Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 294: A Grand Plan Was Set Up
Chen Xuebing chuckled.

Stubborn enough.

This was the first time he had interviewed a real entrepreneur since his rebirth. There was no business plan, and he didn't value the so-called ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.

The consensus in the industry these days is: if you're in the internet business, don't show your data to investors unless you triple it.

He only wanted to understand the parts he didn't know much about.

He wanted to know Liu Qiangdong's current self-awareness and future plans to see if they differed from his expectations.

"Mr. Liu, I heard that you are a very honest person, so I wanted to have a chat with you. So let's skip the empty talk, I find it rather unappealing."

Chen Xuebing was about to get to the point when Liu Qiangdong couldn't sit still any longer and said urgently, "Mr. Chen, I'm not bragging! Last month, a VC intermediary contacted me on Cdbest's BBS, saying he wanted to invest in me, offering 200 million to help me get back the Anhui Conch Cement contract. He even introduced me to Mr. Xu from Today Capital. You can inquire about this!"

"Oh?"

Chen Xuebing crossed his arms with great interest; this was the part he wanted to hear.

At the same time, I felt a bit of wishful thinking.

Capital Today is already in contact with Liu Qiangdong.

This company has nothing to do with "Toutiao". Its founder, Xu Xin, previously participated in investments in Wahaha and NetEase. Last year, he went solo and raised more than 200 million US dollars from international sources. He is quite well-known.

It's true that Capital Today invested in JD.com, and they provided JD.com with the first major asset to propel it onto the mainstream, a whopping $1000 million.

It seems he arrived at just the right time; any later and it would have been too late to vote.

"I know Xu Xin. Have you spoken with President Xu?"

"We talked! We just talked a few days ago at the Shangri-La Hotel! She was very satisfied with our development model of '10% monthly sales growth without advertising,' but said she wanted to observe whether our growth was sustainable."

Liu Qiangdong sounded somewhat uneasy as he spoke.

Some investors observe for a while, and then they disappear from the market.

However, this Mr. Xu is quite nice. After only one meeting, he agreed to pay two million yuan to help him buy back Anhui Cai's contract.

Chen Xuebing knew that Xu Xin was serious, but he didn't intend to control JD.com, so he proceeded at a leisurely pace.

"Oh, Mr. Xu is in Beijing?" His eyes lit up. "Did he say how much he's planning to invest in you?"

"I told you my quote, but Mr. Xu hasn't made a decision yet," Liu Qiangdong said frankly.

"Oh, what price are you planning to quote? And how do you intend to spend it?"

"I'm going to buy back Anhui Conch's contract for $200 million, stockpile inventory, and expand our electronics product range!"

Liu Qiangdong answered decisively, then, his eyebrows twitching as he spoke as if telling a story:

“My customers have been asking me on the forum every day recently, saying, ‘Old Liu, why haven’t you started selling RAM yet? I need to upgrade my RAM now.’ Mr. Chen, you know that when people build computers now, they usually put in two RAM sticks first, and then add two more when they have more money. So I added RAM for my customers. But then someone else said, ‘I need to upgrade my hard drive. When are you going to sell hard drives?’ These days, people in Zhongguancun bring hard drives with them when they go out to eat and drink, and then they exchange movies and stuff on them. So I started selling hard drives. Once the product range expands, I need to stock up on a lot of inventory, and then I don’t have enough money.”

Chen Xuebing grinned as he listened.

Discussing movies?

Damn, you've got some nerve!

However, this 200 million still doesn't cover the parts that interest him.

"What would you do if I gave you $500 million?"

"Make home appliances! Mobile phones, digital products, large appliances, small appliances!" Liu Qiangdong was still very decisive, clearly having thought about it for a long time.

Chen Xuebing stroked his chin and continued to raise the stakes: "1000 million US dollars."

"Snapped!"

Liu Qiangdong slammed his hand on the edge of the sofa, excitedly saying, "Give me $1000 million, and I'll do everything! But you have to guarantee me control!"

These words startled the two employees listening nearby.

Ten million US dollars for that tiny, run-down shop and that tiny, run-down website—how dare they accept that offer?

An employee hurriedly left.

Chen Xuebing simply scratched his head.

Damn, how much did JD.com raise before it started doing logistics?
Faced with such a large investment opportunity, unless the founder has a firm logic from the beginning, or he can control the progress of things, he really doesn't want to remind the founder to do something that should have happened.

To put it simply, self-motivation and motivation provided by others are very different from subjective initiative.

Some people may need constant encouragement, or even the negativity of others, to strengthen their self-motivation in order to accomplish something.

Although Liu Qiangdong was admitted to Renmin University through the college entrance examination, he is by no means a naturally gifted entrepreneur. Most of him broke through the encirclement by relying on his pride. Such people need constant suppression from others.

