Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

After hearing the figure of 20, Bai Yuhang didn't rush to reply. He just smiled and played with the lighter in his hand. With a crisp "click", a blue flame shot out and then went out.

"Two hundred thousand," Bai Yuhang repeated, his smile deepening. "President Shi, this amount of money can indeed allow a few poor students in Harbin to live comfortably for a few years. But my business has only just started, and you want to take it all away? Isn't that a bit too hasty?"

Shi Hongchao leaned forward and flicked his cigarette ash: "Not enough? Little newbie, in business, you know when to quit while you're ahead. You have an advantage now, but with the internet, you might be king today and a bandit tomorrow. Cashing out is the smart thing to do."

"Mr. Shi, if I wanted to make quick money, I should have agreed to your offer earlier." Bai Yuhang tossed the lighter back on the table, leaned back, and looked directly at the senior businessman in front of him. "But I'm not starting Qihang to sell a few decks for liquor money; I'm building an aircraft carrier. Qihang hasn't even left the port yet. Selling it now would be turning a business worth tens or hundreds of billions of dollars into a bargain-basement price."

Shi Hongchao was stunned. He had expected Bai Yuhang to haggle, even expected him to ask for an exorbitant 500,000, but he hadn't imagined this kid would be so arrogant—an aircraft carrier? Tens or hundreds of millions?

"An aircraft carrier? Have you ever seen a deal worth hundreds of millions?" Shi Hongchao laughed angrily. "With your MP3 pirate download site?"

"The music site is just a hook to keep users hooked," Bai Yuhang said, leaning forward slightly and speaking in a low voice with extreme confidence. "Next, I want to create an 'alumni directory.' A network of relationships based on real names and real classes. Mr. Shi, I heard you have a business master's degree from an Ivy League university, so you should understand the 'six degrees of separation' theory. When students from all over Harbin, Heilongjiang, and even the whole country are using my site to find classmates and gossip, what Qihang holds in his hands isn't just traffic, but a huge amount of customer data, a network of relationships, and the most consumer-driven customer base. And if I go further, I'll incorporate instant messaging like ICQ..."

Bai Yuhang didn't say anything more, but just gave Shi Hongchao a meaningful look.

Shi Hongchao's fingers, holding the cigarette, froze in mid-air, unaware that ash had fallen onto the expensive mahogany table. He knew his stuff; if they could truly bring real offline social interaction online, it certainly couldn't be measured by the 200,000 yuan he had mentioned.

After a long silence, Shi Hongchao abandoned the idea of ​​a full cash acquisition and began to re-examine the freshman in front of him.

"You're a promising young man." Shi Hongchao stubbed out his cigarette, took the contract Bai Yuhang had brought, and signed his name with a flourish. "Although I can't buy it, I admire you as a person, so let's consider it making friends. However, I have one condition."

"Please go ahead, Mr. Shi."

"If Qihang wants to sell its equity in the future, or if you decide to sell the company's technology, Lansu should have priority."

"No problem. I'll consider it." Bai Yuhang agreed readily. Having a potential investor was certainly a good thing. However, we could deal with the future later; getting the current contract signed was the priority.

As Bai Yuhang left the Blue Speed ​​Internet Club, clutching a contract worth 15,000 yuan, he wasn't particularly excited. It was just a means to acquire ammunition for early survival.

1 p.m., New Century Internet Cafe.

The seven people finally met up. The private room became lively again, but this time there was less keyboard noise and more of a triumphant euphoria.

"Got it! Got it all!" Liu Jing dumped his canvas bag on the table, and five contracts spilled out, each stamped with a bright red seal. "That boss in Daoli is the funniest. He heard we get a bonus from our boyfriends, and he insisted I drag you guys over to become sworn brothers. I couldn't stop him."

"We've also finalized deals with a few businesses in the bungalow area." Jiao Liwei unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and gulped down more than half of it. "Although the location is remote, the bosses are quite discerning and signed the contracts quickly. It's all thanks to our system."

Looking at the contracts laid out on the table, the weariness on their faces seemed to lessen considerably. This was the feeling of conquering the world—far more exhilarating than getting a perfect score on a test.

