I can become stronger by paying salaries. I have one billion employees!

Chapter 381 Old Ma, I'll take 50 billion from you, shall we be friends or enemies?
Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park, Office Building No. 9.

Xu Zhenhui looked troubled. Faced with Chen Yansen's request, he frowned and his mind raced.

While there are precedents for providing interest-free loans to specific companies, the amount usually does not exceed 100,000.

But Chen Yansen asked for 1 billion, leaving him feeling powerless.

"Mr. Chen, I'm afraid Luzhou can't provide a 1 billion yuan interest-free loan, can it?" Xu Zhenhui asked rhetorically.

“But building a Class A server room in Virtual City is an unplanned project for Orange Technology,” Chen Yansen shrugged.

Xu Zhenhui pondered for a moment, then looked at Chen Yansen seriously and said, "Two hundred million in interest-free loans, and another eight hundred million in funds converted into low-interest loans. I can help you negotiate to lower the interest rate to 2.1%. In addition, we will add two hundred million in special funds to support broadband taxes, income tax, electricity subsidies, rent subsidies, and operating income subsidies. Mr. Chen, please trust Xucheng's sincerity."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yansen stopped smiling and began to think seriously.

Compared to Meng Yuanzhi, Xu Zhenhui received significantly more favorable support.

As a coal-fired power base, Xucheng has abundant power resources and low electricity prices, which can effectively reduce the operating costs of the data center.

At that time, a multi-level power protection system will be built with dual-circuit mains power, diesel generators and UPS uninterruptible power supplies, so that even if a regional power grid failure occurs, the operation of the equipment will not be affected.

“Mr. Xu, Xucheng has a deeper foundation in agricultural and sideline products, papermaking, and light textile and footwear industries. Even if Pinbei Mall moves away, the corresponding support will not be reduced,” Chen Yansen said thoughtfully.

"President Chen, the rice paddies in Xucheng have been cultivated for over a thousand years. We can't rely on the land for our livelihood forever, can we?" Xu Zhenhui said with a wry smile.

After all, only with data centers and cloud computing industries can high-quality capital, technology and talent be attracted to virtual cities.

"Old Zhou, you pick someone to be in charge of the liaison work," Chen Yansen sighed slightly and instructed Zhou Shouzhi.

“Yes, boss.” Zhou Shouzhi nodded in response.

"President Chen, you agree?" Xu Zhenhui asked with a smile, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

“As Mr. Xu said, I’m practically a native of Xucheng, so of course I should do my part for my hometown,” Chen Yansen joked with a smile.

"What about the interest-free loan?" Xu Zhenhui asked tentatively.

"Not a single cent can be missing," Chen Yansen said sternly.

Xu Zhenhui smiled helplessly, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though his smile contained a hint of bitterness.

In his view, Senlian Capital was originally an internet giant nurtured by Xucheng, but Luzhou reaped the benefits.

Subsequently, Chen Yansen invited Xu Zhenhui to his office for tea and handed over the initial details of the cooperation to Zhou Shouzhi and Xu's secretary.

at the same time.

In a meeting room at the headquarters of Pinbei in Building 6 next door.

Song Yuncheng, dressed in a light gray business suit, slowly began to speak: "Let's first review the number of major client contracts signed, GMV contribution, and industry share in the first and middle of the month, as well as the performance of key clients."

After two and a half years of professional experience, Song Yuncheng is already very proficient in her work.

In front of Chen Yansen, she is a sweet and juicy little orange, but in the eyes of her subordinates, she is a shrewd and powerful director of major client investment.

"As of February 19th, we have added 12 new Key Account (KA) clients, exceeding the monthly target of 15, which is 12% ahead of schedule; the transaction volume of major clients reached 13.3 billion RMB, accounting for 8.3% of the platform's total; among the newly signed KA clients, 3 clients did not meet the contract requirements for exposure in the first month, with a shortfall of 300,000 unique visitors..."

A member of the department who had switched from Ahri reported this.

"Let's communicate with the product and event departments and add 5 slots on the first screen of the brand selection page to make up for the lost traffic."

Song Yuncheng immediately made the decision, while flipping through data such as the January KA customer GMV analysis table, the competitor KA policy comparison table, and the Q1 investment promotion target breakdown table.

“Okay,” the subordinate replied immediately.

"Continue," Song Yuncheng said, waving his hand.

A closer look reveals that her style of doing things and tone of voice are remarkably similar to Chen Yansen's.

With her existing industry resources, network, and work skills, even if she leaves Pinduoduo, she can still find a job with an annual salary of one million at Alibaba, Tencent, or JD.com.

In fact, there were quite a few headhunters who tried to poach her privately, offering even better deals than Pinduoduo, but Song Yuncheng never considered them.

In her heart, Pinbei is her home, and Chen Yansen is the direction of her life.

Although this guy is incredibly wicked, always making her pose in all sorts of embarrassing ways and wear some strange clothes, she's willing to do anything as long as Chen Yansen likes it.

