These past few days, Chen Pingjiang's right eye kept twitching, and he always had a bad feeling in his heart.
Therefore, he called Gao Songbin several times almost every day, asking if any delivery riders had been injured or similar incidents had occurred.
However, thankfully, everything was going smoothly.
The rain outside the window had gradually begun to lighten; if it just held on for another half day, the rain would stop tomorrow.
Rubbing his right eye, Chen Pingjiang let out a long sigh and called Guan Yifeng at the entrance to register an appointment.
He planned to go to the hospital for a check-up.
Unexpectedly, just then, Gao Songbin walked in with a solemn expression.
Chen Pingjiang knew from his expression that something bad had happened, because that's just how Gao Songbin was; whether he was happy or unhappy, it would show on his face.
"What's wrong?"
Gao Songbin's brows furrowed into the character '川':
"We just received news that a Blue Knight in Anhuai unfortunately drowned while saving an elderly person who had fallen into the water, and he himself didn't make it back up."
Hearing this news, Chen Pingjiang felt as if struck by a bolt from the blue.
He had always thought that his right eye twitching indicated disaster was just a feudal superstition, nothing to worry about.
Yet, he hadn't expected the bad news to still come.
Chen Pingjiang nodded:
"I understand. It's close, let's drive there now."
Seeing Gao Songbin's dejected look, Chen Pingjiang still went up and patted his shoulder:
"Pull yourself together, you still need to handle the aftermath. Since he was saving someone, our rider is a hero, and a hero should be treated like a hero."
Chen Pingjiang was filled with emotion; he was both proud of the Blue Knight's courageous act and saddened by the loss of a vibrant life.
On the way, Chen Pingjiang learned that the rider's name was Wang Jing.
He was only 32 this year, and his daughter, just 3 years old, was now without a father.
In fact, Gao Songbin could have handled this matter himself, but as the first Blue Knight to sacrifice his life, Chen Pingjiang had an obligation to go to the scene to pay his respects.
Over 200,000 riders travel through the streets and alleys of various cities, and in such harsh weather conditions, it is inevitable that various incidents will occur.
Chen Pingjiang had actually prepared for someone to get injured, but he hadn't expected it to be this serious.
As more and more riders join the Renrengou platform and work longer hours, it is inevitable that some will experience illnesses and traffic accidents.
Especially traffic accidents, this ratio will be quite high; there's no way to avoid it when running through streets and alleys.
The Maybach 57S sped down the highway, splashing water along the way.
Inside the car, Chen Pingjiang said to Gao Songbin:
"This incident proves that our rider protection is not in place. I've thought about it, we should get insurance for them. As long as a rider works that day, 2-3 yuan will be deducted from their first order to pay for the day's insurance premium, and our company will cover the larger remaining portion. As more riders join, such incidents will not be uncommon."
Gao Songbin nodded:
"Have you decided what specific insurance policies to purchase?"
"Accidental death and disability, accidental hospitalization medical, and personal third-party liability insurance."
Gao Songbin gave a wry smile:
"I'm increasingly realizing that our opponents might not necessarily be Meituan and Ele.me, but rather balancing company revenue, rider salary protection, and user satisfaction."
"Hmm, this is the most crucial contradiction. The company must be responsible to its shareholders, so it certainly can't operate at a loss. If it keeps losing money, the hole will only get bigger, and eventually no one can bear it.
Riders will inevitably pursue higher wages, and the company should also provide them with more safety guarantees. This way, we will be forced to charge more commission from merchants and ask users to pay more delivery fees, and whether users accept that is another matter."
Chen Pingjiang sighed.
Before, when doing group buying, there were only the platform, merchants, and users, which was relatively easy to coordinate.
But with food delivery, a fourth party was added, making coordination even more difficult.
What's more troublesome is that if the relationships between them are not handled well, users and merchants might be driven to competitors, making the situation even more severe.
Gao Songbin said:
"Sometimes, I really envy Meituan and Ele.me; they directly go with crowdsourcing, abandoning the variable of the rider, and the situation instantly becomes clear. But we at Renrengou cannot do that."
By the time the two arrived at the Anhuai station, it was already two in the afternoon.
Ding Zhijun, the general manager of Anhuai's Blue Knights, didn't expect the big boss to come and was scrambling to gather people to welcome him.
Chen Pingjiang waved his hand, signaling Ding Zhijun not to bother with such superficial formalities,
"Has Wang Jing's body been recovered? Have his family members arrived?"
