Second Floor, Startup Park.
Cao Dahua sat on the sofa, legs crossed, leisurely sipping tea. Since the FoxTao project took off, he, as the mentor of the Startup Park, had finally begun to feel a sense of accomplishment.
BANG!
The glass door burst open. Wang Zihao rushed in, his face pale with panic.
"Wang Zihao, compose yourself. What's with this frantic behavior? Has the sky fallen?" Cao Dahua glanced at him, criticizing with dissatisfaction.
"Director Cao! Brother Sen has been taken away by the Shanghai police! Could you contact Principal Tang and ask someone to find out what's going on?" Wang Zihao blurted out hurriedly.
Chen Yansen?
Arrested by the police?!
Cao Dahua was stunned for a second, then shot to his feet. "What outrageous thing could a student have done? I'm going to see the principal right now."
Worried a phone call wouldn't suffice, he hurried downstairs toward the principal's office, his excess fat jiggling with each step.
Chen Yansen called him "brother." He couldn't back down when trouble hit. Next year's Huian Provincial College Student Entrepreneurship Competition still needed FoxTao to carry the banner.
Wang Zihao stayed put, pacing twice before hurrying out again.
"Senior! Over here!"
Reaching the door of Room 206, Wang Zihao forced himself to appear calm and waved Song Yuncheng over.
As Song Yuncheng approached, he asked in a low voice, "Which building is Professor Wang Jing's office in?"
Song Yuncheng had handled the FoxTao B2C mall's entry terms with Wang Jing.
"Building D, Room 512. What's wrong? What happened?" Song Yuncheng keenly noticed Wang Zihao's abnormal state—his eyes darted, his hands trembled uncontrollably at his sides.
"It's nothing. Just need to ask Professor Wang something." Wang Zihao knew the matter was serious and didn't dare reveal anything.
"Professor Wang might not be in his office. I'll send you his number." Song Yuncheng frowned slightly, reminding the flustered Wang Zihao.
"Ah, right, right! Send it to me, quick!" Wang Zihao slapped his thigh, annoyed at his own lapse.
"Wang Zihao, something's wrong. Tell me, what happened? Did something happen to Chen Yansen?" Song Yuncheng, who had just picked up her phone, stopped and asked seriously.
"Send the number first!" Wang Zihao grew anxious when she didn't move.
"Tell me what happened." Song Yuncheng shook her head, her tone resolute.
Wang Zihao stared at her. Seeing her determined expression, he frowned and scratched his head frantically. "Let's talk outside."
Song Yuncheng's heart tightened. Wang Zihao's behavior told her something major had occurred.
"Brother Sen was taken away by the local police in Shanghai. The reason is unclear. He asked me to find Teacher Wang to help hire a local lawyer." Wang Zihao stopped at the Startup Park entrance and spoke in a hushed tone.
"Keep this to yourself. If anyone in the team asks, remember to keep your mouth shut." Worried, Wang Zihao reminded her repeatedly.
Chen Yansen was arrested by the police!
Song Yuncheng felt a wave of dizziness. She instinctively handed her phone to Wang Zihao and stood frozen on the spot.
He can't get hurt! Her mind was in chaos. Chen Yansen's carefree, smiling face flashed through her thoughts. Her eyes welled up, though she remained unaware.
Wang Zihao took the phone number and sprinted toward the teaching building, dialing as he ran.
"Chen Yansen was taken away by the Shanghai Municipal Police? What exactly happened?!"
Tang Qingshan suddenly stood up, raising his voice.
"Wang Zihao didn't explain clearly." Cao Dahua lowered his head, pretending to regret not calling Wang Zihao for details.
"Taken away for questioning, or formally arrested?" Tang Qingshan pressed.
The distinction was significant. He needed to weigh the pros and cons before deciding whether to leverage his connections.
The influence wielded by a university president far exceeded ordinary imagination.
This was also why Chen Yansen had immediately sent Wang Zihao to Tang Qingshan.
He believed he hadn't done anything wrong, but he couldn't guarantee no one was plotting against him. Being prepared was always wise.
"Wang Zihao didn't explain that clearly either." Cao Dahua smiled awkwardly, playing dumb.
Tang Qingshan pointed at him, swallowing his curses. After a moment's thought, he took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and slowly dialed a number.
Seeing this, Cao Dahua secretly sighed in relief. He had said that intentionally to push the hesitant Tang Qingshan into making a quick decision.
Tang Qingshan hung up, dialed another number, and after a few words, the worry on his face vanished. He muttered, "What's going on? They even dare to lay hands on my student!"
With that, he hurried out of the office.
"Principal, what's the situation?" Cao Dahua, his beer belly protruding, wobbled as he chased after him.
"Name."
"Chen Yansen."
"Gender."
"Isn't it obvious?"
"Answer what you're asked! No nonsense!"
"Male."
"Do you know why you were summoned here?"
"No."
Chen Yansen sat in the interrogation room, answering listlessly.
The two officers exchanged a glance. One slammed his hand on the table. "Confess! Don't try to weasel out of this!"
"I really don't know. I'm a kind, charitable person. I love animals, and I often help elderly ladies cross the street. I genuinely haven't done anything wrong. Why don't you help jog my memory?"
Spouting nonsense, Chen Yansen remained utterly unfazed, his composure steady as a veteran.
Seeing this, the two officers knew they'd encountered a tough nut. Routine questioning was useless.
