Twenty years of cold chain

Around 4 a.m., Yang Chenghai sat on the side of a street in Qingyan City. Although this conversation had far exceeded his expectations, talking and doing are two different things, and doing and applying are two different things. He could not have too many expectations for the outcome.

Yang Chenghai has no cards to play and no chips to use.

To continue working in this industry, he had to speak his mind in any situation, even if someone used his methods without saying a word, he wouldn't complain. Such things have happened before.

The scene during the interview revealed that Tongxing's top leader was professional and wise, and had also made profound considerations, slightly transforming his own words.

This can then be transformed into a completely new and comprehensive solution. When Tongxing truly builds micro-warehouses in the city one day...

By expanding the delivery business, no one will know the stories that happened in that corner of the world.

If you walk straight along this street for about two or three kilometers, you will find the dispatch center that Yang Chenghai rented back then. He paid five years' rent upfront, but he hasn't been back for three or four years.

Garbage trucks scour the city's trash; in some places, the drainage is clogged, and the roaring diesel engines churn out. Yang Chenghai, a cigarette dangling from his lips, inhales deeply into his lungs, holding it there for a long time. His gaze is fixed on one spot, and when the smoke lingers for a while before slowly dissipating, it seems to be reminding someone to try to slow down, to calm down.

Two years ago, he was used to yelling, listening to the loudest music, and drinking the strongest liquor. Back then, he had a few friends, and venting was his only outlet. These past two years, he's gradually become more peaceful.

However, this was a deeper blow to their mental state.

Every time the echoes of this long night linger, it seems to be reverberating around him, as if his life is constantly regressing.

Yang Chenghai waited for three days, but Hu Shutong did not call or even send a text message.

The lack of follow-up was a familiar scenario for Yang Chenghai. When that industry news broke, he knew that if he continued to be stubborn, nothing he did would be surprising. People who are unwilling to accept defeat never have an easy time.

……

Unexpectedly, Yang Chenghai's departure cast a shadow of crisis over Tongxing. Some said that President Hu had a pleasant conversation with Yang Chenghai that day and even began to study some of the cases Yang Chenghai had handled in the past. Everyone knew that Yang Chenghai was eloquent and cunning; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to swindle millions of dollars back then. Hu Shutong's skills were far too naive compared to him.

Everyone at Tongxing was terrified. If Hu Shutong were to show any inclination and let a wolf into the house, it would be a devastating earthquake for Tongxing. Given Yang Chenghai's appalling reputation—it's no exaggeration to say he's already on the industry's blacklist—if he were to have close ties with Tongxing, wouldn't it be like the story of "a rat dropping in the sea cucumber soup" (a Chinese idiom meaning something extremely bad)?

There was no time to think about the details; the impact on Tong Hing's image alone was immeasurable.

Therefore, the entire Tongxing was doing its best to prevent the situation from escalating. People like Su Mu, who could speak directly with Hu Shutong, offered many subtle hints. As for the actions of the subordinates, they were even more outrageous. Many people began to collect dirt on Yang Chenghai, such as causing trouble in mahjong parlors and maliciously provoking others in bars. In short, they dug as deep as possible.

Soon the news reached Hu Yuntong, and people from Yuncheng kept calling Hu Shutong, offering much more direct advice.

Seeing people working so hard for this cause, Hu Shutong didn't say anything, but he was already furious inside. Since the founding of Tongxing, nothing had ever caused him such a strong reaction!

In order to persuade Yang Chenghai to leave, he even went so far as to spread rumors about his fierce and menacing appearance.

Hu Shutong considered this to be utterly crude and shallow! Tongxing is a business, not a tofu shop, where everyone has to be perfectly square. According to such absurd logic, Tongxing could support several cosmetic surgery companies!

People often say that if you like someone, all your previous standards no longer apply; but if you dislike someone, you can create your own standards!

This incident deeply affected Hu Shutong. It must be said that Yang Chenghai was not a lawbreaker, otherwise the lawsuit wouldn't have dragged on for so long. It's true that he owed money to investors, but his former business partners and car rental companies also had his money in their hands, making it a messy and unresolved debt that involved a lot of wrangling and finger-pointing.

What angered Hu Shutong even more was that he had only met with Yang Chenghai once and hadn't taken any further action, yet everyone was acting like they were avoiding a flood or a beast. Putting everything else aside, why were the people of Tongxing so timid and cowardly? But Hu Shutong soon figured it out.

People were practically reminding Hu Shutong to "cherish his reputation," but in Hu Shutong's view, were some people being overly "clean-minded" because they were concerned about Tongxing's bright image, or because they had all achieved success in their careers?

In a sense, this is called the "accumulation" of a company. For a private enterprise, Tongxing can no longer be considered young. Over the years, it has accumulated business, connections, scale, and the foundation of its internal human resources system. Many people in Tongxing have stable responsibilities, and Yang Chenghai is seen as an extremely unstable factor. Therefore, behind this whole incident, there must have been someone stirring up trouble.

This is not a choice between A and B, but an open-ended question about stability versus change. It is understandable that people are concerned about their personal future, but Hu Shutong must always think from the perspective of the entire Tongxing Group.

The reason Tongxing quickly got on track in the early days was that the teachers deliberately selected a group of people, who eventually became the earliest "Mingda Gang". After gaining momentum, more and more students from Qingda University joined. It is precisely because of these factors that Tongxing is sharp and resourceful in business, has ingenious strategies in channel development, can express its opinions freely in forums, and has a solid and powerful R&D center.

If a company doesn't manage its people well, it will only become more and more corrupt.

Hu Shutong had never been certain that Yang Chenghai would join Tongxing, but the events of the past few days had made him completely convinced that he had no choice but to become an observer.

Ultimately, it was the conversation in the meeting room that gave Hu Shutong the inspiration to think big. He had previously discussed with Liu Zhiying that Tongxing's independent fresh food brand was still immature, essentially because it had issues with reconciling with Tongxing's existing business and functions. However, building a delivery brand was a different concept altogether. This perspective precisely grasped the foundation of Tongxing's survival; it was an extension of the transportation channel, sharing the same origin and strength as Tongxing's larger system.

……

As night fell, Yang Chenghai, with his hands in his pockets, strolled leisurely across a small square. He walked past groups of square-dancing aunties and past cars carefully selected by children. The further he walked, the fewer people there were. Eventually, he preferred to bury his head in quiet, secluded spots.

He lay down on a bench, looking up at the night sky and stars, which were sparse and uninteresting. The descriptions of the scorching Milky Way in books were all lies.

A short while later, the phone lit up. I grabbed it and saw the words "Hu Yiba" written on the screen.

Yang Chenghai first narrowed his eyes, then suddenly sat up!

"Mr. Hu! Hello, hello!"

"Boss Yang, if you have some time lately, why don't you organize what we discussed back then and bring it to Tongxing for everyone to see? What do you think?"

"Oh? No need, no need! My skills aren't up to par. Mr. Hu will take the lead, and I'll assist him!"

"I'm afraid that will disappoint Boss Yang. I really don't remember what you said that day."

"Boss Yang?"

"I'm here, I'm here."

"Is ten days enough?"

"Mr. Hu, a week is enough, no, five days!"

I don't know if it's because I'm getting old, or because of the sandstorms.

Hey! How come this person's eyes turned red so suddenly?

……

I've loved cold chain logistics for twenty years.