Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 501 Tripartite Mediation
A few days later, inside the Jingzhou People's Hospital.

A man in his forties, who looked very refined, accompanied by two assistants, bowed deeply to Du Yusheng, who was lying on the hospital bed, with a look of grief and sincerity on his face.

With one leg dangling from the frame, Du Yusheng saw the man bowing and immediately shouted, "What kind of bow are you giving? Are you trying to send me away?"

Du Yusheng has been in bed for almost a month. When he jumped off the bridge, his weight caused him to break his lower leg. It takes a hundred days to recover from such a serious injury. Now, lying in his hospital bed, he is extremely annoyed.

Seeing the man in front of him only made him more annoyed.

Because this man is Cao Qifeng, the younger brother of Cao Qiwei, a local tyrant in Guangdong Province.

After taking over the family business, Cao Qifeng immediately cleaned up Cao Qiwei's shady operations and began to focus on legal and compliant businesses. Even the original taxi business was gradually delegated to individuals, with Cao Qifeng only taking a certain percentage of commission.

Sensing Du Yusheng's displeasure, Cao Qifeng quickly said, "Chairman Du, on behalf of the Cao family, I apologize to you for my elder brother Cao Qiwei's previous foolish behavior!"

Cao Qifeng deliberately choked up a little as he said, "My brother was confused for a moment and was misled by others, which led him to make such an irreparable mistake, causing great harm to Chairman Du and bringing trouble to your group. Although, although my brother has already... but a mistake is a mistake, and our Cao family acknowledges it!"

He looked up at Du Yusheng with reddened eyes and choked out, "My brother's accident is a retribution from the underworld. We will never transfer this grief to anyone, especially not to Momo Group! We have come here to sincerely apologize and hope to resolve this grievance with your group."

Cao Qifeng's attitude was extremely humble, and his words even positioned Cao Qiwei's death as retribution and an accident, implying that Cao Qiwei's death was his own fault.

Cheng Yi stood quietly to the side and listened.

It must be said that Cao Qifeng was the biggest beneficiary of Cao Qiwei's death.

There are even rumors circulating that Cao Qifeng was the one who actually took action.

Such things are a mix of truth and falsehood, making it difficult to discern the truth; outsiders are merely entertained by what they hear.

However, he understood Cao Qifeng's intention: to back down, admit his mistake, distance himself, and ensure his safety.

Cao Qifeng was smarter than his brother and was better at assessing situations.

Cao Qiwei's death has deprived the Cao family of their greatest support and courage.

At this point, the Cao family had no choice but to seek peace with the Momo Group and beg them to spare the remaining assets and personnel of the Cao family.

"Mr. Cao, you flatter me." Cheng Yi finally spoke, saying, "The police have already reached a conclusion regarding Chairman Du's matter. It was all Chen Quan's personal behavior. As for your brother's accident in Thailand, we are truly deeply sorry. The business world is like a battlefield, and bumps and bruises are inevitable. The important thing is to look forward."

He neither admitted nor denied anything, but for Cao Qifeng, this was already an immense blessing.

This means that Momo Group has at least superficially accepted their apology and will not completely destroy their business for the time being.

In fact, Cao Qifeng did not harbor any hatred towards Momo Group.

His older brother is indeed too domineering, even towards his younger brother.

Cao Qifeng subconsciously looked at Du Yusheng.

Although President Cheng forgave them, the power still remained in the hands of Chairman Du, who was lying in a hospital room with his leg in a sling.

Du Yusheng glanced at Cao Qifeng and said, "You all heard what President Cheng just said. I'm known for my magnanimity, so let's leave it at that."

"Thank you! Thank you, Chairman Du, for your magnanimity!" Cao Qifeng felt as if he had been granted a pardon, thanking him repeatedly, his posture becoming even more humble.

A conflict that was about to escalate was temporarily brought to a halt by Cao Qifeng's humble plea for peace and Cheng Yi's vague promises.

The news of Cao Qifeng's humble plea for peace spread like wildfire throughout China's business and IT circles.

This is tantamount to announcing to everyone that the once arrogant Cao family, the local tyrant of Guangdong, has completely surrendered and admitted defeat in front of Momo Group.

As a result, news of Tang Jun fleeing to the United States like a stray dog ​​also spread to a small circle.

In an instant, the brokers and local forces who had been harassing Momo Group's businesses across the country with lawsuits driven by profit were suddenly silenced, as if doused with a bucket of ice water.

