42. With Sister Nan by My Side, I Can Defy an Army of Ten Thousand

"I mean... I can help."

Seeing the surprise and shock in Chen Che's eyes, Qin Yanan wilted slightly.

He was the kind of man who would take all the advantages he could get while still acting innocent.

Realizing this abruptly, Qin Yanan quickly dismissed the thought and changed her words with a hint of panic.

Chen Che looked over suspiciously.

He saw Qin Yanan meet his gaze and press her red lips together, looking like a little girl who had done something wrong.

Though Sister Nan's voice had been neither loud nor soft just now, Chen Che had clearly heard her say, "Alright, I'm in."

When starting a business, one cannot afford to be overly proud; he had just laid out everything he could possibly share.

For instance, how does it compare to Starbucks?

Sure, why not?

It's just that one needs to bide one's time, adopt a roundabout strategy, and play the game of encircling the cities from the countryside.

Starbucks relies on traditional storefronts. While Xinxi also operates physical stores, they are fast-food-style outlets, which means costs need to be minimized on both the storefront and staffing fronts.

Chen Che did not intend to open for franchising before reaching a certain scale; doing so would only ruin his hard work.

He wanted to open at least 3,000 stores himself, and the most important factor here was cost. He would slash expenses wherever possible.

Starbucks stores average 90 square meters.

Xinxi cuts that in half: an average of 40 square meters.

Starbucks averages 5 employees per store.

Xinxi cuts that in half: an average of 2 employees.

Although it was an Internet-plus model and he was running a tech company, it was also true that half of it was a brick-and-mortar business.

JD.com nearly killed itself trying to build its own logistics network.

From that, one could understand just how vast China truly is.

For a physical industry, covering the entire country is not much different from covering major cities all over the world.

Chen Che had no money, so he naturally had to cut costs.

He told Qin Yanan all this with the mindset that if he couldn't even impress her, he might as well just give up and go to sleep.

If you want someone's help, you have to be sincere.

Flirting is flirting, and business is business. The scariest thing in the world is not being foolish, but being completely unaware of your own foolishness.

Qin Yanan's agreement to help meant she was capable of handling these matters, prompting Chen Che to say sincerely:

"Then thank you, Sister Nan. When we get back—"

"Can you tell me how you came up with all this? I seem to remember another company doing something similar recently."

Before Chen Che could finish, Qin Yanan put on the intellectual and wise demeanor of a high-ranking cadre's daughter, looking rather earnest.

"They're no good; they're all small fries. With just Sister Nan by my side, I can take on an entire army!"

Chen Che laughed exaggeratedly.

Qin Yanan, who had been serious just a moment ago, let out a chuckle, shot him an exasperated sideways glance, and then regained her serious expression.

Chen Che had merely been trying to liven up the atmosphere. Before Qin Yanan could speak again, he got straight to the point:

"The company hasn't been founded yet, and I haven't had the chance to research the other company, but I roughly know about them. I was somewhat inspired by them, as well as by the currently popular Internet-plus trend."

After offering this brief explanation—signaling that he was merely despising the enemy strategically—Chen Che began pulling out data to back up his claims.

Just like Luckin Coffee used to hoodwink investors, the market analysis he presented was solid and based on real figures.

As he spoke, he took out the pen he had bought that morning from his pocket, pulled out a paper napkin, and began to write.

There were other people in the restaurant, so Chen Che sat directly next to Qin Yanan, lowering his voice to analyze the market and product data.

How did Chen Che's venture compare to Luckin?

To reiterate: despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically; doing is always harder than saying.

The reason he was dismissive was not only to maintain his mindset, but more importantly, because he was qualified to look down on them.

Whether in terms of product, marketing, operation, or organizational structure, he was a cut above, and even the market was on his side.

What kind of world would it be six years in the future?

He understood it far better than they did.

He would avoid at least 80 percent of the detours.

At the dining table, Qin Yanan listened with sparkling eyes, entirely failing to notice that the two of them were sitting much too close as she asked directly:

"How much capital do you have for this venture?"

Chen Che answered without hesitation:

"Three million, I suppose."

"Three million???"

