Chapter 522: New Encrypted Vocabulary

Honestly, getting to know someone is not a problem.

When you bump into them, you greet each other, and if you hit it off, you’ll become friends.

All acquaintanceships in the world likely start this way.

But is Jiang Ainan someone you can just decide to meet? You’d need to book ten months in advance, try several times daily, and diligently nurture the connection, and even then, it might not be successful.

Some robust individuals, like myself, find it easy to keep making these appointments, driven by youthful ardor and spirit.

“Wanting to get to know Jiang Ainan is not an easy task.”

Jiang Qin held a rolled-up contract, displaying a particularly intimidating expression while looking very serious.

Feng Nanshu mimicked him, puffing up her little face, “I’ll know him later.”

“Smack…”

Jiang Qin lightly tapped her forehead, “You know nothing and dare to speak so confidently.”

Feng Nanshu pouted, looking at him, “I’ll ask Wang Haini to teach me.”

“Why consult a stranger about something between good friends?”

“You said I don’t understand.”

“You shouldn’t learn from her; her interest is purely in making appointments. Even if she secures one, she probably wouldn’t dare to meet.”

Jiang Qin insightfully discerned the truth about platonic friendships, “How about this, behave, and… if there’s a chance later, I’ll teach you.”

He tried to sound casual about the latter part, as if it weren’t a big deal, just something that could be taught.

Feng Nanshu raised her delicate face, her moist eyes quietly watching him, “Brother, you’re somewhat cheeky.”

“?”

Jiang Qin turned, staring at her, “Do you now know how to book? Well, Feng Nanshu, you’ve picked up quite a bit recently!”

Little rich girl stood straight, justifying herself, “I don’t know, but your look is somewhat cheeky.”

“That makes me feel like giving you a spanking.”

“I don’t want that.”

Jiang Qin pulled her to his side and then began molding her dainty face into various cute expressions.

In the late summer afternoon, a breeze started at Linchuan University, making the temperature slightly cooler.

With the sound of a gathering whistle, the PE class of class three and four was about to end, and everyone began packing up their gear.

Gao Wenhui also packed up her racket, then saw Feng Nanshu coming over with a rather pleased, albeit aloof, expression.

“What did you and Jiang Qin do just now? You seem quite happy.”

“Just chatting.”

Gao Wenhui was curious, “Can chatting alone make you this happy? What did you talk about?”

Feng Nanshu squinted, “Appointments.”

“What kind? A concert?”

“No.”

“Then what? An elective course?”

“Not that either.”

“Feng Nanshu, you two are using cryptic communication again. It’s hard for me to understand!”

Feng Nanshu shook her head, carrying her racket and dashed out of the gym.

Jiang Qin had left the gym earlier, returned to his dorm, took a quick shower, then lay on his bed with thoughts scurrying around like little crystals all over the place.

This batch of crystal thoughts was similar to when he bought a friend’s house and arranged his room, only this time it felt more intense.

It was actually quite normal; after all, in his mind, he was already someone in his forties, desiring friendships to scurry around wasn’t strange.

Jiang Qin thought for a long time, then suddenly sat up, stared at the bedsheets for a while, stood up, and shook them out on the balcony.

Young master Cao and his friends skipped PE class, sneaked out through the fire exit, enjoying over two hours at the internet café, and had just returned to the dorm.

Seeing Jiang Qin’s odd behavior, the three were baffled.

“Old Jiang, what are you doing?”

“Shaking off bone dust.”

Cao Guangyu showed a puzzled expression, “What did you do on the bed to have bone dust?”

Jiang Qin kept shaking, looking back, “That’s all my once iron-clad bones.”

“?”

“Crazy.”

“Naughty nephew, how do you speak to your uncle?”

“Go away!”

Hengtong Freight had accepted investment from Group-buy in early August, now expanding to strengthen the supply chain with both sides cooperating efficiently.

Now, Cao’s dad would call Jiang Qin ‘little brother,’ so young master Cao is effectively just a nephew.

