Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 637 Another Fire
Lianxiang's store inventory was instantly sold out. Many store owners hadn't even realized what was happening before all the Whisper Notebooks in their stores were gone. They even thought it was a sudden sales miracle and hurriedly asked Lianxiang headquarters for an emergency restock.

College students don't care about business games; they only see the tangible benefits.

For a time, "Buy Lianxiang, sell Momo" became the most popular slogan on campus.

Lianxiang Group Headquarters, Marketing Department.

Initially, sales figures in various regions surged dramatically, like a last gasp before the storm, with Whisper Notebook's shipment curve showing an almost vertical upward trend.

"Mr. Yang, great news! The university market is booming! Our Whisper Notebooks are sold out, and all stores are requesting emergency restocking!" The sales director excitedly rushed into Yang Yuanqing's office.

Yang Yuanqing was overwhelmed with stress from the setbacks in the government and enterprise market and the pressure from Microsoft when he heard the news. He stood up abruptly, and a long-lost smile finally appeared on his face. He was about to tell the factory to ramp up production when he suddenly sensed something was wrong. He slowly raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute, we haven't done any promotion. How could we suddenly have a surge in orders? Go and find out what's going on."

As soon as Yang Yuanqing finished speaking, calls came in one after another from officials in various provinces.

"Mr. Yang, something bad has happened. Those students bought our computers, didn't even open them, and went straight to sell them to Momo Group."

"Mr. Yang, Momo Group has gone mad! They posted an announcement on Renren.com, offering an extra 300 yuan to buy back our Whisper Notebooks!"

"Mr. Yang, people from Momo are setting up stalls outside our store to buy computers. Our goods have just been sold and they're already in their hands. What are they trying to do?"

One phone call after another completely froze the smile on Yang Yuanqing's face.

At this moment, the sales director, who was still excited, also received a call from his subordinate. His expression was one of surprise, and then he looked at Yang Yuanqing, whose face was ashen, with a look of horror.

Yang Yuanqing sat in her chair, muttering to herself, then slammed her fist on the table and gritted her teeth, saying, "Cheng Yi!!!"

This is not normal business competition at all; it is a blatant financial attack.

They used a massive amount of cash to instantly destroy his sales channels.

For every unit Momo buys back, Lianxiang sells it at a real loss. While Momo also loses money, it loses cash, while Lianxiang loses market share, distribution channels, cash flow, and even its future.

For every 300 yuan the students earned, it felt like a knife was being stabbed into Lianxiang's heart.

Although Yang Yuanqing had witnessed Cheng Yi's methods before, she knew that knowing and experiencing were two completely different things.

After experiencing it firsthand, he finally understood why Li Zairong had gone to Jingzhou City to seek peace.

This is a monster who doesn't play by the rules, is ruthless and decisive, and has unlimited financial advantages!

"Raise the price! Raise it above cost!" He shouted these words with almost all his might.

The instructions from Lianxiang Group headquarters were issued to every store nationwide with the highest priority.

"Urgent price adjustment! Whisper 100 is now priced at 2800 yuan! Whisper 200 is now priced at 3600 yuan! All stores will implement this policy, and old price tags must be destroyed immediately!"

The shop assistants were scrambling to change the price tags, and everyone felt a jolt of anxiety as they watched the numbers soar.

This price is much higher than its competitor, the Honor S1 laptop.

The university community is not large to begin with, and the news spread quickly among the student population like a virus.

"What? 2800? It was 2500 yesterday!"

"3600? Are you crazy? Why wouldn't I buy the Honor S1 at that price? The performance is about the same, and the brand is even stronger."

"It's over, the arbitrage opportunity is gone, all our efforts were for nothing."

Lianxiang's selling price exceeded Momo's acquisition price for its outlets, and the crowd gathered in front of Lianxiang's store quickly dispersed.

Lianxiang stores became deserted again, even more so than before. Only the store clerks and regional managers looked at the empty store, exchanging bewildered glances, an ominous atmosphere permeating the air.

Almost simultaneously, all of Honor's computer recycling points received explicit instructions from Li Xiang.

"The target has been hooked. Acquisition halted. Announcement issued."

The well-trained staff quickly removed the red banner advertising high-price buyback and replaced it with a white notice of suspension: "Dear students, due to market fluctuations, our company is suspending the buyback service for Lianxiang Whisper series notebooks effective immediately. Thank you for your support and understanding. The next opening time will be announced later."

