Chapter Thirty: Yan Fei’s Counterintelligence Ruse Bewilders the Enemy, and the Wives’ Group Renders Meritorious Service

Once the results of the internal Tencent meeting were out, the massive social empire began to mobilize. A few days later, Yan Fei received a call from Zhang Xiaolong. Panic immediately set in, and he rushed to Guangzhou that same night.

In the conference room at WeChat Technology, Zhang Xiaolong said with a grim expression, "Mr. Yan, Tencent has noticed us. Through some of my connections at Tencent, I’ve learned they are developing a social app called TT, which is similar to our WeChat. At the same time, they have launched a mobile-optimized version of QQ, preparing for a major push into the social sphere of the mobile internet era."

After hearing this, Yan Fei’s tension eased slightly. He said in a deep voice, "The only silver lining is that as long as Tencent focuses its energy on the mobile version of QQ, we still have a chance. We must adopt a strategy of deception: guide Tencent to pour more traffic into mobile QQ. It would be best if we could use a third party to bribe someone inside Tencent who has influence, encouraging them to fully promote the development of mobile QQ."

Zhang Xiaolong nodded solemnly, understanding Yan Fei's implication. "I will arrange it. We’ll invest about five million. Additionally, we need to create the illusion throughout the company that the arrival of QQ marks a life-or-death crisis for us, while secretly doing everything in our power to suppress the development of TT."

The two quickly finalized their counter-strategy. Yan Fei also transferred 63 million in newly earned profits into the WeChat account, both to finalize the paid-in capital and to ensure they had sufficient ammunition to withstand Tencent’s strangulation tactics.

The next day, Yan Fei and Zhang Xiaolong held a meeting with the core staff of WeChat Technology. They exaggerated the threat posed by QQ to successfully cultivate a sense of life-or-death crisis, inspiring the entire company to unite and fight this uphill battle with passion.

That afternoon, just as Yan Fei was preparing to return to Shenzhen, he saw Zhang Xiaolong approaching in a hurry, looking grave. "Mr. Yan, people from Tencent are here. I suspect they want to acquire us."

Yan Fei’s expression tightened. "Let’s go meet them. Don't show any cracks."

Upon entering the conference room, Li Longhong of the Tencent Investment Department stood up with a smile. "Mr. Zhang, we meet again. I didn't expect that just a month after you resigned, you would stir up such a commotion. It really makes us envious."

"Not at all!" Zhang Xiaolong laughed. "Just a small project. We heard that Tencent is officially entering mobile social networking, and we’re terrified. We hope you’ll show mercy and leave us a way to survive!"

After some pleasantries, the atmosphere was quite amicable. After a while, Li Longhong said in a serious tone, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Yan, Mr. Ma has given a strict order: we are determined to acquire WeChat. May I ask what your asking price is?"

Yan Fei smiled and replied, "Mr. Li, you’re joking. We have no intention of selling WeChat. Besides, we have a paid-in capital of 100 million, and there’s still plenty of money in the account that hasn't been spent."

Li Longhong smiled thinly. "There is nothing in this world that isn't for sale, provided the price is right. Tencent offers 200 million for a full acquisition of WeChat Technology. In just one month, your investment has doubled. That is a very high rate of return."

Zhang Xiaolong waved his hand. "Mr. Li, Mr. Yan’s sentiment is my own. WeChat is not currently accepting investment. I apologize for making you all come here for nothing."

Li Longhong smiled. "Gentlemen, let me remind you: the mobile version of QQ will finish its adaptation and go live tomorrow. Within a week, we expect at least 200 million active mobile users, with over 20 million smartphone users. In comparison, do you really think WeChat has a chance? This investment of over 100 million will eventually just go down the drain."

Yan Fei and Zhang Xiaolong looked grave, feigning fear. The room fell silent. After a long pause, Yan Fei said, "Well... let us consider it."

Li Longhong and the others from Tencent’s investment team smiled triumphantly, looking like winners. "Very well, we’ll give you three days to think about it."

