Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

For Liang Changlin of Dingdong Community, December 21st truly was the end of the world. In the four months he’d gone head-to-head with Kuai Pao Delivery, he had expanded his business operations to cover all of Hu City.

But the outcome wasn’t what he’d hoped for—he hadn’t managed to shape Dingdong Community into a polished, niche O2O app.

Once Meituan, Dianping, and Lashou Network entered the local life services market one after another, Dingdong Community’s room to survive vanished in an instant.

Now, more than a hundred days of hard work had come to nothing. Ninety-nine percent of his service stations had been shut down, leaving only the one in Jin Qiao. The one hundred million Hua Yuan from his investors was almost gone.

According to Liang Changlin’s plan, he was supposed to first prove his business model in Hu City and then head straight for Yanjing. He’d heard that a single residential complex there, Tiantongyuan, was home to hundreds of thousands of people—the market potential was staggering.

But he hadn’t even made it past the borders of Hu City!

Yanjing my ass!

After inspecting the Jin Qiao service station, Liang Changlin didn’t rush to get into his car. Instead, he stared anxiously across the street.

There were over twenty well-established residential communities nearby, home to thirty or forty thousand people. In theory, the services offered by Dingdong Community should have been a perfect match for their essential daily needs, making it an incredibly valuable business proposition.

But reality delivered a harsh slap in the face!

Even with identical pricing and service quality, users still opted for platforms like Kuai Pao, Meituan, and Dianping.

”Boss, it’s windy out here,” his assistant murmured, hunching his shoulders against the cold.

”Go to Xucheng,” Liang Changlin said to his assistant after staring blankly for a moment.

”Xucheng?” The assistant paused, taken aback, trying to parse his boss’s true meaning.

”I’m going to seek some guidance from my young fellow townsman,” Liang Changlin sighed. He had to admit it to himself: ’Even though I’m older, when it comes to business achievements, I’m like a child compared to Chen Yansen.’

The assistant’s eyes lit up with understanding, and he immediately jogged over to open the car door for his boss.

Liang Changlin was a military veteran, and his style had always been decisive and direct. As soon as he got in the car, he called the chairman of the Huian Chamber of Commerce and got Chen Yansen’s personal contact information.

After all, Chen Yansen was, at least in name, still a director of the Huian Chamber of Commerce.

Liang Changlin jotted down the number and dialed it without hesitation. A steady BEEP... BEEP... BEEP... sounded from the receiver.

「Meanwhile.」

Chen Yansen sat in his office and glanced at the sky outside. There was still an hour and a half left in the workday.

Meng Jie had asked him to see *The Last Tycoon*. Song Yuncheng had invited him to see *Lost in Thailand*. And Ye Qiuping had secretly slipped him two tickets for *CZ12*.

President Chen couldn’t be bothered to choose, so he rejected them all!

’What’s so great about movies, anyway?’

President Chen had always preferred live-action blockbusters. He’d recently bought over a dozen cosplay outfits, and with figures like Song Yuncheng’s and Ye Qiuping’s, they could pull them off perfectly.

As for Meng Jie, she was so petite... the less said, the better.

BZZZT BZZZT BZZZT—!

Just then, the phone on his desk began to vibrate.

With a mere thought from Chen Yansen, the phone flew into his palm.

’An unknown number?’

’A Hu City area code?’

Chen Yansen didn’t think much of it and tapped the answer button.

”President Chen, my apologies for the unsolicited call. My name is Liang Changlin from 100m Technology. I’d like to schedule a time to visit you in person.”

Liang Changlin’s tone was extremely respectful the moment the call connected.

”Dingdong Community?” Chen Yansen countered, his tone less a question and more a statement of fact.

Hearing this, Liang Changlin’s heart sank. He instantly understood: Chen Yansen had known about him all along.

’So Kuai Pao’s move into local life services wasn’t a coincidence, then.’

”I’m surprised that with a business as vast as yours, President Chen, you would even notice a tiny player like Dingdong Community,” Liang Changlin said with a bitter smile. A wave of bitterness washed over him, and he felt that his defeat had been well-deserved.

