Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 321 Shall I leave?
November went smoothly.

There is still a process of discussion regarding the joint venture with Chongqing Jiaotong University, but Jiaotong University reached a consensus on the internal issues in just a few days.

When the matter was discussed at a faculty and staff meeting, it was passed almost unanimously. Everyone had the opportunity to receive double pay, and no one wanted to turn down the money.

On the contrary, several of the 11 professors who held shares followed the ancient practice of declining three times.

Professor, here you go!
No, no, I am not virtuous enough!

Professor, here you go!
No, no, this won't convince the public!
I'm completely convinced! Everyone's convinced!

Okay! I'll take it for everyone!

The professors all agreed to accept it, and the school leaders then began to report to their superiors.

Next up is Chen Xuebing's matter.

On the other hand, the movement was beyond expectations.

The public tender for the TD-SCDMA trial commercial network, launched on the 15th, covers eight cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Xiamen, and Qinhuangdao.

Gu An held a remote meeting and unveiled the map for the first time.

Geographically, the first batch of 3G coverage is basically on the right side of the map, from the chin to the belly of the rooster, concentrated in the eastern coastal areas.

This was not accidental. The host and co-host cities of the Olympics were originally part of the country's strategic plan, and all of them had the characteristics of superior climate conditions, strong economic strength, and efficient transportation and logistics. However, it also opened up new ideas for Singularity.

Based on the current difficulties in offline sales negotiations, Lu Weibing believes that they should not be controlled by others in sales. They should first focus on these eight cities to fight this battle, closely coordinate with the progress of 3G network construction to simultaneously distribute goods offline.

We want to open stores, but opening stores nationwide also presents challenges.

3G mobile phone experience stores should be set up in the core business districts of cities where 3G is first established.

To address the product shortage, other 3G mobile phones from the Huaqiangbei alliance should be brought in, and Qidian's mid-range products can also serve as a supplement.

In terms of sales commission, it can be lower than that of the two major home appliance retailers.

According to the information provided by Chen Xuebing, the Ministry of Information Industry will relax restrictions on mobile phone production licenses in the second half of this year, which coincides with the transformation time of Huaqiangbei manufacturers.

The advantage of doing this is that it can quickly establish a complete chain for 3G mobile phones, from supply chain and production to sales, with Qidian as the main player, making manufacturers more aligned in their actions.

Moreover, the sales system along the eastern coastline makes it easier for manufacturers in Huaqiangbei to source goods for overseas markets.

Chen Xuebing has always been dissatisfied with Suning and Gome's dominant attitude, and even considered raising funds to fight a battle for control of the A-share market.

However, this is inconsistent with Qidian's development strategy. The models of the two major channel providers are outdated. Now, 3G coverage has been achieved at least a year ahead of schedule, and the era of e-commerce will inevitably arrive sooner. His support for JD.com is to gradually eliminate them. Moreover, acquiring and managing them would be a huge undertaking, and they would become too big to handle. He would also have to find a way out for them.

It would be unwise to make dumplings just for a little bit of vinegar.

Therefore, upon hearing this complete "small-scale" strategy, they immediately affirmed it, suggesting that the store should not be small, should have a minimalist style, should be equipped with multiple WIFIs, should establish a network experience area, and should also have a customer rest area with exclusive network access, so as to provide consumers with high-speed software downloads, and the user's consumption experience must be cutting-edge.

With the chairman's approval, everyone's ideas began to diverge.

Based on their distrust of the chairman's ability to name things, the executives tacitly discussed the naming issue first, without intending to give the chairman the opportunity to decide for himself.

The experience store sells 3G phones from different brands, so we can't directly use the name "Singularity," otherwise other manufacturers will be more resistant. It needs to have a technological feel and be open and inclusive.

Qidian Communications, Touch Space, BitDock. Chen Xuebing's face darkened as he listened; these names sounded like names for opening an internet cafe.

Xu Wenfeng, deputy director of the IC department, slammed his fist on the table and stood up, speaking in a Taiwanese accent:

"3GCube!"

"The 3G Rubik's Cube! Symbolizing infinite possibilities of combination, it alludes to the collaborative interconnection of multiple brand terminals on the Singularity Technology Platform! The state of the Rubik's Cube being restored with all six sides in the same color is like a singularity of order, which is both the beginning and the end of the Rubik's Cube! It suits our name very well!"

After a moment of silence, they nodded repeatedly, all agreeing that the name was good.

Gou Hongyi, as if on cue, asked, "What about 4G in the future? A 4G Rubik's Cube?"

Chen Xuebing chose to skip the question and made the decision: "Then let's go with 3GCube. However, if we want to expand our channels to lower-tier cities and county-level markets, the acceptance of English names is relatively low. In these places, we should just use the Chinese name, 3G魔方 (3G Magic Cube)."

