Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 33 Do you have a Taobao account?
8 hours ago, in Hangzhou.

Long table meeting.

The square-faced alien sitting in the middle stroked his chin, his eyes scanning his subordinates at the table. After a while, he raised his hand and patted the table.

"The last item on the agenda for today's meeting is about this update from Taobao. Mr. Wu, you are the technical officer and you are also in charge of the design. Tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Wu Jiong, the CTO next to him, clicked his tongue and looked down at his pen.

“Uh… that post on the forum does have some similarities to ours, but I checked and the marketing department submitted their proposal earlier than that post. It might just be a coincidence. I think we should let this matter cool down.”

"Hmph." Jack Ma laughed.

"I've seen that plan. I've been studying it for half a month, and it's incredibly rough. I've also seen that post. Can you honestly say that you didn't copy anything in this update?"

Today, Lao Cai called from Hong Kong. He also knew about this matter and even mocked me, asking if my innovative spirit and original aspirations were still intact. The newest person here is an Alibaba employee born in 99. From the beginning of our company to today, we have all the necessary departments, but in reality, when something happens, we still have to come up with solutions together.

I'm thinking about a question now: Why do we, with 1700 employees at Alibaba, need to copy a Taobao store's solution?

Is there laziness in the creative department? Are they just lying around thinking randomly every day, waiting for others to come up with solutions?

We've only just surpassed eBay, and there are fierce competition outside. It's not time for us to take a nap!
This matter deserves our deep reflection. Caishen (God of Wealth), Taobao will be working overtime starting today. Linghuchong (Linghuchong), the group's marketing department will also assist. We need to conduct a comprehensive overhaul to address the current technical problems and functional deficiencies of Taobao. We will conduct our final update of 04 before New Year's Day. Before then, I hope everyone will work diligently and forge ahead, passing on the original spirit of Alibaba!

After saying this, Mr. Ma slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and stormed off.

The noisy conference room was left behind.

The long table was occupied by the group's long-time employees and leaders, but the young people sitting around the wall outside the table were not; they were whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

"What does the chairman mean? That store credit rating scheme is pretty good, and it needs to be updated again... Should we still use it?"

"Foolish, of course we have to use it! The chairman didn't say the plan was no good, he just said the people weren't good enough. As Mr. Wu said, we can just let this go, but the days ahead... won't be easy!"

"Hey, what was the company spirit that the chairman mentioned earlier? I've heard him mention it a few times."

The question made everyone around laugh.

"What else could it be? Overtime! Back in the day, even the company's veterans slept on the floor at the company!"

"I rely on!"

The atmosphere gradually became noisy. After the group's veterans left, Sun Tongyu, the "God of Wealth," was still sitting at the conference table. He hadn't left, nor had the Taobao executives. He looked around and then slapped the table.

"Work overtime! Everyone prepare to work overtime! We guarantee no rest on Saturday, but we can't guarantee rest on Sunday!"

A cry of wailing.

boom.

He slammed his hand on the table again.

"Let's arrange the work. Ake, you're in operations. Regarding the content of that post, the membership system value, and the payment points, I think it's good. However, the post doesn't go into enough detail. Let's dig deeper ourselves. The chairman has set New Year's Day, and there are still 40 days until then. Let's set 20 days. If we can't produce a single effective update in 20 days, everyone's bonus will be deducted!"

"Okay." Ake nodded lightly at the table.

Those around them, however, were on the verge of tears.

……

chongqing.

Chen Xuebing, who single-handedly got everyone at Taobao to work overtime and shoulder the pressure of bonuses, also worked overtime and stayed up all night.

He couldn't understand why his pictures, which clearly met all the specifications, still failed to pass the review even after being uploaded more than ten times.

After browsing the forum again, I found that other merchants could easily list their products. After uploading, they didn't need to do anything and the products were automatically approved within a few hours. However, his products seemed to be given special treatment. Every time he uploaded a product, it was rejected in less than 20 minutes. The fastest time was when he was notified of the failure of the review in just one minute, without any reason given.

I feel like I've been set up, but I have no proof.

It's just a picture from a mobile phone, how could it be considered pornographic?
He zoomed in on each picture, even checking the reflections on the phone screen, and found absolutely no problems.

He was exhausted when he walked out of the internet cafe.

Damn it, they created a credit rating system but didn't offer any rewards. At least he could use his past life's experience to gain more traffic.