”President Liang, don’t get me wrong. The truth is, whether Dingdong Community existed or not, Kuai Pao was always going to incorporate life service categories like housekeeping, nannies, tutors, and appliance repair into its business.

Chen Yansen explained with a light chuckle, leaning back into his plush executive chair.

’Dingdong Community? What league do they think they’re in?’

’Are they even worthy of my deliberate attention?’

”President Chen, to be perfectly honest, Dingdong Community is finished. I’d like to ask for your guidance on business matters in person.”

Liang Changlin’s posture was incredibly deferential.

Despite being twenty years Chen Yansen’s senior, he didn’t dare put on the airs of an elder.

”Tomorrow at 10 AM. Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park.”

Chen Yansen didn’t refuse, readily agreeing to the request.

”Thank you, President Chen. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

After Chen Yansen grunted in affirmation, Liang Changlin slowly lowered his phone.

”Turn around. Go to Babaiban. I need to prepare a small gift for President Chen.”

Liang Changlin said to the driver.

It never hurts to be too polite. Although he and Chen Yansen were from the same hometown and were both board members of the Huian Chamber of Commerce, he knew full well that Chen Yansen had never attended a single Chamber event. He was lucky the man had even agreed to a meeting; he couldn’t dare to ask for more.

「At the same time.」

After hanging up, Chen Yansen let out a faint smile and shook his head. Liang Changlin seeking him out was a bit unexpected.

’Learn business from me?’

Chen Yansen found it rather amusing. He and Liang Changlin were ’old friends,’ in a manner of speaking. In his past life, they were both entrepreneurs from Huian trying to make it in Hu City and had even had some private dealings.

The one thing that hadn’t changed was that Liang had never been as successful as he was.

Feiyu Technology’s market cap was over 8 billion, while Liang Changlin’s Dingdong Maicai was worth a mere 3 billion and change.

The business model was good, but there were too many competitors.

Rival services like Meituan Now, Jingdong Home, Eleme, and Douyin Express were all backed by internet giants, leaving Dingdong Maicai’s market share to be slowly eaten away.

The reason Chen Yansen agreed to meet Liang Changlin wasn’t to give him some brilliant insight that would let him establish Dingdong Maicai two years ahead of schedule; he just wanted to invite him to join Kuai Pao.

Currently, Kuai Pao and Cloud Speed Express had already partnered up to deploy over 3,400 forward distribution centers across the country. All they had to do was add fresh produce to their existing digital and home goods categories, and they could completely cut off any path forward for Liang Changlin.

Chen Yansen wanted to turn these ”forward distribution centers” into ”forward supermarkets,” covering every product category to compete with large-scale supermarkets, thereby fully unleashing the latent delivery capacity of his Kuai Pao Riders.

If he followed the Dingdong Maicai model and focused only on the food category, he’d have to keep a huge number of sorters and delivery staff on payroll. Add in the spoilage rate, and God only knows when he’d ever turn a profit.

The more difficult the business, the more essential the advantage of scale becomes.

”Come to the Delta tonight. I bought that free-range chicken you like. You can cook it for me.”

Chen Yansen sent a text to Song Yuncheng.

Just a moment ago, he’d tossed two thumbtacks on his desk to decide. One pointing up and one on its side meant Master Ye. Both up meant Meng Jie. Both on their sides meant Song Yuncheng.

What could he do? It was the will of the heavens!

「At the same time.」

Song Yuncheng’s face lit up with a giddy smile when she received the text. Today was the ’end of the world,’ and Chen Yansen had invited only her over to his place. ’This must mean,’ she thought, ’that I’m the one he likes the most.’

The night was thick. A half-moon hung high in the sky, casting a cold, pale glow.

Around six o’clock, the two of them left the Science and Technology Park in separate cars, one following the other.

Ye Qiuping stood at her window, watching the Aston Martin Rapide speed away. Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a long sigh. ’What’s so great about unripe fruit? Is she as wild as I am?’

Master Ye bit her lip, a defiant glint in her eyes.

