Twenty years of cold chain

Throughout the journey, Hu Shutong was filled with remorse and constant self-reproach.

Over the years, all he received from Luan Pingxin was good news: Dawn was about to be completed, Zhengyang had started, and the market for exports to Southeast Asia was getting better day by day. Many times, he had become accustomed to Luan Pingxin's strength. Whether it was bidding for equipment warehouses or proposing equipment groups, from his hometown to other places, Luan Pingxin had always been his greatest support.

Over the years, she has always been either promoting or establishing Tongxing. In front of Hu Shutong, she has always shown her brilliance and how she can help Tongxing, making people feel that she is omnipotent.

However, he overlooked the fact that Luan Pingxin was a person working in a company. Every company has its own complex system, and business, personnel, exclusion, and promotion are all familiar to companies. Luan Pingxin has been at Baileng for seven years since her internship. In such a long period of time, how could everything have gone smoothly and according to my wishes? It's just that I never mentioned it.

It's still that five-story building, and it's still the season when lilacs are in full bloom.

Following the stone path they had walked together in the small square downstairs, Hu Shutong arrived at Luan Pingxin's residence.

Hu Shutong knocked on the door again and again, and after a while, he finally saw Luan Pingxin.

The Luan Pingxin who appeared before me was in a state I had never seen before. Sleepiness and weariness were written all over her face. She wore a loose long shirt and cotton slippers that she wore regardless of the season. Her short hair was tucked behind one ear and stuck to the corner of her mouth.

But the moment Luan Pingxin saw Hu Shutong, her eyes flickered, then she turned away, went to turn off the lamp that was about to be turned off, and drew back the curtains. Paper, which used to be scattered everywhere in her room, now fluttered in the wind.

"Pingxin, what exactly happened?"

"I'm fine, don't make a fuss. You sit down first, let me see if there's anything to eat."

"How could you be alright in this state? What right do those who worship cold have to criticize you!"

"Why are you more agitated than me? You'll calm down in a few days."

As she spoke, tears welled up in Luan Pingxin's eyes. Ever since she saw Hu Shutong, she had been unable to hold back her emotions. Hu Shutong immediately stepped forward and stopped her. "Pingxin, what can't you tell me?"

Luan Pingxin's eyes shone even brighter. "Baileng's database is only updated every six months. I was worried there might be discrepancies, so I only used it for comparison. The data I gave you was all personally researched by me, staying up all night!"

Hu Shutong's eyes welled with tears as he pulled her into a tight embrace. Luan Pingxin immediately began to sob, "But ultimately, we have to use Bai Leng's name, otherwise it's useless to give it to you. But because of this, they've started targeting us! They say I moved data without approval, and that I'm involved in some Panhu chaos, and that Bai Leng has to face responsibility!"

"Who are these people?"

"When I first joined Bayer, it was purely a technical department. We were only responsible for research and development, and the group tried to give the technical staff as much time as possible. But later, Bayer became more and more impatient, and the marketing department became more and more to their liking. Gradually, our department became an appendage of the marketing department. Whenever they couldn't sell the products, they would blame the technical department, saying that our products did not meet the working habits of foreigners. With just one sentence from them, we would have to make adjustments for two months."

"And then, you've offended them."

"Who cares about offending them? I just want to fight for more for the tech department. It's like selling houses; if the sales consultant is inarticulate and illogical, they always blame the house. Why should the tech department take the blame? Damn it!"

The word "damn it" was laced with annoyance and stubbornness. Hu Shutong patted Luan Pingxin on the back and suddenly chuckled.

"You're still laughing!"

"It suits your temperament."

Luan Pingxin pulled Hu Shutong away, and as she looked at him, a smile appeared on her lips through her tears.

"We tech people are only thinking about making breakthroughs as quickly as possible, whether it's ultra-low temperature or various insulated boxes, we just want to do the cold thing well. But you know what? I haven't focused on R&D for over a year. For all this time, it's been just cooperating, cooperating, and cooperating some more. The marketing department thinks we're omnipotent, that parameters can be scaled up proportionally!"

As Hu Shutong had predicted, this incident was merely a trigger, causing Luan Pingxin, who had been suppressing his emotions for a long time, to erupt. However, many realities had to be faced: sales volume is the foundation of a company's survival. In the past, Luan Pingxin was able to focus on research and development because Bayer did not have any competitive products. When a product becomes competitive, it will inevitably dominate the market.

Therefore, it's easy to understand why Bai Leng brought this matter up in the open. It was simply to put some people who were more headstrong than bulls in check. Unfortunately, he encountered someone who was even more headstrong than usual, which led to an embarrassing situation for everyone. It's no exaggeration to say that if things continue like this, Luan Pingxin will not only offend one department, but also affect the interests of the entire group.

When it comes to interests, there's no room for compromise, and it's the one thing that absolutely cannot be sacrificed. No strategy can compromise on this premise. Besides, this is no longer the case seven years ago, when the cold chain industry was booming and cold chain equipment companies were vying for market share. Times have changed, companies have changed, and many things are no longer comparable to what they were back then.

There is a saying called "technological holdouts," which refers to those who are inflexible and unreasonable. They do not know how to go with the flow, do not understand the general trend, and are so rigid that they are incomprehensible.

But in Hu Shutong's eyes, Luan Pingxin was the most clear-headed and intelligent woman in the world, and the most persistent and strong-willed like-minded person. It wasn't that she didn't know how to be flexible, but rather that she didn't think it was worth it. She held onto what was most important, understood what the core competitiveness was, and clearly understood where our gap truly lay!

This also means that there is no solution to this problem. If Luan Pingxin bows her head, she will no longer be Luan Pingxin.

Fortunately, the Hu Shutong of today is no longer the Hu Shutong of yesteryear who was full of knowledge but weak in martial arts.

In a moment of exhilaration and hope, Hu Shutong finally asked that question—

"Pingxin, have you ever thought about going back to Qingyan?"

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.