2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 528 A Gift at Your Door
This was the first time Tan Jincheng had experienced the boss's work style up close.

In 2007, Taobao's annual revenue reached 433 billion yuan. Sun Tongyu, who single-handedly built Taobao into what it is today, was known for his decisive and efficient work style after joining the company. He worked tirelessly and quickly got into the swing of things.

Mr. Tan left the press conference midway through, leaving the task of controlling the proceedings to Sun Tongyu.

After the press conference ended and arrangements were made for the reporters who came to support the event, Sun Tongyu, accompanied by Gu Qingqing, went to the Orange office area located in the headquarters building.

Orange Technology's logo design features orange as its main element, and from a distance, it has a slight resemblance to the Chinese character "程" (Cheng). Below are the simple letters "CC," making it look concise, clear, and very eye-catching.

This was Sun Tongyu's first visit to Orange Technology's office area. Just like the photos published online, orange elements were everywhere, but the layout wasn't glaringly orange; instead, it was very comfortable to look at.

"The company's layout is a minimalist style that Mr. Tan prefers. However, Mr. Sun also knows that it gets chaotic when things get busy, and most of the programmers are male and don't pay much attention to their personal image."

"Haha, I understand. It's similar on Ali's side, plaid shirts too," Sun Tongyu laughed.

His first stop was naturally his main battlefield, Orange Products Club. Among e-commerce practitioners, Sun Tongyu has a very high status, especially among the shop assistants that Tan Jincheng poached from Taobao.

Compared to Mr. Ma's awesomeness, they were much more affectionate towards Sun Tongyu.

"Mr. Sun!"

As soon as Sun Tongyu entered, several waiters saw him and stood up to greet him with some excitement.

Sun Tongyu smiled and waved, jokingly saying to Gu Qingqing, "Quite a few old acquaintances. It seems President Tan has been poaching quite a few people. Was his detour to Hangzhou last year not just because of me?"

"That time I really did make a special detour for President Sun, but you know our President Tan's reputation, so I had to bring something with me."

"Haha, even President Gu complained about President Tan's habit of leaving a trace."

Tan Jincheng's name has long been a source of amusement and jokes. If a batch of skilled employees arrives, even the company's own employees will jokingly say that this is another one of the things that Boss Tan casually brought in.

When will President Tan be back?

When President Tan left midway through the event to receive a phone call, it must have been an important call. Sun Tongyu, already immersed in the role, couldn't help but want to find out more.

"I'm not entirely sure. Let's get started on the coordination. I'll be troubling Mr. Sun a lot this year."

"Mr. Gu, you're welcome."

Sun Tongyu was a senior colleague. Although Tan Jincheng's recruitment process was not exactly honorable, he respected Sun Tongyu's work ability. Gu Qingqing felt the same way, and Sun Tongyu could feel this respect.

The biggest impression is that Tan Jincheng dares to delegate authority. He was appointed as the vice president right away, and he even had the right to interfere with the business of Kaixin.com. This kind of delegation requires great courage.

Sun Tongyu acknowledges that the young Tan Jincheng has achieved so much, both in terms of his accomplishments and his willingness to delegate authority.

Sun Tongyu actually admired Gu Qingqing. As a college student, she was forced into a position that didn't belong to her at the age of 20, and she had to learn all the work tasks on the spot, which was quite difficult.

Despite having the assistance of many people, including Tan Jincheng, the fact that she managed Orange Technology so well speaks volumes about her abilities.

Living in the shadow of Tan Jincheng's fame, the CEO of Orange Technology seems to have never had her personal abilities truly recognized by the outside world.

However, what Sun Tongyu admired most was Gu Qingqing's decision to step down from the front lines. After he took office, he could tell from the personnel changes at Orange Technology that Gu Qingqing intended to step down from the front lines.

Women can be just as career-driven, just like my husband; it's a story full of tears.

If I have the chance, I really should ask Mr. Tan how he persuaded Mr. Gu to retire behind the scenes.

After receiving a phone call, Tan Jincheng returned to Orange Technology. Sun Tongyu, accompanied by Gu Qingqing, was inspecting Orange Technology's customer service department. Li Jinglan, who had been sent away by Tan Jincheng to study for several months, had now returned to her post.

Currently, Li Jinglan holds the title of Deputy General Manager of the Customer Service Department. She is being mentored by a senior employee recruited from Taobao, who is mainly learning management knowledge.

"Are you still used to it?"

Tan Jincheng glanced at Li Jinglan, who was dressed in uniform and also had a ponytail like Gu Qingqing.

"It takes a little while to get used to, but I'll get used to it slowly." Li Jinglan stuck out her tongue.

In front of Tan Jincheng, Li Jinglan felt like a little sister. Her occasional mischievousness made things easier for him. As for work, she knew that Boss Tan was training her, so she naturally put her heart into it.

