Entrepreneurship
Xiao You is all about action from the moment he opens his eyes!
There's no way to deal with the identity issue right now, so we have to put it aside for now, since people need to eat.
At the entrance of that small courtyard in the west of the city, the "Leji Delivery" sign was simply hung up. It was a bit rustic, but it was still quite eye-catching. Watching the deliverymen running around and the order takers constantly pressing the phone, You Jiale finally felt a little relieved. She felt that her life seemed to have some hope now.
But starting a business is never a smooth ride. Trouble comes one after another, like puddles on a rainy day.
The first hurdle was the approval process. In this era of strict rules, trying something new can be incredibly complicated, with procedures that can drive you crazy. You Jiale had been running around like crazy for the unprecedented "Leji Delivery" model, practically wearing down the thresholds of government departments. He submitted a thick stack of documents, but still hadn't received a definite answer.
“These days, having ideas is a good thing, but if nobody understands them, you’re just asking for trouble,” he couldn’t help but mutter to Qin Zheng. He’d said it several times already, but was that old fox Zhang Xiande really oblivious, or was he just pretending to be stupid? Could it be that Qin Zheng was being lazy and hadn’t even gone to report to the boss? You Jiale thought to herself, rolling her eyes.
Next came the delivery routes. The city's winding alleys were like a spider web, many without even proper names. You Jiale tried to figure out a detailed map using modern navigation systems, only to discover that accurate geographical information was practically nonexistent these days. Holding his sketch, he struggled for a long time, feeling like he was in a maze. What troubled him even more was the unclear jurisdiction over some areas, with local bullies constantly appearing and finding various excuses to prevent "Leji Delivery" vehicles from passing through.
“This is much more complicated than a modern city. Without GPS, just looking at this lousy map is making my eyes go blind,” You Jiale said, scratching his head and looking at the crumpled sketch with worry.
They were also severely short-staffed. Numerous job postings had been put up, but truly hardworking and capable individuals were extremely rare. Two would come today, one would leave tomorrow, and there were also those who slacked off, causing considerable trouble for the fledgling "Leji Delivery." You Jiale thought to himself that expecting these people to have a modern service mentality was wishful thinking. It seemed the management needed to be improved further, and he began to work on developing more detailed rules and regulations.
It was truly a case of misfortunes never coming singly. "Le Ji Delivery" had barely started operating when a food safety inspection came along, completely overwhelming You Jiale. He had emphasized hygiene standards to the restaurants he partnered with countless times, but it's impossible to monitor every step of the process. If a problem occurred, it would be a fatal blow to "Le Ji Delivery's" reputation. "Food safety is a red line; there can be absolutely no mistakes!" You Jiale decided to personally lead a team to thoroughly inspect each restaurant again.
Faced with this series of problems, You Jiale was completely overwhelmed and at her wits' end.
The approval was delayed, so he went to those departments every day without fail to "report" to them. His attitude was so sincere. He pleaded and persuaded them with reason and emotion, and finally convinced some officials by arguing that "Leji Delivery" could make life more convenient for ordinary people, increase employment, and generate more tax revenue for the government.
Delivery routes blocked? He took a roundabout approach, bypassing the troublesome areas while actively building rapport with the local chamber of commerce and neighbors to gain their understanding and support.
Not enough manpower? Then give them more money and provide proper training. You Jiale even personally led the new deliverymen through the streets and alleys, setting an example for them with his own actions.
Food safety issues? He not only strengthened supervision of partner restaurants, but also launched his own food safety commitment for "Le Ji Delivery" to ensure absolute safety.
While You Jiale was busy and running into obstacles at every turn, what was that Boss Zhang doing? He was leisurely waiting to see if You Jiale would come to him for help.
As her mind raced, her feet involuntarily led her to the door of Zhang Xiande's office.
He raised his hand and knocked twice on the door. Inside, the old fox Zhang Xiande remained as calm as ever, a cigarette tucked between his fingers, his other hand flipping through those incomprehensible documents.
All he does all day is smoke; sooner or later his lungs will be blacker than his heart!
Hearing the noise, Zhang Xiande barely lifted his eyelids and glanced at him.
You Jiale had a lot to say, but then changed her tone and suddenly switched to that cloying manner, "Boss, you're really something, just leaving me here and not caring about me?"
Zhang Xiande raised an eyebrow and slowly stubbed out his cigarette. "Weren't you quite capable?"
"Isn't all my ability thanks to you? Can you bear to watch me mess around here all by myself?" You Jiale said as she moved over and went around to Zhang Xiande's comfortable-looking office chair, and gave his shoulders a couple of light tugs.
“Speak properly,” Zhang Xiande said, looking up at him.
You Jiale then let go of her hand and, without any hesitation, sat down on the edge of Zhang Xiande's desk, pouring out all the unpleasant things that had happened to "Leji Delivery" in the past few days.
