I'm reborn and I'm an international student again?

"Boss, P2P?" the secretary muttered.

"Yes, P2P lending was originally intended to help small and medium-sized enterprises get financing. But now there are more and more disputes over private lending... Let's have some 'river crabs'..." The man sitting in the chair was somewhat indignant.

Little did he know that even he, a powerful and influential figure, could not resolve this troublesome matter.

A month later, the battle between Meituan Waimai and Ele.me officially began.

Ele.me CEO Zhang Xu did not adopt Chen Xi's suggestions regarding overtime fines, rider appeals, and insurance compensation.

Zhang Xu believes that this approach will reduce the platform's profits and make it more difficult to manage the riders in the future.

Inside a shopping mall, Chen Xi, sweating profusely after picking up his meal, put it into the insulated box in the back of his car.

This was the first time he had ever ridden an electric bike in his two lifetimes. Because he was not used to the throttle switch on the handlebars, he was pulled off the bike several times while pushing it.

Previously, Chen Xi would avoid such metal-clad vehicles, and he also believed that China should be like Australia and shouldn't allow electric vehicles on the road because there were far too many instances of them driving against traffic or running red lights.

But when he rode his electric bike and saw people rushing around trying to make a living, his thoughts changed.

(The first time I rode this thing, I kept pressing the throttle when I was pushing it. Then the bike would move ahead while I was holding the handlebars, and I would be pulled off the bike. Then a passing rider laughed at me for not being able to operate it like that.)
"Damn it, what kind of idiot designed this software and these rules? Inaccurate map positioning is one thing, but slow food preparation by merchants also counts as my time. Three late orders a day mean a day off before I can start again, and multiple violations result in account bans. The most outrageous thing is that the fines for late orders are higher than the delivery fee. And it's not just money deductions, but also points deductions! Ten late orders a month and I get 200 yuan off! I only earn a few yuan per order, and late orders cost me over ten yuan. This platform is making money off users, merchants, and riders alike!" Chen Xi, delivering food while riding his bike, couldn't help but complain.

Domestic food delivery is completely different from that in Australia; even an experienced driver like him would find it a headache.

"Whoo~"

"Huh~"

Electric bikes sped past Chen Xi.

He glanced at his shared electric scooter; its top speed was only 25 km/h.

"This bike only goes up to 25 km/h, which is nowhere near the speed of a regular bike. If I were to take multiple orders on this thing, I would definitely be late."

Chen Xi sighed.

He made his first delivery without exceeding the time limit.

Then came two more orders, delivered right on time.

However, if you accept three orders at the same time, one order will likely time out.

Food delivery riders usually take on 5 or even 10 orders before setting off, because everyone wants to earn more.

This has led to a constant stream of traffic violations and accidents.

"Hello, your meal has been delivered. I checked the notes and it said not to knock, just leave it at the door, right?"

After placing the food at the designated location, Chen Xi contacted the customer.

Half an hour later, Chen Xi received a penalty notification on his mobile app.

They said the customer hadn't received their meal.

Ok?
His mind was filled with questions.

Looking at the fine, it turned out to be over twenty yuan.

Keep in mind that this meal only cost a dozen or so yuan.

He called the platform to complain, but to no avail.

"Damn it!" Chen Xi slammed his hand on the car in a fit of rage.

A delivery rider next to me, who was scrolling through his phone to grab an order, asked while smoking, "Hey bro, what's up? Did you go over time?"

"no……"

Chen Xi recounted what had happened.

"Hey, you're really unlucky. Some people have found a way to freeload these days, using not receiving their meals as an excuse to eat and drink for free. The platform doesn't do anything about it, and in the end, it's us delivery riders who lose money. Brother, you're just unlucky."

"What should I do?"

"That's simple. Customers who frequently request refunds will be flagged by the platform and blacklisted. So... you can only try your luck."

"..."

“I’ve worked for other platforms as well. Some platforms deal with these idiots who want to drink for free by having riders take photos of the food and the customer’s address and send them to the customer. But some people sue the riders for violating their privacy rights by taking photos, and in the end, it’s the riders who suffer.”

"..."

"Using shared electric bikes for food delivery is obviously just for fun. These things are slow, and the parking spots are fixed, making food delivery inconvenient. You've probably been fooled by the news online; these capitalists just want to advertise and speculate on stocks..."

"..."

After being ridiculed, Chen Xi was completely speechless.

