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

Chapter 811 Eating Hot Pot: The Age of Exploration is Coming to an End

Twenty minutes later, the two walked to "Liu's Copper and Porcelain Pot". The shop was full of customers and had a lively atmosphere. After entering the shop, Fang Qingye looked for an empty seat and heard someone calling her.

"Chairman Fang, over here!"

He saw Chen Ziqing sitting at an empty table, waving at him. She was wearing a beige trench coat with a scarf loosely draped around her neck. Unlike her capable reporter image during the day, she now appeared more casual.

Fang Qingye and the other person sat down opposite her. "Miss Chen, I didn't expect you to arrive even earlier than me."

"I'm staying at the hotel across the street, and I've been craving this hot pot. I was thinking of coming over, but it's not fun doing it alone," the girl said with a smile. "Since you're here too, it's my treat tonight!"

"Thank you then."

Chen Ziqing signaled to the waiter that they could prepare to serve the dishes. Soon, an exquisite copper pot was brought to the table. The clear broth gradually boiled, and wisps of white steam rose between the three of them, making their faces appear exceptionally soft.

Thinly sliced ​​mutton, as thin as cicada wings, changes color with a gentle dip in the boiling broth. Dipped in a special sesame sauce, it's tender, smooth, and incredibly flavorful. After a few bites of hot mutton, the atmosphere at the table becomes warm and lively.

"Chairman Fang, I have some breaking news." Chen Ziqing ate a piece of mutton and looked at Fang Qingye: "Zhou Kaiwen, the deputy chief operating officer of ByteDance and head of the international business department, suddenly announced his resignation. He posted the news on his Weibo."

“This is what he wrote.” Chen Ziqing took out her phone from her bag and read it aloud with great emotion: “I have left ByteDance. It’s a pity that when the compass of consensus fails, the course loses its meaning. It’s time to change ships and verify my chart.”

Fang Qingye smiled slightly upon hearing this, without immediately responding. She calmly picked up a slice of mutton and gently dipped it in the boiling pot, watching intently as the meat slowly curled and changed color in the broth.

“Zhou Kaiwen was a key contributor to the acquisition of the Flipagram project and a crucial figure in Douyin’s overseas expansion strategy. Why would he suddenly resign at this critical juncture?” Chen Ziqing pressed, her gaze fixed on Fang Qingye’s face.

"Miss Chen, you can ask him directly about this," Fang Qingye deftly deflected the question, then dipped the hot pot lamb in sesame sauce and put it in her mouth.

"I tried to contact him, but his assistant said he's not giving any interviews at the moment."

"As I said, I'm also refusing interviews today."

“Chairman Fang, this isn’t an interview, it’s just a casual chat between friends,” Chen Ziqing said, her eyes sincere.

"If you promise not to publish these words in the newspaper, I might be willing to say a few words." Fang Qingye picked up the cola cup and took a small sip.

"Don't worry, I keep my word."

Fang Qingye nodded.

Fang Qingye believes this. During the last interview in Hong Kong, there were things she was not allowed to report publicly, and she indeed did not report them.

So he said, "Actually, you can see some clues on his Weibo. He had some fundamental disagreements with ByteDance's senior management, so he chose to resign."

"Chairman Fang, to be precise, it should be about you, right?"

Fang Qingye smiled slightly and did not answer. She simply placed a piece of tender tofu into the boiling pot and watched it tremble gently in the broth.

"Let me guess where the disagreement lies," Chen Ziqing said thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand, her gaze shifting between the boiling hot pot and Fang Qingye.

"Zhou Kaiwen has repeatedly emphasized in public that Douyin plans to establish an overseas operations center in the United States to reach the global market. However, in your interview this morning, you said that the United States is only one of the important markets, and you emphasized the particularities and differentiated operations of different markets. Is this the difference in your philosophies?"

