Chapter 376: Old Ma, I'm Betting 5 Billion with You: Be Friends or Enemies?

Zhu Xianzhuang Technology Park, Building No. 9.

Xu Zhenhui looked troubled, his brows furrowed as he faced Chen Yansen's request, his mind racing.

Providing interest-free loans to specific enterprises has precedents, but the amount usually does not exceed one hundred thousand.

Yet Chen Yansen asked for one billion outright, making him instantly feel powerless.

"General Manager Chen, I'm afraid Luhu also cannot provide a one-billion interest-free loan," Xu Zhenhui countered.

"But building an A-class data center in Xucheng is a project outside the plan for Sister Chengzi Technology," Chen Yansen said with a shrug.

Xu Zhenhui pondered for a moment, then looked seriously at Chen Yansen and said, "Two billion in interest-free loans, and the remaining eight billion in funding changed to low-interest loans; I can step in to communicate for you and lower the interest rate to 2.1%. Additionally, we will add two billion in special funds to provide support in broadband taxes and fees, income tax, electricity subsidies, rent subsidies, and operating revenue subsidies. Mr. Chen, please believe in Xucheng's sincerity."

Hearing this, Chen Yansen stopped smiling and began to think seriously.

Compared with Meng Yuanzhi, Xu Zhenhui's support was clearly more generous.

As a coal and power base, Xucheng has abundant power resources and low electricity prices, which can effectively reduce data center operating costs.

At that time, by constructing a multi-level power guarantee system with dual municipal power lines, diesel generators, and UPS uninterruptible power supplies, even if a regional power grid failure occurs, it will not affect equipment operation.

"Mr. Xu, Xucheng has a deeper foundation in agricultural and sideline products, papermaking, and light textile footwear and clothing industries; even if Pinpai Shangcheng moves away, the corresponding support level will not decrease," Chen Yansen weighed his words.

"General Manager Chen, Xucheng's rice fields have been planted for thousands of years; we cannot always rely on the land to eat," Xu Zhenhui said with a bitter smile.

After all, only with data centers and cloud computing industries can high-quality capital, technology, and talent be attracted to gather in Xucheng.

"Old Zhou, pick someone to be responsible for the liaison work," Chen Yansen sighed slightly and instructed Zhou Shouzhi.

"Yes, Boss," Zhou Shouzhi nodded and replied.

"General Manager Chen, you agreed?" Xu Zhenhui asked with a smile, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Since Mr. Xu said it, I count as half a Xucheng native, so of course I must contribute something to my hometown," Chen Yansen joked with a smile.

"What about the interest-free loan?" Xu Zhenhui asked tentatively.

"Not a single cent less," Chen Yansen said with a stern face.

Xu Zhenhui smiled helplessly, secretly letting out a sigh of relief, though his smile carried a bit more bitterness.

In his view, Senlian Capital was originally an internet giant nurtured by Xucheng, yet Luhu reaped the fruits.

Afterwards, Chen Yansen invited Xu Zhenhui to his office for tea, leaving the preliminary cooperation details for Zhou Shouzhi and the other party's secretary to handle.

Meanwhile.

In a conference room at Pinpai Headquarters in the neighboring Building No. 6.

Song Yuncheng, wearing a light gray business suit, slowly opened her mouth and said, "First, review the number of major client signings, GMV contribution, and industry share for the first and second ten-day periods of the month, as well as the fulfillment status of key clients."

After two and a half years of workplace training, Song Yuncheng was already handling her work with ease.

In front of Chen Yansen, she was a sweet and juicy little Sister Chengzi, but in the eyes of her subordinates, she was a shrewd and dominant Major Client Investment Director.

"As of February 19, 12 new KA clients were added; the monthly target is 15, with expansion progress exceeding time progress by 12%; major client transaction volume reached 1.33 billion, accounting for 8.3% of the platform; among newly signed KA clients, three failed to meet the contract requirements for first-month exposure, with a shortfall of 300,000 UVs..."

A department member who had jumped from Mama Ali reported.

"Communicate with the Product Department and the Event Department to add five slots on the first screen of Brand Selection to make up for the missing traffic."

Song Yuncheng immediately made the decision, while flipping through data materials such as the January KA client GMV analysis table, competitor KA policy comparison table, and Q1 investment promotion target breakdown table.

"Understood," the subordinate replied immediately.

"Continue," Song Yuncheng said, waving her hand.

If one observed closely, it would be found that her style of conduct and tone of speech were extremely similar to Chen Yansen's.

With her existing industry resources, connections, and work capabilities, even if she left Pinpai, she could secure a job with an annual salary of one million at Mama Ali, Penguin, or Jingdong.

In fact, there were not a few headhunters privately trying to poach her, offering terms even more generous than Pinpai's, yet Song Yuncheng had never considered it.

In her heart, Pinpai was home, and Chen Yansen was her life's direction.

Although that guy was terribly bad, always making her strike various embarrassing poses and wear some strange clothes, as long as Chen Yansen liked it, she was willing to do it.

