Chapter 370: Boss, Run! Avalanche! Chen Yansen: What Overtime Pay? A Waste of Money!

The next morning, the snow in Xu City had stopped.

Outside the window, everything was a vast white expanse; a few sparrows stared at the camphor tree in the garden of Villa No. 108, sniffing the fragrance of its fruit but daring not approach, as if a flood or a ferocious beast lay ahead.

"Good girl, Mommy will give you a hug," Song Yuncheng murmured softly in her sleep, a giggle escaping her lips.

Chen Yansen's brow furrowed slightly; looking at Song Yuncheng with a strange expression, he couldn't help but chuckle silently.

But he didn't disturb her sweet dream; he only lifted the corner of the quilt, pushed open the glass door to the third-floor balcony, and pinched a small pinch of snow into his hand.

Ice cold!

Chen Zong glanced back at the soundly sleeping Song Yuncheng, a mischievous smile curling his lips.

He grabbed a handful of snowflakes and rolled them into a ball, about the size of a fist.

Hey, that seems a bit big.

Chen Yansen pondered for a moment, then scooped off only a snowball the size of a fingernail from the top, tossed it casually, and it precisely hit the gap in Song Yuncheng's pajamas, sliding down into the valley.

"Boss, run! Avalanche!" Song Yuncheng mumbled, twisting her body, but still didn't open her eyes.

Chen Yansen felt a warmth in his heart and couldn't bear to tease her further; he then left the master bedroom and turned into the study.

He turned on the computer, logged into the data backend, and quickly began to check.

With the New Year Goods Festival ending, the Spring Festival approaching, and the courier industry gradually going on holiday, user consumption demand shifted to offline channels, and e-commerce entered its off-season.

Pinbai's daily transaction volume had already dropped from one billion to eight hundred million.

All other courier companies had suspended operations; only Yunsu Express, relying on high overtime pay, retained sixty percent of its couriers and could still maintain normal pickup and delivery operations.

According to Liao Wei's thinking, since the business volume during the New Year was low, keeping twenty percent of the staff on duty would suffice, but Chen Yansen knew deeply that vigilance could not be relaxed even more during the holiday period.

Overtime pay was merely a drop in the bucket; if market share was lost, it would take ten times the time and resources to win it back.

Therefore, although Yunsu did not force overtime, faced with the temptation of triple overtime pay, most couriers still chose to hold their posts.

Housing prices in 2013 were about to take off; wage increases were far behind housing prices, and prices were also rising; ordinary people could only seize the opportunity to earn more money and couldn't bear to rest.

"Buzz buzz buzz—!"

At this moment, the mobile phone on the table rang.

Chen Yansen picked it up to see; it was Cao Dahua calling. He didn't think much of it, directly pressed the answer button, and joked with a smile: "Calling the boss at eight o'clock, do you want to get fired?"

Cao Dahua gave a sheepish laugh, knowing the boss was joking, and quickly explained: "Hehe, it's the annual meeting today; the workers all want to wish you a Happy New Year. I was afraid I'd delay your schedule for the day, so..."

"Start a video call," Chen Yansen sighed, not able to blame him either.

"Okay, right away." Cao Dahua grinned, hung up the phone first, and then initiated a video invitation.

At the same time.

In the outdoor space of the Zhongsha Technology Park, outside the Chengzi Mobile phone factory, round tables were set up and drinks and alcohol were piled up; not far away, chefs were busy with their feet barely touching the ground preparing the lunch banquet.

On the large screen in the very center, Chen Yansen's figure suddenly appeared.

"Quiet! It's the big boss!"

"Everyone stop talking!"

"Shh!"

Before Cao Dahua could speak, over twenty thousand employees instantly fell silent.

"Brothers and sisters of Shencheng, Happy New Year to everyone!"

Chen Yansen waved at the camera and gave a simple greeting.

Cao Dahua pointed the camera at the audience below.

