Rebirth 2010: I taught Mr. Lei how to make a mobile phone

Chapter 844 Microloans vs. Alipay: Litigation and Counter-Litigation

"Marketing Department!"

"To!"

"The new advertisements for 'Weidai' are being launched comprehensively, without any blind spots, and at any cost!"

"Yes!"

"Publicity Department!"

"To!"

"After the new advertisement is launched, we will coordinate with the public opinion on Mr. Chen Tong's side and work with the media we have previously contacted to boost its momentum."

"Yes!"

"Business Cooperation Department!"

"To!"

Finally, unite all forces that can be united.

Notify the other companies to act according to the previously agreed plan—as long as they follow the reasonable, compliant, legal, and ethical trends, everyone can share the profits from Huabei!

"Yes!"

After the meeting ended, Zhang Xiaolong packed up his documents and headed to the next battleground—a meeting on the topic of private deployment of WeChat for Enterprise.

It is widely believed that, apart from Chen Mo, the other executives of Beyond Group are far less famous than the star executives of other major companies.

But how could they know that the other side always emphasized the working philosophy of "great skill lies in simplicity, and a heavy sword has no edge"?

The value of working alongside Chen Mo for five years is something that outsiders can only truly appreciate, aside from these core executives.

As Zhang Xiaolong issued his instructions, the relevant departments of the WeChat Business Group of the Beyond Group immediately took action, and a new storm in online finance quietly began.

Advertisement 1:

Outside the delivery room late at night, the young father paced anxiously.

My wife went into premature labor and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The hospital just notified me that I need to pay a deposit for hospitalization and surgery.

Looking at the amount on the bill, he hesitated, but decisively opened "WeChat Loan" to complete the payment.

screen text:

"Don't let a sudden sum of money cause you lifelong regret in an emergency!"

"Microloans can be used for unexpected expenses, but please use them within your means and repay on time."

Advertisement 2:

In a rented room in a big city, a daughter receives a call from her hometown. Her mother is sick and urgently needs to buy certain medicines, but her salary won't be paid until the end of the month.

"Mom, the medicine will be here soon, don't worry about the money." She quickly placed an order for the medicine and paid for it using a microloan.

The scene changes, and the mother smiles with relief after receiving the medicine.

screen text:

Some things can't wait.

"Microloans can be used for emergency cash flow, but it is recommended to plan ahead for long-term medical expenses."

Advertisement 3:

The college graduate repeatedly encountered setbacks at job fairs, knowing that his parents had exhausted their savings to support his education.

He gritted his teeth and used a microloan to enroll in a three-month skills training course.

In the next scene, he confidently attends an interview and ultimately succeeds in getting a job at a major company.

The first thing he did after receiving his first paycheck was to repay his microloan.

screen text:

"A temporary investment for a long-term future."

"Use installment payments rationally and avoid overspending."

Advertisement 4:

The delicatessen in the suburbs of Beijing was forced to close due to the heavy rain, and the owner was worried about the empty shop.

He used microloans to purchase new goods, and on the day he reopened, his old customers returned with delight, and business gradually recovered.

After closing the shop late at night, he looked at the accounts and planned to gradually reduce his debts.

screen text:

"Use resources during difficult times, and plan ahead when things improve!"

"Small businesses can turn around in the short term, but long-term development requires a steady and solid approach."

Although the content of these advertisements is different, a line of eye-catching letters will appear at the end of each advertisement after the screen disappears.

Microloans: Provide emergency relief, not long-term support!

This series of microloan advertisements also happens to consist of four ads.

Each advertisement concludes with emphasis on "repaying on time" and "spending within your means," evoking emotional resonance through realistic scenarios. This highlights the instrumental value of "micro-loans" in urgent needs while also conveying rational consumption concepts and discouraging excessive debt. After its major launch, the new advertisements, with their starkly contrasting message to Alipay's Huabei, swept across the internet like wildfire, riding the wave of public opinion.

At the same time, Beyond launched the "Micro-Loan Emergency Stories" campaign on Weibo, Zhihu, and the "Micro-Loan" forum, encouraging users to share real-life cases and further strengthening the brand's sense of responsibility.

Numerous financial and technology media outlets also joined the effort:
How to distinguish between "emergency relief" and "poverty alleviation"

"A Moment of Convenience with Alipay, a Death Pillar of Repayment? — The Consumption Dilemma of Contemporary Young People"

Is "Refined Poverty" a Freedom or a Trap? Unveiling the Debt Crisis Behind "Affordable Luxury Consumption"

Is "Enjoy Now, Pay Later" Really a Good Deal? Calculating the True Costs Behind "Installment Plans"

"Credit loans, when used well, are a tool; when used poorly, they are a shackle—how to manage debt scientifically?"

These reports not only raised public awareness of credit risks, but also positioned microloans as "short-term working capital tools" rather than "long-term consumption dependencies" through real and heartwarming emergency scenarios. This maintained the brand's practicality and aligned with the rational credit concept advocated by regulators.

More importantly, platforms such as JD.com's JD Pay Later, Baidu Wallet, and Tencent's Tenpay have also taken action, promoting concepts that are similar to WeChat's "micro-loans," forming a siege against Alipay's Huabei.

It's worth noting that Alipay previously held a dominant position in China's micro and small enterprise lending market.

