2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 579 Boss Tan in a Great Mood
The atmosphere in China during August belonged to sports and the Olympics.

From the moment the first Olympic gold medal was awarded on August 9th, public sentiment has been swayed by the Olympics, and any news related to the Olympics has garnered significant attention and exposure.

The gold medal rankings on major websites have extremely high click rates.

Although it has nothing to do with sports, Kaixin.com also created an Olympic Games section and, uniquely, a section for athletes from each province.

The goal of sports is certainly to achieve results, but it also includes the spirit of striving.

In addition to the medal rankings, Kaixin.com also has a popularity and encouragement ranking for athletes from each province, allowing voters to vote on athletes from each province who had regrets during the Olympic Games.

The most popular participant will receive an incentive bonus of 20 yuan from Olympic sponsor FlashTech, a move that has caught the attention of netizens.

Kaixin.com also promoted the background of this list through various press releases, mainly to get netizens to pay attention to some niche sports, and took the initiative to introduce the difficulties of some niche sports and the hard work of the athletes.

This method has indeed made many people aware of some niche projects. As for how much publicity it can achieve, Tan Jincheng doesn't care much. There aren't many spots available, and spending about 200 million yuan more on publicity will be enough.

"You guys were really on top of the game at the recent Olympics," Zhang Congxun said sourly.

Zhang Congxun, whom I hadn't seen for a long time, happened to be in the capital on a business trip. Tan Jincheng was also in the capital these days, so we contacted each other, and Tan Jincheng invited him to watch a diving competition together.

Diving is a major sport and a popular event, so to be honest, tickets aren't easy to get.

"Haha, that was two years ago. You still remember it? Look, I've invited you to watch such a great match."

Flash Motors' success isn't limited to electric vehicles; GXG's recent advertising campaigns are also ubiquitous, featuring a key player from the men's basketball team as its spokesperson. Sun Dasheng was very popular in 2008.

Tan Jincheng still remembers seeing the scene of him flying behind Anthony to block him at the Olympic Games in his previous life.

Furthermore, this men's basketball team can be said to be the peak in recent years. Their success is due to the fighting spirit and tenacity they displayed on the Olympic stage, which will never be seen again.

During the Olympics, the two brands under its umbrella advertised everywhere. Many people may not know who Flash Group is, but the brand awareness of Flash Electric Vehicles and GXG has definitely skyrocketed.

Similarly, the sales of both brands also rose steadily during the Olympics, with the most obvious increase being in electric vehicle sales in the capital city.

"So what if it's been two years? I'll remember this for the rest of my life, okay?"

Zhang Congxun feels frustrated and angry whenever he thinks about being robbed of his Olympic sponsorship spot. It's infuriating, absolutely infuriating.

He came to the capital on a business trip and saw that Flash Motors supplied electric vehicles for the Olympics. He also experienced it firsthand. Although he couldn't take apart the internal components to take a look, he could clearly feel Flash Motors' technological advantages after so many years in the industry.

They're good at marketing and have a technological advantage, so how can anyone compete?
"No, no, no, don't say things like 'remember me for life,' it sounds weird. Actually, you don't need to worry too much. The electric vehicle market is even more fragmented than the car market, and no one can achieve a monopoly. Anyway, everyone can make a living."

Physical enterprises, especially those involved in consumption, cannot and should not be monopolized. Once a monopoly is established, it will be a terrifying thing for consumers. In the past, those new energy vehicle companies that used internet thinking to build cars often touted that in the end only four or five car companies could survive in the market.

If there were only four or five car companies in the national market, then we would be doomed.

Looking at mobile phones, before they were dominated by leading companies, although the quality varied, they could meet the needs of at least 80% of consumers. But after only a few leading companies dominated, the variety of mobile phones became much less.

With fewer options available, prices have become increasingly expensive. All manufacturers have started piling on features, even though many of these so-called functions are unnecessary; it's all about selling at a higher price.

"That's true, but it's still a bit unfair that you stole it from me. I also had such a great opportunity. Anyway, I wish you all the best."

This is a rare development opportunity for FlashDrive, but Tan Jincheng's extensive publicity is also a development opportunity for the entire industry.

"Haha, let's not talk about that, let's focus on the game; by the way, do you have time to come to my wedding during the National Day holiday?"

