Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

Inside the bank lobby, the heating was on full blast, steaming away the lingering chill from the people inside.

Behind the glass counter, the female clerk with thin eyebrows furrowed her brows and pulled her mask up in disgust. She held several bundles of money in her hand, as if she were handling a pile of newly unearthed artifacts.

No wonder people dislike it.

This money has such a "realistic" feel to it.

Besides the smell of sweat and cheap cigarettes, there was half a dried chive leaf stuck to the corner of the top hundred bill, and the stack below was shiny with oil, emitting a cumin smell of aged roasted kidneys.

This is the revenue collected overnight by nine internet cafes; it's real "hot money," hot to handle and suffocating.

"How much do you want to deposit?" the teller asked in a muffled voice, unwilling to even touch the money.

"Thirty thousand." Yang Bo gripped the marble countertop tightly with both hands. He turned his briefcase upside down and shook it to make sure not a single coin was missing. "This is eighteen thousand in cash. Transfer another twelve thousand from this folded account. That's a total of thirty thousand in investment funds. Open a verification account."

The money counting machine started working, and the "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sound exploded in the quiet hall, making people's hearts jump.

Occasionally, the machine will emit a sharp "beep" alarm sound if the banknotes are too old or have folded corners.

Each time the machine beeped, Yang Bo's cheek twitched, while the eldest brother, Jiao Liwei, pressed his face against the glass window, his eyes following the impeller of the money counter, as if afraid the machine would swallow the money.

"Stop looking, the machine doesn't cost money." Bai Yuhang sat on the row of chairs behind, crossed his legs, and couldn't help but smile as he looked at the two of them looking so pathetic.

Ten minutes later, a thin certificate of capital verification was handed out from the window.

Account balance: 30000.00 yuan.

Yang Bo held the certificate in both hands as if cradling a newborn baby, carefully blowing away non-existent dust. When he turned around, his eyes were a little red: "Sixth Brother, is this... done?"

"The money's in, so we're halfway there." Bai Yuhang stood up, glanced at the certificate, folded it, stuffed it into his inner pocket, and patted it. "Let's go to the Industry and Commerce Bureau. Don't keep Brother Zhao waiting."

Once outside the bank, Zhao Jianjun's Santana was already running, with white smoke billowing from the exhaust pipe.

"Get in! I just finished a call with Lao Li, he's waiting for me." Zhao Jianjun stepped on the gas, the car crunching over the remaining snow, heading straight for the Daowai District Administration for Industry and Commerce.

The lobby of the Industry and Commerce Bureau was bustling with noise, resembling a vegetable market. Long queues stretched in front of the service windows, with many small business owners carrying briefcases anxiously peering out, fanning themselves with number slips while muttering curses.

Zhao Jianjun didn't even bother to get a number. He led the group as if they were going home, walking straight through the crowd and turning into a corridor at the back.

At the end of the corridor, a wooden door with a sign that read "Section Chief's Office" was ajar.

"Old squad leader!" Zhao Jianjun pushed open the door and entered, his voice so loud that it shook the door frame.

The middle-aged man behind the desk was blowing on the foam from his teacup. Upon seeing this, he immediately put down his cup and came out to greet him. He was dressed in a crisp uniform and had a smile on his face: "Old Zhao, I knew it was you. You arrived before I even came in."

"There's no rush." ​​Zhao Jianjun didn't stand on ceremony and pulled Bai Yuhang over. "This is my younger brother, Bai Yuhang, whom I mentioned to you. He's a top student from the university. These are his classmates. We're making special arrangements because these guys are in a hurry to sign big contracts. Even a minute's delay would mean missing out on paying taxes for the country."

Section Chief Li glanced at Bai Yuhang.

He's a freshman, looks young, but has a calm and collected look in his eyes, without the timidity of a greenhorn.

"Hello, Section Chief Li, thank you for your help." Bai Yuhang bowed slightly, handed over the prepared materials, and also brought two packs of Lao Badu cigarettes.

Section Chief Li put his cigarette aside, smiled, and took the documents, flipping through them. When he saw the still-warm verification certificate, he raised an eyebrow: "Wow, these college students these days are something else. This efficiency is impressive. There was no movement last night, and the money is all ready today?"

Without wasting any words, he picked up a pen and signed the application form in a flamboyant manner. He then led Yang Bo directly to the innermost window, knocked on the glass, and said, "Xiao Wang, put aside what you're doing and get this done first. Urgent."

