Reborn in 08, Public Enemy of Competitors

"Mr. Wu, I think..."

Liu Ning snorted coldly. See Ma Huateng? Even if he wanted to see him, it wasn't as simple as just doing so!

Wu Xiaoguang raised his hand to stop him, "If what you want to talk to Pony about is just what you just said, I'm afraid you won't be able to sway him."

"Don't worry, Mr. Wu, I've prepared a gift for Pony."

Shen Mo smiled and said, "Please tell him that Tencent should not concentrate its human, material, and financial resources on C2C, but should instead focus on B2C."

"B2C?!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Wu Xiaoguang's eyes.

Shen Mo suddenly stood up. "Anything else, I can only talk to Pony in person."

"Since you're here, don't be in a hurry to leave."

Wu Xiaoguang patted him on the shoulder, "I'm going to make a call, I'll be right back."

"good!"

Shen Mo sat back down and watched Wu Xiaoguang and Liu Ning walk quickly out of the reception room.

Yang Ming let out a long sigh, forcing a wry smile as he said, "President Shen, you could have phrased it more tactfully. Why did you have to do it this way?"

"Manager Yang, let me give you some advice: Paipai.com has no future."

Shen Mo crossed his legs and said, "If you want to continue developing your career in e-commerce, you can switch to Alibaba or Jingdong. Of course, we at YiTao GO also welcome talented people like you..."

Yang Ming chuckled, his lips twitching slightly.

No way! Ahri is one thing, but what the hell is Jingdong?

Rumor has it that they are about to go bankrupt and can't get funding. They're about to become a roadside stall. If I go there now, wouldn't I be jumping into a fire pit?

Just as Yang Ming was lost in thought, Wu Xiaoguang, who was standing in the corridor, had already gotten through to Ma Huateng on the phone.

"Pony, I think this Shen Mo is a talented person, and you should meet him..."

"Talented? Tell me about it."

Ma Huateng was quite interested, after all, it was rare to find someone who could catch the eye of Wu Xiaoguang, the number 006 on Tencent.

Wu Xiaoguang recounted what had just happened in detail.

"Especially his suggestion to shift towards B2C!"

"We just had a meeting a while ago and decided to launch our B2C business, targeting Taobao Mall and Jingdong. I didn't expect him to guess our next move."

"Did he really say that?"

Ma Huateng's tone was now filled with a strong sense of interest.

Wu Xiaoguang said, "Yes, and he won't open up until he sees you."

Ma Huateng smiled and said, "Then bring him over. It's almost lunchtime, so take him directly to the private room in the restaurant. We can eat and chat together."

………………

As night fell, the Penguin Dining Hall was brightly lit.

Zhong Xue sat in the private room, feeling nervous and uneasy. Especially when she saw Ma Huateng in person, her mind went blank and her head was buzzing.

My goodness, I actually saw one alive!

Compared to her, Shen Mo was calm and composed, shook hands with Ma Huateng, and exchanged a few polite words.

As soon as Ma Huateng sat down, he went straight to the point: "You're saying that Paipai.com is going in the wrong direction, that it shouldn't be C2C, but B2C, is that right?"

"That's right! Tencent's attempt to create Paipai.com is doomed to failure!"

When Shen Mo opens his mouth, he always aims to say something surprising.

"What makes you say that?"

Ma Huateng's expression hardened as he scrutinized the situation closely.

"The one that will overthrow Yahoo will not be Yahoo, but Google; and the one that will overthrow Google will not be Google, but Facebook."

Shen Mo said in a serious tone, "To disrupt an internet product, you don't rely on copying, but on innovation."

These words sounded increasingly harsh to Wu Xiaoguang, Liu Ning, and others.

After all, Penguin is now just like Kakashi Hatake, everyone has the Mangekyou Sharingan, and they immediately copy whatever product is popular.

"Paipai.com imitates Taobao's C2C model. Without innovation, it will never be able to surpass Taobao!"

Shen Mo peeled the shrimp bit by bit.

Ma Huateng asked, "So, what innovative idea do you have?"

"The simplest and best way is to cooperate with us. Most of YiTaoGO's users come from Taobao."

Shen Mo continued speaking eloquently, "Our YiTao GO team will tailor-make promotional activities for Paipai.com that are different from those on Taobao, to increase user stickiness and guide and convert most Taobao users to Paipai.com..."

Ma Huateng narrowed his eyes. So he was a two-faced guy, wanting to do business with both Ali and Penguin.

"Even so, Paipai.com isn't doomed, is it?"

"It's a dead end, of course!"

Shen Mo held up one finger. "Firstly, as I told Mr. Wu, C2C cannot eliminate counterfeit goods. An e-commerce platform rife with counterfeit goods will not only be detrimental to Paipai.com's development, but will also affect QQ's reputation and brand."

Then, holding up a second finger, he said, "Secondly, while Tencent excels in social networking and gaming, it lacks the DNA for e-commerce. Even with a large social media traffic portal, without a matching supply chain management, after-sales service, and commercial operation system, it is destined not to go far."

"Is that all?"

