Chapter 404: How Could It Be Group-Buy?!

The internet business thrives on efficiency and speed, while capital seeks to become oligarchs and set the rules.

Thus, in such an environment, the consumer market in university towns is rarely valued, as they still feel students don’t have significant spending power, implying no wide sustainability.

They don’t prioritize consumer groups when devising strategies but classify them by commercial prosperity levels into ABCD, leading university towns to be perpetually overlooked.

Moreover, when some truly act underhandedly, disrupting the entire area’s competition, it leads to a situation muddled to the extreme.

Many websites would think, “Damn, is there really already a crowd in such a tiny spot? What remains for me to swoop in and pick up? Just crumbs?”

So, most sites initially think of moving to another location.

Considering Shanghai’s vastness and the many viable business circles, nobody wants to meddle in an overpopulated area filled with adept competitors.

Consequently, by the time people realize the truth, the dogs have already built high walls and leveraged community group buying to establish numerous small independent cycles.

“Group Buying Food Festival…”

“Isn’t that Jiang Qin’s website?”

Linchuan’s Suixin Group branch, Ye Ziqing and Cui Yiting, couldn’t believe it when they saw the photo taken by the marketing officer at the scene.

They never expected to see the name “Group Buying” in the Shanghai market.

It’s like wandering in a big city and suddenly seeing your hometown’s Mr. Tree standing on a CBD street, sipping coffee and saying hello.

The sensation is surreal and hard to grasp.

So, how did they find it?

In mid-September, Ye Ziqing was reallocating funds, increasing discounts, lowering the original 30% discount to 40%, and targeting Nuomi’s entry strategies, specifically inviting several major brands for a half-price event.

This move turned out to be somewhat effective, at least slowing down Nuomi.

Still, they remained vigilant.

Why?

Because although Nuomi slowed down, LaShou’s activities became mysterious and eerie.

Based on previous analyses by Ye Ziqing and Cui Yiting, they knew Nuomi and LaShou had formed a strategic partnership, dividing their business areas.

After identifying Nuomi’s layouts, they could easily determine the areas allocated to LaShou using a backward method.

As it turned out, starting Monday, LaShou’s marketing teams began canvassing those areas, but no one knew why they suddenly stopped.

Suixin Group had their whole team poached by them; honestly, Ye Ziqing and Cui Yiting were already shadowed by LaShou when such a monstrous competitor suddenly paused, forcing them to speculate about potential conspiracies.

But before they could investigate, LaShou suddenly turned its guns on Nuomi, plunging into its territory like being on steroids.

On September 18, LaShou updated its Shanghai homepage.

Included were Western BBQ, Maruzo Japanese Cuisine, and Mingyue Korean BBQ, along with many major commercial supermarkets, which were currently Nuomi’s mainstream discount providers.

When Ye Ziqing and Cui Yiting saw this sudden move, they exclaimed, “Damn, the national market is really incomprehensible. Aren’t these two supposed to be allies?”

It’s like following a drama to the end, where the character always seen as the saint suddenly turns and stabs the protagonist, revealing an evil grin.

The situation changed so rapidly it was not only incomprehensible but also bizarre.

At that moment, Ye Ziqing and Cui Yiting fell silent because if you can’t understand even the opponent’s behavior or strategies, how can you defend against such an adversary?

Plus, LaShou’s switch to offense was incredibly fast; Nuomi barely had any means to resist, and the market was quickly shared.

They both sighed helplessly, recognizing LaShou as a formidable opponent that could injure anyone challenging them.

Cui Yiting also mentioned that within the national market, hardly anyone dares to confront a top team like Kang Jingtao’s, known for their rapid tactics.

Money paves the way, they charge directly, then recklessly carve out a niche, and proceed to prepare the market and radiate outwards. How can anyone stop such players?

They believed, without a doubt, that LaShou’s recent quiet was not uncalculated but part of a detailed strategy to lower their guard before striking with ferocity.

