Lin Chen had actually guessed what Wu Bo wanted to do long ago, because in his previous life, Lashou.com had relied on map navigation to become the leader in group buying.
In the early 2010s, major group-buying websites were still in the exploratory stage, with relatively simple models. User experience could only rely on the general direction to win, and the details were not yet well done. Many times, users would see a group-buying package that was very affordable, so they would immediately place an order. However, when they actually wanted to go to the store to consume it, they found that it was far away and very inconvenient, so they had no choice but to apply for a refund.
Wu Bo grasped this detail, thinking from the user's perspective: if I knew how far away the merchant was from me before I placed the group-buying order, and whether it would be convenient for me to go there, wouldn't that greatly reduce the cancellation rate of group-buying orders?
So he contacted Gaode, currently the best map navigation expert in China, only to be told that the internet business had been contracted out to Xiaomi.
He certainly knew about Xiaomi Technology, not because he followed Lei Jun, but because their Lashou.com had placed a lot of ads on Huasuan.com, so he looked into Lin Chen and found that Lin Chen hadn't been paying much attention to Huasuan.com lately and had gone to work with Lei Jun on mobile phones.
"...Mr. Lin, I'd like to offer 20 million yuan a year to become the sole partner for Xiaomi Maps in the group-buying sector. What do you think?"
Lin Chen chuckled inwardly. 20 million? The sole partner? You're dreaming.
"What? Hello? Hello? Mr. Wu, the signal here is not very good, I can't hear what you are saying, I'll hang up now, I'll call you again after I develop the Xiaomi phone."
Lin Chen hung up the phone immediately.
Wu Bo listened to the busy tone on the phone, his face darkening. "Seriously? You're a big boss, a billionaire, don't you know the principle of asking for the moon and then settling for a bargain? Why are you hanging up on me like that? Waiting for your Xiaomi phone to be developed? Xiaomi has only been around for a few days! By the time your Xiaomi phone is developed, I'll be the richest man in the world, believe it or not?"
Taking a deep breath to calm his urge to punch someone, Wu Bo chose to dial Lin Chen's number directly.
"Hello, Mr. Lin, this is Wu Bo. I was probably in the elevator just now, and the cell phone signal wasn't very good."
"Oh, I see. That explains why I couldn't hear it just now. You're saying iPhones aren't any good, the signal is so bad. We'll have to rely on Xiaomi phones from now on, right?"
Wu Bo had a lot of pent-up anger to say, but he held back.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Lin, let's continue discussing the cooperation. Do you have any suggestions for cooperation?"
"Mr. Wu, a sole partner is impossible. You know, Xiaomi Technology's mission is to benefit all mankind. Besides, 20 million is too low. Xiaomi Maps is the best map navigation service in China. However, Lashou.com is a major client of our Huasuan.com. How about this, I'll give you a discounted price of 25 million. What do you think?"
"Hello? Hello? Hello? Mr. Lin, the signal here is not very good, I can't hear what you are saying, I'll hang up now, I'll call you back after I get out of the elevator."
Wu Bo hung up the phone and slammed it on the table. That Lin Chen was such a scoundrel! Who the hell offered a discount? Whose discount suddenly increased by five million? Although his bottom line was indeed 25 million, after all, if this project was successful and well-managed, Lashou could soar to the top and become the number one group-buying platform.
After calming down, I dialed Lin Chen's number again.
"Hey, Mr. Lin, I just got out of the elevator, the signal is a bit weak. 25 million, right? Okay, then I'll go to Xiaomi to sign the contract."
"Mr. Wu, the signal was bad just now, you must have misheard me. I said 30 million."
"You! Haha, this phone signal is really bad. 30 million, huh? Okay, I'll go to Xiaomi to sign the contract right now." Wu Bo said this almost through gritted teeth.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Chen waved his phone and said to Lei Jun with a smile, "Brother Jun, look, we've already broken even on the 30 million, haven't we?"
An Rou asked, puzzled, "Lin Chen, why didn't Wu Bo scold you?"
Lin Chen's face darkened: "An Rou, whose side are you on? You're the traitor among the masses, aren't you? Hmph, I'm not telling you."
An Rou kept asking Lin Chen all the way back to the hotel, but Lin Chen didn't tell An Rou why. Zhang Yiming, however, figured it out.
"I understand. The merchant map function is also a way for group-buying websites to accurately drive customers. If Lashou.com succeeds, it will directly break the existing group-buying website pattern and become a monopoly."
Lin Chen looked at An Rou and said, "Listen to this, you're both vice presidents, why is there such a big difference?"
Lei Jun also laughed and said, "Everyone has their own expertise, and Mr. Zhang seems to have a deep understanding of this precise traffic acquisition."
"Oh, not at all. Actually, our CEO Lin has a much deeper understanding of big data than I do. It's just that he's unwilling to teach me and wants me to figure it out on my own."
"Ahem, well, what you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand it. Big data is like Hamlet; everyone has their own interpretation. We can't limit your creativity, Mr. Zhang."
After arriving at the hotel, Lei Jun made a phone call to his secretary, telling him to get ready, as people from Lashou.com would be coming over to sign a contract soon.
"Mr. Zhang, how's our Mixin project going?"
Zhang Yiming opened his laptop and checked the backend data, then replied, "Although Mixin has a high number of downloads, user activity is too low."
Lin Chen thought for a moment and said, "When we get back this time, first update the group-buying map function on Huasuan.com, and then update a 'People Nearby' function for Mixin. When you open 'People Nearby,' you can search for nearby users who are also using this function. You can add them as friends by clicking on them. When you exit this function, you will turn off the phone's location service and it will no longer be searchable. Do you understand?"
"I understand, but is this feature really useful?"
You'll find out then.
In the afternoon, the four of them flew back to Shanghai together. Lei Jun was preoccupied with his phone, Zhang Yiming wanted to get back as soon as possible to count his money, while Lin Chen was worried about being tricked by Gaode Maps.
As soon as the plane landed, Lei Jun received a call from his secretary, Wu Bo, who had personally come to Xiaomi Technology to sign the contract.
After hearing this, Lin Chen chuckled and said, "Brother Jun, just wait to count your money. This is just the beginning."
"Haha, then I'll have to thank you for this, little brother."
Lei Jun and Zhang Yiming, both workaholics, returned to Deji Building together, while Lin Chen returned to 1901 with An Rou. They had both been on business trips, so they had to take a break as soon as they got back.
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