2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 358: What a bargain!

Cheng Hao and his assistant went home drunk, arriving in the early hours of the morning.

I've heard that programmers at a certain big company like to wash their feet, and that's true!

Whether the deal goes through or not, putting aside the fact that they're putting on a show first seems to have become a regular activity for employees of these large companies, even for someone like Huang Xitong who seems rather reserved.

Indeed, LSP is the primary driving force.

It's inappropriate for a female CEO to attend such an event. Tan Jincheng is a CEO, after all, and it's impossible for him to accompany them to the second half of the event. Whenever Orange Technology has such good opportunities, it's always Cheng Hao's turn.

He was very happy to agree.

"The important thing is to access QQ's data. It's okay if the game revenue share is a little less. You can handle this well during the negotiations later."

Tan Jincheng took the waterway that Gu Qingqing handed him.

Both of them attended the earliest dinner party that evening, as a sign of respect for the QQ Space project team. Tan Jincheng drank a little alcohol. Usually, Tan Jinyue would cling to him as soon as she got home, but today she was extremely disgusted.

"But you need their consent first. No company would easily agree to you wanting their user resources, would they?"

"How would we know if we didn't talk about it? There's competition within big companies. Happy Farm is beneficial to QQ Space. If the revenue sharing from the game is reduced, they wouldn't mind sacrificing some of QQ's interests."

Even a small company like Orange Technology is divided into a Kaixin.com project team and a Kaixin Farm project team. The two teams will compete for KPIs in subsequent game development, not to mention large companies like Tencent.

"Okay, let's give it a try. You can't go tomorrow, right?"

"I'm not free tomorrow. I have to make a last-minute trip to the capital. I'll have to put Orange Technology on hold for now," Tan Jincheng said, sounding a bit of a headache.

I also have to write a speech, which is really frustrating.

"Haha, this is great news! I'll get to see you on the big stage!" Gu Qingqing laughed.

"What's going on? Didn't you say you wouldn't be traveling much lately? Why are you suddenly going to the capital again?" Zhang Suzhi asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I was notified at the last minute; I didn't know about it a few days ago," Tan Jincheng said helplessly.

What happened? It all comes down to Ni Jie.

Every year-end is a time of numerous awards and selection ceremonies, and CCTV, currently the most-watched organization, is likely to make its annual economic figures selection the most popular event in recent times.

It has attracted not only people in the economic field, but also ordinary people who attach great importance to this selection. It is no exaggeration to say that it is regarded as a barometer of the current economy.

Every year, ten influential figures in various industries are selected. As the electric vehicle industry has emerged as a dark horse this year, there is bound to be an important figure on the list.

Originally, this matter had nothing to do with Tan Jincheng. Zhejiang TV recommended Ni Jie, the chairman of Lvyuan. Ni Jie was named a Zhejiang Business Leader last year, and this year Lvyuan's sales have surged to fourth place. The brand also has a history, so it is indeed qualified.

Unfortunately, this guy is too high-profile and has too much of a mouth. He often appears in public as an opinion leader and founder of the electric vehicle industry, which offends a lot of people.

He has offended many people in his daily life, and to make matters worse, he attended the international bicycle exhibition in Taiwan last time and gave a speech there.

The content of his speech also had a certain impact on the domestic bicycle association. After learning that Ni Jie had been selected as an economic figure of the year, the association sued him to the China Light Industry Association on the grounds of political influence.

With this big label on him, he's definitely out of the running for Economic Person of the Year.

Zhejiang TV had one nomination slot, and Ni Jie's nomination was cancelled. Therefore, Tan Jincheng, chairman of Shanchi Group, a Zhejiang-based company in the electric vehicle industry, naturally took his place in the voting.

Although Tan Jincheng is usually petty and rude, he is very humble in front of the camera, speaks very nicely, praises this and that, and attributes his achievements to the local government and the country.

Flash Group has already secured the second position in annual electric vehicle sales this year and is also the designated electric vehicle sponsor for the Olympics. Its founder is a post-80s generation, very young, and is also the only post-80s generation among the current candidates.

In addition, Tan Jincheng has a very high level of attention on the Internet, and his national recognition is almost equivalent to the sum of the selected entrepreneurs. The reason he was not selected before was simply because Zhejiang TV did not recommend him due to his seniority.

Actually, CCTV initially favored Tan Jincheng. Although he lacked experience, he generated a lot of buzz. With Tan Jincheng's selection, the ratings for the annual Economic Night should increase significantly.

Furthermore, if we're really talking about achievements, Flash Group certainly deserves a place on the list this year. It has emerged as a dark horse in the electric vehicle industry, leaving its competitors struggling to keep up. Although Chipstar still has the highest sales this year, the gap between it and Flash Group is already very small.

In particular, Flashpoint's snatching of the Olympic sponsorship from the industry leader Chipstar was hailed this year as a classic example of a small company defeating a large one in the business world.

