37: Chapter 37 Concluding with Zheng Mian, a net profit of 90 million.

In Shanghai, inside a certain second-tier chamber of commerce, several heads of old-school families who had lost offline market share were conspiring to cut off the ground promotion channels for food delivery stations.

The news reached the flat.

Shen Du sat on the sofa, listening to the intelligence report brought back by Chen Fei, without lifting his eyelids.

He did not intend to personally enter the fray to wrestle with this group of people.

Shen Du played the three cards he had just recruited: Young Master Jie, Zhou Wennan, and Zhu Shuyan.

These three traditional second-generation heirs, holding the blueprint given by Shen Du, became the opening blades.

They were not afraid of spending money; they were only afraid of being thrown off the table by the new era.

After the local resources and capital of the three major families were poured in, the model of heavy-asset self-built logistics and e-commerce platforms was supported and launched.

On the streets, delivery riders wearing unified uniforms began to shuttle through the streets and alleys.

E-commerce logistics stations and fresh food front-warehouses spread out in the corners of the city.

Instant fulfillment efficiency and subsidies tore open the dealer channels and physical store barriers of the old-school families.

Those local bullies who attempted to resist found that their moats were vulnerable.

This commercial expansion did not stop in Shanghai. Instead, with Shanghai as the center, it swept across the national map.

December 2010. In the cold wind at the end of the year, the "Meituan" business expanded to second-tier cities across the country.

Quick delivery, e-commerce warehousing, and community grocery shopping were pushed from concept to actual combat.

At the end of December, in the flat, Lin Zimo handed a summary report to Shen Du's desk.

The report showed that the scale of national intra-city logistics and instant consumption driven by the Meituan ecosystem had broken through the 10-billion mark.

This figure was placed on the desks of the high-level officials in Beijing.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Shen Du held a cup of coffee, watching a rider who had just finished a delivery downstairs.

The reason why quick delivery could spread lies in the underlying logic of employment. There was no educational threshold. An electric scooter and a health certificate were enough to start working.

In this era of lagging capital circulation, Shen Du introduced the "daily settlement" and "weekly settlement" models.

In 2010 Shanghai, the average monthly salary was around 4,000. A skilled rider could earn tens to a hundred yuan a day.

Sweat today, get cash today. This kind of capital turnover captured the needs of the bottom layer, pushing this commercial giant ship to advance into deep water areas.

New Year's Day, 2011. Xu Hao walked into Shen Du's study holding a red-headed document.

Beijing issued the first standardized policy document for the quick delivery and instant logistics industry.

It drew a red line: temporary delivery staff should have a guaranteed minimum wage, not lower than the local average income level. Formal employees must be provided with mandatory social insurance and housing provident funds, as well as vocational training. The after-tax base salary must be higher than the city average standard. At the same time, special policy subsidies were allocated for compliant large-scale delivery platforms.

Shen Du flipped through the document. A stick in one hand, a carrot in the other.

With this set of policies, small and medium-sized enterprises that relied on squeezing riders and fighting price wars were cleared out.

On the map of the domestic delivery and local life industry, three companies remained. JD.com, which was deeply engaged in e-commerce logistics; Alibaba, with its grand layout; and Meituan, which had fought its way through a bloody path.

Xu Hao opened the folder and placed a gold-stamped invitation on the table.

In order to implement the policy and establish the pattern, the first "National Delivery and Instant Logistics Industry Conference" would be held at the Shanghai International Convention and Exhibition Center after the New Year.

A gambling table concerning future market share was pushed out. The eyes of various capitals and giants gathered in Shanghai.

Outside in the business world, due to the issuance of policies, changes were happening, and the giants were gearing up for the industry conference.

As the pusher, Shen Du turned a deaf ear to matters outside the window. He didn't even glance at the policy changes.

He sat in the flat gifted by Wang Xing, deep in an Italian leather sofa.

Holding a glass of red wine in his hand, he stared at the multi-screen trading computer in front of him.

The numbers jumping on the screen were the capital that gave him confidence.

The "zhengzhou cotton futures" short squeeze, which had lasted for several months, was escaped at the peak by Shen Du's automatic liquidation program on the eve of the crash. The net was closed and settlement was completed.

After deducting the 5 million withdrawn halfway, Shen Du's initial investment of over 10 million principal, after experiencing 10x leverage and adding positions with floating profits, finally deposited a figure in the account: a net cash profit of 93 million.

