2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 301 A Society Based on Personal Connections
"Boss, something feels off," Zhao Xinyi whispered to Zeng Jixiang.

"Really? I don't feel anything, isn't it fine?"

"Haven't you noticed that the boss often seems lost in thought after he comes back?"

"I didn't notice. I think the boss is pretty normal. Didn't Brother Zhang say before that the boss sometimes spaces out? He might be having a brainstorming session. We should just leave him alone."

Brother Zhang is Zhang Xuhui. When he was Tan Jincheng's assistant, Tan Jincheng would often space out. At first, he was quite annoyed, but later he found that after each time Tan Jincheng spaced out, his boss always had some novel ideas. Later, he just assumed that his boss was brainstorming.

“It’s different. The boss used to sometimes space out, but his eyes are different today. Something feels off today, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

"What are you muttering about? Hurry up and get the materials organized. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing if they were ready while we weren't."

“Okay, boss,” Zhao Xinyi said, sticking out her tongue.

Zeng Jixiang smiled and followed him out. As long as the boss returned to normal, that was fine.

In fact, Zeng Jixiang was not unaware that his boss seemed a little off; in fact, he was the first to notice.

On the way back, I don't know when it started, but the owner suddenly stopped talking and just stared blankly at me. He remained like that until we checked in.

After chasing the two away, Tan Jincheng remained in a daze for a while, then turned on his computer and looked up information about Ai Ma.

Specific business registration information cannot be found online, but some information can be found on some job postings and local forums. Aima Auto Industry should be the same Aima.

Having worked in the bicycle industry for many years and being located in Tianjin, there couldn't be a more coincidental thing.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jinsheng introduced a friend who then brought up such a thing. It seems that Flash has directly taken over Aima's headquarters.
If that's the case, then Tan Jincheng can be certain that, under the butterfly effect, there shouldn't be any more issues with Aima. He can find another spokesperson to turn things around after he snatched the spokesperson, but what about the headquarters being taken away?
Is this the legendary story of stealing one's luck?
Zhao Xinyi and Zeng Jixiang were in charge of organizing the data, while Chenguantun Town also officially held a meeting. Since Tan Jincheng was contacted by Yang Zhenting through personal connections, the communication between the two parties was also conducted privately.

Before receiving a definite answer, Yang Zhenting didn't even inform the town's leader. Upon suddenly hearing such good news, everyone at the meeting was a little flustered, but they were all excited because it was a good thing.

"Sir, should we report this to the district?" Yang Zhenting said.

"Oh, right, right, I almost forgot. I should report this to the district right away."

There is an ancient saying that imperial power does not extend to the county level. In 2006, the township level, no matter where it was, generally had a rather crude and direct style, and their educational level was not high, except for those like Yang Zhenting who were on temporary assignment.

When there's something beneficial, they act on it without hesitation. The top leader went to the district to report and ask for policies and preferential treatment, while Yang Zhenting started organizing meetings to see where would be a suitable place to relocate the Flash factory.

The land involved hundreds of acres and a lot of things. As soon as the meeting ended, all the village leaders knew about it and rushed to the town, all wanting to get some benefits for the village.

These days, most people are just average. Not to mention Tianjin, even in remote areas of the capital, life is generally tough. Who wouldn't want a job near their home?

After learning that Yang Zhenting, the town mayor from out of town, had brought the connections, the village chiefs who were better at getting information all pestered him to take them to find Tan Jincheng and persuade him to give priority to their village when it came to land acquisition.

Don't talk to them about not meeting the conditions for land requisition or about regulations on the protection of basic farmland. People at the grassroots level don't care about these things at all. They only think about whether they can get some benefits for the village or themselves.

Yang Zhenting is used to dealing with these grassroots people and handles them with ease. His main tactic is to dodge and weave, and when that fails, he resorts to cursing.

If Zhao Jinsheng or Tan Jincheng were in this situation, they really wouldn't know how to handle it. Zhao Jinsheng hadn't spent much time at the grassroots level, and although Tan Jincheng's father came from the countryside, he himself didn't have much experience living in rural areas.

Those limited rural experiences mostly involved going up mountains and down rivers, catching fish and shrimp, and there were no opportunities to interact with village officials.

"Get the hell out of here! This whole thing isn't even settled yet, and you're already thinking about splitting the profits. At least wait until we've finished talking to President Tan before you start talking," Yang Zhenting snapped angrily.

He then warned, "And another thing, don't even think about harassing President Tan. I'm telling you, President Tan is only 20 years old, and he hates these kinds of things the most. If you harass him, this deal might fall through, and then I'll skin you alive."

