Reborn in 08, a heretical cultivator starting a business

Chapter 132 Covert Expansion, Frenzied Harvesting! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Okay then, I'll give it a try when I have the chance."

Tang Jinghe still couldn't believe that someone as rational as herself could be obsessed with a game!
It's impossible!

"That's easy, there will be an opportunity in a few days!" Wang Junshan said with a smile.

"We'll rent another floor of office space. Next, the Beijing branch will expand its business across the board. In particular, the Beijing branch of our flagship company needs to be established as soon as possible. Initially, we'll have a small team of about a dozen people, but the number will increase later. Let's start with a team of 100!"

Small games are easy to make; just find some people and you can make them.

However, large-scale games with high technical content have a very high demand for high-end talent, especially top-notch game development engineers.

Let alone the capital, you can't find many in China in 2008.

This is precisely why domestic games are currently far behind their foreign counterparts.

It's difficult for Wang Junshan to recruit people.

The only way is to cultivate talent and provide lifeline for future game development teams through Riot Games' subsidiaries!

Therefore, the initial size was set at 100 people. Any additional talent that couldn't be used in the League of Legends project was transferred to establish a future game company to create other high-end games and pioneering game teams, with internal competition among them.

The current pioneering game team has achieved remarkable results with "WeChat Farm," but their overall strength is only average.

Using it to develop games like "League of Legends" and "Honor of Kings" is simply out of the question.

Even if Wang Junshan were to lead the team, they wouldn't be able to carry it.

Only by putting enough pressure on them can they have the motivation to improve.

"Okay, boss. With the financial crisis hitting, rents have dropped by 10%. I'll try to negotiate a bit more and hopefully get it down to 20%. If it's a long-term lease, I might be able to get it down to 25%!"

Tang Jinghe smiled and said, "When the financial crisis broke out, many office building owners were impacted, and the rate of vacating the premises increased significantly. This is our opportunity."

"25 percent? We can sign long-term contracts, the longer the better. Our business is expanding at an increasingly rapid pace, and there will be a long-term shortage of office space," Wang Junshan said with a smile.

During this period, Wang Junshan changed his investment plans from the financial crisis.

Even in the core area of ​​Beijing, the future growth rate of office buildings will only be 2-4 times.

That's right, just that little.

The increase in luxury villas in the core area of ​​Beijing is 4 to 6 times.

The increase in the number of courtyard houses is 5 to 10 times!
The potential returns from investing in top-performing companies like flagship companies can be hundreds of times greater!
Good steel is used on the blade!

Wang Junshan currently has limited funds and can only make investments with the highest return on investment.

Of course, such an epic investment by Riot Games is a rare find.

The return on investment for a courtyard house is far higher than that of a luxury villa, and even higher than that of an office building!

Therefore, Wang Junshan will invest his money only in courtyard houses, then mortgage them, and use the loan money to buy up shares of high-quality companies at rock-bottom prices, or even directly acquire them!

As for office buildings, just rent them.

By the end of the year, or next year, if land is offered in Beijing or other first-tier cities, Wang Junshan wouldn't mind moving the Future Technology headquarters there!
That's right, currently only Vipshop and its Future Technology branch have settled in Beijing.

The headquarters is still in Binhai City; we'll see which city shows the most sincerity and then settle there.

Current futuristic technologies can attract land from second- and third-tier cities without much pressure, but they don't yet have enough leverage to attract land from first-tier cities.

However, in two months, there will be no problem, and first-tier cities will have to take the initiative to offer land for investment.

Let the bullet fly for a while longer.

Once the land is delivered, we can build a science park directly. That would be much more cost-effective than buying or renting office buildings.

After all, the construction cost of a science park is very low; the key is the land price.

As long as the land is given away for free, everything else is trivial.

Before this, renting office space was the only option; there was no need to buy.

“We can take advantage of the sharp drop in rents during the financial crisis and sign long-term leases for several years,” Wang Junshan said.

“Okay, then I’ll go talk to them today.” Tang Jinghe was as decisive as ever.

"I'll be bringing some Riot Games employees with me this time, so please make the necessary arrangements in advance."

“Okay.” Tang Jinghe instantly understood what Wang Junshan meant.

They weren't just interested in Riot Games and the game; they were also interested in the talent in the company!
It’s indeed a good idea.

"By the way, boss, there's been some progress with the four people you asked me to contact, but none of them have given any indication yet."

"Yes, that's normal. When the economic crisis broke out, BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) suffered heavy losses, and our valuation also shrank by 30% to 40%. It's normal for them to hesitate. If necessary, we can flex our muscles."

Amid the economic crisis, Wang Junshan not only amassed assets, but also top talents who were about to be laid off, have their salaries reduced, or go bankrupt!

"Okay, that makes things easier."

Since the outbreak of the economic crisis, Vipshop and Utour have both blurred key sales data.

Originally, everything was clearly visible; the transaction amount could be estimated by multiplying the sales growth rate by the unit price.

But now, everything has been blurred, making it impossible to estimate.

This action led outsiders to believe that Vipshop and YouTuan.com had both experienced a sharp drop in sales and revenue, and were forced to use obscure tactics to cover up the truth of the plunge.

