Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

In December, winter truly arrived in Chengdu.

The plane trees lining the streets of the university town have lost all their leaves, their bare branches stretching towards the gray sky.

The students wrapped themselves tightly in their down jackets, exhaling white breath as they hurried to their classrooms or dormitories.

The "campus express delivery" business, however, is like a fire in winter, burning brighter and brighter.

Within three months of its launch, the daily order volume has stabilized at over 1500 orders, the number of registered users has exceeded 20,000, and the number of partner stores has reached more than 80.

Zhang Ming not only recruited twenty full-time riders, but also formed a team of part-time students to supplement delivery capacity during the lunch and evening peak hours.

More importantly, the platform has started to make a profit.

The net profit was over three thousand in the first month, eight thousand in the second month, and jumped to fifteen thousand in the third month.

Based on this trend, the entire investment can be recovered by the end of the year.

Yang Fan rarely inquired about the specific operations, only reviewing the reports once a month and occasionally offering suggestions.

But Zhang Ming always gave detailed reports, and his seriousness left a deep impression.

That afternoon, Yang Fan received Zhang Ming's November financial statement on the second floor of the hot pot restaurant.

In addition to the numbers, the attachment also included several photos—the new office space, a team photo, and photos of Zhang Ming wearing a suit standing on the stage at a startup sharing session.

Zhang Ming in the photo looks completely different from how he looked three months ago.

Although he still had that dark face, the timidity and unease in his eyes had disappeared, replaced by confidence and determination.

The suit didn't fit him quite well; it must have been newly bought. But when he wore it, he exuded a kind of simple, powerful strength reminiscent of a grassroots success story.

[Zhang Ming]: "Mr. Yang, the net profit for November was 16,800 yuan!"

"We've already rented a small office in the startup park, and the monthly rent is two thousand."

[Zhang Ming]: "Yesterday I was invited to attend the district's youth entrepreneurship sharing session, where I told our story."

"Several investors have contacted me privately, asking if I need funding."

[Zhang Ming]: "But I refused them all. I said, I have Mr. Yang, that's enough."

Yang Fan smiled as he read the message.

This kid is actually quite grateful.

He replied, "Well done. But don't rush to reject all external funding. If you find a suitable strategic investor, you can consider contacting them."

"The premise is that the valuation must be reasonable and not affect your control."

[Zhang Ming]: "Understood! Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Yang!"

Yang Fan put down his phone and looked out the window.

Across the street, several "campus delivery" riders were picking up meals.

The blue work uniforms stand out on the winter streets, and the logo on the insulated boxes has become a common sight in the university town.

Who would have thought that just three months ago, the founder of this platform was a food delivery driver who was disliked by his girlfriend and felt lost about the future?

Fate is a really interesting thing sometimes.

……

One week later, in the evening, Yang Fan left the e-sports hotel, preparing to return to the hot pot restaurant.

As he passed by the startup park, he remembered that Zhang Ming had said the office was there, so he turned in.

The park is small, consisting of several converted old factory buildings. Zhang Ming's office is on the second floor of Building 3, with a simple sign hanging at the entrance—"Campus Express Technology Co., Ltd."

The door was open, and you could hear people talking inside.

Yang Fan walked to the door and saw Zhang Ming and several young people having a meeting.

The whiteboard is covered with business process diagrams, and various data reports are posted next to it.

"Mr. Zhang, I think we should expand to other university towns."

A boy wearing glasses said:

"We've already done our research at the Normal University; at least thirty small shops have expressed interest in collaborating."

"I agree," a girl with a ponytail chimed in.

"But the problem is transportation capacity."

"Our current 20 full-time riders can only cover the area around the university."

"If we open a new area, we'll need to hire at least fifteen more people."

"Where's the money?" another boy asked.

"Hiring people requires paying their salaries, and there are also vehicles, insurance... all of these cost money."

Zhang Ming sat in the middle, listening attentively to everyone's remarks, occasionally jotting down notes in his notebook.

He spoke only after everyone had finished speaking:

"Expansion is definitely necessary, but we can't rush it."

"My idea is to first select a pilot area—either the Normal University or the University of Finance and Economics."

"Recruit five riders, provide three vehicles, and start operating on a small scale to test the model."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I've thought about the money."

"The platform currently generates over ten thousand yuan in net profit each month, and we're allocating a portion of that for expansion. Also..."

He looked up and saw Yang Fan standing at the door. He paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Mr. Yang? What brings you here?"

The young people in the conference room all turned their heads.

"Just passing by, thought I'd take a look." Yang Fan walked in. "You guys carry on, I'll listen."

Zhang Ming quickly offered the seat of honor: "Please sit down. We were just discussing expansion."

Yang Fan waved his hand: "You sit down, I'll just listen in."

He pulled up a chair and sat down next to Zhang Ming, gesturing for him to continue.

Zhang Ming sat up straight and continued:

"In addition, I plan to discuss with Mr. Yang whether we can make an additional investment."

"No need for much, 100,000 will suffice, enough to open a new server."

Several young people looked at Yang Fan with anticipation and curiosity in their eyes.

Yang Fan didn't speak, he just nodded.

The meeting lasted another half hour, during which many details were discussed—personnel recruitment, vehicle procurement, store negotiations, and promotional strategies…

Yang Fan listened quietly, nodding inwardly.

Zhang Ming has indeed grown. Three months ago, he probably couldn't even explain what "operating costs" were.

Now, he can analyze business clearly and logically, listen to the team's opinions, and make rational decisions.

This rate of growth is more worthwhile than any amount of money earned.

The meeting ended, and the young people left.

Zhang Ming made Yang Fan a cup of tea: "Mr. Yang, what do you think?"

"The idea is sound," Yang Fan said. "Let's proceed cautiously, pilot the program first, then roll it out. I agree to the 100,000 yuan investment; I'll transfer it to you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Mr. Yang!" Zhang Ming said happily.

"However," Yang Fan changed the subject, "you need to pay attention to team management."

"As the company grows, you can't do everything yourself. You have to learn to delegate and develop middle management."

Zhang Ming nodded seriously: "I understand. We've recently put Xiao Wang (the boy with glasses) in charge of rider scheduling. He's doing a good job, more meticulous than me."

"That's good." Yang Fan took a sip of tea and looked around the simple but tidy office.

"By the way, has your ex-girlfriend... kept in touch with you afterward?"

Zhang Ming's smile faded slightly, and he shook his head: "No. I deleted all contact information after the breakup."

"What if she comes back to you?" Yang Fan asked directly.

Zhang Ming was silent for a few seconds, then smiled:

"Mr. Yang, if this were three months ago, I might have softened my stance. But now..."

He looked out the window; night had fallen, and the streetlights in the park were lighting up one by one.

"Now I know what I want." His voice was calm.

"I want to accomplish something, I want to prove myself. As for relationships... I'll let nature take its course."

Yang Fan looked at him and knew he was telling the truth.

That's how people are—when you have more important things to do, you naturally let go of many past obsessions.

……