After Christmas, New Year's Day is approaching. The battle line for cultural and tourism projects has been drawn out long enough. The official meaning is to complete the bidding as soon as possible and come up with the results by the end of the year, and not delay it until after the Spring Festival.
As time was not very abundant, Chu Shichen finished the first version of the bid and immediately made the first refinement to strengthen the logical structure.
A bid document needs to be accompanied by various materials. On Monday when he went to work, Chu Shichen held a meeting with the business team to assign tasks and integrate the attachments that needed to be submitted.
Just after the meeting, the park’s visitor center called and said that the UT company team had arrived.
For this project, Xiangyue will cooperate with UT on some of the hardware. Both parties need to discuss the details of product licensing and are preparing to finalize the contract today.
Chu Shichen personally went to the visit center to receive Owen. The last time they met was at a promotion meeting, but the plan changed drastically after the unexpected situation. He apologized, "UT is very welcome. Thank you for waiting for us."
Owen smiled and shrugged: "Xiang Yue is even more popular. Thank you Mr. Xiang and Secretary Chu for choosing us."
After a brief tour of the campus, Chu Shichen led the UT team to the sales department's meeting room. He asked Owen, "We still have some time. Are you interested in having a cup of coffee?"
Owen was happy to sit with Chu Shichen in the reception room.
Each company has different cooperative manufacturers, and some industry news will be leaked between the manufacturers. Chu Shichen wants to test the quotation fluctuations of other companies.
Owen was also concerned about this issue and asked, "Xiang Yue wants to adjust the price?"
Before the cooperation is achieved, it is taboo to be vague. Chu Shichen answered affirmatively: "No, we have no plan."
After finishing the coffee, Xiang Mingzhang just came back from Lao Xiangyue, and the two sides began to negotiate. After finalizing the content of the agreement, UT delivered the information file.
We were originally planning to have dinner together, but Owen had to rush back to Nanjing to report to the headquarters, so we had to make an appointment later.
Xiang Mingzhang and Chu Shichen saw the UT team off and did not return to the office building. Instead, they walked along the edge of the campus and discussed bidding matters.
Someone had hung a Christmas ball on the pine tree in the garden. Chu Shichen asked with concern, "Did you go to see your aunt that night?"
"Yes." Xiang Mingzhang said, "I took a walk with her and chatted with her for a while."
Chu Shichen asked, "Auntie, are you happy?"
Xiang Mingzhang thought of Bai Yongti smiling at him and said, "He should be happy."
Chu Shichen asked: "What about you?"
Xiang Mingzhang said casually, "It's OK. I told her about us."
Chu Shichen stopped. He once thought that this was a secret that he had to hide for a lifetime, but when he came to the new century, Mrs. Chu and Chu Shihui's attitude made him realize that homosexuality was not a hidden disease and he could be honest with his family.
But he had never thought that Xiang Mingzhang would confess so easily. During the time they were taking a walk and chatting, he should at least make a pot of tea... He asked, "What was your aunt's reaction?"
"She asked me if I was serious," Xiang Mingzhang said.
"No more?" Chu Shichen asked, "How is Auntie feeling? Not angry? Can she accept it?"
With Bai Yongti's experience, she has let go of everything. Even if she hasn't, Xiang Mingzhang is arrogant in his bones and has never taken "coming out" seriously, let alone caring what others think.
However, he overlooked that this "Chu Shichen" was an antique from the last century and probably cared a lot about the attitudes of his elders. He comforted her, "Don't be nervous. My mother understands my orientation and she can accept it."
Chu Shichen nodded in confusion, as if he hadn't come back to his senses.
Xiang Mingzhang felt that he had frightened her and hesitated about how to comfort her. Suddenly, Chu Shichen said, "Since my aunt has no objection, I should pay her a formal visit."
Xiang Mingzhang smiled and said, "Haven't you visited several times?"
"It's different." Chu Shichen said seriously, "The purpose of my visit is to tell my aunt that I have chosen her son. I ask her to rest assured and to guarantee that you will not fall in love with others again."
Xiang Mingzhang was stunned when he heard this. All the pedantic old rules disappeared because of Chu Shichen's word "determination", leaving only excitement.
He said: "After this busy period, it will be time for the New Year holiday, and we can go visit my mother together."
"Okay." Chu Shichen agreed, paused for a second, and whispered to himself, "Oh my God, I'm going to celebrate the New Year in the 21st century."
Before the holiday, the project team worked hard from dawn to dusk to sprint to the decisive stage.
Chu Shichen revised the bid six times, finalized the final version, and completed the presentation document in one go.
The presentation took a total of one hour, including the opening and question-answering at the beginning and end. Chu Shichen practiced repeatedly and adjusted his speaking speed to the best.
The day before the bidding, Xiang Mingzhang arranged everything and didn't have time to drink a sip of water the whole day. He came out of the office with an empty cup and found that there was no one in the secretary's office.
