2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 525 Inauguration Press Conference

"Wow, you guys are still here? It's still a bit chilly in Ningbo at night. You should head back early so you don't catch a cold."

As Tan Jincheng's car drove out of the parking lot, it was stopped by several fearless reporters.

It's still the first month of the lunar calendar, and the temperature difference between day and night is still quite large. It's already past six o'clock, and even though I'm dressed warmly, it's still quite cold outside.

"I was waiting for you, Mr. Tan, but who knew you'd come out so late."

"Hey, don't wait any longer. We have a press conference on March 1st. It's not easy for you guys to be out so late. Go to the hotel and rest, take a hot shower, and go to Jiufeng Mountain to see Meishan in the next day or two. Help promote Beicang."

"Then you have to give us some news. We're waiting for you in this cold weather, and we won't be able to sleep tonight if we don't hear anything."

The reporters thought Mr. Tan was quite easy to talk to. Normally, blocking an entrepreneur's car would be quite dangerous. Mr. Tan's driver was about to get angry, but he stopped him.

"Alright, seeing how hard you've worked, I can answer one of your questions," Tan Jincheng said helplessly.

They were only allowed to ask one question, which stumped several reporters. Professional reporters are different from gossip reporters; they interview entrepreneurs and celebrities, and their methods are different from those of stars.

Does the establishment of Weilai Auto mean that Flash Motors has officially entered the car manufacturing industry?

This is probably the question that everyone can ask right now, and it's also the question that everyone is most concerned about. It's unlikely that Tan Jincheng will respond to the others, but he might respond to this one.

"Automobiles are the crown jewel of industry and the dream of every man. We at Flash have always had a dream of building cars, and we were founded to realize this dream."

It's here! They've really responded! Tomorrow's headline is: "Flash Rover President Responds to Group's Car Manufacturing Plans for the First Time!"

"Alright, alright, that's all I can say. You can go back now, but you can also have dinner at our cafeteria upstairs before heading back. The food at our headquarters cafeteria is famous. I'll let the receptionist know and have her take you there."

With a wave of his hand, Tan Jincheng signaled the others to step aside.

"Haha, thank you very much, Mr. Tan. I've long heard that your company's food is very famous."

Having received a satisfactory answer, the reporters laughed and made way for each other.

Eating is a minor matter, but it's a great opportunity to get inside Flashrace and maybe even hear some interesting rumors.

"Alright, if you have any places you'd like to visit, you can have someone accompany you, but please abide by company regulations for areas where you are not allowed to enter."

Unless there are special circumstances, Tan Jincheng generally doesn't like outsiders to visit the headquarters of Flash Motors. A company needs to have a certain sense of mystery; it would be too boring if just anyone could come in and visit at will.

However, it's good to occasionally showcase it to the public and satisfy their curiosity, and this is a great opportunity.
-
Saturday, October 3.

Although it was the weekend, the public area on the first floor of the Flash Drive headquarters building was bustling with activity. Countless cameras and microphones were set up, flashes were going off, and people from all walks of life were chatting quietly while looking towards the entrance.

The first-floor public area was temporarily set up as the press conference venue, and today's spotlight belongs to Orange Technology.

"Why is this kind of event held in a lobby? Aren't these press conferences usually held in hotels?"

"I heard it was Mr. Sun who specifically requested it, but I don't know if it's true or not."

"To be honest, this hotel is not as good as the one here. There are too few good hotels in Beicang, and it takes more than an hour to get to the city center. I really don't know why Orange Technology hasn't moved away yet."

"Speaking of which, Orange Technology now has the resources to build its own headquarters building, right? There's no need for them to keep crammed into the Flash Drive headquarters building."

"Are you stupid? Orange Technology moved away, so aren't President Tan and President Gu going to separate? How could they possibly move away?"

"Sigh, this will limit the development of Orange Technology."

"It doesn't matter. President Tan has always emphasized that his main business is the real economy, and the internet is just something he plays around with. President Sun has become a vice president and reports directly to President Tan. Judging from this, President Gu should be close to retiring soon."

"Haha, it seems our CEO Tan is a bit of a chauvinist. But if CEO Gu steps down, there will be no more obstacles to Orange Technology moving out."

"I heard these two are getting their marriage certificate this National Day?"

"Holy crap? Really? Where did you hear that? It's not good to pry into President Tan's private affairs."

"Haha, don't worry about where I heard it from. Although it sounds a bit far-fetched, it's probably true."

The reason it's not very likely is that these two are too young. These days, people tend to marry and have children later in life. Although Tan Jincheng once publicly stated in a face-to-face interview that one should get married early, no one would believe that he would get married at the age of 23.

"This is too unbelievable! It's one thing for him to be a 23-year-old billionaire, making money is his skill, but his relationship is so stable. I'm not convinced. I'll have to make things difficult for President Gu later." Few people are jealous of how much money someone makes, after all, it depends on skill and opportunity, and adults understand this principle.