A hint of disappointment appeared on Ma Huateng's face.

"No, there's still a little bit, which is also the most crucial point."

Shen Mo held up a third finger. "Paipai.com made a strategic mistake by using Tencent's weaknesses to challenge Ali's strengths instead of using its social networking strengths to differentiate itself from competitors. This wasted its huge platform advantage."

"Using social media for competitive differentiation?"

Ma Huateng's spirits lifted suddenly.

"That's right, Tencent's core strength lies in social networking, so why not do social e-commerce, or content e-commerce?"

He remained silent, but didn't say everything, deliberately creating suspense.

Wu Xiaoguang was intrigued and pressed for details, asking, "Could you elaborate on this social e-commerce?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Wu, this is a customized solution that our YiTaoGO provides for our partners, and it is a trade secret."

Shen Mo smiled on the surface, but was cursing inwardly.

My own group-buying link on YiTaoGO is still blocked!

They won't give me any benefits and they expect me to talk? No way!

"Trade secrets?"

Liu Ning gave a cold laugh, deliberately provoking him, "Could this be a gimmick you pulled to fool us?"

"If that's what you're saying, then let's just consider it a publicity stunt."

Shen Mo shrugged, unmoved.

Ma Huateng pushed up his glasses. He disliked this feeling of being manipulated, but he was also very interested in this social e-commerce.

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming tense, Wu Xiaoguang changed the subject slightly.

"Mr. Shen, if social e-commerce is a trade secret, then B2C shouldn't be considered one, right?"

"Of course not."

Shen Mo asked knowingly, "What, does Tencent intend to get into B2C?"

Ma Huateng clasped his hands together: "If we plan to do B2C, which area do you think would be suitable for us to focus on?"

"I would recommend mother and baby products."

Shen Mo blurted out.

Ma Huateng, Wu Xiaoguang, and the others exchanged glances, completely unprepared for his answer.

Why?

"I'm sure you've all been watching the news lately, right?"

Shen Mo said with a serious expression, "The Liulu incident has caused a great uproar. Dairy products, especially milk powder, have experienced a serious crisis of trust. For parents, it's no longer a question of which brand to buy, but rather who they can still trust."

"So you want to use mothers and babies as a starting point?"

A look of realization flashed in Wu Xiaoguang's eyes.

"Penguin has a geographical advantage that other B2C platforms do not have, namely its proximity to Hong Kong and Macau."

Shen Mo nodded: "We can definitely cooperate with Hong Kong and Macau, starting with milk powder, using 'authentic product guarantee' to fire the first shot in Penguin B2C. Through mother and baby products, we can build a strong trust relationship with parents, and then expand to other categories. Wouldn't that be a natural progression?"

Ma Huateng's expression softened, revealing a look of appreciation.

"Since you see things so clearly, why don't you come over here and I'll make you the head of the B2C business!"

"Pony, thank you for thinking so highly of me."

Shen Mo politely declined: "However, I cannot agree. The reason I started my own business is that I don't want to work for someone else."

Zhong Xue was stunned. Seriously? Ma Huateng personally recruited you, and you just rejected him like that!

"Young people shouldn't be too arrogant. The road to entrepreneurship is much harder than you imagine."

Ma Huateng stared intently at him.

"If you're not spirited, what kind of young person are you?"

Shen Mo smiled. "When you founded Tencent, weren't you about my age? Since you succeeded, why can't my YiTao GO succeed too?"

That kid's pretty arrogant!

Ma Huateng picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Although I can't work for someone else, I welcome cooperation and investment."

Shen Mo stated confidently, "Give me a year, and I am confident that I can grow YiTaoGO to 5000 million users."

The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Wu Xiaoguang, Liu Ning, and others' expressions changed drastically. They knew that even with the support of QQ's traffic, Paipai.com's user base had only just surpassed 1 million.

Jingdong, on the other hand, has yet to break the ten million mark.

Ma Huateng sized up the tall, handsome young man in front of him, his eyes full of confidence, completely oblivious to the concept of defeat.

Wu Xiaoguang leaned over and said, "Pony, why don't you give it a try? The M&A department is looking for good projects, isn't it?"

Ma Huateng nodded, then slammed his hand on the table. "Tencent has established an investment and M&A department this year and is looking for projects all over the world."

"Give the investment department a heads-up and have them invest 500 million in YiTao GO."

"hiss!"

Zhong Xue's heart pounded wildly, her hands trembled slightly, and she almost dropped the bowl.

What's going on?! What's going on?! Tencent is really going to invest in us?!

"Okay, Pony."

Wu Xiaoguang turned to look at Shen Mo, his eyes filled with complex emotions, and said, "President Shen, after we finish eating, would you please come with me to the investment department?"

Shen Mo smacked his lips. He had originally planned to refuse, but he couldn't resist the fact that Brother Ma was offering so much.

More importantly, with Tencent's endorsement, the previously blocked group-buying link issue was easily resolved.

Moreover, this allows them to negotiate group-buying collaborations with second- and third-tier brands, thus significantly expanding the reach of YiTaoGO.