My son is a reincarnated soul; I overheard his inner thoughts and became the richest man.

Gu Qingcheng looked away and ruffled her cousin's hair: "That's the person who pays my salary, don't you think?"

"Oh? He's the boss you've been talking about?"

Xu Jiahui's eyes widened in disbelief. "The big boss of Fengtian Technology and Legend Network? He's actually Chu Yuan's cousin?!"

This is too magical.

She had always thought Chu Yuan was just an ordinary girl from a well-behaved family, never expecting that such a powerful figure was standing behind her.

......

The following morning, Chen Feng flew to Beijing with Chen Xiaotian and Chu Yuan.

"Look, this is our base."

Standing at the entrance of the alley, Chen Feng pointed to the courtyard house with its blue bricks and gray tiles and said.

Although no one has lived there permanently and the courtyard is somewhat desolate, this location is indeed right under the walls of the imperial city.

With his hands behind his back, Chen Xiaotian strolled around like a little adult: "Dad, this yard is such a waste. We need to get it renovated and have underfloor heating installed. We can come and stay here during summer and winter vacations; it'll be much better than a five-star hotel."

"No problem, I'll have someone arrange it later," Chen Feng replied with a smile.

Chu Yuan looked towards the alley entrance and exclaimed, "This is so close! It feels like I could stroll right into the palace and see the Emperor."

Over the next two days, the three of them transformed into tourists, visiting all the iconic attractions such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Summer Palace.

However, the crowds during the National Day holiday were terrifying; sightseeing turned into looking at heads, leaving the group exhausted.

October 4th.

Chen Feng originally planned to take the two of them to stroll through the hutongs, but Chen Xiaotian suddenly suggested, "Dad, how about we go to Zhongguancun? We're already here, it would be a shame not to see China's Silicon Valley."

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat.

Since it was Xiaotian who suggested it, it certainly wouldn't be as simple as just going for a stroll.

"Sure, let's go and broaden our horizons." Chen Feng readily agreed.

The group arrived at Zhongguancun.

At that time, Zhongguancun was a place where many heroes emerged from humble beginnings. Everywhere there were crowds of people and noisy hawking, and the air was filled with the unique smell of electronic components.

A group of people were wandering aimlessly through the streets.

Suddenly, Chen Feng heard his son's familiar voice echoing in his mind.

[Yinfeng Building...tsk tsk, it's 2001 now, isn't that Qiangzi who sells CDs probably running his stall in this building?]

Although he's currently just a small business owner selling CD burners, who could have imagined that in a little over a decade, he would become an e-commerce giant rivaling Jack Ma?

This guy is a ruthless character. In an era where profit margins are incredibly thin, making only ten yuan profit per CD burner, he managed to build an annual revenue of sixty million yuan. While his competitors were all selling counterfeit goods, he insisted on selling genuine products. With that kind of vision, he deserved to be rich.

It's a pity that the SARS outbreak in 03 almost drove him to his death. But it was also that crisis that forced him to close his physical stores and move online, which led to the later JD.com.

[What's even more impressive is that he defied public opinion and built his own logistics network. Everyone laughed at him for being foolish, but this very logistics system later became JD.com's moat against Alibaba. It forced Alibaba to create Tmall and collaborate with major express delivery companies like STO Express, YTO Express, ZTO Express, and Yunda Express to form Cainiao Network as a countermeasure.]

Since we're already here, we need to find a way to get Dad inside for a look around, preferably through a "chance encounter." If we can invest in this promising stock now, we'll be rolling in money later.

Thinking of this, Chen Xiaotian wiped the sweat from his forehead and pointed to a building next door, saying:

"Dad, Auntie, it's too hot outside. Let's go into that building and enjoy the air conditioning, and maybe see what new electronics they have?"

Chen Feng looked up at the building's sign, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

"Okay, I'll do as you say. Let's go in and rest for a bit."

Entering the bustling electronics market, Chen Feng followed behind Chen Xiaotian, letting the kid lead the way.

Chen Xiaotian's eyes darted between the counters like a radar, clearly searching for a target.

Just then, a series of urgent arguments suddenly came from the side and front.

"Brother Dong! This is outrageous! Our pre-ordered goods were stolen by the neighbor right after we unloaded them!"

"When I went up to argue with them, they even tried to hit me!"

Upon hearing this noise, Chen Feng instinctively turned his head to the side.

A young waiter, covered in sweat, was complaining bitterly to his boss.

The boss looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was quite handsome.

Chen Feng was a little puzzled.

In broad daylight, someone dares to rob someone openly? Is the security in Zhongguancun really that bad?

Just as I was wondering, the boss, who was called "Brother Dong," frowned and asked, "Are you alright?"

"He's alright, but I just can't swallow this anger!" the young waiter said bitterly, wiping away his sweat.

"As long as everyone is alright."

The boss sighed, patted his employee on the shoulder, and said, "It's probably because our batch of goods is too popular, and the distributors aren't picky. They'll give it to whoever pays in cash. These people only care about money, not orders. That's the rule in Zhongguancun."