As the Tencent team left, Li Longhong paused at the door. "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Ma thinks highly of you. He says that if you are willing to return, you can have full control over the operations of TT, and your annual salary will be raised to the ten-million level. As a former colleague, I advise you to think carefully and not squander what you’ve built."

Zhang Xiaolong’s expression shifted, but he made no comment. With a serious demeanor, he escorted the Tencent team out and watched them leave the building.

Returning to the conference room, Yan Fei looked at Zhang Xiaolong. "Tencent’s offer is indeed generous. Are you not considering going back?"

Zhang Xiaolong shook his head. "I’d rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. Returning to Tencent might allow me to achieve grand things, but independent entrepreneurship is what I truly desire. In this life, one must make choices. I want to live brilliantly, regardless of success or failure."

Yan Fei nodded solemnly. "Then let us face the enemy together. I have no regrets even if we fail. Let’s proceed with our plan and do our best, leaving the rest to fate."

They looked at each other and nodded. At that moment, a bond of brotherhood emerged between them. Later, during the WeChat core staff meeting, Yan Fei revealed Tencent's arrogance and their plan to shelve WeChat, which ignited panic and anger among the staff, all of whom shouted that they would fight Tencent to the death.

Following that meeting, WeChat Technology entered a 24-hour, round-the-clock mobilization. They hired aggressively and launched one promotion after another, burning through capital like water.

Meanwhile, after failing to acquire WeChat or poach its talent, Tencent was furious. Ma Teng flew into a rage at a meeting and ordered 90% of the entire group's traffic to be funneled into mobile QQ, intending to crush WeChat with overwhelming force.

With the high-profile launch of mobile QQ, the entire internet was abuzz. With Tencent giving away virtual goods and Q-coins upon registration, it triggered a massive wave of downloads.

In Ma Teng’s office, Li Jian reported excitedly, "Mr. Ma, the number of active users for mobile QQ has exceeded 30 million. We hit that within an hour of launch. We expect to exceed 100 million today and 200 million within a week. Smartphone user activations have already surpassed 3 million."

Ma Teng smiled. "Increase the promotional efforts. We must capture all 30 million smartphone users."

Li Jian promised, "Don't worry, Mr. Ma. The foundation of the Tencent social empire remains strong. With our massive traffic influx, mobile QQ will surely crush all competitors."

Ma Teng nodded and called for Song Jiang. "How is the market reaction? Have the people we planted at WeChat Technology reported back? How are they reacting?"

Song Jiang replied, "Boss, the market reaction is excellent. Many smartphone users are praising the update, saying the old QQ wasn't suitable for mobile, but the new version is great. As for WeChat, our people there report that everyone is panicked. Yan Fei and Zhang Xiaolong are spending money recklessly on promotion and offering huge bonuses to boost morale. They are determined to fight us to the death, but it’s futile. Once their capital is burned and they can’t raise more, that will be the end of them."

Ma Teng nodded. He couldn't find a reason why Tencent wouldn't win. After a long silence, he called for Qin Fang. "Mr. Qin, do you believe WeChat still has the capacity to resist?"

Qin Fang shook his head. "Based on current trends, WeChat has no power to resist. Whether in terms of capital or traffic, the gap is massive. However, I still suggest shifting resources to TT. QQ has its limitations; if we wait too long, it will become difficult to change. By then, we will have missed the opportunity to push TT, and the results will be half the effort for twice the work. Although Tencent has its imperial foundation and won't lose its hegemony in the social field, it will require much greater effort and cost."

After hearing this, Ma Teng pondered for a long time before saying, "You may go. I will consider your suggestion."

Qin Fang left, somewhat disappointed. Fate had given Yan Fei a chance; if Qin Fang had only asked for a small amount of traffic and capital, Ma Teng would likely have approved it. But because Qin Fang wanted to replace QQ entirely, it made Ma Teng suspicious of his motives.