"Take your time, calm down and learn more from them."

"Good."

The seemingly ordinary conversation was also a way of showing Sun Tongyu, who was standing to the side, that Li Jinglan was one of his people. He was placing Li Jinglan here to learn, not only because she was well-suited for customer service work, but also because Tan Jincheng intended to keep an eye on things within the company after Gu Qingqing stepped down. While delegating authority, he couldn't be completely oblivious to the company's current situation.

"Mr. Sun, let's go to the office. We need to discuss something."

To be honest, neither Flashpoint nor Orange Technology is short of money. Banks are more concerned about the company's development than Tan Jincheng. Bank presidents often ask Mr. Tan if he needs money or if he needs a loan.

However, Tan Jincheng was quite cautious about loans. In his previous life, he had seen too many big bosses who went bankrupt due to blind expansion. Therefore, apart from Hangxin New Energy's power battery, which required a lot of loans, Shanchi Group strictly controlled the amount of loans for its other subsidiaries.

In the short term, it's acceptable to cross the safety line, but in the long term, you must stay below the safety line.

The economic situation this year is unpredictable. When you have plenty of money, you're the bank's darling, but when the situation becomes unclear, things can get complicated.

However, since the district has sent someone of the rank of Leader Gu, who is also very close to Tan Jincheng, to personally persuade him, it would be unreasonable not to show any appreciation. Besides, it is indeed a good opportunity.

The fact that you can choose any plot of land is quite tempting.

Orange Technology's headquarters definitely can't be located in a remote place; it has to be in the center of Beicang District.

In fact, when Leader Gu said that any piece of land could be chosen, Tan Jincheng already had an ideal plot in mind, which was the location of the future Yintai City, which is relatively close to the current location of the Flash Motors headquarters building.

The two companies' headquarters buildings are located together, which can perfectly integrate them into a business district and allow the two companies to be more closely connected.

"The district plans to grant Orange Technology a preferential loan and land use rights, allowing them to choose any plot of land they want."

After the three of them sat down at the coffee table in Gu Qingqing's office, Tan Jincheng raised an eyebrow and said.

Sun Tongyu accepted the tea offered by Tan Jincheng and replied with a smile, "Building a headquarters building?"

"Yes, what does Mr. Sun think?"

“What a great opportunity! Although we don’t have any plans to build a headquarters building for the time being, that’s only from a financial perspective. Since money and land are being offered to us, why not build it? The longer we postpone it, the higher the cost will be.”

That's absolutely true. These days, the construction cost per square meter is relatively cheap, at least in terms of labor. In three to five years, the price will be completely different, and the cost may even double.

"Haha, that's what I was thinking too. Mr. Sun, you can contact the district next. I already have a general idea of ​​the land location."

"It can't be in a remote place, can it? Orange Technology can't be too remote."

He knew that Tan Jincheng was used to acquiring land in relatively remote areas. To put it nicely, it was a kind of selfless act, but to outsiders, it was either greedy or a victim of injustice.

"That's definitely impossible. The companies are different. The land isn't far from here. Wait a minute, I'll find a map and show it to you."

Part of the Yintai City site is currently rural, and part is still farmland. Tan Jincheng doesn't know if other real estate developers have their eyes on this area, since Yintai City opened in 2014, which is still six years away.

Normally, it would be quite common for real estate developers to acquire and hoard land six years ago, but that's not important. There aren't any well-known real estate developers in the Beicang area right now.

Orange Technology, which has the potential to set a record for the fastest IPO in China, has its eye on this location and wants to build its headquarters here. So, they've taken it.

There was a map in the office. Tan Jincheng found the map and drew a circle on it.

"It's really close. This place is pretty good."

"Okay, you can go and do an on-site inspection later. Also, visit a few other places to make it look like you're there. You can handle the specific details with the district."

If the future Yintai urban area is connected with the current FlashCar headquarters building, then a large part of the most prosperous area in Beicang in the future will belong to the FlashCar group.

Although the current administrative center has not yet moved here.

It's wonderful to think about. Although Mr. Tan has always maintained restraint in the real estate industry, he will definitely take as many big gifts as possible when they are offered to him.

What Boss Tan didn't know was that another opportunity was waiting for him. Last year, he had spent a long time researching Changfeng Group, which hadn't reacted much at the time. But with the news of Shanchi Group's entry into the automotive industry, Changfeng Group took the initiative to contact the secretariat of Shanchi Group.

Troubled by declining sales and a deteriorating financial situation, Changfeng Group finally lowered its proud head and proactively extended a research invitation to Tan Jincheng.

There was nothing we could do. Last year, Huang Ming came to investigate for two months, but there was no response at all. This year, right after the Spring Festival, Huang Ming and Cheng Linfeng both went to Liaoning Province.

Desperate for a solution, Changfeng Group urgently needs funds to resolve its financial difficulties.

(End of this chapter)