"How about this, I'll give you five million dollars in installments, you give me 30% of the shares, and you agree to one more condition."

Chen Xuebing spoke casually.

Liu Qiangdong stood up instantly and clenched his fist.

"What conditions?"

"Around May or June next year, I plan to sell a mobile phone online. Your website will be one of my official sales websites, and the purchase information will be featured on the homepage for three months. You will receive a 5% sales commission. In addition, you will work with Taobao to help me negotiate a fully insured logistics deal with SF Express. All logistics will be handled by SF Express to ensure that the mobile phone can be safely delivered to my customers."

This condition is Chen Xuebing's main concern regarding online sales.

He had experienced the trouble of lost packages from customers when he sold mobile phones on Taobao. Nowadays, most express deliveries are sent to the local post office, which rarely notifies customers to pick them up. Logistics tracking is also lagging behind, and packages are often lost.

Of course, the seller is not responsible for this. They will take photos when shipping the goods. If theft occurs, they are only responsible for providing the tracking number and photos taken during shipping so that the seller can contact the post office to report the theft.

Fortunately, Taobao's reputation has grown, and some professional thieves are too lazy to steal items marked with Taobao information, since they would probably just steal counterfeit goods that can't be sold anyway. As a result, fewer and fewer customers have had their items stolen.

But selling your own phones is a different story. If you continue with the same attitude as when selling phones on Taobao, Kirin's reputation might be ruined in this strange place.

Currently, apart from enterprise-level logistics companies like Transfar Logistics, SF Express is considered a relatively reliable logistics provider. In 03, it chartered a cargo plane and is currently preparing to establish its own airline.

It’s just expensive.

The average price is 25 yuan, and there is no full insurance; at most, you can only get a few times the postage.

But no matter how high this price is, it's still much cheaper than the hundreds or thousands of dollars in commission that retailers make.

Having recently met Jack Ma and having an opportunity to invest in JD.com, he decided after much deliberation to add online shopping as a component. Even if the final result is not ideal, he would consider it a user-centric training exercise to break through the limitations of the mobile phone sales model.

Liu Qiangdong was short of money at the time, and faced with this unexpected offer of five million US dollars, especially from a big-name investor, he felt that the terms were acceptable.

5%, after all, there's still money to be made.

"Mr. Chen, you've also invested in a mobile phone business? Which company?" he asked.

“It’s mine, and it’ll be advertised on CCTV soon. You can see for yourself.” Chen Xuebing didn’t want to explain further. “If you agree, let’s draft the investment contract now and sign the agreement.”

Liu Qiangdong's expression became somewhat agitated: "Now? You... you're going to sign without even looking at our backstage?"

"I had already checked the forum before I called you here. I'm looking at user feedback, and more importantly, your thoughts. The data is meaningless," Chen Xuebing waved his hand.

Liu Qiangdong hissed as he inhaled sharply.

The experts have a different way of thinking.

"Okay, I'll sign!" he said readily.

As investment contracts were actually being drafted in the lobby, Liu Qiangdong started to feel a little uneasy.

"Mr. Chen, could I call Ms. Xu from Today Capital? She promised to give me 200 million! I should at least let her know."

Chen Xuebing had the same idea, but fighting now was definitely out of the question. "Wait a minute. Didn't you want to get back Anhui Cai's contract? I've drafted a contract for you to sign first. After you sign it, I'll immediately arrange for someone to transfer five million RMB to you, and then you can notify whoever you want."

Upon hearing that he would receive 500 million immediately, Liu Qiangdong relented.

".All right."

Less than an hour later, Liu Qiangdong called over two of his finance employees to help review the contract. The two employees were ecstatic when they heard that $500 million had been raised.

Lei Jun also came.

Without even avoiding Liu Qiangdong, he went straight to Chen Xuebing and said, "A small company that hasn't even completed its Series A funding round, and you're already investing $500 million? Are you crazy?!"

Chen Xuebing remained calm: "Didn't Alibaba raise $500 million in its Series A funding round? That was back in 99. I still think it's too little. Would you invest?"

"This company," Lei Jun glanced at Liu Qiangdong's dissatisfied expression, and finally lowered his voice, "can it compare to Alibaba?"

"If you don't want to submit, then forget it. Don't regret it later." Chen Xuebing ignored him and picked up a magazine to read.

The surrounding employees were all inwardly astonished.

The big boss behind the scenes is ruthless; he started with $500 million, which is more than all the previous bids combined.

Lei Jun cursed under his breath, "Damn, they're so rich and willful," but he still turned around and found Liu Qiangdong to inquire about his user situation.

After asking for a while, he fell silent.

This company seems to be growing quite well.

"Are you benchmarking against Newegg in the US?" Lei Jun asked.

Newegg is an e-commerce platform focused on consumer electronics and IT products, and currently has a strong influence in areas such as computer hardware and gaming equipment.

