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

Chapter 958 Grave-Digging Whip S
Two hours later, Lin Tianming stood amidst the bustling crowd at the sales office, feeling as if he were in an absurd dream.

“I bought it for 1860 million, and it rose to 2500 million a couple of days ago. Now you’re telling me I can only get a refund for 1400 million?” His voice trembled slightly with excitement.

The sales manager helplessly shrugged, gesturing to the bustling crowd around him:

"Mr. Lin, that's how the market is. The moment the news broke that Ant Group's IPO was halted, the price that rose so quickly before plummeted, and now it's falling just as sharply. Today it's still at this price; if you come back tomorrow, you probably won't even be able to hold onto this figure."

After saying that, the manager turned around and put on a warm face, saying to another customer, "Sir, are you here to see a house? Now is a great time to buy at rock-bottom prices!"

Hearing those familiar sales pitches, Lin Tianming felt as if his heart was being torn apart. There had been a time when he too had been drawn in by such rhetoric, thinking he was "buying at the bottom," only to find himself buying halfway up the mountain.

He now faces two choices.

He faced two choices: cut his losses and leave the game, which would result in short-term financial difficulties, but the emotional trauma would be hard to heal in a short time.
Or take a gamble—bet that the company can relist in six months.

If we stubbornly hold on, what if something goes wrong?
What if it never goes public, maybe in a year, three years, or even forever?
Then a technical elite like him would really be working for a bank for the rest of his life.

The lesser of two evils.

Lin Tianming struggled for only a moment before making his decision.

Damn it, once the bet is placed, it's done. I'll accept the loss!

He grabbed the sales manager who was about to leave: "Leave! Leave now!"

After saying this, Lin Tianming seemed to have all his energy drained away.
Luxury homes, sports cars—all his dreams vanished like fleeting bubbles.

On second thought, he realized that he wasn't the only one who was unlucky; there were countless colleagues who had similar experiences.

What are his losses of a few million compared to those executives and CEO Jack Ma who lost hundreds of millions?
"Fuck Ant Financial!" he could only curse in his heart.

These employees, like Lin Tianming, work like ants. Although they will continue to work here like worker ants, their mindset has undergone an irreversible change.
It's like winning ten million in the lottery, only to have it get washed to shreds in the washing machine. You act like nothing happened, only to realize there's no going back.
That evening, Ant Group issued an official response consisting of sixteen characters: "Prudent innovation, embracing regulation, serving the real economy, and openness and win-win cooperation."

This calm and measured statement attempts to convey stability and confidence to the market.

However, the public opinion field has already exploded.

One netizen jokingly wrote: "That night, I seemed to hear the sound of countless tiny ants losing their financial freedom."

No one can count how many people's dreams of wealth and social class were shattered by this decision to postpone the event.

However, a rather symbolic change is that, according to netizens, the once ubiquitous and dazzling "Huabei" advertising light boxes in the Shanghai subway have gone dark.

The extinguished lights seemed like a silent footnote.

The overnight drop in Hangzhou's secondary housing market prices also illustrates the severity of the problem.

This might mean that this giant ant really needs to stop its frantic run and undergo a thorough self-adjustment and examination, both internally and externally. With the official conclusion now in effect, various analytical articles and videos have sprung up, dominating the trending lists on platforms like Bilibili, Douyin, and Zhihu.

"The Alchemist Who Turns Debt into Gold", "Why Was the Final Step Halted?", "Fire at Me, Old Ma Finally Gets His Wish", "A Compliance Lesson Worth Triumphs", "The Chain Reaction That Internet Finance Companies May Trigger After Going Public".

As some internal information and data are disclosed, a grand narrative of fintech is gradually being unveiled, revealing the roles played by the B&A group and the Alibaba group. Only now are people beginning to realize what this internet finance war means for everyone.

The previous comments like "Mr. Ma is confused, how can he act recklessly like this?" and "Mr. Ma has become arrogant" have turned into "It seems that Mr. Ma sensed that the IPO was hopeless, so he made this rant, wanting to fight to the death by speaking out!"

The man once affectionately known as "Father Ma" by countless consumers has gradually become "Papa Ma," and is being fiercely criticized by countless netizens.
Some netizens even dug up a transcript of Jack Ma's speech at the Lujiazui Financial Summit in 2013.

"The future of finance presents two major opportunities: one is the internet of finance, where the financial industry embraces change and moves towards the internet."

The second is internet finance. In fact, many industry innovations are triggered by outsiders entering the field.

The financial industry needs disruptors, and even more so, it needs outsiders to come in and bring about change.
It is precisely because of ignorance that the world is often turned upside down by those who do not understand.

Therefore, the openness I'm referring to begins with openness of mind. Only with open minds can other things be open, such as technology and terms.
Today's financial system is indeed doing quite well; many problems are not caused by today, but by history.

We can hardly change history, but we can change the future.
As a layman, someone who doesn't understand finance, I'm curious about finance not because it can make a lot of money (because I'm not short of money), but because it can make money for many people.

I hope that outsiders can participate in this field, not just to disrupt things, but to jointly create a brand new future.

Finance is for laypeople, not for those in the know to amuse themselves and make money.

Perhaps there were reports back then, but they only circulated within a small circle within the industry and did not spread widely. However, with the sounding of that clarion call, the truth came to light.

Ant Group subsequently successfully implemented a series of major strategic initiatives, including the launch and explosive growth of Huabei/Jiebei, the continuous expansion of Yu'ebao and the deepening of its fund business, and the establishment of its online bank.

In short, it can be summarized as: "Seize the time, expand the territory, and build an ecosystem."

Five years later, when the time was right, Lao Ma and his capital friends began to implement the final step: "Planning an IPO!"

With the article's revelations and analysis, a five-year capital strategy has finally been exposed to the public, causing shock and amazement among countless people. It turns out that someone had already begun laying the groundwork for this year's grand event five years ago.
The article "Ant Financial's Failure: The Ultimate Rehabilitation of 'Fintech'," finally published by 36Kr, brought this momentous event, which will be recorded in the history of Chinese economy, to a close.
"As of now, the company's IPO plans have been postponed indefinitely."
Furthermore, there are rumors that the company will undergo structural adjustments to improve corporate governance, but the prerequisite for restarting the IPO is to complete the full rectification and regain trust, which is highly unlikely in the short term.
Old Ma's speech, seemingly a "free-flowing speech," was actually the last straw that broke the camel's back.

It exacerbated existing contradictions, prompted the early release of some measures to prevent potential financial risks, and re-established authority in the fintech sector. This was the result of a three-way game.

This event not only changed the fate of an internet company, but also became a watershed moment for Chinese internet platform companies as they transitioned from "wild growth" to the "era of compliance".

There has never been a financial narrative disguised in the guise of technology.

The only thing to do is to separate technology from finance.

Beyond the public eye, a silent personnel earthquake has spread, the far-reaching impact of which may not be fully understood for many years to come.
(End of this chapter)