After making some ginseng tea in the tea room, Xiang Mingzhang carried the cup around the office area and the rest area, just to stretch his muscles. When he passed the independent conversation room, he couldn't help but stop.
It was a semi-open room with an entire glass wall, smaller than a conference room. Chu Shichen didn't know how long he had stayed there. He took off his restrictive coat and restrainedly rolled up his shirt cuffs, leaving only his wrists exposed. Faint blue veins appeared on the back of his hands as he wrote on the whiteboard.
This was the first time that Chu Shichen appeared "untidy" in the company. Although he was hiding in the conversation room, he was very conspicuous.
Xiang Mingzhang, relying on his high position and power, walked straight in through the back door without knocking, and stood at the end of the long table with light steps.
Chu Shichen was so focused that he didn't notice it. He kept explaining to himself until his voice became hoarse. He put his fist to his lips and coughed twice.
The ginseng tea was just the right temperature, so Xiang Mingzhang said, "Let's take a break."
Chu Shichen turned around suddenly: "When did you come in?"
Xiang Mingzhang walked over, handed over the cup, and said, "You are too focused."
Chu Shichen took a sip of the hot tea, but felt tired after drinking it. He asked fearlessly, "Mr. Xiang, can you help me wipe the whiteboard?"
Xiang Mingzhang did as he was told and wiped the crowded words on the whiteboard. They were all on edge for the bidding and it was not appropriate to talk about business. He asked, "What are you going to wear tomorrow?"
Chu Shichen said: "Black suit."
Xiang Mingzhang advised: "Go back home today and go to bed early to get enough rest."
Chu Shichen looked through past cases. After the bidding was over, some parties would negotiate with the top two companies with the highest scores to make the final bargaining.
This project is officially managed and everyone is treated equally without any unnecessary steps, so bidders must seize the opportunity and go all out.
There was not a single word left on the whiteboard, and Chu Shichen's brain went blank. All the content was memorized in his mind. He was ready.
After finishing the ginseng tea, he and Xiang Mingzhang agreed: "If it is completed successfully, I hope to hear your congratulations when I step down from the stage."
The bidding conference was held in the Municipal People's Hall. It included a jury including the selection group, representatives of co-organizers from various regions, and bidding company teams. This bidding was grand in scale both in terms of the number of people and the time spent.
Chu Shichen was already familiar with the process. He signed in, opened the box and submitted the bid in public. After everyone entered, the leader of the selection group sat in the first row, and Hu Xiushan was in the middle.
After layers of screening, there are twelve companies left. The four companies that have been officially inspected are more competitive. In addition to Xiang Yue, there are Zhitian Chuangxiang and two other companies.
Hu Xiushan gave an opening speech, the general manager's office read out the bid evaluation rules, and then began to read out the bids.
Meng Tao was responsible for recording the data. The quotations of seven companies had been adjusted, including Zhitian Chuangxiang. The prices were arranged from low to high, and Xiang Yue's quotation was third from the bottom.
Chu Shichen looked straight ahead calmly, and Li Heng glanced back at him out of the corner of his eye.
Peng Xin whispered, "I dreamed about horses last night."
Chu Shichen was puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Peng Xin: "I looked up the Zhou Gong Interpretation of Dreams, and it's a good omen."
Xiang Mingzhang said in an anti-superstitious tone: "Then go and draw the lot. If you draw the first four, it will be considered effective."
It is better to present the proposal early rather than late, otherwise the judges will be tired and it is not easy to leave a deep impression. Peng Xin lived up to everyone's expectations and helped Xiang Yue win the third place.
The leaders moved to the multi-functional conference hall and the team of the company that was drawn first made preparations.
At this time, the wait became fleeting. Chu Shichen drank two sips of mineral water, looked at his watch, and it was their turn.
The multifunctional conference room is over 100 square meters. The bidding judges sit on the side of the stage, and below them are leaders from Beijing and other places.
First, the technical standards were discussed, with Xiang Mingzhang as the main speaker and Xiang Ruxu assisting in answering questions.
The lights dimmed slightly, leaving only a circle of light around the curtain. Xiang Mingzhang stood on the stage, tall and handsome, and his every move was dazzling.
Chu Shichen read all the bidding documents from previous years without missing a single word. In the years when Xiang Yue was developing, more than half of the projects were handled by Xiang Mingzhang himself.
He was distracted for a moment, and the bidding presentation began. Xiang Mingzhang's presentation style was consistent with the concept of the plan, and it was solid and practical, without any unnecessary bricks or tiles, and without any meaningless nonsense.
Xiang Mingzhang is a combination of academic and empirical school. He knows where to speed up and where to slow down, and he remains relaxed, while his commentary throughout the whole process is well-paced.
