The domestic catering market is indeed large enough; otherwise, why would Mr. Ma bother with pre-made dishes?
In later years, Yum China and Haidilao were large listed enterprises with market capitalizations of hundreds of billions, in addition to Luckin Coffee and Juewei.
Among them, Luckin Coffee's stock price plummeted by 80% that year due to fraud, and everyone thought it was doomed.
However, it not only survived but thrived, all thanks to the enormous domestic market.
In terms of beverages, Mixue Bingcheng and Heytea are also powerhouses with valuations exceeding fifty billion.
This shows how incredibly good the catering business is in China.
Currently, Miao Tea and Tai Er Sauerkraut Fish need to complete their Dongjiang expansion before Renren Group Buy goes public, and the required capital is considerable.
But Chen Pingjiang really didn't want to raise funds; at most, the pace of expansion would just slow down a bit.
With powerful group buying and food delivery channels, building his own catering brands would be a breeze.
Why should he share shares with others? Be generous to a fault?
On the way back, Yan Yan seemed preoccupied, remaining silent and staring blankly at the windshield.
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?"
Chen Pingjiang asked.
At this moment, Yan Yan turned her head and suddenly asked,
"After next semester, I can go out for an internship. I want to work at your company."
Chen Pingjiang was taken aback by Yan Yan's "request," thinking,
'This girl isn't getting any ideas, is she?'
He quickly said,
"Don't overthink it. GM Ge is a whole generation older than me. Besides, a rabbit doesn't eat the grass around its own burrow."
"That's not what I meant,"
Yan Yan shook her head.
"I just feel like I'm useless and can't help you at all. I want to become a woman like Ge Jie."
Seeing her say that, Chen Pingjiang finally breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, he wanted to laugh, thinking,
'I can't believe Yan Yan would ever feel inferior?'
"Alright, when the time comes, you can be my secretary, and I'll give you thorough guidance,"
Chen Pingjiang said with a smirk.
......
Throughout October, all of Chen Pingjiang's various businesses were operating at full speed.
The framework of the online gaming company has been initially established, and currently, it's working on channel integration, employee training, and preliminary promotional preparations.
Over at Renren Group Buy, Gao Songbin has already led the Renren Iron Army to begin offline promotion and C-end marketing preparations.
Renren Farm was also undergoing its final stress tests.
Chen Pingjiang additionally requested a line-by-line review of the software code to cope with the potential surge in traffic.
Data center and bidding processes were also proceeding as scheduled, including bids for both construction and equipment suppliers.
Before Renren Farm went online, Chen Pingjiang used nearly two-thirds of the company's account funds entirely to purchase servers.
The traffic for Stealing Vegetables would be much higher than for Snatch the Parking Space, so to prevent server lag and crashes, these preparations were essential.
"Renren Farm is different from Snatch the Parking Space; there are no comparable advertising partners. This time, we need to introduce the concept of paid items,"
Chen Pingjiang said slowly after looking around the room.
"First, players who activate Renren Member can slightly increase their harvest speed. Second, we'll add paid items to the game: fertilizer, dog food, special seeds. These items not only yield high output but also prevent stealing. Finally, there are some background decorations."
Normal play would definitely be free, but if you want to play better than others, you'd have to spend money on more items.
Even if only one-fifth of the players pay, it would be enough to bring substantial monthly revenue to Renren Network, especially since the game was said to have tens of millions of players at the time.
On the other hand, Renren Farm would also bring a large number of users to Renren Network.
Fans mean money; a surge in traffic would inevitably bring greater influence and advertising value, boosting the overall valuation.
.........
Time entered November.
Xiaonei Network made its move early, launching a new social game called "Super City."
This was like flipping a switch; Kaixin Network followed up with "Cat and Mouse Battle," and QQ Zone launched "Super Tycoon."
For a time, the domestic social gaming market presented a scene of flourishing diversity.
To some extent, these three new social games did cause some trouble for Renren Network; at the very least, the upward trend of its growth curve was disrupted.
Among them, QQ Zone's "Super Tycoon" stood out head and shoulders above the other three social games, attracting considerable traffic and attention.
Chen Pingjiang also secretly tried it out in his office.
He could only say they were all quite mediocre.
"If that's all there is to it, you're probably going to lose this round."
The outside world continuously speculated about when Renren Network's next social game would be released, and some media even sought out Chen Pingjiang for interviews.
Chen Pingjiang said,
"Soon, just wait. Everything is in preparation, there are no bottlenecks."
Chen Pingjiang's words seemed to ignite the market's emotions.
Everyone with discerning eyes knew that the era of social games had arrived, and as Renren Snatch the Parking Space entered its decline, Renren Network would surely make its next move.
Among these people, Chen Yizhou and Cheng Binghao were the most anxious.