She remembered clearly that it was Chen Yansen who handed her a stack of phone cards and gave her the opportunity to enter Mama Ali.

He taught her product selection and business negotiations hand-in-hand, pushing her to her current position.

On the other side.

After dealing with Xu Zhenhui and seeing him out of Zhu Xianzhuang Technology Park, Chen Yansen had just returned to his office when he received a call from Ma Liyun.

"General Manager Chen, I heard Kuipao is about to launch Series B financing..." Ma Liyun said with a chuckle.

"Who told you? It's just rumors," Chen Yansen cut him off directly.

Ma Liyun's expression froze; he thought: What do you mean, you kid? You don't want Mama Ali to get on board?

Mama Ali did indeed launch a food delivery business and was cozying up with Meituan, Dianping, and Lashou, but that couldn't be your reason for refusal, could it?

Old Ma cleared his throat, gave a dry laugh, and said, "General Manager Chen, the cooperation between Mama Ali and Senlian Capital has always been pleasant, and I personally am very optimistic about Kuipao's development."

"Oh, is that so? Then why did Juhuasuan introduce Meituan, Dianping, and Lashou, leaving Kuipao out alone?"

Chen Yansen plopped onto the sofa and questioned coldly.

Investing in a certain track while simultaneously betting on two or three companies is a conventional practice for internet giants, so Chen Yansen could understand.

But when Pei Yi approached Juhuasuan seeking cooperation, Mama Ali always made excuses and treated Kuipao as a hypothetical enemy; how could Chen Yansen possibly give Old Ma a good face?

If you won't let me play, I'm too lazy to bother with you!

Kuipao has made achievements in group buying, food delivery, and grocery businesses, with daily orders exceeding 6 million and an average daily turnover of up to one hundred million Hua Yuan; it is in no shortage of investors.

"General Manager Chen, there must be a misunderstanding here; I will personally urge the matter later and guarantee an immediate solution," Ma Liyun said, avoiding the main issue.

"No need. Kuipao is different from Meituan, Dianping, and Lashou; its dependence on Juhuasuan is not strong," Chen Yansen refused decisively.

Ma Liyun felt very uncomfortable being rebuffed and said with a dark face, "Does General Manager Chen want to kick Mama Ali out?"

Chen Yansen remained noncommittal: "Isn't it Mama Ali that wants to suppress Kuipao?"

Ma Liyun, whose inner thoughts had been exposed, felt somewhat embarrassed; he had thought he could bluff his way through with a few words, but Chen Yansen gave him no face at all.

"General Manager Chen, Mama Ali has no intention of suppressing Kuipao; regarding this, I can guarantee it to you," Ma Liyun replied. He paused and added, "The recent cooperation adjustments at Juhuasuan are purely normal decisions based on platform strategic planning and business priorities, with absolutely no targeting intent. If General Manager Chen is willing, I can arrange for the team to engage in in-depth communication at any time to explore how to achieve resource sharing and mutual benefit in tracks such as group buying and food delivery."

"What about Taobao Delivery? Is President Ma quitting?" Chen Yansen pressed.

"There are only 600 million netizens nationwide. Once we hit the traffic ceiling, the cost and difficulty of acquiring new users will increase geometrically. Ali needs to complete its business ecosystem; using the high-frequency consumption scenarios of food delivery to boost user stickiness and retention—KuaiPao can do it, so why can't Ali?" Ma Liyun said openly.

"Actually, Ali could simply embed KuaiPao into the Taobao app. You want an O2O ecosystem; I'll handle the operations. Isn't it better for us to cooperate and win together?" Chen Yansen said bluntly, shamelessly.

Pfft!

Do you have any shame, kid?

Ali holds only 4% equity in KuaiPao. On what grounds should it give Taobao a tier-one traffic entry point?

"I'd like to agree, but the other shareholders won't allow it," Ma Liyun declined politely.

"If Ali places heavy bets on the food delivery and group buying sectors to compete head-on with KuaiPao, President Ma, have you considered how much money you'd need to spend to capture 20% of the market share? If that money were used to invest in KuaiPao instead, wouldn't the return be higher?" Chen Yansen advised.

"A 4% equity stake isn't enough to convince the other shareholders," Ma Liyun said after a moment's thought.

Ali is financially powerful, but Senlian Capital is not to be underestimated; in the ride-hailing industry, it has been pressing QianDu hard.

Old Ma knew clearly that if he went to all-out war with Senlian Capital, the monthly capital burn would not be less than 300 million, totaling nearly 2 billion over half a year.

Ali could afford to burn the money, but what would be the point?

"I can promise that for KuaiPao's Series B and Series C financing rounds, Ali will receive at least 5% equity in each round," Chen Yansen said, throwing out his chips.

"If I don't agree, does that mean Ali cannot participate in KuaiPao's Series B financing?" Ma Liyun asked.

"Yes! Moreover, I will raise 5 billion in funds to fight Ali to the end. Whether we are friends or enemies, President Ma, you choose."

