Chapter Thirty-Two: Nanshan Pizza Hut’s Inevitable Victory—WeChat Users Surpass Ten Million
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The court’s public judgment was posted online by WeChat Technologies. Within moments, millions of WeChat users saw the news and began sharing it on their Moments feeds, expressing their support for WeChat through action.
A netizen using the name “Justice Will Not Be Late” wrote:
“No wonder they call them the Nanshan Pizza Hut. Even blatant plagiarism can be ruled as an unprotected technical method, an unprotected human-computer interaction interface, and something that may be used in all commercial activities. Who will bother innovating in the future? We might as well all copy one another.”
The post instantly received tens of thousands of likes. Countless people left comments below it. One netizen named “Raising the Handsome One” replied:
“What era are we living in? Innovation? That’s hilarious. Only fools bother with that. Our mighty Penguin only copies others—we take their roads and leave them nowhere to go.”
“Whew, luckily I put away my forty-meter blade. I almost hit an ally!” commented a netizen named “Great Wind Blows Watermelons.”
“This is utterly shameless. Mighty Penguin, you’ve ruined the last shred of goodwill I had for you. I’ve uninstalled QQ. From now on, I’ll only use WeChat.”
“Count me in!”
“Plus two.”
“Plus 10,086.”
As public outrage intensified, more and more netizens spontaneously took WeChat’s side, condemning Mighty Penguin for bullying the weak and oppressing its peers. A massive wave of users began uninstalling the mobile version of QQ.
A few hours later, the incident had spread across the entire internet. It became the day’s hottest online news, with countless media outlets scrambling to report on it and triggering a flood of criticism aimed at Mighty Penguin’s shameless conduct.
Internet influencers, as well as the owners of many companies that had been driven to ruin by Mighty Penguin’s plagiarism, took to the internet to condemn the company and support WeChat. Their actions pushed Mighty Penguin even closer to the center of the storm.
The hot news naturally caught the attention of Mighty Penguin’s public-relations department. They immediately began handling the crisis, forcing many online platforms to remove related reports. Nevertheless, quite a few platforms that had no love for Mighty Penguin, eager to enjoy the spectacle, pinned the news to the top of their pages.
On the top floor of Penguin Tower, in a vast conference room, Ma Teng slammed his hand against the table and roared furiously, “What is the public-relations department doing? How could you let public opinion snowball like this?”
The president of the public-relations department rose with a pale face. “Boss, we’ve already done everything we can. There are simply too many competitors and too many people who hold grudges against us and want to see us make fools of ourselves. They’re all fanning the flames.”
Ma Teng understood that Mighty Penguin had accumulated too many enemies on its way to the top. But he felt no regret. After all, only the mediocre escaped envy. He enjoyed having people curse him while remaining unable to live without his products. In his eyes, only products that inspired such contradictory feelings could truly be called good products.
After pondering for a moment, Ma Teng looked toward Li Jian and asked, “What would happen if we withdrew from the court’s ruling?”
Li Jian immediately answered solemnly, “Absolutely not. The mobile version of QQ urgently needs the Moments function. If we can’t use it, our product’s competitiveness will plummet.”
Ma Teng nodded and said in a low voice, “Increase the optimization efforts and speed up the process. Adjust the Moments function so that it appears somewhat different from WeChat’s, but make it more attractive and practical. Also, increase the bonuses. WeChat is offering one million; we’ll offer five million.”
The executives nodded one after another and began taking the matter seriously. They now regarded WeChat as Mobile QQ’s greatest enemy and prepared to use every means available, regardless of cost, to destroy WeChat Technologies.
Meanwhile, inside WeChat Technologies in Guangzhou, Zhang Xiaolong and Yan Fei were staring at the data on the company’s servers. Their eyes shone with excitement as they fixed their gaze on the number 10,008,547 displayed on the screen.
Zhang Xiaolong turned excitedly toward Yan Fei. His voice trembled as he said, “President Yan, ten million! Ten million! The number of registered WeChat users has officially surpassed ten million! In just two days, it has risen by two million. Heaven itself must be helping us.”
Yan Fei excitedly clasped Zhang Xiaolong’s hand. His heart was filled with confidence in the future. Raising his voice, he said, “President Zhang, announce to the public that WeChat’s registered users have officially surpassed five million. Give everyone a morale boost.”
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Several hundred employees of WeChat Technologies let out shrill cries of delight when they heard that the number of registered users had increased by one million in two days. They were releasing the exhaustion brought on by working day and night throughout the crisis.
Looking at the employees caught up in celebration, Yan Fei shouted, “Brothers and sisters, everyone has worked hard these past two days. I’ve witnessed the difficulty of this battle firsthand. WeChat Technologies could never have achieved such dazzling results without all of you. I hereby announce that every employee at W5 level and below will receive a bonus of five thousand yuan, while every employee at W6 level and above will receive ten thousand yuan.”