"Happy New Year, Boss!"

"Wish Chen Zong a rolling fortune!"

"Hope the boss marries a few more wives!"

"..."

Tens of thousands of people roared like a mountain and a sea, various noisy blessings never ceasing.

Chen Yansen's gaze, through the lens, carefully examined every single person before him.

These employees had different personalities; some were honest, some cheerful, some impatient; yet at this moment, sincere smiles hung on all their faces.

Chen Yansen, smiling, continued: "Last year, the Shencheng factory and the Luzhou factory produced a total of 50 million Chengzi phones, 8 million 360 phones, 4 million NetEase phones, 10 million Huawei phones, and 7 million Xiaomi phones, cumulatively creating over one hundred billion in revenue. You, like the R&D engineers of Chengzi Technology, are all heroes of the company. I propose a toast to everyone."

Having said that, he raised the teacup on the table to mid-air.

Immediately, the sound of glasses clinking came uniformly from the video.

Many were so excited their eyes held tears; could this group of barefooters who had only studied for a few years really be compared to the research personnel at headquarters?

In the past, they wouldn't have dared to even think it, yet these words were spoken personally by the big boss.

Chen Zong had given them stable and generous income, and even more, he had given them enough respect.

A boss worth hundreds of billions of US dollars calling them "brothers and sisters" one after another; even if it was just empty talk, it moved them deeply.

"The Q4 quarterly bonus should have arrived in your accounts, right?" Chen Yansen asked across the distance.

"Received it last month!"

"Thank you, Boss!"

"Wish the boss ten sons in one birth!"

"..."

The employees below raised their heads and shouted at the top of their lungs.

"For brothers and sisters going home for the New Year, round-trip train tickets will be reimbursed by the company; for those staying at the factory, everyone gets 1,000 yuan for the holiday. Next year, I will adjust the minimum hourly wage standard for everyone based on data such as factory capacity and yield rate. Keep it up!"

Chen Yansen casually painted a big pie.

Currently, the hourly wage is twenty-five yuan, and the base salary is 3,300 yuan a month; it's not even as good as a small clerk; where is this even heading?

The implication was that wages would rise again next year!

"Still rising? Doesn't that make it thirty yuan an hour?"

Cao Dahua wore a bitter smile; he wasn't joking. In Shencheng, factory bosses had indeed threatened to pay to break one of his legs, even vowing to send him down below in a large truck to make mobile phones.

But a few days ago, the Chief Secretary of the Central Office and a big shot from the Inspection Association visited the Sister Chengzi mobile phone factory together. This move was tantamount to declaring to the outside world: anyone who dares to touch Sister Chengzi will be severely punished without mercy!

This was equivalent to placing a "protective talisman" over the factory and Cao Dahua.

Various associations in Shencheng also awarded a bunch of prizes, such as National Green Factory, 2012 Annual ESG Model Enterprise Award, Outstanding Contribution Award in Asian Electronics Industry, Lighthouse Factory, and so on.

It must be known that Sister Chengzi Mobile was the brand with the highest shipment volume of smartphones in Huaguo in 2012, ranking sixth globally. If Shencheng couldn't protect it, there were plenty of first- and second-tier cities willing to provide land for free, low-interest loans, and other preferential policies.

Yet Cao Dahua also feared encountering a reckless fool, so he secretly pondered: I'll buy an armored Mercedes-Benz later and get the boss to reimburse it.

"If it rises again, won't it be thirty?"

"Then the monthly base salary alone would be four thousand yuan!" "The boss deserves to make big money!"

Over twenty thousand employees were overjoyed, their brows and eyes filled with happiness, wishing they could worship Chen Yansen as the God of Wealth.

Five minutes later, Chen Yansen ended the video call.

There was no choice; the group had too many holding subsidiaries. If he attended one meeting every day like last year, he wouldn't finish until the Lantern Festival.

At nine in the morning, a Ghost with a panda color scheme drove into Zhuxianzhuang Technology Park.