But expansion wasn’t an overnight success, even with investment, some things still required time.

Like Cao’s dad, who started from scratch with just a fleet of vehicles, their established companies lacked strict structures and systems.

Currently, the Human Resources department at Group-buy was assisting Hengtong Freight with internal upgrades, striving for rational corporate operations.

This was foundational; all companies aiming for larger scales needed to start with standardization.

Besides internal restructuring, a trial run of the first fruit and vegetable supply chain using Shanghai and Kyoto as test points had commenced.

The field staff, after signing contracts with local suppliers, would prepare the Group-buy warehouses independently, then entrust the cargo management team at Hengtong Freight to handle the loading and transportation.

During this phase of goods transportation, community leaders would advance daily specials with promotional offers.

For instance, direct sales of certain fruits, available for a limited time on a first-come, first-served basis, would accumulate substantial orders before being packaged and distributed.

The other portion would be delivered to Mr. Fresh’s fruit supermarkets for offline sales, significantly speeding up product turnover.

By now, the expensive community group-buying routes started shifting from losses to profits.

By late September, nearing the October holiday, Deng Yuan returned from abroad to update Jiang Qin on current progress.

“We’ve reached agreements with about eight suppliers, and six villages have signed guaranteed purchase agreements with us since we don’t press for low prices like other distributors, which made negotiations pleasant.”

“I always wondered why so many local fruits rotted unsold, yet fruits in big cities remain absurdly expensive?”

“Only when I went to establish partnerships did I realize how ruthlessly these brokerage companies buy low and sell high.”

Seated in the conference room, Jiang Qin spoke after hearing Deng Yuan’s report, “We might start a farmer-support project later.”

“Okay, boss,” Deng Yuan nodded.

“It’s rare for you to come back, maybe take a few more days off.”

“Let’s not rest yet, we’ve already scheduled with another company, let’s wait until we’re totally done before taking a break.”

As the supply chain was gradually established, the cost of community group buying was reduced, enhancing the offers, which in turn increased user activity.

Hence, Group-buy both in-store and carefully selected versions attained substantial customer traffic, growing even more vigorously.

Now, the Group-buy field promotion department hardly needed to seek partnerships; numerous brands approached daily, actively seeking cooperation.

However, to control the quality of these stores, Jiang Qin carefully managed the volume of merchants, signing initially with some whose services and reputations were good.

On the October first holiday, Chen Jiaxin at Dianping Headquarters watched the new stores that Group-buy had listed and fell silent.

These merchants, highly popular on Dianping, had now switched to Group-buy.

“Previously, group-buying websites scrambled to sign these merchants, but Group-buy is indeed choosy, already starting to select.”

Zhang Li pursed his lips, “The market has become accustomed, after all, and Group-buy has a multitude of consumers.”

Chen Jiaxin closed the webpage, “With fewer merchants, there’s less choice, users will dislike it, and without users, no merchants will want to sign. Jiang Qin has really forced us into a vicious cycle by his own actions.”

“Yes, his business model is indeed tough to counter.”

“Have they started handling the supply chain now?”

Zhang Li nodded at the inquiry, “Yes, they’ve already started the trial operations.”

“He’s already ensuring his victory, laying the groundwork for future development paths.”

Chen Jiaxin looked at the window’s blue and yellow posters, feeling a bit powerless inside.

How to say it? Group-buy’s industrial scale and even its model is no longer the simple group-buying from before.

As long as Group-buy continues developing its current industries nationwide, relying on the fertile ground of the life services sector, the future might add a ‘P’ to BAT.

So far, Dianping is still operating in Kyoto, but clearly struggling.

In group-buying, if merchants and consumers both leave, revival is hardly conceivable; significant resources and capital would need diverting to develop in second-tier cities.

Nevertheless, their boss hasn’t given up on Kyoto; as if keeping a team there means they haven’t completely lost the top-tier market.

During the extended October holiday, as temperatures slightly dropped, the tourism market began booming.

