Chapter 462: Oh No, He’s Rich Now!

Three days can be long or short. Everyone put in extra effort, working overtime on the proposal.

This was the first battle post-funding, coinciding with the grand event of the group-buying industry—the New Year Goods Festival. Their rival this time was Pintuan, making the outcome crucial. Yang Xueyu insisted on finalizing every detail before implementation.

Because respecting the rival is respecting oneself.

After the discussion meeting on the second day, Cui Yiting returned to her office, massaging her temples, her eyes barely able to stay open.

She hadn’t recovered yet when Zhou Zhenhao arrived at the marketing department, offering her a cup of coffee.

He had just arrived in Shanghai and hadn’t formally started his duties. Compared to others exhausted, he seemed rather relaxed.

“Take a break first?”

“The event plan isn’t finalized. I have to write some revision suggestions.”

As Cui Yiting spoke, she hesitated before pressing a key on her keyboard: “I…I saw Ye Ziqing yesterday.”

Zhou Zhenhao raised his eyebrows, surprised. “She’s here to join the fun too?”

“No, she joined Pintuan.”

“?????”

Zhou Zhenhao was stunned, then, coming to his senses, his expression turned to shock.

Nuomi secured funding of 150 million, Lashou secured 300 million, Pintuan is doomed. How is Ye Ziqing’s joining Pintuan now any different from joining the Nationalists in ’49?

Meanwhile, Cui Yiting started drafting the revision suggestions for the event plan; the office was filled with the sound of rapid typing.

However, after a while, she erased what she wrote, finding herself restless and unable to calm down.

Yesterday evening, at the café entrance, she mentioned Lashou was ready to target Pintuan, but Ye Ziqing’s smile showed no signs of nerves, giving Cui an ominous feeling.

January 30th, light snow flutters over Shanghai.

Lashou held its third strategy meeting today, discussing and refining each step, creating a flawless final plan.

Meanwhile, Nuomi finalized its cleanup plan and held a motivational meeting.

How to motivate?

If you have money, distribute it.

Is there anything more motivating to corporate drones than money?

They say to spend wisely, but now’s the time to invest!

Yang Xueyu and Chang Jiansong had similar thoughts; why hold back the spending when you’ve got the funds? So they also arranged a large motivational meeting, distributing money and delivering a fervent speech to stir up the crowd.

From managers to office workers, everyone’s faces broke into relieved smiles.

Chang Jiansong: “Stable now!”

Yang Xueyu: “We will win!”

Jiang Qin: “Distribute it.”

At 6 pm on the 30th, just after distributing the money, Yang Xueyu took the stage, ready to give a fiery speech.

Phrases like “Beat the crap out of them” and “Knock them dead” were commonplace.

However, just as he was midway through, news of Pintuan’s successful fundraising through Shanghai’s media channels got out.

The message was succinct, just about 200 words, minus unnecessary preambles and conclusions, leaving just the essence: Pintuan successfully raised 180 million.

Fifteen minutes later, sales representatives from both company branches burst into the meeting room, shell-shocked, whispering into the ears of their supervisors.

“President Yang, there’s trouble. The media just released news that Pintuan has raised 180 million.”

“How much?”

“180 million. I’ve confirmed it with media friends. It was revealed by the Ice Queen herself, and they even disclosed their corporate accounts. There’s no ambiguity.”

“Which institution financed them?”

“Can’t find out yet…”

Yang Xueyu, microphone in hand, stood frozen on stage then felt a chill run down his spine.

They had been working day and night for three days on the plan, too tired to even stand.

And now… they just spent all their pre-battle mobilization money, damn it!

At such a critical moment, how could they possibly have raised 180 million?

Non-public companies aren’t obliged to disclose fundraising details, and Golden Silkwood, as a private equity firm, wouldn’t appear openly. Their transactions were still handled by Linchuan Bank.

Unless the investment institution issues a statement or Pintuan releases a financial report, it’s tough to unearth details.

Many domestic private companies inflate reported funds to attract more investors and intimidate competitors by confusing RMB with dollars.

But Pintuan had disclosed their corporate account, indicating they truly had 180 million.

Yang Xueyu felt like he was struck by lightning, having fallen into his own trap.

“Let’s adjourn the meeting first, adjourn…”

“What about the money that was distributed? Should we get it back?”

“Get it back? Are you or I crazy? To give it then take it back, do you want the whole branch to collapse?”

The motivational meeting ended abruptly, everyone looked dumbfounded.

Wasn’t it just a moment ago we were all charged up? Now you’re pulling back when I’m ready to go?

But before they could discuss too long, they received the news about Pintuan’s successful fundraising. They were beyond shocked.