Even Tencent's investment department, Alibaba, and Baidu think so.

This has even led to a significant decrease in people's attention to Vipshop.

Everyone thought Vipshop was really failing.

Even those four people, including Huang Zheng, whom Wang Junshan listed as targets, would think the same way.

After all, under normal circumstances, only when sales plummet, revenue declines, and financial statements look bad will people try every means to hide it.

Any company with strong sales, respectable revenue, and impressive financial reports will be heavily promoted to attract investment.

What the outside world doesn't know is that Vipshop's sales have not declined, and its daily transaction volume has remained above 3000 million yuan, or even slightly increased.

U-Tuan International's revenue has remained stable at around 5500 million.

U-Tuan Group's daily revenue has been steadily increasing.

As the number of schools continues to increase, daily revenue is constantly approaching the ten million mark.

Even the income from "WeChat Farm" has not decreased, and has even increased in some cases.

The underlying logic is simple: with the outbreak of the financial crisis, everyone is downgrading their consumption.

Before, when I went out to play, a meal would cost over a hundred yuan, and a movie would cost tens of yuan. I couldn't come back without spending two or three hundred yuan a day.

Traveling costs more money!
With the downgrading of consumption, these expensive items need to be reduced. Since people go out less, they have to kill time and find other forms of entertainment.

And WeChat Farm became the best choice.

Just as fun and interesting, but the best part is that it saves you money!
A 96-yuan annual membership isn't even enough for a single meal at a restaurant, yet it can provide a year's worth of enjoyment.

It's definitely the best choice under the trend of consumption downgrade.

As a result of the economic crisis, restaurants were less crowded, cinemas were less crowded, and hotels were less crowded...

But the number of members for "WeChat Farm" has increased!

Income did not decrease; on the contrary, it increased significantly.

Compared to before the financial crisis, Future Technology's daily revenue has not only not decreased, but has actually increased!

Vipshop, in particular, saw the fastest growth!
Wang Junshan chose fuzzy data in order to conceal his shortcomings.

If Vipshop doesn't hide its strengths, it will stand out too much when others are losing volume or even halving their profits during the economic crisis.

If Alibaba lets Vipshop grow stronger, it will definitely crush Vipshop.

Given Alibaba's size, if they simply pull a finger and launch a Juhuasuan special sale, Vipshop would be halved in value.

However, as long as it continues to hide its shortcomings and looks down on vertical e-commerce, Alibaba will adopt a strategic contempt for Vipshop, just like in its previous life.

This is the opportunity that enabled Vipshop to grow and expand.

In addition, since it is not a publicly listed company, it does not need to publish financial reports, so it can be completely hidden.

The previous financial report was also in the initial stage, aimed at increasing consumer confidence and trust in the platform, as well as raising the valuation and attracting investment.

Now that the financial crisis has broken out and investment is hard to come by, the best option is to make a fortune quietly!

However, in order to defeat Huang Zheng and his group of four, it's acceptable to flex one's muscles a little.

Following Wang Junshan's instructions, Tang Jinghe fell into deep thought.

How can I show off my muscles without revealing too much, yet still impress the other person in just the right way?
While Tang Jinghe hadn't yet come up with a solution, the others had already begun a comprehensive investigation into Vipshop's operations through their own methods.

Cleaning company. Feng Lu looked at Tang Jinghe's WeChat message and said quietly:
"My compensation is quite high. Everyone says Vipshop's revenue has plummeted and they're having operational difficulties, even blurring out their sales data. Yet they still dare to spend money to poach me? They're offering me double the salary of a cleaning staff member!"

"This doesn't look like a decline at all; on the contrary, it's showing signs of being rich and powerful!"

"No, we need to investigate."

Feng Lu quickly called his assistant and gave him a few instructions.

Soon, the assistant came in with a report:
"Manager, these are the recent shipping and order forms from several e-commerce platforms. Taobao Mall, Amazon, Vipshop, and Youtuan.com are all here."

"Okay, go ahead."

Data doesn't lie!

For cleaning and personal care products, apart from JD.com, which hasn't yet become a comprehensive e-commerce platform, other major e-commerce platforms all stock them.

Feng Lu examined it carefully, his brows furrowing:
"On Taobao Mall, the shipment volume of all cleaning products has decreased, and orders for next month have also been significantly reduced. Indeed, the economic crisis has a significant impact."

"The same is true for Amazon in China; the decline has been severe."

"Paipai.com is just preparing to start its own operations, but it is also purchasing very little inventory, which is normal as it is worried about a decline in consumption."

"and many more!"

Why hasn't Vipshop's shipment volume decreased?

"Not only did shipments not decrease, but orders also increased significantly!"

"And with YouTuan group buying, the shipment volume has also increased significantly."

"This……"

Feng Lu was stunned: "Taobao Mall and Amazon's self-operated stores are cutting orders and reducing volume, but Vipshop and YouTuan.com are doing the opposite, increasing orders and increasing volume!"

"This isn't just a drop in transaction volume by half; it's a downturn."

"It's clearly making great strides forward!"

"Something's not right, something's very wrong. Vipshop is hiding its true colors!"

