Chapter 614: As Fierce as the Heavens

Ever since Jiang Qin visited Feng Shihua’s villa, Duan Ying couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

Particularly his words about Group-Buy Delivery taking over the market, leaving Meal Point helpless in just three days.

If these were the words of an ordinary small-town youth, they’d be dismissed as naive speculation by an outsider.

But…recent news reminded Duan Ying of a reality: Group-Buy belonged to him.

So when Duan Wenzhao called, the shadow that loomed seemed to solidify, confronting her head-on, turning her unease into stark reality.

“Auntie, I’m out of money…”

“How can you be out of money? Didn’t your uncle just invest in you!”

“It’s Group-Buy Delivery. They suddenly entered the market, snatching a batch of top-quality merchants from Meal Point.”

“And Hungry Yet, they’ve started burning cash to seize the market too. We’re barely holding on.”

“Meal Point’s partners now demand upfront payments, but our cash flow is so tight—operations could soon become unsustainable.”

Duan Wenzhao sounded panicked; his voice betrayed his utter helplessness.

They were supposed to use the investment to break into national markets, but the university sector turned into a money pit.

Without burning cash, the existing market fades; burn cash, and they’d burn themselves out.

Everyone at Meal Point was frantic; their hopes lay with Hurricane Investment.

They sensed Hungry Yet was also stretching its limits, merely keeping up appearances. If they could outlast them, Meal Point might turn the tables instantly.

Hearing her nephew’s words, Duan Ying clenched her fists and fell silent.

She suddenly recalled a man cutting up steak with scissors at the dinner table; her breathing grew heavy.

Just three days, and Meal Point was already struggling to survive.

At that moment, Duan Ying realized the seemingly harmless boy wasn’t really there to meet her as Feng Nanshu’s parent.

He never regarded her as an elder, nor did he seek her approval; his visit was solely to support Feng Nanshu.

That girl, controlled by her from a young age, hardly ever smiled, a perpetual mouse scared of her own shadow, retreating to her room to jot in her diary.

Yet, suddenly, someone was pampering her.

And within just three days, that person had turned Hurricane Investment’s investment to dust.

“Auntie, are you still there?”

“I am. How much money do you need?”

“Twenty million, Hungry Yet can’t sustain this. Just outlast them, and once they’re out of funds, I can take over the university market with an additional ten million.”

Duan Ying stayed silent for a long while: “And what about Group-Buy Delivery?”

Duan Wenzhao inhaled deeply: “Auntie, it’s tough because so many of my merchants were poached. But with enough capital, I can claim Hungry Yet’s market share, splitting even with Group-Buy Delivery!”

“Are you sure?”

“There’s still a chance to risk it, but if we give up now, all’s lost.”

Duan Ying pondered, weighing the pros and cons.

If she didn’t help her nephew, Meal Point was doomed—though her husband approved the investment, everyone in the company knew her nephew from the Duan family was the recipient.

After just three days with the capital, the platform collapsed; she wouldn’t only lose a chance to engage in Feng business but might face company-wide suspicion.

Most crucially, she couldn’t accept the stepdaughter she controlled for over a decade now rising above her.

“I can raise ten million for you.”

“That’s too little.”

“Start with that. I’ll figure out the rest.”

Duan Ying had no right to use Hurricane Investment for more funding for Meal Point — the previous funding had vanished upon receipt, a fact hard to justify. Fortunately, she had some savings.

So Meal Point immediately facilitated early payments with the remaining funds, stabilizing their merchants and mounting a counterattack.

And just as Duan Wenzhao predicted, Hungry Yet indeed couldn’t hold out; their subsidies suddenly reduced, and customers began to return.

It was a good thought to exploit the timing, but Group-Buy didn’t give them that chance, entering the fray as both platforms reversed situations, signaling a heated contest.

Jiang Qin’s actions, particularly from a major player, kept the attention on Group-Buy Delivery entering at an unreasonable time.

And the sudden turmoil in the college market drew more eyes.

Everyone expected a showd

own between the capable competitors, Hungry Yet and Group-Buy Delivery, but it turned out differently.

As Group-Buy stirred trouble in the college town market, they didn’t press down on Hungry Yet.

Instead, it was Hungry Yet and Meal Point clashing head-on.

Now, as Hungry Yet began to falter and Meal Point seemed poised to turn the tide, Group-Buy started spending heavily.

Onlookers realized in astonishment that Group-Buy’s true target had always been Meal Point, not Hungry Yet.

“Damn, that’s ruthless…”

“Damn, cover your eyes, my kind heart can’t watch this.”

“Stay back, blood might splatter…”

Another three days passed, and Group-Buy displayed even more formidable strength; it’s like they were relentlessly boxing their opponent into a corner.

The fatal issue was, Duan Wenzhao was too hasty.