With Cao Qiwei's bloody example right before our eyes, who would dare to easily provoke Momo Group?

No matter how much money you earn, you still need to be alive to spend it!
With Microsoft China leaderless, its external offensive collapsed.

Meanwhile, Momo Group took this opportunity, with Cheng Yi personally overseeing the operation, and quickly dispatched a capable team to various locations. On the one hand, they reassured the affected franchisees and outlets, providing legal and financial support; on the other hand, they forcefully rectified the situation, consolidated their position, and thoroughly purged those who were opportunistic, further strengthening their influence and control in the local areas.

After a brief setback, the promotion of Moc-os and WPS has reached new heights due to the huge attention brought about by this incident, with the number of users steadily moving towards the 30 million mark.

Tang Jun's desertion and the negative impact of the Cao Qiwei incident greatly angered Microsoft headquarters.

They realized that conventional business competition and legal means seemed to have little effect on Momo Group, an opponent that did not play by the rules.

Just as Microsoft headquarters was in a state of turmoil, considering whether to take more aggressive global sanctions, a high-level delegation from the Handong Provincial Political Affairs Association arrived in Zhonghai City, which was at the center of the storm.

The delegation was headed by Qin Huaiming, a highly respected senior leader of Handong Province and former president of the Handong Provincial Political Affairs Association.

After arriving in Zhonghai, Qin Huaiming, on behalf of the Handong Provincial Government Affairs Association, formally met with Microsoft Asia Pacific President Johnson and Momo Group President Cheng Yi.

The location was chosen to be a garden-style state guesthouse in Zhonghai City, which is full of Chinese characteristics and offers a high degree of privacy.

The meeting room was antique in style, with the aroma of tea wafting through the air, but the atmosphere was heavy as lead.

Microsoft Asia-Pacific President Johnson sat to Qin Huaiming's left, his face grim.

Cheng Yi, on the other hand, had a calm expression, his young face carrying a serenity beyond his years.

Qin Huaiming sat in the center, exuding an imposing presence without anger. Several key members of the Handong Provincial Political Affairs Association stood behind him, taking notes. "Mr. Johnson, Mr. Cheng," Qin Huaiming said in a calm yet authoritative voice, "I've invited you two here today not to argue about right and wrong. Over the past few months, the dispute between Microsoft and Momo has gone beyond normal business competition, even affecting social stability and the local economy."

He glanced at the two men and said bluntly, “Handong Province and even the whole of China need a stable, orderly and healthy environment for the development of the science and technology industry. Vicious competition will only lead to mutual destruction, which is not what any of us want. We, the Handong Provincial Government Affairs Association, have been entrusted by the National Association of Industry and Commerce and the National Information Industry Association to act as a mediator and put an end to this pointless struggle.”

Johnson said in slightly broken Chinese, "Mr. Qin, Microsoft has always been a staunch defender of the rule of law and regulations. It is Momo Group that has broken the rules by using pirated software, developing malicious tools, engaging in unfair competition, and even... possibly even violent crimes! We demand that they immediately cease all infringing activities and issue a public apology!"

He deliberately emphasized the serious term "violent crime," and looked sharply at Cheng Yi.

Cheng Yi smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Johnson, regarding the issues of piracy and tools, we have already issued a public apology and paid the legally recognized compensation under the auspices of the court. As for the other baseless accusations you mentioned, we also reserve the right to pursue your defamation liability."

Cheng Yi paused for a moment and said, "On the contrary, it is you who, by abusing your market dominance and using technological means, have suppressed the development of domestic software in China, restricted user choices through commercial sanctions, and even condoned and colluded with local forces to physically harm our chairman. Don't these actions also violate the rule of law and rules you mentioned? Shouldn't they also be condemned and sanctioned?"

Seeing that the two sides were about to clash again, Qin Huaiming coughed lightly, interrupting their argument, and said, "Alright, the past is a matter for the law and relevant departments to clarify and handle. We are sitting here today to look to the future and come up with a solution that can be accepted by both of you to settle the dispute."

Qin Huaiming's gaze swept across Johnson and Cheng Yi's faces, his voice becoming stern: "Arguing won't solve anything!"

He paused, then presented the plan devised by the think tank team, saying, "Based on the consideration of maintaining overall stability and promoting industrial development, we have also put forward a plan. If you don't have a better plan, you might as well take a look at our plan first, and then we can continue our discussion."

