Chapter 491: Trapped in Our Own Game!

The original plan for the group-buy was to capitalize on the launch heat of the GIS service on May 2nd by starting daily special promotions offline, but due to the internal collaboration between Song Xiong and Kang Jingtao, not a single stand was out that day.

Kang Jingtao was thrilled, seeing it as a testament to the success of his strategy.

Since November of the previous year, the relentless group-buy delayed its plans. This was as monumental as Armstrong’s moon landing—a small step for him, but a giant leap against group-buying!

Unexpectedly, right after lunch, Song Xiong urgently called him.

The call, while polite, had an undertone that sounded almost scolding.

“Boss Kang, why are Jiang Tao and Pan Dongzi getting quadruple salaries? I’ve done so much for LaShou, taken such risks, and I only get triple?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Stop pretending, Boss Kang. You know Meng Fansen, right? The first manager to agree to switch jobs, and you just doubled his salary? He’s said if you don’t sort this out, he can continue working for group-buy for free while taking LaShou’s salary!”

“How did you even know others are getting quadruple salaries?”

“Jiang Qin told us during a meeting. He even told others to learn from those two and mentioned how LaShou knows talent and not to let LaShou down.”

“Damn it…”

Kang Jingtao’s mind buzzed, suddenly realizing he might have fallen into a trap.

But that wasn’t important. What mattered now was keeping these people on his side.

If he couldn’t keep them, all previous efforts, all foundation-building would have been in vain.

Most crucially, these poached managers were already furious. If they returned, they’d tear LaShou apart.

Then, he’d be the one praised for making group-buy stronger—where would he even begin to explain this?

He needed to stabilize them for at least a month, getting all group-buying sites to react and join forces, all ready to shovel back, to thoroughly counter group-buy.

Even if group-buy kept raising their salaries, the skyrocketing costs would cripple them.

After all, group-buy only had 180 million, while LaShou had 300 million, Nuomi had 150 million, and Dazhong had 200 million—rumor even had it Tencent covertly invested another 200 million into Dianping.

300 million plus 150 million plus 200 million, even without those rumored additional two hundred million, and despite the attrition from this talent war, sinking 180 million wouldn’t be hard, right?

At that point, they’d only watch as fires started everywhere, completely incapable of managing.

It’s like having three aces but no money to follow the game, so you’d have to fold.

“Boss Song, don’t panic. This must be a misunderstanding. Let me discuss it with headquarters first, and we’ll provide a satisfying answer for everyone.”

“Boss Kang, I may have a good rapport with these guys, but I can only hold them off for so long. Please make sure you handle this!”

“I know, I know…”

Kang Jingtao was sent by LaShou specifically for headhunting, possessing high authority but not in charge.

When Boss Kang was in Shanghai headhunting the Suixin Group team, he had also offered high salaries.

Once the market stabilized, headquarters, regretting their decision, sent Zhu Jinfu. He began building a new team and found excuses to dismiss those high-salary employees.

Thus, the current Shanghai team was essentially built by Zhu Jinfu.

Normally when you’re parachuted in, locals would be upset, but Zhu Jinfu was delighted.

He still drew his salary without working—a pie from the sky!

Later, with Kang Jingtao offering double, triple, quadruple salaries, old Zhu was really unsettled.

When you’re gone after recruiting, you’re celebrated, enjoying all the benefits, but who’s left carrying the cost of the team?

And now, those two managers are even making more than me. Where’s the justice in that?

“Boss Kang, I urge you not to act rashly!”

“What?”

“Are you really planning to offer everyone quadruple salaries? That would be a huge mistake!”

“Old Zhu, quiet down. I have this under control…”

Control my ass, Zhu Jinfu muttered under his breath, then turned and left, leaving Kang Jingtao alone with a headache.

Jiang Qin…

Kang Jingtao took a deep breath, his limbs feeling cold.

He had met Jiang Qin only once at a group-buy industry conference last year.

With such limited contact, despite group-buy’s subsequent aggressive tactics catching the three competitive sites off guard, Kang Jingtao didn’t feel it much.

It’s like hearing all the time about someone’s sword skills being the best in the world, but those who’ve never experienced it think they can compete—only to realize the gravity when they see a sword aura cleaving clouds across eighty thousand miles.

What Kang Jingtao didn’t anticipate was feeling this so soon.

On May 3rd, a day after the delayed plan, numerous bright yellow promotional stands quietly appeared on streets and alleyways early in the morning.

Most frighteningly, they hadn’t forgotten their roots—they even used LaShou’s coupons to buy eggs…

“Order online for same-day delivery and you can even get eggs…”

“Me? I’m your group leader Wangzi, right here in our neighborhood!”

“…”

Two hours after the special promotions started on the street, LaShou’s Shanghai branch also opened.

To welcome the nine new managers who switched over, Kang Jingtao dressed up in a designer suit, grooming himself to look flawless as he recited the speech he wrote the day before.

Indeed, he planned to talk these managers, still sore over salary issues, into feeling better.

There might not be money to quadruple everyone’s salaries, but motivational talks were free. As long as the promises sounded grand, how could the situation remain unstable?

Just as he entered the branch’s main doors, he heard that group-buy had already started their street promotions.

“Where did they get the people? Weren’t their managers poached by us? Setting up stands, managing deliveries, contact channels, cross-regional merchandise coordination, storage management, data tracking—who’s handling all that?”