Bai Yuhang threw the Blue Speed ​​contracts into the pile as well: "Alright, put them all away. Second brother, this is all our assets, lock it in the cabinet when we get back."

He turned and left the private room, walking to the bar, where Zhao Jianjun was using a back scratcher to relieve his itch.

"Brother Zhao, don't plan anything else tonight. We agreed before that I'd like to treat you to Fatty Sister's BBQ near our school gate. If it weren't for you being our base, driving for us, and helping us find business registration officials these past few days, we wouldn't have been able to get anything done."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianjun threw down the fly swatter, his big eyes glaring at him: "Trying to embarrass me, huh? Do you think I'd let you pay for anything here? Besides, you guys have a legitimate company now, what kind of behavior is this, eating at a roadside stall!"

"So, what does Brother Zhao mean?"

"Tomorrow night! Sunday!" Zhao Jianjun said, pulling Bai Yuhang back to the private room. He waved his hand and said, "Tomorrow we're at my wife's 'Old Chef's House.' I've invited all the owners of the big internet cafes we had dinner with last time. We'll have a big feast, firstly to celebrate your success, and secondly to let you show your faces in front of those bosses, making things easier for you in the future. You all have dark circles under your eyes like pandas today, so go back to sleep and don't faint here."

Seeing that his brothers were so tired they were practically swaying as they stood, Bai Yuhang didn't make a fuss: "Okay, we'll follow Brother Zhao's arrangements."

On the way back, we split into two groups.

Bai Yuhang and three key technical staff hailed a Xiali car. The moment the heater blew in, the drowsiness from staying up all night instantly returned. Zhang Jian, sitting in the passenger seat, had barely fastened his seatbelt when he started snoring, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. Wan Lianghao and Zhang Qingheng were huddled together in the back seat, head to head, fast asleep.

Bai Yuhang leaned against the window, watching the Harbin street scene recede outside the car window, but his mind was racing. The navigation site and music platform were established, the contracts were signed, and the cash flow was secured. Next up was the more complex "alumni directory" architecture and algorithm... As he thought about it, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, his head tilted to the side, and he drifted off to sleep.

On the other side, Jiao Liwei took Liu Jing and Yang Bo back to school by bus.

Although the three of them hadn't stayed up all night coding, they were exhausted from running around these past few days. After getting off the bus, they strolled slowly back to the dormitory area.

As soon as he entered the main road of the campus, Yang Bo pushed up his glasses and slowed down.

"Boss, something's not right."

"What's wrong?" Jiao Liwei was wondering if he should soak his feet first when he got back.

"Look over there." Yang Bo raised his chin slightly.

Beside the basketball court by the roadside, several third-year male students from the department were gathered together smoking. When they saw the three of them walking over, the previously noisy crowd suddenly quieted down, followed by a murmur of whispers.

"Is it them? Those freshmen in room 206?"

"Yes, it was them who started Qihang, which ruined the livelihoods of the Geek Alliance group. Several internet cafes are chasing after them demanding compensation."

"I heard that's true. Pretty arrogant, huh? I heard they don't even give face to senior students..."

"Heh, trying to steal business from your senior? Aren't you afraid of breaking your teeth?"

Those gazes held no goodwill, no envy, only undisguised schadenfreude and naked hostility.

Liu Jing has a fiery temper. Upon hearing this, he was about to glare and open his mouth to curse back when Jiao Liwei grabbed him.

"Don't cause trouble." Jiao Liwei lowered his voice, pulling the two of them to quicken their pace. "We're in the open now, don't lower yourself to the level of these stragglers. Looks like those Geek Alliance guys are up to no good, this feud is now set in stone."

Back in dormitory 206, Zhang Qingheng pushed open the door to find the room quiet. Bai Yuhang and the other three were already fast asleep in bed, and Zhang Qingheng hadn't even taken off his shoes.

Jiao Liwei looked at his exhausted brothers in the room, and then remembered the gossip he had heard on the way there. He gently closed the door and locked it.

Let the rumors circulate for now. Once these brothers wake up, they'll have the energy to face the next battle.