Time passed quickly. By the end of the month, Yan Fei’s investments in the futures market had reached 1 billion, and his stock market holdings had reached 400 million, all in Wanda and Poly stocks.

Yan Fei avoided market manipulation or chasing hot topics and junk stocks, fearing that people with ulterior motives might target him. After all, the crime of market manipulation could be interpreted in many ways, and he wasn't about to wade into that murky water.

On the last day of the month, Yan Fei withdrew 100 million from his futures account and transferred it to Dazhong Dianping. He had already negotiated a deal for Dazhong Dianping to drive traffic to WeChat, as Dazhong Dianping had over 30 million daily active users—far more than WeChat.

At that moment, in the WeChat Technology office, Yan Fei looked at the backend data with a smile. "TT currently has 2 million registered users, while WeChat has reached 5 million. The growth trend remains high. Everyone has worked hard this month, but we cannot relax. With 30 million smartphone users, we need to attract at least 20 million to register to consider it a success."

The CFO stood up. "Boss, we spent over 50 million last month. At this rate, the money in the account will only last another month. If the capital chain breaks, I fear..."

Yan Fei waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about the money. Continue to increase investment. Commission local promotion companies in 333 major cities across the country to ramp up efforts. Seek out every possible traffic channel. Don't be afraid to spend. Our goal this month is to spend 100 million."

The core staff were energized. As long as the funding kept pace with their development, they had the confidence to fight Tencent to the end.

After the meeting, in the general manager's office, Yan Fei said to Zhang Xiaolong, "Mr. Zhang, this capital injection of 100 million will not dilute your shares. Your value far exceeds 10 million. I hope that in the future, we will stand together at the peak of the social empire and look Tencent in the eye."

Zhang Xiaolong accepted the 10 million sincerely. The thought of potentially sharing the social empire with Tencent filled him with ambition.

After calming down, Yan Fei said, "Mr. Zhang, how is the counter-espionage plan progressing?"

Zhang Xiaolong smiled. "It’s going smoothly. The wives of Qin, Li, and Song have been bought off. They frequently tell their husbands how great the mobile version of QQ is. Now, families of many Tencent executives are spreading this sentiment, leading many within Tencent to favor a heavy push for mobile QQ. With over 15 million active users on mobile QQ, Ma Teng and the others are convinced that QQ can dominate the mobile internet era just as it dominated the PC era."

"Excellent!" Yan Fei exclaimed. "Step up the counter-espionage efforts. I want every media outlet in Shenzhen to report on how great mobile QQ is while disparaging WeChat. I want the two tied together in every comparison."

Zhang Xiaolong’s eyes lit up. "A brilliant strategy. This reverse-psychology promotion directly elevates WeChat to the same level as QQ, making it even more attractive for netizens to download and register."

After finalizing the details, a wave of public opinion began to favor QQ while attacking WeChat. With WeChat Technology pouring massive amounts of money into advertising, the internet was flooded with "trolls" praising QQ and trashing WeChat, leading countless netizens to argue online.

Tencent was completely unaware of this "praise-to-kill" tactic. Driven by some of its executives, Tencent actively funneled traffic into this online spat, further fueling the scale of the internet war.

Hidden beneath the chaos, WeChat rapidly devoured the smartphone market share. Its registration growth rate didn't decline; it climbed, hitting new highs every day.

Time flew, and by October 1st, National Day, WeChat’s registered users reached 6 million, while TT’s registrations stalled at 3 million. Although mobile QQ had over 20 million registrations, its engagement was not as high as WeChat's.

The large-scale "Most Beautiful Moments" event entered its climax. The lure of a million-yuan prize prompted countless people to download and register for WeChat, post their moments, and join the festivities.

WeChat also invited the previous million-yuan prize winners to serve as ambassadors, creating a massive wave of online and offline promotion.

As the event unfolded, sharing moments became a lifestyle for WeChat users. Every day, the first thing people did when picking up their phones was to check their WeChat Moments to see what their friends were up to.