Chapter 118: Conquering Meng Jie, Old Chen Launches a Surprise Attack (Begging for Monthly Tickets)

"What are you standing out here for? Don't you have a key?"

Chen Yansen stepped forward, teasing with a smile.

His enhanced sense of smell easily picked up that Meng Jie had sprayed perfume on herself; a faint scent of gardenia hung in the air.

His gaze swept her up and down, and in the dim light he made out a pair of calves wrapped in white silk. From her outfit to her makeup, she had clearly put thought into it.

"It's cool outside." Meng Jie had meant to say she was waiting for him on purpose, but the words reached her lips and came out the opposite of what she felt.

"It's even cooler inside."

Chen Yansen ruffled her head, pulled out his key to open the door, and led Meng Jie into the living room by the hand.

"There's beer and braised snacks in the fridge. Want some?" Chen Yansen set his books down, plopped onto the sofa, and pointed at the fridge.

"You're learning Java?" Meng Jie looked at the stack of books he was holding, flipped through them casually, and asked in a surprised tone.

"That's right. Even a boss has to understand the tech, otherwise it's easy to get swindled by the people below."

Chen Yansen switched to a different way of putting it.

"Oh, no wonder you haven't come looking for me lately." The corners of Meng Jie's mouth lifted slightly, her hands clasped behind her back, and a brilliant smile bloomed on her face.

Seeing her standing there in a daze, Chen Yansen shook his head with a smile, got up, took some braised snacks and two bottles of beer from the fridge, and set them on the coffee table.

"Pfft—!"

Chen Yansen popped the tab, took a sip, and looked at Meng Jie: "Dressed this pretty today, just to come here and zone out?"

"No." Meng Jie came back to herself. Meeting Chen Yansen's half-smiling gaze gave her the feeling of being seen right through, and a blush rose unbidden on her cheeks.

"Wow! Duck wings and duck necks too—you've been hiding the good stuff and not sharing with me."

Meng Jie picked up a can of beer, sat down by the coffee table, and chatted face-to-face with Chen Yansen.

"Didn't I give you a key? It's you who never came."

Chen Yansen countered with a smile.

Meng Jie fell silent. After getting the key, she had come over on her own once, but the moment she stepped into the bedroom, Chen Yansen's little scheme was laid bare.

Luckily Chen Yansen never forced her; otherwise she would have been "taken" by him long ago.

"Cheers!" Not knowing how to respond, Meng Jie could only pick up her beer and clink it against Chen Yansen's.

"The stockings look nice."

Chen Yansen took a sip of beer, rested his hand on Meng Jie's calf and stroked it gently, as if kneading a rag doll.

Meng Jie's face flushed crimson and she shrank back, but the coffee table was right behind her—nowhere to retreat.

Watching Chen Yansen's face draw closer and closer, and recalling the purpose of tonight, Meng Jie slammed down her beer, wrapped her arms around Chen Yansen's neck, and kissed him first.

"That's a bad habit. Needs fixing."

Chen Yansen put up a hand to block her, teasing softly, and before Meng Jie could react, he pressed his lips to her pink, plump ones.

Meng Jie's figure couldn't be called fleshy, but she had everything she should have—petite and shapely.

Two bottles of beer, each of them barely a sip in, were tossed onto the coffee table.

From the living room to the bathroom, and then to the bedroom, Chen Yansen carried Meng Jie the entire way.

For him, Meng Jie's weight of less than 90 Jin of weight was as light as an oversized doll, giving him a little more room to maneuver.

As a seasoned locksmith, Chen Yansen knew the tricks of the trade inside out. Relying on his rich experience, he managed to pick a new lock in the pitch-dark room.

All night long, the sound of a baby crying kept drifting out.

A teacher living in Unit 4 was puzzled—how could this spring cat be so frisky? It kept up until one in the morning before finally quieting down.

The next morning.

Birdsong and cicadas outside the window roused Chen Yansen from his dream. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling a touch helpless.

Having hearing this sharp wasn't entirely a blessing—every faint sound within twenty meters nearby, he could hear it crystal clear.

Even stuffing in earplugs didn't help much.

