87: Chapter 88, 65, 30, 5: Absolute Control! Drastic Cuts to Platform Rake, Self-Destruction to Weld the Ecosystem to Death.

Facing this ultimate multiple-choice question thrown by Shen Du that was enough to change the fate of Meituan, Wang Xing did not question the authenticity of the intelligence regarding the "Billion Yuan Subsidy Plan" war.

In a game at this level, the fact that Shen Du could slam a fifty-million-dollar cashier's check onto the coffee table without even blinking was the strongest endorsement possible.

Wang Xing's brain began to spin wildly.

As a rational and decisive entrepreneur, he calculated the numbers in his head more clearly than anyone else.

Currently, the total value of Meituan, at most, was only valued at a little over one hundred million.

If Alibaba Group and Northern Capital were truly carrying a terrifying cash flow in the billions, and were to slam it down on the local services market in the Yangtze River Delta like Mount Tai crushing down... that wouldn't be a business war; that would be a one-sided massacre!

Even if Wang Xing threw in every cent of usable funds from Meituan's public accounts, along with the last coin in his own pocket to resist, in the face of a capital tsunami at the billion-yuan level, he would at most only be able to "make a sound," without even being able to stir up a splash!

Without the backing of that massive, mysterious investor behind Shen Du, Meituan would definitely not survive this deadly crisis and would sooner or later be crushed into scraps!

Wang Xing took a deep breath, instantly shedding his heavy psychological burden.

The ruthlessness and decisiveness belonging to a founder were completely ignited in the depths of his eyes.

He slowly walked back to his desk, braced his hands on the tabletop, and spoke in a tone of burning his bridges: "Mr. Shen, to be honest, before this, in order to ensure the absolute execution of the company's strategy, I have already swept out all those short-sighted small shareholders. I have even kicked out several foreign investment institutions that attempted to point fingers during this crisis."

"Currently, Meituan's entire equity structure is very clean. I personally hold 65 percent of the shares, and the remaining 5 percent belongs to retail investors who will not budge."

Wang Xing paused, gritting his teeth.

Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying the determination of a warrior cutting off his own wrist: "Originally, I intended to hold onto this equity structure to the end and never make concessions. But the situation is different now. If Alibaba Group truly spends billions to start a subsidy-driven market clearance, even if Meituan's bones are hard, it will definitely not escape the fate of demise. I cannot watch the heart and blood that I raised with my own hands die halfway!"

"In order to let Meituan survive, I am willing to... give up another 35 percent!"

As soon as these words were uttered, it was equivalent to Wang Xing personally handing over the highest authority of the entire enterprise.

He stared fixedly at Shen Du, throwing out his final and only bottom-line principle: "After the transaction is completed, my personal shareholding will retreat to 30 percent. You, Mr. Shen, will hold 65 percent, becoming the largest shareholder with absolute decision-making power in Meituan! The 5 percent held by retail investors will remain unchanged."

"Furthermore, as a price, regardless of how fierce the billion-yuan strangulation we have to face later, and regardless of how many billions in life-saving funds your investors behind you continue to pour into Meituan, Meituan must always maintain this '65, 30, 5' equity structure, and never perform any form of dilution again!"

Facing Wang Xing's bottom line for equity delivery, which could be called a "massive hemorrhage," Shen Du did not have any condescending smugness, nor the slightest hesitation to take advantage of the situation.

He looked at the doer before him, whose eyes were red, and who was willing to give up the highest authority to save the enterprise.

A trace of sincere respect flashed in his eyes.

"Good, it's a deal! We will do exactly as you said: '65, 30, 5', never diluted!"

Shen Du agreed decisively, hammering the final nail into this bet concerning tens of billions in future market value.

Subsequently, Shen Du stood up and walked to Wang Xing's desk.

He put away the aggressive pressure from before, and his tone added a sense of frankness and helplessness that belonged between comrades-in-arms: "General Manager Wang. If I could, I wouldn't want to force a reshuffle of your cards at this critical moment either. But the current situation is such that you and I have both been thoroughly dragged into the life-and-death strangulation between the two major top-tier capital forces from the north and south. This is a war of life and death, with no way to retreat."

"The opponent's butcher knife is already at our necks, and even I have been forced to the edge of a cliff. I must give up profits to bind the massive funds of those old-money families to keep us alive."

Shen Du looked into Wang Xing's eyes, his voice low and sincere: "Therefore, please understand me regarding this forced restructuring of equity."