Laugh, laugh!
When the new standards come out, you should follow my lead.

He's playing the game of the future.

After checking that his account balance was now negative, he decisively clicked "Log Off".

He'd been out for a while now and had a meeting coming up, so he decided to go back to the hotel and take a shower first.

Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

"This year, 1312 million new urban jobs were created, and the urban registered unemployment rate was 4.05%, which is not much different from last year. The service industry is the main source of employment, absorbing 56% of the new jobs. Online shopping and logistics created 180 million new jobs, and Meituan and Ele.me have more than 100 million delivery riders..." A leader surnamed Wang was speaking on the stage.

The purpose of today's meeting is to get the CEOs of major companies to address the employment issue, but the data they presented is quite unreliable.

The calculation method for employment rate in China is different from that in the West. It only covers the urban resident population and does not include people with rural household registration who are engaged in farming, nor does it include people who do not apply for unemployment benefits.

The statistical method mainly relies on telephone surveys, which have a huge blind spot, but the data is very impressive.

Huahetong's main business is in rural areas, so Chen Xi was naturally invited here.

Similar to him are Wang Xingren from a certain group and Zhang Xu from Eleba.

The three of them are actually about the same age, and are considered to be among the younger ones in the venue.

Before the meeting, Chen Xi told Zhang Xu about the problems he had encountered while out and about that day, but Zhang Xu didn't take it seriously.

He also secretly told Chen Xi that overtime fines were one of the platform's revenue sources. Then, Chen Xi approached Wang Xingren. This guy's words were similar to Zhang Xu's, meaning that if the platform had to foot the bill for everything, they wouldn't be able to make any money. If riders felt the platform's actions were excessive, they could simply refuse to cooperate. Since so many people were still accepting orders, it meant the business was sustainable.

After the meeting, Chen Xi was about to leave when the leader who had spoken earlier stopped him.

This man is named Wang Gang. He is one of the leaders in the unit who carries a lot of weight. Chen Xi had also dealt with him in her previous life.

The Human Resources and Social Security Bureau manages quite a lot of things, including employment and entrepreneurship, social security, talent management, and labor relations.

"Mr. Chen, Huatong's logistics operations cover the entire country, but the total number of employees is still less than that of a single food delivery company. Could you please discuss the future employment and welfare benefits for people in rural towns?"

"Okay."

Chen Xi did not refuse but nodded.

“I spoke with Mr. Zhou from Huodudu before, and their drivers are paid better than yours. I also calculated the earnings for food delivery drivers, and they earn more than your freight drivers. Huahetong really needs to improve its benefits…”

"Cough, you're probably not investigating data from corporate delivery services, are you? Drivers who do ride-sharing don't get many orders, so their take-home pay is naturally low; it's more like a part-time job. As for why food delivery drivers earn so much, that's because what you see are the top-performing orders that the platform deliberately shows. The real income, benefits, and difficulties faced by ordinary riders are unknown to most. I can only say they have a tough time!"

"Difficult? How difficult?"

"You can experience it for yourself."

Chen Xi smiled, while Wang Gang looked on with disbelief.

There was no one else around at the moment. If anyone else had been present, they would have thought Chen Xi was out of his mind. Not only did he order takeout from his boss, but he also wasn't very polite during the conversation.

But Chen Xi did it on purpose because he knew that Wang Gang would definitely go!
The next day.

Two men wearing masks appeared on the street.

A bald man stood with his hands behind his back, observing the passing riders, while a tall, thin man pushed an electric scooter.

"Boss, we've been wandering around here for over half an hour. Should we contact the food delivery platform?" The tall, thin man adjusted the camera on his body.

"What's the point of contacting them? They'll only make things worse if they come." The bald man glared at the other man, annoyed. Then, as if he had found prey, he beckoned to a young man next to him: "Excuse me, sir, could you do me a favor? We're from the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau..."

"Ha, why aren't you guys enjoying the air conditioning in your offices? What are you doing out on the street? Filming a video to show off?"

After saying that, the rider left without waiting for the man's reply.

Wang Gang contacted several people, but they all declined to record the video, citing reasons such as not having time or needing to finish their orders.

In their view, how could a leader possibly conduct any investigation when he comes to inspect the local area with a subordinate accompanying him to take photos?

After waiting for an hour, he finally spent a lot of money to find a deliveryman who was willing to help.

