Chen Yansen locked his car and headed upstairs to the second floor, Song Yuncheng trailing behind him.
Fewer than half the team remained at their workstations; the rest had already left for the cafeteria.
Wang Zihao glanced up, spotting Chen Yansen. "Brother Sen, want to grab dinner? The new beef noodle place in the second cafeteria is pretty good."
"Next time. I already ate in the city."
Chen Yansen sank into his chair, leaned back, and pulled out his phone. He was about to download a new game when a promotional banner for MiTalk caught his eye in the app store carousel.
MiTalk is out already?
Then WeChat won't be far behind.
He downloaded it without a second thought. After a quick test, he found it had all the essentials: voice chat, text and image messaging, group chats.
This is genuinely useful. In 2010, sending a single MMS could cost between ¥0.5 and ¥0.9, with a size limit under 100KB—unthinkable a decade later.
A shame, really. Even though Jun'er got their product to market first, they still couldn't beat WeChat.
If I'd been reborn in 2009, Chen Yansen mused, I'd have at least created a Cloud Chat, Quick Chat, or Fly Chat just to take some wind out of Pony Ma's sails.
Ah, well. Let you old-timers have your era on 3G. 4G will be my domain. I'll crush you all then.
Every era has its leader. Chen Yansen intended to lead the next.
"WeChat leverages QQ's traffic, loading QQ friend lists to explode overnight. Looks like FoxTao's Series A funding still can't really shake Tencent," he thought to himself.
Across from him, Song Yuncheng suddenly realized: every single thing she and Chen Yansen had done that afternoon was on that "100 Things Couples Should Do" list.
Her fair cheeks flushed instantly. She lowered her head, hoping he wouldn't notice.
"Song Yuncheng." Chen Yansen's voice broke her reverie. "You'll be leading the fashion salon at Hangzhou's Sijiqing Mall on the 7th of next month. Zhang Yifeng will assist you. Hu Li and Xu Kun will also attend. Several vertical e-commerce channel directors will be there, so seize the opportunities."
"Okay. Will you be going?" Song Yuncheng composed herself.
"No." Chen Yansen shook his head.
This salon was primarily groundwork for next March's spring collection. FoxTao's user base was 70% female. They needed to develop high-repurchase categories to seriously boost the platform's performance.
Relying solely on digital appliances, furniture, and home goods—categories with low repurchase rates—would eventually bankrupt FoxTao.
Furniture, department stores, food, apparel, and cosmetics were the core categories that sustained an e-commerce platform.
Look at JD.com: it started with only 3C and appliances. First, it snatched the book business from its "good brother" Li Guoqing, then expanded into food, home goods, and beauty, eventually even moving into niche categories like auto accessories.
"Understood." Song Yuncheng nodded slightly, her elegant brows furrowing as she began mentally outlining the exchange process, the details, and what FoxTao could gain from it.
Chen Yansen glanced at her, then stood and left the startup park.
Besides the apparel salon, once the business development team doubled in size, he'd send category and BD personnel to next year's wine fairs, chocolate festivals, beauty expos, and home appliance and digital trade shows.
First, to understand brand owners' online needs up close. Second, to train the new recruits.
Business development was built step-by-step. How much could you really grow just sitting in the office?
Back in Room 0418, Chen Yansen showered and lay in bed.
Unable to sleep, he texted both Meng Jie and Song Yuncheng, asking them to register for MiTalk and chat with him.
"Wow! You can send pictures for free on this app! Amazing!" Meng Jie exclaimed after just a few minutes.
Heh, this is only the beginning. Video calls are coming later.
"Send me a photo," Chen Yansen replied.
"I'm not wearing enough. It's inconvenient to take one," Meng Jie shot back instantly.
"I especially like seeing photos from people who say it's 'inconvenient,'" Chen Yansen chuckled.
Song Yuncheng's message arrived: "Why did you make me download this app?"
"To chat with me."
"I'm working on the Fox Tao brand promotion PPT and the Hangzhou salon proposal. I really don't have time to chat with you." Her refusal was decisive.
Chen Yansen checked the time: 9:15 PM. She probably wasn't off work yet. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Send the files to my email. I'll help you structure the logic."