Upon receiving the promised ten million from his aunt, he immediately began a spending spree, aiming to rapidly overtake Hungry Yet’s customers and riders. But after doubling down, their finances were stretched thin again.

Ten million arrived and was instantly reduced to ashes in the market, barely making a dent.

When Duan Ying received another urgent call for funds from Duan Wenzhao, she realized they were deep in a gambler’s mindset.

Just one more round, and they could turn things around. One more, and they could win back everything lost.

However, when subsidizing with cash burns, platforms have no revenue streams; that is, Meal Point, even with unlimited funds, lacked any method to recover.

During the three-day cash burn battle between Hungry Yet and Meal Point, Group-Buy wasn’t idle. Its managers, with their elite street team, consolidated nearby merchants, signing them into Group-Buy’s supply chain.

Meaning, whether Hungry Yet or Meal Point burned cash on subsidies, Group-Buy’s supply chain kept profiting from the merchants.

In this contest, Group-Buy could keep up indefinitely, but Meal Point… couldn’t hold on.

By Saturday morning, the noise finally faded; Meal Point had burned through nearly ten million in bad debts, unable to pay wages anymore.

By now, Group-Buy held sixty percent of the college town market share; Hungry Yet and Meal Point each had only twenty percent, and the gap widened by the second.

Observing competitors still couldn’t decode the tactics being played.

But one thing was clear: Group-Buy entered the fray specifically to target Meal Point.

“Meal Point… is gone.”

“Yeah, Jiang Qin really did what he said he would.”

“I heard Duan Ying’s private funds are burnt through…”

“She even asked me to help fund her recently, lucky I didn’t agree.”

“Group-Buy emerged from blood and bones of over five thousand group-buying websites; her nephew truly was crazy to challenge such a firm.”

Amid Mrs. Liu’s birthday banquet, those ladies who played Mahjong at Feng Shihua’s villa couldn’t help but whisper about the news they heard, their murmurs unending.

Meanwhile, Duan Ying sat in a corner, her gaze vacant as countless memories flashed through her mind.

Memories like leaving that girl in the amusement park while she shopped all day, only to return to a face marred by fear.

Or when the puppy the little girl picked up from the street was killed by someone she sent, and the girl’s lips trembled, too scared to speak.

How could this happen?

How could it turn out this way?

Duan Ying’s face grew increasingly darkened, and as she looked up, she saw several ladies around her whispering.

Meanwhile, in Xiangti Villa, Qin Jingqiu also received news about Meal Point. After reviewing it, she quietly closed the folder and handed it to Feng Nanshu.

“Jiang Qin won’t let me see the kindergarten application.”

“It’s not the kindergarten application; it’s something else. Take a look.”

Feng Nanshu sat on the bed, pondered for a moment, and then began to browse through it.

It detailed Meal Point’s experience in the cash burn war, how it was first thrashed by Hungry Yet, then personally finished by Group-Buy.

After reading, Feng Nanshu looked bemused.

Qin Jingqiu said, “Meal Point is your stepmom’s nephew’s project. She put a lot of money into it. Knowing your stepmom treated you badly, Jiang Qin took down Meal Point. No one will dare to bully you now. Jiang Qin really spoils his wife, huh.”

Feng Nanshu paused, then pursed her lips: “Jiang Qin loves me the most…”

“Of course, you’re his beautiful wife.”

“Shh, we’re just good friends.”

“?”

Early Sunday morning, just as Feng Shihua wrapped up the project in Kyoto and held long meetings with local partners and contractors,

finalizing designs, managing relocations, attending the groundbreaking ceremony, and securing early-phase merchants.

By the end of April, he personally handled everything, incredibly busy. When he returned to Shanghai and heard Meal Point had collapsed, he was flabbergasted.

He had just invested!

Most critically, it vanished targeted specifically by Group-Buy, utterly absurd!

Feng Shihua had warned Duan Wenzhao initially: “You’re still too small. Your first step towards the national market should be cautious. Don’t attract attention from top-tier platforms; maintain a low-profile operation.”

Suddenly, they provoked Group-Buy, a formidable competitor.

Besides, Group-Buy’s strategy itself was baffling.

As the food delivery market was fiercely contested, not just by Hungry Yet but also rapidly by Baidu Delivery, pretty much on its heels.

Group-Buy Delivery, aiming to dominate the entire sector, chose not to clash with these fellows but targeted an obscure platform in a college town, utterly illogical.

It was like a major supermarket in the city suddenly finding a small rural shop offensive, thus targeting it inexplicably.

“What’s going on? Why did Group-Buy target Meal Point? There’s no overlap in their business areas, and Meal Point isn’t really Group-Buy’s competitor; it makes no sense!”

“This…”

“Speak up!”

Manager Qian Xiangming, responsible for post-investment management at Hurricane Investment, faced his stern boss and stammered: “It’s been rumored around the company these past days… that Group-Buy’s boss is your son-in-law…”

“?”