From a certain perspective, the new games they launched were not successful!
Amidst widespread anticipation, in mid-November, Renren Network officially launched its ultimate weapon – Renren Farm, commonly known as "Stealing Vegetables."
"The game is set on a farm, where players act as farm managers, completing the entire process from buying seeds to cultivating, watering, fertilizing, weeding, harvesting crops, and finally selling them to the market."
"The game playfully simulates the growth process of crops, allowing players to experience the joy of "crop cultivation" while managing their farms."
"Renren Farm is located on a vast, boundless plain, surrounded by forests. Players own their own farmhouses, planting plots, transport vehicles, and shops. The land types on the map include ordinary yellow soil, black soil, red soil, and golden soil. As players' levels and money increase, they can cultivate more advanced and profitable land."
"Renren Farm is a management simulation game. Players can buy seeds from the shop and plant them in already cultivated land, where crops will grow automatically. Weeding, watering, and pest control must be done promptly, otherwise, declining crop health will affect crop yield.
(Players can also help friends weed, water, and pest control, gaining experience and gold coin rewards, though watering does not give gold coin rewards.)
Once crops are mature, harvest them promptly into the warehouse to prevent them from being picked. After harvesting fruits, selling them from the warehouse will earn gold coins."
"In the game, players can go to their friends' farms to pick their ripe fruits and vegetables. If you want to protect your own vegetables, you can raise a guard dog.
There is a dog bowl in the middle of the dog's area; clicking it allows you to buy dog food for the dog. To become a master thief, the prerequisite is that everyone needs to add a certain number of farm friends. This provides more opportunities for stealing."
"Common land seeds: white radish, carrot, Chinese cabbage, rice…"
"Red soil seeds: Nepenthes, Manjusaka, Ginseng Fruit…"
Shang Junkai, a veteran player of Snatch the Parking Space and a frequent lurker on Renren Network, became interested in Renren Farm after reading its gameplay instructions.
"The gameplay is quite similar to Snatch the Parking Space, just a repetitive cycle of buying seeds – planting vegetables – harvesting vegetables – selling vegetables – buying land."
"But it's more fun than Snatch the Parking Space. Snatch the Parking Space only allows you to ticket friends, while Stealing Vegetables lets you help friends water, spray for pests, weed, and even steal vegetables."
As Shang Junkai said, Renren Farm was indeed more fun than Snatch the Parking Space.
If one had to say why, it was probably because it was more realistic and closer to real life.
The word "farm"—a term close to the hearts of billions of people—allowed most farmers, or the "improved" version of farmers living in cities, to re-experience the feeling of cultivation and harvest.
Undoubtedly, the close connection between farms and land made most Chinese people nostalgic for those difficult times! So much so that even today, with abundant material conditions, most people still miss the countryside and the days of the educated youth.
Just this point alone caused the 'Stealing Vegetables' craze to sweep towards the younger-at-heart demographic aged 40 and above.
In short, Renren Farm became a huge hit as soon as it launched!
This was followed by various promotional campaigns that Renren Network had prepared in advance.
Online, magazines, newspapers, bus wraps, and more.
All efforts in one decisive blow!
Chen Pingjiang poured huge sums into publicity and promotion, and for the first time, mobilized the Renren Iron Army to conduct offline promotions in all internet cafes across the province.
Chen Yizhou, Cheng Binghao, and others immediately started trying out Renren Farm as soon as it launched.
However, after playing for just ten minutes, their expressions changed drastically, and they quickly called a meeting.
At the meeting, one directive was issued: Copy it!
Copy it quickly!
As industry insiders, they all possessed sharp discernment.
The underlying concept of Renren Farm was significantly superior to other social games.
It realized people's dream of being a "landlord."
By nature, humans still prefer to be close to nature.
On a farm, you can plant your favorite crops according to your own ideas, from sowing, pest control, fertilizing, and watering all the way to harvesting, enjoying your pastoral dream: fresh air, green crops, tranquil fields, blooming flowers—isn't this what people pursue?
In cities, there are more and more noisy people, increasingly severe air pollution, intensifying competition between people, ever-widening wealth gaps, and unequal treatment.
People need to find a spiritual home on the farm.
Here, as long as you work diligently, you will have a gratifying harvest.
Land is deeply ingrained in the DNA of Chinese people!
How could they possibly compete?
Copy it, or it'll be too late.
After assigning the task, Chen Yizhou felt even more agitated.
He truly didn't understand what magic Chen Pingjiang possessed, or why every game he developed became an instant hit!
Xiaonei Network was already thoroughly suppressed by Renren Network, barely able to keep up and not fall behind.
Now, it feared its market share would be significantly eaten away again.
Cheng Binghao had the same thoughts!
(End of chapter)