Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

Behind the young man speaking at the door, Chen Yuan leaned out, staring intently at Bai Yuhang with eyes as venomous as a mad dog. He pointed at Bai Yuhang and shouted, "Brother Hao, it's this kid! He's the one who led the charge against me!"

Zhang Hao, known as "Brother Hao," flicked his trench coat collar, a beer bottle in his hand, and swaggered in, his leather shoes creaking on the floor. "Well, huh, college student, you've got guts, huh? You bullied my brother and dared to host such a large celebration here? If this table can eat in peace tonight, I, Zhang Hao, will piss upside down from now on."

The room was eerily quiet.

Fatty Liu was wiping the wine stains on his crotch with a tissue, not even lifting his eyelids. Qian Jiangnan pushed up his glasses, a playful smile on his lips. Zhao Jianjun remained completely unperturbed, sitting on the sofa in the corner of the private room next to Bai Yuhang, even taking a casual puff of his lit cigarette and exhaling a smoke ring.

These seasoned veterans looked at Zhang Hao as if he were a complete idiot.

Zhang Hao was taken aback by their reactions, which only fueled his anger. He strode to the main table, grabbed a bottle of liquor, and pointed it at Bai Yuhang on the sofa in the distance: "Damn it! I'm talking to you! Are you mute?"

Bai Yuhang sat in the chair, still playing with the lighter in his hand, not even lifting his eyelids, as if the person standing in front of him was not a thug with a weapon, but a wisp of air.

"Screw you!"

Before Zhang Hao could react, a loud shout suddenly came from behind him. Immediately afterward, a dark shadow swept past with a whoosh of wind.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Chen Yuan, who had just been acting arrogantly, flew out sideways like a tattered sack, crashing heavily into the padded wall of the private room. He then slid down the wall, clutching his stomach, unable to even scream, only hissing as he gasped for breath.

Zhang Hao whirled around, but before he could even see who it was, a huge fist was already a centimeter away from his nose. The force of the punch stung his face, and a mixture of hand sanitizer and tobacco wafted straight to his head.

"You're asking for trouble, daring to overturn my table?"

His voice was deep and damp, still carrying the scent of freshly washed hands, yet colder than the wind of this winter night in Harbin.

Zhang Hao's eyes slowly focused, and he saw the face in front of him clearly. The iconic scar looked somewhat ferocious under the light, and it throbbed slightly with the owner's clenched teeth.

The bottle in Zhang Hao's hand fell to the ground with a "clang," making several loud banging sounds before finally stopping.

"Qi... Brother Qi?" Upon recognizing the owner of the large fist in front of him, Zhang Hao's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down. His previous arrogance instantly turned into cold sweat. "W-why are you here?"

Zhang Qi withdrew his fist, shook the water droplets off his hands, and looked at Zhang Hao with disdain: "Nonsense, this round was organized by Brother Zhao. Where else would I be if not here? What did you just say? You wanted to pee upside down? Come on, pee for me to see."

Zhang Hao's face turned green, and he pointed tremblingly at Chen Yuan on the ground: "Brother Qi, it's a misunderstanding, it's like the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple! This is my own cousin, he said he was being bullied at school, and I thought I'd come to help him out... I never expected to have you here at this table!"

"Screw you! You little brat! You've got guts now, not guarding the house properly and getting into trouble!" Zhang Qi kicked Zhang Hao in the butt. "This is my brother Bai, the boss of Qihang Technology, the current cash cow of our internet cafe circle! You brought people to sabotage the cash cow's business? You think my business is going too well, huh? How about I follow you from now on?!"

Zhang Hao was kicked and stumbled, but he didn't dare to dodge. He scrambled over to Bai Yuhang and, without saying a word, slapped himself twice.

"Boss Bai, I was blind to your greatness! I'm guilty, I deserve to die! This whole mess is my brother's fault for being so ignorant. Please, have mercy on me!"

After saying that, he rushed over, grabbed Chen Yuan who was still slumped on the ground, and without caring whether he was in pain or not, dragged him to his knees in front of the sofa, and pressed his head towards Bai Yuhang: "Apologize to Boss Bai! Hurry up! Are you mute?"

Chen Yuan's head was buzzing. That kick had almost made him vomit his breakfast. Now, seeing his cousin, whom he usually revered like a god, a respectable man, bowing and scraping like a dog, his entire worldview collapsed. He looked up at Bai Yuhang, whose young yet excessively calm face now seemed more terrifying than a devil to him.

"I...I'm sorry," Chen Yuan said in a voice so soft it was barely audible.

"I can't hear you!" Zhang Qi shouted from the side.

"I'm sorry! Boss Bai, I was wrong! I'll never do it again!" Chen Yuan cried out, tears of humiliation welling up in his eyes.

Bai Yuhang got up and returned to the table, sitting down in his chair, still fiddling with the lighter in his hand. He didn't look at Chen Yuan, but turned to look at Zhang Qi, smiled, picked up the decanter on the table, poured himself a full glass, and poured another glass for Zhang Qi.

"Brother Qi, calm down. Ignorance is no excuse." Bai Yuhang picked up his wine glass, stood up, and said, "Since you're Brother Qi's man, I have to give you face. Let's just let this matter drop today."

Zhang Qi paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, took the glass, and downed it in one gulp: "Brother, you're generous! That's what a man of great things is like! Zhang Hao, aren't you going to thank Boss Bai?"

"Thank you, Boss Bai! Thank you, Boss Bai!" Zhang Hao felt like he had been granted a pardon. He dragged Chen Yuan, who looked like he had lost his soul, and slunk out of the private room.

The moment the door closed, the room returned to its lively atmosphere, as if the farce from before was just a lighthearted skit.

Fatty Liu finally dried his pants, looked up and teased with a smile, "Old Zhang, you're not good at leading this team, you need to practice more."

Zhang Qi sat down cursing, "Those little brats, I'll skin them alive later."

Late at night, two Santana cars carrying everyone returned to the side gate of the university.

As the alcohol took effect, the brothers helped each other walk back to the dormitory. Liu Jing was still excitedly gesturing about how cool Zhang Qi's kick was, while Zhang Jian was shouting that he wanted to write that part into the code comments, saying it would ward off evil spirits.

Bai Yuhang walked at the back, the night breeze dispelling some of the effects of the alcohol.

He glanced back at the dark road outside the school gate, the place where Zhang Qi and Zhao Jianjun lived their lives, a world of swords and shadows, where everything was about exchanging interests and clearly distinguishing between gratitude and resentment.

Turning his head, Bai Yuhang looked at the quiet campus of the university under the streetlights, his eyes turning slightly cold.

People like Chen Yuan are even more disgusting than thugs like Zhang Hao. He clearly has no ability, but he always tries to suppress others by relying on his seniority, connections, and the pitiful power he has in this ivory tower.

"Sixth Brother, what are you thinking about? Hurry up, we'll have to fight for the toilet when we get back!" Jiao Liwei shouted from the front.

"Here they are." Bai Yuhang tightened the collar of his cotton-padded coat and quickly followed.

The journey through life is long and arduous; this is just the beginning.

Bai Yuhang thought to himself, "This feud with Chen Yuan is now irreconcilable."

That's fine too. If he wants to keep playing, we'll play along to the end. If he doesn't want to play, then it won't stop Bai Yuhang from doing what he wants to do.

After all, in this soon-to-be-boiling hotbed of the internet, some people are destined to be trampled underfoot and used as stepping stones.