"Thank you, Master! (smiley face.jpg)"
Song Yuncheng had been worrying about this very thing. She was good at brand promotion PPTs, but had zero experience with industry exchange meetings. She'd searched Baidu for a long time but found little useful information.
"Call me 'Dad.' (angry.jpg)" Chen Yansen replied.
"…The file has been sent to your email."
Song Yuncheng sat at her workstation, muttering under her breath, "Chen Yansen, you pervert. When I'm rich, I'll make you call me 'Mom.'"
The thought popped unbidden into her head, and she couldn't help but laugh aloud.
Not long after, Chen Yansen replied to the email. He had reorganized the entire plan framework. Song Yuncheng only needed to fill in the content and refine the exchange meeting details.
"Take a picture and send it to me." Having provided his 'service,' Chen Yansen unabashedly demanded his 'payment.'
"Thank you, Boss! I'm clocking out now. 😊" Song Yuncheng chuckled, squinted her eyes, and walked briskly out of the startup park.
Buzz… Buzz…
Song Yuncheng took out her phone. Seeing Chen Yansen's persistent request for a photo, she looked around, stood under a streetlamp, and took a quick selfie.
Chen Yansen opened the image. In the photo, Song Yuncheng wore that pink down jacket. A faint yellow beam of light fell across her cheeks, her delicate nose and cherry lips making her look exceptionally beautiful under the glow.
"I'm not freeloading. I'll send you one too."
Chen Yansen, shirtless, snapped a casual photo and sent it.
Song Yuncheng glanced at the picture, chuckled softly, put her phone away, blew warm air onto her cold hands, and headed toward the dormitory.
As the year drew to a close, FoxTao was swamped.
With a three-day New Year's holiday, they couldn't keep everyone at the startup park just to maintain the Super Cashback promotion.
The sales and category teams were under immense pressure, having to plan the entire three-day brand flash sale in advance. The workload was substantial.
Xu Dan was busy recruiting for customer service and conducting initial interviews for social hires in sales and category.
Chen Yansen, however, had little to do. He decided it was time to deal with Zhang Hanhua. After identifying Zhang's supply channels, he first spoke with Tencent's Liang Youzhi, then used a third party to contact a partner Zhang had previously cut off.
A meticulous plan was quickly set in motion.
Although last week's counterfeit alcohol incident seemed unrelated to Zhang Hanhua on the surface—perhaps he hadn't been implicated yet—Chen Yansen had no intention of leaving a hostile figure lurking in the shadows.
Better to crush him thoroughly first!
With arrangements made, Chen Yansen was in a good mood. He got up to attend the Business School's New Year's Eve gala.
"Zihao, hold down the fort for the party tonight. Meng Jie and I will get there after 7," Chen Yansen instructed before leaving.
"Got it. Wenbo and Pengfei said everyone will be more relaxed without you here," Wang Zihao joked, nudging Zhang Wenbo with his elbow.
"Brother Sen, I swear I didn't say that!" Zhang Wenbo waved his hands in frantic denial.
"Brother Sen, you know me—I've always respected you the most," Xiang Pengfei added with an ingratiating chuckle.
"Get lost!"
Chen Yansen couldn't be bothered with them. He laughed, swore lightly, then drove his BMW 750 straight to the Business School auditorium.
Entering backstage, he spotted Meng Jie from a distance.
Her makeup was exquisite tonight. Her eyes, clear and bright, were accentuated by blue contact lenses, making her look both lively and alluring. Her short, curly hair added a touch of playful charm.
She wore a blue halter-neck tulle dress. The pearl necklace around her neck was particularly striking. She was utterly transformed from the girl of six months ago.
"Aren't you cold dressed like that?" Chen Yansen walked over, took her small hand, and asked softly.
Meng Jie's hand was petite, soft, and warm.
"I have heat packs stuck inside the dress. I'm not cold," Meng Jie replied with a smile.
"Really? Let me check." Chen Yansen pretended to lift her skirt.
"Don't mess around! I've already arranged with the host to go on at 6:30, so I can leave half an hour early." Meng Jie dodged away.
"Alright. I'll wait for your performance in the audience." Chen Yansen smiled, chatted with her a little longer, then headed for the auditorium.