Chen Yansen replied with a serious expression.

5 billion?

Ma Liyun was slightly stunned, sensing for the first time Chen Yansen's seriousness regarding the O2O sector, and immediately responded: "Give me two days."

"No problem," Chen Yansen agreed readily.

He was just bluffing, trying his luck.

What if he managed to scare Old Ma?

After all, Ali was currently preparing for its IPO; whether it would decide to go head-to-head with Senlian Capital remained to be seen.

Three minutes later, Chen Yansen hung up the phone.

The domestic market is huge, but the competition is even greater.

If Old Ma doesn't see clearly, then we'll hurt him!

Far away in Hangcheng, Ma Liyun leaned back in his boss's chair, pondering for a long while, then summoned Lu Zhaoxi, Zhang Yong, and Tang Yongbo, and sent a video conference invitation to Cai Xin, who was in Hong Kong.

"That's roughly the situation. Chen Yansen seems to place great importance on local life services like food delivery and group buying. So, how should Ali choose?"

After explaining the causes and effects, Ma Liyun spread his hands and asked for everyone's opinion.

"From the perspectives of cost-effectiveness, ecosystem synergy, and competitive landscape, acquiring Meituan is currently the optimal strategy. It can quickly secure entry tickets to the group buying and food delivery markets. Pan-Atlantic Capital's 100 million US dollars is only enough for Meituan to survive a few more months. Besides, Wang Xin has already considered selling the company, so we might as well wait a bit longer."

Cai Xin spoke first. Coming from an investment banking background, his focus was mainly on ecosystem synergy. Acquiring Meituan would allow it to be integrated into the group's local life sector, avoiding duplicate investments on one hand and filling ecosystem gaps on the other, achieving a strategic value of "1+1>2".

Of course, an even better choice would be to take over KuaiPao, but Chen Yansen would never agree.

"Meituan's group buying business is constantly declining. Although its food delivery business has achieved some results, the daily order volume is less than 100,000. It falls short of KuaiPao in terms of delivery resources, dispatch algorithms, and merchant resources. Despite the lower prices, the value is also low."

Ma Liyun spoke harshly, tearing Meituan apart.

Who could blame Wang Xin for not acting like a human and playing games with Old Ma?

Zhang Yong and Tang Yongbo exchanged glances, instantly understanding their boss's true intentions.

Tang Yongbo forced a bitter smile. Taobao Delivery had only been online for a few months, and now it faced the same miserable fate as Koubei. com.

Lu Zhaoxi sat silently on the side.

KuaiPao is good, but after all, it is not our own 'biological son'. How much benefit would Chen Yansen be willing to give up?

But asking them to throw 5 billion into competing with Senlian Capital; Ali might not gain any advantage either.

Moreover, if this huge investment fails, it would not only drag down Ali's cash flow but could also affect the group's IPO progress.

Rather than suffering mutual damage, it would be better to change the approach, exchanging capital cooperation for long-term mutual benefit, perhaps even leveraging a larger market cake.

"President Ma, how much equity is Chen Yansen willing to offer?" Lu Zhaoxi asked softly.

"A guaranteed 5% per round," Ma Liyun replied.

"10% would be more appropriate," Cai Xin said in a deep voice, pushing up his glasses on the video screen.

"Communication might still be possible. Chen Yansen probably doesn't want to compete head-on with Ali either. 5% is just his psychological bottom line, certainly not the upper limit."

Zhang Yong interjected.

The group discussed heatedly, talking over one another.

Beijing, Meituan Headquarters Building.

Wang Xin stared at the food delivery data, silent for a long time. Since the outbreak of negative public opinion before the New Year, the heat surrounding Meituan Delivery has never subsided; it has now become a synonym for "dirty, messy, and chaotic."

The daily order volume has plummeted to over 50,000 orders. It is hard to imagine that this represents the entire business volume for the North China and Northeast regions.

Most of its part-time delivery riders have also moved on to develop with QianDu Delivery and KuaiPao Delivery.

Looking solely at the results, Meituan's move to enter the food delivery market was truly a blunder.

"Old Wang, scale back the food delivery business. Save the ammunition for the group buying business. Let's stabilize the foundation first."

After a long while, Wang Xin raised his hand and spoke to Wang Huiwen.

What he didn't expect was that just as he gave up on food delivery, Zhang Tao of Dianping launched a team in Shanghai and officially went live with its food delivery business.

New users received an instant 15 yuan discount, while existing users could randomly claim food delivery red packets worth 5 to 8 yuan daily.

Following Meituan and QianDu, yet another company venturing into the food delivery industry had appeared.

Pei Yi cursed under his breath and immediately responded, adjusting subsidy policies for new and old customers while poaching people from Dianping's delivery team.

First, cripple the delivery system of Dianping!

"Idiot!" Wang Xin muttered a curse after learning the news.

In the 2013 food delivery industry, you can't play without money!

The more Zhang Tao struggles, the faster he dies!

(End of this chapter)