Chapter 259 - 216: Loyalty, Loyalty, and Damn Loyalty

Chapter 259: Chapter 216: Loyalty, Loyalty, and Damn Loyalty

As Qi Min’s voice faded, the expressions of the many executives in the room grew solemn.

Given the scale and attendees of today’s group meeting, even the most oblivious person could tell something major was about to happen. Change meant shake-ups, and shake-ups meant opportunities.

With the future of the group and their own careers at stake, everyone was on high alert.

"Everyone..."

"Today is December 30th. In two days, it will be a new year."

"I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year in advance."

In the space of half a year, Gu Heng was no longer that green youth.

Now, even with dozens of people seated before him, he remained as steady as a rock.

As his clear voice rang out, the executives immediately responded with applause.

"They say a new year brings a new start. For Zhen Cui Group, this coming year must also bring new changes, new growth, and new achievements."

"Therefore..."

"The main reason I’ve convened this group meeting today is to announce something. I intend to inject four hundred million into Zhen Cui Group. Starting next year, Zhen Cui Group will officially expand beyond Ji Province, targeting the northern market for a full-scale expansion!"

Gu Heng’s voice was firm and powerful, and to the executives present, the content of his words was nothing short of a thunderclap on a clear day.

A four-hundred-million injection!

Expanding beyond Ji Province!

Full-scale expansion!

The moment Gu Heng finished speaking, the large LED screen behind him lit up. There was no fancy background, just a single line of bright red text: Zhen Cui Group Northern Market Full-Scale Expansion Implementation Plan (2024-2025).

Simple, direct, and straight to the point.

Very few people knew about the formulation of this implementation plan, so when Gu Heng officially announced it, the executives’ reactions were quite strong.

Xu Liang and Guo Jia Hui’s eyes were wide with shock.

"Holy shit!"

"A four-hundred-million injection to kick off a full-scale expansion!"

"Chairman Gu is truly daring!"

Guo Jia Hui stared at the bright red text on the LED screen, his breathing inexplicably quickening.

The investment meant the group’s strength would increase.

Expansion meant the group’s scale would grow.

Under these circumstances, the group was bound for an earth-shattering transformation.

Right now, he was considered one of the group’s "Governors," a high-level executive.

But if the group entered a full-scale expansion mode, the number of directly operated stores would increase. A store general manager like him would likely be pushed out of the ranks of the top executives.

Maintaining the status quo would definitely be disadvantageous for Guo Jia Hui.

However, if he could seize this opportunity to advance and become a vanguard in the group’s expansion, his social status, annual salary, and the authority of his position would probably change drastically in an instant.

Before, the group had a fixed size.

Every position was filled, and the posts further up the ladder were limited.

If he wanted to advance further, he could only wait it out.

But things were different now. If the group launched a full-scale expansion, there would inevitably be countless new positions and opportunities. As long as he could seize one, he could ride the wave to the top.

This was what Guo Jia Hui was thinking, what Xu Liang was thinking, and what the other group executives were thinking as well.

’Who doesn’t want to get ahead?’

’Who doesn’t want a promotion and a raise?’

’Before, there were no opportunities. Now, countless opportunities are laid out right in front of us.’

’Who wouldn’t be tempted?’

’Who could possibly remain indifferent?’

The executives broke into a flurry of discussion, while Gu Heng, Qi Min, and Zhuang Hanyu, seated at the front, watched them quietly, giving them some time to digest the news.

After a few dozen seconds, the conference room finally fell silent again.

The eyes of every executive were unusually bright.

"The Zhen Cui Group Northern Market Full-Scale Expansion Implementation Plan, after careful consideration by the group, will be carried out in three phases: the preliminary preparation phase, the trial period implementation phase, and the expansion period implementation phase. The total estimated implementation time is one and a half years."

As Gu Heng spoke, the content on the LED screen behind him changed again.

"Our target cities for the trial period are four in total."

Gu Heng announced, "They are Jin City, Fengtian, Ice City, and Stone Gate. This one first-tier city and three second-tier cities will serve as the pilot cities for our Zhen Cui Group’s northern market expansion plan. They will help us accumulate experience and establish a standardized expansion model for the subsequent eight target cities."

For this northern market expansion plan, Gu Heng, after numerous discussions with Qi Min and Zhuang Hanyu, had finalized a total of 12 cities.

The list included one super first-tier city, Yanjing; four first-tier cities, Jin City, Qingdao, Shangdu, and Chang’an; and seven second-tier cities, Qi Province, Fengtian, Ice City, Stone Gate, Dalian, Bingzhou, and Lai Province. The expansion’s scope would cover the entire Northeast and North China.

"Before the troops move, the provisions go first."

"Everyone here is a veteran of the food and beverage industry. You all know just how crucial the supply chain is. Therefore, the first step of our implementation plan, the preliminary preparation phase, is to build a supply chain network that can cover the entire Northeast and the entire Jingjinji region."

"We will establish a large central kitchen in Jin City, complete with a cold-chain processing center and flash-freezing cold storage. We will also set up a central distribution system to ensure next-day delivery for all stores in the Jingjinji Region."

"Additionally, we will add a regional warehouse in Fengtian to store ingredients for the Northeast Region. The initial capacity of this warehouse will be 1,500 tons. And just like the central kitchen, it will have its own central distribution system to guarantee next-day delivery for all stores in the Northeast Region."