Seeing that Gou Hongyi was somewhat frustrated, Chen Xuebing still chose a different style from his previous life's harsh management approach and offered some encouragement:
"Mr. Gou's field sales team is doing a good job. They are proactive and their communication skills are also well-trained. They have contributed a lot to the sales of machines and Spreadtrum chips in Huaqiangbei. Now that the company's sales model is changing, and we are about to open stores, we should not waste this team. We should set up two to three stores in each city and appoint city managers. The positions of city managers and store managers should be selected from three directions: social recruitment, management trainees, and field sales team members. Sales work should not be based solely on academic qualifications. In the future, we will also carry out city competitions and set up bonuses for the top-performing teams. Teams that are consistently at the bottom will be eliminated, starting with city managers, and gradually weeding out the rest."

Upon hearing the praise, Gou Hongyi showed no sign of pride. Instead, he frowned and raised a question: "Shouldn't this competition be based on the city's consumption coefficient? Otherwise, it's not fair."

Chen Xuebing nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, then you decide on this mechanism and let President Lu review it."

He had carefully considered the positions of these old comrades, and adjustments were inevitable. However, based on his observations over the past year, he realized that their abilities differed, and therefore the adjustment methods would also vary.

Gou Hongyi, Liang Hui, and Huang Jin have grown relatively quickly and can be demoted for use.

Zhang Hang's position in finance remains unchanged.

Huo Xiaowen is doing quite well in Huaqiangbei. He has found a suitable environment to survive here and can stay here for the rest of his life.

Yu Yi is a complete scoundrel, always restless and loves to party. Chen Xuebing plans to give him some money so he can open his own nightclub.

Lu Yiwen, whom Chen Xuebing had high hopes for and who was brave and hardworking, was his closest brother. He had never complained, but he was not good at learning in company management. Chen Xuebing realized that he might have put him in the wrong place and should have sent him to the construction company in the first place.

But this adjustment is no longer appropriate. After much deliberation, Chen Xuebing asked him to withdraw from the company and made other arrangements.

Thinking of this, Chen Xuebing said it aloud in front of everyone:

"Announcement of a personnel change: Group President Lu Yiwen will be transferring from his current position to study at Golden Gate University in the United States next year, as he will be undergoing six months of pre-departure language training."

Kinmen University is a private university that accepts applicants with a Chinese associate degree. There is no entrance exam, no English proficiency requirement, and no restrictions on academic background. In addition, it offers courses taught in Chinese for Chinese students.

Studying abroad is, of course, a nicer term.

His family fully agreed to sending him to study in the United States, but it was cruel to him.

However, this university is located in downtown San Francisco, very close to Silicon Valley.

"Although President Lu no longer holds any position, he can freely enter and study once our American Research Center is established."

He and Lu Weibing had discussed the location of the research center and decided on Silicon Valley.

This decision caused an uproar.

Astute individuals have already realized that Lu Yiwen's departure signifies the complete end of an era for the company, and that a comprehensive change in management mechanisms and positions is likely to occur.

Gou Hongyi and Huang Jin, who were also attending the meeting, were focused on another issue.

"Boss, Lu Yiwen is leaving, why didn't you tell me beforehand! I could have at least gone back to Chongqing to see him off!"

"Yeah, sigh! It's so inconvenient being in Shenzhen now!"

Lu Weibing, surprisingly, also showed a good understanding of human relationships, saying, "President Lu has been with Qidian Company since its inception. In the early days of the company's development, he was always running around resolving financial issues between the group company and Qidian, making great contributions. We should hold a farewell party for him. However, it is indeed inconvenient for him to go to Chongqing. Could we invite him to Shenzhen before he leaves?"

"It's still early, why bother sending anything?"

Chen Xuebing waved his hand dismissively, but he was also pondering a question in his mind. The current company organizational structure was indeed too far removed from reality.

Chongqing and Shenzhen are more than a thousand kilometers apart.

He's been thinking lately that with the year-end approaching and the company having a good harvest this year, they should hold an annual meeting.

The business orientations of the three companies should gradually become interconnected, complementing each other's shortcomings.

However, since their respective businesses are still quite separate, the annual meeting is the only event that can enhance the group's cohesion, so it should be made good use of.

According to his original plan, the headquarters should have moved out of Chongqing in 2007. However, there are still many things to do in Chongqing, and Gu'an Construction still needs to seek help from the city for some matters.

Leader Huang definitely wouldn't agree to him moving.

They're giving themselves special treatment at Yufu Company, which is exactly how they treat state-owned platforms. They might even have a whole plan in mind to hand over to them.

Not easy to handle.

Thinking about these things makes me feel a bit upset.

"Is there anything else? If not, the meeting is adjourned."

“Yes.” Lu Weibing immediately said, “According to our sales strategy along the East China Sea, Shanghai is in the middle of the entire route and also in the hinterland. Shouldn’t we, Qidian, set up a branch office in Shanghai?”

Chen Xuebing raised his eyebrows upon hearing this.

Correct.

Even if we were to move, whether to move to Shenzhen or Shanghai would be another question.

Shenzhen is suitable for the production of high-tech enterprises, and Qidian's Huaqiangbei strategy is not suitable for relocation. Shanghai, on the other hand, is a financial center, which is suitable for the development of Changzheng Capital. Local relations are also more familiar, and the landing policies are definitely better.

The question is whether to unify or continue to decentralize.

