Reborn in Russia as a Big Shot

60. Digging into the corner of Dangdang.com

When Ruan Junying returned home for the Spring Festival, the road to his impoverished hometown was impassable. His father picked him up at the station in a donkey cart, carrying a lot of things, large and small bags. However, his girlfriend did not come back with him.

He was the only person in the surrounding villages to have a master's degree from overseas, and after graduation he even became a cadre in the city, which can be considered as bringing honor to his ancestors.

Ruan Junying was preoccupied with her work and prepared to return home after only a few days. Before leaving, she went to the home of her childhood sweetheart, Chen Chunmei.

"Brother Junying, my sister came back on the second day of the Lunar New Year and stayed at home for one day." Chen Qiucao looked nervous when she saw Ruan Junying enter the door, and her words were a little stammering.

"I'm not looking for your sister, I'm here to find you." When Ruan Junying first went abroad to study, she was still in contact with Chen Chunmei and they often corresponded.

Later, it gradually stopped.

Chen Chunmei married into the neighboring village three years ago without informing him.

"Junying is here."

"Uncle, Aunt, I've come to wish you a Happy New Year," Ruan Junying greeted politely.

"What are you bringing? Come in and sit down. Your aunt and I were talking about you yesterday."

Mr. and Mrs. Chen remained as warm as ever, but times had changed, and Ruan Junying was a little uneasy.

"Have a drink." Chen Qiucao ran over and grabbed a can of cola.

Ruan Junying took the drink and placed it on the table without opening it. He cleared his throat and said, "Uncle, to make a long story short, I have a foreign businessman classmate who has come to Vietnam to invest and is now hiring. If Xiaocao wants to work in the city, I can recommend her to give it a try."

"Large companies that make internet products."

"The treatment must be pretty good, right?" Mr. Chen asked.

Ruan Junying said, "He definitely earns more than me."

Chen's mother was a little worried, "Xiaocao dropped out of high school and went to work for a foreign company. Can she handle it?"

Mr. Chen: "Junying already said that he is his classmate. Based on that relationship, it's almost certain that he'll get the job."

Ruan Junying quickly said, "I'm just helping to recommend the company. Whether it works out or not depends on Xiaocao herself. But their requirements aren't high. As long as she's responsible and hardworking, that's fine. There are no educational restrictions."

"What exactly does the job entail?" Chen Qiucao asked.

"Do you know about online shopping? They have to connect with merchants in Vietnam to sell their products to Russia. They have to travel frequently to visit each manufacturer, which is quite tiring."

"Making money is never easy," Mr. Chen said, quite satisfied.

Ruan Junying stood up and said, "Uncle, Aunt, I'll be leaving now that I've finished talking. You can take your time to think it over. Once you've made up your mind, just have my dad give me a call."

"No need to think about it, it's settled then. Whenever you go back to the city, let Xiaocao go with you."

"No need to rush. It won't be easy for her to come back after she goes to the city. Let her spend more time with you and go over for the formal interview."

After sending Ruan Junying away, Chen's mother still felt uneasy.

"Getting a job at a foreign company? Is it really that easy? I hope they're not some bad person."

Mr. Chen rolled his eyes at his wife and said, "What do you know, you're just a woman? Junying is in charge of attracting investment in the city. Which foreign businessman doesn't fawn over him? If he says it can be done, then it definitely can."

Chen's mother sighed, "Oh, if only Chunmei could have waited for him a few more years. What a wonderful son-in-law."

-

Li Xiang borrowed the name of the shopping website under SEA, the Southeast Asian mini-Tencent, from his previous life—Shopee.

Under Li Xiang's repeated urging, Shopee officially launched in Russia shortly after the Lantern Festival, adopting a differentiated competitive strategy and focusing on cross-border e-commerce.

Piracy has already shown initial success in attracting traffic, especially in the apparel sector.

WeTV streams pirated Japanese and Korean dramas, and links in the comments section take you directly to Shopee stores where you can order online for the same celebrity-endorsed items as those in the dramas.