What the hell is going on?! They won't let me put it on the shelves!

Go home and sleep!
……

In a daze.

When Chen Xuebing opened his eyes, he noticed that the pillow was vibrating.

I reached under the pillow and found my phone. It was an unfamiliar number. I answered it.

"Um...who is it?"

"This is Xin Mengzhen. It's four o'clock. Are you still sleeping? Are you going to apply the medicine or not?"

Chen Xuebing touched his forehead, feeling like he hadn't woken up at all, and started grumbling, "Maybe I shouldn't wipe it off... I'll sleep a little longer, I've been up all night."

"No, come quickly."

“Emm…” Chen Xuebing propped himself up on the bed and sat up, feeling completely unwell. “Okay, okay, I’m coming.”

I hung up the phone, got up, and washed up.

Hearing the commotion, Yu Chunyan came in from the outer cubicle.

"Xuebing, you're only back this early in the morning. Where did you stay last night?"

Chen Xuebing grabbed a toothbrush and muttered as he brushed his teeth, "Didn't I tell you? I'm at an internet cafe, not at a girl's house. Don't worry about it."

Yu Chunyan, however, still frowned and asked with concern, "Have you finished with your online mobile phone shop? You're in your final year of high school now. I called your uncle last night, and he told me that your teacher, Mr. Guo, cares about you a lot. He also said that you've been doing well in your studies recently and have a chance to go to university. If not, Mom will still buy you a computer so you can work on it at home! You still have to come home tonight! If you have the chance, you should still go to university. I'm telling you, you have to be a university student..."

Chen Xuebing had already finished brushing his teeth, but Yu Chunyan was still nagging.

My mother's nagging is fragmented and disorganized.

"Alright, alright, stop nagging, Mom. I'm going to go back to school now. The business is all settled, so don't worry about me, okay?"

Chen Xuebing stopped what he was doing and gave his mother an OK sign.

Yu Chunyan remained silent for a long time before nodding.

Her son is able to study and earn money; as long as she manages one of them well, it will be enough to bring her comfort.

In addition, Yu Chunyin said that Chen Xuebing also has talent in engineering, which means there is a third way out.

Seeing her son packing his bag to leave, Yu Chunyan quickly added, "Study hard!"

There are countless paths to take, but this is still the first choice for mothers.

"got it!"

……

When Chen Xuebing arrived at the school by taxi, it was already 4:20.

The weather was gloomy and windy today. Xin Mengzhen was carrying a bag and wearing a white cotton coat, standing under the school gate pillar.

She paired it with jeans and white ankle boots that covered her ankles, showing off her slender figure.

Just as Chen Xuebing was about to go over and ask her if she was cold, she raised her hand first, waved a bag in her hand, and smiled slightly.

"For you."

Chen Xuebing stared blankly at the thing in her hand.

It was a semi-transparent packaging bag, the shape of which was clearly visible. Inside was a cup containing a dark liquid, and the outside of the bag was covered with a thick layer of frost.

"Iced... iced milk tea? Drinking something iced in this weather?"

Xin Mengzhen smiled and said, "They're not so cold anymore, they've melted."

Chen Xuebing had three gray lines on his head.

It's melted? Is this ice slurry?
Having seen all sorts of milk teas from later generations, he took the bag with a puzzled look, took out the cup inside, and discovered that it was indeed a cup of milk tea. Moreover, the cup inside was an extra-large cup, with thick packaging and a semi-circular lid, which was very different from the thin milk tea cups with flat lids commonly used in milk tea shops these days. It was two sizes larger.

"Your uncle... brought you milk tea again?"

Xin Mengzhen was not satisfied with his question and frowned, saying, "Drink it quickly, I brought it especially for you."

Chen Xuebing didn't suspect anything. These days, such exquisite milk tea is rare. He inserted a straw and drank it.

"How does it taste?" Xin Mengzhen asked, her hands behind her back, looking expectant.

"Mmm." Chen Xuebing chewed a couple of times, nodded, waved for her to go inside, and after a moment, commented:
"It's alright, but the meatballs aren't very good. They're hard and tough. Next time I buy from them, I won't order the meatballs."

Xin Mengzhen burst out laughing.

"Who said it didn't taste good? It was delicious when it was first brought here. You just arrived too late."

Chen Xuebing was speechless. Women are so petty. It's only 20 minutes late, and you're talking to me about some ghost story.

