The second floor of the startup park was a fortress of light and energy, buzzing well past midnight.
The conference screen from Room 206 had been wheeled into the central aisle. The entire FoxTao team, plus President Tang Qingshan, several department heads, and Cao Dahua, were crammed together, eyes glued to the numbers.
With ten minutes to midnight, Chen Yansen hadn't dared dream of such a debut. He'd have preferred to slip away to bed, but Tang Qingshan and the others were determined to witness the final tally.
"Class Monitor, the hotel's all set. We can check in right after this," Xu Xingxing whispered, squeezing through the crowd until her lips were almost at his ear.
"Send the details to the group chat," Chen Yansen murmured back with a slight nod.
The dorm gates were locked by 10 PM. With the bigwigs present, everyone had an excuse to be out late, but a cold shower back at the dorms was no reward for a day's hard work. He'd had Xu Xingxing book over twenty rooms in advance.
Orders: 297,000!
Gross Merchandise Value: 18.69 Million RMB!
As the clock struck twelve, a unified roar of triumph shook the second floor. Grins stretched wide, eyes shone with disbelief and pride. This number was beyond their wildest hopes.
"Chen Yansen, outstanding work!" Tang Qingshan clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder, beaming. "With this, if you don't take first place in next year's university entrepreneurship competition, no one else will dare to!"
"All thanks to your support and vision, President Tang. FoxTao will strive to bring even more honor to Xucheng Academy..." Chen Yansen's reply was smooth and practiced, hitting every note of humble gratitude, leaving Tang Qingshan immensely satisfied.
After seeing the school officials out, Chen Yansen returned to the team. The electric excitement in the air was palpable. If he didn't say something, these kids would be buzzing all night.
"Hu Yun. What's the final gross profit margin?" he asked after a brief pause.
"Brother Sen, margin is 3.9%. Yesterday's gross profit was 729,000 RMB!" Hu Yun announced promptly.
"Alright, listen up. Morning off tomorrow. Also," he paused for effect, crossing his arms, "200,000 RMB bonus pool for this month. Our next target: 100,000 daily orders, over 100 million RMB in monthly sales. Hit that, and the bonus doubles."
The announcement detonated another wave of cheers.
"Shh!" Chen Yansen grinned, putting a finger to his lips, then made a winding-down motion. "Shut it down. Everyone, get to the hotel and get some sleep."
"Brother Sen, you heading back to the dorm or the hotel?" Wang Zihao sidled up, grinning. "I got Wenbo, Pengfei, Zhuang Rui, and Xingxing together for烧烤 (BBQ). You in?"
Chen Yansen checked the time—12:30 AM. Barbecue with this crew? "Pass."
"Hey, I already promised them you'd come! Save your brother some face here?" Wang Zihao lowered his voice, pleading.
"Call me 'Dad,'" Chen Yansen said, dead serious.
"Dad!" Wang Zihao didn't miss a beat, the word out of his mouth without a shred of dignity. He looked ready to say it again, louder.
"You truly have no shame. I'm in awe," Chen Yansen laughed, shaking his head in amused defeat.
In this life, under his deliberate tutelage, Wang Zihao had developed a thick skin and a flexible moral compass. If he ever ran into another toxic woman, he probably wouldn't be the type to jump off a building.
As the lights in the startup park finally went out, a large, weary but exhilarated group filed toward the school gate.
The guard, pre-briefed by Cao Dahua, simply nodded and swung the gate open.
Ring ring—
Chen Yansen had just settled onto a plastic stool at the smoky barbecue stall when his phone vibrated. An unknown number.
Who calls at this hour?
He pondered for a few seconds and answered. "Who is this?"
"Mr. Chen, hello. I'm calling from the Alimama Alliance team. First, on behalf of Alibaba Group, thank you for FoxTao's tremendous support during the 11.11 event. We are hosting a Channel Partner Recognition Conference on November 16th. Would you be available to attend?"
The voice on the other end was young, polite, and got straight to the point after the briefest pleasantries.
A channel conference.
Chen Yansen's eyes narrowed slightly, his mind racing. He instantly grasped the opportunity. For anyone with ambition, these industry gatherings were goldmines for connections and resources. He agreed without hesitation.
"Brother Sen, who was it? Come on, drink!" Wang Zihao yelled over the sizzle of skewers.
Chen Yansen put his phone away, rejoined the table, grabbed a meat skewer, and clinked his beer bottle lightly against the others'.
Compared to his previous life's seasoned team, Zhang Wenbo, Xiang Pengfei, Zhuang Rui, and Xu Xingxing were green in experience and social graces. But their raw passion and tenacity constantly surprised him.
