Chapter 143 I'm a genius!
"I just want to lead my brothers to go public independently without relying on anyone."

The pot was bubbling, steam was rising, and his undisguised arrogance pierced through his round-framed eyes.

Zhang Tao looked at him for a moment, smiled and said, "You still have dreams."

"I think you also have the dream of ringing the bell independently." Zhang Xuhao tested frankly.

Zhang Tao shook his head and laughed: "Brother, it's rare to be confused. You are too tired."

"My family and friends all say this to me. Old habits die hard. Talking too much affects my mood."

Zhang Xuhao laughed and changed the subject, "Let's not talk about that anymore. Try the lotus root slices. Lotus root slices are better eaten crispy than soft. They will taste bad once they are not cooked enough."

Zhang Tao did as he was told and picked up the chopsticks to taste a piece of lotus root slice. Then the two of them tacitly ignored their work. The atmosphere was so pleasant that it was like old friends chatting about everything under the sun for a long time.

The crispy lotus root slices are cooked to perfection in today's hotpot, but it's still too early for Dianping to invest in Ele.me.

——The guests left and the party ended happily, Zhang Tao thought so in his heart.

Xie Jingxing's independent plan to accelerate the strangulation of Meituan has caused resistance among the allied forces, and this rift cannot be healed by simple appeasement.

During this period, Zhang Xuhao led the Ele.me marketing team to spend every day in the Dianping office to learn and gain experience. The two sides found that they were very complementary.

The former has the first-mover advantage in the food delivery business, while the latter has the same massive merchant resources as Meituan and has US$4 million in cash flow.

The strategic cooperation between the two companies not only allows Zhang Xuhao to work alone without the overly powerful Xie Jingxing, but also allows him to avoid the dilemma of choosing between Tencent and Alibaba, and to be the one who makes the final decision.

Dianping has gained the initiative in facing Tencent, and its Ele.me food delivery business has made up for the lack of group buying business. Zhang Tao also does not want someone standing behind him and pushing him every step of the way.

After careful consideration, Dianping's investment in Ele.me is a match made in heaven, but whoever proposes it first will be the weakest.

Zhang Tao wanted to see how capable Zhang Xuhao, who regarded himself as a younger brother, was and why he was chosen by Xie Jingxing as the protagonist. He wanted to see how Wang Xing handled him for at least three rounds before discussing it...

"You confronted him?"

A royal blue BMW 7 Series drove through the midnight streets, attracting attention. While waiting for the traffic light, the owner lowered the window and supported the window frame with his arm. The rose gold Vacheron Constantin watch on his wrist reflected luxury under the neon lights on the street.

"You old fox, you still want to play tricks on me. Sooner or later, you will be fucking eaten alive by Xie Jingxing."

Zhang Xuhao was sitting in the passenger seat, cursing. The cold wind mixed with the smell of leather rushed straight to his head. He was drunk and spat out of the window: "Kang Jia, you big idiot, don't drag me along if you want to show off. Believe it or not, I will spit in your car."

"Fuck, don't mess with me. I just bought a new car and you reek of alcohol. Get some fresh air to get rid of it." Kang Jia quickly explained.

Zhang Xuhao glanced at his college roommate and co-founder, whose greasy face had a natural smirk and he always wore a pair of rustic black-framed glasses. With this image, if he didn't love to pretend to be realistic, it would be difficult for him to stand up and pedal his dream car like an athlete.

Forget it, let's just use this flashy BMW as a car for company executives. This guy is quite good at market operations. We brothers have suffered so much over the years, and it's time to enjoy ourselves as long as it doesn't affect our careers.

Zhang Xuhao relaxed his body, rubbed his temples with both hands and emphasized: "You should set the KPI for the local sales team. We must follow up with every merchant that Meituan opens."

"Meituan is coming to Shanghai at any time. I will put on my work clothes and be the first to talk to the merchants. Zhang Tao wants to play psychological warfare, so our performance cannot be bad." Kang Jia restrained his expression and expressed his attitude seriously.

Zhang Xuhao patted his shoulder with satisfaction and said, "Lao Kang, you are the COO now. You can't just think about charging into battle. You need to learn more about management. Some people in the company team are just bastards. You have to keep an eye on them and whip them all the time so that they can do their job well."

"I understand. It's just like what the rich second generation promised us a few days ago. They hope that we can wear more suits and less work clothes." Kang Jia said jokingly.

Zhang Xuhao forced a smile and said, "Not really. He helped us a lot, but he was too self-righteous."

"Indeed. But you know what, he looks really stylish in a suit. I'll have some time to work out and build muscle after I've defeated Meituan." Kang Jia nodded in agreement and said something nice.

In fact, as early as July, Wang Huiwen came to us and said he wanted to acquire Ele.me. At that time, after discussing it, the brothers refused without hesitation and shouted the slogan of independent listing.

