Stronger by Paying Salaries and I Have 1 Billion Employees

And so, Quanfeng Express, which was supposed to have its moment of glory in 2016 and secure its position as the leader among second-tier delivery companies, never even reached its peak before its founder, Chen Jiahai, threw in the towel.

There was no other way. It had no major financial backing, nor did it have an e-commerce platform to feed it orders.

The price war between the Three Passes and One Reach and Cloud Speed had raged for less than six months, and smaller companies like Quanfeng and Speed Peak were already buckling.

They were lucky to be acquired. Countless other delivery companies didn’t even have the qualifications to attend this industry conference!

They had already been driven out of business by Cloud Speed last year!

When Chen Yansen returned to the banquet hall, Chen Feikang was still pestering Liao Wei, begging him to buy Speed Peak.

”Lao Liao, come here for a second. I’ve reached an agreement with President Chen. I need you to organize a team to take over all of Quanfeng’s transfer centers, hubs, and transport vehicles.”

Chen Yansen instructed Liao Wei.

The implication was clear: he had decided to fully acquire Quanfeng Express.

”Got it, Boss. So what about Speed Peak?” Liao Wei asked quickly, a knowing grin on his face.

Chen Yansen looked at the anxious Chen Feikang, smiled, and said, ”We’ll table that for now.”

Chen Feikang’s heart sank. He knew that ”table that for now” was just a polite dismissal—a clear rejection.

He shot a hateful glare at Chen Jiahai. ’If Quanfeng hadn’t jumped in to muddy the waters,’ he thought, ’Liao Wei would have been forced to agree, no matter how much he disliked me and Speed Peak. He would have done it just to avoid causing trouble for his boss.’

The luncheon ended, and after a short break, the afternoon seminar began.

Zheng Shengyu’s requirements were firm: regardless of their disputes, the minimum price per parcel was to be 1.5 yuan. Furthermore, the ’Pass’ companies were responsible for overhauling their franchise networks and standardizing service procedures. Lastly, Shentong and Yuantong were each hit with another 10 million yuan fine.

In Chairman Zheng’s own words, ”The Postal Association headquarters has received a total of 83,000 complaints about lost packages. This time, it’s a fine. Next time, I’ll just revoke your operating licenses.”

If Chen Dejun and Yu Weijiao wanted to continue their price war, they would have to make some painful sacrifices. If they dared to let their service quality rot or cause any more trouble for the association, they would be utterly crushed.

The two exchanged a look, both feeling Zheng Shengyu’s decision was unfair. ’It was clearly Cloud Speed that started this whole mess!’

But at this point, nobody cared.

Before leaving, Wang Wei took a deep look at Chen Yansen, then turned and left with his assistant and bodyguards.

Zheng Shengyu, however, pulled Chen Yansen aside for another chat. Handing over his personal phone number, he said bluntly, ”Cloud Speed is rather lacking in resources for its rail and air transport routes. If you’re looking to expand into air cargo, I can introduce you to some sources for used Air China planes.”

’Right now in the delivery industry, everyone except Shunfeng is just scrounging for scraps in the low-to-mid-end market. I’d love to see Cloud Speed and Shunfeng start fighting it out. It would really stimulate the sector’s vitality.’

”Thank you, Chairman Zheng. Cloud Speed does indeed have plans in this area, it’s just that the funds...”

Chen Yansen trailed off here, stopping deliberately.

”With Cloud Speed’s market position and growth rate, you’re worried about getting a loan?”

Zheng Shengyu chuckled.

For him, helping Cloud Speed secure a loan was as simple as making a single phone call.

He didn’t make it explicit, however. He simply had Liao Wei take down his assistant’s number.

After saying his piece, Zheng Shengyu also left with his entourage.

”Boss, are we really going to buy cargo planes?” Liao Wei asked in surprise.

”Don’t you think three days for deliveries within the same province, and five to seven days for cross-province shipments, is too slow?”

Chen Yansen shot back.

Having lived through the golden age of e-commerce more than a decade in the future, he knew that customer expectations for delivery speed would only get higher.

Same-day delivery within a province, and two days—three at most—for cross-province.

Any longer than that, and customers would consider it a trash-tier delivery service.