The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

Hangzhou, deep within West Lake.

Longjing Thatched Cottage.

This is not an ordinary restaurant.

Hidden in a tea garden, there's no menu, only private dishes cooked according to the seasons. Even if you have money, you might not be able to get a reservation.

Only the chirping of birds and the occasional sound of a guqin in the distance broke the silence of the mountains and forests.

Lin Che sat by the window, with a pot of freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea in front of him.

Sitting opposite him was Wang Xing.

Even in such an elegant setting, the founder of Meituan still seemed somewhat out of place.

He was wearing a faded blue geek T-shirt, and behind his frameless glasses, his eyes, always filled with curiosity, were fixed on Lin Che.

It doesn't feel like looking at a business partner.

It's more like looking at a piece of code that needs optimization.

"Mr. Lin, this place is nice."

Wang Xing spoke, his voice dry and without any preamble or pleasantries.

"But I don't have time to enjoy tea."

He took a document out of his bag and pushed it directly in front of Lin Che.

The movements were swift, accurate, and ruthless.

"Meituan's Series B funding round just ended, and I have $7 million."

Wang Xing's fingers pressed on the document, his knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure.

"I want to submit my application to Weiguang Flash Delivery."

"exclusive."

"Name your terms."

simple.

direct.

This is Wang Xing's style.

In the business world, he's like a sophisticated bulldozer; when he sees an obstacle, he either flattens it or buys it.

The terrifying efficiency of Weiguang Flash Delivery is the biggest obstacle standing in his way to dominate the food delivery industry.

It was also the nuclear weapon he most desired.

Lin Che did not look at the document.

He picked up the purple clay teapot and poured tea into the teacup in front of Wang Xing.

The water was flowing like a torrent.

Steaming hot.

"Mr. Wang, please have some tea first."

Lin Che's voice was slow, carrying a sense of composure and control over the rhythm.

The cup was filled with tea.

But he didn't stop.

Keep pouring.

The brown tea overflowed the rim of the cup, spreading across the tablecloth and forming a puddle that continued to grow.

Tick.

Tick.

The sound of tea dripping onto the floor was particularly jarring in the quiet private room.

Wang Xing frowned and subconsciously tried to move the file away.

"It's full."

He reminded him.

"Yes, it's full."

Lin Che then stopped what he was doing.

He put down the teapot but didn't wipe the mess on the table.

"Mr. Wang."

"Meituan's ambitions are too big; they can't be contained in a cup."

Lin Che raised his head, his gaze passing over the tea mist and looking directly into Wang Xing's eyes.

"You want me to be Meituan's exclusive delivery provider."

"You want to turn Weiguang into a knife in Meituan's hand to cut down Ele.me and Baidu Waimai."

"But have you ever thought about this?"

Lin Che extended a finger, dipped it in the tea on the table, and drew two parallel lines on the surface.

"I work in the plumbing industry."

"Meituan is a user of water, and Ele.me is also a user of water."

"What if my pipe only supplies water to Meituan..."

He wiped away one of the lines with his finger.

"Then the water on the other side will go to other pipes."

"or……"

A playful smile appeared on Lin Che's lips.

"They'll make their own pipe and then smash mine."

Wang Xing fell silent.

His eyes behind the glasses flickered.

He understood.

Lin Che did not want to be a vassal of Meituan, nor did he want to get involved in the war between the giants.

He wants to work on infrastructure.

Be the "electric grid" that everyone has to pay a toll to, regardless of who wins or loses.

"You're not taking sides."

Wang Xing pushed up his glasses, his tone turning colder.

"In the battlefield of the Internet, those who sit on the fence often suffer the most."

"Alibaba will not allow you to supply water to Tencent, and Tencent will not allow you to supply water to Alibaba."

"Lin Che, you're walking a tightrope."

Threat.

A naked threat.

The current O2O market is essentially a proxy war between Alibaba and Tencent.

Not taking sides means being an enemy of the whole world.

Lin Che smiled.

He picked up a hot towel and slowly wiped the tea stains off his hands.

"Mr. Wang, you're wrong."