For this, Alipay and Group-buy jointly devised a special marketing plan targeting the travel surge.

Using Alipay for purchases on the Group-buy store section grants a twenty percent cashback, the more you spend, the more you get back.

Thus, the user base for both apps began to surge.

These users, mostly transient from smaller cities visiting large cities, would return post-holiday.

Leveraging the golden travel week to cultivate their spending habits early, future market penetration will become seamlessly smooth.

As once people get used to convenient services, turning back becomes difficult.

“We traveled to Shanghai; Group-buy is really hot now, every store features their posters, even napkin boxes are branded with their logo.”

“Went around for a bit, seems like just firing up the Group-buy app sorts everything.”

In the deep night, Jian Chun, Song Qingqing, Jiang Tian, and Zhuang Chen checked into a Shanghai hotel and immediately began chatting loudly in a WeChat group.

It wasn’t just them boosting Group-buy; they genuinely felt it had almost moved the entire city online.

For directions, you can directly use their GIS services; for dining, immediate nearby restaurant recommendations areat hand.

Apart from needing cash at a convenience store, all their travel needs were met with just a smartphone.

The earlier unfamiliarity of traveling in other cities vanished, with just a few clicks revealing the best local dishes.

“I think making money is secondary; Jiang Qin is really starting to change the world.”

As Jian Chun sent this last message, Zhuang Chen in the next room groaned, frantically doing push-ups.

He wanted to counter a few points—like, isn’t that an exaggeration, or is this really changing the world? But after typing everything out, Zhuang Chen lacked the courage to hit send.

Because this trip to Shanghai had shocked him too, especially one morning when he went to buy breakfast for the girls next door.

Seeing the continuous stream of Group-buy delivery trucks passing through the still-empty intersection, diverging in different directions, was truly hair-raising.

This feeling differed from school; it was a societal impact.

Zhuang Chen sat up from bed, dressed, and went downstairs to buy some bottled water and snacks, heading to Jian Chun’s door.

Although he might not excel in certain aspects like Jiang Qin, he had his own comforting ways.

Knock-knock-knock—

Zhuang Chen knocked on Jian Chun’s door, “Got you some water and snacks in case you get hungry or thirsty tonight.”

Jian Chun was surprised, “No need, we bought some.”

“We’ve always been together; when did you buy them?”

“Staying at a Group-buy hotel, the nearby convenience store delivers for free.”

Just as Jian Chun spoke, Zhuang Chen heard Song Qingqing yell, “Ouch, lighter please,” his expression instantly changing, “What are you guys doing?”

“Staying at a Group-buy hotel you can get door-to-door massage services. I didn’t like it much, so I ordered a nail service.”

“Oh, I see…”

Zhuang Chen held the water and snacks, feeling a bit off, but still kept smiling.

And it wasn’t just them traveling over the holiday; Pan Xiu, Liu Xiaojun, and several other girls from their class were also out.

They didn’t go to Shanghai, but to Kyoto instead. They just had dinner and are now waiting for a bus, with a joint advertisement for Group-Buy and Alipay right behind them.

“Traveling used to be like walking in the dark, knowing nothing. Now, with Group-Buy, everything’s sorted.”

Pan Xiu also shares her thoughts in the chat: “The five of us spent around six hundred today, got back about a hundred and twenty in rebates. It’s like we had dinner for free.”

Zhang Guangfa has been lying in the dorm all day. Just after feeling comfortable, he feels empty and sore: “You can get a rebate on spending?”

“Yes, the activity description says that in the four major first-tier cities, every order can get a 20% rebate.”

Jiang Qin: “Don’t just go for the freebies, try Dianping across the street!”

Zhang Guangfa hastily flips over: “If I knew, I’d have gone with them; seems like it wouldn’t cost much!”

Jiang Qin: “What are you even saying? If you’re really my brother, show some strength without using vouchers!”

Four thousand characters for today, just one chapter. Heading back tomorrow.