As night fell, Yang Yuanqing sat in her office, her brow furrowed as she stared intently at the real-time sales data reported by stores across the country.

Since the price increase, their sales figures have been almost zero.

The Whisper series exists solely because of its exceptional value for money.

When this price advantage disappears or even becomes a disadvantage, it becomes utterly useless in the face of the Honor S1.

performance?

brand?

Word of mouth?

System experience?

After-sales service?

They can only have two of these.

Yang Yuanqing opened the pictures sent by the heads of various provinces, one of which was a promotional image for Honor computers.

The Honor S1 laptop is still priced at 3200 yuan, which is like an insurmountable wall.

Its poster clearly states: "[Honor S1, your first high-performance laptop during your student years]"

At this price point and with this performance, the students didn't hesitate to choose the Honor S1.

At this point, an even worse chain reaction began.

Huawei's marketing department called, their tone no longer as polite and enthusiastic as before, saying directly, "Mr. Yang, your company's product pricing strategy has changed too much. We're afraid we'll need to re-evaluate the campus cooperation plan we discussed earlier."

China Unicom followed suit and suspended its cooperation with Lianxiang Group.

When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; when a drum breaks, everyone beats it.

This crushing defeat plunged Lianxiang Group into a deep sense of dejection.

This crushing defeat not only cost them the campus market, but also their morale and confidence in the leadership.

The battle reports were also compiled inside the Momo Technology Industrial Park.

"Mr. Cheng, the sales data for Lianxiang University's market has approached zero, and feedback from the channels indicates that its promotional activities have been completely halted."

"The recycling operation has been successfully completed, with a total of 382475 Whisper Notebooks recovered, and the funds have been returned as planned."

"According to the overseas business division, the recycled computers, after being repackaged and rebranded, are extremely popular in the Southeast Asian market. It is expected that the final profit will cover the cost of this recycling operation, and there may even be a slight surplus."

"In universities, students' recognition and trust in the Honor brand have reached a new high."

Cheng Yi listened to the report without much emotion on his face; all of this was already within his expectations.

These days, value for money is the strongest weapon. A price tag of 3200 virtually eliminates any possibility of any brand entering university campuses.

However, to prevent the S1 computers from leaking out and impacting the normal computer market, Cheng Yi instructed Li Xiang to include this price in the university student aid program. Each new user with a student ID was limited to purchasing only one unit; any subsequent purchases would revert to the original price of 3999.

This scholarship program not only maintained the pricing structure and prevented it from impacting other channels, but also greatly enhanced the brand's stickiness and emotional connection among its core target audience.

Even if some students wanted to resell for profit, the purchase restrictions prevented them from doing so on a large scale, turning them into living billboards.

This clean and decisive counterattack, with its intense drama and devastating effect, once again shocked the entire IT industry.

Cheng Yi and Momo Group's reputation for ruthlessness, efficiency, and unconventional methods has been further solidified.

When discussing the topic, industry insiders unconsciously lowered their voices, with a hint of awe and fear.

At this moment, Wu Jun, a ruthless man who was known in his previous life for his price-cutting prowess and deep cultivation of distribution channels, had a glint of excitement in his eyes.

The battle for the university market is over; it's their turn now.

In the past two months, Honor Computer's three industrial parks have been working day and night to produce new Shenzhou Dream series PCs.

A steady stream of trucks headed to the train station, transporting boxes of Shenzhou Dream computers to Momo Virtual Equipment Trading Centers across the country.

Wu Jun has a very clear understanding of the product's positioning.

Although the price announced at the press conference was 1999, Wu Jun did not intend to actually sell it at that price.

1999 was a powerful declaration, one that could terrify any competitor venturing into the low-to-mid-end market.

However, a low price does not necessarily mean good sales.

Wu Jun is very knowledgeable about all aspects of the PC industry chain.

He wanted to create a buying frenzy.

He wants everyone to profit from this 1999 yuan.

He wants to support official scalpers.

The price alone is not enough to generate enough buzz for Hasee Dream PC to become a bestseller.

He needs to add fuel to the fire.

At 4:50 a.m. in Yantai City, before dawn, the entrance to the Momo Virtual Equipment Trading Center in Qingfeng County, Yantai City, was already bustling with activity.

