“What Meng Chang didn’t expect was that his little tricks didn’t escape Mr. Pei’s eyes.”
“At the press conference for all investors, Tenda’s Mr. Ma asked two soul-piercing questions on the spot: Is the grilled cold noodle even good? What does this so-called ‘multi-dimensional fusion’ mean?”
“This directly hit Meng Chang’s weak point, essentially exposing Cold Noodle Girl’s two huge pitfalls in front of all investors: poor taste and excessive marketing.”
“Clearly, Mr. Ma relaying Mr. Pei’s message had two purposes: first, to remind investors about Cold Noodle Girl’s risks; second, to remind Meng Chang that the current Cold Noodle Girl was just a castle in the air that was bound to fail, and there was still time to make changes.”
“Unfortunately, the high-spirited Meng Chang didn’t realize the severity of this warning and stubbornly continued down the path he had scripted for himself.”
“But he didn’t know that the script he was walking into wasn’t one he had planned, but one Mr. Pei had arranged for him.”
“Mr. Ma’s questioning at the press conference gave Meng Chang a brutal wake-up call. He could only pour all his money into Cold Noodle Girl’s stores, trying to regain investors’ trust with marketing, hype, and beautiful financial reports.”
“But this process wasn’t smooth, because the seed that Mr. Ma had planted at the press conference continued to prick at the investors. All the investments Meng Chang could secure came with harsh terms like betting agreements and buyback clauses. Meng Chang still lacked the chips to negotiate with investors.”
“At this point, Meng Chang fell into a dilemma. He knew that Cold Noodle Girl’s current state was still far from what he wanted. If he took this hot money now, there would definitely be major problems.”
“For Meng Chang, giving up now wouldn’t be too late.”
“But just then, Mr. Pei extended another helping hand, investing an additional six million. This gave Meng Chang leverage to negotiate with other investors and reignited his confidence.”
“But in hindsight, Mr. Pei’s move should be considered ‘playing hard to get.’ Without this additional investment, Cold Noodle Girl might have simply faded away quietly, with Meng Chang failing without debt and Mr. Pei’s initial two million investment going down the drain.”
“But as it turned out, Mr. Pei’s money seemed easy to get but actually wasn’t at all.”
“Full of confidence, Meng Chang launched even grander marketing campaigns with an even higher profile. His assertiveness made hesitant investors waver. Investors feared missing the Cold Noodle Girl bandwagon and began considering removing those harsh conditions. The psychological dynamics gradually reversed.”
“Meng Chang felt he was just one step away from his goal, just needing that final push. So, with carefully prepared financial reports, he once again came to Jingzhou, wanting to secure the last sum of money from Mr. Pei.”
“Once this money was in place and other investors followed suit, Cold Noodle Girl’s valuation would reach unprecedented heights. Meng Chang would have many options, such as selling to restaurant giants like Eleme and making a graceful exit.”
“However, after reading Meng Chang’s financial reports, Mr. Pei only responded with a cold laugh. To Meng Chang’s shock, Mr. Pei directly sold all his shares in Cold Noodle Girl, even at a discount, causing Cold Noodle Girl’s valuation to plummet!”
“Meng Chang’s ‘one step away’ was actually worlds apart.”
“After that, Meng Chang’s actions were completely controlled by Mr. Pei. When Cold Noodle Girl was about to collapse, Mr. Pei would invest another two million to prop it up; when Cold Noodle Girl’s situation gradually improved, he would sell all his shares again.”
“Meng Chang fell into a gambler’s mentality. There were too many chips on the table now. He didn’t want to give up because giving up would mean all his previous efforts were in vain. Victory seemed within reach, but no matter how hard he tried, he still fell far short…”
“Before completely crushing Meng Chang’s hopes, Mr. Pei left him one last glimmer of hope. Thus, even the previously clear-headed Meng Chang finally let down his guard. After much agonizing, he accepted an investment with joint liability. In the end, Cold Noodle Girl failed miserably and Meng Chang was burdened with millions in debt, unable to make a comeback.”
“Looking at the entire process from Cold Noodle Girl’s establishment to failure, it’s not hard to see that Meng Chang’s goal remained consistent throughout. We can’t know what he was thinking, but from his actual actions, he clearly didn’t intend to create a Chinese fast food brand as he claimed. The author reasonably suspects that from the beginning, his intention was to inflate the valuation and cash out.”
“It’s just that Meng Chang was so skilled in these tactics and had such excellent eloquence that he successfully deceived investors. Or perhaps some investors knew Meng Chang’s intentions but still invested, gambling that they wouldn’t be the last one holding the hot potato.”
“But Meng Chang still failed completely. He was like that unruly monkey who thought he had seventy-two transformations and fiery eyes, able to somersault 108,000 li, planning to escape unscathed after wreaking havoc in heaven. But he never imagined that Mr. Pei was always watching him, and no matter how hard Meng Chang tried, he never escaped from Mr. Pei’s Mountain of Five Elements!”
