Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 474 Why aren't you wearing a hat?
"We've also made preparations for changing the operating system and merging with Time and Space Internet Cafe," Cheng Yi said urgently.

Qian Buqun sighed and said, "President Cheng, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush, let me explain slowly to you."

“Our acquisition plan was flawless, but for some reason, Samsung suddenly got hold of it,” Qian Buqun said. “Actoz Group may not be a company with great potential, but they have released two very good games that Samsung values ​​highly. Samsung was very angry after learning about our plan, and even called our president. We are currently negotiating with Samsung, and we really can’t afford to worry about you anymore.”

Negotiation? That's a very euphemistic way of putting it.

Cheng Yi chuckled inwardly and said, "President Qian, we didn't leak any information to Samsung."

“This matter has nothing to do with you,” Qian Buqun sighed. “But speaking of which, if we had known that Samsung would react so strongly, we might as well have openly discussed the acquisition of Actoz Group with Samsung. If we had offered a higher price, Samsung might not have refused.”

At this point, Qian Buqun suddenly seized upon a mistake Cheng Yi had made, saying, "Speaking of which, it was you, President Cheng, who suggested the secret acquisition in the first place, so you also bear responsibility for what happened."

Qian Buqun was clearly afraid that Cheng Yi would not let it go, so he directly pinned a heavy responsibility on Cheng Yi.

“Alright, but this will take time. The main issue is what to do with Shikuang Internet Cafe. We signed a contract with you stipulating that the price would not be lower than 2 yuan, but recently, many authorized internet cafes under Shikuang Internet Cafe have not complied with this agreement, and some have even lowered the price to 1.5 yuan.” Cheng Yi made up a story off the cuff.

"Reduced to 1.5 yuan?" Qian Buqun said in a deep voice, "Are you sure?"

Although the contracts signed by Qian Buqun are not legally binding, in the IT field, his name carries weight.

Euro Pacific Capital raised objections last month, but IBM quickly suppressed them.

Although IBM was in the wrong in this matter, who says that you have to admit to being wrong?
Would an emperor apologize to his people?
Admitting mistakes should be done according to one's status!
IBM is the largest investor platform for Euro Pacific Capital. Who should apologize to whom?
“OK, I’ll send the evidence to your email in a bit,” Cheng Yi said. “They’re using a cashback method. Although it looks like it’s still 2 yuan on the surface, they give the user 5 cents back after they finish using the internet.”

Qian Buqun sneered, "If Shikuang Internet Cafe really lowers its prices without authorization, then do whatever you want with it. I won't take sides."

Qian Buqun said "I" instead of "we".

Cheng Yi immediately understood what Qian Buqun meant.

As the president of the China region, Qian Buqun wields considerable power.

He controls the entire IBM market in China, and even in Timespace Internet Cafe, which is under Euro Pacific Capital, Qian Buqun has absolute say.

If Shikuang Internet Cafe lowers its prices without permission, it's tantamount to disrespecting him.

The controversy surrounding this matter hasn't even died down yet, so isn't Shikuang Internet Cafe's actions a slap in the face?
It's just a matter of a few cents. Can't we wait a month or two until things settle down before making a fuss about it?
Qian Buqun was clearly a little angry.

Cheng Yi immediately smiled and said, "Great, with Mr. Qian's words, I can rest assured."

Qian Buqun nodded slowly and said, "Yes, but don't go too far. After all, Time and Space Internet Cafe is an industry invested in by Outai Capital."

"Understood." Cheng Yi smiled and said, "But to be honest, since we and Time and Space Internet Cafe are going to merge sooner or later anyway, it's much better for me to beat them into submission before merging, than for you to lead the merger, right?"

“That makes sense.” Qian Buqun pondered Cheng Yi’s words carefully and said, “If you can really subdue Shikuang Internet Cafe, you can save the trouble of negotiating profit sharing with Outai Capital during the merger.”

Cheng Yi said, "Then let's see if Shikuang Internet Cafe knows how to restrain itself. If they do, I'll wait for our side to coordinate and merge them."

"Okay, you handle it." Qian Buqun was very satisfied with Cheng Yi.

It's hard to find such an upright person in the business world; no wonder he was named a national pioneer in poverty alleviation and charity.

Cheng Yi hung up the phone and couldn't help but laugh.

As long as the money is right, whichever internet cafe he wants will lower its prices, that internet cafe will lower its prices.

This is the same principle as whether or not a little rabbit wears a hat when it goes out.