As adversaries, although it’s not ideal to boost others’ morale and sap your own courage, they couldn’t help but admit LaShou’s strength was terrifying.

At that instant, Ye Ziqing felt a bit dazed.

She thought of Jiang Qin.

Jiang Qin once mentioned that the national market doesn’t operate like this; it’s a completely different environment. Seeing LaShou’s unpredictable layout, she wondered, is this the national market’s way? Is LaShou the true ruler?

Just then, the conference room door burst open, and a marketing officer under Cui Yiting ran in as if he discovered a new continent, pulling out a stack of photos from his bosom.

“Ms. Ye, Ms. Cui, LaShou wasn’t scheming recently; they hit a tough nut.”

“They couldn’t manage a direct confrontation. No, it wasn’t even a confrontation; these guys didn’t even manage to enter, they just skulked away.”

“Moreover, their top commissioners got swindled. To sign contracts with surrounding businesses, they unwittingly worked for this ‘Group Buying’ site for two days, feeling quite pleased with themselves.”

“After the work, they looked up to see it was actually the Group Buying Food Festival. Damn, LaShou spent manpower and effort, and in the end, got pimped out completely!”

“This site is too cunning; this is the first time I’ve seen such a strategy, so damn tricky!”

Ye Ziqing: “?”

Cui Yiting: “???”

At six in the evening, Suixin’s after-sales department sneakily opened the website and grouped a half-price coupon for Japanese cuisine at LaShou, then took a cab to Maruzo Japanese Cuisine.

The company prohibits using other group-buying sites, but LaShou’s discount was indeed substantial.

Upon arriving, the after-sales department had just settled down when a group of construction workers also entered, filling three large tables.

“We’re from the Wanzhong Mall project site, wherever the coupons are cheaper, we group there.”

“Initially, our foreman would group a buffet for us at Suixin once a month but as Suixin’s discounts lowered, he stopped grouping there.”

“Hey, then along came LaShou and Nuomi. They’re good guys, but the real darling is our Boss Jiang.”

“Our boss even said it’d be great if construction materials could also be group-purchased.”

“…”

At the same time, Ye Ziqing and Cui Yiting drove to the venue of the Group Buying Food Festival.

But strangely, the street didn’t match the one in the photos; not only was there an extra street across, but several people in uniforms were patrolling back and forth to maintain order at the scene.

The two exchanged a look without speaking and walked inside, then sat down at a ramen stall.

This ramen shop called One Bowl Ramen, although plainly named, is a chain enterprise.

When their ramen was served, a man in a suit suddenly came over to the stall, asking the clerk to check the accounts.

Ye Ziqing recognized him as a minor leader and pulled him over for a chat.

Ye Ziqing, born into a wealthy family and a beauty with elegant demeanor, had Cui Yiting by her side, who had been the belle of Linchuan University. Seeing such charming women trying to engage in conversation, the One Bowl Ramen’s minor leader couldn’t refuse.

“Are you the manager of One Bowl Ramen?”

“I’m a supervisor, but I’ll be promoted to manager soon.”

“Were you always located here?”

“No, we arrived later and missed a lot. You see, we’re not even on the leaderboard.”

Cui Yiting glanced at him: “A big loss?”

The minor leader slapped his thigh: “Do you know how much the current leader, Xitian, is making? I tell you, you won’t believe it. College students really dare to spend money.”

He pointed, and Ye Ziqing and Cui Yiting noticed a huge PVC leaderboard behind them, with Xitian at the top and Yang Ji second.

Ye Ziqing turned back: “Were you originally partners with Group Buying?”

“Not at all, we didn’t know about this at first. It was our manager who notified us to come here, saying we just needed to pay a stall fee and sign a liability waiver to operate.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be that you must be admitted to set up a stall?”

“That’s what we thought too, but they said it didn’t matter as long as we operated earnestly.”