The two walked all the way to the cafeteria.

There weren't many suitable places to apply medicine on campus, so the two of them discussed it and remembered the second floor of the cafeteria. No one usually went there; it was where the school's military band practiced, but you had to go up the stairs inside the cafeteria to get there.

Not many people are outside in this weather, but there are quite a few people in the cafeteria.

"Soldier!"

"Chen Xuebing!"

Many people greeted Chen Xuebing. Some of his "younger brothers" hadn't seen him in a while and were about to stop and chat with him, but seeing Xin Mengzhen beside him, they all tactfully left. Xin Mengzhen is the reclusive type, usually dressing in neutral, oversized clothes, and rarely even wearing jeans. Today, her outfit, which only highlighted her long legs, already made her stand out.

Has anyone witnessed a girl suddenly become beautiful after changing her appearance during their school days?

Xin Mengzhen is beautiful even without dressing up; she has a long ponytail and is the type of campus goddess.

With a little feminine touch, showcasing her features and figure, she would be the kind of beauty suitable for walking the red carpet and being photographed by the media.

She's clearly very suited to wearing dresses, but her personality is a bit stubborn.

However, Chen Xuebing thought this was fine too, allowing for gradual development.

Xin Mengzhen was completely unaware of the "confidence" hidden beneath Chen Xuebing's gentle smile when he looked at her. She would also occasionally observe whether he had any signs of an upset stomach, and smile at him whenever their eyes met.

Both of them harbored some unspoken schemes that they didn't want the other to know.

Once they reached the second floor and entered a large hall, Xin Mengzhen began to chat.

"Where did you go to stock up on goods? And you're staying up all night?"

"Online, in internet cafes."

Chen Xuebing found a stool, sat down, and took off his coat.

“Oh…” Xin Mengzhen nodded slightly, realizing that Chen Xuebing was not lying. When he said he was optimistic about the internet, he really meant he was planning to do business on the internet.

"How did it go? eBay or Taobao?" She had tried online shopping before and couldn't help but wonder how online sellers did business.

"...Taobao is not very good."

Mentioning this gives Chen Xuebing a major headache again.

He was certain he was being targeted, but he didn't know exactly how, and he had no recourse.

Could it be that Taobao doesn't want him to operate on its platform anymore because he copied his work?

What the hell? Such a big website, and such a narrow-minded perspective?

The moment Xin Mengzhen mentioned eBay, Chen Xuebing considered switching to eBay, since eBay still held nearly half of the market share.

But eBay's model is too cruel to merchants. Not only does it lack a payment software, but he also saw complaints from eBay sellers who had switched to Taobao on Taobao forums. eBay charges "product listing fees," "product recommendation fees," and "merchant searchability fees" for listing products. Moreover, the servers are in the United States, the internet speed is extremely slow, and it is often inaccessible.

Chinese people have never actually rejected foreign products when choosing internet products, but the management of these foreign companies is really out of touch with reality.

"What's wrong?" Xin Mengzhen noticed Chen Xuebing's anxiety.

Chen Xuebing turned to look at Xin Mengzhen, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

"Hey, do you have a Taobao account?"

"Ah? Yes."

Have you shopped?

"Yes, I have."

Chen Xuebing hesitated again, then asked tentatively, "Could you... do me a favor and register a Taobao merchant account?"

Xin Mengzhen tilted her head, puzzled.

Chen Xuebing sighed and recounted what had happened the previous night, but did not mention the reason.

Xin Mengzhen listened as she applied the medicine to him.

"Really? You think the platform is targeting you?"

Chen Xuebing hesitated and said, "I'm not sure either, so I can only try creating a new account."

Using a different account to contact my mom is obviously not appropriate; explaining and handling the process would be quite troublesome, and she would definitely still worry.

It's best to choose from friends who are willing to help.

As for who to choose, he doesn't care, as long as he can trust them. If Xin Mengzhen disagrees, he'll just go with his brothers.

Since Taobao doesn't require a business license anyway, he plans for his group of brothers to become Taobao sellers in the future.

How much traffic can one account generate? He wants to create a matrix of accounts and promote each other.

Of course, we need to have a test run first.

"Okay, when?"

Xin Mengzhen agreed without much hesitation.

Chen Xuebing was somewhat surprised: "The procedures aren't too complicated, but I still need to use your bank card, so I might have to bother you quite often in the future."