Hearing Shen Du's heartfelt disclosure, Wang Xing's tense body finally relaxed completely.

He looked at the fifty-million-dollar cashier's check on the table, which was enough to stir up a monstrous wave, and suddenly smiled in relief.

This was a sense of calmness that could only be experienced after having been through a desperate situation and having put life and death aside.

"Mr. Shen, you don't need to feel sorry. I, Wang Xing, am not blind; I can see clearly how loud the wind is outside and how dark the sky of this Magic City is."

Wang Xing walked around the desk to Shen Du, his eyes flashing with unreserved trust: "If it were any other capital tycoon smashing money in to demand control at this time, I would rather die with Meituan than sign this indenture. But working with you is different."

"From the very beginning, you have only provided strategic guidance and financial backing. You have never planted cronies in the company, nor have you played those tricks of an outsider instructing an insider to hollow me out. You have given absolute trust for all specific business and execution rights, handing them over to me to operate entirely."

Wang Xing extended his right hand, his eyes as firm as a general about to head to the battlefield: "I believe you can lead Meituan through this deadly crisis of the billion-yuan strangulation! From now on, this blade of Meituan—wherever you point, I, Wang Xing, will strike!"

Shen Du also extended his hand and held Wang Xing's tightly.

The two hands met heavily in mid-air with great strength.

When Shen Du returned to the headquarters of Jiyuan Technology with Xu Hao, travel-worn and weary, night had already fallen.

The entire executive office floor was still brightly lit.

As soon as Shen Du pushed open the door to the president's office, General Manager Chen Shengqiang, who was in charge of company operations and finance, greeted him with a grave expression.

"Mr. Shen."

General Manager Chen Shengqiang skipped the small talk and handed over several financial adjustment reports that had just been calculated and still carried the residual warmth of the printer.

His voice was filled with undisguised anxiety: "According to the emergency instructions you sent this afternoon, I have fully activated the targeted defense plan."

Shen Du casually took the report, walked over to the leather sofa, sat down, and motioned for General Manager Chen Shengqiang to continue.

General Manager Chen Shengqiang stood in front of the coffee table and reported the crazy operations of the past few hours in a hurried tone: "In the name of 'platform user rewards and guild subsidies,' I have directly slashed our net profit margins on various businesses, which were originally 20 percent, down to 10 percent! At the same time, the commission ratio for gift donations on the Spark Live section has also been slashed from the original 50 percent to 30 percent!"

As a trader who had the blood of a financial person flowing in his bones and was naturally inclined to avoid harm and seek profit, General Manager Chen Shengqiang watched helplessly as this real money, which should have fallen into the company's pockets, was ruthlessly squandered.

He felt his heart was bleeding.

"Mr. Shen, you must know that with the explosive growth of the Spark Live ecosystem, our backend server expansion, bandwidth costs, and technical maintenance fees were already a bottomless pit."

General Manager Chen Shengqiang pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, his expression serious, even carrying a hint of warning.

"If we continue to subsidize at this current rate of active bloodletting, within a year, the company's overall finances will completely enter a state of negative profitability!"

He took a deep breath and finally could not help but pour out all the doubts and worries in his heart: "Is this kind of 'kill a thousand enemies, lose eight hundred of your own' approach really necessary? If this meat-grinder business war really lasts for three to five years, the price we pay will be too great! If we are not careful, the entire capital chain of Jiyuan Technology will be dragged down by this endless blood loss!"

Facing General Manager Chen Shengqiang's rapid-fire questioning and deep financial anxiety, Shen Du did not show any displeasure.

He just listened quietly.

Then he tossed the financial report in his hand onto the glass coffee table in front of him, making a slight thud.

"Shengqiang, as a trader involved in finance and operations, your instinct to keep a close eye on cash flow and seek profit while avoiding harm is excellent."

Shen Du leaned back on the sofa, his gaze calm yet so deep that people dared not look directly at him: "But if your eyes are forever fixed only on the three words 'net profit,' then you can only be like a catfish foraging in a gutter, only able to catch what is right in front of you."

Shen Du leaned forward slightly, and an aura far beyond this era instantly radiated out: "Such a person can never reach the very top of an industry!"

General Manager Chen Shengqiang was stunned, shaken speechless for a long time by Shen Du's merciless reprimand.

"You must understand one thing, Shengqiang."