As he spoke, he shook his head helplessly, his tone revealing a deep weariness: "Why is it so difficult to run a legitimate business honestly? The market is too chaotic now, full of unauthorized sales and interception; it's practically a makeshift operation."

The young waiter also looked frustrated, but there was nothing he could do.

After listening to this conversation, Chen Feng finally understood.

So this is what the so-called "interception of goods" is all about.

Distributors have no sense of contractual obligation and may even engage in multiple sales of the same product, with first come, first served.

This business environment is indeed quite harsh.

If the supply chain and distribution issues are not addressed at their root, any attempt to grow large is simply wishful thinking.

Chen Feng shook his head inwardly, preparing to look away.

Suddenly, my son's excited voice echoed in my mind—

Hey! Found him! Isn't that Daqiangzi?!

[Tsk tsk, that square face, that hairline—it looks a bit rustic and youthful, but that stubborn streak hasn't changed at all.]

[Judging by the time, he shouldn't be thirty yet, right? He's currently going through the toughest period of his career in Zhongguancun.]

Hearing that familiar voice, Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat.

His gaze returned to "Brother Dong," and he discreetly sized him up.

Just then, Liu Qiangdong seemed to notice Chen Feng's gaze.

He quickly composed himself and came out from behind the counter.

For those in retail, being observant and aware of everything around them is a fundamental skill.

Chen Feng and his entourage were dressed in fine clothes and had outstanding demeanor, especially Chen Feng, who looked like a wealthy and influential customer.

"Boss, what would you like to see?"

Liu Qiangdong greeted him with a warm smile, "Would you like to come in and take a look? We mainly sell optical and magnetic products, all genuine. We'll compensate you tenfold if you find anything fake."

Chen Feng nodded: "Okay, let's go in and take a look."

Chu Yuan and Chen Xiaotian followed Chen Feng into the small store called "Jingdong Multimedia".

Upon entering the store, Liu Qiangdong enthusiastically introduced his company's CD burners and discs, effortlessly using professional terminology.

After listening for a while, Chen Feng casually interjected, "Boss, I see you're just selling CD burners. With electronics prices plummeting like this, will you even be able to make any money?"

Liu Qiangdong was slightly taken aback, clearly not expecting the guest to ask such a direct question.

He gave a wry smile and said frankly, "The boss is an expert. Indeed, business now is vastly different from what it was two years ago."

"Back in 1998, I could make several hundred dollars from a single CD burner. Now? Haha, everyone's engaged in price wars and fighting tooth and nail with counterfeiters. I'd be lucky to make ten dollars a burner."

"Zhongguancun looks bustling now, but everyone is actually starving and earning their money through hard work."

Chen Feng nodded: "Market transparency is an inevitable trend. With thinner profit margins, we have to rely on volume and economies of scale."

"That's right!"

A glint of light flashed in Liu Qiangdong's eyes, as if he had met a kindred spirit. "That's what I'm thinking too. Just sticking to this little piece of land definitely won't work. I'm thinking of learning from Gome and Suning's model and building a chain."

"Once you open stores all over the country and achieve scale, you'll have leverage to negotiate with upstream manufacturers, and costs will naturally come down."

He paused, giving Chen Feng a deep look, and said, "Judging from your manner of speaking, you must be in big business, right? You seem to have a very clear understanding of this industry."

Ordinary individual travelers only care about whether it's cheap or not; they don't care about industry trends and business models.

The person in front of me is definitely not an ordinary person.

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng laughed heartily.

"It's not a big business, just enough to make a living."

As he spoke, he took out a gold-embossed business card from his pocket and handed it over.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Chen Feng from Fengtian Holdings Group."

"Fengtian Holdings Group?"

Liu Qiangdong held the business card, his expression clearly showing a moment of surprise.

The name of this group was somewhat unfamiliar to him, after all, it had only been established for a short time and had not yet made a name for itself in the business world.

But a glance at the title column reveals that the words "Chairman and CEO" carry considerable weight.

He subconsciously became more serious and accepted the business card with both hands.

Seeing Liu Qiangdong's bewildered yet inquisitive expression, Chen Feng was about to explain.

Suddenly, as if he had grasped some crucial information, Liu Qiangdong abruptly looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "Fengtian Holdings... could it be the same company as Fengtian Technology?"

He runs a computer peripherals business and is very sensitive to trends in electronic products.

The F1 and T1 media players from Fengtian Technology are now considered trendsetters among young people in Beijing.

The purchasing power in Beijing is no less than that in Shanghai, and these two products are in high demand in major shopping malls.

Liu Qiangdong had previously considered bringing in a batch of goods to sell at the counter.

Upon inquiring, he discovered that they only operated through a direct sales model and did not grant any agency rights, which left him quite disappointed.

Seeing that the other party had realized what was happening, Chen Feng smiled calmly and nodded slightly: "That's right, Fengtian Technology is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the group."

"besides..."

Chen Feng paused, glanced at Liu Qiangdong, and casually dropped the second bombshell: "Legend Networks is also a wholly-owned subsidiary of the group."

Chen Feng did not mention the Fengchi electric vehicle.

Motorcycles have long been banned in Beijing, and there's no resonance here; they're not as well-known as these two prestigious brands.

But that's enough.