Chen Yansen tossed Cloud Speed Express directly to Liao Wei to run.

With ample funding and no pressure to turn a profit, if Liao Wei still couldn’t get Cloud Speed off the ground, Chen Yansen would kick him out without a second thought.

Before leaving the office.

Chen Yansen opened the data dashboard to check Pinbei’s sales figures.

There were nearly 3 million orders for the day, generating 230 million in sales. However, the growth trend was already showing signs of slowing.

After all, Pinbei had few merchants at the moment, giving users limited choices. They needed to speed up the onboarding of both branded and white-label merchants to scale up.

Next, he logged into the merchant CRM database to check the new brands that had recently joined: GXG, Koukoufu, Lins Wood, Supor, Vatti, OPPO, KANS, etc.

The newly onboarded brands were concentrated in niche categories like apparel, nuts, and small home appliances.

Seeing Lins Wood, OPPO, and Vatti on the list surprised Chen Yansen a little. When he checked who had brought them in, he saw it was, as expected, Song Yuncheng.

These were all merchant contacts she had accumulated at FoxTao. Bringing them over to Pinbei was a testament to her ability, but it was also because Pinbei’s sales performance had impressed the brands.

Chen Yansen thought for a moment, then called Song Yuncheng and asked her to contact Li Wanqiang of Xiaomi and invite them to join Pinbei.

"I’ve spoken with Li Wanqiang before. He said Xiaomi has a direct-to-consumer online sales model and doesn’t join third-party platforms."

Song Yuncheng explained.

In reality, at that time, besides selling on the Xiaomi Mall, Xiaomi had no other third-party sales channels. They weren’t even on Taobao or Jingdong.

"Oh, is that right? Forget it, then," Chen Yansen replied.

In his view, Xiaomi wasn’t indispensable.

From the perspective of the platform’s positioning, the low-to-mid-range models from OPPO, Meizu, Coolpad, and ZTE were a better fit for Pinbei’s vibe.

"Have you had dinner yet? I’d like to treat you to dinner," Song Yuncheng asked quickly, sensing that Chen Yansen was about to hang up.

"Win the lottery?" Chen Yansen was taken aback for a second, then chuckled and asked back.

Song Yuncheng had indeed treated him to meals before, but only because he had forced her to. This was the first time she had offered on her own.

"No, I just wanted to thank you." Song Yuncheng stood on the balcony, phone in hand, and looked toward the fifth-floor office across the way.

After becoming Pinbei’s Director of Key Accounts and interacting with subordinates from Taobao, Jingdong, and Yihaodian, she finally realized that everything Chen Yansen had taught her was invaluable, practical knowledge about the industry and the workplace.

She had initially thought she wouldn’t be able to handle the director position, but she discovered that the negotiation skills and problem-solving abilities of these elites from major e-commerce companies couldn’t even hold a candle to her own from six months ago.

Only then did Song Yuncheng realize that the methodologies Chen Yansen seemed to mention offhandedly were, in fact, incredibly precious.

"Didn’t you already thank me last night in 0418?" Chen Yansen walked to the window, gave Song Yuncheng a wave, and teased her with a wicked smile.

"Chen Yansen, you have the nerve to bring that up? You’re a man who doesn’t keep his word!" Song Yuncheng’s cheeks flushed as she retorted angrily.

"I’ll meet you on the first floor."

Chen Yansen hung up with a smile and walked out of his office.

As he passed the finance department, he saw Meng Jie still at her desk, focused on organizing data. He didn’t go over to disturb her and went straight to the elevators.

When he reached the first floor, Chen Yansen got into the driver’s seat of his Aston Martin Rapide. Just as he was about to urge Song Yuncheng to come down, he saw her walking over furtively.

CLICK—!

Song Yuncheng pulled open the car door and quickly got in.

"You look as guilty as a thief. Be honest, did you steal something from the company?"

Chen Yansen watched her, teasing her playfully.

