"Without you and FoxTao, I'd still be juggling library and cafeteria shifts. I could never earn enough to support my brother."
Song Yuncheng sat on the wooden chair, swinging her feet slightly, her gratitude sincere.
"Ever think about how you'll repay me?" Chen Yansen took a sip of tea, his gaze steady on her.
"Good people don't ask for repayment."
"You said it—good people. I'm not one." He put down his cup and took her hand.
Her skin was soft, but her palm bore rough calluses—marks from years of labor.
She tried to pull away, but his grip was firm. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
"I don't want to be someone you rotate between. If you ever break up with Meng Jie… you can come find me then."
She couldn't bring herself to say she disliked him. Just voicing this compromise drained her.
"What do you want?" he asked, his thumb tracing circles on her palm, a faint smile on his lips.
Before she could answer, noise came from the doorway.
"Auntie's back! Let go!"
"Give me a kiss, and I will."
"...Fine."
To his surprise, she leaned in and pecked his lips—quick and light.
It was over before he could process it. Their first real kiss.
"Didn't feel a thing. Again." He smirked, leaning closer.
"Chen Yansen, you're going back on your word!" She struggled, hearing footsteps approach.
"Since when have I kept my word?"
Gritting her teeth, she aimed for another swift kiss.
He was ready this time. As their lips met, he caught her lower lip gently between his, holding her like soft jelly.
Song Yuncheng froze.
Her limbs went weak. Her heart sprinted. Her cheeks burned. His familiar, clean scent of sandalwood filled her senses.
Ahem!
Her aunt, now at the door, coughed loudly, shielding the two children behind her.
Song Yuncheng stumbled back, her face crimson. She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"Xiaoyun, Xiaoyu, say hello to your sister!" The aunt gently pushed the two wide-eyed children forward.
"Sister Chengzi!" they chorused.
"And this is Sister Chengzi's boyfriend. Call him Brother."
"Hello, Brother! You're so tall!" chubby-cheeked Wang Yu exclaimed, raising a hand to his own head—he only reached Chen Yansen's waist.
"You'll be this tall soon, too." Chen Yansen smiled, ruffling his hair.
"Go do your homework. Your sister will check it later. Mom's going to cook." The aunt shooed them away, her arms full of grocery bags she'd "coincidentally" bought on the way back.
"I'll watch them, Auntie." Song Yuncheng had finally composed herself.
Once her aunt left, Song Yuncheng shot Chen Yansen a deadly glare. He just grinned back, utterly unrepentant.
She huffed, then gathered the two children and her brother, Song Yunnuo, around the table. The workbook in Song Yunnuo's hands was for first graders.
Later That Night - Back in Xucheng
Chen Yansen lay in bed, his phone lighting up his face. As usual, he was texting two people at once.
To Meng Jie: Miss you. What are you up to?
To Song Yuncheng: Back safely. Dream of me.
He couldn't help it. Typing with one hand left the other idle, and waiting for one reply was inefficient. This way, the conversation never lagged.
Monday Morning - The Startup Park
The building was eerily quiet after the winter break exodus. Even Song Yang's courier station was deserted.
"Brother Sen!" Xiang Pengfei's sharp eyes spotted Chen Yansen.
The core team was already there, along with a dozen new hires—algorithm engineers lured by high salaries. The "catfish" had been thrown into the pond.
"How's the search optimization?"
"On track for testing before New Year's. We need Hu Yun's data team to build user profiles—tracking search, click, and purchase behavior for personalized results…"
"Good. Use the new engineers. I didn't hire them for decoration." Chen Yansen's message was clear: keep up or get left behind.
He called for a morning meeting with the team leads.
Soon, Xu Dan, Zhang Wenbo, Xiang Pengfei, Wang Zihao, and Meng Xibo filed into the conference room.
"Zihao, stick to the pre-holiday ad plan. Have the Q1 ad spend budget on my desk before you leave."
"Zhuang Rui, I need a new referral program. Keep Cost-Per-Acquisition under 5 yuan. Work with Zihao. By the end of Q1, I want our total registered users over 100 million."
The room stilled. That meant acquiring 60 million new users in under three months.
"It's possible," Zhuang Rui calculated mentally. They were already adding over 400,000 daily through referrals, ads, and promotions. With more funding and better tech, 800,000 a day was ambitious, but not impossible.
Chen Yansen went down the line, setting clear, aggressive Q1 targets for each department head.
Finally, he dropped his biggest bomb.
"Next week," he said, his voice calm but carrying to every corner of the quiet room, "we begin issuing employee stock options."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"The total pool is worth 20 million."
The silence shattered into a wave of sharp inhales and stunned glances. This wasn't just a job anymore. This was a stake in the future.
Chen Yansen leaned back, watching the fire ignite in their eyes. The game was entering a new stage, and he needed every single one of them all in.
The race for 100 million users had just begun.