I was beaten whether I wore a hat or not.

Because the rule about wearing a hat was set by the Big Bad Wolf.

Cheng Yi is now the big bad wolf.

He must cherish this hard-won opportunity and get the Time and Space Internet Cafe sorted out as soon as possible.

Only by acquiring Shikuang Internet Cafe did Momo Group have the confidence to say 'no'.

Do you want them to pay $400 million in protection money?
Do you want them to abandon the Momo system?

Do you want them to merge with Time and Space Internet Cafe?
Want their equity?
Keep dreaming!

Of course, if IBM and Samsung hadn't gone to war, it would have been incredibly difficult for Momo Group to take over Shikuang Internet Cafe.

The sheer size of Euro-Pacific Capital alone could severely damage Momo Group, which already had limited funds.

But the situation is different now. Everyone, including Euro Pacific Capital, knows that Momo Group has reached a cooperation agreement with IBM.

From IBM's perspective, Euro Pacific Capital and Momo Group are essentially on the same level.

As for Timespace Internet Cafe, which is under Euro Pacific Capital, it is clearly a level below Momo Group in status.

Cheng Yi sat on the sofa, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He reviewed the whole incident several times before finally picking up his phone and dialing Zhang Lingyu's number. His voice carried an undeniable air of ruthlessness as he said, "Lingyu, start the plan. Within a month, at all costs, make sure that the name 'Time and Space Internet Cafe' becomes history!"

"Okay." Zhang Lingyu's voice trembled slightly.

Their Momo Internet Cafe company had been preparing for a whole month, just waiting for Cheng Yi's call.

This month, they made a lot of plans, and even arranged for more than 20 authorized stores of Time and Space Internet Cafe.

The price at these authorized stores is the 1.5 yuan/hour that Cheng Yi mentioned.

They operated very discreetly. In the Time and Space Internet Cafe management software, they charged 2 yuan, but after the user finished surfing the internet, they would give the user a cashback of 0.5 yuan per hour. This was done without being detected by Time and Space Culture Co., Ltd.

The moment Cheng Yi gave the order, the entire Momo Internet Cafe Management Company sprang into action like a sophisticated war machine.

The next morning, thousands of Momo internet cafe managers across the country simultaneously received a text message containing only one Arabic numeral: [1]. The next second, a handwritten poster with red background and black lettering was prominently displayed in the most conspicuous location of every store.

[Due to the malicious competition employed by Shikuang Internet Cafe using cashback schemes, which severely disrupts the stability of the internet cafe industry, effective immediately, the internet access fee in the lobby of Momo Internet Cafe will revert to 1 yuan per hour!]

The moment these posters were put up, the entire internet cafe industry in China was completely ignited! No, it would be more accurate to say it exploded!

Many industry insiders know that IBM had already ushered in a two-yuan era for China's internet cafe industry, but before it could even get comfortable, Momo Internet Cafe has pulled it back to a one-yuan era.

How is this going?

"One yuan?! Holy crap! Has Momo gone mad? Isn't this openly going against the entire industry?"

"Didn't you read what they wrote? It's Time and Space Internet Cafe that's offering cashback first?"

"Who cares what they're doing? The most important thing is that our internet access is cheap."

"That's right, Time and Space Internet Cafe is still two yuan a day! Brothers, let's go, let's go for Momo!"

"Boss! Give me three machines, I want to treat my buddies to a good time!"

In a pedestrian street in a county in northern Shandong Province, the Momo Internet Cafe, which had seen its occupancy rate plummet after the price was raised to two yuan, is now packed with people. The bustling scene is comparable to a university computer lab after school in the afternoon.

In stark contrast to this hellish scene is the Time and Space Internet Cafe, located just across the street.

The once bustling hall was now so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only a few network administrators looking at each other in despair.

Panic began to spread in the authorized stores of Time and Space Internet Cafe.

"Bastard! Momo is trying to kill us!!"

"Two pieces! We're tied to two pieces in the contract! How can we compete with them? We have to get an explanation from Time & Space Culture!"

"Exactly! If they don't agree, I'm quitting! If I keep going, I'll probably lose everything!"

"Why wait for their approval? Damn it, I'm announcing a price cut to one dollar right now! No, I'm going to cut it to eighty cents!"

The phone lines from authorized stores nearly overwhelmed Time & Space Culture's customer service department.

At this moment, Xue Man, his face grim, dialed a phone and roared futilely into the receiver, "Qian Buqun, what's going on? Didn't we agree that everyone would pay two yuan?!"