"The body is still being recovered; the current has been a bit strong these past few days. His family was just brought to our station to discuss arrangements for the aftermath."
Chen Pingjiang nodded:
"Take me to see them."
In the station's reception room, Chen Pingjiang met Wang Jing's orphaned daughter and widowed mother.
Wang Jing's wife was dressed simply, her eyes red from crying.
Upon seeing Chen Pingjiang, she showed a lost and bewildered expression.
Beside Wang Jing's wife, Wang Jing's daughter looked at everyone with an innocent curiosity.
At just three years old, she could not yet comprehend the meaning of death.
"Please accept our condolences. The dead cannot be brought back to life, and I believe Wang Jing's spirit in heaven would not want you to be so sad,"
Gao Songbin comforted her.
Chen Pingjiang also nodded:
"The company will provide Wang Jing's family with a 100,000 yuan care fund to help them through this difficult time, and will also cover your daughter's tuition and living expenses until she turns 18, helping her grow up healthy and complete her studies successfully."
Wang Jing's wife cried even harder, thanking them while weeping:
"Thank you, Chairman Chen, thank you, CEO Gao."
"It's what we should do."
Behind him, other riders who had rushed over upon hearing the news applauded after hearing Chen Pingjiang's promise.
They felt that the company's leaders were humane and the company was benevolent, at least it wouldn't make people feel disheartened.
Chen Pingjiang and Gao Songbin both politely declined interviews from reporters, instead putting Ding Zhijun forward to handle them.
At such a time, neither of them was suitable to make a statement.
Praising what their company did in terms of condolences would inevitably carry the suspicion of feeding on human suffering.
Those who knew the full story would be fine, but those who didn't might actually think Chen Pingjiang was taking advantage of the opportunity to advertise Renrengou.
......
Gao Songbin stayed behind in Anhuai to handle the subsequent matters, while Chen Pingjiang returned to Dongjiang alone.
At this moment, the rain finally stopped.
A beautiful rainbow arched across the sky not far away.
But even as the dark clouds dispersed, they could not disperse the gloom in Chen Pingjiang's heart.
At this time, he felt like finding a woman to vent his pent-up frustration.
However, to his surprise, these women were all busier than the last.
Ge Mengshi was in Helsinki, that went without saying.
Cong Nini had gone to Tahiti, Yan Yan was away on a business trip negotiating cooperation, and even Ni Na, who was filming "The Flowers of War" in Dongjiang, apologized, saying:
"I have to be with the crew these days, can't get out."
Just as Chen Pingjiang was about to call Zhang Xinyue, he scrolled through his phone screen and happened to see a contact in WeChat—Yin Zhen.
The image of Yin Zhen in a light blue flight attendant uniform came to mind, and Chen Pingjiang, as if possessed, sent a message:
"Are you in Dongjiang?"
On the other end of the phone, Yin Zhen was shopping with her sister Yin Hui on Women's Street, each enjoying a cup of Miaochaji.
Upon seeing the message, Yin Zhen's expression instantly became very animated.
She glanced at her sister Yin Hui, saw that she wasn't paying attention to her, and quickly replied:
"Chairman Chen, I am. Is there something you need?"
After a while, another message came back on her phone.
Seeing the message, Yin Zhen froze in place.
The message contained only an address, plus…
"Remember to wear your flight attendant uniform."
Yin Zhen's heart immediately pounded very fast, her face flushed slightly, and her gaze at the screen was somewhat lost and bewildered.
"What's wrong? You seem distracted."
"Ah? No... nothing,"
Yin Zhen stammered in reply, startled by her sister's concerned voice.
This girl was often so flighty, so Yin Hui didn't take it to heart.
But at this moment, Yin Zhen was engaged in a fierce internal struggle.
She was an adult, after all, how could she not understand the meaning behind this text message?
If a mere address was nothing, then what was that last sentence,
"Remember to wear your flight attendant uniform"?
To go or not to go?
Yin Zhen was agonizing.
Girls, after all, generally don't like such an abrupt feeling; if it were after dinner and a movie, that would be a natural progression.
But if she didn't go…
Perhaps, they would never have another chance?
After much thought, Yin Zhen steeled herself.
She would go for it!
"Sis, you go on ahead and shop alone. A friend invited me to her house for dinner tonight, I'm leaving now."
With that, without waiting for Yin Hui to ask questions, Yin Zhen grabbed her bag and ran.
"Hey, what friend that I don't know?"
Yin Hui had barely shouted a sentence when Yin Zhen turned a corner and disappeared.
