The numbers told the story.
Super Rebate Phase 1:
Day 1: 10.37 million in sales.
Day 2: 5.37 million.
Day 3: 2.48 million.
On that second day, Phase 2 launched, pushing the first wave's items down the rankings to make room for fresh traffic.
Super Rebate Phase 2:
Day 1: 8.93 million.
Day 2: 4.92 million.
Day 3: 3.01 million.
The model wasn't just working; it was exploding. Success bred more success. The phones on the second floor of the Startup Park rang incessantly. Li Hui and the newly expanded business development team were drowning in opportunity, their voices hoarse from negotiation, their eyes glazed from spreadsheets, but their spirits fired by the sheer, tangible potential of their commissions.
"Mr. Zhang, it's Li Hui from FoxTao. On that commission for your top seller—60% is the workable number. Joyoung got that rate last promo. At 50%, our category ops will reject it. Let's not waste each other's time, yeah?"
Around him, the scene was replicated a dozen times over—urging merchants, finalizing selections, battling over percentages, shepherding applications through the approval pipeline. The machine was hungry, needing over 100 flash-sale items daily from at least 30 different brands. The pressure was on the recruiters most of all.
The official hours were 9-to-5. Reality was 8 AM to 9:30 PM. But when a single successful brand campaign could mean a 2,000 RMB commission landing in your account—pure, found money—who was complaining?
Category operators like Hu Li and Xu Kun watched, green with envy, dreaming of switching to the biz-dev gold rush.
Chen Yansen observed it all. After December, he thought, another salary adjustment. Necessary. But manageable.
The four pillars of FoxTao—9.9 Deals, Search Cashback, Mall Rebates, and Super Rebates—were now generating nearly 2 million RMB in daily revenue. After tech and ad costs, a cool 1.2 million in profit remained.
What was a salary bump compared to that? No company ever went broke from paying people well.
Xu Dan approached, resume in hand. "Brother Sen. An interviewee. From Yixun Network. Experience is okay, but his merchant resource list in home furnishings and department stores is solid."
"Couldn't poach a Taobao category manager?" Chen Yansen asked out of habit.
"We offered 10,000 RMB base. They still said no," Xu Dan replied with a helpless shrug.
Chen Yansen nodded. He'd underestimated the market. Top-tier platform staff lived in a different financial universe. But that was fine. He wasn't looking for superstars; he was building an army of hungry, resourceful soldiers. A category assistant with solid merchant contacts was perfect—and cheaper.
"Find more like him," Chen Yansen instructed, taking the resume.
Yuan Wei. Mathematics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Joined Yixun, 2007…
The name pinged a deep, old memory. A smile touched Chen Yansen's lips. Young Yuan Wei. In another life, they'd been colleagues, then friends. Yuan Wei had been the gossipy veteran who'd clued a younger Chen Yansen in on the industry's dirty secrets—like the latex mattress scam. His career had been a tour of China's internet giants before Chen Yansen finally brought him into Feiyu Tech.
Now, here he was, nervous in an interview chair.
Chen Yansen walked into the interview room. Yuan Wei, looking every bit the eager job-seeker, launched into his rehearsed spiel. "Hello! Yuan Wei. Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Mathematics. Three years of category operations experience, specializing in home furnishings and general merchandise…"
Chen Yansen let him finish, amused by the earnestness. "Your last job was in Shanghai. Can you adapt to Xucheng?"
"Absolutely. My hometown is in Jingchu. I believe in FoxTao's prospects. The location is worth the move." Yuan Wei's answer was direct, his hands clasped tightly.
"When can you start?"
"A month's notice at Yixun, but I can negotiate it down to two weeks!"
Chen Yansen stood and extended his hand. "I'm Chen Yansen. Welcome to FoxTao."
The deja vu was profound. Another thread from his past life, rewoven into this new tapestry. In that other timeline, Yuan Wei had come to him, weary from the grind at Pinduoduo. Here, he was arriving years early, his path irrevocably changed. Better for him, Chen Yansen decided. A few hundred thousand RMB a year here beat a cramped apartment and corporate slog any day.
Back at his desk, a chat window popped up from Song Yuncheng. "The Jiushen.com application form?"
"Have Hu Li review it. She handles food and beverage."
"She did. But she doesn't know the Moutai market. Wants your final sign-off."
Moutai? Now that was interesting.
He opened the spreadsheet. The flash-sale items were highlighted in urgent red and yellow.
The first entry leaped out:
53° Feitian Moutai. Price: 1499 RMB. Commission: 40%.
A quick mental calculation put Jiushen.com's cost around 900 RMB—a full 199 RMB under MSRP. Compared to the 1500-1600 RMB scalper prices on secondary markets… the margin was delicious.
"Only 200 bottles for the flash sale?" Chen Yansen mused. "Not enough to move the needle." He turned to Song Yuncheng. "Negotiate. We want 1,000 bottles total. Bump the standard product commission to 40%. Offer them a 500,000 RMB marketing resource package in return."
"I'll try," Song Yuncheng nodded, picking up her phone.
Chen Yansen scanned the rest: 43° Fenjiu, Château Lafite packs, Château Barton—12 flash-sale items in total. Jiushen.com was thinking like Metersbonwe: better to invest in a potent partner than burn money on vague brand ads.
Minutes later, Song Yuncheng returned. "They agreed. They want the resource package details."
"Modify the Metersbonwe proposal and send it. Tag it at 500,000."
Leaning back, Chen Yansen surveyed his domain. Over 70 employees packed six startup units. The hum of productivity was a physical sound. Chen Xu and Zhang Yifeng were back from Shanghai, their roles solidified within the growing beast of FoxTao.
He ran the numbers in his head. At this growth rate, the biz-dev team's commissions alone would surpass 1 million RMB next month.
One million yuan… His mind translated it into the only currency that truly mattered to him now.
That's 100 points for the System.
Enough to boost his Physique from 1.67 to 2.67—edging breathtakingly close to the absolute peak of human potential.
A slow, anticipatory smile spread across his face. The business was a vehicle. The empire he was building? Just the fuel.
The real upgrade was yet to come.