Chapter 476: On the Offensive

Wanzhong’s ads quickly took off in Shanghai. Merchants simply had to sign up to receive a thousand yuan for opening a store.

Consequently, a large number of merchants quickly signed up.

This tactic of paving the way with money was nothing new to Nuomi and LaShou.

Still, countless people marveled at the speed and efficiency of Wanzhong’s elite team, which reflected highly on President Chen.

Because to achieve such efficiency, the leader had to have a firm hand.

Yang Xueyu also marveled, for such a person he had only seen two: Chen Jiaxin and Jiang Qin.

Chen Jiaxin’s team displayed a wolfish nature, accustomed to internal competition and seemingly tireless.

Jiang Qin’s team had a similar demeanor but was a bit more complex…

He had the traits of a wolf but also… somewhat of a dog.

“Inside the group-buying companies must be tense now.”

Yang Xueyu stood on a hotel balcony, watching the bustling street scene with a deep gaze.

Indeed, the atmosphere within the group-buying subdivision was tense as they prepared to launch new GIS services.

Integrating new services with events to enhance user experience was crucial.

Therefore, online promotions were essential, and offline events had to complement them, keeping every department busy.

“Boss, the service booths on the street are all set up.”

“Good, you’ve worked hard.”

“Also, weren’t we short of staff? I’ve taken on some people from LaShou and Nuomi that were let go, and one said he’s eaten your chestnuts, remember him?”

“I remember, a very polite young man who once poured water for me; he’s suitable for leading a small team.”

“Understood, boss.”

The group-buy market was already fully developed; no need for more personnel to approach merchants or distribute flyers.

As such, following a brief hiring war, all major group-buy sites began to downsize to cut costs, with street promotion teams being the first to go.

Schemers die, their scheming ends, as does the treacherous friend once the bird is shot.

Other sites weren’t signing contracts with these individuals, waiting for this moment.

For Jiang Qin, however, first-line workers familiar with the terrain weren’t dispensable just yet.

Thought you could let go of ground promotion after market development? Naive. The real battle is just starting!

Moreover, these laid-off staff from major websites were already well-versed in group-buy tactics, no training required. Isn’t that a freebie?

Yes, take them all.

Especially as major sites uniformly laid off lower-level promoters and the group-buy took them on under the same conditions, showing respect that boosted staff loyalty even higher than in open recruitment.

“Li Minghui.”

“Present!”

“You can come and sign the contract tomorrow. The boss thanks you for the water and says you’re temporarily in charge of your team; first, follow your colleagues to the back storage to collect your vest and work badge.”

“And… the salary?”

“All as before.”

At this, the former street promoters for Nuomi and LaShou cheered, having held no hopes due to their awareness of the group-buy market’s condition.

The market was developed; who needed street promoters anymore? But they hadn’t expected that Group-Buy really did.

Li Minghui was Xiao Li, the young man who had served water to Jiang Qin and his colleagues during the New Year’s promotion. He and his peers humorously regretted not changing sides sooner.

If only he had known, he would have defected right after New Year’s Day; maybe now he’d be a silver or gold ranker. Instead, two months wasted—time to really climb the ranks!

The next morning, Li Minghui led the team to Group-Buy’s Shanghai division to sign their contracts and await work allocation.

“Head to the second-floor training room; the boss is waiting there.”

“To the…training room?”

“You’ll see.”

Li Minghui and his companions, puzzled, followed the manager’s directions to the second-floor training room.

Upon entering, they saw the room was lined with soft mats, and Jiang Qin, wearing a tight outfit and wrapped hands, was being coached by a muscular man to punch swiftly.

This burly man seemed as solid as a mountain, powerful and forceful.

His physique wasn’t like that of a professional bodybuilder, but even an ordinary person could feel his overwhelming strength.

Yet… this impressive man now sported a sycophantic smile, bright and cheerful as a blooming flower.

“Damn boss, that punch is perfect! I’ve studied martial arts for twenty years and still can’t achieve the angle you just did!”

“Wow, that kick… I’m feeling inferior now!”

“Haha, I’ve never seen that move before. You’ve got defense and offense all in one; did you invent this technique yourself?”

Li Minghui and his colleague exchanged glances, both thinking of an animated character named Pleasant Goat.