In addition, Flash Electric's sales of 47.22 vehicles this year, with an output value of over 7 million yuan and a net profit of over 1.55 million yuan, coupled with the construction of three national industrial parks, will have a significant impact in terms of both economic scale and job creation for the local area.

While there were shortcomings, it was still well-deserved. The cycling association had already sued one, they couldn't very well sue a second, especially since Tan Jincheng never did anything out of line outside of competition. Hearing Tan Jincheng's explanation, Zhang Suzhi's voice trembled slightly: "So you're going to be on CCTV? And you're going to give a speech?"

The annual economic figure, who can appear on such a stage? Every one of them is a household name. I never thought that one day my son would appear on such a stage.

"Yes, the selection results are basically finalized. I need to participate in a recording, and the program will probably air on December 14th." Tan Jincheng nodded.

Tomorrow is the 7th, and there's only one week left. Compared to the other selected candidates, Tan Jincheng's schedule, which was arranged at the last minute, is the most hectic.

In fact, the organizing committee had initially invited Tan Jincheng to attend the conference as a guest, but he declined, saying that FlashCheer was just an emerging company and he was not qualified.

Actually, he was too busy at the end of the year. In addition to personally participating in the negotiations between Orange Technology and Tencent, Tan Jincheng also had a plan to acquire Dexian Electronics. Tan Jincheng needed to remember to keep in touch with Zhang Xuhui and the others.

In addition, Tan Jincheng also needs to attend the 2006 Ningbo Top Ten Outstanding Youths event in Ningbo. At such a busy time, Tan Jincheng has no interest in going to the capital to be a supporting role for others.

"Then you'd better be careful what you say, lest you cause trouble like that Comrade Ni," Zhang Suzhi couldn't help but warn.

Ni Jie's son mentioned that it was Ni Jie who recommended his son to audit classes at Ningbo University. Zhang Suzhi is grateful to this peer, as it fulfilled her dream of having a college-educated child.

However, she didn't quite approve of Ni Jie's approach. Having worked in a state-owned enterprise herself, Zhang Suzhi knew what to say and what not to say.

You can't just say whatever you want when you go to Taiwan. You should just go to the event quietly and not make a scene.

"Don't worry, Auntie. When Jincheng is interviewed, has he ever said anything out of line? Don't worry," Gu Qingqing comforted her.

In private, Gu Qingqing calls Tan Jincheng "brother," but when others are around, she calls him by his name.

As a mother, Zhang Suzhi carefully collected and watched every newspaper and television program in which Tan Jincheng was interviewed by mainstream media. Thinking about it, it seemed to be true. Her son was very clever and would praise anyone he met, and she really couldn't find any fault with him.

In particular, he cleverly defused the situation when a reporter from Ningbo TV tried to make things difficult for him by asking him about his high consumption.

What was that saying again? It even became a popular internet phrase for a while.

Oh, right, "Those who cut ice do not raise cattle or sheep."

It seems that my son has indeed done this, at least for now. He hasn't been extravagant or wasteful, nor has he attracted excessive media attention.

I'm just wondering if designing clothes specifically for Jin Yue counts?
"In any case, you still need to be careful. With such a big stage, it's best to have someone proofread your manuscript. Qingqing, are you going?"

“I’m not going. I have very important business at the company. Jincheng usually doesn’t have time to go either, but this time is different.”

"Alright then, let's bring Xiao Li along; hehe, I have to tell Lao Tan this good news."

The annual economic awards ceremony broadcast on the financial channel has always been known as the "Oscars" of the domestic economic sector. The selection criteria for 2006 were: responsibility, innovation, influence, and driving force.

The selection criteria are the same as in 2005. The difference is that in 2006, responsibility, one of the four criteria, rose one place to the top, and the corresponding positions of the ten individuals will certainly be different.

Tan Jincheng was just a temporary addition; he never expected to be ranked high. Being 10th was already quite impressive.

Those who make it onto this list every year are industry leaders, prominent figures in their respective fields for decades to come. Even if it's just to make up the numbers, it's still an affirmation of Tan Jincheng's achievements over the past year.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't excited; this was the Person of the Year for 2006, a very authoritative award.

Tan Jincheng was too excited to sleep all night, his energy seemed to have nowhere to go, even though he had to catch a flight to write a manuscript the next day.

At 12:30 a.m., Gu Qingqing, exhausted, gasped for breath and pleaded, "Brother, go to sleep. I have to negotiate with someone tomorrow, and you have to catch your flight."

"But what should I do if I can't sleep?"

"Then you'll have to figure it out yourself. I'm not ready to go to sleep. And even if the soundproofing is good, you still need to be quieter. Auntie will feel embarrassed if she hears you."

"Hehe, we've been married for so long, why are you still shy?"

"Who's old and married to you?"

However, Gu Qingqing's words reminded Tan Jincheng that the house did seem a bit small, and it was indeed inconvenient to live with his parents. Fortunately, the villa had been renovated for nearly a year and they could move in.

It will be much more convenient for people living upstairs and downstairs then.

(End of this chapter)