At this point, Gu Heng’s gaze slowly fell upon Zhen Cui Group’s Vice President, Zhang Shengfei. He smiled slightly. "President Zhang, you’ve always been in charge of our group’s supply chain operations. I’m putting you in charge of building this new supply chain network, establishing the large central kitchen, and the Fengtian storage warehouse. Do you foresee any difficulties?"

The moment Gu Heng said this, a jolt went through all the executives. They knew Gu Heng was starting to assign his generals.

"No difficulties at all!"

"Thank you for your trust, Chairman Gu. I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

Zhang Shengfei, looking somewhat excited, answered loudly at once.

Gu Heng had entrusted this task to him. As long as he completed it successfully, it would be a matter of course for both the large central kitchen and the Fengtian storage warehouse to fall under his management once they were built.

His title might not change, and he would still be overseeing the group’s supply chain, but the actual power of his position would have multiplied several times over in an instant.

The other executives all cast envious glances at Zhang Shengfei, the first to reap the rewards of the group’s investment and expansion.

"I haven’t even given you a deadline, and you’re already making guarantees?"

Gu Heng looked at the beaming Zhang Shengfei and asked with a chuckle.

"Any deadline the group sets is undoubtedly a wise and correct decision made by Chairman Gu, President Qi, and President Zhuang after careful deliberation. So no matter how difficult the final deadline is, I will uphold it with the discipline of a military command, lead my team to overcome all obstacles with the resolve of one burning their bridges, and ensure the task is completed with high quality, high standards, and high efficiency."

Zhang Shengfei’s firm and forceful voice echoed throughout the large conference room.

His expression was exceptionally sincere, his gaze as firm as someone swearing an oath to the party. Loyalty was written all over his face.

’Fuck!’

’This old bastard is a real fucking bootlicker!’

The other group executives all cursed him in their minds.

’Dammit!’

’Chairman Gu has only just started handing out assignments, and you’ve already set the bar this high. How is anyone else supposed to show their loyalty now?’

Zhang Shengfei acted as if he didn’t notice the strange looks from those around him.

His gaze was firm, his expression sincere.

’Loyalty, loyalty, and still more fucking loyalty!’

"Very good!"

"President Zhang, with this kind of determination, it seems we didn’t misjudge you!"

Hearing Zhang Shengfei’s declaration, Gu Heng, as the boss, was indeed very pleased.

Regardless of whether Zhang Shengfei could actually walk the talk, in a setting like this, they truly needed someone like him to boost morale.

"I’m giving you three months. I want the large central kitchen in Jin City and the storage warehouse in Fengtian built, and the entire supply and distribution chains for the Northeast and Jingjinji regions fully established."

Gu Heng said no more, directly giving Zhang Shengfei his deadline.

"I guarantee I’ll complete the mission!"

Zhang Shengfei responded loudly once again.

Gu Heng nodded slightly, then his gaze swept over the executives once more as he continued to lay out the group’s expansion plan.

"Currently, the six brands under our Zhen Cui Group have strong brand recognition in Ji Province. However, in the northern food and beverage market outside of Ji Province, our brand recognition is close to zero. Therefore, before we officially expand, we must do everything possible to increase our brand recognition outside of Ji Province."

Speaking of which, Gu Heng’s gaze turned toward the marketing department. "Director Ding, the 2024 Black Pearl Restaurant Guide will be officially released in about a month, correct?"

The Director of Marketing, Ding Zhiming, whose name Gu Heng had called, quickly stood up from his seat in the back rows. "Chairman Gu, the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide is released every year before Lunar New Year’s Eve. So yes, it should be less than a month away."

"Mm..."

"I have a task for you."

"I want to see our group’s two restaurant brands, Sushi Yun and Yuan Zhi, on the 2024 Black Pearl Restaurant Guide."

Gu Heng didn’t beat around the bush, stating it bluntly.

Hearing the task Gu Heng gave him, Ding Zhiming froze on the spot, speechless.

Although he also wanted to take this opportunity to fervently pledge his loyalty to Gu Heng like Zhang Shengfei just had, he simply couldn’t.

The difficulty of this task was like the Nine-headed Insect ordering Benbo Bao’Er to eliminate Tang Monk and his three disciples—it was completely beyond his capabilities.

He knew that the annual Black Pearl Restaurant Guide was published by Uber Eats, a corporate behemoth with a market capitalization in the trillions. With his limited ability and status, how could he possibly interfere with the Guide’s selection process?

For a moment, Ding Zhiming’s face turned red from the pressure.

"Director Ding, don’t feel pressured."

Gu Heng offered a gentle smile, reassuring him. "I know this task is beyond your capabilities. So, just take care of the preliminary work. As for the actual implementation, I’ll pull some strings to coordinate things."

"Yes, Chairman Gu."

"I’ll get started on this immediately after the meeting."

Ding Zhiming let out a slight sigh of relief and quickly declared his commitment.

"Have a seat."

After Gu Heng finished discussing the supply chain construction and brand recognition enhancement, the group meeting got into full swing.

[Local Supplier Screening], [Standardized Training System], and [Target City Store Selection] were all brought up in the group meeting.

Some matters were tasks and decisions directly issued by Gu Heng, while others still required brainstorming and further discussion.

Time passed slowly amidst the discussions.

Two hours later, when Gu Heng brought up the topic of [Establishing the Regional Headquarters Structure], a jolt went through every executive in the room. They knew the main event of today’s meeting had finally arrived...