His tone was quite organized, tinged with a hint of grievance, "Even though I'm personally in charge, my abilities are limited. If I really mess it up, then you'll just have to send me to the street corner to set up a stall." He paused, then added, "This 'Le Ji Delivery' is indeed registered under my name, but wasn't it set up to solve your problems? Are you just going to watch me run into obstacles everywhere?"
After listening to his complaints, Zhang Xiande hummed in agreement and nodded, his face revealing no emotion. "So what do you plan to do?"
Now that things have come to this point, you're still pretending!
This old fox is just waiting to see when he can't take it anymore and begs for mercy!
But I have my pride too!
Yu Jiale felt a surge of anger rising within her, and she glared at Zhang Xiande. "I'm planning to wait for a miracle to happen."
“A miracle?” Zhang Xiande raised an eyebrow again.
“Yes,” You Jiale said earnestly, “I once had my fortune told. It said that my business would go smoothly, but whenever I encountered a hurdle, God would suddenly arrange a benefactor, like a powerful boss like you.”
Zhang Xiande's lips twitched. "Then congratulations."
Xiao You completely lost her temper!
He stood up abruptly, his voice rising several octaves, "This 'Leji Delivery' isn't just for me to make money, it's also for you! You're just planning to do nothing and wait for a windfall, right? If this fails, what benefits will you get? I'm working myself to the bone every day for this crappy delivery service, and instead of scheming against others, you're sitting in the office scheming against me?"
Zhang Xiande's eyes widened slightly, as if he had been stunned by a bomb thrown at him. After a long while, he blinked, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up, and he even chuckled softly.
Are you angry?
"Nonsense!" Xiao You huffed, putting her hands on her hips.
"So what if I get angry? I have such a big head, running around every day enduring the disdain of those approval departments, all for what? And you, on the other hand, sit comfortably in your office watching the show. You, the all-powerful boss, are just too unfair, aren't you?"
Zhang Xiande tapped his fingers on the table slowly and deliberately, as if he were pondering something, or perhaps he was deliberately teasing him.
Looking at his assistant, who was jumping up and down in anger, he recalled how he used to do whatever he was told, and follow orders exactly where he was told. Although he was efficient, it was incredibly boring.
Ever since that fall down the mountain, she's been like a completely different person. She's become someone who can act cute and charming, but when provoked, she stubbornly clings to that stubborn streak, like a little wildcat cornered against a wall, her fur standing on end, but her claws retracted, trying her best to maintain that pitiful dignity. I have to admit, she's definitely much more interesting than before.
Zhang Xiande suddenly sat up straight, his expression becoming more serious: "I've already arranged the approval process, so you don't need to go there anymore. As for the route, I'll have my people retrieve detailed map data from the relevant departments. If we're short-staffed, we can also transfer a few people from elsewhere for you to practice with first."
He paused, looked at You Jiale, and said with a hint of a smile that was hard to detect: "I have no intention of really being a hands-off manager."
You Jiale's roguish charm resurfaced, and the top two buttons of her shirt weren't fastened properly, revealing a section of her fair neck. "You clearly arranged for Qin Zheng to be next to me. You know exactly what I'm going to do the shit the moment I bend over. Can you stop wasting time waiting for me to speak up? I've hinted at him so many times!"
Zhang Xiande suddenly stood up, looked down at You Jiale, and abruptly changed the subject: "That night."
You Jiale paused for a moment, then remained silent.
"The old mute man who repairs umbrellas in the alley behind the tailor shop, isn't he quite skilled?" Zhang Xiande spoke gently, as if they were just having a casual chat.
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
Xiao You's mind went blank for a moment, and her first instinct was to say, "I don't know what you're talking about." "I...I'll go back to work."
This time, Zhang Xiande didn't stop him, only saying, "Assistant You, if you encounter any problems you can't solve, you can come to me."
You Jiale was stunned for a long time, thinking to himself how this old fox always managed to come out with such a probing question when he was least expecting it.
They're more cunning than a hornet's nest!
He stammered, "I understand," and then vanished from the office in a flash.
Zhang Xiande's fingers paused, and the unfinished document slowly closed. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the nearly burnt-out cigarette butt on the coffee table.
Back in her office, You Jiale gulped down a large mouthful of cold tea, slumped into her chair, and muttered under her breath, rubbing her forehead: "Damn it, he knows everything!"
Trying to pretend? You can't outdo him!
Trying to hide? You probably can't!
Zhang Xiande is like a wolf in a suit; he is usually silent, but once he strikes, he goes straight for the vital point.
He probably doesn't have much time left to prepare.
He needs to quickly make "Leji Delivery" achieve some tangible results and demonstrate its future potential before he'll be qualified to have a proper discussion with that old fox, Zhang Xiande.
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