She remembers clearly that it was Chen Yansen who handed her a stack of phone cards and gave her the opportunity to work at FoxTao.

They taught her step by step how to select products and conduct business negotiations, which led her to where she is today.

the other side.

After dealing with Xu Zhenhui and seeing him off from Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park, Chen Yansen returned to his office and received a call from Ma Liyun.

"Mr. Chen, I heard that Kuaipao is about to launch its Series B financing..." Ma Liyun said with a smile.

"Who told you that? It's just a rumor," Chen Yansen interrupted directly.

Ma Liyun's expression froze, and he thought to himself: What do you mean by this? You don't want Ali to get on the bus?

Ali did launch a food delivery business and even partnered with Meituan, Dianping, and Lashou, but that shouldn't be a reason for you to refuse.

Old Ma cleared his throat and chuckled dryly, saying, "President Chen, the cooperation between Ali and Senlian Capital has always been very pleasant, and I personally have a very positive outlook on Kuaipao's development."

"Oh, really? Then why did Juhuasuan bring in Meituan, Dianping, and Lashou, but leave out Kuaipao?"

Chen Yansen plopped down on the sofa and questioned him in a cold voice.

Investing in a particular sector and betting on two or three companies simultaneously is a common practice among internet giants, so Chen Yansen can understand it.

But when Pei Yi approached Juhuasuan seeking cooperation, Ali always made excuses and treated Kuai Kuai as a potential enemy. How could Chen Yansen possibly give Lao Ma a good look?
If you don't include me, I won't bother with you either!

Kuai Pao has made significant achievements in group buying, food delivery, and grocery shopping, with over 6 million orders per day and a daily turnover of up to 100 million yuan. It has no shortage of investors.

"President Chen, there must be some misunderstanding here. I will personally supervise the process and ensure it is resolved immediately," Ma Liyun said, downplaying the seriousness of the matter.

“No need. Kuaipao is different from Meituan, Dianping, and Lashou.com; it doesn’t rely heavily on Juhuasuan,” Chen Yansen said decisively.

Ma Liyun was very upset by the rebuttal and said with a dark face, "President Chen wants to kick Ali out of the game?"

Chen Yansen remained noncommittal: "Isn't it Ali who wants to suppress Kuaipao?"

Ma Liyun was a little embarrassed after her secret was exposed. She thought she could get away with it with a few words, but Chen Yansen didn't give her any face at all.

“Mr. Chen, Ali has no intention of suppressing Kuaipao. I can assure you of that,” Ma Liyun replied. He paused and then added, “The recent adjustments to the cooperation with Juhuasuan are purely normal decisions based on the platform’s strategic planning and business priorities, and there is absolutely no intention to target anyone. If Mr. Chen is willing, I can arrange for the team to have in-depth discussions at any time to explore how to achieve resource sharing and mutual benefit in the group buying and food delivery sectors.”

"What about Taobao Delivery? Is Mr. Ma no longer doing it?" Chen Yansen pressed.

“There are only 600 million internet users in the country. Once the traffic limit is reached, the cost and difficulty of acquiring new users will increase exponentially. Ali needs to complete its business ecosystem and leverage the high-frequency consumption scenario of food delivery to improve user stickiness and retention. Pinduoduo can do it, so why can't Ali?” Ma Liyun said frankly.

“Actually, Ali can completely integrate KuaiRun into Taobao APP. What you want is an O2O ecosystem. I will do the business. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to cooperate and win together?” Chen Yansen said bluntly.

Pooh!
Do you have any shame, kid?

Ali only holds 4% of Kuaipao's shares, so why should you give Taobao a first-level traffic entrance?
“I would like to agree, but the other shareholders will not agree,” Ma Liyun said politely.

"If Ali invests heavily in the food delivery and group-buying sectors to compete head-on with Kuaipao, has Mr. Ma considered how much money you would need to spend to capture 20% of the market share? Wouldn't the return be higher if that money were used to invest in Kuaipao?" Chen Yansen advised.

“A 4% stake is not enough to convince the other shareholders,” Ma Liyun said after thinking for a moment.

Ali is a powerful company, but Kesen Capital is not to be underestimated either. In the ride-hailing industry, they have been able to dominate Baidu.

Old Ma knew that if a full-scale war were to break out with Senlian Capital, the monthly cost would be no less than 300 million yuan, which would amount to nearly 2 billion yuan in six months.

Ahri isn't someone who can't afford to burn, but what's the value of her?
"I can promise that in each of Kuaipao's Series B and Series C funding rounds, Ali will receive at least 5% equity," Chen Yansen offered.

"If I don't agree, will Ali be unable to participate in Kuaipao's Series B financing?" Ma Liyun asked.

"Yes! And I will also raise 5 billion yuan to fight Ali to the end. Whether you are friends or enemies, Mr. Ma, you choose."