“It’s okay,” Xin Mengzhen agreed even faster this time. “But can you teach me? I want to learn.”

“No problem.” Chen Xuebing knew she was interested: “However, there are some differences between Taobao and cross-border trade platforms. Taobao’s foreign trade is just starting out and is not mature yet. Given your company’s scale, I still recommend Amazon for now. It’s more convenient to use in Hong Kong.”

“You’re overthinking it. I want to start my own small business after I go to university!” Xin Mengzhen finally refuted Chen Xuebing’s wishful thinking and talked about her thoughts on the future: “My father and uncle are the ones who will take over the family business. They are only in their forties. How could it be my turn as a girl? I want to make a living on my own. And… I want to study finance in university.”

Chen Xuebing slapped his forehead, feeling both amused and exasperated.

That's true, his father is still working hard in Chongqing, and he has a grandfather to rely on.

"You and Yang Qingyue are both planning to study finance? I've heard her mention it," Chen Xuebing asked curiously.

Xin Mengzhen smiled and said, "Yes, I made an appointment with her."

Chen Xuebing raised his eyebrows.

They do have a very good relationship.

We're still working together at home...

Tsk tsk, it seems I was reborn as a fake, without the aura of being surrounded by beautiful women.

His views on love are rather detached. In his previous life, he had no unforgettable romantic partners, and his marriage was somewhat of a compromise. Reborn at the age of 18, he has some expectations for love, but not many.

He's someone who's hard to get completely emotional; with less of that emotional side, his choices are more pragmatic.

If he couldn't have both Xin Mengzhen and Yang Qingyue, he would choose Xin Mengzhen, because Yang Qingyue probably wouldn't be enough to make him very proactive.

But Yang Qingyue is indeed a good girl. When she was shy and timid towards him, he did feel a bit possessive.

An older man can confront the filth in his heart; he may want everything, but he must be realistic about it.

"By the way, the application process is quite complicated. How about we get it done in a bit? Can you come with me to an internet cafe? ...I'll find a nice one, it should only take about half an hour to get it done."

Chen Xuebing was a little embarrassed as he spoke, saying that it was indeed very inappropriate to send a girl like Xin Mengzhen to a place filled with smoke and constant profanity.

Xin Mengzhen frowned at first, then shook her head: "Let's go to my house."

For the first time, Chen Xuebing was surprised at how easy it was to enter and leave a wealthy family.

"Are you really that free? Your dad's still not back?!"

"Freedom?" Xin Mengzhen sighed, then said with a hint of a joke, "That's obviously a sad topic for me."

Chen Xuebing chuckled, raised his hand, and said in broken Cantonese, "I'm sorry."

Xin Mengzhen rolled her eyes and took out a packet of medicine from her backpack.

"Can't you stop doing this kind of business by always going to internet cafes? It's very unsafe to log in to online banking outside of internet cafes!"

Chen Xuebing rolled up his sleeves and smiled as well:
"This is obviously a sad topic for me too. If you can afford a computer, who would want to go outside?"

Xin Mengzhen chuckled: "Sorry."

"Hiss," Chen Xuebing seemed to hear the sound of wind chimes, and said with satisfaction, "Your Cantonese sounds really nice."

People who grew up in the 80s watched too many Cantonese movies, so they have little resistance to a beautiful woman who speaks Cantonese.

I just started applying the medicine to my back.

"Soldier! Soldier!"

A group of people came up, shouting and looking around.

Xin Mengzhen hurriedly let go of his hand, but Chen Xuebing didn't have time to put down the clothes he had lifted.

When Gou Hongyi, who was at the front, saw this, his eyes lit up.

He immediately greeted Xin Mengzhen with a loud and unrestrained "Hello, sister-in-law!"

Lu Yiwen, who was behind them, tugged at Gou Hongyi and whispered, "You're fucking talking nonsense! Don't you know who 'sister-in-law' is?"

Gou Hongyi gave a forced smile: "What do you know!"

They all felt their voices were too soft.

But this is the lobby.

The kind of voice that echoes when you speak.

The sound reached Chen Xuebing and Xin Mengzhen's ears, and Xin Mengzhen's expression turned somewhat strange.

Gou Hongyi also realized something was wrong, and immediately grinned at Xin Mengzhen, "Sorry, we just like to joke around. Sister-in-law, what are you and my brother doing?"

(End of this chapter)