This left Yin Hui feeling somewhat bewildered.
The two had been inseparable since childhood; their childhood friends were the same, their classmates were the same, and their friends were everyone's.
"This girl is definitely hiding something from me!"
If it were a friend inviting her to dinner, it would surely be an invitation for both sisters, so why would only one be invited?
After running out, Yin Zhen's face was burning hot, blushing with embarrassment and a pounding heart.
But amidst the shyness, there was also a hint of excitement, like a bird flying freely from its cage.
Finally, she could be independent of her sister and have her own secret, and it was a meeting with her idol!
The more she thought about it, the more thrilling it seemed, and Yin Zhen couldn't help but quicken her pace.
After going home once, dragging her flight attendant's special suitcase, and arriving at the address in the message – Tiangong Bar – someone immediately led her to the fifth floor.
In the elevator, Yin Zhen's heart was in her throat, feeling it beat so fast she almost couldn't breathe.
And when she stood at the door of the room, her face was so flushed that you could probably fry an egg on it.
"Click!"
Yin Zhen hadn't even knocked, but the door opened by itself, revealing the handsome face that Yin Zhen had yearned for in her dreams countless times.
Chen Pingjiang felt his eyes were a little red, he nodded:
"You're here, come in."
"Oh, okay!"
Yin Zhen was so nervous she felt like she was going to explode, so excited she almost fainted.
Chen Pingjiang let out a long breath, looking at Yin Zhen greedily:
"You know why I called you here, right? Let's get straight to the point."
"I... I!"
Yin Zhen never expected her dream lover to be so direct, without an ounce of romance.
But she didn't know that Chen Pingjiang distinguished Yin Zhen very clearly from other women.
Other girls could be called sexual partners, but Yin Zhen could probably only be called a friendly match.
Looking at Yin Zhen's flustered appearance, Chen Pingjiang chuckled:
"If you're not ready yet, then leave early."
"Ah... I."
Yin Zhen absolutely loved this domineering CEO vibe.
But since she had come, it meant she could anticipate what was going to happen next, and she was at least mentally prepared.
It was just that she always felt everything was so stark and straightforward.
"You're not leaving, does that mean you agree?"
"Mm!"
After a long while, her face flushed red like a basin of fire, Yin Zhen still nodded, having made up her mind.
The next second, Chen Pingjiang breathed heavily, loosened his tie, stood up, and walked towards Yin Zhen.
In Yin Zhen's eyes, Chen Pingjiang's figure grew larger and larger, eventually occupying her entire pupil.
Chen Pingjiang gathered all the fatigue, boredom, frustration, powerlessness, and other negative emotions from this period, finally transforming them into a burning breath that he exhaled onto Yin Zhen's face.
Yin Zhen felt the low growls emanating from Chen Pingjiang's throat, making her heart tremble a little, but then the hot, scorching breath hitting her cheeks instantly made her body shiver.
Then a warm current overflowed.
And at this moment...
Chen Pingjiang's large hands had already slid along the top of her black stockings and into her skirt.
......
Meanwhile, her sister Yin Hui was walking alone on the shopping street.
As she walked, Yin Hui's expression grew stranger and stranger.
She felt her breathing becoming more rapid, her heartbeat accelerating, and her face, she didn't know when, was already covered in a flush.
At first, Yin Hui thought she had low blood sugar, but then she realized that wasn't the case at all.
Because...
She couldn't move anymore.
Then, Yin Hui involuntarily let out a moan, drawing strange glances from the people around her, who all stared at her, almost making Yin Hui want to find a hole to crawl into.
"That damn girl!"
Almost immediately, Yin Hui pinpointed the culprit as her younger sister.
When they were younger, the two sisters sometimes had telepathic experiences; for example, no matter how far apart they were, if one fell ill, the other would inevitably fall ill too.
At first, they didn't believe it, but as more and more incidents proved it, they accepted this fact.
They then began to frantically search for information, discovering that many identical twins around the world indeed had some degree of telepathy, which scientists couldn't explain.
However, Yin Hui never imagined, even in death, that such a thing could also have telepathy.
Oh no...
The feeling was getting stronger.
Yin Hui endured the strange sensation, quickly walked to a nearby hotel, and booked a room as fast as possible.
As soon as she entered the room, Yin Hui's legs gave out, and she collapsed by the door.
At this moment, her face was flushed, her ears burning, her body trembled slightly as if in spasms, and she gasped for breath.
(End of Chapter)