It wasn't until she got into Chen Pingjiang's car that Yan Yan felt what had just happened was like a dream.
How did she end up meeting his parents in such a muddled way?
Chen Pingjiang glimpsed from the corner of his eye that Yan Yan's gaze towards him was somewhat different from before.
Perhaps it was because she herself was a somewhat traditional woman.
Meeting the parents meant legitimacy, a step further in terms of legality.
This also led to Yan Yan naturally linking her arm with Chen Pingjiang's when they went downstairs just now.
"I've given you my first time, so you'll have to be responsible for me from now on,"
Chen Pingjiang said with a grin.
"Then it's my first time too, you also have to be responsible for me."
Oh!
Murong Fu's ultimate move was even brought out.
"I'll take you to the supermarket this afternoon, and a big dinner is arranged for tonight."
With that, Chen Pingjiang started the car.
He Zhiyu's inner circle officially extended an invitation to Chen Pingjiang, arranging to have dinner together tonight.
It was still early, and with nowhere else to go, Chen Pingjiang decided to take Yan Yan to visit Yuanfang Supermarket.
Driving to the largest branch under Yuanfang Supermarket, Chen Pingjiang indeed noticed some differences from before as soon as he entered.
The most obvious change was that the foot traffic had indeed increased.
It was Yan Yan's first time shopping at a supermarket with Chen Pingjiang, and her beautiful eyes were full of spirit.
For her, anything was interesting as long as she was with Chen Pingjiang.
The shopping carts at the supermarket entrance had been updated, innovatively adding children's carts, elderly carts, and double-layer carts based on the previous shopping carts, suitable for consumer groups with different needs across different age groups.
In the electronics section, whether it was air conditioners or washing machines, Yuanfang Supermarket thoughtfully added brand introductions and explanations of professional terms.
To give a simple example, in the washing machine area, they focused on introducing the differences between top-load and front-load washing machines.
Such a simple gesture seemed very thoughtful, increasing customers' understanding of the products.
What Chen Pingjiang found interesting was that Yuanfang Supermarket had also reformed its zoning.
General supermarkets are divided into zones according to product attributes.
But Yuanfang Supermarket for the first time established zones based on usage scenarios.
The benefit of this was to stimulate consumers' purchasing associations and better facilitate related growth.
Chen Pingjiang had not mentioned this point in the proposal either; it seemed to be a self-initiated reform by Yuanfang Supermarket.
For example, if a customer wants to have hotpot at home.
A normal supermarket would put hotpot soup bases in one area, various dipping sauces in another, and ingredients also arranged in separate zones.
However, Yuanfang Supermarket created a dedicated hotpot section, bringing together all products involved in having hotpot, making it convenient for customers to buy while indirectly boosting sales of some less popular categories.
In the fruit and vegetable section, Yuanfang Supermarket also implemented stricter pesticide residue testing and thoughtfully introduced some product knowledge and cooking methods.
Again, for example, in the beef section.
It's difficult for ordinary people to distinguish between them.
Neck meat, ribeye, brisket, shank, tenderloin—at least an amateur like Chen Pingjiang only knows how to eat them, not how to distinguish between them.
Yuanfang Supermarket displayed a large diagram introducing the different cuts of beef in the beef section, along with the best cooking methods for each part.
For example, neck meat is suitable for ground meat or stew, and also good for making beef meatballs.
Ribeye, named for its eye-like shape, has a higher fat content, a fresh and juicy texture, and is suitable for hotpot, grilling, or pan-frying.
Yan Yan was also visiting Yuanfang Supermarket for the first time; normally, her family mostly shopped at Carrefour, which was closer to home.
The various novel gadgets in Yuanfang Supermarket dazzled her.
It had, in every aspect, perfectly demonstrated its ability to "get things done."
Along the way, Chen Pingjiang heard passing consumers exclaiming in admiration.
"Amazing, the arrangement of beverages and alcohol always has the brand facing outwards."
"Every type of fruit has samples for tasting."
"The highest shelves are difficult for women to reach, so they thoughtfully provided a small stool."
"Their bakery's new velvet cake is absolutely fantastic; many of my friends drive a long way to buy it, and if you come late, you can't even get one."
"..."
Chen Pingjiang nodded, admitting that He Zhiyu was indeed very capable, and Yuanfang Supermarket's execution under his leadership was extraordinarily strong.
He meticulously implemented the service-related reforms Chen Pingjiang had mentioned in the proposal, which alone was quite rare.
Although there was still a significant gap compared to Pang Donglai in later generations, He Zhiyu had already pulled far ahead of the previous Yuanfang Supermarket and its competitors.
And the effects of the reforms were evident.
The overall style of the supermarket had improved, and the proportion of young consumers was visibly increasing.
This was vastly different from the previous Yuanfang Supermarket, which only engaged in price wars and primarily catered to elderly customers.
"CEO Chen, CEO Chen."
As Chen Pingjiang was pushing the shopping cart, he heard someone call out to him.
Chen Pingjiang and Yan Yan both turned their heads and saw a competent-looking middle-aged woman walking towards them with a smile.
"Zeng Guihong, long time no see,"
Chen Pingjiang greeted with a smile.
"CEO Chen, I'm so honored you still remember me."
Zeng Guihong was in charge of the fruit and vegetable section, and Chen Pingjiang had previously conducted training for these frontline sales managers on improving service quality.