However, to be honest, quite a few people are jealous of Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing's relationship.

Today's protagonist is Sun Tongyu, but the reporters don't mind making things difficult for Tan Jincheng or Gu Qingqing. After all, they ignored them for the past few days. Those who arrived early managed to get a few questions, while those who arrived late simply didn't get to see them.

The first group of reporters actually listened to Tan Jincheng's advice and went to Jiufeng Mountain to take some photos of plum blossoms as promotional photos.

It was an unspoken understanding that Boss Tan had given them materials and entertained them, which was tantamount to repaying them.

At 10:00 AM, the scheduled press conference time arrived.

Sun Tongyu entered the venue, flanked by Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing on either side, causing a stir among the attendees.

Three months later, Sun Tongyu, who stepped down as CEO of Taobao, made his first public appearance. Dressed in a suit and tie with short hair, he looked to be in good spirits.

In fact, Sun Tongyu arrived in Beicang on the evening of the 28th. After two days of rest, Sun Tongyu, who had been back in China for a week, felt that he had adjusted himself to his best condition.

During the three months that Sun Tongyu was sent to Daiying, he did not come away empty-handed. He studied diligently at the business school and, through those three months, he developed a clearer and more serious plan for the future.

Modern business systems, as Mr. Tan said, are actually very simple. They simply divide consumers into categories such as the poor, the common people, the middle class, and the rich, and then decide which category of people you want to make money from.

When the economy is booming, you can make money from the middle class; when the economy is down, you can make money from ordinary people and the poor. As for the money of the rich, you can make money in any economic environment, but no matter which category you choose, you need to have a core principle.

No company can make money from all consumers; it must have its own focus.

Sun Tongyu's mind was still replaying the scene of the welcome banquet arranged by President Tan on the evening of the 28th.

"Regardless of the economic environment, for the entire FlashCheer Group, the target consumer group is actually ordinary people, or even the poor. Our goal is to produce or sell high-quality and inexpensive goods to more ordinary people."

"The same applies to electric vehicles, clothing, Orange Products, and the cars we are going to build. Flash will always focus on ordinary consumers, not the so-called middle class."

Isn't this the original core of Taobao? But unfortunately, with the emergence of the Taobao Mall project, Taobao, or rather Ali, has shifted its customer focus. Sun Tongyu is not sure which direction is right, but for him, he prefers the previous model.

"This thing is nothing more than a gamble, but I know I won't lose. Ordinary people will always be the majority."

Yes, doing business with ordinary people may not earn as much and may be more arduous, but as Mr. Tan said, it's reassuring, and there's no need to worry about the target audience shrinking.

Among all the independent brands in the Flash series, there will definitely be its own high-end products, just like the high-end electric vehicle series that won the Olympic Games sponsorship. However, the high-end products are more for enhancing the brand image.

In reality, the products used to make money are still the low-to-mid-range series.

"Mr. Tan shares the same business philosophy as me, which gives me more confidence in our future cooperation."

In Sun Tongyu's career plan, he was not really interested in the current Orange Products Club. This model had already been popularized by Boss Tan, so it was not challenging for him. In fact, he was still thinking about the big promise that Boss Tan had made to him before.

Pinduoduo was essentially gambling on the increase in the number of ordinary people and the poor. In fact, from 2015 to 2020, it was a joke. It did attract a lot of registered users through shameless means, but in reality, it lost money like a fool.

It has a terrible reputation among users. The products on the website are not even worthy of being called counterfeit; they are all knock-off brands. It's as if we've suddenly gone back to the last century. Back then, no one would have thought that such an e-commerce website could succeed.

But a twist of fate actually made his gamble pay off; no wonder Huang Zheng is considered a chosen one.

"Mr. Sun, it's been a long time. I wish you a belated Happy New Year. How have you been feeling since you returned to China?"

The voices of reporters in the audience brought Sun Tongyu back to his senses. The reporter who greeted him was an old acquaintance of his, who had frequently interviewed him during his time at Taobao.

Sun Tongyu nodded with a smile: "Thank you. It feels good to be back in China. Come to think of it, China is more suitable for people like us."

Tan Jincheng wasn't the main character today; he took on the role of host: "Hello, fellow journalists, welcome to Orange Technology's press conference. When it's time for the Q&A session, please feel free to ask any questions you may have. However, please be considerate, it's the Lunar New Year."

The audience burst into laughter. What Boss Tan meant by "saving face" was simply asking everyone to ask fewer questions about Ahri.

After all, Sun Tongyu's identity was far too sensitive for President Ma.

"Mr. Sun, what prompted you to join Orange Technology?"

What's the point of a Q&A session? We can't even wait a minute. What does Orange Technology's future development have to do with me? We're just here to hear the gossip!
(End of this chapter)