Reborn in 08, Public Enemy of Competitors

Everyone says Hangzhou is a food desert, and Shenmo proves it's true.

The group arrived at "Lanzhou Ramen". The shop was small, with six or seven tables, and the menu and a no-alcohol sign were posted on the wall.

The husband, wearing a white hat, was kneading dough in the kitchen, while the wife, wearing a headscarf, carried a tray and moved between tables, and the child was doing homework in a corner.

This is what you call authentic! This is what you call genuine!

Shen Mo sat down, glanced at the menu, and said, "Boss, a large bowl of stir-fried beef with knife-cut noodles!"

"Me too!" Qin Feng added.

After everyone had ordered, Yuan Hua suddenly said something.

"Brother Mo, Liu Xin cried like that in front of so many people just now, and you didn't even...

Shen Mo scoffed, "Women will only slow down my money-making speed."

Yuan Hua pressed further, "What if you're not making money?"

"It's the same even if you don't make money."

"With this time, it would be much better to play World of Warcraft. At least the bosses have displayed health bars. Chasing a girl doesn't even have a progress bar."

Shen Mo said, "Besides, after defeating the BOSS, you get equipment drops. If you're chasing after a girl, you might even lose gold coins."

Qin Feng scratched his head. "Brother Mo, don't say that. It makes me afraid to date."

Shen Mo said, "It's not that we won't talk about it, but rather that we'll talk about it slowly, carefully, and strategically. We need to approach this relationship with a 'debug-style' approach."

Lu Wenbin and the others were very curious, "What is 'Debug-style dating'?"

"It's about bringing the mindset of a programmer into a relationship, talking about rational romance that accurately identifies and addresses emotional vulnerabilities."

"For example, if a function consistently fails to run properly and debugging is ineffective, what we need to do is stop investing in it."

"The same goes for love. You can invest in it, but you can't invest in it infinitely. It's not worth investing in a function that will never run."

Shen Mo looked left and right, then asked, "Have you all figured it out?"

"That makes sense!"

Yuan Hua then asked, "But what if we've already reached an agreement, and then encounter this situation today?"

"It can be fixed, but not by simply patching it; sometimes it's just a design incompatibility."

"The underlying architecture of the two systems, two concepts, and even two people was diametrically opposed from the very beginning."

"The more you patch it, the more awkward it becomes; the more you patch it, the faster the system crashes."

Shen Mo said slowly, "A person shouldn't exhaust themselves for a relationship that keeps causing you pain and breakdown."

"Holy crap, Mo-ge, I feel like you've become a Casanova!"

Lu Wenbin took out his notebook and wrote it down word by word.

"Screw romance, making money is the top priority right now."

Shen Mo glanced around and said, "So, how did things go today?"

Lu Wenbin pulled out his Nokia N95. "The second group has gradually added seventy or eighty people, and it's almost full."

Qin Feng grinned and said, "The number of people using fake accounts is growing even faster. The three groups together have 472 people, almost reaching 500."

"We'll compare it with the backend data when we get back."

As soon as Shen Mo finished speaking, the proprietress came over carrying a large tray.

Lu Wenbin picked up his chopsticks, stirred the noodles, and said, "Brother Mo, now that the lecture is over, what's our next step?"

"While summer vacation hasn't started yet, we should take advantage of the mobile network's flyers and distribute them to the startup sites in various universities."

"In addition, mobilize junior and senior high school students to share the mobile internet links with their schools' part-time job groups, forums, online communities, and school networks."

Shen Mo slurped up a mouthful of noodles. "We need to expand the business from the merchants' market; we can't limit ourselves to the Xiasha University Town."

Qin Feng asked, "From what you're saying, Brother Mo, you're not planning to go back to Jiangsu Province this summer?"

"What Jiangsu Province? I'm from Wujin!"

The DNA that was ingrained in his very being stirred.

"Yes, yes, you're not planning to go back?"

Lu Wenbin, Yuan Hua, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. Jiangsu Province truly lived up to its reputation as a province of disorganized disorganization!

Shen Mo nodded: "I'm not going back. I'm going to apply to stay at the school."

"If you stay, then I'll stay too."

Yuan Hua was the first to respond, and Lu Wenbin and Qin Feng followed suit.

Shen Mo smiled and patted Yuan Hua on the shoulder, thinking that he would ask Du Manqing in person how to apply to move into the startup park when he met her tomorrow.

Lu Wenbin said half-jokingly, "Staying at school is fine too, at least I won't have to eat leftovers anymore."

Yuan Hua looked incredulous. "No way, you, the dignified Young Master Lu, would eat leftovers at home?"

