I'm in the county town, and you say I'm a big shot?

Chapter 677 The host and guest had a cordial and friendly conversation.
The teahouse Wang Chenyang took Fang Qingye to was called Yanyu Tea House. It's said the name comes from the eaves of traditional Shanghai shikumen houses, combining alleyway memories with a contemporary tea space. The teaware consisted of Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain mixed with titanium.

The environment was nice, but Fang Qingye tasted the brewed Da Hong Pao tea and found it to be quite ordinary.

Clearly, Wang Chenyang is not a tea connoisseur and doesn't care much about tea.

As the two were drinking, Wang Chenyang said, "Chairman Fang, we've been discussing the pilot program for social security for delivery riders privately these past few days, including with some of the company's middle and senior management. Everyone has different opinions on this."

"This is normal. After all, this is a completely new job, and everyone has their own opinions, and some may even be opposed. This is nothing to worry about. The main thing is the attitude of you few. As the core team of the company, you must reach a consensus in the end."

Hearing Fang Qingye say this, Wang Chenyang took a sip of tea and said, "Chairman Fang, were you just about to hand over this task to Gan Jiawei to take the lead?"

"Huh? You figured that out?" Fang Qingye laughed. "Indeed, Gan Jiawei was originally the marketing operations officer of Meituan. He is also very good at socializing and dealing with various local departments, so it was very suitable for him to be in charge. However, I noticed that he seemed to have an ambiguous attitude during the meeting and was not very proactive in expressing his opinions, so Deng Ye was temporarily replaced."

"Yes, Gan Jiawei once publicly stated that he opposed the pilot program and even opposed providing social security for delivery riders."

"why?"

"The main issue is cost; this will significantly increase the company's labor costs."

Fang Qingye laughed after hearing this. "You're the company's CFO, you're not worried, but he, the Chief Product Officer, is worried about this."

“Actually, I’m also very worried.” Wang Chenyang said frankly, “But I can see that you are determined to promote this work, so let’s do a pilot program to see how much the company’s costs will increase and whether we can find a way that society, riders and businesses can all accept.”

“That’s what I mean too,” Fang Qingye said. “The number of riders is increasing year by year. If we don’t solve this problem now, it will be more troublesome in the future. If we leave it until after the company goes public, the resistance will be even greater.”

“Yes, after going public, the increased operating costs for shareholders and investors are a negative factor for them, and they are likely to vote with their feet,” Wang Chenyang echoed. “What I’m worried about now is not Gan Jiawei, but the shareholders he represents.”

"Alibaba?" Fang Qingye picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said casually.

"Yes, Alibaba!"

In Ele.me's board of directors, in addition to Zhang Xuhao and his four-person founding team, there are directors from Tuofang Technology, Tencent, and Dianping representing their own interests.

Tencent's Michelle, Dianping's Zhou Junchuan, and Tuofang Technology's Chairman Fang Qingye and Wang Chenyang actually represent the interests of Tuofang Technology's shareholders. Only Alibaba did not send a director.

Actually, everyone knows in their hearts that it's Gan Jiawei.

Although Gan Jiawei joined the board of directors as a senior executive of Meituan, now that Wang Xing has left and Meituan is gradually being assimilated by Ele.me, Gan Jiawei's identity has changed, and he now represents Alibaba.

Gan Jiawei came from Alibaba back then, and he also maintained close ties with Ma Yun.

Fang Qingye understood Wang Chenyang's meaning; Gan Jiawei's attitude actually reflected Alibaba's attitude on this matter!

Wang Chenyang invited me for tea today to remind me of this.

“Chairman Fang, you have a personal relationship with Ma Yun, why don’t you talk to him and hear his attitude?” Wang Chenyang suggested.

Fang Qingye put down her teacup and shook her head. "No rush. Let's see how the pilot program goes. I estimate that not only Alibaba, but also Sequoia Capital, Tencent, and Dianping—although Michelle and Zhou Junchuan have expressed their support—are also watching the pilot results. If it doesn't meet their expectations, they'll probably oppose it too." "However," Fang Qingye emphasized, "even if the pilot program fails, we must learn from the experience and re-implement it. I will definitely push this work forward!"

Today is Wednesday. After handling some official business at the bank this morning, Fang Qingye received a call from Zhang Xuhao.

"Chairman Fang, we have already left the urban area of ​​Shanghai and are expected to arrive in Jinghai in an hour."

"Okay, I'll leave from Nanxin right away. Let's meet at the city hall."

"OK!"

After finishing the call, Fang Qingye immediately packed her briefcase and asked Hu Lingling to notify Yue Kai to send out a car.

Today, he led his team to meet with the main leaders of Jinghai City in his capacity as chairman of Ele.me, and the two sides formally discussed the pilot program for rider social security contributions in Jinghai.

Previously, Zhang Xuhao and Deng Ye, representing the leadership of Ele.me, met with leaders from the human resources and medical insurance departments of Jinghai City. Today's meeting was a formal one. After friendly consultation and exchange, both parties signed an agreement, and the pilot program officially began.

After nearly an hour's drive, Fang Qingye arrived at the Jinghai Municipal Government compound and met Zhang Xuhao and his group in the reception room.

Ele.me dispatched a large team this time, including Chairman Fang Qingye, CEO Zhang Xuhao, and CMO Deng Ye, who was specifically in charge of this matter. On the Jinghai City side, the mayor, executive vice mayor, and key officials from departments such as human resources and medical insurance held friendly exchanges with the other side in the city government's reception room.

This is a standard government reception room. Large floor-to-ceiling windows are draped with deep red velvet curtains on both sides. On the main wall to the east hangs a magnificent ink painting of the Yangtze River. In the center of the room is a mahogany coffee table, with a set of large sofas on each side.

After the relatives of the host and guest shook hands, they took their seats.

Fang Qingye sat in the guest seat on the right side of the coffee table, while Zhang Pengyuan, the mayor of Jinghai City, sat on the left side of the coffee table.

“Chairman Fang, I remember the first time I met you, I was the executive vice mayor, and I went to Nanxin County to investigate the Nanxin Lake renovation project. I remember you were the chairman of the real estate company that was in charge of the project?” Zhang Pengyuan chatted casually.

“Yes, the Nanxin Lake renovation project is being implemented by Huacheng Development Company. I am currently serving as the company's chairman, but the company is mainly operated by a management team headed by General Manager Luo Yan. To be honest, I rarely worry about Huacheng Company's affairs now,” Fang Qingye said with a smile.

Zheng Pengyuan chuckled and said, "I understand. You're busy with big things right now, like Ele.me, a group company with influence across the country."

"And then there's Jinghai Bank. Now, Jinghai Bank has become a pilot bank for the central bank's digital finance reform and is also the second largest taxpayer in Nanxin County. Chairman Fang deserves a lot of credit for that." The speaker was Hu Huaiwen, the executive deputy captain.

Hu Huaiwen was sitting to Zhang Pengyuan's left. As the executive vice mayor in charge of human resources, he was also attending the meeting today.

Fang Qingye was quite modest: "Jinghai Bank's current achievements are inseparable from the strong support of the municipal and county governments. Secretary Hu knows this best. When he was the secretary of Nanxin, the county provided great help for the bank's restructuring and development, and I express my gratitude."

"Hehe, this is what our government departments should do," Zheng Pengyuan said.

"Therefore, we hope that Mayor Zhang and Mayor Hu will strongly support Ele.me's pilot program for social security for delivery riders in Jinghai area," Fang Qingye said, seizing the opportunity.

The two sides then moved on to the formal topic.

(End of this chapter)