Chen Yansen pushed the door open, stepped out of the car, and walked into Building No. 6.

"Class Monitor, Happy New Year!" Xu Xingxing, wearing a bright red Ming-style New Year greeting outfit, smiled and handed over a red envelope.

"Director Xu, Happy New Year!" Chen Yansen took the red envelope and teased jokingly.

Xu Xingxing had followed him all the way from the Fox Tao project, honing his skills for two and a half years. Finally, in January, he was promoted from team leader to director. Although his growth speed couldn't match Zhang Yifeng, Xiang Pengfei, and others, he was still considered extremely outstanding.

"Class Monitor, Director Huang is in the conference room on the second floor." Xu Xingxing reminded.

Chen Yansen nodded slightly and put the red envelope into his pocket.

On the last day before the holiday, the Administration Department organized red envelope distribution activities in every office building.

The red envelope amounts weren't large: fifty, one hundred, two hundred, with a maximum of eight hundred yuan. It was just for good luck.

Arriving at the office on the top floor, he boiled water and made tea.

Chen Yansen leaned sideways on the sofa, took out his phone, set up a stand, logged into Mimo, and started scrolling through short videos.

The weather in the North American region was hot; even in winter, most girls dressed very lightly. For over ten consecutive videos, it was all big-light girls.

【75】 "I guess I've successfully cultivated this account."

"I've finally cultivated this account."

Chen Yansen's lips curled slightly, a smile appearing on his face.

"Knock, knock, knock—!" The sound of knocking on the door rang out.

"Come in."

Chen Yansen silently put away his phone and responded loudly.

Huang Zheng, who had just finished a meeting with the Investment and Operations Department, pushed the door open, walked in, and greeted with a smile: "Happy New Year, Boss."

"Here, for you."

Chen Yansen grabbed a document and threw it to Huang Zheng, saying.

Pinbei Technology Option Transfer Agreement!

Huang Zheng glanced at it once and felt that the last few months hadn't been in vain.

He had run from Hangcheng to Xucheng, busy from 8 AM to 10 PM every day. Was it for money, or did he just want to suffer?

"Thank you, Boss." Huang Zheng thanked him with a smile.

A total of 1 million shares, worth 11 million US dollars, far exceeding his annual income from his previous startup, not to mention he also had salary and bonus income.

"What time does the annual gala start tonight?" Chen Yansen asked.

"Six o'clock. After some employees finish the lucky draw, they still have to catch the train." Huang Zheng answered.

"You've worked hard." Chen Yansen encouraged, then paused and added: "Last year, Pinbei achieved 317.4 billion in sales. I hope to double it again in 2013, and break one trillion in 2014. Whether we surpass Mama Ali isn't important; just do our own job well."

"Okay, Boss, I understand." Huang Zheng hurriedly responded.

"I just took a look,"

Chen Yansen thought for a moment and said.

Pinbei's expansion speed was too fast; the eleven-story office building was stuffed full with over three thousand people.

"Then I'll have the Administration Department coordinate it; we'll move after the New Year." Huang Zheng answered.

"Old Gao transferred a red envelope fund to your Sister Chengzi Payment account. Keep it to give red envelopes to your subordinates for the New Year: Team Leaders 1,000 yuan, Directors 3,000 yuan, Directors-General 5,000 yuan, Department Managers 10,000 yuan, Project Leads 50,000 yuan. Remember to spend it all." Chen Yansen instructed.

"No problem, guaranteed to complete the task." Huang Zheng said cheerfully.

"When are you going back?" After finishing his instructions, Chen Yansen asked softly.

"Tomorrow morning, back to Hangcheng." Huang Zheng replied immediately.

"Have some tea." Chen Yansen lifted a cup of hot tea and handed it to Huang Zheng.

Huang Zheng thanked him repeatedly, held the teacup, and took a small sip.

