The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

Summer 2013, Hangzhou Binjiang Industrial Park.

Training session for new employees of "BaiA".

The air was thick with an intense, almost scorching heat.

On the projection screen, the four large red characters "Embrace Change" were glaringly bright, with Ma's iconic smiling face in the background.

The line below in smaller print reads: Today's best performance is tomorrow's minimum requirement.

Hundreds of recent graduates and new hires were crammed into the conference room, clutching their "Job Application Forms".

Most of them were wearing orange T-shirts with the "Centennial Alibaba" logo printed on them.

The temporary work badge on his chest reflected the light.

"Tmall has three more product management positions available this year, and Juhuasuan has two. Start filling out the forms now."

The moment the HR person finished speaking, the crowd stirred.

"I want to apply to Tmall! The core department for Double Eleven!"

"Juhuasuan is also an option; I heard they gave out six months' worth of year-end bonuses!"

Everyone is scrambling for the core slots.

In 2013, joining Tmall was like entering a safe haven, signifying an impressive resume and substantial stock options.

Lin Che sat in the corner, twirling a ballpoint pen in his hand.

Looking at those faces covered in sweat from not being able to secure a spot, he remained calm, as if watching a farce.

Tmall does make money, but that's a mature business. Every penny is monitored by dozens of finance staff, and every budget has its ROI calculated.

In that kind of environment, turning public funds into one's own was harder than climbing to heaven.

He was going to a "pioneering land" that was still burning through money, was poorly managed, and desperately needed data.

"Um... the 'Laiwang' project team still has 10 openings, is anyone interested?"

The HR person's voice became much softer, lacking confidence.

The entire room fell silent.

Some people whispered, "Who would go into that pit? I heard the daily active users are abysmal."

"Going there would definitely result in low performance ratings and exile."

In the dead silence, Lin Che raised his hand.

"I'm applying to join 'Laiwang'."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was clear enough.

The chubby classmate next to him, wearing black-rimmed glasses, had his mouth slightly open, his unfinished college application form hanging in mid-air.

Staring at Lin Che as if he were a madman jumping into a well to commit suicide.

"Brother, are you crazy? That's a fire pit!" the fat man whispered.

Lin Che smiled but didn't explain.

I handed the completed application form to the shocked HR person.

madman?

maybe.

What you're fighting over is a bowl of clear broth with only bones.

I'm going to monopolize a pot of meat that no one dares to touch.

Laiwang Business Unit Office Area.

The atmosphere was completely different.

There was no vibrant busyness like on Tmall, only an anxiety permeating the air.

A huge red banner with white lettering hung on the wall: "Go to Antarctica and burn the penguins!"

The handwriting was grotesque, as if to bolster his courage.

In the conference room, project manager Lao Wang was holding a pre-battle mobilization meeting.

Old Wang is a typical manager with a technical background. He has thinning hair, puffy eyes, and is holding a double-walled glass thermos filled with goji berries and dried sea buckthorn.

"Look at this curve! Look at it!"

His finger trembled as he pointed to the almost flat daily active user curve on the whiteboard.

"CEO Ma lost his temper again yesterday! If our daily active users don't reach one million next month, the entire department's year-end bonuses will be canceled!"

The meeting room was deathly silent.

Dozens of P6 and P7 engineers kept their heads down, none of them daring to speak.

"We need traffic! We need to acquire new users! Who can take on this 'external traffic acquisition' task? Budget is not an issue, we just need people!"

Old Wang slammed his thermos down heavily on the table.

A few drops of water splashed from the glass and landed on the conference table, which couldn't be wiped clean.

Still, no one spoke.

Nobody's stupid.

Where do apps without a brand or unique selling points attract users?

It was a mission that was practically certain to result in certain death; whoever took it would be held responsible.

Lin Che looked at the water-splashed thermos and knew his chance had come.

Old Wang's anxiety had reached its peak.

They would grab even a straw without hesitation, regardless of where it came from.

"Mr. Wang, I'll take this."

Lin Che stood up.

All eyes turned to him.

There was sympathy, there was incomprehension, but more than anything, there was relief that "finally, someone foolishly took the fall."

Old Wang suddenly looked up, his eyes darting around like he was grasping at a straw.

"Do you have a solution?"

"I have connections." Lin Che's breathing rate didn't change as he lied. "The gray traffic pool I accumulated outside may not have a high conversion rate, but the volume is definitely huge."

"As long as there's volume, that's fine!"

Old Wang didn't even ask about the specific channels; he made the decision directly.

"I'll give you a budget of 500 million for the first time! More if that's not enough! Just pull that damn curve up!"

Lin Che nodded and sat down.

His colleagues secretly mocked him for being a sucker who would take over someone else's business.

But no one knew that Old Wang's words were tantamount to directly stuffing 500 million yuan into Lin Che's pocket.

The setting sun shone through the blinds into the stairwell, casting long shadows.

The air in the fire escape was filled with the smell of stale smoke and dust, and several crushed cigarette butts were scattered on the ground.

Lin Che leaned against the wall and opened the mobile OA app on his phone.

The blue icon shimmered in the dim light.

Open the approval process and initiate a new procurement application.

Supplier: Weiguang Interactive Network Technology Co., Ltd.

Procurement Item: Laiwang APP Omnichannel Promotion Service Fee

Amount: 4,800,000.00 CNY

My finger hovers over the blue "Submit" button.

500 million is the watershed for financial approval.

For amounts exceeding 500 million, the CFO's signature is required; for amounts below 500 million, only the department head, Lao Wang, needs to approve.

480 million, precisely within the safety limit.

This is an instinct ingrained in my bones from being a compliance officer for ten years in my previous life—never touching the red lines of the system, but dancing along the red lines.

Without any hesitation, I pressed submit.

A green checkmark appears on the screen: Approval has been submitted and is awaiting Mr. Wang's approval.

Less than a minute later, my phone vibrated.

Approval has been granted.

Old Wang didn't even glance at the contract details before approving it instantly.

They were in such a rush that they neglected even the most basic risk control measures.

Lin Che looked at the line of text, but there was no smile on his lips.

I opened WeChat, found the profile picture with all garbled characters, and sent a message to Fatty Wang:

"Open the sluice gates and release the water."