“You can understand it this way: Europe and America, Asia-Pacific, even the Middle East and Africa—different markets have very different laws and cultural customs, so of course different strategies are needed. This is basic common sense in international business. Ms. Chen, you agree, right?” Fang Qingye said, casually placing the cooked tofu into Chen Ziqing's bowl. “Thank you. That’s right, and it’s the most basic common sense. I think Zhou Kaiwen definitely understands this principle, so it’s not unreasonable for him to resign over this.” Chen Ziqing frowned slightly, gently stirring the dipping sauce in her bowl with her chopsticks, lost in thought.

Seeing the girl like this, Fang Qingye was just about to advise her to enjoy the hot pot and stop thinking about work all day when she suddenly saw the girl's eyes light up, as if she had figured out something important, and the chopsticks in her hand stopped in mid-air:
"I understand! Zhou Kaiwen advocated establishing a single operations center in the United States to coordinate global business, but you rejected this plan. From your remarks today, I can sense that you prefer a decentralized operating model, establishing operations centers in different regions and granting each region greater autonomy. Chairman Fang, am I right?"

clever
However, Fang Qingye smiled without saying a word and continued to slowly add vegetables and mushrooms to the pot, the steam obscuring the expression on his face.

Seeing Fang Qingye's expression, Chen Ziqing smiled, knowing she had guessed correctly.

"Miss Chen, please eat more. This place's hand-cut mutton truly lives up to its reputation." Fang Qingye warmly invited, distributing freshly cooked mutton slices into everyone's bowls.

Chen Ziqing picked up a piece of cabbage and slowly dipped it in the pot, her mouth never stopping: "From a business perspective, a decentralized operating model means higher investment costs and greater technical difficulty. Why choose this more difficult path? Is it to mitigate geopolitical risks?"

"There's an old saying: 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket.' I think you understand this principle, Miss Chen."

“Yes. I sensed from the interview I gave you at the Wuzhen Summit that you are a person with a strong sense of risk,” Chen Ziqing said.

"Hehe. Just don't laugh at me for being a coward," Fang Qingye joked, then sighed, "The world has changed. The age of global economic integration is coming to an end. Anti-globalization is on the rise, and trade protectionism is getting more and more difficult to do business."

"Chairman Fang, you seem very pessimistic?"

"That's the reality. In January of this year, just three days after Trump took office as US president, he signed an executive order announcing the US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). On the same day, the US Department of Commerce also ruled that trucks and tires imported from China were being dumped and subsidized, and therefore US Customs would impose corresponding security deposits on the relevant products. Tell me, how can we be optimistic?!"

"However, many economists believe this is only a temporary trade friction, and the trend of global economic integration will not change."

"Hehe. For now." Fang Qingye did not continue the argument, but said, "How about this, Miss Chen, let's change the subject. I'm going to Tianhan City, Qin Province tomorrow to participate in a poverty alleviation inspection activity organized by our Jinghai Municipal Government."

"You? Going to help alleviate poverty?" Chen Ziqing was clearly stunned, her chopsticks hanging in mid-air, her face full of surprise.

"What? Is that not allowed?" Fang Qingye was amused by her exaggerated reaction. "Corporate participation in poverty alleviation is a social responsibility that they should fulfill."

At this point, Fang Qingye became very enthusiastic, her eyes lighting up. "This time, I'm not only representing Jinghai Bank, but also ByteDance."

Before he could finish speaking, his phone rang. Seeing that the caller ID showed Liang Rubo, he immediately answered the call.

"Rubo, are the list and plan ready? Okay, send them to my email."

"Can't get an afternoon flight? Only an evening one? That's fine, anyway, we're not leaving with the rest of the group by bus until the morning after tomorrow."

"Li Mo has already led the team to work overtime through the night on research and development? That's great, please remind everyone to get some rest and not stay up too late."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ziqing leaned forward curiously and asked, "From what I'm saying, you're going to bring a professional team to Tianhan?"

“That’s right,” Fang Qingye said with a smile. “We’re planning to try a new live-streaming e-commerce model on Douyin to help local people sell their high-quality agricultural products!”

"Douyin is going to do live-streaming e-commerce?!" Chen Ziqing looked incredulous.

(End of this chapter)