116: Chapter 117 The Crazy Super Money Printing Machine, a Billion Dollar Extra Return

As March began, the early spring of Magic City finally dispersed the winter chill.

After several months of ruthless subsidy cuts and strategic adjustments,

the merchant commission rates on Jiyuan Technology and Meituan's various platforms had completely returned to a healthy and normal state of profitability.

The tens-of-billions price war that had once terrified countless capitalists had finally entered its most frenzied harvest period.

Having completely lost any interference from competitors,

the entirety of Jiyuan Technology and Meituan was thriving, like oil added to fire, growing more prosperous by the day.

A flawless, closed-loop business ecosystem had completely taken shape.

Putting aside the independently operated JD.com ecosystem,

Shen Du now held a death grip on an absolute core, highly sticky user base of tens of millions.

In 2012, an era when the mobile internet was just raising its curtains,

he had forcefully dragged the platform's productivity and the public's purchasing power to a terrifying extreme ahead of its time!

Offline, Meituan's "Delivery Iron Army" experienced an unprecedented explosion.

The number of registered riders directly broke through the five-million mark!

This massive and highly efficient instant logistics network, like the capillaries of a city,

covered almost every corner of all first-tier cities across the country, completely reshaping the local lifestyle of the Chinese people.

Online, the Spark Live platform ushered in a true nationwide carnival.

The scale of various entertainment hosts and livestream sales influencers reached an exaggerated three million people!

This massive force of traffic drivers worked in close coordination with agricultural assistance programs tilted toward remote areas.

From direct sales at the origin of agricultural products to industrial goods sent to the countryside,

businesses at all levels flourished across the board, opening up a golden channel to the lower-tier market.

When this terrifying commercial money printing machine ran at full speed, the cash flow it generated was enough to suffocate any traditional industry.

After just going through the accumulation of January and February,

coupled with less than ten days of explosive growth in early March,

under the final accounting of the finance department, the total profit of the two major platforms directly shattered the 1.5 billion RMB mark with unstoppable force!

As March began,

with the complete defeat of the Beijing Circle capital,

Jiyuan Technology could no longer find a single worthy opponent in the entire domestic lower-tier market and local life sectors.

Without the endless subsidy war of burning money,

Xinghuo and Meituan, relying on the flawless, closed-loop business ecosystem that had long been laid out,

officially entered a "super-speed profitability model" that struck fear into all traditional industries.

If Meituan was a massive, steady-flowing foundation,

then the Spark Live platform was a rampaging, high-horsepower super money printing machine!

When General Manager Chen Shengqiang, the head of the finance department, knocked on the door of the CEO's office with the newly compiled financial report,

his hands holding the statements were still trembling uncontrollably.

"Mr. Shen, this is the financial settlement for the first week of March for the Xinghuo Platform."

General Manager Chen Shengqiang swallowed hard, his voice carrying an irrepressible fervor and shock:

"Just for the core business of Spark Live alone,

as of March 7th, the platform's net profit in just this short week has already reached an exaggerated 350 million!"

350 million!

And this was just one week's earnings!

If calculated on average,

as long as the servers of the Xinghuo Platform were running now,

more than fifty million in pure cash flow would flood into Jiyuan Technology's corporate account every day like a tsunami!

At this juncture in 2012, when the mobile internet was just starting out,

this rate of making money hand over fist was practically like legal robbery!

However, listening to General Manager Chen Shengqiang's report, which was so excited his voice almost cracked,

Shen Du, sitting in his spacious executive chair, did not show the slightest surprise or ecstasy.

His deep eyes remained calm, and he merely nodded unhurriedly.

"Go to finance and run a special approval process."

Shen Du's slender fingers lightly tapped the desk as he issued the fund transfer order in a steady but unquestionable tone:

"According to the existing shareholding structure of Jiyuan Technology,

withdraw the entirety of my cash dividend, which is about 350 million based on my forty-five percent total stake.

There's no need to put it into my personal account. Contact the corporate bank immediately to use the expedited channel,

and transfer this money, down to the last penny, directly into the account of Wu Tianheng, the representative of Shanghai Capital."

Less than half an hour after the order was issued, the personal phone on the desk vibrated frantically.

On the caller ID, Wu Tianheng's name was flashing prominently.

As soon as the call connected,

Wu Tianheng's voice, usually steady but now carrying an irrepressible excitement, came through the receiver:

"Nephew Shen! I really didn't expect this!"

"By all accounts, it has only been two months since our business war with the Beijing Circle ended.

How could the platform dividend you transferred over already reach such an exaggerated amount?"

Wu Tianheng looked at the massive sum of hundreds of millions in cash that had just arrived in his account,

his tone filled with disbelief:

"According to Jiyuan Technology's current terrifying 'money printing' speed,

to back you up before,

the hole of nearly seven hundred million dollars, including principal and interest, that us old guys lost

can probably be completely filled in less than two years!"

Speaking to this point, this Shanghai tycoon, who had floated in the business sea for decades, spoke in a solemn and righteous tone:

"Nephew Shen, rest assured.

Your Uncle Wu is definitely not a greedy person. The nominee holding we agreed on back then is just nominee holding.

As soon as this money, principal and interest, is paid off,

I will immediately return the shares of Xinghuo and Meituan to you intact, without taking a single penny's advantage of you!"

Hearing Wu Tianheng's heartfelt words, a composed smile curled up at the corner of Shen Du's mouth.

He, Shen Du, had always acted ruthlessly and mercilessly.

But when dealing with true allies, he possessed a vision and spirit that ordinary people could never match.

He knew all too well.

If it hadn't been for Wu Tianheng and the other Shanghai tycoons

handing over that one billion dollars in life-saving ammunition at the most critical juncture, risking financial ruin,

Jiyuan Technology would never have survived to see today's nationwide, roaring success.

If others showed him a foot of respect, he would return them ten feet!

"Uncle Wu, since you are being so honest, I will also lay my cards on the table."

Shen Du picked up the coffee on the desk, took a sip, and spoke calmly.

Yet, he threw out a promise of excess returns that was enough to drive the entire capital circle crazy:

"The money you all lent me back then—

not only will I pay it back, but I will absolutely not let everyone have worried and worked in vain for nothing!"

Shen Du's eyes narrowed slightly, and he spoke forcefully, word by word:

"Uncle Wu,

no matter how we calculate the interest on the portion of funds you represent,

our accounts won't be fully settled until I have given you a whopping one billion dollars in cash flow!"

Without waiting for Wu Tianheng on the other end of the line to recover from this staggering figure, Shen Du immediately dropped a second bombshell:

"As for the other allies and their debt of over four hundred million dollars,

although it was just a promissory note back then,

I, Shen Du, guarantee you here today

that within three years, exactly six hundred million dollars in cash will be deposited into their accounts without a penny missing!"

"Since you elders chose to absolutely trust me, Shen Du, at a moment of life and death,

then I will absolutely never let any ally who stood by my side suffer a loss!"