”This won’t do! I need to go home and study,” Ye Qiuping huffed. She planned to go home, find a dozen more ”educational films,” and learn some new moves.

「Twenty minutes later.」

Chen Yansen pushed open the door to his villa. The underfloor heating had already warmed the house, making it feel like spring inside, a stark contrast to the six- or seven-degree Celsius weather outdoors.

”The ingredients are in the fridge. Get to work.”

Chen Yansen said, stuffing an apron into Song Yuncheng’s hands.

”Chen Bapi, it’s the end of the world and you’re still making me cook for you.”

Song Yuncheng took the apron, muttering under her breath. Her hands didn’t stop, though, as she deftly tied the strings.

”If you actually believed those bullshit prophecies, you would’ve put your resignation letter on my desk already. I don’t want a subordinate as stupid as you.”

Chen Yansen teased, raising an eyebrow.

”You could hear that?” Song Yuncheng froze for a second, then thought to herself, ’Unbelievable. This guy’s hearing is better than a dog’s.’

”I have very good hearing. Now stop dawdling and get cooking!” Chen Yansen urged, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

As soon as he finished speaking, President Chen sprawled out on the sofa and turned on the television.

”If—and I mean, hypothetically—if today really were the end of the world, what would you want to do?” Song Yuncheng asked, turning her head before she walked into the kitchen.

”I do!” Chen Yansen answered loudly, his tone utterly sincere.

”...” Song Yuncheng was rendered speechless for a moment, then she chuckled. She should have known better than to have any expectations for a scumbag like Chen Yansen.

”I’d want... to have a simple dinner with the girl I like, gaze at the stars, and then watch the moon.”

A wicked smile played on Chen Yansen’s lips as he added.

’Sweet talk is free, after all. If he could make her happy, he could try out a few more roles tonight. It’s a win-win, so why not?’

Hearing this, Song Yuncheng smiled faintly and obediently disappeared into the kitchen.

Chen Yansen hopped off the sofa, went to the wardrobe behind it, and with practiced ease, pulled out several cosplay outfits, including Pikachu, Captain Dragonfly, Huluwa, and Nezha.

They were all exquisite, custom-made pieces, complete with a full set of matching ’Dharma Artifacts’.

’I want to try them all. It’s so hard to choose,’

Chen Yansen mused. In the end, he picked out the Pikachu and Nezha costumes, saving the other two for Master Ye. ’She’s the best fit for Huluwa, anyway.’

Song Yuncheng’s cooking skills were a few notches below Ye Qiuping’s, but she was at least proficient enough for basic home-style stir-fries.

An hour later, Chen Yansen finally made his way to the dining table.

”Not bad. It looks, smells, and tastes perfect,” Chen Yansen commented after picking up a piece of crispy rice coated in savory sauce, chewing it a few times.

”I’m glad you like it,” Song Yuncheng said, beaming at Chen Yansen.

She knew her relationship with Chen Yansen wasn’t normal, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave him.

Chen Yansen’s mind wasn’t on the food at all. He put down his chopsticks in less than twenty minutes and pulled Song Yuncheng into the bathroom.

The next morning, the sun rose as usual.

In a sleepy haze, he heard Song Yuncheng murmur, ”Shhh, be good. Mommy’s here.”

Chen Yansen slowly opened his eyes and gave Song Yuncheng a strange look. ’You’re only twenty-one, and you already want to be a mother?’

Across two lifetimes, he’d had ’in-depth exchanges’ with, if not eighty girls, then at least seventy-nine. It wasn’t that none of them had wanted to have President Chen’s baby, but she was the first one who was this young.

For a moment, a warm feeling spread through Chen Yansen’s chest, and he drifted back to sleep.

He didn’t leave the villa and drive to the Science and Technology Park until 9:30 AM.

Liang Changlin had arrived early at the Zhuxianzhuang Science and Technology Park.

Even though it was a Saturday, someone was still on duty at the front desk. After learning the reason for his visit, the receptionist led him to a lounge area and brought him a cup of hot tea.

Liang Changlin sat on the sofa, curiously sizing up his surroundings.