The Business School had many majors and a large freshman class. When Chen Yansen entered, he found not a single empty seat. Unfazed, he leaned against the wall.
A bespectacled girl nearby noticed him from the corner of her eye. Her eyes lit up.
After a moment's hesitation, she struck up a conversation. "Excuse me… would you like this seat?"
"Really?" Chen Yansen asked with a playful grin.
Seeing his rogueish smile, the girl thought he was incredibly handsome. She quickly stood up. "I'm meeting a classmate to see a movie. I was just about to leave."
"Thanks. This spot is perfect for taking pictures of my girlfriend," Chen Yansen emphasized.
Girlfriend?
The girl's face fell. She almost blurted out, Then why don't you just keep standing?
Chen Yansen ignored her. He took out his phone, chatting with Song Yuncheng while waiting for Meng Jie to appear.
After three acts, Meng Jie finally took the microphone and walked on stage.
"Starlight is like tears, unspoken longing becomes dark circles…
The passion of a hundred days collapses in a sudden cold snap…"
"...
You're in the room, like a slideshow, spreading before my eyes…
You're on my phone, you're on my laptop, impossible to block…"
Meng Jie's singing was beautiful, her performance nearly flawless. Coupled with her inherently vibrant energy, she captivated a large portion of the male audience.
About ten minutes later, Meng Jie changed and walked out with Chen Yansen.
"Meng Jie! You look gorgeous tonight. These are for you."
Just outside the auditorium, a boy rushed over excitedly, holding a bouquet of roses.
Meng Jie was startled, her face flushing with embarrassment. Her boyfriend was right here!
This guy is so annoying! She'd rejected him countless times. He didn't even say hello, just thrust flowers at her.
I clearly said I have a boyfriend. How did someone with such poor comprehension even get into university?
"Oh, tulips and roses. Not bad taste, buddy. Thanks."
Chen Yansen wordlessly took the roses from her hands.
"Who are you?!" The boy stared at his now-empty hands, shouting in confusion.
"Senior He, this is my boyfriend." Meng Jie's words completely shattered the boy's hope.
The boy lowered his head, his face burning.
Meng Jie had used this excuse to reject him before, but he'd never seen Chen Yansen come to the Business School to find her, so he thought it was just a brush-off. If he'd known this was real, he'd never have come to make a fool of himself.
"Buddy, these smell really nice!"
Chen Yansen waved the bouquet, twisting the knife cruelly.
The boy let out a pained sound, then turned and ran away in shame, disappearing in an instant.
"You're so mean." Meng Jie couldn't stop laughing.
"Here, take them." Chen Yansen used the opportunity to hand her the flowers.
"I don't want something someone else bought. I want you to buy some for me." Meng Jie put her hands behind her back.
"Silly. Isn't it better to save my money to buy you other gifts? That kid was an idiot. It'd be a waste to throw these away. Let him contribute a little." Chen Yansen grinned mischievously.
It was a shame the boy had left early. If he'd heard that, he might have wanted to jump into Pearl Lake on the spot.
"You're so bad." Meng Jie grinned.
"Let's go. Zihao is waiting." Chen Yansen took Meng Jie's hand, got in the car, and drove toward the city center.
Meanwhile, the venture capital firms that had previously visited received FoxTao's Q3 operational and financial reports.
October: Avg. Daily Active Users (DAU): 167,000 | Avg. Daily Orders: 25,000 | Avg. Daily GMV: ¥810,000 | Monthly Gross Profit: ¥3.57 million.
November: Avg. DAU: 613,000 | Avg. Daily Orders: 104,000 | Avg. Daily GMV: ¥4 million | Monthly Gross Profit: ¥15.6 million.
December: Avg. DAU: 1.024 million | Avg. Daily Orders: 207,000 | Avg. Daily GMV: ¥13.8 million | Monthly Gross Profit: ¥67.2 million.
Although Chen Yansen hadn't disclosed operating expenses, FoxTao had fewer than 100 employees total. Even accounting for advertising costs, its net profit margin was at least 50%.
How can a shopping guide platform be this profitable?!
Initially, VCs had valued FoxTao at a maximum of ¥700-800 million. After receiving this data, the valuation instantly skyrocketed past ¥1.5 billion.