"How do you feel about work now?"
Chen Pingjiang asked casually.
At the mention of it, Zeng Guihong's face lit up:
"My salary and benefits have increased, so I'm motivated to work. Unlike before, when I just went through the motions every day, now I feel like I'm fulfilling a mission when I go to work."
Chen Pingjiang nodded.
Although costs had increased, employee initiative had also risen, and the actual benefits not only did not shrink but were expanded.
After a few casual words, Zeng Guihong returned to her post.
Yan Yan looked at Chen Pingjiang with a puzzled expression:
"You've only been studying in Dongjiang for less than a year, how come people recognize you even in a supermarket so far from University Town?"
Chen Pingjiang blinked and said with a smile,
"I forgot to introduce myself; I'm the reform consultant for Yuanfang Supermarket, enjoying executive-level benefits."
"Ah!"
Yan Yan was stunned, not doubting Chen Pingjiang's words, and her eyes immediately showed admiration.
At checkout, she once again understood Chen Pingjiang's influence.
Store manager Chi Jun heard that Chen Pingjiang was shopping and specifically rushed over, insisting on giving Chen Pingjiang a complimentary order.
"No matter what, you can't pay today."
"CEO He will scold us if he finds out."
"We welcome you to visit us often in the future and give us more suggestions so that we can improve further."
And so, Chen Pingjiang left the supermarket carrying two large bags of various snacks, fruits, and drinks.
"I went to your place too quickly today and forgot to bring anything. Take these back with you tonight."
"Okay!"
Yan Yan said with a smile.
Actually, the items weren't expensive, but she liked Chen Pingjiang's attitude.
.........
Around six in the evening, Chen Pingjiang arrived with Yan Yan at a relatively famous local private kitchen.
Lanshan Xiaozhu.
He Zhiyu and others used this place as their usual gathering point.
As soon as they entered the gate, the purely Chinese classical garden architecture before them gave Chen Pingjiang a fresh impression.
With rockeries, flowing water, pavilions, and towers, it had a strong Jiangnan style.
Finding the largest private room, just as Chen Pingjiang and Yan Yan walked in, the sharp-eyed He Zhiyu stepped forward, grabbed Chen Pingjiang's arm, and greeted Yan Yan as well.
"Come, let me introduce everyone, the God of Wealth you've been waiting for has arrived."
This shout drew the attention of everyone, who had originally been chatting and playing cards in small groups.
"CEO Chen is so young, and his girlfriend is beautiful too."
"A perfect match."
"I've long heard Old He talk about CEO Chen's various deeds, and today I finally get to meet him in person."
"..."
He Zhiyu was responsible for introducing them one by one.
"This is Old Wang from Jiajia Food Factory."
"This is CEO Li from Haojue Foot Massage."
"This is Zhang Fu from Tai Yishou Hotpot Chain."
"..."
As he introduced them, Chen Pingjiang shook hands one by one.
At this point, the difference between Yan Yan and other women became apparent.
Thanks to her good upbringing and gentle, generous personality.
She neither tried to upstage the hosts nor hid shyly to the side.
Instead, she smiled and nodded in greeting to the various bosses.
This scene made He Zhiyu sigh repeatedly in admiration.
Not only was this kid Chen Pingjiang handsome, capable, and good at making money, but he also found such a wonderful girlfriend.
It was enough to make countless people jealous.
Although he hadn't explicitly asked, it was clear that Yan Yan's elegance, ladylike demeanor, and dignified grace, while not as exaggerated as a rich heiress, certainly indicated excellent upbringing.
Qin Han also came along today.
For their inner circle gatherings, Qin Han usually organized the ladies' table.
She warmly took Yan Yan's hand and went to the women's table next door.
Then, a group of middle-aged women surrounded Yan Yan, showering her with various compliments and envy.
Once the food and drinks were served, there was an initial round of pleasantries.
It wasn't until after several rounds of drinks and dishes that everyone gradually warmed up to Chen Pingjiang.
While these bosses were sizing up Chen Pingjiang, Chen Pingjiang was also sizing them up.
He Zhiyu's inner circle members were quite interesting; most were in the service industry, and there were also some suppliers for Yuanfang Supermarket.
Families with businesses that were too small clearly couldn't enter this circle.
For example, Zhang Fu from Tai Yishou Hotpot Chain reportedly had about twenty branches, extending to surrounding cities.
But there were no top-tier magnates in the circle either.
Such people might not value He Zhiyu's inner circle; He Zhiyu couldn't invite them, nor was there any need to find such people to make everyone uncomfortable.
It was precisely because everyone's strength and status were similar that they got along better and were more united.
Indeed, it was different from a general chamber of commerce; the mutual support within the inner circle held more significance.
During the banquet, it was often heard that several companies collaborated on procurement, lent funds to each other, and even lent staff and trucks.
He Zhiyu leaned into Chen Pingjiang's ear and whispered,
"Today, give Old He some face, and later show off a bit to impress these guys."
He said this mainly because he often praised Chen Pingjiang privately on weekdays, to the point of almost exalting him to the heavens.
Chen Pingjiang showing off now would better prove He Zhiyu's discernment and also serve as a signal for Chen Pingjiang to actively integrate into the inner circle.
Sorry, this chapter is a bit late.
I was too tired after work, so I took a nap and woke up at 9 o'clock.
There should be another chapter later.
(End of chapter)
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