"I am safe precisely because you are fighting so fiercely."

He threw the towel back onto the tray.

He leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"I heard that Alibaba is very dissatisfied with Meituan lately?"

Wang Xing's pupils suddenly contracted.

This is his Achilles' heel.

Although Meituan received funding from Alibaba, Wang Xing has always insisted on independent development and refused to hand over control to Jack Ma.

This greatly angered Alibaba's top management, who have a strong desire for control.

"Relaunch Koubei.com and support Ele.me."

Lin Che was like an all-knowing prophet, every word he uttered hitting Wang Xing right in the heart.

"Alibaba is looking for new, compliant agents."

"If at this time..."

Lin Che pointed to himself.

"Weiguang Flash Delivery suddenly sided with Alibaba."

"If I had Alibaba's money, I could prioritize all the delivery capacity to Koubei and Ele.me."

"Mr. Wang."

Lin Che's eyes were icy cold.

"Do you think Meituan, with one leg missing, can still outrun its competitors equipped with jetpacks?"

Dead silence.

A long period of deathly silence.

The birdsong outside the window seemed to have disappeared.

Wang Xing stared intently at Lin Che.

He originally thought he was a hunter who had come to acquire something.

But now he realizes that he is the prey that is being targeted by the gun.

Lin Che not only has the skills, but also the transportation capacity.

What's even more frightening is that he holds the power to change the balance of power and dares to play with fire between the giants.

a long time.

Wang Xing took back the document.

Put it back in the bag.

The movements were somewhat stiff.

"President Lin."

Wang Xing stood up, and although he was at a disadvantage, he still maintained his geek pride.

"You're a gambler."

"But I admit, you made the right bet."

Meituan doesn't need exclusivity.

"As long as Weiguang Flash Delivery can guarantee that Meituan's order efficiency is no less than Ele.me's."

"We can cooperate."

This is a compromise.

It was during this stage that Wang Xing made the biggest concession he could.

"make a deal."

Lin Che raised the cup of tea, which was still half full.

"Mr. Wang."

"Remember this sentence."

There are no eternal friends in this world.

He drank the tea in one gulp.

"Only perpetual capacity."

……

Wang Xing is gone.

Carrying a heavy heart and unfulfilled ambitions, they disappeared into the tea garden paths of Longjing.

Lin Che remained seated by the window.

Watching that hurried departing figure.

He knew that Wang Xing was a smart man.

A smart person will weigh the pros and cons.

As long as Weiguang doesn't completely align itself with Alibaba, Meituan will have to rely on Weiguang's delivery capacity.

This is the principle of checks and balances.

Just then.

hum-

My personal cell phone, which was on the table, vibrated.

Lin Che glanced at the caller ID.

There was no note.

But he knew who it was.

That number came from Binjiang District, Hangzhou, the core office area of ​​Alibaba's headquarters.

Lin Che's lips curled into a smile that he had already anticipated.

He didn't rush to answer.

Instead, he poured himself another cup of tea.

Until the vibration was about to end.

He then slowly pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Mr. Cai."

Lin Che's voice was languid, yet it exuded a confident air of being in control of the situation.

On the other end of the phone came Tsai Chung-hsin's signature gentle voice, but there was a hint of urgency in his tone.

"Lin Che".

"I heard Wang Xing went to see you?"

really.

In Hangzhou, nothing can escape Ali's eyes.

"yes."

Lin Che looked out the window at the bamboo forest swaying in the wind.

"We had a cup of tea and chatted about the future."

"He asked for a very high price."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Tomorrow morning at 10:00."

Tsai Chung-hsin's voice became serious.

"Come to Binjiang."

"Mr. Ma is waiting for you."

"There are some things that Wang Xing can't give you."

"Alibaba can provide it."

beep.

The phone hangs up.

Lin Che put down his phone.

Fingertips caressed the warm teacup.

Alibaba couldn't sit still after Wang Xing left.

This is the situation he wanted.

Create anxiety, create scarcity, create... panic between the two giants.

"A real dinner party."

Lin Che looked at the tea leaves floating in the cup.

"We're only just beginning."