Wan Denghui, 37, from Xiantao, Hubei province, once earned about 500,000 CNY annually from his hotpot restaurant and clothing store businesses. Unsuccessful business expansion led to his bankruptcy and millions of CNY in debt.

In 4/2024, Wan began working as a food delivery driver. "Beyond this job, I couldn't find any other work offering a salary of 30,000 CNY (4,380 USD) per month," he stated.

To quickly repay his debt, Wan worked 365 days without rest, for 14 to 16 hours daily. On his personal page, he called himself the "workaholic king." In his first year, he earned 223,000 CNY. After two years, he had paid off 400,000 CNY (58,400 USD) of his debt.

Driver Wan Denghui, 37, worked 12 to 14 hours, 365 days, and paid off 400,000 CNY of debt after two years. Photo: Leifeng

Driver Wan Denghui, 37, worked 12 to 14 hours, 365 days, and paid off 400,000 CNY of debt after two years. Photo: Leifeng

Wan's intense work schedule led many to suspect he fabricated his story for "likes." A representative from the food delivery platform Meituan later confirmed the driver's records were authentic. The platform stated that in 714 working days, Wan completed 47,393 orders, earning over 65,000 USD.

However, the company's data system also recorded Wan being forcibly logged out of the application 240 times since 12/2024. This intervention is part of an "anti-fatigue mechanism." The system automatically reminds drivers after 8 hours of work and locks the application when the order acceptance time reaches 12 hours daily.

Initially, Wan resisted the app's control over his working hours. He stated that this feature hindered his progress in earning money to repay his debt. Wan's direct station manager also noted that he frequently disregarded advice to rest. Despite this, Wan later said he realized that these app lockouts were rare times he was forced to stop for food and a nap.

Zhejiang University's 2025 report on the delivery profession indicates that one-third of drivers join the gig economy to earn quick money to resolve debt, purchase homes, or support their families.

Labor research experts note that working hours are self-determined by workers. Platforms need to develop algorithms that both prevent overworking to ensure safety and meet the livelihood needs of drivers.

By Bao Nhien, via Leifeng.