Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

At 10:30 PM, a Bentley sped along the Hu Kun Expressway.

Chen Dejun sat in the back of the car, resting with his eyes closed. He recalled his meeting with Ma Liyun that afternoon. The man had been warm and polite, but the moment money came up, he started beating around the bush.

’Damn it, he’s even worse than that kid Chen Yansen. Trying to get a bargain? Not a chance!’

Chen Dejun snorted, complaining to himself.

After thinking it through, he let out a long sigh. The courier companies of the Tonglu System had taken over a decade to develop, but their downfall took only a year.

Business warfare was ruthless. Without money or power, there was only one way out: destruction.

In Chen Yansen’s eyes, Shentong was probably no different from the likes of Quanfeng, Speed Peak, Guofeng, or Tiantian Express—just another ant to be crushed.

If there was any difference, it was that Shentong was a slightly larger ant, requiring a tiny bit more effort to squash.

Traditional courier companies were no match for Senlian Capital. Pinbei provided the order volume while Clound Speed fought for market share. With this two-pronged attack, Shentong simply couldn’t hold on.

After much consideration, Chen Dejun gradually made up his mind. He would sell the company to Clound Speed.

Meanwhile, ten kilometers behind him on the expressway, Yu Weijiao was on his phone, venting to Nie Tengyu, the former boss of Yunda Express. ”Ma Liyun is a sly bastard! Yuantong Express’s business has already dropped by seventy percent, yet Ah Li still wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. They won’t even spare a dime!”

Nie Tengyu hadn’t wanted to deal with Yu Weijiao, but for the sake of their many years of friendship, he patiently listened to the end of his complaints. Suppressing a laugh, he casually asked, ”So, you and Lao Chen are both planning to sell your companies to Clound Speed?”

”Sixty to seventy percent of our franchisees and couriers have left. What else can we do but sell?” Yu Weijiao asked with a bitter smile.

”What a shame. If you had sold two months ago, you could have made at least two or three hundred million more,” Nie Tengyu said, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk.

His words seemed concerned, but they hid a hint of mockery.

After all, as far as he knew, back when Yunda was the first to give in, Yu Weijiao had called him a coward and a wimp behind his back more than a few times.

Hearing this, Yu Weijiao’s eyes reddened, and his chest felt tight with frustration. He then proceeded to curse Liao Wei, Chen Yansen, Ma Liyun, and all the rest of them.

Nie Tengyu chuckled. The sound of Yu Weijiao’s furious, desperate cursing coming from the phone filled him with delight.

「Meanwhile.」

At the Hang City Ali Headquarters, Taohua Island.

Ma Liyun stood before the window, gazing at the brightly lit office building. A faint, self-satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He had finally completed Ali Baba’s share buyback plan. Although the cost was steep, it was all worth it compared to the future returns.

”Mr. Ma, Chen Dejun and Yu Weijiao’s asking prices aren’t actually that high. 1.4 billion for one, 1.05 billion for the other. For less than 2.5 billion, we could shore up Ah Li’s logistics weakness.”

Lu Zhaoxi stood to the side, his expression shifting slightly. After careful consideration, he cautiously offered the reminder.

”I don’t care about the price. What I care about is Chen Dejun and Yu Weijiao’s character. Once I agree, they will absolutely take Ah Li’s offer to Chen Yansen to drive up their own price. I’ll squeeze them a bit more. Shentong and Yuantong haven’t reached their breaking point yet.”

Ma Liyun waved his hand dismissively and turned to Lu Zhaoxi, replying nonchalantly.

Although Chen Dejun and Yu Weijiao had told him that Chen Yansen had already made an offer, the fact that they came to him one after the other immediately made Ma Liyun suspicious.

He just assumed the two were playing games with him; Ma Liyun didn’t believe them for a second.

Based on his understanding of Chen Yansen, the acquisition price for Shentong alone would be pushed below 1 billion.

’Chen Dejun and Yu Weijiao think they can fool me? In their dreams!’

...

...

The next day, just before dawn, the distant sky began to show a fish-belly white.

Chen Yansen slowly woke up. The first thing he saw was a young woman’s face, fair with a rosy tint. Song Yuncheng was lying in his arms, her eyes gently closed, sleeping soundly and sweetly.