"Today you are my master and I am your apprentice. You can just call me Lao Wang..." Wang Gang claimed to be a journalist who wanted to create a program documenting a day in the life of a food delivery worker.

After taking the money, the delivery driver waved his hand and said, "It's fine, you said it yourself. Your share of the delivery fee is mine too!"

"That's it, that's it!"

"I have a bad temper, so don't blame me for scolding you if you make a mistake."

"No problem." Wang Gang nodded vigorously.

"Ha, needing help to push a bike? It's more comfortable to go back to the office and enjoy the air conditioning. Can you even ride this?" The rider couldn't help but laugh when he saw Wang Gang clumsily trying to get on the bike.

Unlike Chen Xi, Wang Gang used to ride an electric bike, but since his promotion, he's been chauffeured around in a car and isn't quite used to it yet. But he still said, "I've ridden one before, I've ridden one before. No problem, don't worry, sir."

"Let's go then! We have an order." The rider pointed to his phone.

And so, a strange scene appeared.

The deliveryman led the way, Wang Gang carried the food in the middle, and his assistant rode a bicycle to take pictures.

That's like three people delivering one takeout order!
"Hurry up, hurry up! Lao Wang, when are you going to finish this delivery if you keep dawdling like this?"

"Pick up your food quickly. Don't be embarrassed if the restaurant is holding back orders; just keep calling until they serve your food."

"Look how carefully you're handling it, it's a bomb in your hand! Will it explode if you shake it a few times?"

"Wang Gang, are you trying to get yourself killed? You're distracted while riding your bike and you almost hit me."

"I'm so sorry, Master."

"Run! Treat food delivery like you're in a battle, or you'll be late."

"Electric bikes aren't allowed in this residential area, so we have to run in. Whew~"

"You're not suited for this line of work if you're late for every single delivery!"

Throughout the journey, Wang Gang was scolded countless times. His assistant tried several times to step forward and help his boss vent his anger, but was stopped each time.

Wang Gang rode very slowly because he valued his life. If it weren't for the deliveryman's help, all his orders would probably have been late.

After running around for several hours, the delivery driver looked at the number of orders and the amount on his phone and shook his head slightly: "You've completed five orders in several hours, totaling about forty yuan. After deducting the late payment penalty, you only get fifteen yuan in total. And that doesn't even include the cost of the electric scooter. How are you even doing this?!"

"Master, it's not easy for me to get one order, how come you guys can get several orders at once?" Wang Gang noticed that many delivery drivers had a lot of plastic bags hanging on their vehicles.

"Of course you're risking your life! Look at how fast you're riding, and compare it to others. If you take less than three orders at a time, you might as well work in a factory tightening screws. You only make money if you take five or more orders! We delivery drivers get at least a hundred orders a day, and you only have five..." The delivery driver kept complaining.

"Master, let me treat you to a meal. Sit down and let's talk." Wang Gang extended an invitation, and the deliveryman accepted without hesitation. The three of them found a small restaurant.

After they had almost finished eating, Wang Gang directly revealed his identity to the deliveryman. The deliveryman didn't show any courtesy just because he was a manager; instead, he curled his lip in disdain: "Did you pay me to put on a show? You office workers will never understand our suffering. All you do is hold big meetings and talk theory. You never discuss anything truly useful to us. You come up with a ton of bullshit policies, but not a single one of them is actually implemented..."

Wang Gang's face flushed slightly from the scolding, while his assistant's eyes widened as if he were older than his age.

"What are you looking at? You want to betray your master and ancestors?" the deliveryman glared back.

"Don't worry, Master, I will definitely step in to solve any difficulties and welfare issues the riders encounter," Wang Gang assured him, wiping the sweat from his brow.

three days later.

Wang Gang showed off his delivery data on his phone.

The executives from several food delivery companies present stared wide-eyed, frozen in place.

They never expected that a leader would personally deliver takeout.

"These are the orders I completed in just a few hours. Although the amount is small because I'm unfamiliar with the platform, based on my experience, there are many problems! The late fees are ridiculously high, and when problems arise and I appeal, the platform makes all sorts of excuses to make the riders bear the burden themselves. Most importantly, most of the customer service is only in English, so the problems are not resolved at all. Also, I've seen many scenes of riders being injured, sick, or involved in accidents on the roadside. I suggest that the platform build offline stations in various places to provide services such as water, medicine, and emergency handling..." Wang Gang said with a serious expression. (End of this chapter)