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

Chapter 796 795 Choosing this way shows you're a qualified chairman, but you won't become a great entrepreneur.

Ah?
Principal Ma Yun truly deserves her position. She talks about exams constantly, and can give students a lesson anytime, anywhere.

Li Le picked up the thermos to refill the teapot with hot water. As the water dripped, he thought for a moment, then put down the thermos and respectfully replied:
“My Shengtai Industrial also invested in Ele.me and holds some shares, so I am fairly familiar with the situation. If I were Qingye, I would suspend this pilot project in order to ensure a smooth listing. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange has hard indicators for profitability, market capitalization, revenue, and cash flow. Stopping it would not only meet the rules but also reassure the market.”

Ma Yun neither nodded nor shook her head, but simply tossed the question back to her: "Then guess what Qingye will do?"

Li Le glanced at Fang Qingye, who was sitting quietly sipping tea, and said with a smile, "Based on my understanding of him, I'm afraid... he will insist on continuing the pilot program."

“Then let me ask you one more question,” Ma Yun’s voice was calm, yet sharp as a blade, “If insisting on the pilot program leads to financial deterioration, shareholder backlash, and ultimately Ele.me fails to go public, what do you think Qingye will do then?”

This time, Li Le thought for a longer time. His gaze swept over Fang Qingye's calm profile again before he said uncertainly, "I think... he'll give up. As the chairman, he has to be responsible to the shareholders."

Ma Yun picked up the white porcelain teacup, gently blew away the floating leaves, and nodded, saying, "This choice shows that you are a qualified chairman who has the interests of the shareholders in mind."

Li Le breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but Ma Yun unexpectedly changed the subject: "But, he still can't become a great entrepreneur."

"A qualified chairman wins on a chessboard drawn by others; a great entrepreneur lays out his own paper and ink and draws a new chessboard. Qingye will never take the path you mentioned."

Li Le was momentarily stunned as he looked at Fang Qingye, wanting to say something but swallowing it back.

At this moment, Fang Qingye finally put down his teacup and said with a smile, "Teacher Ma, I will explain the Ele.me matter to the board of directors in detail. Please don't use this as a test question and make things difficult for Li Le."

Seeing that Fang Qingye had skillfully changed the subject, Ma Yun laughed and said nothing more.

After the tea party at the nursery, Fang Qingye's focus shifted to planning Ele.me's IPO. Although the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's rule revisions had just begun and would take some time to be implemented, the game had to be planned in advance.

After all, under the spotlight of that tiny place called Hong Kong, Ele.me is not the only mainland company waiting to take the stage.

Establishing a listing task force and board committees; selecting sponsors, lawyers, accountants... there are countless things to do, all of which need to be sorted out one by one. He had already finalized the arrangements with the organization in Hong Kong, but according to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's regulations, a team in mainland China was also needed to liaise with them, so that both wheels could work together.

However, in Fang Qingye's heart, there was a task even more important than listing the company—the pilot program for food delivery riders in Jinghai District had been running for a full year, and now it was time to hand in the results.

That afternoon, Fang Qingye entered Ele.me's headquarters in the Jinqiao City Plaza. The atmosphere in the conference room was serious. He was personally presiding over the summary meeting on the Jinghai pilot project, and all the company's senior executives and relevant personnel were present.

Deng Ye, the person in charge of the pilot project, stood in front of the screen and began her report:
"Dear colleagues, it has been a full year since the Ele.me rider social security pilot program was officially implemented in Jinghai City on October 1, 2015. Under the guidance and support of the Jinghai Municipal Party Committee and Government, and with the overall planning and investment of Ele.me headquarters, the pilot program has achieved phased results and accumulated valuable experience. At the same time, it has also exposed some issues that need further discussion and resolution. The main situation is summarized as follows:"

I. Key Achievements and Experiences of the Pilot Program. 1. The "Triple Protection" system achieved full coverage for delivery riders, receiving positive social feedback. The three-tiered protection system—A (urban employee social security), B (occupational injury protection for new business models), and C (care fund as a safety net)—designed by the program has proven effective in practice.

"As of the end of the reporting period, the insurance coverage rate for active riders on the Ele.me platform in Jinghai City reached 98.5%, successfully bringing all riders who were previously excluded from the insurance system due to historical information issues into the system. This has greatly enhanced riders' sense of belonging, security, and professional identity. This move has received widespread praise from the media, the public, and scholars. The 'Ele.me Jinghai Model' has become a benchmark in the field of protecting the rights and interests of platform economy workers, significantly enhancing Ele.me's brand reputation and social responsibility image."

2. Government-enterprise data collaboration effectively solves the identity verification problem.
3. Operational efficiency optimization partially offsets cost pressures.
4. It has accumulated valuable data and experience for nationwide promotion.
Beside Fang Qingye lay a document—Lanling and Jinghai in Jiangsu Province, two places with similar levels of economic development and population size, yet due to one being a pilot project and the other not being implemented, a huge gap appeared in their 2016 financial forecasts. One boasted a profit margin as high as 16.8%, enjoying boundless success; the other was squeezed to the brink of a meager 2.4%.

After Deng Ye finished his report, the meeting room fell silent.

Fang Qingye raised her head and glanced at each face, her voice steady: "Let's all talk about the achievements and shortcomings of this year's pilot program. Deng Ye's report is a draft and a mirror; it may not reflect everything. Just say whatever comes to mind."

He picked up his teacup, the rising steam momentarily obscuring his expression.

The silence lasted for a moment, then someone finally spoke; it was CFO Wang Chenyang.

He cleared his throat and broke the silence first: "Let me say a few words."

Everyone's eyes instantly focused on him.

"First of all, General Deng's report is very comprehensive. The achievements, problems and suggestions are all laid out clearly, which is very valuable for our next decision-making."

He changed the subject, a hint of relief in his voice, "As CFO, my biggest worry this past year was that the Jinghai pilot program would completely drag down our profits and make our financial statements look terrible. Fortunately, the worst didn't happen. A 2.4% profit margin can't compare to Lanling's 18.8%, but—"

He paused, then raised his voice slightly, "We haven't suffered any losses! As long as there's no bloodshed, we can continue down this path."

These words seemed to resonate with many, and a murmur of agreement rippled through the meeting room. Not incurring losses was a spark of hope, meaning the pilot program had the most fundamental reason to continue.

However, there are always dissenting voices in the real business world.

As soon as Wang Chenyang finished speaking, another figure stood up steadily. There was no sign of ease on his face, and his brows were filled with doubt. Clearly, he had another algorithm to present.

It is Gan Jiawei, the Deputy COO (Marketing Operations Officer).

(End of this chapter)