Huayu: We're asking you to act, and you're playing a superhuman?

Chapter 102 The Preliminary Battle Begins: Kill Didi

In late November, the plane trees lining the streets of Shanghai began to gradually change color.

The green leaves turned orange and crimson on an ordinary day, and the colorful arcade looked like an oil painting in the sunset.

After more than two months of hard work, the filming of "Boss & Me" is nearing its end.

Wang Weili sat in a recliner, leisurely reading the script.

On the other side, Gu Man, carrying a Starbucks bag and with her notebook tucked under her elbow, kept pacing around the film set, as if searching for something.

When Zi Guang finally spotted Wang Weili, Gu Man excitedly rushed over.

"Willie, are you reading a script?"

"Yeah, there are only a few scenes left before we wrap up filming, so let's just take a look around."

"Then I'll buy you coffee."

Wang Weili put down the script, his gaze following the coffee Gu Man took out and placed on the armrest of the chair. Then he looked up at Gu Man.

"Teacher Gu, are you looking to collect materials again?"

"Hehe, it's a pleasure to meet someone as knowledgeable as you in so many fields. I'd like to learn more from you."

Gu Man held up her notebook and pleaded with Wang Weili repeatedly.

Wang Weili glanced at the coffee, thinking that since he was just killing time anyway, chatting might be a good way to pass the time.

"What do you want to know?"

"Okay, let's say a game company comes to you seeking investment—"

"No need to assume, I really did invest in a game company."

"Um—okay! My question is, what qualities should an entrepreneur possess for you to be willing to invest in them?"

Gu Man gently turned the pen, her gaze fixed on Wang Weili without blinking.

This issue is very important to her.

Wang Weili thought for a moment and said, "That entrepreneur is my senior from university, and because of that, I'm willing to invest in him."

"What if there wasn't this relationship?"

"Then he must at least achieve some results, and have a clear strategic development plan, a profit and loss statement, asset statistics, and a clear team structure —"

"OK, I understand."

Gu Man marked several crosses in her notebook before starting to take notes, indicating that Wang Weili's words had made her overturn many things.

Just as Gu Man was about to continue asking questions, Wang Weili's cell phone suddenly rang.

His work number is with Li Xue, so being able to contact him via a private number basically means it's not something related to the entertainment industry.

Wang Weili took out his phone to check, and his expression suddenly became serious.

"Teacher Gu, I need to make a phone call."

"Okay, I won't bother you any longer."

Gu Man quickly packed up her notes and left, afraid that her slow pace would offend someone.

After watching her walk away, Wang Weili got up and went to a corner to prevent others from accidentally overhearing the conversation.

Before making the call, he glanced at the message he had just received: "Didi has made a move, a small subsidy tactic, offering a discount of 1 to 3 yuan per order."

This is a message from Chen Kai; it's short, important, and clear.

Wang Weili called him back and said, "Call Lü Chuanwei over; we're having a meeting at the St. Regis Hotel tonight!"

"it is good."

Chen Kai didn't ask any more questions, but silently contacted Lü Chuanwei.

That night, inside a private room at the St. Regis Hotel.

Wang Weili sat on the long sofa, while Chen Kai and Lü Chuanwei sat on the single sofas on either side, rapidly typing on their keyboards.

"I've figured it out!"

Chen Kai raised his hand first, and Lü Chuanwei stopped in frustration.

Wang Weili asked, "How is the situation?"

"Based on Didi Chuxing's order volume statistics over the past 30 days, as well as the number of small subsidies they have launched and the resulting increase in user numbers, I am certain that Didi's funds can only last for a maximum of 40 more days."

Chen Kai turned his laptop around and showed Wang Weili the model he had written.

Wang Weili glanced at it and knew that Chen Kai's calculation of the time was correct.

The data in the ride-hailing market is all publicly available; they can easily find out what Didi is doing by checking.

Wang Weili thought for a moment and said, "Kai Zi, change the data on the model to that of Didi, keep the subsidy amount the same, and give it again—"

I have a time.

"7

"OK."

Chen Kai's expression changed for a moment, but he refrained from asking and first used the model to verify Wang Weili's plan.

Lu Chuanwei had already lost the calculation, so there was no need to try again. He simply kept calculating the time in his mind.

Chen Kai quickly stopped what he was doing and said, "If we set aside three months' worth of operating expenses and use the remaining funds to issue subsidies, it's expected to last for 45 days!"

I know my own situation perfectly well, so the answer is straightforward when I do the math.

From this perspective, the situations of both sides are quite similar.

However, thanks to Wang Weili, Kuaidi Dache's marketing efforts were not only more effective than Didi's, but also significantly less costly.

In addition, Kuaidi Dache's valuation in its Series B round was higher than Didi's, and it raised more money, which gave it an advantage.

After Chen Kai gave his answer, Wang Weili began to think about it thoughtfully.

Lu Chuanwei is also thinking about how he will deal with Didi's small subsidy tactics.

However, after thinking it over, it seems that there is no other way but to follow Didi's lead and issue subsidies.

Chen Kai hesitated, as if there was something he couldn't say.

After a moment, Wang Weili said, "According to the information we have so far, Didi launched its small subsidy program yesterday, and the subsidies are limited to major cities in North and Central China. What does this mean?"