"Click." A soft sound broke the silence of the living room.

Lin Zimo, who was responsible for writing the automatic trading program, was staring at the long string of zeros on the screen. His mouth had been open for several minutes.

Shen Du reached out his hand, casually supported his chin, and helped him close his mouth.

Lin Zimo gasped, coming back to his senses.

He turned his head, looked at Shen Du, and his voice trembled: "Shen... Brother Shen!"

"You invested over 10 million, withdrew 5 million in the middle, and in the end, you actually made a net profit of over 93 million?!"

Lin Zimo grabbed his hair with both hands and exclaimed: "I can't believe it! This isn't stock or futures trading; you've basically moved a money printer home!"

Facing Lin Zimo's exclamation, Shen Du's face showed no wild joy after sudden wealth. In this script where he had long foreseen the ending, he showed composure.

He picked up the goblet on the table and took a sip of red wine. His tone was flat: "It's just 90 million, don't make a fuss."

Putting down the wine glass, Shen Du's gaze swept over Lin Zimo and Xu Hao, who was stunned by the numbers, and he gave the order: "You've worked hard during this time." "Leave 3 million from the account as a reward for the three of you."

In this financial harvest, Chen Fei and Xu Hao hadn't done much. Lin Zimo had just typed a few lines of code according to Shen Du's nodes.

In this era at the end of the year when the monthly salary was generally 4,000, a huge sum of 1 million fell from the sky. Xu Hao gasped.

He was not overjoyed, but instead felt panicked: "Shen... Brother Shen, 1 million each?" "Isn't this too much? We don't deserve it..."

"Have some ambition." Shen Du leaned back on the sofa, looking at the two people in front of him with panicked faces, and shook his head.

Immediately after, he threw out his art of managing subordinates: "Look at how you look, like you've never seen the world." "I made 90 million in this game, if I don't even share this mere 3 million in scraps with you..."

Shen Du leaned forward slightly, staring at the two: "How would you be willing to entrust your lives to me and follow me wholeheartedly?"

Facing this kind of open, rough, and direct Machiavellian tactic of "buying people's hearts" from Shen Du, Xu Hao and Lin Zimo felt their blood boiling, and a fanaticism of "a man dies for the one who appreciates him" surged in their chests.

The two said no more. Xu Hao clenched his fists, nodded, and said firmly: "Since Brother Shen has said it to this point, it would be hypocritical for us to decline again!" "Zimo, immediately follow Brother Shen's instructions!"

Just after accepting the huge sum, the quiet atmosphere of the living room was broken by a cell phone ringtone.

Shen Du picked up the Nokia on the table, glanced at the caller ID, and pressed the answer button.

On the other end of the phone, Red Phoenix's voice carried an undisguisable tremor: "Young Master Shen, the stock and futures accounts have been liquidated."

"The principal of 35 million... multiplied by more than ten times, and the absolute cash finally credited is 390 million!"

When Red Phoenix reported this number herself, her breathing stopped for half a second. Immediately after, she said respectfully: "Being able to earn this wealth is entirely due to your guidance."

"I can't take all this money, I'll just keep 100 million for my retirement." "The remaining nearly 300 million... I will send someone to deliver it to you immediately."

A cash offering of 300 million. Shen Du didn't even lift an eyelid and interrupted her: "No need."

He swirled the wine in his goblet, his tone exuding grace: "That you can earn nearly 400 million today is not my credit." "It is because you had the courage to risk your life and follow me to the gambling table!" "If you win, it is what you deserve."

"You don't need to share the money with me, just remember one thing—" Shen Du's voice deepened, carrying pressure: "On this beachhead of Shanghai, help me take care of Chen Fei, and teach him the rules and means here. That is enough."

Shen Du's vision surpassed this short-term windfall of several hundred million. Once Meituan was formed, that would be the super cash cow, which was his true source of confidence.

Before Red Phoenix could express her loyalty again, Shen Du hung up the phone. He threw the phone on the sofa, looking at the two brothers in front of him with eyes burning with fanaticism. A smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright, look at how tense you all are." Shen Du stood up, drank the red wine in his cup in one gulp, and waved his hand: "We just made a huge profit from the capital market, tonight we drink until we drop!"

"Let's go, target Lanting Mansion, tonight I'll pay for everything!" "Don't forget to call Chen Fei."

"Long live Brother Shen!!" In this flat, Lin Zimo's cheers rang out.