Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

Han Fei chuckled a few times: "President Fang, how come you're just like Xu Cheng? You strategists all have ears like you've got radar installed. I'm in Sheshan, in the suburbs."

"Xu Cheng is Xu Cheng, and I am me. What are you doing in the suburbs? Going to arrest people yourself?"

"Not at all," Han Fei said. "I'm here to see an old postman who is not only familiar with the rural environment but also has countless firsthand stories of ordinary people. I'm here today to talk to him and see if we can ask him to help us test the waters by publishing a few magazines and collecting a few stories. It's like exploring the path for the Roots-Seeking Project and the rural channels, a small-scale pilot project."

"You certainly know how to think," Fang Jing said. "But how many magazines can a deliveryman deliver, how many stories can he collect? Is it even worth the trip you made yourself?"

"Whether it's worth it or not, we'll only know after trying. As you know, Mr. Fang, a small publishing house like ours doesn't have the resources of a big company; we can only rely on working our way up one point at a time. If we succeed with this person, it'll be a ready-made template for a township liaison station; if we fail, I'll only lose a few magazine issues and half a day's time. Low cost, low risk, what if it works out?"

Han Fei heard someone knocking on the door over the phone, and then heard Fang Jing tell the person who knocked to wait a moment, before Fang Jing returned to the phone.

"Are you treating postal workers like your unpaid employees?"

“It’s a partnership, not an employment,” Han Fei said, walking towards Alfa Romeo. “He helps me distribute the goods and tell the story, and I give him a share of the profits and respect. Neither of us loses out. Besides, he works for the postal service and has credibility; the stall owners in the towns trust him. This is more effective than sending ten salespeople down here.”

"You're quick-witted. But let me remind you first, the post office is the post office, and the mobile phone company is the mobile phone company. Don't mix the two together, or I'll settle accounts with you later if things get complicated."

"Don't worry, Mr. Fang. At this stage, it's purely a pilot program between individuals and has nothing to do with the systems on either side. I just want to see if this model of combining postal routes with content can make a splash in rural towns. Once it's proven successful, I'll report back to you. How we use it then will be entirely up to you and headquarters."

"You'd better keep your word. Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. You've seen the results from Guangdong; they're number one in the overall score, no question about it. I congratulate you personally. Also, headquarters is very satisfied with your performance."

"Thank you, Mr. Fang."

"Are the tender documents for Zhejiang Province ready?"

"Preparations are already underway; we'll submit it tomorrow."

"Hmm, has Xu Cheng contacted you through Tencent?"

"Not yet," Han Fei said as he reached the car, took out the keys, opened the door, and got into the driver's seat. "I haven't heard from them since I suggested using QQ data for a practical test."

"I haven't noticed anything unusual on my end yet. The Zhejiang Province bidding announcement will definitely disrupt their plans again tomorrow, making them more hesitant and confused at the crossroads of investment cooperation and self-construction competition. But at the same time, it will also increase their anxiety, making them more eager to lock in with Qingniao."

Fang Jing paused, waited a moment, and then lowered her voice to say, "Han Fei, what you're doing now is no longer just saving a publishing house; you're disrupting an entire industry, going head-to-head with an internet giant that's worth six or seven billion, has hundreds of millions of users, and abundant cash flow. You can no longer approach things with the mentality of 'I'm just a small publisher, it's no big deal if I lose.' You can't afford to lose, Qingniao can't afford to lose, and neither can China Mobile's strategy in this industry. So you need to think carefully about every step you take."

"Don't worry, Mr. Fang. From the very first day I started this project, I never considered the word 'lose.' It's not because I'm not afraid of losing, but because I know that if even I start thinking about what to do if we lose, then Bluebird is truly finished. Mr. Fang, do you believe that people are most clear-headed in dire situations? Because you don't have time to be afraid; you can only charge forward."

Fang Jing laughed: "You're just not allowing yourself to be afraid. Okay, I believe you. That's all for now. Call me anytime if anything happens, don't wait until it's a fire breaking out before you contact me."

"Understood."

Fang Jing hung up the phone. Han Fei put the private jet back in his pocket and stared at the steering wheel.

Good heavens, what do you mean he never thought about losing? The way he just said those things was like a teenager, Han Fei thought to himself.

......

On Thursday morning, at 8:25 a.m., the sun finally peeked over the back of Tanglang Mountain, casting its rays. The security guard on duty at the front desk of the Feiyada Building yawned, looked up from his Shenzhen Special Zone Daily, and gazed at the first person to show their ID card to arrive at work that morning.

"The newspaper said it's going to rain soon," he said, adding that he was happy to see another person.

The man with the hooked nose glanced at him gloomily but didn't reply.

Two minutes later, four men followed in, their expressions equally grim, and they showed no intention of speaking.

At nine o'clock in the morning, seven men sat down in the conference room on the fourth floor of the Fiyta Building, the headquarters of Tencent.

"We just won the bid in Guangdong," Ma Huateng said. "Zhejiang Province has released a tender notice, and the scoring criteria are basically the same as Guangdong's. Can anyone tell me, is there any reason for Qingniao not to submit this bid?"

Xu Cheng glanced furtively at Ma Huateng and CTO Zhang Zhipeng, cleared his throat, and replied, "They have no reason not to submit. Although Zhejiang Province's bidding follows their usual preferences, they've added a 'content production capability with local cultural characteristics' to the scoring criteria, with a weight of 15%. But if Qingniao has done some research in this area beforehand, even if they have to write a few essays specifically for Zhejiang Province, they shouldn't have trouble getting points in this category."

"Great! That means Qingniao has secured official entry with China Mobile in both Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces. Tell me, what does this mean?"

"Our bargaining chips in the investment negotiations will be further diluted. With official cooperation from them, the valuation is expected to be at least 30% to 50% higher than our previous estimates."

"Hmm," another colleague from the Strategic Development Department chimed in, "Moreover, the cooperation period for this Guangdong Mobile tender is one year. Although the revenue sharing ratio hasn't been disclosed, according to Mobile's usual practice, for such formal provincial cooperation, the commission rate won't exceed 15%. If Qingniao can achieve monthly revenue of over five million in Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces respectively, its annual revenue will be in the hundreds of millions. If that really happens, based on the conservative price-to-earnings ratio of the content industry, the valuation will be at least two to three hundred million."

The people in the meeting room remained silent.

"Uh... of course," the colleague added in a low voice, "provided that Qingniao can maintain stable growth for twelve months and prove the sustainability of its content system."