Reborn in 08, Public Enemy of Competitors

Chapter 105 The Best Person to Use WeChat

March 25, Sands Century Tower.

Lu Wenbin flipped through a stack of printed data reports. "Yitao has increased its rebate subsidies and raised the commission for secondary distribution. What's most infuriating is that they directly rejected our application for YiTao GO distribution."

"They're not even pretending anymore."

Qin Feng said, "They're practically blatantly threatening to suppress us. What should we do?"

"It's alright, YiTao can't catch up with YiTaoGO in a short time."

Shen Mo waved his hand: "Right now, Lingyun Technology's focus is on Pinduoduo."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Huang Zheng said, "Speaking of Pinduoduo, Tencent contacted us, wanting to invest."

Shen Mo asked, "What price did Pony offer?"

Huang Zheng said, "The valuation is $8 million."

Shen Mo did a rough calculation in his mind, "So-so, it's passable. What about the other conditions?"

"Similar to YiTaoGO before, it will use QQ as a secondary traffic entry point, Penguin News for soft article promotions, and QQ pop-ups to push Pinduoduo's promotional information. QQ groups, QQ space and other APIs will also be opened up, allowing Pinduoduo to access social relationship chains and do group buying distribution."

"not enough."

Shen Mo said, "Pinduoduo absolutely needs a primary navigation traffic entry point."

"Level 1 Navigation —"

Huang Zheng looked troubled: "I'm afraid Tencent won't agree. Even Tencent's internal products might not be able to get this qualification."

"I'm not permanent."

Shen Mo said, "We'll have a dedicated testing period of one to two years, and we'll discuss it again when it expires. If Pinduoduo doesn't deliver the desired results, we can cancel it at any time."

Sun Tongyu's eyes lit up: "That's negotiable. For Tencent, the question isn't whether they can provide the primary navigation, but rather who they should provide it to. If Pinduoduo can prove with data that it's worth this entry point, Tencent has no reason to refuse."

Shen Mo said, "If that's not enough, use the priority co-investment right to shut the penguin up."

Sun Tongyu said, "Then the penguin has no reason to refuse!"

"If we release the news that we have received an offer of investment from Tencent, IDG, Sequoia, and Tiger Fund will probably be very interested."

As soon as Shen Mo said this, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Besides the money, I also want some extra benefits from Penguin."

"What benefits, Mr. Shen?"

"Poaching!"

Shen Mo said, "The cycle of a game is generally 2 to 5 years. PalmLe cannot rely on 'Farm Day' and 'Farm Town' to survive. Whether it is self-developed or licensed, we must plan ahead for the next stage of product line."

"Therefore, I plan to establish an online games department and a mobile games department."

"The former is a cash cow, while the latter is a future reserve, after all, the future will be the era of smartphones and 3G."

"Regarding staffing, should we poach from Tencent?"

Yuan Hua swallowed hard.

"right!"

Shen Mo replied decisively: "Anyway, Penguin won't make the best use of everyone's talents. It would be a waste to have so many talented people. It's better to hand them over to us."

People like Xu Zhenhua, founder of Moonton, Wang Xinwen of Lilith Games, and Feng Ji of Game Science were all unknown figures at Tencent.

As a result, he made a name for himself as soon as he left Penguin.

It's true what they say: when they're together, they're a pile of dung; when they're scattered, they're a sky full of stars.

Since the penguins don't appreciate it, then don't blame Shen Mo for wielding his beloved little hoe. "What about single-player games?"

Liu Yang's eyes were full of anticipation. "Is there any possibility that PalmPlay will make domestically produced single-player games in the future?"

"The opportunity will come, but not now."

"The domestic single-player game market is still in its infancy; rushing in would be suicidal."

"But I can guarantee that PalmPlay will definitely make domestic single-player games in the future, and we won't stop until we become the industry leader!"

When Shen Mo thought about the miracle created by "Black Myth: Wukong" in the domestic single-player game industry, how could he miss this opportunity to gain both fame and fortune?

"Clap clap clap!"

A thunderous applause erupted.