"No way! I’m just treating my boss to dinner, that’s all. I have nothing to feel guilty about," Song Yuncheng said stubbornly, lifting her chin.

A few minutes passed, and Chen Yansen still hadn’t started the car. Song Yuncheng grew anxious. "Let’s go! It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us."

BONK!

Chen Yansen raised his hand and gave her a light tap on the head. "You’re treating, but you didn’t even say where we’re going. You think I can read minds?"

"Oh!? I didn’t tell you?" Song Yuncheng gave an embarrassed smile.

"Don’t call me your master in the future. I don’t have an apprentice as dense as you," Chen Yansen said, shaking his head.

"Downtown, Fengbao Inn," Song Yuncheng said with a silly grin, giving him the destination.

Chen Yansen started the car and headed toward the city center.

"Attracting merchants to Pinbei is more than ten times harder than it was for FoxTao. Brands like Estée Lauder, Armani, and Clarins won’t even give us the time of day once they hear the name Pinbei."

Song Yuncheng found herself talking about work, her tone a little discouraged.

"Compared to offline counters and supermarkets, e-commerce has a huge gap in volume and profit margins. It’s normal for these big international brands to look down on it. They haven’t even joined Taobao. When online sales surpass offline, they’ll be begging to get on board."

Chen Yansen scoffed lightly and explained slowly.

Even a powerhouse like Ah Li only started partnering with brands like Estée Lauder and Clarins after 2014.

"I get it," Song Yuncheng nodded.

Based on her experience with the FoxTao project, she knew very well that a platform couldn’t just sell 5.9 yuan navel oranges. It needed high-ticket beauty and apparel brands to increase user value.

Outside the car window, the night was as dark as ink, with a few neon lights twinkling in the distance.

Song Yuncheng leaned back in her seat, fell silent, and quietly watched the streetscape flashing by outside the window.

A dozen or so minutes later, Song Yuncheng sensed something was wrong. Confirming they were going in the wrong direction, she turned her head and asked, "We don’t need to take this road to get to Fengbao Inn."

"I switched to a more expensive place," Chen Yansen said with a mischievous grin, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"..." Song Yuncheng opened her mouth, but in the end, just managed to squeeze out a smile.

After another ten minutes, the car pulled up to a magnificent, opulent restaurant.

It was designed in the style of an old Huizhou-style courtyard home, with green bricks, dark tiles, and a small bridge over turquoise water. The cars parked at the entrance were all Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis. A single glance told you the per-person cost was not low.

"Zhao Maolin from the telecom company brought me here once. The atmosphere is just so-so, but the food is pretty good."

Chen Yansen said to Song Yuncheng as he got out of the car.

’So-so?’

Song Yuncheng sized up the palace-like restaurant before her and rolled her eyes.

"Mr. Chen, we have your private room ready. Please follow me."

The two had just entered the main hall when a beautiful woman in a phoenix-tail skirt greeted them with a smile.

Chen Yansen gave a slight nod without speaking.

Song Yuncheng looked around and noticed that all the staff in the courtyard were wearing historical costumes, like it was a large-scale cosplay event. Many of the guests had also changed into long gowns and skirts.

"Want to try it out?" Chen Yansen wasn’t interested himself, but seeing Song Yuncheng staring at another guest’s long skirt, he asked with a smile.

"Never mind." Song Yuncheng shook her head.

"Take her to pick one out," Chen Yansen instructed the woman leading the way.

"Of course. I’ll take you both to your private room first," the woman replied with a smile.

Seeing this, Song Yuncheng didn’t refuse again.

They walked into an antique-style private room. The furniture was all made of mahogany, and the chairs had soft cushions on them.

After sitting down, they could see several performers in long dresses dancing gracefully on a stage not far away through a gap in the glazed window.

’To be able to run a restaurant business to this level in a third- or fourth-tier city in 2011, the owner must be a real master of their craft.’

Song Yuncheng followed a restaurant employee toward the changing rooms.