Yang Zhenting didn't know if Tan Jincheng was annoyed, but he was definitely annoyed. Reasoning with him wouldn't work, so he could only issue a warning.

He didn't know that Tan Jincheng had already moved to the district. He was thinking that if he stayed in the town, these people might actually be able to find him. There were only a few hotels in the whole town, and they could find him by asking around.

Yang Zhenting spent the whole afternoon here, while the top leader who went to report to JH District also brought a pleasant surprise to the district. Unlike his subordinates, the district's sources of information were more up-to-date. The leaders of JH District knew that Shanchi preferred Wuqing District and Xiqing District, especially Xinkou Town and Yangliuqing Town in Xiqing District.

Geographically speaking, these two towns are the best choices, as they are not far from the six districts of Tianjin, have convenient transportation, and can radiate to the North China region. However, the exact location has not yet been decided.

A large factory with its own supply chain will not only boost the economy of one town, but also benefit the surrounding areas. Originally, JH District's idea was to help Xiqing get it even if they couldn't get it themselves.

Ideally, it should be located in Xinkou Town, so that the two towns in Jinghai that are close to Xinkou can also establish some parts companies and keep up with the pace of development.

"This young Yang is quite capable. Good, that's a good thing. Here's what we'll do: you don't need to go back yet. Leave the town's affairs to young Yang. You stay and have a meeting."

"Okay okay."

That evening, news spread that Tan Jincheng was staying in the district. Yang Zhenting had called to inform him that Tan Jincheng did not want the town to entertain him, but at the very least, Xiang should keep track of his whereabouts.

On the other hand, he wanted to talk to Tan Jincheng and ask him to be more tolerant if any villagers harassed him. However, after learning that Tan Jincheng had moved to the district, Yang Zhenting felt relieved.

That evening, someone found Tan Jincheng, and Old Chen from Chenguantun Town, who was also the top leader, came over.

"President Tan, how can you stay here? Why don't you stay at the district's guesthouse? It's quieter there."

"No need, the environment here is fine, and there aren't many of us, so we won't trouble the district."

"So, Mr. Tan, would you prefer to hold the next meeting in the district or the town?"

"I'm fine with anything. I'll go along with whatever you say. We at Flash will fully cooperate with whatever arrangements you make."

The other party treated Tan Jincheng very politely. Tianjin is an electric vehicle industry base, and they know more about the electric vehicle industry than people from other cities.

Taking April sales as an example, Flash Group announced that its sales volume in April reached 4.6 vehicles, with a growth rate of over 100%, making it the top-selling company in April.

By the end of the first four months of 2006, the sales volume of electric vehicles under the Flash Group had reached 12.12 units, which had already exceeded the total sales volume of Chipstar in the previous year.

According to a report issued by Flash Group in mid-May, the group expects its monthly sales to exceed 5 units in May, entering the peak season ahead of schedule.

If the data in the sales report is accurate, then the Flash Group's annual sales target of 20 vehicles set last year could be achieved as early as June or as late as July, and this year's sales are destined to see explosive growth.

Analysts have also provided a sales comparison between FlashCycler and ChipNav, stating that FlashCycler's sales will undoubtedly rank among the top five in the industry this year, and may even threaten the top three and ChipNav's leading position.

In terms of heritage, Flash Group has a very short history, but the electric vehicle industry only began to experience explosive growth after 03. So, established manufacturers don't really have much heritage.

However, in terms of development speed and strength, Flash Group is now a force to be reckoned with in the industry, with the potential to be among the top five or even top three in the industry.

Aside from investing in top-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, Tan Jincheng receives the treatment he deserves wherever he invests.

Old Chen interjected, "Go to town, go to town, it's not far anyway. Mr. Tan can take a good look at the map on site and approve the land you like."

He was the one who most wanted things settled and couldn't wait to sign the contract.

Tan Jincheng smiled and said that he couldn't make the decision on land approval; it had to be reviewed by the Land and Resources Bureau. However, Tan Jincheng understood his feelings.

“Okay, let’s set it in town then. I’m a bit impatient, so if we reach an agreement, it would be even better to sign the contract on the spot. Please don’t mind, Secretary Chen.”

Old Chen laughed heartily, "It's good that you're impatient. I like impatient people. If you were even more impatient, that would be even better."

Damn it, a few years ago I was scammed by Lao Liu from Shuangtang. He spent money to build a good road connecting to their town, saying that the bicycle factory in their town would be able to open a branch factory there. But after several years, there has been no progress at all.

Over the years, he's found everything about that road unpleasant. Hehe, on his way back, he'll take that road and stop by Old Liu's house for a visit.

Bicycle factory? I don't care! I'll have an electric vehicle factory soon!
(End of this chapter)