"Brother Sen, I'll have the merchant CRM system requirements doc to you tomorrow," Zhuang Rui said, downing his beer.
"We'll have it live by month's end," Zhang Wenbo and Xiang Pengfei chimed in.
"Enough shop talk. Let's talk about girls. Wenbo, four years of university and no girlfriend?" Chen Yansen waved his hand, deftly switching topics. Though a freshman, he carried the easy authority of a senior.
"Brother Sen, don't tease me! Pengfei's the expert here," Zhang Wenbo flushed, pushing Xiang Pengei forward.
"Looking at you, you're probably a rookie. University is full of girls. Date a few while you're young, figure out what you actually like," Chen Yansen teased, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
"Brother Sen, you sound like a real pro. Share some wisdom?" Zhuang Rui raised his bottle, laughing.
"It's like writing product specs. Date more, gain experience," Chen Yansen replied airily.
What experience did he really have? With his looks, his burgeoning wealth, and his status, in another life he'd had waves of young women—good and bad—flocking to him. He'd eventually concluded the "bad" ones were far more interesting.
Xu Xingxing watched Chen Yansen sipping his beer, a thought crystallizing: Boys are more attractive when they're a little bit bad. A guy like Chen Yansen, powerful yet playfully roguish, held a dangerous allure for her. The fact he had a girlfriend was a detail she'd long since chosen to ignore.
An hour later, the group staggered toward the hotel, laughter fading into the quiet night.
The next day, Chen Yansen slept until 10:30. Descending to the hotel lobby, he found Xu Xingxing at the checkout counter.
"Class Monitor, you stayed at the hotel last night?" she asked, turning. Her gaze held a trace of playful accusation. "Did you... lock your door?"
"Why wouldn't I? A guy's gotta protect himself out here," he replied automatically, then caught himself. "Wait, how would you know if I locked it?"
"I... guessed!" Xu Xingxing's expression flickered, and she hastily fabricated an excuse.
"Were you planning something last night?" A wicked grin spread across his face. "You should've said something. I wouldn't have locked it."
"No way! I... I have to get back to the dorm!" Flustered, Xu Xingxing turned and hurried off.
Chen Yansen chuckled, handed his key card to the front desk, slurped down a bowl of congee at a nearby shop, and ambled back to dorm 0418.
By then, the internet was on fire.
News of Taobao's "1 Billion RMB in a Single Day" dominated every major portal.
A decade later, this figure might seem modest. But in 2010, it sent shockwaves through 400 million netizens. Was e-commerce this powerful already?
Tucked within those articles were mentions of FoxTao. As the emerging leader in shopping guide e-commerce, its 20-million-RMB contribution was a staggering sub-plot.
And when readers discovered the founder was an eighteen-year-old freshman? The media engines went into overdrive.
By that afternoon, even the Youth Daily was running a feature on Chen Yansen and his FoxTao story.
*18-year-old college student. Tencent millions in funding. Millions of users built in two months. 20 million RMB in Single's Day sales.*
This combination was rocket fuel. Chen Yansen's name shot to the top of trending searches.
In an era before the rise of "self-made" internet celebrities like Cheng Ou, Chen Yansen's story was a media darling—the perfect inspirational icon. Overnight, he became a symbol.
College students across the country, inspired by his story, looked at referral e-commerce and FoxTao with new eyes. Many who had registered but never bought finally placed their first cashback orders.
Sitting at his desk that afternoon, Chen Yansen's phone became a hotline. The Huian Daily wanted an interview. The Huian Youth Daily wanted him on their cover. The Huian Economic Channel invited him for a talk show.
Chen Yansen didn't play hard to get. For FoxTao, this kind of positive, traditional media coverage was free, high-quality traffic. He accepted it all.
Over a decade later, even titans of industry would scramble for visibility on platforms like Douyin. He felt zero guilt.
He gave the interview. He posed for the cover shot—a roguish, three-quarter profile in a black shirt that would, incidentally, sell an extra six thousand copies of that issue. He scheduled the TV talk show for late November, after his trip to Hangzhou for Alibaba's conference.
Hundreds of miles away, Chun Shen Town. Guobin Bookstore.
"Brother Bin! Your nephew! He's in the newspaper!" The owner from the photo studio next door rushed in, waving the Huian Youth Daily.
On the cover was that half-body shot of Chen Yansen, the playful grin unmistakable.
Founder of FoxTao.
A business genius making tens of millions a year?
Chen Guobin took the paper, his face a mask of utter bewilderment.
Is this... talking about my son?