Particularly Cui Yiting, recalling Ye Ziqing’s relaxed smile, her cheeks numb.

Their three days of overtime on the plan were wasted because their strategy targeted a cash-strapped Pintuan, but now they had money…

“Use Pintuan to prove our worth!”

Suddenly, Cui Yiting remembered her bold statements from three days ago, her mind buzzing.

At the same time, Zhou Zhenhao leaned against the wall, falling into silence.

He used to say, what’s the use of Jiang Qin’s tricks? Soon they’d fail against real money, but now he, too, has real money.

Though he hated to admit it… when Jiang Qin was broke, he nearly crushed Lashou. Now with money, how could they compete?

“No, when did Pintuan ever contact investment institutions?”

“Moreover, they don’t even have a complete business city, their tier 2-3 city markets are shrinking, who would finance them?”

“Unless the funds were secured long ago, only disclosed now…”

“Everyone’s waiting for money; he’s the only one with money waiting for the market to mess up…”

“When did he secure the funding?”

“Before November? Or earlier?”

“Since he already had money, why didn’t he act? Why wait till the third round to show up?”

Song Yaqian said, “Back then, everyone was involved in campus group purchases. After the group purchase meeting, everyone discussed selling the website. Jiang Qin alone took a different path and suddenly started operations in Shanghai.”

“He was waiting for others to foster the market? Waiting for everyone to burn money to mature the market, then suddenly he pops up.”

“What a joke, does he think he’s guaranteed to win?”

Yang Xueyu was characterized as a theorist by his company, not exactly a compliment as it implied armchair strategizing.

But now, this theory suddenly became vital because people generally follow their logic in actions, and by retracing, he could grasp his opponent’s logic.

Yang Xueyu hadn’t been in Shanghai long, but looking back over the months of battling with Pintuan, everything Pintuan introduced seemed premeditated.

The food festival was a plot laid during their university town period; the in-depth cooperation agreement from May 2010 was another. The recent fundraising might also be a setup.

Honestly, if Jiang Qin had followed from the first round, the leading position would have certainly been his.

But he only burst onto the scene in the third round? What did he gain?

He saved money from the first two rounds, time to lay groundwork and train his team. During this phase, other websites had already spent heavily to mature the market, and he suddenly swooped in, reaping the benefits.

How could he dare?

As enemies gradually grew stronger in the cash-burn conflict, did he have such confidence that he could dominate as soon as he entered?

But recalling his time since arriving in Shanghai, Yang Xueyu realized Jiang Qin seemed to have won every time.

“Are all college students this way? Damn it.”

“Where’s my bucket?”

“Where’s the bucket I bought…”

In the harried winter days just before the Spring Festival, both Lashou and Nuomi’s strategies in Shanghai fell into disarray due to Pintuan’s successful funding, rendering their previous plans useless.

Pintuan, even without money, had been a formidable opponent; now, with funds, no one dared make a move.

But while they hesitated, Pintuan acted.

The next morning, Pintuan’s New Year Goods Festival went live, squeezing the living space for Lashou and Nuomi to the extreme.

Their previous plans for the festival, made over three sleepless nights, were now obsolete and unusable.

Now, with the festival underway, they adjusted plans over coffee; it was already too late.

Who can overhaul an event plan after three days without sleep?

“We’ve been wrong every step of the way…”

“No, we’ve been trapped at every step. It’s a serial trap; he timed it perfectly to disrupt all our rhythms.”

Lashou and Nuomi were caught off-guard, but Pintuan didn’t stop there. Almost simultaneously, advertisements for Pintuan officially entering Shanghai aired, replicating the initial tactics used during Shenzhen University Town.

Leveraging the food festival chain brands, they expanded their business area and listed over twenty carefully selected partner stores.

Even though Lashou and Nuomi’s Shanghai branches were prepared, Pintuan swiftly claimed 20% of the market.

The conspiracy turned overt, but as proven, effective tactics work well even when reused.

The day after Pintuan’s fundraising news was released, Zhou Zhenhao returned to Xijing, arriving excited and leaving confused, as if a light had gone out in his eyes, no longer boasting of leading the charge.

“Boss, operations in Shanghai started, and the first transaction was completed tonight at eight.”

“Mmm…no…don’t be proud, keep it up… you are…the best!”

Listening to the panting on the phone, Sun Zhi paused: “You… you and the boss are busy? I won’t disturb you then.”

“?”

“Busy my ass! My dad’s workplace distributed yearly staples, and he asked me to help fetch them. I’ve been hauling them from the fourth floor to the car, dead tired. Who would know I’m a billionaire? Is there no justice?”

Jiang Qin ran to his car, loading his father’s stuff into the trunk, shivering in the cold night like a pitiful stray dog.