Zhu Xiaohu is a newly introduced shareholder in Shihuituan’s Series B financing.

His Jinshajiang Venture Capital currently holds a 4% stake.

Speaking of which, it was Zhu Xiaohu who was introduced to him by Zhang Lei of Hillhouse Capital.

During the B round of financing, Yang Xiao did not meet Zhu Xiaohu in person, but directly sent a special representative to complete the matter.

This was also their first meeting.

A business teahouse in Shenzhen.

Yang Xiao and Zhu Xiaohu sat face to face. After the tea artist made a cup of tea, he was sent away by the latter.

Yang Xiao said: "Mr. Zhu, nice to meet you. Today is the first time we meet."

"Haha, Mr. Yang, I'm not unfamiliar with you. I've seen you in the media countless times. It's better to meet you in person than to hear about you. I didn't expect that you look younger in person than on TV."

Zhu Xiaohu smiled and said, "It's a pity that I didn't attend the Economic Person of the Year ceremony last time. Otherwise, I would have been there to see you and Mr. Ma's sky-high gambling game."

"Haha, Mr. Zhu, you're too polite. As one of China's top venture capitalists, your demeanor is no less impressive."

Yang Xiao also praised him a few words.

People in China like to make ranking lists.

In addition to the rich list, venture capitalists like them also made a list.

Zhu Xiaohu is at the top of the list, second only to famous venture capital leaders such as Neil Shen and Zhang Lei, so what Yang Xiao said is not an exaggeration.

Zhu Xiaohu also knew that Yang Xiao's words were just polite remarks, but he felt comfortable hearing them, so the two of them chatted about the recent developments of the [Food Benefit Group].

After a while, he got straight to the point and asked, "Boss Yang specially invited me here today. It shouldn't be to discuss the bright future of the [Food Benefit Group] with me, right?"

"Haha, Mr. Zhu, now [Shihuituan] has almost reached a bottleneck in its development. In my opinion, there is no competitor except [Meituan] in the market. We are just missing a key to break the situation."

Yang Xiao smiled and kept the question calmly.

This expression actually aroused Zhu Xiaohu's interest. He immediately sat up straight and asked:
"The key? What's the key?"

Hearing this, Yang Xiao glanced at him, but did not answer immediately. Instead, he drank the cup of Pu'er tea in front of him, closed his eyes and savored the sweet and bitter tea taste in his mouth, and then said firmly:
"The key to breaking the bottleneck is to ask Mr. Zhu to help connect with Wu Bo, the founder of Lashou.com. This time, Shihuituan intends to acquire Lashou.com, the "first group buying stock" that almost went public!"

"Merge [Lashou.com]? Mr. Yang, are you serious?"

Zhu Xiaohu was shocked when he heard this. He never expected that Yang Xiao had such a big appetite.

Compared with the old group buying companies such as Meituan, Lashou.com and WoWotuan, [Shihuituan] was founded much younger.

Yang Xiao actually wanted to take over one of them in such a short period of time. The most terrifying thing is that he seems to really have the ability to do so now!

"Of course I am serious, and I also know that Mr. Zhu's Jinshajiang Venture Capital is one of the major shareholders of Lashou.com!"

Yang Xiao nodded. He met with Zhu Xiaohu this time not because he had nothing to do, but because he wanted to communicate with the shareholders.

It's because he was attracted by Zhu Xiaohu's other identity.

It can be said that the company [Lashou.com] is the original employer of the current [Shihuituan] CEO Lu Guangyu!
It is worth mentioning that [Lashou.com] bears a deep personal imprint of Zhu Xiaohu!

In other words, he has a very high say here!

From the three rounds of financing, A, B and C, Zhu Xiaohu was the lead investor and followed the lead investor!

It can be said that he is the person who is most optimistic about this company besides the founder Wu Bo.

But now Lashou.com is in a very embarrassing situation.

Wang Xing's [Meituan] and Yang Xiao's [Shihuituan] have all surpassed him.

The company, which was once number one in the industry, has fallen to number three.

And there is a trend of declining and getting worse day by day.

Yang Xiao was even more aware of the tragic ending of Lashou.com.

Now, Yang Xiao asked Zhu Xiaohu to be a middleman to discuss the merger and acquisition of Lashou.com.

As long as this merger and acquisition can be negotiated, he can completely crush [Meituan]!
Take the first place in the market!
In the business world, it is always like this in the later stages. Once an agreement is reached, the two parties will merge with each other to strengthen themselves.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiaohu pondered for a long time, looked at Yang Xiao, and said slowly:
"I'll go talk to Wu Bo and give you a reply."

"No problem. I'm just expressing my strategic ideas to you. Whether it succeeds or not, it doesn't matter."

"You misunderstood what I meant. Since you have this idea, I will help you convey the message."

Zhu Xiaohu shook his head at this time: "It's just that you don't know that Wu Bo is a very stubborn person, as you said on the show before. Considering the current prospects of Lashou.com, he probably won't agree before the final step."