Shen Mo seriously planned: "Web games, mobile games, and future single-player games can run in parallel, but the priority cannot be wrong. First, stabilize the ones that can make money, then nurture the ones that can fight, and finally do those things that are worth doing but do not make money for the time being."

"Yes, Mr. Shen!"

Yuan Hua rubbed his hands together: "What projects should Zhang Le develop next?"

Shen Mo said, "FarmDay has proven that the 'free-to-play + in-app purchase' model is viable. So, let's continue to develop in the direction of social and casual games, starting with three games: Happy Elimination, Happy Landlords, and Happy Run."

Yuan Huazai meticulously recorded everything, fully believing that it was simply a matter of developing a new game.

But this is only the first layer.

Huang Zheng, Sun Tongyu, and other shrewd individuals have already reached the third level. Shen Mo's arrangements are not just for the game itself.

YiTaoG0 and Pinduoduo can provide transaction volume and users for "WeChat Pay", and game top-ups can do the same, or even more.

However, Shen Mo was already standing on the fifth floor.

Games, payments, shopping guides, e-commerce—all these elements are ultimately forming an ecosystem, all in preparation for the yet-to-be-born "WeChat"!

After the meeting, Lin Qingyan, Zhong Xue, and others silently took attendance and stayed behind alone.

-

"How's the investigation I asked you to do?"

"The situation on Fanfou.com is not very optimistic."

Lin Qingyan said, "The entire website has been shut down for rectification due to users' political remarks."

"Is it still sealed off?" Shen Mo pressed.

There is currently no news of a relaunch.

Zhong Xue shook her head: "Fanfou's reply is that it's not confirmed yet; even their own staff say they don't know when it will be restored."

"Haha—cough cough, what a misfortune."

Shen Mo's lips twitched slightly, forcefully suppressing the ever-rising smile.

Zhong Xue rolled her eyes: "Yeah, how unfortunate."

"The blocking of Fanfou is a great tragedy for the internet."

Shen Mo sighed seriously, "A huge loss."

Lin Qingyan and Zhong Xue exchanged a glance, tacitly choosing not to expose him.

"I am deeply saddened by what happened to Fanfou."

Shen Moyi said sternly, "Therefore I must do my utmost."

Lin Qingyan bluntly asked, "You wouldn't be thinking of taking advantage of someone's misfortune to poach them, would you?"

"nonsense!"

Shen Mo corrected him, "Can something on the internet be called 'digging'? I just couldn't bear to see these key personnel have no opportunity to use their talents, so I wanted to replace Wang Xing and give them a bright future, so that everyone could give full play to their abilities!"

Zhong Xue immediately replied, "Understood. I'll contact a headhunting firm right away to rescue these talents who are in trouble."

"Be mindful of your approach and methods; don't be too high-profile."

Shen Mo smacked his lips. In his previous life, the rise of Weibo was due to seizing the vacuum period when Fanfou was shut down.

Leveraging its media resources, celebrity connections, and operational capabilities as one of the four major portals, Xinlang quickly replaced Fanfou.

Even after Fanfou was relaunched, it ultimately lost out because it couldn't match Weibo's extensive network and content regulation.

Once upon a time, Fanfou was known as the "Twitter of China." Since its inception, its user base has surged to millions.

------

However, freedom of speech was both its strength and its weakness, as Fanfou was ordered to suspend its services in June.

For more than half a month, Wang Xing, Wang Huiwen, Zhang Yiming and others have been in a state of constant anxiety.

From hope to disappointment as Fanfou waited for its reopening, then hope was rekindled, disappointment returned, and finally despair.

Zhang Yiming is someone who is deeply confused and desperate. In the four years since graduation, he has changed jobs four times, and he has not been able to stay in any of them for long.

Could it be that I, like Liu Bei, am born with a constitution that is incompatible with my elder brother?

At this moment, he had no willpower for the future and was considering whether to stay on Fanfou or find another job.

Just then, a headhunting company inexplicably called.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

"Lingyun Technology's Shen Mo is trying to poach me?"