Chapter 226: Solving the Last 100 Meters of Delivery! Did Zhang Xuhao

The dim streetlights illuminated the narrow alleys, where the Kuai Pao headquarters building in Hu City was hidden among them.

Under the night sky, the Yi Yuan office building remained brightly lit.

"Go get the heads of each department; the boss is arriving immediately!"

Pei Yi put down his phone and instructed Kou Zhen.

Why did the boss suddenly come?

Kou Zhen was slightly stunned, then reacted, nodded in agreement, called the supervisors of the Operations, Marketing, and Delivery departments, and went downstairs with Pei Yi to wait at the main entrance.

Not long after, a black-and-white Ghost suddenly turned into the alley mouth and finally stopped in front of Pei Yi and the others.

A faint electronic unlocking sound rang out, and the car door slowly opened.

"Boss." Pei Yi and Kou Zhen hurriedly greeted him.

The remaining middle-level managers slightly rose from their seats, smiling broadly as they offered greetings.

"You've worked hard these past days; once you drive Ele. me out of Hu City, I will distribute an equity reward to all Kuai Pao employees. Keep up the good work!"

Chen Yansen got out of the car, patted Pei Yi's shoulder, and encouraged him.

"Thank you, boss. Ele. me now only has markets in the Jing'an and Yang Pu districts; Xuhui and Hongkou are all our territory."

Pei Yi chuckled; Kuai Pao's market expansion pace was smoother than he had imagined, and he no longer felt the previous wariness and caution toward Ele. me and Zhang Xuhao.

"Don't underestimate the enemy! Since Mama Ali invested in Ele. me, they certainly won't let it be easily defeated."

Chen Yansen saw through his thoughts and warned him uneasily.

"Boss, I understand." Pei Yi suppressed his smile and replied with a serious expression.

"Let's talk inside."

Chen Yansen stepped forward inside.

Seeing this, Kou Zhen hurriedly walked a few steps, swiped his access card on the machine at the door, and a frosted glass door opened in response.

Yi Yuan covers an area of 2300 square meters, composed of three standalone western-style houses labeled A, B, and C; upon entering, one can see a clear-bottomed pool where dozens of colorful koi swim, surrounded by lush greenery and clusters of flowers.

"This place is nice, much better than the Luzhou headquarters."

Chen Yansen glanced casually and praised with a smile.

"Boss, on the left is Building A, 600 square meters per floor, six floors in total, with a free rooftop terrace on the top floor; Building B has only one floor, with an office area of 400 square meters, currently serving as the reception, interview rooms, and conference hall; the two-story small building ahead is Building C, which is also the employee cafeteria."

Pei Yi followed alongside, introducing as they walked.

"Did you hire a chef?" Chen Yansen asked.

"Building C is too small, and since Yi Yuan is near a residential area, we couldn't obtain a fire safety permit, so the Business Development Department selected several suppliers with good dishes to deliver meals every morning, noon, and night."

Pei Yi explained.

Chen Yansen nodded slightly, his gaze turning toward the parking lot direction; there were twenty parking spaces in total, with only three cars parked at the moment, and an empty lot beside them was designed as a basketball court.

"Boss, have you had dinner?" Pe Yi asked tentatively.

It was exactly six-thirty; in his opinion, Chen Yansen might have been passing through Hu City on a business trip, or even just got off the highway, so he likely hadn't had dinner yet.

"What time does the cafeteria open for meals?" Chen Yansen asked casually.

"Six o'clock." Pei Yi gave a dry laugh, then voluntarily suggested: "There is a Hunan restaurant nearby, and the taste is quite good."

"No need, just order takeout."

Chen Yansen pointed at the empty lot in the parking area and said lightly.

Randomly ordering a few orders would not only support their own platform's business but also conveniently test Kuai Pao's delivery timeliness in Hu City.

Outdoors?

Pei Yi was stunned after hearing this, but quickly understood the boss's intention; he dared not object, so he hurriedly called the security guards on duty at the back door to have them move several sets of tables and chairs out from Building C.

The night air of early spring was slightly cool, with a clear breeze blowing gently.

After sitting down, Chen Yansen handed his phone to Song Yuncheng: "Order whatever you like, place several orders."

"Is hot pot okay? I see there is a Haidilao nearby." Song Yuncheng asked softly.

"Sure." Chen Yansen replied, then said to Pei Yi and Kou Zhen: "Sit down and chat, don't be too restrained."

"Okay, boss." Pei Yi thought for a moment, then sat diagonally opposite Chen Yansen, leaving one seat between himself and Song Yuncheng.

Seeing this, Kou Zhen could only sit next to Song Yuncheng.

Sitting side by side with the boss, neither of them dared, but sitting too close to Song Yuncheng made Pei Yi and Kou Zhen feel extremely uneasy.

They were both smart people and naturally could see that the Big Client Director of Pin Bua and the boss had an unusual relationship.