"My parents can't stand waste, they insist on using DVDs."

Lu Wenbin said helplessly, "So every day I eat what my dad leaves behind, what my mom leaves behind, and what my sister leaves behind."

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow. "Don't you have a dog at home?"

"What? You expect me to eat the dog's leftovers?"

Lu Wenbin suddenly felt a jolt.

Qin Feng rolled his eyes. "No, Brother Mo means the leftovers should be given to the dogs!"

"Feed it to the dog? Holy crap, what am I supposed to eat then?"

Lu Wenbin had a look on his face that said, "Look in my eyes."

Shen Mo almost spat out his noodles, barely suppressing his laughter, and shook his head, saying, "You really are a worthless son!"

…………

Meanwhile, in the girls' dormitory.

Du Manqing sat in front of the computer, following the instructions in Shen Mo's tutorial, to plan the launch time of famous products.

Behind me came the sound of Liu Xin crying, intermittent and faint.

"Okay, okay, stop crying."

Huang Jiajia had already comforted her for a while.

Liu Xin said, "I already humbled myself and took the initiative to go to him, and he actually... he... how could he treat me like that..."

Huang Jiajia advised, "Shen Mo really went too far."

Liu Xin gritted her teeth and said, "He actually called me a scumbag, but he was the one who cheated on me first!"

"Don't take it to heart, he was just trying to upset you."

Huang Jiajia took out a tissue and handed it over.

"He wasn't like this before..."

Liu Xin took the tissue and wiped her face haphazardly.

She had never cared about Shen Mo this much before, but now her mind was filled with him, and she didn't like him at all.

Her eyes, red and swollen, looked at Du Manqing, and she choked out, "Manqing, are you... really going to meet Shen Mo tomorrow?"

"Yes, it's already arranged."

Du Manqing shifted her gaze.

Liu Xin said resentfully, "Can you please not go see him?"

Du Manqing frowned slightly. "This won't do. I was the one who invited Shen Mo. How can he suddenly stand me up?"

Liu Xin gripped the tissue tightly. "Could you please pass on a message to Shen Mo for me?"

Du Manqing sighed, "Why bother? Wouldn't it be better to part amicably? Actually, Shenmo isn't right for you."

Liu Xin said, "I didn't say he was right for me. I just felt that even if we weren't meant to be, we could still be friends."

Du Manqing was speechless. "You still want to be friends with Shen Mo?"

"Manqing, please give this to Shen Mo."

Huang Jiajia kept giving her meaningful glances, "As for whether Shen Mo agrees or not, that's his business."

………………

The next day, when Du Manqing met Shen Mo at the "Manman Wardrobe" studio, she took a deep breath.

"How did you manage to apply for this office space?"

Shen Mo looked him over.

"Well, you need to submit an application form and a project proposal to the Admissions and Career Guidance Office."

"Once the application is approved, I'll be assigned a private office like mine..."

Du Manqing repeated herself carefully, "What, you're also going to move into the startup park?"

"Summer vacation is coming soon, and I can't work in my dorm room, so I need to find a new place for Handshake.com."

Shen Mo's words were half true and half false.

Woshou.com has been successfully established and has a stable cash flow. The next step is to expand the credit card fraud business while preparing for the official launch of the company.

"Okay, I'll go with you when you apply."

"I happen to know all the teachers in the Admissions and Career Guidance Office."

Du Manqing smiled and said, "I've gone through the process myself, so I can take a look for you and save you from making unnecessary trips."

Shen Mo said, "Thanks. I'll treat you to dinner once this is done."

Du Manqing hummed in agreement, hesitated for a moment, and then finally said, "Um... Liu Xin asked me to pass on a message to her."

Shen Mo curled his lip. "Go ahead and say it. I'm listening."

"Liu Xin knows that she has done some things wrong and hurt you."

Du Manqing said, "So you asked me to ask you, 'Can we reconcile? Can we still be friends?'"

"She doesn't know she's wrong; she knows she's missed an opportunity."

Shen Mo said jokingly, "I missed out on a high-potential stock who is interesting, rich, good-looking, and talented."

"You are really interesting."

Du Manqing smiled sweetly, tilted her head to look at him, her short hair sliding down to her ears.

"Of course, because I not only have a good-looking appearance, but also an interesting soul."

"How do I verify it?"

"The Buddha said it cannot be spoken, it cannot be spoken. Only those with similar frequencies can sense each other's souls."

Shen Mo said, "It's like cats eating fish, dogs eating meat, and Ultraman fighting monsters."

Du Manqing was slightly stunned, her almond-shaped eyes reflecting Shen Mo's profile, sparkling as if illuminated by starlight.