The next morning, the sound of a ship's horn echoed outside the window.
On the Huangpu River, a cargo vessel drifted slowly past, rousing sleepers on both banks from their dreams.
Meng Jie slowly opened her eyes. As she moved to get up, she realized she was curled in Chen Yansen's arms. Startled, she lifted the blanket—her pajamas were still neatly in place. She let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Chen Yansen lay facing her, his profile handsome: well-defined lips, a straight, high nose bridge.
For some reason, Meng Jie remembered the old saying about men with high nose bridges. She gave him a gentle shake. When he didn't stir, she mustered her courage and lifted the corner of the blanket, peeking underneath.
Her heart hammered against her ribs, her cheeks flushed. Slowly, she ducked her head under the covers.
Chen Yansen, fast asleep, suddenly rolled over, trapping her head between his legs.
Overwhelmed by his masculine scent, Meng Jie panicked and slapped his back several times.
"What are you doing?!"
Chen Yansen jolted awake, his voice thick with sleep.
"I was about to ask you that!" Feeling guilty, Meng Jie fired back defensively.
"You should be on the sofa. Why are you in bed?" Chen Yansen shot back.
"Yeah, why? You must have carried me here while I was asleep," Meng Jie accused, taking a wild guess.
Damn, she got it right!
"Since you're here now, don't even think about leaving!" Chen Yansen wrapped an arm around Meng Jie's waist, pulling her close until their bodies pressed together.
Meng Jie was petite, only about 1.56 meters tall and just over 40 kilograms. To Chen Yansen, she felt as light as a ball of cotton.
Their faces were close, noses almost touching, warm breaths mingling.
"What's that under the covers?" Meng Jie asked suddenly, trying to deflect the awkward tension.
"Hey—don't grab that!" Chen Yansen gasped. This girl had quite a grip.
Meng Jie suddenly realized what she was holding. With a yelp, she sprang up, her face burning scarlet, and scrambled away.
"Chen Yansen, you pervert!"
"You take advantage of me and then call me a pervert?" Chen Yansen sat up, irritated.
With that, he moved to teach Meng Jie a proper lesson.
Seeing his intention, Meng Jie dodged with a playful sway, and the two began a chase around the forty-square-meter suite.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing. Go brush your teeth and wash up. This morning, I'll take you around Jiaotong University. We'll have lunch at the revolving restaurant in the Oriental Pearl Tower. This afternoon, we'll visit the City God Temple, and tonight, I'll take you to the concert."
Chen Yansen laid out the day's itinerary, then added, "Consider it your birthday present. Satisfied?"
The plans sounded ordinary, but they were perfectly tailored to Meng Jie's tastes.
"You remembered my birthday!" Meng Jie giggled, hooking her arm through his affectionately.
"December 24th. I processed your student ID myself," Chen Yansen smiled, walking to the sink and unwrapping a new toothbrush.
Meng Jie gathered her clothes and slipped into the bathroom.
Soon, both were dressed. They ate breakfast in the hotel dining room, then took a taxi to Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Forty minutes later, the cab stopped at the university gates. After registering, they entered the campus.
Meng Jie said she'd dreamed of attending a Shanghai university since middle school—Jiao Tong University was her first choice, Tongji University her second. In the end, she'd only made it into Xucheng College.
Since they were passing through Shanghai, a visit was mandatory.
Chen Yansen nodded, half-joking, "I used to struggle choosing between Tsinghua and Peking University."
After strolling for a while, Meng Jie looked down, a bit self-conscious. "Xucheng Academy… really can't compare."
Forget teaching quality and faculty—just the campus environment and the cafeteria were several times larger than Xucheng's.
"Why compare? Life isn't just about academics. You can excel in other areas," Chen Yansen said casually.
Mr. Chen never indulged in self-doubt. He'd dated many highly educated women—some with contrasting personalities, but most were rather dull.
Meng Jie hummed in agreement, her enthusiasm waning as the walk continued. She'd originally planned to head to the restaurant around 10:30, but by the time they left Jiao Tong University, it wasn't even 9:30 yet.
"There's a café over there. Let's rest for a bit," Meng Jie suggested.
Seeing it was still early, Chen Yansen agreed.
They ordered two coffees and sat at a small round table by the window, next to a half-height bookshelf stocked with youth literature for customers to pass the time.
"You need to pull the slingshot back more so the bird flies higher and farther."
Chen Yansen and Meng Jie were playing Angry Birds together. Their voices weren't loud, but they drew frowns from a group of four in the corner.
"Ah Hao, maybe we should go to the library? That couple is too noisy," a bespectacled young man said, displeased.
"There are even more couples in the library," Cai Yuhao shook his head.
"Once we win the prize money from the iOS game development competition, we've got to rent a quiet place as our studio," another young man with a receding hairline said eagerly.
"That guy's using the latest iPhone 4. Our new game has only been tested on the iPhone 3GS. How about we borrow his phone to check version compatibility?" The balding young man glanced over and suggested to the last member.
"Damn, why don't you go?" Liu Wei grinned.
"You're the social butterfly of our team. Sending you is playing to your strengths. If Ah Hao goes, he probably won't get two words out," the balding young man chuckled.
"You know what's up."
Liu Wei's lips curled into a smile. He stood and walked toward Chen Yansen and Meng Jie.
"Hi, I'm a grad student at Jiao Tong University. Would you mind if I borrowed your iPhone 4 to test a game's iOS compatibility?" Liu Wei assumed they were also students and got straight to the point.
