I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 424, 423: "Yes, this is the general trend, and it cannot be defied."

Fang Qingye knew that Wang Chenyang had come to discuss something important.

Aside from her group of friends in Nanxincheng, Fang Qingye didn't have very close personal relationships with executives at Tuofang Technology or other companies.

Including Wang Chenyang, although he stayed in Nanxincheng for more than a year, the two rarely spent time together except for work.

However, this does not affect the trust between them.

Hearing Wang Chenyang say this, he nodded: "Yes, go ahead."

“Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners China, GSR Ventures, and Hillhouse Capital have all sent people to the company to investigate and have detailed discussions with Zhang Xuhao. The two sides have reached a pretty good agreement, especially Sequoia Capital, which is basically confirmed to invest 5 million RMB.”

"Financial investment? Not involved in the company's day-to-day operations?" Fang Qingye asked.

“Yes, that was our bottom line in the negotiations, and he agreed to everything,” Wang Chenyang said.

“He’s an old-school capitalist, he knows when to advance and when to retreat. In the future, he just needs to collect his money,” Fang Qingye said with a smile.

“Matrix Partners China, GSR Ventures, and Hillhouse Capital sent representatives to discuss the matter. They made quite a few demands, some wanting to join the board of directors, and others wanting to participate in the company's day-to-day operations. However, I think they will all compromise, since Ele.me is now the leader in the domestic and international food delivery industry, and they are very envious,” Wang Chenyang added.

"So Alibaba is difficult to deal with?" Fang Qingye asked.

“Yes, you know Alibaba now, it’s at its peak, one of the three giants in China, BAT.” Wang Chenyang laughed.

"Baidu just invested in Qunar.com and is flirting with Nuomi.com, entering the group-buying market. Tencent is now very interested in the entertainment, film and television and game industries, and its investments are mainly concentrated in these areas. Alibaba is the only company interested in this kind of lifestyle industry, after all, it started with Taobao."

What conditions did they propose?

"Two points: I want to join the board of directors and participate in the company's daily operations. Of course, the investment amount is quite large; they said they can come up with 10-12 billion yuan," Wang Chenyang replied.

"Heh, you really are rich and powerful, and you speak so arrogantly," Fang Qingye laughed.
"Yes, the key issue is that I've noticed Zhang Xuhao is somewhat interested."

"he agrees?"

"It wasn't explicitly stated, but I could sense it. You know Zhang Xuhao is a core figure in the Ele.me team, and his opinions often reflect the team's views. They have the largest number of members on the board of directors, and the four of them together hold more than 60% of the shares."

“Unfortunately, I am the chairman of the board, and I have veto power,” Fang Qingye said calmly.

Wang Chenyang laughed after hearing this: "That's right, so Mr. Fang, that's why I admire you so much. When you invested in Ele.me, you set this rule, which directly hit Zhang Xuhao and his group's Achilles' heel!"

"Don't be fooled by their loud talk and their meetings with this person today and that person tomorrow. If you don't give your approval, things won't go through."

“I just don’t understand why Zhang Xuhao insists on doing this?” Xu Mei, who had been listening to their conversation, interjected: “President Fang has already set the rules, so just follow them. Why do you have to listen to Alibaba?”

“I can understand that. After all, Alibaba is very powerful now, and many companies want to learn from their management experience. I guess Zhang Xuhao is considering it from that perspective,” Fang Qingye explained.

"President Fang, you like to think the best of people. To be honest, Zhang Xuhao and his group are ambitious and want to break free from your control."

Seeing her husband say this, Xu Mei pouted: "To get rid of President Fang's control, you brought in Alibaba? I think he's out of his mind."

"I won't talk about anything else for now, but look at that Ma Yun, she's incredibly domineering, and her so-called 'Arhats' are all so arrogant. If you really cooperate with them, unlike you, Mr. Fang, who likes to be a hands-off manager, they'll have a hard time!"

Fang Qingye listened silently for a while, then suddenly spoke up: "Chenyang, can you get in touch with Tencent?"

"Do you want Tencent to invest in Ele.me?" Wang Chenyang immediately understood his idea.

“Well, if I had to choose between Tencent and Alibaba, I would choose Tencent,” Fang Qingye said.

“Okay, I’ll try to get in touch,” Wang Chenyang replied immediately.

"Keep this confidential." "OK!"

Mr. and Mrs. Wang chatted for a while longer before saying goodbye and leaving.

Fang Qingye saw the two off at the gate, watched them drive away, and instead of returning to the villa, she strolled around the villa area alone.

It was already dark, the streetlights were on, and the neighborhood was quiet.

As Fang Qingye walked, she thought about her conversation with Wang Chenyang and his wife.

He had a feeling that while other investment companies might not have much of a problem, it was possible that negotiations with Alibaba would fall through.

However, he felt that it wasn't a bad thing for him or for Ele.me itself. Having experienced a rebirth, Fang Qingye was wary of cooperating with Alibaba.

Alibaba is too powerful and has an even stronger desire for control. The personal personality of its founder, Jack Ma, has been deeply integrated into this mega-corporation.

Whether this is a blessing or a curse for Alibaba is hard to say, but it is a curse for the companies it invests in and controls.

He's like another "horse," but Pony Ma has a much milder personality, as does the Tencent he founded.

However, Tencent seems to be silent, and it's unclear whether Wang Chenyang will be able to make contact.
Fang Qingye was walking and thinking when her phone rang. She saw it was Bai Ou calling and answered it.

"Ye Zi, what are you doing?" the girl said gently.

"A person is taking a walk in Yu Cui Garden."

"Oh? You seem quite relaxed."

"Leisurely? Not at all, thinking about something."

"Oh, is there something else bothering you? Let me hear it."

Fang Qingye briefly explained that Mr. and Mrs. Wang Chenyang had come to visit that evening to discuss financing.

“Ye Zi, I’ve noticed that young people these days all idolize Ma Yun, but you don’t seem to care at all,” Bai Ou said.

"No, I admire him quite a bit, but from a business cooperation perspective, I really don't like his style."

"He is very high-profile, while Ma is relatively low-profile."

"Actually, if ByteDance develops and joins forces with Ele.me, I'm not afraid of Alibaba or Tencent. Unfortunately, Ele.me is still in its early stages of development, and ByteDance is even more of a seedling that needs support." Fang Qingye didn't need to hide his true thoughts from Bai Ou.

"But neither Ele.me nor ByteDance could have developed earlier than Alibaba and Tencent. In the 1990s, the internet was just emerging, and there was simply no fertile ground for Ele.me and ByteDance to survive," the girl said.

“Yes, that’s the trend of the times, and it can’t be defied.” Fang Qingye sighed, “Bai Ou, it would be great if you came to negotiate. You’re much better than me in this regard.”

"Ye Zi, are you trying to subtly persuade me to resign by saying that?" the girl said with a coquettish smile.

"That's true to some extent, but I'm telling the truth. I estimate that the talks with Alibaba will break down," Fang Qingye said frankly.

"How about I take leave and come to Shanghai?" Bai Ou said.

"Forget it. You're a public servant now, and it's not appropriate for you to get involved in business negotiations. Although you'll definitely have to resign, I don't want to leave a tarnished mark on your career. I'll figure out a solution!" Fang Qingye said finally.

"Yeah, keep it up! I believe in you!"

The two chatted for a few more words and then hung up the phone.

(End of this chapter)