Chu Shichen listened attentively, thinking back to the meeting before they went to Beijing. Xiang Mingzhang had done what he said at the time. The functions were clear, the modules were connected smoothly, and the entire system was comprehensive and stable.
The entire technical proposal fully demonstrates their level, the client's needs, and the characteristics of the system - powerful, stable, and sophisticated.
It ended two minutes earlier than expected. Xiang Mingzhang finished cleanly and bowed gently to the judges.
Below is the business logo. Chu Shichen stood up and straightened his clothes. When he walked towards the podium, he brushed shoulders with Xiang Mingzhang. Their eyes met for a moment and the backs of each other's hands rubbed against each other.
Chu Shichen took the stage under everyone's gaze. The audience was in darkness, and he suddenly felt it was so unreal.
During this time, he worked at Xiangyue, and he had no idea what a "tech company" was. He was surprised by everything he knew, was curious about logging into the system, and felt an unprecedented shock when he entered the data center.
After much exploration, Chu Shichen finally stood on the podium.
He had seen Zhai Feng explain the bidding, which was gentle and skillful, and he had also seen Peng Xin explain the bidding, which was smart and flexible. Just now he saw Xiang Mingzhang explain the bidding, which had a strong aura and was very to the point, a complete display of his strong abilities.
Now it was his turn.
Chu Shichen weighed the microphone, and his clear voice spread throughout the conference room: "Dear leaders, let me explain Xiang Yue's business plan to you."
The screen flickered, and Chu Shichen spent five minutes going through the table of contents. The main text began, and a set of charts occupied the entire screen.
There are numerous system modules, and Chu Shichen provides detailed quotations for all parts included in the technical specifications. Every piece of data has been repeatedly calculated and configured, and is clear at a glance.
In addition to the budget for the system itself, Chu Shichen talked about the hidden costs of the project, namely the manpower investment in subsequent operation training, maintenance and upgrades.
He said: "Many companies will deliberately ignore this point and create an effect of saving the client's budget, and then continue to add to the budget after the project is implemented. This not only delays the progress, but also causes internal friction for both parties."
"So my principle is to make the accounts public and traceable. To put it simply, when it comes to money, how much is spent is not the key. The most important thing is to know where each sum of money is spent."
After talking about human resources, Chu Shichen returned to the company's hardware level. The previous on-site inspection was very successful. Xiang Yue's R&D capabilities and equipment are top-notch in the industry, and he wants to strengthen this advantage.
It is like two products, one expensive and the other cheap. The impact of price is intuitive. To make customers resist the temptation of low prices, we must start with demand and highlight cost-effectiveness.
Chu Shichen said: "The choice is up to the government. I just want you to understand what this project really needs. It's a high-end tool that can solve the problem in the long run, not a few cents of short-term satisfaction."
Xiang Mingzhang sat in the audience, occasionally glancing at the judges' reactions, but mostly staring at Chu Shichen. He clasped his palms together in his lap, his palms warm from the heat.
Chu Shichen's speech was extremely comprehensive, and he immediately answered questions after it ended.
He did not bring any assistants with him. From the beginning of the project to now, no one knew the business details better than him. Hu Xiushan, the general manager's office, and technical backbones all focused on different aspects, and he answered all of them fluently.
The atmosphere in the conference room became heated. Chu Shichen only spent thirteen minutes instead of the expected twenty minutes of Q&A time.
Xiang Mingzhang suddenly thought of the whiteboard in the conversation room. What he had erased were the predictions Chu Shichen had made at this moment based on his understanding and repeated analysis.
With seven minutes remaining, the judges whispered to each other and nodded frequently.
Hu Xiushan leaned closer to the microphone and added two more questions. Finally, he said with concern: "Xiang Yue is very well prepared and seems to have invested a lot."
Chu Shichen said: "Since the project was announced, Xiang Yue has only one goal, to strive for it and then achieve it."
Hu Xiushan asked: "How confident is Xiang Yue about this project?"
Chu Shichen pressed the remote control, and the presentation file played to the last page, which showed the logos of Xiang Yue and Yi Si, one above and one below. He replied, "These two logos are on the screen and will remain in the project in the future."
After this confident closing remark, Hu Xiushan was stunned for a moment, then led the applause.
There was warm applause from the audience as Chu Shichen's speech came to an end. He thought his tense nerves would relax, but he found that his heart was still beating. It turned out that he was not nervous.
He was just as resolute as he had been when he spoke in the second floor conference room of Fuhua Bank, when he spoke in the meeting room of the bank union, and when he negotiated at the point of a saber or a gun.
He stepped down from the podium and walked to his seat, and Xiang Mingzhang stood up and applauded.
He asked, “Did I do that?”
The last page did not have the speaker's signature. Amid the celebrations and heated discussions around him, Xiang Mingzhang whispered, "Congratulations, Shen Ruozhen."
(End of this chapter)