"No, we want to be Best Buy!" Liu Qiangdong said confidently.

Best Buy is a traditional American electronics retail giant. Its online business has grown rapidly in recent years, and it operates both online and offline, making it much larger than Newegg.

Snapped!
Chen Xuebing smiled and slapped the still-warm contract in front of Liu Qiangdong.

"Don't be anyone else, just be yourself."

Liu Qiangdong immediately smiled and picked up a pen.

"Mr. Chen understands me."

After signing the contract, Chen Xuebing arranged for the group to transfer the money, labeled as "Chen Xuebing's personal investment."

Liu Qiangdong felt relieved and, without celebrating with his employees, immediately went to the elevator to make a phone call.

When he returned, the smile was still frozen on his face, but a hint of bitterness seemed to have crept in.

"Mr. Chen and Ms. Xu said that they are coming to see me now."

Everyone looked sideways.

Chen Xuebing smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let her come."

Liu Qiangdong hesitated, "That contract... can we discuss it again? She said she wants to invest $1000 million in me, but she also wants 30%."

At this, most people's expressions froze.

Lei Jun slapped his thigh!
Then he started cursing.

Damn it, it's too late, really too late!

This website actually has other investors who want to promote it! They're even offering $1000 million!
That would be different!
The internet industry is all about burning money. The concept of Alibaba receiving $500 million seven years ago is completely different from receiving $500 million now!

Back then, in the early days of the internet, $500 million was more than enough. But now, there are so many e-commerce companies in China!
Taobao! Tencent Paipai! eBay! Dangdang! HC360! And Joyo, which he sold to Amazon!

He had just realized that this small website had the qualifications to specialize in electrical appliances, but he was worried that $500 million wouldn't be enough to make it a success.

In short, to succeed on the internet, you need to consider both brand and momentum.

He immediately observed Chen Xuebing's expression and noticed a slight smile.

Chen Xuebing tapped the table loudly and laughed at Liu Qiangdong, "Mr. Liu, the contract is signed and the money will be in your account soon. It's not appropriate for you to bring this up again. Besides, without my investment, do you think you could have gotten Ms. Xu's money this year? How many opportunities would you have missed if she had to observe you for a year?"

Liu Qiangdong was speechless.

Indeed, if Mr. Chen hadn't been so quick to pay, he wouldn't have hesitated to discuss it with Mr. Xu.

He would hesitate if he were presented with five million now and ten million a year from now.

He gritted his teeth: "Then I'll go tell Ms. Xu not to come!"

Having given up 30% of his shares, he could no longer accept a $1000 million investment, otherwise he would lose control.

"No need." Chen Xuebing tapped the table and chuckled, "Let her do it."

Liu Qiangdong was stunned for a moment.

Lei Jun suddenly spoke up: "Let her come! It will be good for you!"

After saying that, he started cursing at Dongzi again.

"I don't know where you got such good luck from!"

Liu Qiangdong seemed confused and bewildered.

Chen Xuebing looked at Lei Jun, who seemed to see through everything, and smiled knowingly.

From Dongzi's current perspective, these investors' understanding is still far superior to his.

Less than half an hour later, the sound of high heels sprinting into the hall could be heard.

With a round face, heavy makeup, and her hair in a bun, Xu Xin strode in carrying a white suit jacket, followed by two assistants.

When Liu Qiangdong saw Xu Xin rushing in, he was afraid she would cause trouble, so he quickly reached out to stop her. However, Xu Xin glanced around the hall, walked past Liu Qiangdong, and headed towards Chen Xuebing.

Halfway there, she reached out her hand and gave a slightly reproachful smile.

"Mr. Chen, you actually managed to steal it from us, and we're even from the same hometown. That's not fair of you."

Chen Xuebing stood up with a dry laugh and shook hands with her: "Hello, Sister Xu. When fellow countrymen meet, it's time to stab each other in the back."

Xu Xin is from Chongqing, and she and Wu Yajun of Longfor Properties are two well-known female tycoons in Chongqing.

She is also one of the most well-known investors in Chongqing.

Of course, that's not the case now.

Chen Xuebing not only had an advantage over her, but also had several other people in between them.

"Seeing is believing. I am ashamed to admit that I cannot match Mr. Chen's decisiveness." Xu Xin shook his head and sighed softly.

Chen Xuebing didn't stand on ceremony any longer and raised his hand, saying, "Since you're here, let's talk."

As soon as Xu Xin sat down, he immediately said, "The terms must be renegotiated! I'm willing to accept a small loss, but if I suffer too much, I won't be able to explain it to the investors."

At this moment, Lei Jun suddenly chuckled and placed his hand on the desk between the two of them.

"With one more of me, things will be easier to explain."

(Bonus chapter at 12 o'clock)
(End of this chapter)