Oh boy, she was truly stunned. Qin Yanan wore a faint smile, suddenly at a loss for words.

Watching her facial expressions shift, Chen Che didn't offer much explanation, quietly waiting for Sister Nan to make a lavish move.

Counting the money his uncles and aunts had lent him,

he still had fourteen million on hand.

He had given two million to Guo Youcai, and he was planning to keep three million to prepare for the upcoming battle against Gong Yaowu.

Let's assume he still had ten million.

He planned to work on coffee and gaming simultaneously, and the initial budget for the coffee venture was currently just three million.

He had founded Jianyou Company—as the name suggested, it was about simple mini-games. Now that *Jump Jump* had successfully broken into the WeChat mini-game market, he had no reason not to take a bite.

This was a great place to make quick money.

Hit and run, with low costs.

Three million for Xinxi, three million for Jianyou, and another four million kept for logistics and reserves, and ten million was gone.

Of course, money is dead while people are alive.

If he ran out of money, he could still take out loans. Even if Wu Zongliang couldn't approve it, surely introducing him to some connections would work.

Fortune favors the bold.

Adequate funding calls for one strategy.

Insufficient funding calls for another.

Furthermore, he still had his family as a fallback. In his past life, when his family went bankrupt, he lost many friends, but plenty of them stayed.

True friends have the place of true friends, and fair-weather friends have their uses too.

He wasn't that magnanimous, nor was he that petty.

After venting his pent-up anger on the primary targets, the rest would be water under the bridge, and he would pretend to know nothing at all.

As for his core business, Xinxi Coffee, he estimated it would require a minimum capital input of 100 million this year.

He didn't understand technology, nor was he a management genius; figuring out how to secure funding was precisely what a boss was supposed to do, wasn't it?

...

Looking into Chen Che's slightly resolute gaze and noticing the close distance between them, Qin Yanan lifted her chin and leaned forward slightly.

"How about this? I'll personally lend you thirty million, and then invest another twenty million into the company. How does that sound?"

"How much??"

Chen Che was startled.

He had never seen that much money in his entire life.

Seeing his reaction, Qin Yanan lowered her gaze, smiled secretly to herself, and maintained her serious expression as she said:

"Fifty million in total. But you need to get the groundwork done properly, and I'll help you convince the company."

This money wasn't being handed out blindly. Chen Che wasn't surprised at all, but he was still somewhat shocked.

Just like that, fifty million in capital?...

He hadn't harbored hopes for that much; at most, twenty million would have been the absolute limit—twenty million would have been just enough to get it off the ground.

He had planned to wait until it was up and running before seeking further financing.

Since they had already laid their cards on the table, Chen Che asked straightforwardly, staring right into the beauty's eyes:

"Sister, tell me the truth. What is the name of the company you work for? Is it an investment firm?"

"The parent company?"

"You have branch offices too?"

Seeing Chen Che looking as astonished as a child, Qin Yanan finally felt a little better inside, and with a soft smile, she said:

"I'm currently starting a business in partnership with others. I used to work at DST, and I've secured a share from them for this venture."

"DST..."

What kind of company was that?

Chen Che wasn't well-traveled enough in the business world; hearing only the English acronym, he couldn't guess it right away, but he grasped the general idea.

It meant that this company supported Qin Yanan and others in starting a fund business, providing a certain amount of investment.

"What has this company invested in before?"

"Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, Airbnb, and Alibaba domestically..."

Qin Yanan said quietly. Chen Che finally recalled who this sacred entity was, and could not help but feel somewhat shocked as he blurted out:

"You're from DST China?"

DST: a formidable venture capital firm. Though not as famous as Sequoia, Goldman Sachs, or Tiger Global, its track record was legendary.

DST, arguably the "foolish" one among the famous "three fools."

What did "foolish" mean?

It was practically a synonym for high valuations, low equity stakes, and a hands-off approach to management.

When Xiaomi's stock price plummeted, investors could curse them out all morning, but the "three fools" simply provided money and never interfered with operations.

Of course, calling them foolish was just banter.

However, it was true that DST generally did not join boards of directors, which made them immensely attractive to entrepreneurs.