The hundreds of employees fell silent for an instant after hearing the announcement. Then a cheer like a landslide and a roaring sea erupted from the crowd. Some of the women even cried out, “Boss, I love you for ten thousand years!”
The men were even more direct. They rushed forward, lifted Yan Fei into the air, and began celebrating wildly. Several company executives watched the scene with broad smiles, while many others took out their phones to capture the moment.
After the uproar subsided, Yan Fei climbed onto a table and looked down at everyone. He continued shouting, “Although WeChat Technologies has achieved some success, we still haven’t escaped the danger of extinction. To borrow a phrase from the Father of the Nation: the revolution has not yet succeeded, and our comrades must continue striving. Mighty Penguin suffered a setback this time because it failed to take us seriously. It paid the price for underestimating its opponent and letting down its guard. But after this incident, Mighty Penguin will certainly strike with thunderous force and crush us. The coming six months, and perhaps even longer, will be a matter of life and death for us. I hope every one of you will work together with all your strength.”
When he finished, Yan Fei bowed deeply to the crowd. Zhang Xiaolong followed suit. The gesture instantly moved the hundreds of employees, who shouted one after another:
“We swear to live and die with the company!”
“We’ll fight Mighty Penguin to the very end!”
Listening to their impassioned vows, Yan Fei was deeply moved. He solemnly declared, “Thank you all for standing by me. Today, you treat me as a true scholar and loyal minister. When WeChat Technologies goes public, I, Yan Fei, will repay you in kind. Every one of you will become a multimillionaire.”
The hundreds of employees eagerly swallowed the magnificent promise. Their hearts burned with passion, and they secretly vowed to use every ounce of their strength to propel WeChat Technologies toward an even more glorious future.
After the mobilization meeting ended, Yan Fei immediately convened a meeting with more than a dozen senior executives. His expression was grave as he said, “The moment of life and death has arrived. Mighty Penguin’s first counterattack will certainly be fierce. We must give it everything we have and cannot afford the slightest carelessness.”
Zhang Xiaolong took over. In a solemn voice, he said, “Mighty Penguin’s Moments function has gone online. They’re holding a weekly contest for the most beautiful Moments post, with a five-million-yuan prize for first place. The total funding exceeds sixty million yuan. If they keep this up for an entire month, their activity levels will certainly be several times higher than ours.”
Zhang Liang rose with a serious expression. “Boss, everyone, QQ currently has thirty million smartphone users. During those two days of public-opinion warfare with us, it gained another two million registered users. According to our big-data model, if QQ’s Moments campaign lasts for a month, its four weekly contests will generate more than three times as many active users as ours.”
Yan Fei glanced around the room and asked gravely, “Would it work if we spent money to launch a competing campaign?”
“No!” Zhang Xiaolong shook his head without hesitation. “Whether we’re talking about financial resources, influence over public discourse on the internet, social resources, or our existing user base, we’re separated from Mighty Penguin by an exponential gap. If we enter a war of financial attrition, Mighty Penguin will probably be even happier than we are.”
After hearing Zhang Xiaolong’s words, Yan Fei nodded in agreement and looked around the room. “Does anyone have any good ideas?”
A young man raised his hand. “Boss, I think we should avoid the enemy’s strengths and strike at its weaknesses. We aren’t qualified to confront Mighty Penguin head-on, but when it comes to product experience and aesthetics, we crush QQ. I suggest launching a new WeChat feature to attract more users and increase their attachment to WeChat.”
Zhang Liang frowned. “Chen Jie, your idea is good, but Mighty Penguin will copy our concept within two days. Wouldn’t that be like handing Penguin a new idea?”
Chen Jie smiled faintly. “Large corporations are bloated and sluggish. They may not lack talented people, but they can’t produce good ideas. That’s an inevitability of big companies. As long as we maintain our lead in technology and creativity, Mighty Penguin will be forced to keep copying us from behind. On the surface, that seems to solve its weakness in product competitiveness, but in reality, it’s a delicious poison.”
Yan Fei’s eyes lit up. He seemed to realize something, and he suddenly slammed his hand on the table. Excitedly, he said, “Exactly! If Mighty Penguin keeps copying our ideas, then as long as we don’t die, it will continue to be branded as a plagiarist and pirate. As time passes, that fixed impression will take root in the minds of netizens. When awareness of copyright awakens in the future, people will gradually abandon Mighty Penguin’s products.”
Zhang Xiaolong and the other executives were suddenly enlightened. They voiced their agreement in excitement. For Mighty Penguin, this was an open trap. The bait WeChat Technologies had thrown out was something Mighty Penguin would have to swallow, whether it wanted to or not.