It's clear that Mr. Tan has been in a good mood lately, at least since the 8th. He even shared photos from the opening ceremony on the evening of the 8th to his social media.

"Huh? Didn't you say you weren't going to hold a big event?"

"I didn't plan to have a big wedding before, and I didn't have the time, but many friends have asked about it, and I can't be so heartless, so I thought I'd have to have one." "Haha, you're a young person, why do you want to have a low-key wedding? Is it really necessary? I told you a long time ago that you should have a big one. It's a rare social occasion. Don't worry, it's National Day, I can always find the time."

"Okay, I'll send you an invitation when I get back."

Zhang Congxun nodded without saying anything. He was genuinely a little jealous of Tan Jincheng. Tan Jincheng was successful in his career, successful in his love life, and young. He was living the high life.

"Your car company has now obtained the necessary licenses. When will the cars go on sale? I remember you were the one who planned the marketing for the Zhongtai 2008 model, right? I haven't seen any advertising for it."

"It's still a long way off for independent brands, but our Yangzi pickup trucks are on sale right now. You could buy a few to support us; our company can use them."

Pickup trucks are really a practical type of vehicle. It's a pity that there are scrapping regulations and restrictions in some cities. Otherwise, this thing would be incredibly useful for ordinary families and would definitely sell like hotcakes.

The front row functions like a sedan, the back row can be used for hauling cargo, and it can also be converted into an SUV.

"You little rascal, you never stop trying to take advantage of me. I shouldn't have come to see you."

"Hahaha."

In a great mood, Boss Tan accidentally laughed a little too loudly, attracting the attention of the people around him.

Changfeng Group's stock price plummeted on the 8th, and when the market opened on Monday the 11th, it experienced another sharp drop of 8.84%, with the stock price reaching 5.36 yuan that day, and the total market value approaching 20 billion yuan.

In the following days, Changfeng Group's stock price, like the overall market, remained sluggish, frequently touching the 5 yuan level, while the Shanghai Composite Index had already fallen below 2500 points.

At this point, the US stock market had already begun to decline, and unsurprisingly, the day of the real showdown was approaching.

Cheng Linfeng has been tentatively shorting US stocks since August 11th, and there are already some signs of profit.

The accounts used by ByteDance to short US stocks were opened in Hong Kong, and the 20 billion yuan in funds were also transferred out of the country through Sequoia Capital, distributed across a total of 100 accounts.

Short selling involves leverage, and the leverage ratio varies from market to market. Generally, the leverage is two to four times, but some special short selling methods can even put the leverage up to 10 times or more.

Even if a sum of 20 billion is only doubled, it can still cause some trouble in the capital market. Controlling through multiple accounts is the best way to mitigate risk.

Cheng Linfeng has already taken his team to Hong Kong. It's still a bit inconvenient in China, and Boss Tan is a little worried about going to the US. Hong Kong is a good choice.

Starting in mid-August, Cheng Linfeng and his team members would stay in hotels in Hong Kong for at least a month, during which time they would not contact anyone and would focus on shorting US stocks.

To prevent any accidents, Lai Yiu-fai also went along, partly to supervise Tan Kam-ching and partly to help them with their living problems.

Besides these, the team members were all carefully selected, and their families, including Cheng Linfeng, were under Tan Jincheng's surveillance. 20 billion! If they went to Hong Kong and ran away, it would really be a big problem for Boss Tan.

As for whether Lai Yiu-fai would collude with them, Tan Jincheng had no need to worry about that. Lai Yiu-fai's wife was still working at Flash Group, and his child was currently in Beicang. Tan Jincheng simply didn't believe that Lai Yiu-fai would betray him.

Summer vacation has arrived, and Flash Group's daycare center has reopened, which has become a tradition at Flash Group.

Compared to the past, the conditions in the nursery are much better now, and there are more and more children. Lai Yiu-fai's wife helps out at this temporary nursery, and their children can play with them as well.

Changfeng Group's market value is approaching 20 billion yuan, while Shuguang Auto's market value is less than 12 billion yuan. 5% of the shares only cost less than 6000 million yuan, which is incredibly cheap.

"When are you going back? Don't just send out invitations, remember to bring some wedding candy and cigarettes too, so we can share in the joy."

Tan Jincheng stared at the arena, his eyes unfocused: "It'll be soon, we'll be going back soon."

I don't know when the news from Old Mi came over.

(End of this chapter)