Wang Dali clapped his hands, marking the end of this morning's group performance art:
"Alright! Stay sharp, everyone! Safety first, but keep up the efficiency too! Let's get to work!"
The crowd dispersed, heading towards the rows of electric scooters parked by the roadside.
Jiang Ye let out a sigh of relief and quickly slipped to his own ride.
His scooter was a second-hand piece rented from a shop the station had contacted, costing 200 yuan a month. The body was covered in scratches, the seat had several tears, and the battery life was significantly reduced.
But it was cheap, so Jiang Ye put up with it.
A few seasoned riders nearby were already heading straight for the "Old Wangtou Bun Shop" at the street corner, planning to fill their stomachs before starting work.
Jiang Ye glanced at them, took out his phone, opened the Sanshang Delivery Rider App, and clicked "Go Online to Take Orders."
In every profession, there are tricks to being lazy.
After more than four months of riding, Jiang Ye had developed his own "efficient (lazy) strategy."
Each delivery station has a fixed delivery area designated by the platform, like a safe zone in a game.
Once a rider's location crosses the boundary of this area, the system will determine that you have "left the service area" and will not assign you new orders.
This is the golden window for being lazy!
Of course, the premise is that your completed orders for the day can't look too bad; you need to at least reach the station's average line. Otherwise, if the backend data looks too poor, Wang Dali will have a "heart-to-heart" with you.
So, Jiang Ye's strategy is: every morning, while most colleagues are having breakfast and dawdling, he runs a few more orders to build up his base count.
Then, during the non-peak hours of the morning and afternoon, he can confidently ride out of the area boundary, find a quiet place, and enjoy a few rounds of games or catch up on a couple of anime episodes, relishing the undisturbed leisure time.
Once work started, time flew by.
By around 9:30, Jiang Ye had smoothly completed 12 orders.
Considering that running 30 to 40 orders a day usually meets the target, and with more runs during the lunch and dinner peaks, today's task was basically secure.
Feeling cheerful, Jiang Ye twisted the throttle, and the worn-out scooter buzzed as it sped towards the boundary of the dispatch area.
Watching the little arrow representing himself on the navigation get closer and closer to that gray area symbolizing freedom, with less than 300 meters to go...
"Ding—You have a new order, please handle it promptly."
Damn!
Who the hell orders delivery this early in the morning?!
Jiang Ye cursed under his breath, instinctively squeezing the brake to stop by the roadside.
This system's dispatch is really inconsiderate!
Not early, not late, but right when he was about to reach his happy place!
He reluctantly picked up his phone to check the order details.
[Pickup Point]: Watsons (North 2nd Road Store)
[Items]: Cosmetics
[Delivery Point]: Wanda Apartments Building B, Room 1703
Jiang Ye carefully looked at the map and let out a slight sigh of relief.
Not bad, the pickup point is nearby, and the delivery point "Wanda Apartments" is conveniently outside the dispatch area, better than having to run back.
Turning the scooter around, he followed the navigation instructions and soon arrived at the nearby Watsons store.
Entering the store, he reported the pickup code, and the clerk handed him a green plastic bag filled with colorful bottles and jars, seemingly skincare or makeup products.
Jiang Ye knew nothing about such things and had no interest in finding out, so he just took the bag and left the store.
Just as he got on his scooter, ready to head to the delivery address, his phone rang with a call from an unfamiliar out-of-town number.
"Hello? Who is this?"
A somewhat young male voice came from the other end, with a hint of probing in his tone: "Hello? Is this... the delivery rider?"
"Yes, which order? What's up?" Jiang Ye replied while balancing the scooter with one foot.
"It's the order you're delivering now, the one from Watsons."
The caller paused, lowering his voice a bit: "Buddy, can I ask you a favor?"
"Man, I really can't carry anything else, I'm super busy, got over ten orders on me, racing against time."
"No, no, not carrying anything. I just want you to... um... help me see what the person receiving the order looks like, how's their figure... if possible, take a photo for me? Buddy, help me out!"
Oh?
Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow, instantly sensing something different, and... the scent of a tip!
Even though tomorrow he could choose a new system and start his glorious life as the king of bottled water, earning some extra cash today for a little barbecue treat tonight wouldn't hurt, right?
Jiang Ye coughed, pretending to be in a difficult position: "Well... the platform has rules, we can't just take pictures of customers... you're putting me in a tough spot here..."
"Don't worry, buddy! I know the rules! I'll tip you! A fee for your trouble!"
The caller immediately understood: "If you can get a photo, I'll give you 200! If not, just tell me what they look like, if their figure is good, and I'll still give you 100! How about it?"
Hearing these numbers, Jiang Ye was slightly taken aback.
Damn?
200? 100?
So generous? Is this catching a cheater? Catching a mistress?
"Sigh... man, you see... alright, add me on WeChat, transfer 100 first. I'll try my best to get a photo, and if I do, you can send me the other 100."
"OK! OK! No problem! You're a good guy!"
Hanging up the call, Jiang Ye looked at the friend request on WeChat and clicked accept.
Almost simultaneously, a 100 yuan red envelope was sent over.
He happily clicked to receive it, watching the balance in his WeChat wallet increase, and silently apologized to the girl he was about to meet:
Sorry, girl, life's tough, and I need to make a living. Blame it on that guy's impure intentions.
No need to ask, Jiang Ye could guess the plot with his toes, it was most likely a high-risk online romance.
And if an online romance refuses to show their face, refuses to video chat, only sends heavily edited photos or just voice messages...
Those who know, know. Those who don't, go search for Wangzai's certain Qiao.
Putting away his phone, Jiang Ye set off again, following the navigation to the destination—Wanda Apartments located outside the dispatch area.
Almost every city's Wanda Plaza has accompanying apartment buildings, mixing studios, small companies, homestays, and residences, with a high turnover of people.
Carrying the bag, Jiang Ye walked to the elevator and called the recipient.
"Hello, Sanshang Youya... ahem, Delivery, please call the elevator."
"......"
A clear, pleasant, but slightly cool female voice came from the other end: "Just leave it in the elevator, thanks."
"Okay, no problem."
Hanging up, just as an elevator descended to the first floor.
Following the instructions, Jiang Ye placed the bag near the elevator door, then stepped inside, standing at the farthest corner from the bag to indicate "I'm just an innocent passerby, that thing isn't from me," and subtly raised his phone, pretending to browse TikTok.
The elevator ascended smoothly, the numbers changing continuously.
"Ding—" The elevator reached the 17th floor. The doors slowly opened.
Jiang Ye, expressionless, watched the elevator doors open on his phone screen, thumb ready to press the photo button at any moment.
However, when the doors fully opened and the figure outside appeared on the screen, his hand holding the phone paused slightly, and he couldn't help but be stunned.
The woman outside the elevator looked young, probably younger than him.
She wore a tight-fitting yoga outfit, her hair tied into a ponytail casually draped over her back.
Her features were delicate and well-defined, with bright, almond-shaped eyes full of spirit, clear eyes, a high nose bridge, and plump, pink lips. She appeared to be wearing no makeup, yet exuded an exceptionally unique and fresh beauty, not the heavily made-up influencer look, but a refreshingly elegant kind of pretty.
The most crucial part was...
Jiang Ye's gaze involuntarily drifted downward... so... round?