Chen Yansen replied with a serious expression.

five billion?
Ma Liyun was slightly taken aback, realizing for the first time the importance Chen Yansen placed on the O2O field, and then replied, "Give me two days."

“No problem,” Chen Yansen readily agreed.

He was just trying his luck, whether he had a chance or not.

What if we can fool Old Ma?
It's important to know that at this time, Ali was preparing for its IPO, and it was still unknown whether it would be able to make the decision to fight Senlian Capital to the death.

Three minutes later, Chen Yansen hung up the phone.

The domestic market is large, but the competition is also greater.

If Lao Ma doesn't understand, then give him a good beating!
Ma Liyun, who was far away in Hangzhou, leaned back in his chair and pondered for a while. Then he called Lu Zhaoxi, Zhang Yong and Tang Yongbo, and sent a video conference invitation to Cai Xin, who was in Hong Kong.

"That's the general situation. Chen Yansen seems to value local life services like food delivery and group buying. So, how should Ali choose?"

After explaining the cause and effect, Ma Liyun spread his hands and asked for everyone's opinions.

"From the perspectives of cost-effectiveness, ecosystem synergy, and competitive landscape, acquiring Meituan is currently the best strategy. It can quickly gain entry into the group-buying and food delivery markets. General Atlantic's $100 million is only enough for Meituan to survive for a few more months. Besides, Wang Xin is already considering selling the company, so it might be better to wait a little longer."

Cai Xin was the first to express his opinion. He comes from an investment banking background and his focus is mainly on ecosystem synergy. Acquiring Meituan would allow it to be incorporated into the group's local life services sector, which would avoid redundant investment and make up for the shortcomings in the ecosystem, achieving the strategic value of "1+1>2".

Of course, the better option would be to take over Kuaipao, but Chen Yansen would never agree to that.

“Meituan’s group-buying business is declining. Although its food delivery business has achieved some success, it has fewer than 10 orders per day. It is inferior to Kuaipao in terms of transportation capacity, delivery scheduling algorithms, and merchant resources. Although the price is low, the value is also low.”

Ma Liyun spoke very harshly, criticizing Meituan as worthless.

Who told Wang Xin to act so inhumanely, dragging Lao Ma along for fun?

Zhang Yong and Tang Yongbo exchanged glances, immediately understanding their boss's true intentions.

Tang Yongbo smiled bitterly. Taobao Takeaway had only been online for a few months, and it was already facing the same tragic situation as Koubei.com.

Lu Zhaoxi sat to the side without saying a word.

Kuaipao may be good, but it's not his own "son" after all. How much benefit is Chen Yansen willing to give up?
But even if they were to invest 5 billion to compete with Senlian Capital, Ali might not necessarily come out on top.

Moreover, if this huge investment fails, it will not only drag down Ali's cash flow, but may also affect the group's listing process.

Rather than a lose-lose situation, it might be better to change the approach and achieve long-term win-win results through capital cooperation, which could potentially unlock a larger market share.

"Mr. Ma, what percentage of equity is Chen Yansen willing to give?" Lu Zhaoxi asked softly.

“A minimum return of 5% is guaranteed for each round,” Ma Liyun replied.

"10% is more like it." Cai Xin pushed up his glasses in the video and said in a deep voice.

"It's not necessarily impossible to communicate. Chen Yansen probably doesn't want to compete head-on with Ali. 5% is just his bottom line, not his upper limit."

Zhang Yong interjected.

The group started a heated discussion, each offering their own perspective.

……

……

Meituan headquarters building in Yanjing.

Wang Xin stared at the data of the food delivery business, remaining silent for a long time. Since the negative public opinion broke out before the Lunar New Year, the popularity of Meituan Waimai has never subsided, and it has now become a synonym for 'dirty, messy and poor'.

Daily orders have plummeted to just over 50,000, which is hard to imagine as representing the entire business volume in North and Northeast China.

Most of the part-time delivery drivers under its umbrella have also gone to work for Qiandu Waimai and Kuaipao Waimai.

Judging from the results alone, Meituan's move into the food delivery market was truly a terrible blunder.

"Old Wang, scale back the food delivery business and save the resources for the group-buying business. Let's stabilize our core business first."

After a long while, Wang Xin raised his hand and said to Wang Huiwen.

To his surprise, just as he was about to give up on the food delivery business, Zhang Tao of Dianping assembled a team in Shanghai and officially launched the food delivery service.

New users get an instant discount of 15 yuan, while existing users can randomly receive a food delivery coupon of 5 to 8 yuan every day.

Following Meituan and Baidu, another company has emerged to enter the food delivery industry.

Pei Yi cursed under his breath and immediately took action, adjusting the subsidy policy for new and old customers while poaching people from Dianping's delivery team.

First, cripple Dianping's transportation system!
"Idiot!" Wang Xin muttered silently after learning the news.

In the food delivery industry in 2013, you couldn't succeed without money!
The more Zhang Tao struggled, the faster he died!

(End of this chapter)