Jiang Qin suddenly stopped, serious, and faced the man: “Zhang Wei, just because I’m the boss doesn’t mean you should keep on with the unreal flattery. Imagine if I can’t handle a punch from my good friend after this?”

“Boss, what does your good friend do?”

“My good friend…”

Jiang Qin cracked a smile then quickly turned somber: “None of your business!”

Zhang Wei bit his lip: “Okay, boss, I thought you were just playing around. Turns out you need real combat training; consider that earlier session just a warm-up. Let’s do some real teaching.”

“Wait, what? You mean what you just taught was all fake? I thought I was becoming a martial arts master.”

Zhang Wei coughed: “That routine was more akin to military fitness exercises; not very effective in actual combat but good for physical health.”

Jiang Qin was dumbfounded: “What do I need physical health for? I need to secure my domestic position!”

“Ah, I see. What’s your friend skilled in?”

“Brazilian jiu-jitsu.”

Zhang Wei paused: “At what level?”

Jiang Qin considered: “Quite high.”

“Maybe just run away? Why stay friends with someone you have to tackle?”

“Stop joking. While I may be the boss, if your words get out, I can’t protect you.” Jiang Qin acted like he was directing, pointing around.

Zhang Wei felt a chill up his spine: “So why the need to fight her?”

“I’m not keen on fighting her, but as a man, I hope to be stronger in every way. You understand?”

“A woman? Yeah, I get it now.”

Zhang Wei thought to himself about whether the boss had a formidable wife at home and was pondering this when suddenly he noticed a group of people at the door: “Oh, boss, looks like someone’s here.”

Jiang Qin turned around: “Oh, it’s Xiao Li. Come on over.”

“Jiang… President Jiang, thank you for giving us a chance to work.”

“You are skilled professionals; LaShou and Nuomi are fools to let you go. You need a job; I need manpower. It’s mutual, no thanks needed.”

“So what are we supposed to do?”

Jiang Qin unwrapped his bandages: “We have a street promotion this weekend, similar to the New Year’s sales. You guys help out in the mornings and then come back here in the afternoons to train in martial arts with Coach Zhang.”

Li Minghui puffed out his chest: “I understand, run into other sites, and we take them down.”

“Nonsense, it’s for fitness.”

“Got it, fitness them in the face.”

Jiang Qin thought this guy knew too much; probably had been hit a few too many times: “Alright, train with Coach Zhang. There will be a manager this weekend to familiarize you with the booths. I’m heading back.”

Zhang Wei quickly stepped forward a few paces: “Boss, aren’t you learning the real stuff?”

“No more, I’ve decided just to appease her.” Jiang Qin waved his hand and left the training room.

The same time, Wanzhong, having signed enough merchants, officially began operating in Shanghai, with posters and flyers stirring up the consumer market.

Their strategy was threefold: first, use the entry fees to amass enough merchants, then deploy flyers and advertisements to build a user base.

When the user base reached a certain level, they’d launch promotions instantly, attaching customers with coupons and membership plans, thereby eating into the market and pushing competitors out.

Now, they had reached stage two, the next discount being their first major salvo in Shanghai.

“Starting tomorrow, Wanzhong’s half-price promotion and points scheme will go live.”

“Also, guide users to join the VIP plan, enhancing consumer loyalty.”

“Saturday morning at fifty percent off, afternoon with member-only coupons. Sunday morning free-meal coupons; in the afternoon, if any coupon codes remain unused, we’ll offer an additional discount!”

Chen Jiaxin, sitting in the conference room, finished assigning tasks to the various departments, her queenly aura unmistakable.

By the next morning, the activities of Dianping had officially launched, the new user discount of fifty percent instantly igniting the market.

Savvy consumers following the internet trends knew well that new platform entries meant fresh opportunities: why wait?

Hence, on its first day, Dianping’s registered user count exceeded one hundred thousand—a fierce response.

LaShou Network and Nuomi couldn’t just sit by; they too launched their promotions, although not as explosively as Wanzhong.

With a reviews leaderboard and minimum fifty percent discounts, retention rates were high—unless LaShou and Nuomi were to throw caution to the winds and offer even lower discounts, they couldn’t compete.

Everyone was waiting for Group-Buy’s reaction, as they were now considered the key player in Shanghai’s market.

Unexpectedly, Group-Buy did issue a notice that day, but it wasn’t about discounts—they were announcing a website upgrade from 11 PM to 6 AM.