Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

When Wang Xing talked about his entrepreneurial project, his tone became much more relaxed.

He was no longer as reserved as before, and he blurted out the entire operating model and user situation of Zhifou.

After listening, Lu Jiuge lightly tapped the table with her fingertips, but didn't rush to express her opinion. She remained silent for a few seconds before speaking:

"Your micro social blog is a novel idea and it addresses the pain points of current online social networking. The direction is correct."

The slight joy that had just appeared on Wang Xing's face was suppressed by Lu Jiuge's next words.

"But this project has too many limitations."

"Relying solely on users sharing their daily lives lacks a viable profit model, and large platforms can easily copy these features and steal away the traffic. There's not much room for growth in the long run, and even if you get investment, you won't go far."

Wang Xing's smile froze, and his brows furrowed. He had thought about these problems before, but he couldn't come up with a solution no matter how hard he tried.

He looked at Lu Jiuge, his eyes filled with urgency:

"Mr. Lu, which direction do you think I should take?"

Lu Jiuge looked at him, her tone resolute:

"Don't stick to pure social platforms, switch to the food delivery industry."

"The food delivery sector?"

Wang Xing was momentarily stunned, staring blankly at Lu Jiuge:

"Food delivery? It just means delivering food to people's homes or offices?"

"right."

Lu Jiuge nodded:

"With the pace of life in the city getting faster and faster, office workers and students don't have time to go out to eat, so the demand for food delivery will only increase."

Currently, no one has established a foothold in this market, and there is no leading platform. Now is the best time to enter.

Wang Xing's eyes lit up for a moment, but quickly dimmed again, and he sighed helplessly.

"Mr. Lu, I also think this direction is feasible, but I don't have the money. Building a platform, recruiting a team, and negotiating with merchants all cost money, so I can't get started at all."

He can't even raise the daily operating funds for Zhifou, let alone start a new company.

Lu Jiuge smiled faintly and spoke calmly:

"You don't need to worry about the money. I'll invest 50 million dragon coins in you."

"Fifty million?"

Wang Xing suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide open, and froze in his chair, unable to believe what he had just heard.

Before he could recover, Lu Jiuge continued:

"I'll provide the funding to establish a brand new internet company, and you'll be in charge of everything."

Lu Jiuge pondered for a few seconds and then proposed a share distribution plan:

"You don't need to spend a single penny. I'll give you 40% of the shares, and you'll have complete control over the company's daily operations, recruitment, and business negotiations."

I will only offer general advice and will never interfere in the specifics, giving you complete autonomy in management.

Wang Xing was completely stunned by these words, and he wondered if he was dreaming.

He couldn't even dream of such a deal: to get shares without investing any money and have complete autonomy, with a single offer of 50 million.

His body trembled slightly with excitement, and after a long while, he tentatively asked:

"Mr. Lu, are you serious? You're not joking with me?"

"I never joke about investments."

Lu Jiuge spoke seriously:

"If you're willing, the project will start immediately, and the funds will be in your account right away. I won't just make empty promises."

Without further hesitation, Wang Xing stood up abruptly and stated his position:

"I'm willing! Mr. Lu, I'm willing to do it! I will do my best and never let you down!"

Fearing that Lu Jiuge might change her mind, he continued to press her for an agreement on the spot.

"Mr. Lu, what would you like to name this new company?"

Lu Jiuge looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips, and slowly uttered that name:

"Let's call it Meituan, focusing on the lazy economy, with food delivery as the core business."

Wang Xing paused, then muttered the name to himself several times:

"Every group...every group..."

A moment later, he suddenly slapped his thigh and burst out laughing excitedly:

"Great! This name is wonderful, so fitting!"

Zheng Wutong nodded in agreement and smiled as he spoke:

"One group per day, food delivered to your door. By focusing on the core concept of 'group,' and capitalizing on users' aversion to hassle, this name is quite clever."

Xu Xin's eyes lit up. Having worked in venture capital for so long, she immediately saw the business opportunity and couldn't help but speak up:

"Mr. Lu, this positioning is spot on. It's specifically targeting young users. This project is definitely going to be a hit."

Lu Jiuge nodded and continued to explain:

"People are tired from work nowadays, and they don't want to move after get off work. They don't want to cook, let alone go out and queue up for food."

MeiTuan (a food delivery platform) addresses this "laziness" issue, allowing users to order delicious food from nearby restaurants in just a few minutes without leaving home.

"This is not just simple food delivery, but a reconstruction of the business model for local life services."

Furthermore, as mobile phones become more widespread and 3G and 4G networks develop, the mobile internet will definitely experience explosive growth, and this project will be able to cover an increasingly larger number of people.

Wang Xing gasped, his eyes filled with agreement, and he repeatedly said:

"This idea is so innovative! When I was working on social media, I only thought about letting users chat; I never imagined it could be done this way!"

"Mr. Lu, when would you like to launch? My team is ready to go anytime. As soon as the funding arrives, I guarantee we'll have the platform set up, the merchants negotiated, and the system optimized within two months, then it'll be live!"

Lu Jiuge shook her head, her tone calm:

"The project will start soon, but there's no need to rush to launch it."

"The technical barrier to entry for food delivery is not high, and it won't be long before others follow suit. We need to focus on making good products, securing merchant resources, and ensuring the best user experience. We can't rush the process."

Listening from the side, Zheng Dongrong couldn't help but ask out of curiosity:

"Why do we have to wait two months?"

"Because of the Olympics."

Lu Jiuge explained:

"Once the Olympics start, athletes, coaches, and staff from all over the country and even the world will gather in Kyoto, which will be the best opportunity for publicity."

He glanced at everyone present and, seeing that they were all listening attentively, continued:

"Before the Olympics started, we negotiated with all the businesses in Kyoto's core business district and around the Olympic Village. Ideally, we would secure official cooperation and the exclusive catering rights for the Olympic Village."

"At that time, with hundreds of thousands of targeted users gathered together, we can turn each group into a nationally renowned food delivery brand model with minimal spending."

The safest approach is to wait until the model is proven successful before replicating it in cities across the country.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire private room fell silent.

Zheng Wutong stared at Lu Jiuge for a long while, his eyes filled with shock, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh:

"Xiao Lu, your taste is truly unmatched!"

"In just over ten minutes, it not only enlightened the entrepreneur, but also clearly outlined the future of the company."

"Today I have witnessed firsthand what a true investment genius is."

Xu Xin nodded repeatedly, her admiration for Lu Jiuge's strategic planning abilities growing even stronger.

Wang Xing was so excited that he didn't know what to say, and his words became somewhat incoherent:

"Mr. Lu, after hearing what you said, I feel completely relieved! Rest assured, I will definitely work hard and live up to your expectations!"

Lu Jiuge had just smiled when her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket.

He took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, raised an eyebrow slightly, and then pressed the answer button.

"Old Zuo, what's up?"

On the other end of the phone, Zuo Wei's voice came through with a hint of urgency:

"Mr. Lu, Brothers Records has an operations director named Du Hua who just resigned to start his own business. He heard you're in Kyoto, so he made a special trip to meet you and discuss his startup project!"

"He's waiting downstairs at the Kyoto Hotel right now. Would you like to see him?"