Zhou Yuwen negotiated with the courier company, advancing funds and ensuring that student workers were paid daily. His profit per hour per worker was eight yuan. During the hectic Double 11 period, each worker averaged ten hours a day, bringing Zhou Yuwen an average daily inco of 80 yuan per person.
With 300 workers over a 12-day period, Zhou Yuwen stood to make 288,000 yuan. However, his profits didn’t co without significant effort and investnt. Compared to other employers, Zhou Yuwen provided better working conditions, including rest breaks and als.
While other jobs might barely net students 120-130 yuan for a grueling day, Zhou Yuwen’s workers could earn 200 yuan daily. For context, even Li Qiang’s exhausting wedding gigs only paid him about 100 yuan per day.
Zhou Yuwen didn’t hide the potential earnings from Liu Shuo and Gao Yang. Upon hearing the figures, Gao Yang was slightly astonished, while Liu Shuo seed indifferent.
“This is just the estimated inco,” Zhou Yuwen explained. “The 12-day event won’t be smooth sailing. Expect unforeseen challenges, and you must be ready to handle them.”
He turned to Liu Shuo, adding, “You’ve got the drive, but your impulsiveness can be a problem. Gao Yang, you’ll need to keep an eye on things.”
Gao Yang nodded earnestly, understanding that Zhou Yuwen valued his input. anwhile, Liu Shuo grinned sheepishly, scratching his head but saying nothing.
Zhou Yuwen emphasized the importance of creating a managent structure. “With 300 people, it’s impossible to manage them all directly. Liu Shuo, you’ll need to recruit a handful of reliable people to act as team leaders. They don’t need to do physical work, but they’ll be paid like the others to oversee operations.”
“Don’t worry, Zhou Ge. If there’s one thing I have, it’s people,” Liu Shuo replied confidently.
Lu Lin’s Admiration
Throughout the discussion, Lu Lin quietly observed from the sidelines. She watched as Zhou Yuwen calmly outlined his strategies, addressing every detail with precision. His ability to orchestrate such a large-scale operation with clarity and confidence left her in awe.
Zhou Yuwen didn’t seem like an 18-year-old at all; he carried himself like a seasoned business veteran. As Lu Lin reflected on their ti together, her admiration for him deepened. In her eyes, Zhou Yuwen exuded a paternal aura—a figure of stability and reliability.
She felt an urge to act playfully, perhaps nuzzle against him or demand affection. But she knew better. Instead, she restrained herself and simply admired him silently.
When Zhou Yuwen paused to sip water, he noticed his glass was empty. Lu Lin stood up without a word to refill it, her tall fra moving gracefully across the room.
“Could you also check if the dishes are ready?” Zhou Yuwen asked as she handed him the refilled glass.
“Okay.”
Zhou Yuwen appreciated Lu Lin’s quiet, supportive nature. Despite accompanying him to etings, she never ddled or caused distractions. Even when Liu Shuo jokingly called her “Sister-in-law,” Lu Lin remained composed, focusing on her phone and avoiding unnecessary conversation.
Once Lu Lin stepped out, Liu Shuo grinned and said, “Ge, she’s way more obedient than Zheng Yanyan.”
“Enough with your nonsense,” Zhou Yuwen replied with a smirk.
When Lu Lin returned, the food had arrived. Zhou Yuwen stayed to share a al with Liu Shuo and Gao Yang. During the al, Liu Shuo pulled out a cigarette and offered one to Gao Yang. Gao Yang hesitated, then put it aside, noticing Zhou Yuwen wasn’t smoking either.
“It’s fine. Go ahead,” Zhou Yuwen said, though Gao Yang still refrained.
After dinner, which stretched past nine o’clock, Liu Shuo excused himself to et other students for a late al. Zhou Yuwen and Lu Lin left shortly after, heading back ho.
On the Way Back
Driving through the city, Zhou Yuwen rested one hand on the steering wheel and the other on Lu Lin’s thigh.
“Bored?” he asked.
“Not at all. I enjoyed it,” Lu Lin replied.
“What’s there to enjoy?”
“I liked eting your friends,” she said, holding his hand on her leg.