Ye Ziqing uttered, “Oh,” then asked, “So, did you sign an admission agreement?”

The minor leader paused then looked a bit more cautious: “What are you guys doing?”

“Truth be told, we’re also considering setting up a stall,” Ye Ziqing replied with a charming smile.

“Oh, I see.”

Cui Yiting brought the conversation back: “So, did you sign the residency agreement?”

The minor leader shook his head then nodded: “Sort of signed, sort of not. They said the food festival project would continue, so our manager signed their cooperation agreement for the food festival. Being admitted was just incidental because you can’t get on the leaderboard without it.”

“…”

They didn’t sign with the merchants but attracted chain brands directly by concentrating the traffic of university towns, signing cooperation agreements with regional branches. Ye Ziqing pursed her lips, her gaze drifting to the deep night sky.

【Sis, that’s not how the national market operates…】

【You can be a sheep and make a quick buck, or be a pig, get fat and let others slaughter you. Which do you want to be?】

【Sis, you’re a great forward but not suited to be a leader.】

【…】

Cui Yiting was also silent, so deep even a fly coming close to her face went unnoticed.

The usually invincible LaShou had fumbled here, panicking and retreating as if beaten dogs.

Moreover, this place was originally Nuomi’s stronghold, where they started by selling off Shanghai’s merchant resources.

But returning to Shanghai, Nuomi didn’t choose their most familiar spots as entry points but completely avoided these areas, indicating they’d also suffered here and didn’t want a repeat.

Looking at the bustling long street and the huge leaderboard, Cui Yiting struggled to connect these scenes with Jiang Qin she met at Longkai Hotel that day.

That sophomore—the cursing, their leader—how could he pull this off?

“This can’t be Jiang Qin’s handiwork; he must have sold Group Buying,” Cui Yiting conjectured.

“Unlikely, I tried to buy Group Buying before, and he wouldn’t sell.”

Cui Yiting waved off a fly in front of her: “Why don’t you call to ask?”

Ye Ziqing pondered, “How to ask? Like, ‘Why are you expanding in Shanghai?’”

“Just use the senior to junior relationship. We’ll just say we came to enjoy the food festival, and suddenly we saw Group Buying. Ask him what’s the deal.”

“…”

After thinking it over, Ye Ziqing reached into her bag, pulled out her phone, and called Jiang Qin.

The phone connected quickly, and the familiar lazy, carefree voice came through.

“Junior, what are you busy with?”

“Just applying some nail polish. What’s up, senior?”

Ye Ziqing pursed her lips, “Just out strolling today and stumbled upon an interesting place. It’s a food festival. Have you heard of it?”

Jiang Qin’s voice suddenly became sharp: “Sister, you still have the leisure to stroll? Seems like the situation has calmed down?”

“…”

Ye Ziqing felt overwhelmed as if she couldn’t breathe.

Unable to hold back, Cui Yiting took Ye Ziqing’s phone: “Junior, did you organize this food festival in Shanghai University Town? Are you handling this business here?”

“You caught me,” Jiang Qin’s voice drifted. “Group buying is so hot right now and you flaunt it in my face every day. A regular university like mine can’t withstand such temptations, so I had to step in.”

“Didn’t you say you were afraid to meddle in national market affairs for fear of being left with nothing?”

“I still don’t dare to tackle the national market, only dare to handle the university part. I plan to make a quick buck and leave. The national market is too scary. If I go in, I might not last as long as you. This game is a winner-takes-all. Could I possibly win till the end?”

As his voice faded, a huffing sound came through Jiang Qin’s end.

Ye Ziqing pursed her lips: “Alright, junior, won’t disturb your nail painting then.”

“Okay sister, we’ll be in touch.”

“Goodbye.”

After hanging up, Ye Ziqing stayed silent for a long while then suddenly turned to Cui Yiting: “Notice that? The junior is clearer-headed than us.”