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

Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Yueyang, Hunan.

In the old staff and family compound, the television was on, broadcasting the evening news.

Wang Xiulan had just finished washing the dishes. She wiped her hands on her apron and then skillfully picked up the Xiaomi phone with a cracked screen from the coffee table.

She is the captain of the "Red Star Community Square Dance Team 3" and is also a well-known "information expert" in the surrounding community.

At this moment, a red dot suddenly popped up in her pinned WeChat group – [Weiguang Red Envelope Welfare Group 238].

This is a group that has been dormant for a long time.

I joined about six months ago, hoping to snag a few yuan in Spring Festival Gala red envelopes.

"bite."

A link popped up.

There were no fancy GIFs, just a low-resolution photo: an old farmer in a tattered cotton-padded coat, his back to the camera, his shoulders swaying, with a pile of rotten apples next to him.

The title is simple: [Help us! An elderly farmer in Luochuan is crying in his orchard; 5 jin (2.5 catties) for 9.9 yuan, a relay of love and support for farmers…]

Wang Xiulan frowned.

She's someone who's weathered many storms; she usually doesn't even glance at those "Pinduoduo price cuts" or "free rice cooker giveaways" links in group chats.

They're all scammers.

But this picture made her pause for a moment.

It's too awful.

Moreover, in the lower corner of that picture, there was a red-headed document with three bright red official seals that looked particularly glaring in the dim living room light.

"Government-supported?"

Wang Xiulan muttered to herself and clicked on it.

The page loads quickly. There are no complicated coupon calculations, just two simple buttons:

[Single purchase: 19.9 yuan]

【Charity Assistance (Group of 2): 9.9 yuan】

Below the button, there was a line of even smaller red text, which, like a hook, firmly caught her eye:

[Group Leader Benefit: If you initiate a group purchase and successfully invite one person, the group leader will receive a free order (limited to the first 10000 participants).]

Free meal?

It's free?

Wang Xiulan's heart skipped a beat.

She quickly did the math: if she just sent out this link and got someone to click it, she could get 5 pounds of apples for free.

This is not about buying things.

This is money being picked up from the ground.

"Old man! Stop watching the news!"

Wang Xiulan slapped her thigh and shouted at her husband, who was reading the newspaper, "Quick, get your phone out!"

"What are you doing?"

"Helping farmers! Doing good deeds! And you get to eat apples for free!"

Wang Xiulan snatched her husband's phone, opened WeChat, scanned the QR code, joined the group, and made the payment.

His movements were fluid and graceful, even faster than those of young people.

Congratulations! Your group purchase was successful! You have qualified for a free order. Shipping location: Luochuan, Shaanxi.

Looking at the green checkmark that popped up on the screen, Wang Xiulan felt a surge of electricity rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

It really was free.

A tremendous sense of accomplishment welled up within me.

This is not just about getting a good deal, but also about "responding to the national call" and "helping our fellow farmers."

The dual satisfaction of moral and financial gain instantly excited her.

"No, Er Cui and the others definitely don't know yet."

Wang Xiulan opened the group chat for "Square Dance Team Three".

My fingers are clicking rapidly.

send.

"Sisters! Hurry! It's a national poverty alleviation project: 9 jin of apples for only 9 yuan! Just two people can buy them together! First come, first served!"

"It really is a government document! I just managed to put it together, and it's free!"

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

The square dance group, which was originally discussing what team uniforms to wear tomorrow, suddenly erupted into chaos.

"Really? 9.9 yuan with free shipping?"

"How could Sister Xiulan's message be false? Look at that official seal!"

"Oh dear, that old farmer is so pitiful, he looks like my deceased third uncle."

"Hurry up and buy two cases! For my grandson!"

Ding-dong. Ding-dong. Ding-dong.

Within a minute, the group chat was filled with screenshots of successful group purchases.

But this is only the beginning.

As Wang Xiulan watched the countdown for the "Group Leader Free Order" offer, the anger in her heart burned even brighter.

She then clicked on "Family Blind Dates," "Dear Relatives," and "Carpooling Groups"...

On this night.

In the living rooms of countless third- and fourth-tier cities in China.

Thousands upon thousands of "Wang Xiulans" are being awakened by the same link.

They don't understand what viral marketing or social e-commerce is.

They only knew one thing:

There's a place called "Glimmer" where apples cost only 9.9 yuan, and they're doing charity work there.

……

……

On the same night, in Shanghai, at Zhangjiang High-Tech Park.

Li Ming was frantically typing code.

He's a 996 office worker, just finished overtime, and is exhausted like a dog.

Suddenly, my WeChat notification rang.

It's my mom.

Since I taught my mom how to use WeChat last time, she basically doesn't contact me anymore, except for posting health articles like "Shocking! Drinking water can cause cancer".

[Mom]: [Share Link] Son, click it quickly! We're missing one person!

Li Ming frowned; it was that kind of junk link again.

[Li Ming]: Mom, this is all a scam, they're just trying to steal your personal information. Don't click on it.

[Mom]: What are you lying about! This is government poverty alleviation! Look at that official seal! Aunt Wang next door has already received her order! Hurry up! You're the only one missing! If you don't join the group buy, my free order will be gone!

