Chapter 85: A Total Mess, Song Yuncheng's Feelings (Subscribe, Please!)

Second floor of the Startup Park.

Cao Dahua sat on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, leisurely sipping tea. Ever since the Fox Treasure project was founded, he, the Startup Park's instructor, had finally found some real flavor in his work.

"Bang!"

Wang Zihao burst through the glass door, looking frantic.

"Wang Zihao, steady on. What's with the panic? The sky falling?"

Cao Dahua glanced at him and scolded, displeased.

"Director Cao, Brother Sen was taken away by inspectors from Hucheng. Can you contact Principal Tang and ask someone to find out what's going on?" Wang Zihao said hurriedly.

Chen Yansen?

Taken away by inspectors!

Cao Dahua froze for a beat, then stood up and demanded loudly, "He's just a student—what could he possibly have done wrong? I'm going to see the principal right now."

Worried he couldn't make things clear over the phone, he rushed downstairs and headed for the principal's office.

The flab on his body jiggled as he ran, slapping noisily.

Chen Yansen called him "brother"—he couldn't afford to chicken out when trouble came. Next year's Hui'an Province College Student Entrepreneurship Competition still needed Fox Treasure to carry the show.

Wang Zihao stayed put, paced in two circles, then hurried back out.

"Senior, come here a sec!"

Reaching the door of Room 206, Wang Zihao forced himself to look calm and beckoned to Song Yuncheng.

Once Song Yuncheng came over, he asked quietly, "Which building is Teacher Wang Jing's office in?"

The entry terms for the Fox Treasure b2c mall had all been handled between Song Yuncheng and Wang Jing.

"Building D, 512. What's wrong? What happened?"

Song Yuncheng keenly noticed something off about Wang Zihao—his gaze was evasive, his hands hung by his legs, trembling uncontrollably.

"Nothing, just going to ask Teacher Wang a question." Wang Zihao knew the matter was serious and dared not let slip a word.

"Teacher Wang might not be in his office. I'll send you his cell number." Song Yuncheng's brow furrowed slightly, warning the flustered Wang Zihao.

"Ah, right, right, right—send it to me quick." Wang Zihao slapped his thigh, annoyed at his own muddled brain.

"Wang Zihao, something's off with you. Tell me, what's really going on? Is it Chen Yansen?"

Song Yuncheng had just picked up her phone, then paused and asked seriously.

"Send the number, quick!" Wang Zihao panicked when she didn't move.

"Tell me what happened first." Song Yuncheng shook her head, tone firm.

Wang Zihao stared hard at her. Seeing Song Yuncheng's resolute expression, he frowned and scratched his head frantically: "Let's talk outside."

Song Yuncheng's heart clenched. Wang Zihao's reaction told her something major had happened.

"Brother Sen was taken by local inspectors in Hucheng. The reason's not clear yet. He told me to find Teacher Wang and hire him a lawyer locally." Wang Zihao only stopped when he reached the Startup Park entrance, speaking quietly.

"Keep this to yourself. If anyone on the team asks, keep your mouth shut tight." Wang Zihao, uneasy, reminded her repeatedly.

Chen Yansen had been taken away by inspectors!

Song Yuncheng felt a wave of dizziness and almost instinctively handed her phone to Wang Zihao, standing there in a daze.

"He can't be in trouble!" Song Yuncheng's mind was a mess. Chen Yansen's roguish grin floated into her thoughts; her eyes welled with a misty sheen, though she didn't notice.

Wang Zihao got the phone number and jogged toward the teaching building, dialing as he went.

……

……

"Chen Yansen was taken by inspectors in Hucheng? For what, exactly?"

Tang Qingshan sprang to his feet and asked loudly.

"Wang Zihao didn't make it clear." Cao Dahua hung his head, putting on a look of regret for not having kept Wang Zihao around.

"Taken, or arrested?" Tang Qingshan asked again.

The difference between the two was huge—he had to weigh the costs and benefits before deciding whether to pull strings.