Chen Yansen turned to see a young man in his early twenties with a long face and short hair, eyes brimming with confidence.
"You're developing a game?" Chen Yansen asked casually.
"Yeah. You guys are from Jiao Tong too, right? Here's my student ID." Liu Wei friendly waved his ID in front of them.
"Sure, go ahead." Chen Yansen handed over his phone.
"Thanks, man!" Liu Wei took the phone and happily returned to his group.
Chen Yansen didn't think much of it and continued playing games with Meng Jie.
About half an hour later, as the two were about to leave, Liu Wei, Cai Yuhao, and the others, having packed up, came over to return the phone.
"Man, we left the game installed. If you're interested, you can use it to kill time," Liu Wei said with a smile.
Chen Yansen took the phone, glanced at it casually, and was about to pocket it when he suddenly paused.
He looked at the game's title again, then up at Liu Wei for confirmation. "You developed 'The Tale of the Wandering Souls'?"
"Yeah, we even won an award with this game in July. Have you played it?" Liu Wei responded reflexively.
"I'm Chen Yansen, CEO of FoxTao. May I ask your names?" Chen Yansen took a slow breath and asked quietly.
CEO of FoxTao?
Liu Wei and the others exchanged glances. The name FoxTao sounded familiar, but they couldn't quite place it. The title "CEO," however, carried weight.
"I'm Liu Wei!"
"Luo Chenghao!"
"Jin Zhicheng!"
"Cai Yuhao!"
Though unsure of Chen Yansen's intentions, since he'd lent them his phone for over half an hour and introduced himself, they readily offered their names.
Damn, it really is them.
Chen Yansen wasn't much of a gamer. But in his previous life, when hanging out with Hao Rui at ShangK, Hao Rui—then Executive Director at Tencent Venture Capital who led Feiyu Technology's Series A round—often mentioned that missing the angel investment in miHoYo was the biggest regret of his career.
"Is game development expensive?" Chen Yansen asked with a smile.
After hearing Chen Yansen's introduction, Cai Yuhao and his friends understood FoxTao's standing in the industry and began to regard him with new respect.
A college freshman who'd gathered 20 million users in less than six months—his capabilities were genuinely impressive.
They too had entrepreneurial dreams and naturally understood the hardships of starting a business.
"Mr. Chen, are you saying… you want to invest in us?" Liu Wei carefully chose his words, cautiously probing.
"Yes, if you're willing, of course," Chen Yansen replied.
Cai Yuhao, though introverted, was sharp. Chen Yansen's straightforwardness put him on guard.
Liu Wei felt the same. Meeting an investor in a café and having him immediately offer funding seemed too good to be true.
Noticing their wariness, Chen Yansen realized he'd been too hasty. He added, "The gameplay design and mechanics of 'The Tale of the Wandering Souls' are excellent. Investing a few hundred thousand is nothing to me."
His tone was calm and matter-of-fact. Though it sounded slightly arrogant, it eased the guards of Cai Yuhao and his friends.
Chen Yansen knew that winning over Cai Yuhao's team required more than money—it demanded ample creative freedom and space.
His repeated expressions of admiration for their game deeply moved them. They enthusiastically promised to seek his investment once their studio was formally established.
They exchanged contact information.
Just then, two police officers walked into the café. Their eyes scanned the room before locking onto Chen Yansen.
"Are you Chen Yansen?"
One officer asked sternly, looking Chen Yansen up and down.
Chen Yansen was filled with confusion. He couldn't fathom what could warrant police bypassing a phone inquiry and coming directly for him.
He'd only arrived in Shanghai yesterday. He hadn't visited any KTVs or massage parlors—wasn't this a case of mistaken identity?
He wanted to say, "You've got the wrong person."
But under the officers' confident gaze, he could only nod and admit, "That's me. What's this about?"
"Don't you know what you've done?"
the older officer sneered, resorting to the usual script.
"Come with us." The younger officer gestured toward the patrol car outside.
"Wait! You haven't even shown your badges. How do we know you're really police? And you haven't stated a reason. What gives you the right to take him away?"
Meng Jie stepped forward, confronting them aggressively.
"Young lady, are you trying to obstruct official duties?" The older officer narrowed his eyes, issuing a silent warning as he flashed his badge.
"It's fine. I haven't done anything wrong. I'm not afraid of going to the station." Chen Yansen patted Meng Jie's shoulder, soothing her gently, then calmly instructed,
"Have Wang Zihao contact Cao Dahua and inform Principal Tang about the situation here. Also, ask Teacher Wang Jing to introduce a reliable local lawyer in Shanghai."
Wang Jing was the legal advisor Tang Qingshan had assigned to FoxTao. With his connections, finding a trustworthy lawyer wouldn't be difficult.
After confirming the destination, Chen Yansen calmly got into the patrol car.
Meng Jie stood frozen, her mind in chaos. Remembering Chen Yansen's instructions, she rushed out of the café and began making calls.
"Could this guy be some kind of fraudster?" the balding young man speculated.
"Unlikely. I'm a pretty good judge of character. He doesn't seem like a bad guy," Liu Wei stated his assessment.
Meanwhile, back at FoxTao…
Upon learning Chen Yansen had been taken away by the police, Wang Zihao panicked. But he hadn't forgotten Chen Yansen's instructions. He immediately rushed into Cao Dahua's office.