[Mom]: (59-second voice message) When you were little, I peeled apples for you... What's wrong with asking you to do something now... I've raised you for nothing...

Li Ming sighed.

For the sake of peace and quiet.

He clicked on the link.

The page is very rustic, with red and green colors, exuding a rural feel.

But that official document was indeed genuine.

"9.9 yuan?"

Li Ming was stunned for a moment.

He bought two apples for 15 yuan at the fruit shop downstairs.

"Is it really that cheap?"

For some inexplicable reason, he didn't exit immediately, but instead paid 9.9 yuan.

It's just a fraction of the price of a cup of milk tea anyway.

If it's a scam, consider it paying an "IQ tax" for my mom.

If it's true... then this price is simply unethical.

The moment he successfully made the payment.

A line of text pops up on the screen:

[Help successful! As you are a new user, Weiguang is giving you a '10 Billion Yuan Subsidy' entry ticket (coming soon).]

Li Ming didn't pay attention and turned off his phone to continue writing code.

But he didn't know.

Just a second ago, the number of young people in first- and second-tier cities like him, who are not price-sensitive but are forced to place orders due to "emotional blackmail," is increasing exponentially.

The floodwaters outside the Fifth Ring Road are flowing back into the Fifth Ring Road through the strongest blood ties.

……

……

Hangzhou, Alibaba Xixi Campus.

Operations room at Bright Summit.

This is the data nerve center of Alibaba's e-commerce empire, where the real-time transaction volume (GMV) of the entire network is displayed on a huge data screen.

At that moment, a data analyst responsible for monitoring competitors was rubbing his eyes in confusion.

"strangeness."

He stared at a monitoring module in the lower right corner of the screen—[Increase in Logistics Orders Across the Network].

"What's wrong?" The manager came over with a cup of coffee.

"Boss, look at this curve."

The analyst pointed to the screen and said, "Starting at 8 p.m. tonight, there was a sudden and unusual surge in tracking numbers from Shaanxi for the four major express delivery companies (STO Express, YTO Express, ZTO Express, and Yunda Express)."

The supervisor glanced at it: "Shaanxi? The apples must be ripe. There's always a fluctuation around this time of year. Is JD.com or Pinduoduo having a promotion?"

"no."

The analyst pulled up more detailed data source tracking.

"JD.com's traffic is stable, and Pinduoduo's daily active users haven't seen a significant surge. But the source of these logistics orders... is untraceable."

"Cannot be captured?"

The supervisor was stunned.

In the internet world, all traffic has a source.

It's either Baidu search, Weibo, or the app's internal search results.

"The displayed sources are... direct access and WeChat."

The analyst pulled up a heat map.

That was a map of China.

At this moment, in those third- and fourth-tier cities, counties, and even rural areas that Alibaba considers "low-value areas," countless red dots are flashing wildly.

They do not belong to Taobao, Tmall, or JD.com.

They are like an invisible underground current, surging wildly in the "WeChat private domain" that the giants cannot monitor.

"This level of scale..."

The supervisor's expression changed as he looked at the curve that was still rising vertically.

"500 orders per second... 1000 orders per second..."

"check!"

The supervisor made a quick decision: "Investigate whose traffic this is. Is Weiguang up to something new again?"

……

……

Beijing, Microlight Technology.

The conference room had been converted into a temporary command post.

Everyone was standing.

Shen Nan stared intently at the real-time data on the big screen, his mouth agape enough to fit an apple.

The numbers were jumping around wildly, so fast it was dizzying.

Current number of online users: 5,200,000

[Real-time completed orders: 1,240,300]

[Cumulative apple sales: 6,200 tons]

"It's broken one million..."

Wang, drenched in sweat, his walkie-talkie trembling, cried out, "Boss! The groups are exploding! Every single one of them is going crazy! Those aunties are unstoppable! They're not only posting in the groups, but also sending private messages and flooding my WeChat Moments!"

"Server alarm! Concurrency is too high, the payment interface is lagging!" the technical director roared.

"Add a server!"

Lin Che stood in front of the screen, his face illuminated by the red glow of the data.

He looked at the astonishing number, feeling nothing but a sense of satisfaction after verification.

This is the lower-tier market.

This is what the elites call "outside the Fifth Ring Road".

When those forgotten by the mainstream internet are given the power to "cut prices" and the opportunity to "get a bargain," the energy they unleash is enough to shatter any so-called high-end e-commerce platform.

"Boss."

Shen Nan turned his head, his voice trembling, "At this rate, all the inventory in Luochuan County... can be cleared out tonight."

"but……"

Shen Nan pointed to a red warning light in the corner of the screen.

"The logistics system is overwhelmed."

"County Chief Zhang just called. All three express delivery distribution centers in the county are paralyzed. Five printers have burned out, and there's no paper left for express delivery slips."

Lin Che's lips curled up slightly.

"A margin call is a good thing."

"That's a happy trouble."

He picked up his coat and put it on.

"Let's go, Shen Nan."

"Return to Luochuan."

"Now that we've started this fire, we have to teach them how to make it spread like wildfire."