The energy a regular undergraduate university's principal commanded absolutely exceeded the imagination of ordinary people.

That was also why Chen Yansen's first instinct was to have Wang Zihao find Tang Qingshan.

He was sure he hadn't done anything wrong, but there was no telling if someone was scheming in the shadows. Being prepared on both fronts was safer.

"Wang Zihao didn't say clearly either." Cao Dahua laughed awkwardly, pretending he knew nothing.

Tang Qingshan raised a finger at him, swallowed his curse words, thought for a moment, then pulled out his phone anyway, scrolled through his contacts, and slowly dialed.

Seeing this, Cao Dahua secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He'd said it on purpose, to force the indecisive Tang Qingshan into making a decision quickly.

Tang Qingshan hung up, dialed another number, chatted a few lines, and the worry on his face cleared. He muttered under his breath, "What's going on? Even my student Tang Qingshan's—they dare touch him!"

Saying that, he strode out of the office.

"Principal, what's actually going on?" Cao Dahua, beer belly leading the way, wobbled after him.

……

……

"Name."

"Chen Yansen."

"Sex."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Answer what's asked. Cut the crap!"

"Male."

"Do you know why you've been summoned?"

"I don't know."

Chen Yansen sat in the interrogation room and answered listlessly.

The two inspectors exchanged a glance, and one of them slammed the table and barked, "Confess honestly! Don't harbor any侥幸 thoughts!"

"I really don't know. Me? I'm a kind soul who loves doing good, cares for small animals, and often helps old ladies across the street. I've truly never done anything bad. How about you help me jog my memory?"

Chen Yansen ran his mouth off like a runaway train, not scared in the slightest, not flustered at all, his composure rock-steady.

Seeing this, the two inspectors knew they'd run into a slippery old hand—routine questioning wouldn't work on him.

"Yesterday we received a joint report from 23 citizens of Hucheng. They bought 49 bottles of 53-degree Feitian Maotai through Ali Baba. We contacted Moutai's anti-counterfeiting office for authentication—all of it was fake liquor. What do you have to say for yourself?"

A young inspector said coldly.

Fake Maotai?

Could Jiushen Wang be behind this?

No—the liquor is sold by them, so if there's a problem, their responsibility is even greater!

"Ali Baba is a CPS advertising company. We provide shopping guidance for users. The Maotai liquor is supplied by Jiushen Wang. We followed procedure and sent samples for testing, and the report was issued by the China Inspection Institute, authenticating it as genuine."

"Until things are cleared up, counterfeit goods have nothing to do with me. Even if it really is fake liquor, the source responsibility lies with Jiushen Wang."

Chen Yansen sorted out his thoughts and replied, blandly.

"You're an accomplice." The inspector narrowed his eyes and said flatly.

Chen Yansen said nothing, leaned back, and planned to stay silent until Tang Qingshan or a lawyer came to bail him out.

He closed his eyes, tuned out the scolding at his ear, and mulled to himself: was this fake liquor incident an accident, or had someone set a trap?

Users bought fake liquor—why didn't the customer service team report the complaints?

Could these so-called users all be professional anti-counterfeiters?

Once he figured out the reason, Chen Yansen calmed down instead—after all, Ali Baba was also a victim.

The solution was simple: he could compensate users three times over, even ten times over.

Just as he was being questioned, the phone at the inspection station was nearly ringing off the hook—colleagues from brother units calling one after another to inquire about Chen Yansen's situation.

Meanwhile.

After notifying Wang Zihao, Meng Jie stood at the coffee shop door at a loss. After a long while, she finally mustered the courage to call Meng Zhenguo and tell him everything she knew in one go.

"You two went to Hucheng for a concert—where are you staying? One room or two?"

After hearing his daughter's account, Meng Zhenguo asked out of nowhere.

"Dad, are you even listening to me? I need you to pull strings right now. I need to see Chen Yansen immediately."

Meng Jie could no longer hold it together. Her emotions crumbled, she let out a sob, tears streaming down her face, and she squatted on the ground begging.