A long, crooked line stretched out from the entrance, making two turns and almost blocking half the street.

The line was made up entirely of men, all bundled up in down jackets, rubbing their hands and stamping their feet, but their eyes were all fixed on the still-closed roller shutter door of the trading center.

This is not a group of ordinary consumers; the air is thick with tacit understanding and calculation among peers.

"Old Zhang, how many machines are you planning to rob today?" a fat man wearing a thick Lei Feng hat, his face red from the cold, asked the person in front of him.

"Hey, I'll grab five and see if I can sell them! These are 1999 Shenzhou Dream phones, if I can resell them for 2300, those bastards at Huaqiang who assemble computers and rip off fat guys will probably be out of a job." The skinny man called Old Zhang replied, then asked, "What about you, Fatty Liu?"

"Me? I'm also planning to get two or three to test the waters. After all, I haven't seen what Shenzhou Dream is all about. They sounded pretty good at their press conference." Fatty Liu rubbed his hands together, his fat face shaking with excitement.

"Damn it, who says otherwise! I heard they're all parts from small European factories, so I can't be sure about their performance."

"If it's similar to the Honor V1, then it would be really good."

"I think it should be similar to the Honor V1, right? After all, Hasee has been acquired by Honor."

The crowd was buzzing with chatter and discussion.

These people are either salesmen at computer malls or middlemen who specialize in reselling hardware; they're all waiting to make a fortune.

They've already thoroughly studied the configuration list of the Shenzhou Dreamer priced at 1999 yuan. The cost of assembling it themselves would be at least 2600 yuan. The profit margin in between is enough to make them brave the cold and line up in the early morning.

Just then, a small commotion arose in the middle of the line.

An elderly woman with gray hair, wearing an old headscarf and carrying a vegetable basket, was shakily trying to squeeze to the front of the line.

"Hey, hey, hey! Ma'am! Line up! Can't you have some manners?" someone behind immediately shouted impatiently.

The old lady looked anxious, put her hands together, and bowed to the few young men in front of her who looked somewhat kind: "Young men, please have mercy and let me go to the front of the line. I, I'm in a hurry to buy a computer for my grandson."

A blond-haired young man, who had been jostled, said impatiently, "Who isn't in a hurry? We've been queuing all night! Why are you, an old man, joining in this fun?"

The old woman wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice trembling with sobs, and said, "My grandson is going to university this year and has always wanted a computer. I have a terminal illness and I'm afraid I won't live much longer. My wish is to be able to buy my grandson a computer... Waaah... I've saved my whole life and only managed to save 2000 yuan..."

"Is it true or not?" a young man asked, still skeptical.

The young men at the front of the line looked at each other, all a little hesitant.

Although respecting the elderly and caring for the young is a traditional virtue, why does this scene look so familiar?
Fatty Liu frowned and muttered, "Grandma, if we give them to you, you won't buy all the computers like in Stephen Chow's movies, will you?"

Fatty Liu's words made everyone around him burst into laughter.

The scene does look somewhat similar, but the plot in the movie is far too absurd.

How could that possibly happen in reality?

The old lady choked up and asked, "Who is Stephen Chow?"

Seeing the old lady's helpless expression, the young man who was first in line said, "Never mind, you can have my spot first."

The young man looked back at the chubby guy in second place and said, "Hey Fatty, can you buy me one?"

"Okay," the chubby boy agreed readily.

The young man waved casually, walked across the road, and left the group.

Thanks to the kind young man who gave up his seat, the old lady was able to cut in line and get to the front. She thanked him profusely, wiping away tears as she expressed her gratitude. This tearful scene reminded many people of their own grandmothers.

At exactly seven o'clock in the morning, the roller shutter of the trading center rose with a whoosh.

Looking at the dense crowd outside, the staff shouted, "Please don't push, line up! Quantities are limited, while supplies last!"

As soon as the roller shutter door opened, the old lady immediately ran into the shop.

The staff member looked up and was slightly taken aback. Why were there such elderly people in the line today?

"Ma'am, are you buying a computer?" the staff member confirmed.

"Yes, yes, yes!" The old lady excitedly took out ten thick stacks of banknotes from her shopping basket and said, "I'll take them all."

(End of this chapter)