Otherwise, why did Song Yuncheng always accompany the boss every time they met?

If Song Yuncheng's position were Assistant to the Chairman of Senlian Capital, this could be explained, but she happened to be the Business Director of Pin Bua!

Chen Yansen raised his eyelids slightly, saw through the two men's thoughts at a glance, but he did not care.

As long as he was strong enough, even if Pei Yi and the other knew the truth deep down, they would not dare to gossip behind his back.

"I ordered hot pot, Hunan cuisine, braised dishes, milk tea, and beer, placing orders at five different shops; it should be enough for twenty people."

Ten minutes later, Song Yuncheng handed the phone back.

"Yunsu headquarters is on Yishan Road, not far from here; call Liao Wei over."

Chen Yansen took the phone and said to Pei Yi.

During this period, Yunsu couriers had been helping Kuai Pao alleviate delivery pressure, and since their bosses were the same person, Pei Yi and Liao Wei gradually became familiar.

"Then I'll give Director Liao a call." Pei Yi replied, stood up, walked aside, found Liao Wei's phone number, and dialed it.

"Brother Wei, come to Longcao Road; tonight, brothers will treat you to hot pot." Pei Yi said with a grin.

"Next time; the boss is coming to Hu City today, and he might inspect the company, so how can I leave..."

Liao Wei shook his head and refused.

"The boss is here with me." Pei Yi interrupted.

"Alright, I'm on my way." Liao Wei hung up before Pei Yi could react.

Pei Yi put away his phone and returned to his seat.

"Let's briefly discuss the latest developments in the Shanghai market," Chen Yansen asked during the wait for food.

"Kuai Pao's operational coverage primarily includes Xu Hui and CN districts, with 1,300 full-time riders and approximately 100,000 daily orders. During peak periods, we can instantly mobilize 100 to 300 couriers from Yun Su, with delivery delay rates below 0.2%..." Pei Yi reported item by item.

"The delay rate is a bit high. Where are the problems coming from?" Chen Yansen said.

0.2% seems low, but when scaled to a volume of 100,000 orders, that's 200 orders.

In other words, 200 Kuai Pao users daily are dissatisfied with delivery timeliness.

"Navigation planning is inaccurate, and the proportion of new riders is too high—they're unfamiliar with routes and neighborhood layouts," Pei Yi sighed helplessly.

Kuai Pao's expansion in Shanghai had been too rapid—he had initially only transferred 100 experienced food delivery riders from Luzhou, yet within just over twenty days, that number had swelled to over 1,300.

If not for the 200-plus former Eleme riders among the 1,300+ who were already familiar with local roads and surroundings, Kuai Pao's delivery delay rate would have been even higher.

"Give it a little more time—I've negotiated with Gao De and expect to complete the acquisition by March. I'll have someone set up a group chat afterward so we can sync directly with Gao De's latest map data. Also, new riders who aren't familiar with routes must have their order limits restricted; we can't chase order volume at the cost of core service."

Chen Yansen warned with a serious expression.

Gao De Maps?

Acquisition?

Pei Yi swallowed hard, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Gao De Maps had already gone public on NASDAQ in 2010, with a market value of four to five billion.

From what Chen Yansen implied, Sen Lian had fully acquired Gao De Maps, which would now become a subsidiary of Sen Lian Capital.

Kou Zhen, sitting beside him, was equally stunned—this was a company worth billions, not tens or hundreds of millions.

"Boss, we've already imposed limits on order volume, but many new riders never delivered food before and aren't familiar with surrounding commercial and residential zones," Pei Yi replied honestly.

"Think differently—recruit from the logistics networks of Tongda Yida. In terms of delivery capability, couriers are no worse than food riders."

Chen Yansen reminded him with a smile.

"Boss, all the departed couriers from the Tongda Yida network have already been absorbed by Yun Su."

At that moment, Liao Wei arrived with Zhai An, striding forward, smugly talking, followed by two burly bodyguards.

Yun Su's situation was similar to Kuai Pao's—both were in a phase of rapid growth and equally short on manpower.

But since the delivery rhythms of courier and food delivery services differed, he had been able to divert some personnel to support Kuai Pao.

"Sit!"

Chen Yansen glanced at Liao Wei and noticed he'd grown even fatter—he teased: "Take some time to lose weight. You represent Yun Su's brand image."

"I'll get a gym membership and hire a coach right away."

Liao Wei chuckled awkwardly, pulled over a chair, and sat to Chen Yansen's left.

"I called you two here not just for the meal—I have another matter to address. I know that in both food delivery and courier models, efficiency drops sharply in the final hundred meters."

Chen Yansen said.

"Boss, our customer service gets bizarre complaints every day—customers say couriers won't deliver to their door, but when couriers call, no one answers, so they leave packages at the guardhouse," Liao Wei couldn't help interjecting.