The price is quite affordable, the design is copied from TV dramas, and the place of origin is mainland China and Vietnam, not imported from Japan or South Korea at all.

However, due to the poor online shopping experience and numerous scammers in Russia, users are accustomed to picking up their orders in person and paying only after seeing the actual product.

Shopee currently only has self-pickup points in St. Petersburg. Customers in other regions can only choose express delivery, so they ask more questions but buy less, and only place orders if they really want something.

The clothing styles worn by celebrities in overseas TV dramas are a blind spot in the Russian clothing market; apart from Shopee, they are really not available anywhere else.

To sell a few dozen or a couple hundred pieces, creating a single garment pattern is a low-paying but high-effort business that most manufacturers are unwilling to take on.

It was only because of their father-son relationship that Old Li was willing to serve him like an ox.

But in any case, Shopee has found its own niche market, and its products are sold wherever Japanese and Korean culture is exported.

The most pressing issue to be addressed is still the same old logistics problem.

-

Beijing, Dongcheng District, Sanli Building underground parking lot.

"Are you sure this is Li Yuanhai's car?" Li Xiang's cousin, Han Sheng, works in real estate sales in Beiping. He's made some money, but there's not much of a future for him.

Li Xiang's third aunt complained during the Chinese New Year that he only took care of his cousin Han Jiayin and neglected his son, causing a very unpleasant scene in front of the elderly woman.

"My friend waited outside the Sanli Building for two days. The photo matches, but people can look alike, so I can't be 100% sure." Han Sheng took out the photo and handed it to Li Xiang. "You can check it again when the person arrives."

Li Yuanhai was the logistics director of Dangdang.com, a senior executive of the group, and the head of logistics and warehousing. Later, he was poached by Liu Qiangdong.

He became the founder of JD Logistics.

Li Xiang took out five thousand yuan in cash that he had prepared in advance from his bag and handed it to his cousin, saying, "This is none of your business. Treat your friend to a good meal."

"So I'm leaving?" Han Sheng said he was leaving but didn't move. "Brother, my mom wants me to quit my job. Should I quit or not?"

"Think it over carefully. Is there anything you want to do? I can invest in it for you. Han Jiayin is a good-for-nothing; she's destined to be an employee her whole life. Don't you want to be your own boss? Don't keep your friend waiting. Hurry up and go. We'll talk later."

"Okay, bye-bye."

Han Jiayin is too honest, while her cousin Li Xiang is too dishonest. Of course, these kinds of people can be used, and used very well. However, since they are relatives, Li Xiang cannot take responsibility if something goes wrong.

Li Xiang waited for more than forty minutes in the underground parking lot of Sanli Building before Li Yuanhai finally arrived. Fortunately, he hadn't looked for the wrong person.

"Who are you?"

Li Yuanhai was slightly wary when he saw Li Xiang standing next to his car with gifts in his hands.

"Shopee Russia, Li Xiang."

"Huh?" Li Yuanhai was a little confused.

"Let's talk in the car, it'll only take you two minutes at most."

"Okay." It's time to leave work, and the parking lot is quite crowded.

"Mr. Li, this is our Shopee website information. Please take a look. I would like to invite you to join us and help us build our own logistics."

Li Yuanhai took the documents, glanced at them briefly, and then handed them back to Li Xiang.

"I don't know where you heard that I'm leaving Dangdang, but you're too late. I've already agreed to go to JD.com."

"Has the contract been signed?" Li Xiang asked, still unwilling to give up.

"I signed it, and I have no interest in developing my career in Russia." Li Yuanhai asked curiously, "Could I ask you what price they offered me when they had your headhunters try to poach me?"

Li Xiang said, "I'm not a headhunter. I set up Shopee. I know our platform is small and can't compare to JD.com, so we can discuss the money. I'll make sure you're satisfied."

Li Yuanhai looked Li Xiang over with interest, then refused again, saying, "I'm already this old, I really don't plan to go abroad to develop my career. If you urgently need talent in this field and can offer salaries that exceed those in China, I can try to recommend a few to you."