Meng Jie, bare-shouldered, lay sprawled on his chest, breathing steady, sound asleep.

Chen Yansen slipped his hand under the covers to feel around, and before long, the rhythm of Meng Jie's breathing changed.

"I heard that if you lift a sleeping person's hand, it won't drop on its own. Let me try."

Chen Yansen pulled back his right hand and said it on purpose.

"I'm not stupid." Hearing him say that, Meng Jie stopped pretending, opened her eyes, and stared at Chen Yansen unblinkingly.

"What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy like me before?"

Chen Yansen held her close, a roguish grin on his face.

"Yep, my roommates all say I eat well." Meng Jie giggled, making no attempt to hide it.

After saying that, she propped herself up on her elbows, completely unaware that her upper half was now fully exposed.

Chen Yansen had great stamina and recovered quickly—and it was the morning, when vigor was at its peak.

"Cut it out!" Meng Jie was limp all over.

Chen Yansen wasn't happy. Just as he was about to sit up in bed, he heard a "knock knock knock" at the door.

"Who is it?" Meng Jie's heart tightened and she asked in a small voice.

"How would I know?"

Chen Yansen grabbed a bath towel, wrapped it around himself, shuffled to the living room in his slippers, and shouted toward the door: "Who is it? It's early morning—aren't you going to let people sleep?"

His morning exercise had been interrupted, and his tone wasn't great.

"Brother Sen, it's me! Uncle Chen is here to see you." Wang Zihao shouted from the doorway.

Uncle Chen?

Oh no!

Why is Chen Guobin here?

Last time when drinking with the old man, Chen Yansen had complained that other people's fathers, no matter how busy, would visit their kid's school during holidays, but Chen Guobin was something else — he had never once come to Void City.

Chen Yansen had only been joking, but he didn't expect Chen Guobin to actually show up.

"Wait a moment!"

Chen Yansen dashed back to the bedroom, scooped his clothes off the floor, threw them on in a rush, and told Meng Jie without forgetting: "My dad's here."

Meng Jie panicked — first she burrowed into the blankets, then poked her head back out two seconds later: "What do I do? Should I hide?"

"It's fine, I'll close the bedroom door. You stay here, I'll send Old Chen off to the startup park."

After giving his instructions, Chen Yansen walked to the living room and opened the door.

"Brother Sen, it's already 9 o'clock and you're still not up?" Wang Zihao said breezily, about to walk right in.

"Give me last night's placement data, I need it urgently." Chen Yansen blocked Wang Zihao's path, tossing out a random excuse to send him away first.

"Last night's? It's only been a few hours, what value could it have?" Wang Zihao was baffled, his face full of confusion.

"Just go when I tell you to go!" Chen Yansen waved him off.

"Alright, then I'll head to the startup park. Uncle Chen, let's eat off-campus at noon, I'll book a private room first."

Wang Zihao didn't ask more, saying it warmly to Chen Guobin.

"Good, Zihao, go on with your work. Uncle Chen is treating at noon." Chen Guobin replied with a smile.

Wang Zihao waved and turned to head downstairs.

"What are you hiding in there? You had to send Zihao away?"

Chen Guobin stepped into the living room, glancing around suspiciously — the bedroom door was shut tight.

"Old Chen, you think you're Sherlock Holmes·Conan? What could I possibly be hiding?"

Chen Yansen denied it flatly. He wasn't actually afraid of Chen Guobin — he just didn't want to hear him nag.

"Is that so?" Chen Guobin looked Chen Yansen up and down, then started walking toward the bedroom as he spoke.

Chen Yansen quickly blocked him, raising an eyebrow with a grin: "Old Chen, the living room is where you belong. The bedroom is my private space."

"I'm your father!" Chen Guobin was getting anxious, afraid his son had money and was learning bad habits — the more Chen Yansen blocked him, the more worried he became.

"My girlfriend's inside." Seeing Old Chen was dead set on barging in, Chen Yansen had no choice but to tell the truth.

Girlfriend?

Chen Guobin's bravado deflated instantly. He slumped down onto the sofa, pointed at Chen Yansen, and nearly lashed out.

But on second thought, at Chen Yansen's age he himself had been almost married, so he wasn't quite as angry anymore.