"Kuai Pao has the same issue—users don't answer calls, then complain the moment we leave the package at the door," Pei Yi agreed.

"So I've devised a solution: install courier lockers in residential communities, or food lockers in commercial office buildings. After users place orders, a random pickup code is generated. Once the courier or food rider places the item inside, users can retrieve it anytime using the code."

"So, I've come up with a plan: set up parcel lockers in residential complexes, or food-delivery lockers in commercial office buildings. After a user places an order, a pickup code is randomly generated. Once the parcel or food delivery is placed inside the locker, the user can use the code to pick it up at any time."

Courier lockers!

Food lockers!

Pei Yi and Liao Wei instinctively exchanged glances, their eyes lighting up—they immediately saw the merit of this idea.

It ensured package security and improved delivery efficiency.

Liao Wei slapped his thigh: "Boss, this plan is great!"

"But how do we implement this technically?" Pei Yi scratched his head, his mind a mess.

"Technically, it's not difficult. To enable smart storage and retrieval, just connect the lockers in real time to the backend server—the server sends unlock commands to the courier or food lockers."

"It's not technically difficult. To enable smart storage and pickup, all you need is a real-time connection to the backend server, which sends the open-locker command to the parcel locker or food-delivery locker."

"Boss, I get it—it works just like the storage lockers outside supermarkets," Liao Wei suddenly understood, grinning.

"The concept is similar, but the underlying technology is different."

Chen Yansen nodded.

With the product design for courier and food lockers settled, the next step was to identify pilot residential communities and commercial office buildings. If this model gained acceptance from users in 2012, it could be scaled widely.

With the product design plan for the parcel lockers and food-delivery lockers in hand, the next step was to find pilot residential complexes and commercial office buildings. If this model could win the approval of users in 2012, it could then be rolled out on a large scale.

While the three were chatting, Song Yuncheng's food delivery finally arrived—three orders.

Chen Yansen glanced at his watch—only twenty minutes had passed, no delay.

Pei Yi wiped sweat from his brow in relief—thankfully, the nearby riders had come through for him.

In fact, the Kuai Pao rider who took the order, seeing the delivery address was their own company, assumed it was a colleague's order and gave it higher priority.

"Let's eat first—have any of you eaten yet?"

Chen Yansen stood up and asked the Kuai Pao riders.

"Boss, it's dinner rush hour—we usually don't eat until after eight," Li Zhou lifted his helmet visor and replied with a smile.

"Then sit down and eat with us. You're Li Zhou, right? Weren't you in Luzhou?"

Chen Yansen gestured.

"Shanghai pays more—I want to earn more," Li Zhou looked slightly uneasy, answered Chen Yansen's question, then waved his hand: "Boss, we still have orders to deliver. Maybe next time."

Chen Yansen beckoned and said.

"Hu City has high unit prices, I want to earn a bit more money." Li Zhou looked slightly uneasy, first answering Chen Yansen's question, then waved his hand in refusal: "Boss, we still have to run deliveries, next time."

"While we're at it, let's talk about work," Chen Yansen added.

Li Zhou glanced at the big boss, stopped declining, pulled over a chair, and scooted up.

To be honest, he was a little touched inside — he had only met the big boss once, yet the man actually still remembered his name.

The remaining riders exchanged glances, simply logged off, and sat down as well.

Just as Chen Yansen was eating with Pei Yi, Kou Zhen, and the riders, at the Ele. me headquarters at 335 Guoding Road, Zhang Xuhao was staring at the man across from him with a sour expression.

"Don't forget, I'm the major shareholder of Ele. me," Zhang Xuhao said in an unfriendly tone.

"Don't misunderstand, Mr. Zhang. I came to Hucheng only to help Ele. me optimize the workflow of its ground-promotion business. The other colleagues from the tech department can help Ele. me improve its order-allocation efficiency."

Wei Ran shrugged and explained with a smile.

His words sounded nice enough, but inside he was mocking Zhang Xuhao: all bark and no bite — if the group hadn't invested fifty million in you, you think I'd be willing to come?

Kuaipao had been in Hucheng less than a month and had already snatched half the market from Ele. me. This left Ma Liyun, who had personally approved the investment, unable to save face.

So he pulled a batch of people from Hangcheng to come support Ele. me.

But who could have expected that Zhang Xuhao would treat him as someone coming to seize power!

Zhang Xuhao's expression cleared slightly at his words, and his attitude eased considerably: "I don't see any problem with the ground-promotion workflow, but I still have to thank Mr. Ma for his concern for Ele. me. The tech staff can stay."

His meaning was very clear — Mama Ali's technology I'll take, but you, Wei Ran, can get lost!

"Idiot!" Wei Ran was one of the earliest batch of Mama Ali's business-management little two's — how could he fail to read the implication? He cursed inwardly.

(End of chapter)