"They're liquidating!"

Chen Kai said, "Didi has not yet launched its Series C funding round, which means that they do not have enough funds to distribute subsidies nationwide."

"The subsidies are limited to Didi's core areas in North and Central China, which is probably to prevent us from overthinking and to give us more time."

"After entering November, our market share continued to increase, and the remaining regional ride-hailing apps in East China and South China have basically shut down."

"Didi probably intends to liquidate by offering subsidies, and then use its increased market share to secure more Series C funding to fight us to the end."

The fact that Chen Kai could express such insights proves that he has indeed made great progress.

Sitting opposite him, Lü Chuanwei was also looking at him with a strange gaze.

Wang Weili then asked, "What do you think we should do in response?"

"To be honest, last year's group-buying war has proven that subsidies are the most unsolvable business strategy! If we don't keep up, our customers will automatically migrate to Didi."

Chen Kai's opinion was the same as Lü Chuanwei's; they both wanted to go and distribute the subsidies.

Lu Chuanwei couldn't help but interject: "Actually, we still have a few variables that we can control."

"Please go ahead, Mr. Lü."

"The model we just calculated resulted after deducting three months' operating expenses. If we only retain two months' operating expenses and increase the subsidy, could we completely outcompete Didi?"

Lu Chuanwei looked at Wang Weili and Chen Kai with eager anticipation.

His real idea was to keep only one month's operating expenses and then completely crush Didi with even larger subsidies.

Chen Kai looked at Lü Chuanwei with surprise and approval in his eyes, because he thought the same thing.

Wang Weili's gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them. Suddenly, he got up and fetched some foreign liquor, ham, cantaloupe, and wine glasses, placing them on the coffee table in front of him.

Actually, I have some thoughts on this too.

Wang Weili leaned back on the sofa and looked at the two of them: "The subsidies will definitely be issued, but I can only think of a so-so way to issue them in a more valuable way."

Chen Kai and Lü Chuanwei looked back silently, awaiting an answer.

Wang Weili didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "This time we're going to give subsidies to Didi users."

"Directly poaching users?"

Chen Kai's eyes widened; he never expected Wang Weili to be so tough!

He expressed his concerns, saying, "Didi hasn't targeted our area yet. Should we initiate a war?"

"You want to wait until the enemy has completely crossed the river and formed their battle lines before you attack?"

Wang Weili's rhetorical question was like a sharp blade slicing through Chen Kai's idealism.

Seeing Chen Kai's stunned expression, Wang Weili continued, "This is a war. Didi hasn't attacked us. Is it because they don't want to, or because they can't?"

"By resorting to subsidies, they're forcing us to take the field!"

"We have the advantage now, and they are the ones who have shown their weaknesses. If we make good use of this opportunity, we may be able to end this ride-hailing competition more quickly."

Chen Kai felt a chill run down his spine and immediately snapped out of his "we're all good friends" reverie.

"Willie, so you mean you want to follow Didi and distribute subsidies?"

"Not only should we issue subsidies, but we should also increase our efforts to adjust the subsidy amount to 3-5 yuan. The basic subsidy is 3 yuan, and if a user can bring in a new user, the subsidy will be upgraded to 5 yuan, and the new user will also receive a 5 yuan subsidy coupon!"

Wang Weili's proposed plan can be described as the most powerful tactic for poaching talent.

Chen Kai and Lü Chuanwei went through the plan in their minds and realized that it was also unsolvable!

"If we do that, Didi will be in for a huge financial loss."

"Then, we tried to contact Tencent to delay Didi's next round of financing, and continued to use subsidies to grab users. We tried to wear them down by pressing them hard and delaying them, hoping to completely cripple Didi and take over their users!"

Wang Weili raised his hand, twisted and tightened it as if controlling a kite string, and then slowly held it.

He's resorting to the same old tricks, trying to replicate the tactics he used to destroy Hangzhou Express last year.

Having personally experienced this battle, Lü Chuanwei felt a lingering fear upon hearing Wang Weili's detailed account.

But then he thought again that with such a cunning opponent as Wang Weili, Didi should be the one that's afraid.

Lu Chuanwei exclaimed excitedly, "Should we only retain operating expenses for two months? Or should we let the employees forgo their salaries to get through this period and then destroy Didi!"

Wang Weili flatly refused: "No! All benefits remain the same, but operating expenses must be retained for three months."

C

Lu Chuanwei was puzzled, but dared not refute it.

Chen Kai wondered to himself if this was being overly cautious.

Seeing the two men with different expressions, Wang Weili explained, "Didi is such a large company; if we can't destroy it this time, the war will inevitably escalate!"

"That will be the tough time when we really need to fight a hard battle. People are prone to laziness. If we ask our employees to put up a fight now, they won't be able to work together with us in the future."

"Furthermore, I personally believe that Didi is not so easily defeated."

Wang Weili sat up straight, reached for the whiskey on the coffee table, poured three glasses, and then took one glass and stood up.

"To achieve great things, one cannot expect smooth sailing; the path one is determined to take, one cannot cross without like-minded companions. Let us take the initiative and begin the battle."

A "ding" sounded.

The glasses clinked together, and the amber-colored liquor looked particularly captivating under the light.