The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 313 The So-Called Middle Management

Hepingli Subdistrict Office, Dongcheng District, Beijing.

The afternoon sun slanted into the office, but it couldn't dispel the hint of weariness hidden between Secretary Zhang's brows.

He subconsciously raised his left hand and vigorously kneaded his stiff right shoulder and neck. In just over a week, that familiar, despairing heaviness had returned.

I subconsciously opened WeChat on my phone, clicked on the saved mini-program, and what greeted my eyes was still that domineering store closure announcement:

Take it easy and slow: take a break

The shop is temporarily closed, and the reopening date is uncertain.

We do not have a prepaid card system.

Thanks for meeting.

Damn it!
Just as Secretary Zhang tossed his phone onto the table and tried to shift his position to ease the subtle protest from his lumbar spine, his gaze fell on a document that had just been delivered to his desk.

The document is titled: "Weekly Briefing on the Comprehensive Management of the Environment Surrounding Hepingli No.1 Primary School".

He had only glanced at it briefly, but the words "Peace Primary School No. 1" made him take a second look.

That one glance revealed to him the chaotic scene at the "Ugly Donkey Grocery Shopping" station, prominently featured in the attached photos of the briefing, located on the east side of the school: electric bikes lying haphazardly, groups of noisy riders, and cigarette butts scattered all over the ground...

The physical aches and pains and the inner turmoil found a perfect focus at this moment.

Secretary Zhang stared coldly at the briefing, took a deep breath to suppress his surging anger, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed a short number.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Hello, Secretary Zhang?" came the respectful voice of the director of the urban management office from the other end of the phone.

“Director Li,” Secretary Zhang’s voice was unreadable, but unusually deep, each word delivered with force: “Go and take a look at that ugly donkey grocery store on the east side of Heping No. 1 Primary School yourself.”

He didn't give the other person time to reply, and continued to issue instructions in an unquestionable tone:
"Look at how they treat public sidewalks like their own backyard! Look at how their riders smoke and make noise right under the school wall!"

"You immediately coordinate manpower and notify the urban management law enforcement team and the comrades from the Public Security Construction Office to come to the scene and meet me within half an hour."

I'll tell you what to investigate:
First, safety: Are fire exits blocked by their electric vehicles and cargo boxes? Are there any unauthorized people living in the warehouse? Are the electrical wires haphazardly strung and connected?

Second, order: street vendors, environmental sanitation, and noise pollution, especially during students' commuting hours, must be monitored by designated personnel!
Third, compliance: Their business licenses, food registration, employee management—every single item was checked against the strictest standards!

"The problems found will be punished accordingly, and businesses will be ordered to suspend operations for rectification! Resumption of operations will only be considered once the issues are fully resolved. Hepingli Subdistrict cannot tolerate a 'star enterprise' that causes trouble for children and inconvenience for residents!"

"Bang~"

The phone was smashed down.

Employment? Stability?
Mahler Gobi.

Before I decided to apply for medical retirement, I was fortunate enough to get a job at that small shop. I could have contributed a few more years, but now you want me to retire early again?

Damn it!
…………

File Number: 00173
Name: Li Weimin; Gender: Male; Age: 42
Contact information: 138****1234
Work intensity: Extremely high mental workload (long hours spent reviewing documents at a desk) + moderate physical exertion (frequent meetings, business trips)...

…………

At three o'clock in the afternoon, in a small conference room of the State Administration for Market Regulation, sunlight shone through the blinds, casting stripes on the long conference table.

In the Easy Slow Travel membership system, Li Weimin, the director of the Second Investigation Division of the Anti-Monopoly Bureau, whose only information is detailed health data, sat in the front seat, with a thick notebook and a carefully prepared report spread out in front of him.

The meeting was halfway through, and several colleagues shared their views on recent cases from other fields.

To everyone else, this was just a routine internal business meeting, aimed at analyzing new situations, exchanging views, and providing ideas for the next steps. After more than a week of busy work, that feeling of being drained by documents and meetings every day had returned. He could even clearly feel his eye pressure rising, and his temples throbbing with pain.