“Mr. Pei clearly understood Meng Chang’s goals but still patiently played this game with him.”
“When discovering Meng Chang’s impure motives, Mr. Pei immediately warned him; when Meng Chang wanted to retreat, Mr. Pei gave him a glimmer of hope; and when Meng Chang was about to succeed, Mr. Pei pulled the rug out from under him, completely destroying his hopes.”
“Finally, he firmly pressed him under the Mountain of Five Elements, preventing him from ever rising again.”
“At this point, some might wonder: Did Mr. Pei have some personal vendetta against Meng Chang? Even if Meng Chang had suspected intentions to defraud Mr. Pei, couldn’t Mr. Pei simply refuse to invest? Why go through all this trouble?”
“This is what makes Mr. Pei exceptional.”
Reading this, Qi Yan couldn’t help but nod.
Before reading this article, she had no idea that Cold Noodle Girl had such a complex relationship with Mr. Pei.
Although Qi Yan had always been responsible for Cold Noodle Girl’s marketing, she was not deeply involved in other aspects, mainly just executing tasks assigned by Meng Chang.
Qi Yan used to work with full enthusiasm because she believed in Meng Chang’s grand vision, thinking he could truly build Cold Noodle Girl into a leading Chinese fast food enterprise, providing a bright future for all employees.
But looking back now, she had been so naive.
Meng Chang had clearly never considered the future of Cold Noodle Girl or these employees. From beginning to end, he only had himself in mind.
This article described the battle of wits between Mr. Pei and Meng Chang in great detail, appearing highly credible. But the crucial question, as the author asked, was: Why would Mr. Pei, so busy as he is, bother playing with Meng Chang?
It truly paralleled the Seven Captures and Seven Releases from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Perhaps even Meng Chang couldn’t understand why Mr. Pei targeted him so specifically.
Most likely, Meng Chang thought Mr. Pei didn’t have time and wouldn’t bother haggling over these few million, which is why he became the monkey trapped under the Mountain of Five Elements.
Meng Chang wasn’t trying to escape from the Mountain of Five Elements, but to slip through its fingers—he just didn’t expect Mr. Pei’s Mountain to leave no gaps.
The article’s final section detailed Mr. Pei’s intentions behind this action.
“Let’s consider this question: If Mr. Pei hadn’t invested in Meng Chang, what would have happened? Would Meng Chang have given up his plan? Obviously not.”
“Meng Chang would have just thought the timing wasn’t right and temporarily shelved the plan. He would have continued building his credentials and experience, waiting for the next opportunity. Would the next investor have Mr. Pei’s wisdom and capability? Probably not.”
“By then, Meng Chang’s plan would have succeeded smoothly. He would have cashed out successfully, leaving behind a mess, gaining both fame and fortune, transforming into an outstanding entrepreneur.”
“Obviously, Mr. Pei didn’t want to see this happen, which is why he took time out of his busy schedule to completely eliminate this possibility.”
“When encountering a fierce beast, ignoring it may protect oneself but won’t prevent the beast from hurting others; subduing the beast and chaining it is the heroic way!”
“Mr. Pei’s action could be described as three birds with one stone, achieving three goals at once.”
“First, making Meng Chang a debtor with ruined reputation. After Cold Noodle Girl’s failure, his chances of a comeback became almost impossible, also preventing him from harming others;”
“Second, setting things right, putting Cold Noodle Girl on the right track, using the contrast to set an example and teach everyone a lesson: running a business can’t rely solely on marketing; the key is staying grounded;”
“Third, this served as a warning to all ill-intentioned entrepreneurs trying to defraud Yangcheng Venture Investment: if you manage honestly, losing money is acceptable; but if your motives are impure from the start, then Meng Chang is your precedent!”
“This also shows Mr. Pei’s attitude toward people like Meng Chang.”
“All of Meng Chang’s actions were within legal boundaries. He neither falsified accounts nor evaded taxes; from a behavioral standpoint, he operated completely legally.”
“Everyone wishes fraudsters could be chopped into pieces, but our country is a nation of laws after all, and we must distinguish between emotion, reason, and law. No one can replace the law in executing justice—that would be too arrogant and overreaching.”
“If Meng Chang broke laws, he would naturally face legal punishment. Since his problems were business matters, using business methods to resolve them was most appropriate.”
“It’s said that after Meng Chang reached a dead end, Mr. Pei offered him a job. Obviously, this wasn’t out of sympathy but for another purpose.”
“Here, the author boldly predicts that Mr. Pei will use business means to make Meng Chang suffer. The current situation is merely the beginning.”
“As for where Meng Chang’s future leads, whether he’ll wallow in self-pity and abandon himself, or endure hardships and realize his errors—his fate is in his own hands.”