He pointed to the exposed concrete pillars, "These should all be covered with fire-resistant wood veneer so that people can't tell that they're renovated from an unfinished building."

The site manager suddenly squeezed through the crowd: "Mr. Su, the workers all want to say something to you."

"Okay!"

Downstairs in the open space, more than 300 workers wearing yellow hard hats held up a banner that read: "Building Dreams Across China, Settling Down in Beijing".

When Suning reached the railing, the crowd erupted in cheers.

He raised his arm in response, and in that instant, sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a very long shadow of him.

In the study of the Zhao family's old house, Zhao Xin was wiping an antique purple clay teapot.

Huang Fangfei brought in a tea tray and saw that her husband was playing with a gift that the old man had given Su Ning more than 20 years ago when Su Ning turned one year old.

"Sanjin, Yange said she wants to go find Su Ning," Huang Fangfei said softly. "She's been making a fuss about missing her brother?"

"Let him go." Zhao Xin suddenly laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes as deep as if carved by a knife. "Let him learn how his brother wins people's hearts."

"I'm afraid Suning won't want to pay any attention to Zhao Yange."

"Sigh! I don't understand where the Zhao family of Su Ning got such a deep hatred from."

"..."

Meanwhile, in a private club in Hangzhou, Wei Jinghai was pushing a stack of photos to a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses across from him: "That unfinished building in Jiuzhou used sea sand."

The bespectacled man adjusted his glasses, revealing his China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) work ID.

...(End of chapter)