But even though they refused, the tragic scene of the Thousand Group War was still fresh in their minds, and they were really scared when facing the second-in-command of the winner, Meituan, so they decisively accepted the investment from Grapefruit Capital later.

Zhang Xuhao attached great importance to the fierce offensive power shown by Xie Jingxing in leading the battle against Didi. Facts have proved that he did provide Ele.me with a lot of strategic help that had not been considered before.

But we brothers can't stand his style of doing things. We are all young and ambitious. Why should we be inferior to him?
While the guys were working in the wind and rain on electric bikes delivering takeout and slurring their throats as customer service staff, Xie Jingxing was still rolling around in bed with a female celebrity using the original capital given by his family!

"It's not enough to have a good figure, he also has to wear custom-made suits. Do you know how much his formal suits, which are different every day, cost? I asked a tailor privately, and he said that a set costs at least tens of thousands of dollars, not counting watches, cufflinks, and other accessories."

As Kang Jia's words of longing reached his ears, Zhang Xuhao withdrew his thoughts and said proudly: "How much money can you spend on clothes? I will give you a Patek Philippe after the next round of financing!"

"Reliable, I think the Patek Philippe watch on Assistant Song's hand looks very good."

"Don't make trouble for me, kid. If you have any ideas, wait until the subsequent financing dilutes the shareholding of Grapefruit Capital."

"A delicate beauty wearing a men's 40mm watch, the contrast is perfect, I'm really itching for this brother... Let's go to the bar tonight to have fun and relieve the itch, and then try to kick the rich second generation out as soon as possible..."

The long red light turned green, and the royal blue BMW 7 Series engine roared away.

The cold wind blew up the hair on his forehead, and Kang Jia's mouth curled up in a sly smile, arrogant, fierce and full of hope.

…………

December 12th, Monday, the third day after the Big Snow solar term.

Near Wujiaochang University Town, young college students hurried across the street in groups of two or three to rush to their early morning classes to prepare for the upcoming exam week.

"God, it's unreal to think that you were just like them six months ago."

In a street-side breakfast shop, Jim Goetz shook his head with a complicated tone, and his increasingly prominent hairline proved the unspeakable admiration he expressed.

Xie Jingxing tore the fried dough sticks into pieces and soaked them in sweet soy milk: "Everyone's time zone is different. Maybe I'm just earlier than them."

"Is this the topic of your speech today?" Jim raised his eyebrows with a questioning look on his face.

Xie Jingxing shrugged helplessly: "The media used me to hype themselves up. They said that I abandoned my peers. This is obviously selling anxiety. I have an obligation to correct this."

"A genius comforts ordinary children: Don't be discouraged, you have a chance like me, keep going." Jim imitated his tone to make a joke. In the English-speaking world of Europe and America, no matter politicians, stars or capitalists, everyone is allowed to have flaws. A perfect person cannot be respected, but only endlessly questioned and hated.

It is a bit hypocritical for a genius to be considerate and comfort ordinary people. A genius should be a genius. It is cool and worshipful to be arrogant and call himself the king of the world.

Jim received an invitation to give a lecture at Tsinghua University some time ago. He had just arrived in Shanghai for a layover yesterday when Xie Jingxing abducted him halfway and brought him to Jiaotong University. He still didn't understand what the doctrine of the mean was.

Xie Jingxing was too lazy to explain and said seriously: "No, don't be me, but surpass me."

"Great ideals, man, I can't tell who is the greatest teacher between you and Socrates."

Jim complained casually, worrying about the fried dough sticks in front of him. This thing was brighter than his forehead and was a calorie bomb that was even more terrible than fried chicken.

Xie Jing Xing slowly swallowed the fried dough sticks soaked in sweet soy milk: "Only in this way can I enter Wall Street and go to Silicon Valley to say hello to you. I'm coming."

"..."

Jim suddenly raised his head and looked around again and again: "There is a popular joke on Wall Street now. There are three common languages ​​in the quantitative trading circle: C language, Mandarin, and Hinglish. You are already here."

Xie Jingxing nodded slightly and was about to say something, but Song Anli, who had been sitting quietly beside him and observing the street across the street, leaned over to his ear and whispered, "Here I come."

"Looking back, yes, it was the Korean restaurant that the man in yellow clothes walked into."

Xie Jingxing plays the role of a tourist guide and introduces the restaurant in a rambling way: "Their 'army hot pot' is very popular among nearby college students. It is said that the owner and chef learned the exclusive recipe when he was a college student in Seoul. The ingredients are carefully selected and airlifted from South Korea."

"Does it sound like the prices are going to be very high? Quite the contrary. The boss is very individualistic and did not open the restaurant for profit. Even though the restaurant ranks high in sales on group-buying websites, he is still unwilling to allow the restaurant to join the food delivery platform."

He paused for a moment and spread his hands: "The reason is that the delivery process affects the taste of the dishes, and it is troublesome to pack the side dishes."

"Is he a very famous chef?" Jim frowned slightly, trying to understand.