A few disgruntled murmurs came from the crowd behind: "Why are they cutting in line?"

Zhao Jianjun turned around, his fierce eyes glaring, revealing the menacing aura of someone who had served in the military and was involved in the underworld. The muttering men immediately lowered their heads, pretending to be engrossed in reading their newspapers.

This is the power of the "green channel".

In this day and age, rules are rigid, but personal connections are flexible. Sometimes, a good reputation is more effective than any official document. If that doesn't work, there's always money, and that'll do whatever it takes. If that still doesn't work, then it just means you haven't used your money enough.

As they spoke, accompanied by the distinctive "buzzing" sound of a dot matrix printer, a pale yellow sheet of paper slowly emerged, followed by a blue one.

The staff stamped the business license and organization code certificate with a red seal and handed them out the window.

Bai Yuhang took it; the paper still carried the warmth of the printer and felt heavy.

Above the red national emblem, a line of bold black characters is prominently displayed: Harbin Qihang Technology Co., Ltd.

Registered capital: RMB 30,000.

Date of establishment: April 7, 2000.

Jiao Liwei leaned closer, his head almost touching Bai Yuhang's chin, staring at the line of words and reading it over and over again. Suddenly, he grinned, revealing a set of big white teeth: "Sixth brother, are we also in the 'General' generation now? I think this license is no different from the one that General Lan Sushi hangs on the wall. They both have the national emblem."

"The legal effect is the same." Bai Yuhang looked at those words, and the long-lost feeling of excitement finally surged up in his heart.

In his past life, he worked his way up to director in a big factory, which was just a high-level employee; he was someone else's boss.

In this life, this piece of paper is the first stake he has driven into the ground; this is his own fleet.

"Keep this safe." Bai Yuhang handed the license to Yang Bo. "Second brother, you keep this safe."

After leaving the Industry and Commerce Bureau, Zhao Jianjun pulled the three of them and headed straight for the seal-carving shop.

This place is under the special jurisdiction of the Public Security Bureau, and the room is filled with the smell of burnt rubber.

After announcing Section Chief Li's name, the experienced worker worked quickly and efficiently, and the machine roared for half an hour.

Three seals were displayed on the glass counter: the company seal, the financial seal, and the legal representative's seal. The red rubber was brand new and shiny, emitting a unique chemical smell.

"Give it a try." The old craftsman handed over a piece of scrap paper and inkpad.

Bai Yuhang picked up the round official seal, pressed it twice heavily into the inkpad to make sure it was covered in red ink, then aimed it at the white paper, applied force with his wrist, and pressed it down steadily.

Mention it.

A bright red circular seal appeared on the paper, with a dazzling five-pointed star in the center, surrounded by Song typeface: Harbin Qihang Technology Co., Ltd.

Once the print was completed, it marked the end of their amateurish operation.

"All done." Bai Yuhang blew on the still-damp ink, put the stamp back in the box, stuffed it into his pocket, and patted it. "With this thing, we can finally stand tall."

Yang Bo stared blankly at the red mark, then suddenly blurted out, "Sixth Brother, shouldn't we go back and put up a sign for the company? Just a red paper sticker on that door on Taigu Street looks a bit shabby, doesn't it?"

"What kind of signboard we're using? That's all just for show." Bai Yuhang turned to look at his three brothers behind him, shaking the stamp box in his hand, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "As long as this stamp is real, even if we're temporarily working in a public restroom, we're still a legitimate company."

He opened the car door and climbed into the back seat: "Let's go back to school. We should teach the seniors from the Geek Alliance a good lesson."

"A lesson?" Jiao Liwei climbed into the car, rubbing his hands excitedly. "How? Are we going to smash them to death with the company seal?"

Bai Yuhang smiled but didn't say anything, just looked at the street scene rushing past the window.

Using an official seal to smash something? That's too low-level.

He wanted to use this official seal to create a formal contract for each of the nine internet cafes, and then make the phrase "Extreme Speed ​​Navigation" a complete joke in Harbin's internet cafe circle.

"Brother Zhao, take us back to the university. Our eldest and second eldest brothers will go back to their dorms, pick up the three coding guys, and then we'll go back to the internet cafe. We're rushing to meet deadlines, but I'll treat you to Fatty Sister's BBQ near our place another day."

"Alright, that's no problem, hold on tight!" Zhao Jianjun stepped on the gas, and the Santana roared as the wheels kicked up the remaining snow on the ground and sped off towards the university.