When Yang Xiao heard this, he could tell that Zhu Xiaohu had an unusual tone towards Wu Bo. The word "stubborn" sounded a bit resentful when he said it:
"Stubborn? This shows that Mr. Wu is a very determined boss."

"Perseverance? What's the point of having perseverance alone to start a business? There are so many entrepreneurs in the world, don't they have perseverance? Wu Bo can't do it, he only has perseverance but no brains, otherwise he wouldn't have ended up like this."

"Boss Zhu, I know your relationship with Lashou.com and that you are also a major shareholder of Lashou.com. But in the current situation, as far as I know, Lashou.com is about to become a purchasing base for Meituan.com, and they have poached many people from your company!"

Zhu Xiaohu looked at Yang Xiao with amusement and said with a smile: "Haha, why did I hear that [Shihuituan] is also poaching people from [Lashou.com]?"

When Yang Xiao heard that his family was involved, he smiled awkwardly:
"Uh, is there? I don't know about that. Mr. Lu Guangyu is in charge of this aspect now. I'll ask him later."

"No need to ask, this is a normal business practice. As the saying goes, you're going to die when you're sick. Mr. Yang, this is what the Food Benefit Group should do."

Zhu Xiaohu didn't care, shook his head, and asked, "Boss Yang, do you know why I agreed to participate in the B round of financing of [Food Benefit Group] this time?"

"Appreciate further details."

"Because you actually knew to call Lv Guangyu to be your professional manager. This is what I admire most about you!"

"Haha, thank you for the compliment, Mr. Zhu. I just know that professional matters should be left to professionals. I don't have that much energy."

"What a pity! It would be great if Wu Bo had your awareness."

Zhu Xiaohu suddenly sighed and continued, "The current CEO of Lashou.com is no longer Wu Bo. A professional manager has been appointed to take the helm. But he is the founder and holds too many shares. I really need to discuss the merger and acquisition with him. I can't make the decision alone."

As for the first half of the sentence, Yang Xiao had already seen this news on the news.

The CEO replacement happened in August last year. When Wu Bo resigned, he also fired more than 8 regional managers of Lashou.com for suspected corruption. He followed Alibaba's example and registered merchants to cash out.
This incident caused a lot of uproar at the time and the whole Internet knew about it.

Wu Bo is an internet celebrity who is as famous as Wang Xing of Meituan. He went through fraud in the IPO and then this kind of mess.

How could this downward trend not be widely reported by the media?

As for the second half of Zhu Xiaohu's sentence "need to discuss it", Yang Xiao had a question mark in his mind.

Because he knew that with Zhu Xiaohu's say in Lashou.com, if a merger and acquisition really happened, it would not even be decided by the founder Wu Bo.

But he, Zhu Xiaohu, has to make the final decision!
But Yang Xiao didn't say much, just enough to say a few words.

For this kind of thing, he could have gone to Wu Bo from Lashou.com. The reason he didn't go to Wu Bo was that Zhu Xiaohu had more say than Wu Bo!

Otherwise, can Wu Bo's position as CEO be replaced?
Yang Xiao did not comment on the founder at this time, but only talked about his views on the situation:
"Mr. Zhu, let me put it bluntly. Lashou.com is beyond saving. Its reputation and credibility have been ruined, and its market share is decreasing day by day.

Now everyone is burning money. [Lashou.com] Now, apart from Mr. Zhu, your Jinshajiang Venture Capital is endorsing him, how many other investors are willing to look forward to him?"

"Alas, Wu Bo is such an idiot! If he had a broader mind like you, Mr. Yang, and knew how to bring in professional talents, there wouldn't be any Meituan and Shihuituan now!"

"."

"You know what? I recommended Gan Jiawei to him, but he didn't want to give up his position. As a result, Gan Jiawei went to Meituan, and now Meituan is number one."

"I also introduced Shen Haoyu to him, but he was unwilling to give up his position. As a result, Shen Haoyu went to JD.com. Both of them helped their companies to prosper, but Lashou.com ended up like this." "I'll call him later and tell him to learn from young people like you, Xiao Yang! No wonder it was overtaken by Food Benefit Group. There's a reason for it!"

"."

Hearing Zhu Xiaohu mumbling in front of him again and madly complaining about Wu Bo, Yang Xiao was simply unable to respond.

As far as Yang Xiao knows, this Wu Bo will be caught by Zhu Xiaohu and scolded to his heart's content in the next few years!
I have to be pulled out to do some grass every year!

Later, he even publicly dissed her on WeChat Moments, which made the media unable to bear it.

I wrote a paragraph specifically to criticize Zhu Xiaohu for not being broad-minded enough as an investor, and satirized him as a narrow-minded investor.

——"When the company is thriving, investors use it as a success story to show off to the outside world. When the company is declining, investors play the role of a prophet and put all the blame on the founder."

However, now, when Yang Xiao heard Zhu Xiaohu's complaints, he put himself in his shoes and understood him a little.

Damn, for three consecutive rounds, Zhu Xiaohu has invested more than 1 billion yuan.

It was originally a business with a return of hundreds of times, but it has ended up in a situation where it is about to lose money. Who wouldn't be angry?