After the discussion ended, WeChat Technologies brought forward its Drifting Bottle project. Following two days of development and repeated testing, it was successfully launched on October 15.
The wish-making mode of Drifting Bottles attracted countless men and women filled with dreams, who eagerly played with the feature. It provided another boost to the growth of WeChat’s registered users. In just two days, the number surpassed eleven million.
Yan Fei and Zhang Xiaolong stared at the backend data. Both were extremely excited. Technical Director Zhang Liang also said excitedly, “Boss, in the two days since launch, netizens have sent more than 3.87 million Drifting Bottles in total, and the number is growing rapidly. We estimate that this new feature will bring us at least two million additional registered users.”
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“Excellent!” Yan Fei nodded happily. He looked toward Zhang Xiaolong and asked, “How are things on Mighty Penguin’s side? Will they launch Drifting Bottles today?”
Zhang Xiaolong thought for a moment before answering solemnly, “Knowing Mighty Penguin’s style, they should be holding a meeting to discuss it right now. They’ll probably launch it tonight. I’ll keep a close eye on developments.”
At the same time, on the top floor of Mighty Penguin’s headquarters, Ma Teng looked at Li Jian and asked, “Has the Drifting Bottle function been developed? Can we launch it tonight?”
Li Jian immediately replied, “Boss, the launch preparations are complete. But should we continue with it?”
Ma Teng pondered for a moment, then glanced at the assembled executives. “Does anyone have any thoughts?”
When their eyes met Ma Teng’s, the executives lowered their heads one after another. None dared to step forward and take responsibility for this minefield. After all, everyone present was an elite with a keen understanding of corporate politics. How could they fail to see that this was a poisoned chalice? And WeChat Technologies was unlike their previous competitors. Destroying it would be exceptionally difficult.
Everyone in the conference room knew that Ma Teng needed a scapegoat, but they also had to keep him from losing face. They exchanged subtle signals and quietly urged one of the executives to step forward.
Peng Qichang, who was seated at the far end of the table, was chosen. He could only rise and say, “Boss, everyone, I believe we should launch it immediately. Competition in product quality is extremely important, and the user experience matters even more. If WeChat has something, we should have it too. If WeChat doesn’t have something, we should have it as well. I suggest outsourcing the creative work and steering clear of direct imitation of WeChat, so that no one can accuse us of plagiarism. After all, our Mighty Penguin is too prominent, and we have enemies everywhere.”
Ma Teng’s expression softened when he heard this. “President Peng’s suggestion is excellent. I approve. Leave this matter to President Peng. We must strive to produce a new and distinctive feature before WeChat does.”
After the meeting ended, QQ immediately updated its version and added the Drifting Bottle function. It instantly attracted the attention of countless netizens. Some praised it, while others mocked Mighty Penguin for copying WeChat, but none of that prevented QQ’s active-user numbers from increasing.
Seeing the result, Ma Teng, Li Jian, and the others all breathed a sigh of relief. They then entered a small conference room, where Ma Teng looked at several co-founders and asked in a low voice, “Have we completed the background investigation on Yan Fei?”
Zhao Bin nodded. “We have. He may be the Liu family’s prospective son-in-law. Yan Fei himself is an investment genius. In just two months, he earned more than one billion yuan from the secondary financial markets. Those funds have provided WeChat with an extremely substantial capital pool.”
Ma Teng pondered for a moment before asking, “What is the Liu family’s attitude? Have they personally intervened?”
Zhao Bin shook his head. “The Liu family belongs to a traditional industry and has no direct conflict with us. They haven’t shown Yan Fei much support either. As long as Yan Fei can no longer make money in the secondary financial markets, we’ll be able to destroy WeChat.”
Ma Teng nodded and said quietly, “Set up an investment team. I want them tracking Yan Fei’s every move and striking at him whenever possible. Make absolutely certain that he cannot earn money in the financial markets. Also, gather or fabricate evidence and have the securities regulator investigate him.”
Yan Fei was completely unaware of Mighty Penguin’s plans. At that moment, he had returned to Deep City and was spending time with Liu Suxin. The two had not seen each other for two weeks and had missed one another terribly. They had endless things to say, discussing both their lives and the financial markets.
The next day, Yan Fei resumed his life of watching the markets and managing trades. He also added several other futures contracts with relatively high trading volumes. His total futures-trading capital reached five to six hundred million yuan, while two hundred million yuan remained idle in the stock market, and another two hundred million yuan was held in his international crude-oil futures account.
With such a vast amount of capital under his control, Yan Fei found operating increasingly difficult. His desire to establish a private-equity fund grew stronger, so he began researching the state of private-equity firms in the domestic market.
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