Alibaba did try to respond during this period, but the situation changed drastically in just a few days, putting it at a significant disadvantage in public opinion. Even though Huabei adjusted its promotional message in time, the negative impression left in the minds of users was difficult to reverse.

A sarcastic comment from a Zhihu user went viral: "You were the one who tricked me into lending you money yesterday, and today you're the one lecturing me on being rational? How old are you?"

On June 25, just as the Summer Davos Forum was about to be held in Dalian, entrepreneurs from various industries at home and abroad began to gather there.

Perhaps realizing that the data on Huabei was declining across multiple dimensions without any improvement, Peng Lei, like a gambler who had lost half his chips at the gambling table, finally resorted to her last resort: taking legal action!

A Solemn Statement Regarding Alibaba Group's Legal Proceedings Against Bi'an Company for Alleged Unfair Competition

"Recently, Alibaba Group and its subsidiary Ant Financial have filed a lawsuit in court, accusing Beyond Group of engaging in unfair competition in the fields of electronic payment and financial technology, seriously disrupting market order, and harming consumers and the healthy development of the industry."

This includes malicious defamation of business reputation: The other side systematically spreads false information about products such as "Alipay" and "Huabei" through social media, public relations articles and other channels, deliberately misinterprets product functions and terms of service, misleads public perception, and damages the business reputation of Alibaba and Ant Financial.

Inducing users to migrate their data: By using technology and media, the company guided users to close their Alipay accounts and induced them to link their WeChat Pay accounts, which is suspected of violating the Anti-Unfair Competition Law and the Cybersecurity Law.

Abuse of market dominance: By leveraging its monopolistic advantage on the social platform, Beyond forcibly blocked Alipay-related marketing content.

Alibaba Group has always upheld the business philosophy of openness and win-win cooperation, but will never tolerate any company undermining market fairness through illegal means.

We call on the industry to jointly maintain a healthy competitive environment and have applied to the court for a ruling:
Immediately cease all unfair competition practices;
Publicly clarify and eliminate any negative impact;
Compensation for the resulting economic losses.

Alibaba believes the law will deliver a fair verdict and will continue to serve users and society through technological innovation.

Alibaba Group Legal Department

April 24, 2017

This is what Chen Mo saw before boarding the plane. He just pursed his lips and thought, "Who are you trying to scare by filing a lawsuit locally? But in Beijing, he can be called a warrior."

He trusted Zhang Xiaolong and Chen Tong to handle the situation properly, and then found the speech draft prepared by Tianji Pavilion to continue familiarizing himself with the content—he never had the habit of going on stage to look at a teleprompter or a speech draft.

Three hours later, the plane landed at Dalian Airport.

As soon as Chen Mo landed, he received feedback from his assistant: "General Manager Zhang Xiaolong has submitted a work order for a statement issued in the name of the group, which requires your approval."

Since leaving behind three sentences at the last meeting, Chen Mo has completely relinquished control. Even though the market was calm for the following week, he did not interfere and gave the team full trust.

This well-organized collaboration involving multiple departments and companies was exactly what he wanted.

The team was able to respond in just a few hours, which clearly shows they were well-prepared.

"Bring it to me and see."

The assistant handed over a tablet, which contained "The Legal Counterclaim and Public Response of Beyond Group Regarding Alibaba's Malicious Lawsuit and the Issue of Huabei's Unhealthy Values":
"These accusations are purely malicious fabrications and commercial defamation."

Beyond Group firmly denies all false accusations and has filed a countersuit in court, demanding that the other party cease making false accusations, eliminate the negative impact, and compensate for the damage to its reputation.

First, these lawsuits are purely malicious suppression, and the other side will resolutely fight back.

These accusations are completely baseless and constitute an abuse of judicial procedures to maliciously suppress competitors!
Second, the values ​​of Huabei products are seriously flawed and urgently need to be examined by society.
1. Promoting excessive consumption exacerbates the social debt crisis.
2. Using emotional blackmail for marketing
3. Downplaying financial risks, potentially misleading consumers.

III. The other side's position
They requested the court to dismiss all lawsuits and hold the perpetrators accountable for false accusations.
It is recommended that regulatory authorities conduct a special investigation into the value guidance and risk warnings provided by Huabei.

Beyond Group firmly believes that technology should be used for good and finance should be inclusive.

We are willing to work with the whole society to safeguard the bottom line of rational consumption and refuse to let greed disguise itself as progress.

'

After reading the statement, Chen Mo added a note in the remarks column: "Add a sentence to the statement demanding that Lao Ma publicly apologize for defaming the other side!", and then clicked to approve.

An hour later, when Chen Mo and his entourage arrived at a hotel near the Davos venue, this counterattack statement had already been announced to the world.

The Summer Davos Forum 2017 (the 6th Annual Meeting of the New Champions of the World Economic Forum) opened on June 27 at the Dalian International Conference Center, with the theme "Achieving Inclusive Growth in the Fourth Industrial Revolution" and lasted for three days.

During the group photo session with Chinese entrepreneurs after the first day of the event, whether it was intentional on the part of the organizing committee or a coincidence, Chen Mo stood next to Jack Ma.

After the group photo was taken, the media captured images of the two smiling and shaking hands.

During this period, the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, both in the market and in court.

The photo of the two leaders shaking hands with smiles on their faces actually has a somewhat meaningful connotation.

Following media reports, this photo instantly sparked countless speculations, interpretations, and heated discussions among netizens...

(End of this chapter)