Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

the next day.

In the signing hall on the second floor of the Sohu Network Building, long lenses and cameras filled both sides of the aisle, and the flashes were so bright that people couldn't open their eyes.

Chen Yizhou specially changed into a custom-made high-end suit, his hair was combed neatly, and his square face was shiny with oil.

He stood in front of the backdrop, holding Zhang Chaoyang's hands tightly, with an impeccable smile on his face.

The two men held up a giant model check that read "20,000,000 USD".

A few days ago at Hailong Building, the humiliation of being humiliated by Bai Yuhang's "three million to buy junk" was washed away by this long string of zeros. With the confidence of twenty million US dollars, Chen Yizhou is still the most dazzling Internet tycoon in Zhongguancun.

It was time to answer reporters' questions.

In the audience, a reporter from an IT media outlet was the first to raise a recording pen.

"Mr. Zhang, with Sohu's IPO in the US imminent, is this acquisition of ChinaRen at such a crucial juncture an attempt to tell a completely new social media story on Nasdaq?"

Zhang Chaoyang adjusted his glasses and spoke into the microphone.

"Sohu's business has always been missing a piece of the puzzle, and we've been searching for it relentlessly. Portal websites solve the problem of connecting people with information, but the future lies in connecting people with each other. Mr. Chen's team are the top social media pioneers in China, and Sohu needs that kind of DNA."

These words gave Chen Yizhou a lot of face, and he straightened his back and took the microphone.

"After ChinaRen merges with Sohu, we will leverage Sohu's massive traffic matrix to upgrade our service ecosystem in all aspects. Soon, everyone will see a brand new and unshakeable No.1 Chinese community."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sohu's own reporters below the stage led the applause.

Just then, a young reporter wearing black-rimmed glasses stood up from the corner.

"Mr. Chen, recently, Qihang Technology's products, HaiNei.com and QQ, have been integrated, and with the newly launched Happy Farm, they're gaining a lot of momentum. There are rumors that Bai Yuhang, the founder of HaiNei.com, expressed his intention to acquire it to you a few days ago, offering three million RMB. Is this true?"

The air in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment.

Zhang Chaoyang's smile froze almost imperceptibly as he glanced at Chen Yizhou out of the corner of his eye.

Chen Yizhou's hand gripping the microphone tightened suddenly, Bai Yuhang's sarcastic remark about "collecting it as scrap metal" echoing in his mind once again.

He cleared his throat, suppressed his anger, and forced a calm smile.

"In the internet world, there are always some young people who like to grab attention. Three million RMB? That's not even enough for a few core servers. The business world isn't child's play; you can't gain a foothold with just a few jokes and a couple of web games."

Chen Yizhou paused, his gaze sweeping over the cameras below the stage, and his voice rose a few decibels.

"Building a community relies on a solid foundation and continuous financial investment. With Sohu as our backer, we will immediately launch a new round of traffic subsidies and product iterations. As for the nonsense spouted by some startups that started with gimmicks, I don't care. When the tide goes out, everyone will naturally see who's been swimming naked."

The flashbulbs went off again, flashing wildly.

Chen Yizhou put down the microphone and turned his head to exchange a glance with Zhang Chaoyang.

Both of them had smiles on their faces, but only they knew what they were thinking.

Chen Yizhou gritted his teeth inwardly. The first thing he would do once the money arrived was to tear down that lousy farm intact and use the money to crush the arrogant students of Qihang.

Faced with the reporter's slightly provocative question, Zhang Chaoyang did not leave Chen Yizhou in an awkward position for long.

He knew very well that the best way to deal with negative gossip was to drop an even bigger bombshell. He picked up the microphone again, his gaze sweeping across the room. A deep echo came from the speakers, and the hall fell silent instantly.

At the press conference, the frequency of camera flashes reached its peak.

"Dear media friends, Sohu has always focused on the future and doesn't get bogged down in verbal disputes," Zhang Chaoyang said in a loud voice. "To demonstrate Sohu's determination in the social networking field, I am here to announce an important personnel appointment."

All the cameras instantly focused on the main podium.

Zhang Chaoyang turned to the side and placed his free hand on Chen Yizhou's shoulder.

"Effective immediately, Mr. Chen Yizhou will officially assume the position of Vice President of Sohu Corporation, overseeing all of Sohu's internet social networking businesses." Zhang Chaoyang paused, emphasizing his words, "reporting directly to me."

The audience erupted in uproar, and reporters frantically snapped photos; the appointment was of an exceptionally high caliber.

The appointment of a vice president from outside the company, who is also in charge of the core social networking business, is an unprecedented decentralization of power within Sohu.

Zhang Chaoyang hadn't finished speaking: "To support the comprehensive upgrade of ChinaRen, all of Sohu's core traffic entry points, pop-up resources, and the initial $10 million special development fund will be fully allocated to the business managed by Mr. Chen. What we're going to do isn't small-scale web games, but a social empire that truly connects hundreds of millions of Chinese people. From today onwards, Sohu's massive traffic pool will be ChinaRen's strongest backing!"

Chen Yizhou stood to the side, his back ramrod straight, his chin slightly raised, revealing a confident smile. The embarrassment he had just suffered at the hands of the reporter was now completely forgotten.

Looking at the densely packed cameras below the stage, he had only one thought in his mind: Bai Yuhang, you can keep your three million worth of scrap metal theory for collecting your own corpse.

The flashbulbs at the press conference were so bright they made people dizzy. Chen Yizhou took the microphone, and his whole body was radiant.

After being acquired and integrated into the Sohu system, he transformed into a billionaire. With Sohu's multi-million dollar arsenal as his backer, he is more confident than ever before.

"Furthermore, besides the comprehensive upgrade of ChinaRen's services, today I want to announce a major product that has already been reported and approved by the board of directors." Chen Yizhou took the microphone, paused deliberately, his gaze precisely catching the reporter who had just asked the question, a cold smile playing on his lips, "Sohu's brand new real-name campus social platform—5Q Campus Network, domain name 5q.com, is about to launch!"

The giant LED screen behind him switched instantly, with the red and white 5Q Campus Network logo taking up the entire screen.

"You can't just throw any kind of person into a social networking site," Chen Yizhou said, his tone shifting sharply. "Some websites were called 'Xiaonei' yesterday, and today they're called 'Hainei' (meaning 'national' or 'national'). White-collar workers from office buildings and university students from prestigious universities are mixed in with idle people from internet cafes—that's not social networking, that's ecological pollution. Our 5Q Campus Network only provides the purest real-name social networking service for university students. Sohu will invest tens of millions of dollars in promotional resources to completely reclaim the territory that truly belongs to university students!"

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience, followed by thunderous applause and a flurry of camera shutters from the reporters.

The atmosphere in the VIP viewing area not far away, in the shadows where the spotlights couldn't reach, was far more exciting than on stage.