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

Chapter 584 A Trouble Caused by a Group Photo
A photo of Fang Qingye posing with delivery riders from Ele.me and Meituan appeared online. It was quickly reposted by several influential self-media figures, who offered further interpretations. One article, in particular, had a striking title:

"The chairman of Ele.me posed for a photo with delivery riders from Ele.me and Meituan. Is the widely discussed merger between Ele.me and Meituan not just a rumor?"

Some even claim that investors and executives from both Ele.me and Meituan have reached an agreement, and a merger has a timetable, which could be completed as early as the end of this year.
The evidence looked so convincing that even Fang Qingye believed it!

I was just taking a photo with the delivery guy at his request, and I also invited two Meituan riders to take photos. I didn't think much of it at the time.

The public relations departments of both companies were once again inundated with calls from reporters, forcing both sides to issue separate public statements again, stating that all business operations were normal and there was no news of any major mergers or reorganizations.

Fang Qingye also received many calls, mostly from investors.

He could only explain that those were just rumors, and that if Ele.me really had a major merger and acquisition plan, it would definitely communicate with investors in advance.

Trending topics online change rapidly; one trending topic is quickly replaced by another, and the hype eventually fades.

However, Bai Ou achieved her goal: Xu Yunyun's small shop became a popular restaurant, and the number of customers, especially the number of orders, increased significantly, forcing her to hire another chef.

The calm online doesn't mean the matter is over, but those in the know understand that undercurrents are still swirling.

It was a cloudy day, not hot. Fang Qingye was playing golf at the Meilan Lake Club, with Shen Nanpeng from Sequoia China, Zhang Xiaoxiao, and Zhuang Yan accompanying him.

The two were dressed in T-shirts and casual pants, wearing baseball caps, and looked very relaxed.

Shen Nanpeng swung his club and saw the golf ball arc through the air and fly into the distance. A satisfied smile appeared on his face before he turned to look at Fang Qingye.

"Chairman Fang, it seems you haven't made any public statements regarding the rumors circulating online about the merger of Ele.me and Meituan?"

"What can I say?" Fang Qingye said helplessly.

"Ele.me's public relations department and even Zhang Xuhao have reiterated that this is pure fabrication. The two companies are already locked in a fierce battle; how could they possibly merge?"

"But that photo?"

"Mr. Shen, please don't overinterpret this. I was just invited to take a photo with the Ele.me riders and then invited the Meituan riders who were also there. I really didn't mean anything by it."

"It's that simple?"

"How much more complicated do you want it to be?" Fang Qingye looked at him. "I'm not a politician, so why should every move I make have any special meaning?"

“But you’re a public figure.” Shen Nanpeng laughed: “I was playing golf with Mr. Ma a few days ago and we were talking about this photo.”

"Oh?"

"Mr. Ma said it was very interesting, and that you are quite photogenic, better than him."

"Haha." Fang Qingye laughed. "That's right, I have to admit, I'm a bit more handsome than President Ma."

As soon as Fang Qingye said this, the two girls next to her couldn't help but chuckle, but quickly covered their mouths, realizing it was impolite.

"Actually, I think what you just said about the two companies' subsidy war being so fierce that they're like oil and water isn't important. What's important is what you think and what the investors think." Shen Nanpeng leaned on his golf club, looking at Fang Qingye with a smile. "Mr. Ma said the same thing?" Fang Qingye keenly sensed the meaning behind Shen Nanpeng's words.

"Yes, including me. Seeing your two companies burning through so much money makes my heart ache. This money is the investors' money."

“That’s true.” Fang Qingye couldn’t deny it: “But Meituan started the price subsidy war first, so the responsibility doesn’t lie with Ele.me.”

“I know that, but if this continues for a long time, it won’t benefit either Ele.me or Meituan, or the investors, right?” Shen Nanpeng said.

“Yes, I think both companies and all investors should seriously consider this.” Fang Qingye looked at Shen Nanpeng:
"Actually, Ele.me doesn't want to fight a price war, but it's not afraid of one either. If we do, Ele.me will fight to the end. If we can shake hands and make peace now, I'd welcome it too. But judging from Wang Xing's attitude, I think it's going to be difficult."

"It's difficult, after all, they only have 15% market share now, which is far from their initial target. Talking about a merger now would be a humiliating surrender. But then again, we also have to consider the investors' opinions, don't you think?"

"Yes." Fang Qingye smiled slightly.

After that, the two stopped talking about the topic and focused on playing ball.

That evening, Fang Qingye returned to her villa and, while having dinner, talked with Bai Ou about her conversation with Shen Nanpeng during the day's basketball game.

Bai Ou listened as if deep in thought.

"A while ago, Alibaba publicly declared its full support for Meituan, but judging from Shen Nanpeng's feedback this time, Ma Yun seems to be wavering?"

"It's because he sees no hope of Meituan defeating Ele.me. Ele.me is far ahead in terms of both companies' size and market share. What's more, we've just raised another 80 billion yuan! It includes not only venture capital but also state-owned enterprises!"

“Capital is profit-driven. If investing one dollar won’t turn it into two dollars or more in the future, then why invest that one dollar?!” Fang Qingye said.

"Ha, it seems there's hope for the merger you mentioned," Bai Oujiao said with a smile.

"Yes, if Alibaba, the major backer of Meituan, had this idea, things would be much easier. And then there's Shen Nanpeng, that shrewd businessman. You know, he's invested in both companies! No one wants the two companies to merge more than him."

“That makes sense, and you can also tell from your conversation with Shen Nanpeng today that he was relaying a message for Ma Yun while also trying to gauge your tone,” Bai Ou analyzed.

“You’re right, Shen Nanpeng is that kind of person,” Fang Qingye said with a smile.

In fact, before the rebirth, Didi Chuxing and Kuaidi Dache merged, and Dianping suddenly betrayed Ele.me in the food delivery and group buying market, and then made peace with Meituan, and finally merged. Shen Nanpeng of Sequoia China was involved in all of this!
In this lifetime, the former has not yet happened, and the latter is probably impossible to happen again.

But Shen Nanpeng's shadow has reappeared between Ele.me and Meituan.

"So now is a critical moment. I need Zhang Xuhao to increase market subsidies! The fiercer the attack, the more painful it will be for Meituan, and the more advantageous it will be for Ele.me in future merger negotiations," Fang Qingye said calmly.

As June arrived, Ele.me and Meituan continued their fierce market competition, attracting public attention. However, a small but significant piece of news broke in the fintech sector.

A company called Zhiyun Technology has developed a new generation of payment system, which has already been put into use at Jinghai Bank.

(End of this chapter)