“I have to go there. With the outbreak of the economic crisis, the future of cleaning services is not good. They may have to lay off employees, or at least reduce their salaries.”

"Vipshop offered me double the salary and hired me as their marketing director! If Vipshop doesn't fail and has potential, I might as well give it a try!"

Guoguang Electric Appliances.

Deputy Manager Tang Zhi was somewhat uneasy.

On one side is Guoguang Electric, a company listed on the SME board, and on the other side is Vipshop's olive branch.

Tang Zhi didn't know what to choose.

Although Guoguang Electric is listed, it is only a manufacturing enterprise listed on the SME board.

The company mainly manufactures loudspeakers and audio equipment, and is a small supplier for giants such as Harman and LG.

Annual revenue is less than one billion, and profits are only thirty to forty million.

Its market value is less than one billion.

Vipshop, which was valued at tens of billions before, will still have a valuation of 5 billion even if it is halved due to the economic crisis.

The annual revenue is even more staggering, far surpassing that of Guoguang Electric.

The key point is that the other party even offered him twice the salary he would have received at Guoguang Electric Appliances!

At Guoguang, he was just a mid-level deputy manager, but at Vipshop, he became a senior executive, operations director, responsible for supply chain and logistics!
These are all areas where he excels.

It would be a lie to say I'm not moved.

As for Guoguang Electric, its industry is too singular. With the outbreak of the financial crisis, Harman and LG cut orders and lowered prices, making Guoguang Electric's future extremely difficult.

It's not as good as Vipshop no matter how you look at it.

"A tree dies when transplanted, but a person thrives!"

"Vipshop thinks highly of me, so I have to give it my all!"

"And I prefer the capital to Chengdu!"

With that in mind, he locked his office door and dialed Tang Jinghe's number directly.

"That's wonderful, Director Tang! You've made a very wise choice. We welcome you to join us anytime!" Tang Jinghe said with a smile.

"Then I'll go tomorrow!"

"No problem, I'll arrange for someone to prepare accommodations for you," Tang Jinghe said with a smile.

Vipshop will properly handle such executives.

"Thank you."

Tang Zhi made a decision and immediately went to Lao Dong's office to resign.

Old Dong appeared reluctant, but his hand signed without the slightest hesitation, thinking to himself:
“Guoguang Electric’s supply chain is mature, so it doesn’t matter whether he’s here or not. Now that he’s gone, there’s a lot of money left.”

"The economic crisis has broken out, and we were already planning to lay off employees. Tang Zhi's proactive cooperation is great!"

night.

Feng Lu left the cleaning company and went to an elegant private room, where Tang Jinghe was sitting opposite him.

The waiter quickly served the dishes, and Tang Jinghe looked at Feng Lu:
"I was exhausted after a long day at work, so I ordered a few time-consuming dishes in advance and asked them to prepare them ahead of time. I don't know if they will suit my taste."

"Thank you so much, President Tang."

Soon, all the dishes were served, and after some pleasantries, the two got straight to the point.

"President Tang, the outside world is underestimating Vipshop, isn't it?"

"Oh? What makes you say that, Director Feng?" Tang Jinghe was somewhat surprised.

No wonder Wang Junshan handpicked these people; each one of them is extraordinary.

"I estimate that Vipshop's daily revenue is not the 1000 million that everyone thinks, but rather more than 3000 million. Hiding the data is not to cover up shame, but to bide our time!"

"Director Feng is wise. Vipshop needs talents like you!" Tang Jinghe raised her glass.

"Cheers!"

Feng Lu didn't say much, but one gesture and one word said it all.

The next day, Feng Lu resigned as soon as he arrived at work.

At other times, the cleaning staff would not easily let people go.

But right now we have an economic crisis!

Procter & Gamble's stock price has halved, and a list of major layoffs is being drafted.

If Feng Lu wanted to leave at this point, there was no way to stop him.

Even without mentioning leaving the company, you could still be laid off or have your salary reduced.

There's no way around it; when it comes to promotions and raises, foreign employees are given priority by foreign cleaning companies like Procter & Gamble.

But when it comes to work, employees of Xia State are given priority.

Now that a crisis has arisen, and layoffs and salary reductions are in effect, employees of Xia State are given priority!

The arrogance and prejudice accumulated over centuries are not just empty words.

This behavior was more severe in 2008 than it would have been more than a decade later.

However, the compensation that was due was still given.

Tang Jinghe dialed Wang Junshan's number:
"Boss, Tang Zhi and Feng Lu are both settled and will start work tomorrow."

"But IBM architect Gao Yang is having some difficulties and said he wants to talk to you in person first."

"Huang Zheng directly declined."

"Okay, I understand. I'll go back tomorrow night."

Wang Junshan had a plan, but the recruitment of talent was not progressing smoothly.

Gao Yang is easy to talk to; he's a tech enthusiast and is definitely interested in Vipshop's architecture, wanting to meet with Wang Junshan.

Subduing Gao Yang and bringing him under my command is no problem.

But things are difficult for Huang Zheng.

This guy is a wild horse, single-mindedly focused on starting his own business, and will never be a slave!
(End of this chapter)