Qin Huaiming raised his hand, and his secretary immediately brought out two copies of the agreement, which were respectfully handed to Johnson and Cheng Yi.

Both agreements were translated into both Chinese and English. Cheng Yi picked up the documents and carefully read through the contents.

The content is not complicated; it is divided into only three parts.

I. Momo Group promises that its self-developed Moc-os operating system commercial version will voluntarily abandon the government and enterprise procurement market outside of Handong Province and focus on serving the local needs of Handong Province. At the same time, the Moc-os operating system home version promises to voluntarily abandon the expansion plan in overseas markets during the agreement period and focus on the domestic market in China.

II. Microsoft promises that, during the term of this agreement, it will cease all forms of commercial suppression, technological blockade, and unfair competition against Momo Group and all its subsidiaries legally operating in China. This includes, but is not limited to, ceasing the distribution of targeted destructive patches, ceasing the use of its market position to coerce partners into excluding Momo products, and ceasing support for or condoning malicious lawsuits and harassment against Momo Group.

Third, both parties promise to strictly abide by Chinese laws and regulations, conduct business competition in a legal and compliant manner, and neither party shall infringe upon the personal safety of the other party's personnel or the normal operation of the enterprise in any form.

This agreement is tentatively set to be valid for one year.

After the one-year term expires, both parties may negotiate to renew or adjust the agreement based on market conditions.

Supervisor:
China Information Industry Association.

China Business and Industry Association.

Handong Provincial Government Affairs Association.

Qin Huaiming looked at the two of them and said, "This plan was discussed overnight by more than 40 experts from our Handong Province think tank. It not only preserves certain development opportunities for your Momo Group's operating system, but also safeguards Microsoft's dominant position in the government and enterprise sectors, while avoiding direct conflict between the two of you in overseas markets."

Qin Huaiming stared intently at the two men and said, word by word, "Most importantly, it can de-escalate the current tense situation and create an environment for peaceful development. What do you two think?"

This plan carries a strong connotation of assigning equal blame to both sides and defining spheres of influence.

This seemingly preserves Microsoft's absolute advantage in the vast Chinese government and enterprise market outside of Handong Province and in the global market, and forces Moc-OS Home Edition to remain in the domestic market, unable to go overseas and pose a threat.

However, this also means that they have acknowledged Moc-os's legal existence and right to develop in Handong Province, and have given up the right to continue to suppress Momo's other industries. This is tantamount to recognizing Momo Group's position in the domestic IT field.

Most importantly, they can no longer stifle Moc-os through illegitimate means.

Cheng Yi, on the other hand, voluntarily gave up the huge market share of Moc-os commercial version in the national government and enterprise market, and at the same time tied his hands, giving up the possibility of the home version going overseas.

However, in return, Microsoft promised to completely stop its suppression, and gave them the most precious breathing room and time to develop.

They could fully focus on absorbing the domestic home user market, consolidating their core businesses in internet cafes, games, and hardware, and then optimize their systems to accumulate strength for the battle a year from now.

At the same time, the agreement also effectively recognized and protected Moc-os's legitimate status in Handong Province at the official level.

At this moment, Johnson frowned, his mind in turmoil.

This agreement is far from Microsoft's original goal of completely eliminating Moc-OS.

Moreover, once the gateway to Handong Province is opened, Moc-os will have a base.

However, the Cao Qiwei incident and Tang Jun's fear also made Microsoft headquarters realize that the risk of fighting Momo Group to the death in China was extremely high.

The Chinese government is remaining silent simply because it needs to use their operating system.

If this matter escalates and really angers the Chinese government, they might actually risk using the commercial version of Moc-os.

Moreover, if the two sides continue to fight, the cost will be incalculable, and the outcome will be unpredictable.

This agreement, at least, preserves Microsoft's core interests in China and its superficial victorious stance, serving as a satisfactory explanation to headquarters.

Besides, what difference would it make if Momo Group were given a year to catch its breath?

Even if the base of 10 billion is multiplied tenfold, it will only amount to 100 billion.

Even if their base of 10000 trillion increases by 30%, that's still 3000 billion.

A bad student is a bad student, and someone who is behind is someone who is behind.

Momo Group is making progress, and so is Microsoft.

The two sides are worlds apart in size and technical level, and the gap will only widen, it will never narrow.

(End of this chapter)