Chen Yansen picked up the teapot and poured some hot tea into a cup.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ—!

The phone in his pocket suddenly started vibrating.

"Chen Yansen, are you off work? I sent you a message, but you didn’t reply," Meng Jie asked plaintively, standing on the first floor of the Science and Technology Park.

"Yeah! I have a social engagement with the telecom guys, so I didn’t see my phone just now," Chen Yansen said, making up an excuse on the spot.

He thought, ’This Mingli restaurant that Zhao Maolin recommended is actually pretty good. I should bring Meng Jie here to try it tomorrow.’

"Oh, in that case, I’ll head back to the university after work. Bye-bye," Meng Jie said obediently and hung up as soon as she heard Chen Yansen was at a business dinner.

Chen Yansen chuckled. Just as he was about to put his phone down, a call came in from Gao Weilin. "Boss, I just spoke with the person in charge at Jingdongfang. They have no intention of selling their shares. It looks like the path of a block trade or a negotiated transfer is a no-go. We’ll have to buy them slowly from the stock market."

Three days ago, Chen Yansen had sent Gao Weilin to Luzhou to acquire a 5-10% stake in Jingdongfang while its stock price was low, hoping to secure a foothold in the company that would become the nation’s number one screen supplier.

"Arrange for people to buy from retail investors on the secondary market. 5% will be enough."

Chen Yansen’s tone was calm. Investing in Jingdongfang was just to strengthen his supply chain; he didn’t care what form it took.

Apparently, the Yanjing and Luzhou capital backing Jingdongfang was very bullish on the company, refusing to part with even a meager 5% stake.

"Understood, Boss. There’s one more thing to report. There’s a food delivery project in Luzhou University City called Kuai Pao. The founder wants to meet you to seek funding."

Gao Weilin said.

Kuai Pao?

Chen Yansen had never even heard of it.

Around the same time as Eleme, there were quite a few food delivery platforms on the market, but most of them didn’t survive their initial development phase, going bankrupt before they could even figure out a profitable business model.

This Kuai Pao was probably one of them.

’However, knowing Gao Weilin’s personality, the project probably has some potential; otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought it up.’

"Then let’s meet with them," Chen Yansen said nonchalantly.

Gao Weilin understood. ’Although we were tricked by Eleme last time, the boss’s intention to invest in the food delivery sector has been exposed.’ Gao Weilin hadn’t intended to pay it any mind, but as soon as he heard it was in the food delivery sector, he felt compelled to investigate.

"Alright, I’ll arrange it," Gao Weilin replied.

After they finished talking about work, they hung up.

Just then, Song Yuncheng returned, looking radiant and lovely as she walked slowly toward him. She was wearing a peony-embroidered *hezi* dress, and the ornaments in her hair swayed lightly, making the crisp sound of silver bells.

"Do you like it?" Song Yuncheng asked with a beaming smile, feeling secretly pleased when she saw Chen Yansen staring at her.

"Can we buy this outfit?" Chen Yansen asked in return, not answering her question.

Her words warmed his heart.

’Most girls would ask, "Do I look good?" but she asked, "Do you like it?" She’s putting herself in such a humble position, focused only on making me happy.’

"I forgot to ask, hehe," Song Yuncheng replied.

She had an oval face, and with her elegant and striking makeup, for the first time, Chen Yansen felt truly stunned by her beauty.

The two stayed at Mingli until 8:30 before driving to the Sky Garden.

When they left, Song Yuncheng was still wearing the *hezi* dress.

As soon as she entered the hotel room, she was about to change back into her own clothes when she heard Chen Yansen say, "Don’t change! This is exactly the feeling I’m looking for."

「The next morning.」

Chen Yansen first dropped Song Yuncheng off at her dorm, then turned back to the faculty apartments to change into a fresh set of clothes before driving to the Science and Technology Park.

At that moment, in the reception room of Building 8, Kang Guodong was waiting, his heart filled with apprehension.