The key point is that what Zhu Xiaohu said is indeed to help the founder's business.

It’s just that it’s impossible to please a strong founder like Wu Bo.

Yang Xiao declined to comment.

But now that things have come to this, Yang Xiao doesn't mind rubbing some salt into his wounds.

"Boss Zhu, you said earlier that you were willing to invest in my [Food Benefit Group] because I have good vision and know how to bring in professional managers.

But I also want to say that in fact, the Series B financing of [Food Benefit Group] has no shortage of venture capital. Do you know why I came to you through Mr. Zhang?"

"You say." Zhu Xiaohu asked curiously.

"Because I know that Lashou.com is no longer viable. It is like a seriously injured lion. It may have once been a king, but now it is dying and can only wait for other animals to devour it.

Mr. Zhu, you are willing to invest in my [Food Benefit Group], so I guess you want to take this opportunity to bet on both sides, right?"

"It's not like it will die soon."

"Not yet? Why did I hear that Mr. Wu Bo is going to start a business again?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

Zhu Xiaohu's face was filled with shock at this moment, and he looked as if his home had been robbed.

Yang Xiao didn't know whether it was possible or not, so he smiled and said, "I heard about it from other places. Mr. Zhu, please take care of this matter. If we can talk about it, we can find relevant personnel to do the valuation. I am very sincere about this transaction."

"Don't worry, Mr. Yang, I will give you an answer."

Zhu Xiaohu nodded again and promised to seriously consider the matter. Then he remembered what Yang Xiao had just said. The news that the founder of Lashou.com had started another business had leaked out. Wouldn't this be a serious blow to other investors in the market?
After all, if the founders are not loyal and don’t trust their own company, what future can they have?

Zhu Xiaohu became angrier the more he thought about it, and immediately scolded Wu Bo in front of Yang Xiao.

At the end of the tea party, Zhu Xiaohu was almost the only one complaining. This made Yang Xiao feel that there was no clear solution to the matter.

As the saying goes, the deeper the love, the more severe the criticism.

Zhu Xiaohu, the largest investor and major shareholder, seems to be the most unwilling one.

Is he willing to sell this child of Lashou.com?

Sure enough, Yang Xiao didn’t wait for three full days.

Zhu Xiaohu replied that “Wu Bo and other investors have no intention of merger and acquisition.”

Yang Xiao also understood Zhu Xiaohu's difficulties.

I have invested so much money in raising a child, how can I bear to give him away?

I can’t even bear to sell it at a low price!

Zhu Xiaohu still holds out a glimmer of hope!
However, Yang Xiao was relieved when he heard this answer.

It doesn't matter if it is rejected. If a merger and acquisition really takes place, although it can quickly increase a part of the market share and increase the valuation of [Food Benefit Group], it also means paying out some cash.

Now is the time to burn money, unless you start the C round of financing immediately.

Now that Zhu Xiaohu and Wu Bo do not accept the merger, let [Lashou.com] fend for itself.

Before the Chinese New Year, [Food Benefit Group] officially launched a lifestyle service section in addition to physical group purchasing.

Prepare to accelerate market capture in this regard.

Most of the funds from the second round of financing have been invested here.

If we really want to raise a round of C financing, we will continue to focus on this.

In addition, Yang Xiao made a new decision.

【Food Benefit Group】 was officially split and renamed.

[Shihuituan] focuses on takeaway delivery business, while the renamed [Shihuituan] focuses on the group buying field, and they will operate independently.

This news did not cause much stir.

This was a decision made at a board meeting, and the shareholders certainly had no objection.

Because of this, it is good news for the valuations of both companies!
The group-buying business was previously driven by the food delivery business. Now that it has grown strong, it should have been separated into an independent business.

In the eyes of venture capital shareholder institutions, focusing on one thing is also beneficial to the development of the company!
It was April now.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that leading companies like Lashou, Wowotuan and Gaopeng have already declined or are gradually declining.

But there is still capital that is optimistic about this "trillion-dollar" group buying market.

Then, they rushed in desperately.

Suning invested in a company called Manzuo.com.

Baidu acquired Nuomi.com in full.

Tencent is in talks with Dianping.com.

If nothing unexpected happens, Xiao Ma will also have to spend a lot of money to enter the market.

The current market is led by Meituan and Yang Xiao's Shihuituan, but the influx of so much capital has also made Wang Xing and Yang Xiao sweat.

But in comparison, there are people who are more worried than them.

That’s Alibaba’s Lao Ma!

It looks like capital is entering the market, but in fact, Ma knows that the tricks played by Tencent and Dianping are more like targeting him!

Of course, anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is actually a war between Alibaba and Tencent!

Yang Xiao was not taken seriously by these people!
After all, in Alibaba's eyes, Yang Xiao owns their shares and is one of them.

In Tencent’s eyes, well, they are Alibaba’s people, very clear and unambiguous!
But who made Yang Xiao the second in command?

The focus is still on [Meituan]!
This is Ali’s biggest minion at the moment!
(End of this chapter)