"Is it Meng Jie?" Chen Guobin asked quietly.

"Who else? And not to say anything, but you didn't even give me a heads-up before coming." Chen Yansen grabbed a bottle of mineral water from beside the cabinet and handed it to Old Chen, complaining.

"Hmph! Wasn't it you who said it? Other people's fathers give their kids surprises — I came here following your instructions to the letter."

Chen Guobin glanced at the bedroom door, knowing Meng Jie was inside, and muttered to himself: "Huizhen, your son's all grown up."

"This is a scare, not a surprise." Chen Yansen said, annoyed.

"Alright, I'm going to the startup park to find Zihao. You and Meng Jie get up early — lunch is on me."

Chen Guobin could no longer sit still. After a hurried explanation, he rushed out.

"Do you know the way?" Chen Yansen asked.

"It's just one straight road, how could I get lost?" Chen Guobin waved his hand and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Chen Yansen laughed and closed the door, went back to the bedroom, saw Meng Jie lying on the bed, and pounced on her at once.

By the time the two had tidied themselves up, it was almost eleven — Wang Zihao had already called for the second time.

Only then did Chen Yansen and Meng Jie head downstairs and set off for off-campus.

"Uncle Chen, he—" Meng Jie started, then hesitated.

"Don't worry, Old Chen keeps his mouth shut, he won't blab." Chen Yansen reassured her.

"That's good." Meng Jie's face was still flushed — being cornered at the door by Chen Yansen's dad had scared her half to death.

"I'll send him packing back tonight." Chen Yansen said with a look of distaste.

"So filial of you." Meng Jie covered her mouth with a light laugh. She'd heard Chen Yansen say that father and son both called each other by full name, with no manners at all.

Three minutes later, the two got out of the car and walked into the restaurant's private room.

"Hello, Uncle Chen." Meng Jie greeted him politely.

"You must be Meng Jie, right? Uncle's seen you before — really, a girl changes so much in a few years, prettier and prettier."

Chen Guobin was very pleased with Meng Jie, praising her without the slightest stint.

Meng Jie was wearing colored contacts, no glasses, her features delicate and petite. Sitting beside Chen Yansen, she looked the picture of a delicate, dependent girl.

This was nothing like the tough girl in Old Chen's memory who had once chased boys around brandishing a table leg — a completely different person.

Wang Zihao sat to Chen Guobin's right, chumming up to him like he was Old Chen's own son.

They ate and chatted, the meal lasting over three hours.

Before the bill came, Old Chen hadn't even gotten up before Wang Zihao beat him to it.

"You kid!" Chen Guobin was a bit displeased.

"Uncle Chen, every time Brother Sen eats with my dad, he pays. This time it's my turn to treat you."

Wang Zihao grinned sheepishly — smooth talk.

Chen Guobin didn't insist further, nodding in satisfaction. That morning he had gone to the startup park and seen over 200 employees upstairs and downstairs, all Chen Yansen's people — only then did he truly feel that his son had indeed matured and steadied.

"Old Chen—" Chen Yansen had just started to try to persuade Old Chen to go home when Chen Guobin spoke first: "Last week I bought your mom a big new house. Don't worry about home — I'm leaving this afternoon."

"In such a rush?" Chen Yansen was taken aback.

Chen Guobin said nothing, pulled him aside, surreptitiously pulled out something the size of a cigarette case, slipped it into his pocket, and said earnestly: "You're still young, still in college — you have to take proper safety measures."

Chen Yansen pulled it out and looked — the packaging blazed the three characters "Jissbon." He thought for a moment, then handed it back to Old Chen: "I don't need it."

"I'll break your legs, believe it or not? You have to use it!" Chen Guobin pulled a stern face and shoved the thing back into Chen Yansen's hands.

"I mean this brand's grade is too low—I usually use much better ones." Chen Yansen said it dead seriously, then went on: "Keep this box for yourself."

"Who am I going to use it with?"

Chen Guobin nearly cursed, helplessly stuffed the thing back into his pocket, and took a cab to the bus station.

This trip of his really was just to see his son—one look and then leave.

(End of chapter)