Xie Jing Xing smiled and said, "No, but judging from the transaction orders on the statistical platform, he was one of the most profitable restaurant owners around here last year."

"The boss's identity is more important than the chef's, so he should think from the boss's perspective. The food delivery platform has not solved the core problem." Jim quickly made a judgment.

Xie Jingxing sighed: "Yes, they did a lot of things wrong, so the man in yellow came."

"Um, Meituan. I know their brand logo. In fact, we often use the competition in China's group buying market for analysis. What will they do?" Jim asked with interest.

"They brought specially designed takeaway packaging to this restaurant and provided a complete online order transaction system for merchants."

Xie Jingxing took out his phone and shook it: "The most important thing is that 60% of the online group buying orders for this restaurant are traded through Meituan."

"It must be said that this is a strong competitor. So how should the previous food delivery platform deal with the competition?" Jim concentrated thoughtfully.

Xie Jing Xing smiled like a villain: "It's very simple, do you see the man in black-framed glasses and blue clothes at the door of the restaurant? Wait for the man in yellow clothes to come out, he will go in and say to the restaurant owner..."

"Me too?" Jim answered without saying a word.

This trick is both cheap and effective. It is impossible for Meituan to play a "choose one or the other" game with merchants in the early stage. As long as merchants are listed on one platform, there is no reason to ignore the other food delivery platform.

"Come on, Jim, we should go to school and see what the result is later."

Xie Jing Xing stood up and stretched, then added lightly, "Such a scene will happen in thirty cities with a population of one million from today onwards. The person in blue and yellow will visit every store in the city. By the way, the person in blue is the Chief Operating Officer of Ele.me."

Jim was silent. He had read the news before coming to the house in the morning. Meituan had simultaneously launched its service in 30 major cities in China, 18 of which were markets that were not covered by the blue-clad Ele.me food delivery company.

He originally thought that this was a long-planned surprise attack, but the genius next to him said that this was a long-awaited evolutionary revolution.

Use the external threat brought by Meituan to correct Ele.me's previous wrong strategy and evolve to become stronger by swallowing up its opponent.

"They all say I'm just a barbarian who burns money. That's outrageous. Jim, you know how smart I am, right?"

Walking side by side towards the Jiaotong University campus, Xie Jingxing endured it again and again, but still couldn't help complaining to his good friend about the annoyance of being besieged by the media in the past few days: "Fuck, I'm a genius. Before I fix the problem, Ele.me won't spend a penny!"

When Wang Huiwen approached Zhang Xuhao to discuss the acquisition in July this year, Ele.me's business logic was not yet a formal food delivery business. Just like selling enterprise management software, they charged platform merchants a monthly online order service fee.

Later, feeling a sense of crisis, we took the initiative to make changes and adopt a platform-based commission-collecting model.

Meituan, on the contrary, was the first to invest heavily in researching online order transaction systems in the war of thousands of group purchases, focusing on the group buying platform on the merchant side.

This profoundly illustrates that the two parties have completely different behavioral logic towards the merchant side. The former regards merchants as customers at heart, while the latter regards merchants as core users, just like internet celebrities to Douyin.

This is where the problem arose. After several exchanges, Xie Jingxing discovered that Zhang Xuhao was a complete bitch.

He tried to force the other party to recognize the strategic direction, but this jerk was too lazy and unwilling to make drastic adjustments to the entrepreneurial team that had formed serious path dependence, and he took a one-step-at-a-time approach.

Xie Jingxing didn't want to damage his good image as an investor and cause conflicts between the two parties, so he had to take advantage of the situation and force Meituan to take the first step, so that Zhang Xuhao would completely face the reality and would not have to think about plagiarizing.

Therefore, the original "Happy New Year" plan remains unchanged. Before that, Ele.me will not spend money to fight back. If it cannot really adjust its strategic pace within 20 days, then Zhang Xuhao and Zhang Tao deserve to be beaten by Wang Xing.

"Uber is the only company in the United States that can simultaneously attack and defend in 20 markets with a population of one million and adjust its strategic direction within days. I have to say you are asking too much." Jim lowered his voice unconsciously as he walked into the Jiaotong University campus.

Xie Jingxing raised his chin slightly: "There are many Internet companies in China that can do this, such as Didi, Kuaidi, and Meituan; in the mobile phone industry, Xiaomi, Huawei, and OPPO... If there is no ocean between us, they can really walk into Wall Street and say hello."

"...Sequoia always invests in companies with core competitiveness." Jim was very conflicted and politely declined.

Shen Nanpeng led Sequoia China to spend a lot of money, but the century-old American Sequoia still needs to maintain some brand power. It is too wild to mindlessly spend money to raise funds for the project.

Xie Jingxing explained disapprovingly: "Dude, I'm just proving to you that I sincerely hope that the students listening to my speech today can surpass me, even though it's very difficult."

"..."

Jim was speechless and felt relieved. That's what it feels like. All geniuses look like they deserve a beating!
(End of this chapter)