On the other end of the phone, Qian Buqun's cold voice came through quickly: "Xue Man, you should ask yourself this. Didn't I tell you to wait until things calmed down before lowering the price? But you guys just messed around with cashback! Momo Internet Cafe was originally one yuan, and I had to risk my reputation to get them to agree to raise it to two yuan. What you did made me lose face."

Throw away your pride? Isn't that risking your life?
Xue Man muttered to himself, then quickly gathered his thoughts and said, "This is a slander from Momo Internet Cafe! We've already set restrictions in our internet cafe management software! Internet access is charged at two yuan per hour! We've also repeatedly warned our internet cafe owners that anyone who dares to lower the price will have their agency rights revoked!"

"There's no point in arguing with me. Momo Group has already provided detailed evidence." Qian Buqun's tone also became impolite. He said, "Don't you know the saying 'where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure'? Many authorized dealers at your Shikuang Internet Cafe are using cashback to lower prices. One hour of internet access, and you get 50 cents back! Go check it out before you call me. You're really ridiculous!"

Qian Buqun hung up the phone after he finished speaking.

Xue Man sat on the sofa, holding her phone, lost in thought for a long time.

Qian Buqun's words were so decisive that Xue Man became somewhat insecure.

Could it be that many of their franchisees are actually taking the risk?
This shouldn't be!
Both they and Momo Internet Cafe set their prices at two yuan, which should be great news for Shiku Internet Cafe.

Moreover, this is a benefit that the three heroic internet cafe owners earned by serving ten years in prison.

Lowering prices without authorization—isn't that like shooting yourself in the foot?
Xue Man was completely baffled.

"What did Qian Buqun say?" At this moment, Mi Jing walked over, swaying her alluring waist.

Xue Man sighed and said, "Qian Buqun is quite certain. Some of our authorized users are offering cashback to lower prices in order to attract customers."

Mi Jing frowned and said, "How is that possible? They kidnapped Qian Buqun to get the contract, and then they tore it up themselves?"

Xue Man said in a deep voice, "This whole thing is suspicious. I think it must be a dirty trick by Momo Internet Cafe!"

Mi Jing swirled the red wine in her glass and pondered, "I'm afraid this matter is also related to Qian Buqun."

"What do you mean?" Xue Man's heart skipped a beat.

Mi Jing said, "After all, we are an industry invested in by Outai Capital. Last time, Qian Buqun and Outai Capital talked about a merger, and the two sides had a very unpleasant disagreement on the profit-sharing process."

"Well, Qian Buqun thought that even if we merged with Momo Internet Cafe, we could only hold a maximum of 21% of the shares," Xue Man said. "But didn't both sides reach an agreement in the end?"

“If we reach an agreement, then we’ll sign a contract, right? If we haven’t signed a contract, it’s just an expression of intent,” Mi Jing said. “And to take it a step further, what if Momo Group uses competitive business tactics to acquire us before we sign a contract? Would we still need to sign a contract then?”

Xue Man was startled.

Mi Jing continued, "I've thought about this carefully. If Momo Group were to submit to IBM, IBM would definitely own shares in Momo Internet Cafe or Momo Games. The profits from Momo Internet Cafe and Momo Games would go directly to IBM. But we are an enterprise of Outai Capital, and the profits we make would first go to Outai Capital, and then Outai Capital would share a portion with IBM."

When Mi Jing said this, Xue Man immediately understood.

Yes, their Time and Space Internet Cafe has middlemen making a profit, while if Momo Internet Cafe were to be affiliated with IBM, it would be equivalent to being directly under IBM.

The closeness or distance of the relationship is almost immediately obvious.

Xue Man gritted his teeth and said, "You mean, Momo Internet Cafe was instructed by Qian Buqun?"

“Without Qian Buqun’s instigation, do you think Momo Group would dare to take action against us?” Mi Jing said. “After all, we have Outai Capital behind us.”

Xue Man slammed his hand on the table and said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, then let's have a showdown with Momo Group! Call Outai Capital and ask them if they can provide some financial assistance."

“Okay.” Mi Jing nodded and said, “But in my estimation, if this is really Qian Buqun’s doing, then Ou Tai Capital will definitely not help us.”

Mi Jing quickly made a call. She spoke briefly in English with the person on the other end, then hung up and said, "I guessed right. Outai Capital told us to handle this ourselves."

(End of this chapter)