At first, when he started working for Chen Yansen, he felt a bit awkward, fearing the other party was young and impetuous and hard to serve. But after spending a few months together, he believed Chen Yansen was even more steady than Duan Yongping.

Generous in spending, full of patience, not willing to casually adjust strategic direction just because the project encountered the slightest setback.

But Xiang Hailong didn't have such good luck. Li Yanhong was extremely impatient; to put it bluntly: before the end of Q2, if DiDi Dache doesn't achieve a 20% market share, the CEO must be replaced.

Actually, after canceling the subsidy war, Xiang Hailong had solidified his position in North China, East China, Central China, South China, and Northeast China. Although the market share percentage remained unchanged, the daily order volume had risen from 600,000 to 900,000. Relying on the ecosystem chain of QianDu Maps, DiDi Dache gradually gained a loyal user base.

He had done things steadily, but Li Yanhong couldn't afford to lose face!

Because Kuaidi Dache's daily business volume had already exceeded 8 million orders, occupying nearly ninety percent of the market share.

Since Xiang Hailong took over the project, DiDi Dache's market share had been declining day by day, dropping from 25% to just over 10%.

In this situation, Li Yanhong's act of kicking Cheng Wei out and replacing the CEO with his own person became a clownish behavior.

If Cheng Wei lacked ability, it would be understandable for investors to sideline the founder, but after leaving DiDi Dache, he made DiDi Bike thrive. In contrast, Xiang Hailong, personally appointed by Li Yanhong, performed even worse than Cheng Wei.

Therefore, when Qian Du Network attempted to acquire UC Browser, it encountered trouble. He Xiaopeng could not trust Li Yanhong; after weighing the options repeatedly, he actually rejected Qian Du and instead began colluding with Ma Liyun.

Li Yanhong looked at Xiang Hailong with an unhappy expression, then waved his hand, signaling the other to get out.

A short while later, Wang Zhongpu, the person in charge of Qian Du Waimai, walked in and sat opposite Li Yanhong.

"Boss, there is an issue requiring your final decision. Delivery riders in Beijing, Changshan, Tianjin, and other areas will likely return to their hometowns in the next two days. At that time, delivery capacity resources will face a vacuum period. Should we increase unit prices and order-completion bonuses during the Spring Festival to retain delivery personnel?" Wang Zhongpu said slowly.

"By how much have daily orders in the Beijing area dropped year-on-year compared to last week?" Li Yanhong asked.

"50%." Wang Zhongpu sighed slightly; he understood the big boss's meaning.

"The proportion of non-local population is around 40%; there is still room for order volume to decline. What use is merely raising unit prices and order-completion bonuses? Overall revenue is sliding, unless you learn from Kuai Pao and provide riders with a base salary." Li Yanhong said noncommittally.

In his view, there was no need to waste extra funds on 40% of orders; after all, there were plenty of riders available.

Wang Xin's thinking was similar to Li Yanhong's, but he was more cautious than Li Yanhong.

He knew that a delivery rider familiar with routes and residential complex layouts had a delivery efficiency three to five times that of an ordinary person; these riders held greater value for recruitment.

Therefore, after consulting with Wang Huiwen, he carefully selected a group of riders from the ranks. From February 9 to February 12, they received an extra subsidy of 200 yuan per day; from February 13 to February 15, an extra subsidy of 100 yuan per day. In addition, unit prices and order-completion bonuses were increased.

Compared with Qian Du Waimai, Meituan Waimai had shed some blood, at least.

On the streets of Beijing, the north wind was like a knife.

Jiang Hao had just finished the morning rush; he tightened his orange windbreaker, which had a goose-down liner inside, keeping him very warm.

Just as he was about to return to the station for a cup of tea, he saw several Qian Du Waimai riders in red windbreakers coming toward him.

Jiang Hao wore a look of disgust; the other party's clothes were filthy, simply tarnishing the delivery industry.

(End of this chapter)