“They had people already positioned here, I know one, called Sun Zhi, who was responsible for group-buy’s market expansion in Shanghai.”

“All this in one day? The personnel got shifted, and they started promotions immediately. Is group-buy’s divisional execution efficiency really that high?”

“I hear they have an internal management system where the boss can issue direct orders to all employees. Efficiency aside, I think they always anticipated attempts to undermine them.”

“…”

Before he could ponder further, a loud argument erupted outside the meeting room, growing louder even through the closed door.

Already frustrated to no end, Kang Jingtao flared up at the noise, flung the door open, and charged into the office area.

The commotion was between the LaShou-recruited managers and the old employees who had been with LaShou through countless years.

Leading the recruited managers was Jiang Tao, the one drawing quadruple salary.

Lately, he indeed couldn’t recognize himself, carried away by his situation.

Why?

On one hand, his salary was higher than many who had contributed far more; on the other, his former boss had desperately pleaded with him not to leave—who wouldn’t get carried away?

The old employees leading the quarrel were their marketing manager, operations manager, and planning manager—almost all the managers.

Recently, a news website called Tonight’s Headlines becomes really popular, quite entertaining and widely used.

Coincidentally, yesterday’s headline in Shanghai was about LaShou paying quadruple salaries to poach group-buy’s managers—an exclusive scoop. This set off a bomb in the old employees’ casual chat group.

We bust our asses off, diligently earning tiny, embarrassing salaries, and you go and spend four times that to poach someone else’s employee—who wouldn’t explode?

Even if unfair treatment existed, most would prefer to voice it privately, afraid to burn bridges completely in case they regretted it after an open confrontation as many are used to safeguarding their future options.

But these LaShou veteran managers weren’t afraid, as group-buy had extended an olive branch to them just days ago, letting them name their price.

Damn, with such an option, who would tolerate being humiliated like this?

“What’s all this shouting about? Quiet down, all of you!” Kang Jingtao hadn’t even grasped the situation yet but posed authoritatively as the head.

Who knew the next second the marketing manager Hu Qiang would burst out angrily, “Kang, you’re the one who should shut up. In your eyes, we’re nothing, right?”

Hearing this, Kang Jingtao was stunned, standing motionless.

Operations manager Lai Yuying couldn’t help but try to smooth things over, “Boss Kang, we really mean no harm. We just hope for a fair and just workplace. We’re not asking for much, just to be paid equally with quadruple salaries like them.”

The other seven managers from group-buy also spoke up, “We’re not asking for much either. Quadruple salaries will be enough.”

“…”

Seeing him hesitate, Hu Qiang sneered disdainfully, then turned to Jiang Tao, “Kid, don’t be so smug. Boss Kang also once offered high salaries to poach employees from Suixin Group, and later each was let go. Do you think you’re an exception?”

Witnessing this scene, Kang Jingtao took a deep breath as though he saw a bullet slowly heading his way.

He still didn’t understand how this bullet was fired or when, but at that moment, he had only one thought.

This is it. We’re falling apart.

As evening fell and darkness began to gather, LaShou’s office had emptied, leaving just the work badges thrown down by old employees scattered around, and Kang Jingtao sitting by the window, unchanging in his position for hours.

He was trying to figure out what exactly happened these past few days, and he started to understand.

Knowing their own managers were being poached, Jiang Qin had deliberately thrust Jiang Tao and Pan Dongzi into the spotlight, forcing their salaries up and causing internal strife amongst the nine.

And before the nine could resolve their differences, the old team members started a new round of disputes over fairness.

It seemed like he did nothing—just a few words to fuel the frustrations of the working folk, and that fire burned right through them.

“Boss Kang, it’s already after hours. Aren’t you leaving?” Zhu Jinfu walked in with his hands behind his back, breaking the silence.

Kang Jingtao turned, “Sorry, Old Zhu. I think I’ve ruined your team.”

“What do you mean ‘think’? Don’t be modest. You did.”

“…”

“Actually, I don’t mind. On the contrary, I should thank you. Ever since group-buy started upgrading, I’ve been panicking, knowing this market would eventually die by my hand. But who knew you’d come along and take the heat. You’re practically a saint.”

??????

Zhu Jinfu pulled up a chair and sat down, “Boss Kang, we were wrong from the start.”

After a pause, Kang Jingtao nodded, “I know.”

“No, you don’t know.”

“What don’t I know?”

“While all websites are busy strangling each other, that college student was doing everything possible to please customers. While everyone else thought about high-end strategies, that student was sheltering those dismissed from street promotions.”

Zhu Jinfu stretched, “Like now, while you try everything to stop group-buy, that student wants us to internally combust.”

Kang Jingtao fell silent, “How does he do it?”

“He simply understands the lower classes better, knows what they truly want, something all high-ranking bosses fail at.”

“So we just lose?”

Zhu Jinfu furrowed his brow, “Are you just going to admit defeat? Where’s your pride, your edge? Is this how a LaShou person should be?”

Kang Jingtao stared at Zhu Jinfu, always seeing him as a nice, non-confrontational man, surprised by his sudden fervor.

“Old brother, do you still see a way to win?”

“Of course.”

Zhu Jinfu spoke earnestly, “I need to hurry and find a way to join group-buy. Don’t wait too long, or they might not want me.”

Kang Jingtao: “…”