Chapter 112: The Food Delivery Project, Yelena's Defeat

"Something has happened with Meituan Takeaway!"

Assistant Lin approached with a tablet in hand, causing Elena to whip her head around.

"What? What happened?"

"Director Ye, this is the latest data from our delivery app!"

Lin handed over the tablet, which displayed the backend data of their newly launched food delivery application.

"What? Over a thousand downloads?"

"Didn't I say we shouldn't do any promotion? Did you mishear my instructions?" Elena stared at the screen, unable to believe the numbers.

Her original strategy was piggyback marketing, which meant they would never actively promote their own app. Instead, they were silently riding the coattails of Chen Luo's Meituan Takeaway campaign. Once Meituan's marketing reached its peak, they would swoop in and hijack the traffic.

Usually, a new app released without any advertising or promotion would barely be noticed by users, which was why their previous download count had been a pitiful double digit. Yet now, it had gained over a thousand downloads in a single day, which meant someone was definitely promoting it.

"No, Director Ye! Our company really didn't run any ads."

"Could our outsourcing agency have taken the initiative? Quick! Go find out where the mistake happened! I'm going to fire whoever is responsible!"

She was already furious over the incident with Ye Linqian, and now this had to happen.

"Um, Director Ye, we actually already found the source of the promotion." Another assistant, Yue, raised her hand tremblingly and looked at Elena.

"Who is it? Out with it!"

"It... it's Meituan Takeaway. They are the ones promoting our app."

Hearing this, Elena's eyes filled with disbelief.

"Impossible! Promoting a competitor? And on such a massive scale? Have Chen Luo and Wen Wan lost their minds?"

Sensing Elena's rising fury, Yue quickly tapped on her tablet and opened the Meituan app interface along with some video platforms.

"Director Ye, I couldn't believe it either, but it's the truth. Take a look."

Elena grabbed the tablet and clicked on the Meituan Takeaway icon. The first thing that caught her eye was the app's splash screen.

The screen displayed a dozen app icons. Meituan Takeaway sat right in the center, while their own app's icon, along with several other competitors, were slightly smaller and arranged around it. Most importantly, beneath the icons was a single sentence: *Together, we guard your stomach.*

A simple slogan had seamlessly grouped these rival delivery apps into a unified whole. Yet, there was no legal ground to sue them under advertising laws, as the slogan avoided any exclusive or trademarked terminology.

However, this phrasing was highly misleading. Some users would assume these apps were subsidiaries of Meituan, or believe they had formed a strategic alliance. How else could one explain why Meituan was actively advertising for its competitors?

The value of this misdirection was immense. It not only elevated Meituan's status but also projected an image of magnanimity and inclusivity to the public. This goodwill alone was enough to sway the majority of users toward Meituan. As for the traffic redirected to other apps, the minor loss of market share was practically negligible.

Elena then opened several promotional videos, all of which served the purpose of joint promotion. After introducing Meituan's features and promotions, the videos would offer a highly objective overview of Elena's delivery app. Without adding any critique, the videos would simply end.

Once these videos were released, the target audience naturally began comparing the features and differences between the two. The comment sections and bullet chats became a direct reflection of user sentiment.

Elena scrolled down to the comment section, only to find overwhelmingly one-sided opinions.

[Meituan is awesome! The initial discounts are huge. I only spent six yuan on a whole meal.]

[Honestly, this app is way better than the others. Whether it's the communication system or the delivery speed, it's top-notch.]

[It's not just that. Look at how they're promoting other platforms too. It must be because so many people downloaded Meituan that they can't handle the volume on their own!]

[Haha, then I definitely need to download it. If everyone says it's good, it must be the real deal.]

Looking at these praising and comparative comments, Elena frowned deeply. Across various platforms, the promotional onslaught continued unabated. While their own app's exposure grew and downloads steadily climbed, it was all playing into the competitor's hands.

Standing nearby, Ye Linqian couldn't bear to see her sister frown. She immediately made to rush out.

"Sister! I'll take some men and trash their company right now! Let's see how they promote anything after that!"

"Get back here!" Elena barked.

Ye Linqian froze in her tracks as Elena added through gritted teeth, "Fine! This marketing tactic is undoubtedly Wen Wan's revenge against me! Her previous feint was meant to trick me into transferring the marketing team of this project to the education company. All so she could execute this scheme of a campaign. She wanted to expose my app prematurely, bankrupt my piggybacking strategy, and render all my previous efforts completely useless!"

At this, a cold glint flashed in Elena's eyes.

Assistant Lin couldn't help but ask, "Director Ye, what should we do now?"

Taking a deep breath, Elena said in a low, heavy voice, "It's past the point of return. Scrap all our previous plans! Launch a full-scale promotional campaign for our delivery app immediately. We need to minimize our losses!"

"Yes, ma'am! We'll notify the teams right away!"

The assistants instantly bustled into action, notifying the various companies and departments to begin the promotional push. Elena sank back onto the sofa, poured herself a glass of red wine, and drank it in one gulp.

"Wen Wan, it seems your regard for Chen Luo is truly extraordinary. You even went so far as to abandon the education sector just to help him build this marketing offensive. I'll admit defeat in this first round! But when it comes to the battle in the education industry, I will make sure to utterly crush you beyond redemption!"

Elena's voice was as cold as black ice. Even Ye Linqian, standing nearby, felt a shiver of fear. She knew her sister was truly, deeply enraged.

***

The next day, Pengcheng Tower.

This skyscraper was an asset left behind by Wen Xiu, which Wen Wan had later taken over to serve as the headquarters for the Wanluo Company.

A Rolls-Royce pulled up to the entrance of the tower, and a man and a woman stepped out. It was Chen Luo and Wen Wan.

Wen Wan linked her arm through Chen Luo's, a brilliant smile on her face.

"Don't be nervous. Today, I'm going to give you your rightful status."