"Yesterday, we received a joint report from 23 Shanghai citizens who purchased 49 bottles of 53-degree Feitian Moutai through FoxTao. After authentication by the Moutai anti-counterfeiting office, all were confirmed fake. What do you have to say for yourself?" a younger officer said coldly.
Fake Moutai?
Could this be Jiushen.com's doing?
No—they supplied the liquor. If there's a problem, they bear greater responsibility!
"FoxTao is a CPS advertising company. We provide shopping guide services to users. The Moutai was supplied by Jiushen.com. We followed procedure and sent samples for testing. The report from the China National Institutes for Food and Drug Control confirmed authenticity."
"Until the matter is clarified, the counterfeit goods have nothing to do with me. Even if they are fake, the primary responsibility lies with Jiushen.com," Chen Yansen replied calmly, organizing his thoughts.
"You're an accomplice," the officer narrowed his eyes.
Chen Yansen fell silent, leaning back, intending to wait quietly for Tang Qingshan or a lawyer to bail him out.
He closed his eyes, ignoring the angry shouts around him, pondering whether this counterfeit alcohol incident was an accident or a setup.
Why hadn't the customer service team reported these complaints?
Were these so-called customers all professional counterfeit hunters?
After figuring out the chain of events, Chen Yansen calmed down. After all, FoxTao was also a victim.
The solution was simple: offer customers triple compensation, or even tenfold compensation, for counterfeit products.
While he was being interrogated, the police station's phone rang incessantly—colleagues from other departments were all inquiring about Chen Yansen's situation.
Meanwhile, after informing Wang Zihao, Meng Jie stood at the café entrance, lost. After a while, she finally mustered the courage to call Meng Zhenguo and tell him everything she knew.
"Where are you two staying for the concert in Shanghai? One room or two?" Meng Zhenguo asked abruptly after hearing his daughter's story.
"Dad, are you even listening? I need you to use your connections right now! I need to see Chen Yansen immediately!" Meng Jie couldn't hold back any longer. She broke down, sobbing, tears streaming down her face as she squatted on the ground, pleading.
Hearing his daughter's cries, Meng Zhenguo felt a pang. She hadn't asked him for favors in high school or college, and now she was yelling at him over some brat.
But her wails on the other end twisted his heart. He quickly reassured her, "Xiao Jie, don't panic! Dad has an old classmate in the Shanghai police system. I'll ask him."
Meng Jie had always been a tomboy. Even when she scraped her knee and bled, she'd grit her teeth and say it didn't hurt. She'd never lost composure like this before. Her choked sobs tugged at Meng Zhenguo's heartstrings.
"Thank you, Dad." Meng Jie wiped her tears, replying pitifully, her carefully applied makeup now a mess.
"Chen Yansen, I knew you weren't a good guy!" Meng Zhenguo roared angrily after hanging up, slamming his hand on the table.
After venting, he remembered his daughter's request and reluctantly made another call.
"Hey, Lao Wei, long time no chat. When are you coming back to Chunshen? I've saved a bottle of good wine for you, waiting for you to open it when you return." Meng Zhenguo composed himself, greeting with a smile.
"You brat, just say what you want. I know you too well." Wei Zhe and Meng Zhenguo were old friends. He knew Meng Zhenguo's temperament—he could guess the purpose from the tone, and he never minced words.
"It's like this…" Meng Zhenguo chuckled dryly and explained the situation.
"Xiao Jie's boyfriend?" Wei Zhe laughed, teasing.
"No way!" Meng Zhenguo quickly retorted.
"Haha, you can't deny it, Lao Meng! Since it's my niece asking, as her uncle, I'll make the trip myself." Wei Zhe joked before readily agreeing.
"Thank you." Meng Zhenguo said.
"That good wine you mentioned earlier—the 15-year-old Maotai, right? I'll have some next time I'm back." Wei Zhe seized the chance to place his order.
"Okay. I'll wait for your news." Meng Zhenguo glanced at the collection atop his wine cabinet and nodded with a pained expression.
Xuhui District, Longhua Police Station.
"Who did Old Zhao and Xiao Ye bring in this morning? So many people are inquiring." The officer manning the phone nudged his colleague beside him, curious.
"A fake alcohol seller. Didn't expect him to have such connections." His colleague said disdainfully.
"Oh? Chief Wei, what brings you here?" The officer on phone duty stood up to greet him.
"Your station brought in a student named Chen Yansen this morning?" Wei Zhe nodded, then asked.
"Huh?!" The officer was stunned. What kind of background does this kid have? Even Director Wei from the neighboring district is here in person.
Song Yuncheng, carrying a tan backpack, sat listlessly at Xucheng East Station, staring blankly at the platform, quietly waiting for her ticket check.
For the first time, she realized the weight Chen Yansen held in her heart.
Though Chen Yansen was a bit mischievous and liked to take advantage, he always looked out for her, intentionally or not.
She knew FoxTao's monthly meal allowance of 500 yuan was because of her.
She knew Chen Yansen was deliberately training her every time he went on a business trip.
Even though Chen Yansen knew she would eventually transfer to business development, earn more and more, and one day no longer need FoxTao's job or him…
…he still moved her to a new position and taught her business negotiation skills.
Her heart wasn't made of stone.
Tears streamed down her face all the way from campus. She wiped them away and cried, cried and wiped them away.
Her eyelids were swollen, her earlobes red. She was completely unaware of her physical state, persevering solely on willpower.
At that moment, only one thought remained in her mind:
Chen Yansen, I need to see you.