Zhou Yuwen chuckled. “What’s the big deal? You’re my girlfriend, after all.”
Lu Lin didn’t reply, but her smile spoke volus.
She had been staying at Zhou Yuwen’s apartnt for three days now. However, with three days of absence already, she felt she couldn’t stretch her excuses any further. Earlier, Zheng Yanyan had ssaged her, asking where she had been.
At that mont, Lu Lin was lounging on Zhou Yuwen’s bed, wearing a simple slip dress. She didn’t like wearing too much at ho, finding it cumberso. Usually, she preferred being undressed, but Zhou Yuwen insisted she wear sothing after her showers.
“If you don’t wear anything, you’ll catch a cold,” Zhou Yuwen said, playfully smacking her on the rear.
“You’re just like my dad,” Lu Lin teased.
“Isn’t that what I am?” Zhou Yuwen grinned, pulling her closer.
Lu Lin giggled in response.
When Zheng Yanyan asked about her absence, Lu Lin casually replied, “I’ve been out with my dad for the past few days.”
“Your actual dad? (wink)”
“Who else would it be?” Lu Lin replied cheekily.
Zheng Yanyan sent a couple of grinning emojis and added, “By the way, those nosy girls from the other dorm were gossiping about you again, saying you’re sneaking around with random guys.”
Lu Lin replied indifferently, “Let them talk. It doesn’t bother .”
“No way! You’re my bestie. I gave them a piece of my mind!”
Reading this, Lu Lin’s face remained expressionless, but her thoughts remained her own.
That evening, she returned to the dorm with bags of luxury goods. Her dormmates and even girls from the neighboring dorm ca over, exclaiming, “Wow, Lu Lin! These are all na brands! We didn’t know you were a rich kid!”
Zheng Yanyan was thrilled, noting that since she and Lu Lin had similar body types, she could borrow the new clothes Zhou Yuwen had bought for Lu Lin.
Lu Lin didn’t care. “Go ahead and wear them if you want,” she said indifferently.
On November 8, the Double 11 part-ti rush officially began. In the days leading up to it, every part-ti job group was filled with recruitnt posts. Jobs that initially offered eight yuan an hour soon had to raise their rates due to competition from Xu Zhou Association. Eventually, the standard rose to 15 yuan, squeezing out the smaller recruiters.
Zhou Yuwen’s rate of 30 yuan per hour was backed by logistics giants like JD, who prioritized efficiency over cost. These large corporations were willing to burn cash to dominate the market during this period of intense competition in the booming e-comrce era.
Within days, Xu Zhou Association had taken over four campus courier stations, all rebranded under their logo. Conversations in the university revolved around working for the association, with students marveling at the 20-yuan hourly rate.
“Hey, this Xianlin Labor Company seems to be run by that Xu Zhou crew,” soone noted.
“Xu Zhou Association? What’s that?”
“Not sure. Heard it’s been around for a while.”
While the truth was obscured by gossip, students widely recognized the improved working conditions and pay introduced by the company.
After returning from his errands, Zhou Yuwen delivered the costics he had brought from Hong Kong to his counselor, You Changjin.
“How much?” You Changjin asked.
“Three thousand.”
“Oh, alright. Thanks for this,” You Changjin said, transferring the money.
Seeing a stack of leave requests on You Changjin’s desk, Zhou Yuwen asked, “Why so many leave requests?”
“Well, it’s Double 11. Everyone’s rushing to work part-ti as couriers. Even I’m tempted to go,” You joked.
Zhou Yuwen laughed. “With your job, you’ve got it good—6,000 yuan a month. Plenty of students would kill for that.”
“6,000? Try 4,000 after deductions,” You grumbled.
The office was quiet, and You seed eager to chat. He inquired about Zhou Yuwen’s recent trip to Hong Kong and, after so light banter, leaned in closer.
“By the way,” You said, lowering his voice, “you know anything about Xianlin Express?”
Zhou Yuwen, feigning ignorance, asked, “Why?”
“I heard they’re a student-run business. My wife—she’s finishing her master’s—doesn’t like the job her family lined up. I thought maybe she could join them. What do you think?”
Surprised by the request, Zhou Yuwen hesitated before replying, “I’ll see what I can do.”
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