"Comrade Weimin," the deputy director who chaired the meeting adjusted his glasses and turned to him, "do you have any new observations or thoughts on the platform economy?"

coming.

Li Weimin took a deep breath, and the soreness in his waist seemed to be forcibly suppressed.

Instead of answering immediately, he did something that surprised everyone present—he stood up, walked to the front of the conference room, and skillfully turned on the projector, which he rarely used.

"Director, colleagues," he began, his voice slightly hoarse from feeling unwell, "I have prepared a brief summary to support my remarks."

Blue laser pointer dots were projected onto the screen.

He didn't use any fancy templates; the first page of the PPT only had one line of calm, bold text:
Preliminary assessment of the "Ugly Donkey Group's" suspected abuse of market dominance.
The relaxed atmosphere in the venue instantly became tense.

The fact that a projector was used so formally and directly addressed a giant corporation at such a primarily informal internal seminar is itself a very strong signal.

The laser pointer's spot moves, switching to the next page. The screen displays a complex market structure diagram, data curves, and a summary of legal terms.

“Based on the reports and leads we have received over the past two years, third-party market research reports, and our technical analysis,” Li Weimin’s voice was as calm and concise as the charts he presented, “I have every reason to believe that ‘Ugly Donkey’ has gone far beyond mismanagement. Its behavior systematically constitutes an abuse of market dominance, aimed at completely eliminating and restricting competition.”

He ignored the increasingly sharp pain in his lower back, and the laser pointer's beam pointed to the relevant data as he spoke:

"First, enforce 'either/or' and implement 'restricted transactions'."

The PPT showed a timeline, corresponding to the soaring market share of "Ugly Donkey," as well as screenshots of "exclusive cooperation" notifications received by a large number of merchants during the same period and comparative data on changes in backend traffic.

“Since 2018, they have built a complete ‘loyalty’ system through methods such as signing exclusive agreements, technical blocking, search ranking reduction, traffic restrictions, and tiered commissions. Those who do not comply will not face competition, but rather a systematic and precise market strangulation.”

"Second, abusing market dominance to implement exclusive partnerships and data penalties."

The laser pointer's spot hovered over several screenshots of the backend system and merchant interview transcripts.

"Besides the well-known 'choose one of two' practice, their abuse also manifests in data manipulation. Through their back-end systems, they impose systematic penalties on merchants who refuse to sign exclusive cooperation agreements, such as traffic restrictions, search ranking reductions, and subsidy deductions."

At the same time, participating merchants receive significant traffic support. This is not based on the quality of merchant services or the natural result of consumer choice, but rather on the use of data and algorithms to implement artificial and mandatory transaction restrictions, thereby consolidating its own monopolistic position.

"Third, build barriers to stifle innovation and fair competition."

The PPT presentation showcased the vast business ecosystem of "Ugly Donkey".

"Although its new business expansion was not directly identified as monopolistic behavior, its cross-border expansion by leveraging the monopoly profits and traffic of its core food delivery business has generated a significant 'leveraging effect'."

This effect means that startups and small competitors in other sectors face a giant with unlimited resources and access from the very beginning, distorting the environment for fair competition from the outset.

While not the direct subject of this investigation, their actions objectively have an inhibitory effect on market innovation and deserve our continued attention.

He surveyed the room, the light from the curtain illuminating his expressionless face, as well as the undisguised astonishment of the attendees.

Several department heads paused on their notebooks, forgetting to take notes; a colleague who was about to pick up a cup of tea froze in mid-air, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The atmosphere in the entire conference room seemed to have been instantly vacuumed.

…………

A professional, determined, and key-position middle-level manager is often the most important engine for the implementation of specific policies.

Before Zhao Xiaochui's rebirth, in April 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation launched an investigation into Ugly Donkey for suspected monopolistic practices of "choose one of two" (forced exclusivity agreements).

(End of this chapter)