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

Chapter 794 Three People Competing Against Each Other

Fang Qingye remained calm, took a sip of tea, and then replied, "Professor Ma, you cleverly used the example of the 'Red Flag Act' to establish a binary opposition between 'innovation' and 'conservatism.' But I would like to ask, are all 'innovations' in history, like automobiles, the right path to a better future?"

Upon hearing Fang Qingye's words, Ma Yun paused for a moment and did not answer immediately. Instead, she subconsciously picked up her teacup and took a sip. Ma Huateng, who was next to her, also remained silent, but a hint of approval appeared on his face.

Fang Qingye is indeed formidable; he hit the nail on the head right away!

"But, Aoba, your 'guardrail' theory is like putting shackles on a child who's just started running. What we need now is speed! By the time your guardrails are fixed, the market will already belong to someone else!"

Ma Yun insisted on her opinion. "I believe that we cannot use old-fashioned rules to restrict the future, like the 'Red Flag Act' did."

“Rules?” Fang Qingye looked at him, her tone becoming sharp: “Teacher Ma, what you’re trying to break is either outdated rules or the bottom line of financial security? Wasn’t the lesson from last year’s stock market crash painful enough? That wasn’t innovation; it was a speculative frenzy disguised as innovation.”

Ma Yun immediately retorted: "Don't use a few isolated cases to negate the whole picture. When e-commerce first started, how many people said we would destroy brick-and-mortar stores?"

"These are completely different things!" Fang Qingye said gently, but without backing down: "E-commerce impacts business models, while bottomless financial innovation destroys the foundation of credit!"
"Mr. Ma, let me say something you might not like to hear. Your Ant Financial operates with high leverage, using a small amount of capital to leverage a huge scale of credit. Isn't the systemic risk hidden behind this something we should be wary of? Let's go back to the 'Red Flag Act'—its mistake was using the rules for horse-drawn carriages to restrict automobiles. But today, the first question we need to ask is: what we hold in our hands—a better 'car,' or a 'high-leverage bomb' packaged as a car?"

At this moment, Ma Huateng, who had been silent until now, pushed up his glasses and calmly interjected: "What Qingye is talking about is a matter of 'penetrating regulation.' The essence of the business is finance, so it cannot just be disguised as technology. Tencent's ecosystem is built on compliance and sustainability."

Ma Yun slowly turned her head to look at Ma Huateng, her tone laced with sarcasm: "Pony, don't forget, your ecosystem also includes a significant amount of financial business. Are you teaming up with Qingye to teach me a lesson today?!"

"But I don't own Ant Financial."

Ma Huateng calmly uttered a sentence that left Ma Yun speechless.

"Alright, Lao Ma, don't be angry." Ma Huateng smiled and softened his tone: "I'm actually talking about the issue, not the person. You, me, and Qingye all have a lot of financial business, so we can't wait until the ship capsizes to patch the hole."

The atmosphere in the cabin suddenly became tense, and everyone fell silent.

At this moment, the rowing boat passed the stage of the floating market, where someone was singing opera, the music melodious and graceful.

The fragrance of orchids and musk remains.

The sound of jade pendants faded into the distance.

True elegance lies not in wearing new clothes.

The shadows of flowers sway against the wall; could it be a beautiful woman approaching?

"What is that song about?" Fang Qingye couldn't help but ask.

Ma Yun listened attentively and said:
"It's the 'Responding with a Rhyme' scene from 'The Romance of the Western Chamber,' which tells the story of Cui Yingying burning incense and making a prayer in the garden. Zhang Sheng overhears her prayers from behind the wall and begins to develop feelings for her. Yingying then responds with a poem in the same rhyme scheme, convincing Zhang Sheng that she is interested in him, which becomes a key scene that drives the story forward."

"Teacher Ma, you know so much."

"Hehe, it's a classic Yue Opera repertoire, I know a little bit about it."

The people looked at each other and smiled, and the tense atmosphere immediately eased.

At this point, Fang Qingye continued, "Continuing our previous topic, I think the key is not 'whether or not to innovate,' but 'what kind of innovation we need,' and 'how to manage innovation.' 'Professor Ma's analogy is only half complete—we need not only car manufacturers, but also a complete 'intelligent transportation system': traffic regulations are the bottom line of supervision, traffic lights are real-time monitoring, and driver's license tests are professional entry requirements. Without this system, any sports car is a weapon on chaotic roads.'"

Ma Yun paused for a moment, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "So, our fundamental difference lies here—I think the biggest risk is 'missing out on the future'; while you think the biggest risk is 'making mistakes'?"

This time, Ma Huateng didn't interrupt, but looked at Fang Qingye.

It was clear that he was well aware of the differences between the two of them, and he also wanted to know the answer.

"Teacher Ma, let's change the tea. This tea doesn't taste good when it's cold." Fang Qingye suddenly said. Ma Yun then realized that the smoked bean tea in her bowl was indeed cold, and it had a fishy taste when it was cold.

“Okay, let’s switch to Phoenix Dancong.” He immediately smiled.

Pour the smoked bean tea from the teapot into the trash can, then rinse it with clean water and start brewing tea again.

Warming the cup, adding tea leaves, rinsing the tea, brewing, and pouring the tea—Ma Yun's movements were fluid and graceful, and the aroma of tea filled the cabin, bringing a sense of peace.

"Excellent tea!" Fang Qingye exclaimed after taking a sip.

To be honest, he didn't quite like the smoked bean tea he had just had, as it seemed to be made in the Tang Dynasty.

After taking several sips to satisfy her craving, Fang Qingye continued the previous topic.

“Professor Ma, I believe the biggest risk is ‘creating the future in the wrong way’ and making the entire society pay for the trial-and-error costs of a minority like us. The highest level of innovation is not just technological disruption, but also ‘responsible creation,’ especially in the financial field!”

Fang Qingye emphasized the last sentence, and Ma Yun's expression immediately changed. Ma Huateng keenly noticed this subtle change in expression.

However, he didn't say anything, but simply picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Therefore, before stepping on the gas, we must first make sure that what we are holding in our hands is not the steering wheel, but the trust and lives of hundreds of millions of users. The era of the internet's explosive growth—especially the era of platform capital expansion and technological and financial innovation—is over. Everyone should cherish what they have," Fang Qingye concluded.

Ma Yun leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. He didn't immediately refute her. The rowboat slowly passed through the bridge arch, the light flickering on his face.

Ma Huateng picked up his teacup and looked thoughtfully at the two arguing men.

The cruise ships in Wuzhen travel back and forth between Andufang Wharf and Ruyi Bridge Wharf. As the ships head west, the outlines of the old houses on both banks stand silently in the night, with only the light and shadow of lanterns shimmering on the water.

Finally, we arrived at Ruyi Bridge, where the view suddenly opened up, with the White Lotus Pagoda standing majestically. All around, there was only the sound of oars and the ripples of water, a scene of serene tranquility.

Upon arriving at their destination, the three disembarked, where their respective cars were already waiting.

"Gentlemen, there's no need to tell outsiders about what we discussed over tea tonight," Ma Yun suddenly said before getting into his Maybach.

"And Qingye," Ma Yun said, looking at Fang Qingye, "after the summit, let's go to your nursery for tea again."

(End of this chapter)