Hearing his daughter's crying, Meng Zhenguo felt a pang. Through high school and college, she'd never asked him to pull strings—yet now, for some punk, she was yelling at him.

But his daughter's wailing on the other end of the line made his heart ache terribly. He quickly assured her, "Xiao Jie, don't panic! Dad has an old classmate who works in the Hucheng inspection system. I'll reach out to him."

Meng Jie had always had a tomboyish streak since childhood—even when her knees bled from a fall, she'd grit her teeth and say it didn't hurt. She'd never lost control like today.

Her choked voice tugged painfully at Meng Zhenguo's heart.

"Thanks, Dad." Meng Jie wiped her tears, answered in a pitiful little voice. The carefully applied makeup on her face was now a smeared mess.

"Chen Yansen, I knew it—you're no good!"

After hanging up, Meng Zhenguo roared in fury, slapping the table with loud thuds.

After venting for a while, he finally remembered his daughter's request and, steeling himself, began making calls.

"Hey, Old Wei! It's been ages since we chatted. When are you coming back to Chunshen? I've saved a bottle of good liquor for you—waiting for you to come back and crack it open."

Meng Zhenguo composed himself and greeted him with a cheerful chuckle.

"Spit it out, kid. You think I don't know you?" Wei Zhe and Meng Zhenguo were old friends of many years. Wei Zhe knew his temperament well—Meng Zhenguo only had to shift in his seat for Wei Zhe to know what was on his mind, so he spoke bluntly.

"It's like this..." Meng Zhenguo gave a dry laugh and explained the situation.

"Xiao Jie's boyfriend?" Wei Zhe burst out laughing and teased him playfully.

"I don't acknowledge that!" Meng Zhenguo quickly retorted.

"Haha, you can't not acknowledge it, Old Meng! Since my dear niece asked me, as her uncle, I must make a personal trip." Wei Zhe finished his teasing and agreed readily.

"Thanks." Meng Zhenguo said.

"That good liquor you mentioned just now—is it that 15-year aged Maotai? Next time I'm back, I'm definitely having some." Wei Zhe took the chance to claim the liquor.

"Fine, I'll wait for your news." Meng Zhenguo glanced at the treasured bottle atop the liquor cabinet and nodded with a pained expression.

……

……

Xuhui District, Longhua Inspection Station.

"Who was the guy Zhao-ge and Xiao Ye brought back this morning? Everyone's calling to ask about him."

The inspector handling the calls nudged his colleague beside him and asked curiously.

"Some guy selling fake liquor. Didn't expect—he's got quite a background." A colleague nearby said dismissively.

"Huh? Chief Wei, what brings you here?" The inspector on the phone stood up to greet him.

"This morning, you brought in a student named Chen Yansen?" Wei Zhe nodded in acknowledgment, then pressed.

"Huh!?" The operator was dumbfounded. What kind of background does this kid have—even Chief Wei from another district came in person?

……

……

Song Yuncheng sat at Xucheng East Station with an earth-yellow backpack, her soul seemingly gone, staring blankly at the platform, quietly waiting for ticket check.

For the first time, she realized just how much Chen Yansen weighed in her heart.

Although Chen Yansen was a bit of a rascal and loved taking advantage of her, he always took care of her in subtle, unintentional ways.

She knew that the 500 yuan monthly meal allowance for Fox Tao was because of her.

She also knew that every business trip was Chen Yansen deliberately cultivating her.

Even though Chen Yansen knew that after she transferred to the investment promotion position, her income would grow more and more, and that one day she would no longer need Fox Tao's job, nor need him.

But Chen Yansen still transferred her post and taught her business negotiation skills.

Her heart was not made of stone; all the way from school, tears streamed down her eyes, dripping and falling nonstop—wiping them while crying, crying while wiping.

Her eyelids were red and swollen, her earlobes bright red; she had no awareness that her body was in trouble, persisting only by sheer force of will, gritting her teeth.

At this moment, only one thought remained in her mind: Chen Yansen, I really want to see you.

(End of this chapter)