Chen Xuebing shook his head and stood up.

"To be discussed separately."

Two days later, I received a call from Leader Huang, who had just returned to Chongqing, asking him to come to his office.

Chen Xuebing has been making appointments for about a week.

Now that the leader's title has been changed to "Executive," he's quite busy. He even has to take time out of his busy schedule to attend part-time training at the Party School. Since I finally had time to see him, I naturally rushed to the municipal government.

As soon as I entered the office, a bolt from the blue struck.

"There might be a problem with your trust license."

The leader frowned and sighed.

Chen Xuebing was stunned: "What problem?"

"I told you about this a long time ago. It shouldn't have been handled by Yufu Company! From a procedural standpoint, it's illegal for Yufu Company to advance the funds for you!"

"However, I didn't expect that either!"

Leader Huang paced back and forth, saying, "This New Era Company's 60% stake in Xinhua Trust has been transferred to Yufu through a court judgment. Logically, with the majority stake in hand, the remaining minority shareholders should be easier to persuade. However, when negotiating the divestiture of the Xinhua Trust license, the three minority shareholders from Tianjin, Hohhot, and Baotou unanimously disagreed! Furthermore, a foreign company, Barclays Bank, also disagreed. Only one person from each of the three minority shareholders attended the meeting, and that's when we realized that these three companies were actually one entity!"

"The hidden controlling shareholder is quite powerful. They reported the matter to the China Banking Regulatory Commission, which is now reviewing the license qualifications again! I suspect that the actual controller behind these three companies is Tomorrow Holdings, which is preparing to fight for the 60% stake."

Hearing this, Chen Xuebing understood and nodded, saying, "That's right, it's Tomorrow Holdings. Multi-layered nesting is their usual trick. I suspect it's a front company."

He wasn't doubting; he was certain.

It must have been a thunderbolt in my past life.

However, the person in charge of Tomorrow Group is very smart and very low-key. They control online reports very well. At its peak, it had dozens of financial companies and a financial empire of three trillion yuan, with the actual control of each company exceeding one trillion yuan. But until the collapse, there was very little news about it. It happened a few years earlier than Evergrande, but the impact it caused was not on the same level as Evergrande.

Chen Xuebing had been curious about it, but at the time he only searched out of interest and didn't find much about the leader, so he skipped it.

"From what I understand, they've organized some auctions, you know what I mean?" Chen Xuebing revealed directly.

He was hoping that Boss Huang would take direct action and crush them.

Leader Huang frowned.

Then he sighed again.

"No matter what, this matter should not have been handled this way. You should have directly invested and acquired the shares back then. Now it's difficult for Yufu to get rid of them. They are tied to each other and have veto power. Yufu is willing to acquire 60% of the shares from you, but they still don't agree."

According to the Company Law, minority shareholders can veto the transfer of equity to external third parties.

"You didn't mention the situation of minority shareholders at the time."

Chen Xuebing genuinely didn't know the internal situation of Xinhua Trust. He only had a general understanding of Tomorrow Group, and hadn't even reached the level of equity structure. Previously, he didn't even know the name "Xinhua Trust".

However, he didn't take it seriously. He had acquired 60% of the shares. Although he didn't have the absolute control he had hoped for, he had a firm grip on the management. What could the other party possibly do?
He chuckled softly.

“Boss, is this really that hard to handle? It’s a mutually agreeable matter, so we can just file a lawsuit. If he doesn’t agree, fine, I’ll take his shares too. But you’ll have to help expedite the lawsuit process, I need them right now.”

Leader Huang clicked his tongue: "They've already found the leaders in Chongqing! At today's meeting, they practically said directly that you're someone I have connections with, what am I supposed to do?"

Chen Xuebing then frowned.

"Is this too much trouble? Will it affect you?"

"It's not a problem! It's that I didn't speak with enough conviction!" Leader Huang waved his hand: "I made a mistake in this decision! I shouldn't have let Yufu get involved and provide you with the initial funding! I wanted you to do Yufu a favor and help him improve his profits in the stock market, but I lost my composure and someone took advantage of the situation!"

This was a minor matter, and Yu Fu suffered no loss from his involvement.

However, he wanted to take this opportunity to give Chen Xuebing a warning, to tell him to follow the rules in the future, and also to remind Chen Xuebing about the stock market.

Yufu's money is still in Moutai and Hudong Heavy Machinery, and there is no change from its previous holdings.

The only difference is that I started making money.

Yu Fu has been holding onto his money for over half a year, but he hasn't earned as much as he has in this one month.

Leader Huang was eager to take the opportunity to ask Chen Xuebing where his magic came from.

But Chen Xuebing seemed to fall into deep thought, and his expression gradually became serious.

After a while, he suddenly stood up, filled with righteous indignation.

"I'm sorry to have caused trouble for the leaders! It's all my fault! It's ridiculous that I came here today hoping to get a few projects from them! The leaders are right, we can't let our morals slip! Don't worry! I'll move out of Chongqing soon! I will definitely not let those people say anything about you!"

Leader Huang was stunned.

(End of this chapter)