"I will invest in you through my current company, and for future Series A and B rounds, I can help introduce you to DST."

Qin Yanan was quite ruthless.

She directly poured a basin of cold water over Chen Che.

According to Sister Nan's explanation, DST was supporting her in going it alone, which was distinct from DST's official Greater China branch.

In essence, Qin Yanan's company was like a favored illegitimate child, rather than the orthodox DST Greater China.

As for why DST supported her venture, the answer could actually be found in their earlier conversation.

Sister Nan's family might really own a bank...

Looking at the lucrative opportunity right in front of him, Chen Che's mouth watered.

Of course, fortune favors the prepared mind; failing to seize an opportunity meant having no opportunity at all.

If, on the very first day he was reborn, he had looked down on everyone with the attitude of an invincible protagonist...

If he hadn't chosen to cherish the moments they shared and shamelessly coaxed her into intimacy in broad daylight...

Perhaps this thread of connection would have truly been severed.

After all, although Qin Yanan hadn't cried or made a fuss after waking up, the fact that she wanted nothing more to do with him was also undeniable.

Now that Sister Nan was giving him an opening,

Chen Che was definitely going to seize it!

"Hurry up and write a report based on what you told me today, focusing mainly on talent requirements, and give it to me. I'll find some suitable candidates in the next few days."

Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish.

In helping Chen Che with this matter, Qin Yanan certainly had a bit of personal bias, but results still mattered.

As it happened, she was not only a vice president but also an MD (Managing Director) with a sharp intuition for the internet.

What Chen Che said today had moved her, which was why she was willing to lend thirty million to help him. But talk is cheap compared to action, and whether he could ultimately secure that fifty-million-yuan funding would depend on actual execution.

The two of them enjoyed their meal immensely.

Chen Che had entrepreneurial aspirations, and his ideas were sound; he had genuinely given Qin Yanan a pleasant surprise.

"Alright, we're here."

After dinner, the two of them strolled in the lounge to catch the night breeze, and Chen Che offered to drive Qin Yanan home.

Arriving at the Jinmao Palace residential complex,

Chen Che parked the car by the roadside, glanced at the slightly understated yet exquisite entrance of the residential area, and casually remarked:

"Aren't you going to invite me up for a sit-down? Didn't I say last time that I wanted to give you a surprise?"

With that, seeing no response, he turned his head to see Qin Yanan lowering her gaze, hesitating over something.

"Is it inconvenient?"

"Inconvenient."

Chen Che asked again. This time, Qin Yanan answered quickly, her tone laced with urgency as she feigned composure and explained:

"It's physically inconvenient for me."

What's wrong, got hit by a crowd-control spell?

Watching Sister Nan's rare display of endearing clumsiness, Chen Che couldn't help but chuckle, tracing a circle in the air with his fingertip:

"You probably mean your period is inconvenient, right?"

"Alright, you should head back. I'm leaving first."

Qin Yanan put on a stern little face, unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed open the car door, and walked away with a carefree stride without looking back.

Just as she turned around to say goodbye once more, before she could utter a word, she saw Chen Che sticking his head out and saying aggrievedly:

"Where am I supposed to go back to? I don't have a home in Beijing."

He had rented a place for this period, but he hadn't brought the keys, and there was no point in driving all the way back to Wangjing.

Hearing him say that, Qin Yanan outside the window instantly blew her top, shooting him an exasperated glare:

"Figure it out yourself! Watch out for safety on the road!"

With that, Qin Yanan turned around with crisp decisiveness once more, her high heels clicking sharply against the ground.

Seeing her like this, Chen Che sat back properly, made up his mind, and shouted out the window:

"Then I'll be off, Sister Nan."

Sister Nan was having her period?

Well, never mind then. Playing with fire would only make him miserable.

There will be other days...

His original plan was to return tomorrow, but now that he had a car, there was no need to wait for tomorrow morning's high-speed rail.

He left. He left very sensibly.

Outside, Qin Yanan, who had not yet entered the residential complex, turned around, looked at the tail lights of the Panamera, and clenched her fists.

Stupid younger brother.

Don't just freaking ask—actually do something about it.

As expected, men are all no good!