Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

The air in the innermost private room of the New Century Internet Cafe was as stuffy as an old pickle jar.

Zhang Jian stuffed the last bite of sausage into his mouth, his greasy fingers flying across the keyboard. On the screen, the other party's OICQ avatar was flashing incessantly.

"Dude, I really don't understand this C++ graduation project. I haven't even touched the proposal yet, and my teacher keeps nagging me. I've revised it several times and it still hasn't passed. It's hopeless. I need the proposal, the complete source code, and the thesis. Four thousand yuan is no problem. The problem is, can you promise me that?" Zhang Jian finished typing this line, his mouth practically stretched to his ears in a grin.

The reply from the user with the ID "Extreme Speed" was swift and urgent: "Brother, don't worry. I'm a well-known figure at the university, and I've been doing this for more than a year or two. As long as the money is right, just memorize the script I give you for your defense, and I guarantee you'll pass."

Zhang Jian clicked his tongue, his fingers cracking: "Just passing isn't enough. My old man said if I don't get an A, he'll send me back to work in the mine. Bro, do you have any inside connections? I heard the department's defense is really strict."

The other side remained silent for a few seconds, clearly weighing their options.

It was probably the rich kid's talk of "four thousand yuan" and "going back to the mine" that provoked Chen Yuan, who was short of money. Another line popped up in the chat box: "To tell you the truth, I am Chen Yuan, the former president of the student union. The department head and I are best friends, and we often have tea together. There are more than four hundred people in our class this year. It seems like a lot, but if I just say hello, you might even be an outstanding graduate, let alone an excellent one."

"Pfft—" Zhang Jian almost spat out a mouthful of iced tea onto the screen.

That bastard, for four thousand yuan, he even dared to fabricate stories about Director Xi.

If the notoriously strict and scholarly Director Wang found out that he was on "best buddies" with a student who sells papers, the scene would be...

Zhang Jian quickly wiped the screen, suppressing a laugh as he typed: "Oh! It's Chairman Chen! I've heard so much about you! If that's the case, I'm relieved. We even have some large classes together. Brother, how should I give you this money? Four thousand isn't a small amount, and I'm always a little uneasy about cash. What if I give it to the wrong person and you run away? Give me your bank card number, and I'll go to an ATM to transfer the money to you right now."

The fish has taken the bait, and it's biting hard.

"Extreme Speed" immediately sent a string of bank card numbers, with the account name clearly written as: Chen Yuan.

"Okay, bro, I'll go to the bank right now. But we have to agree that I'll pay part of the deposit first, and the rest will be given to me once the thesis proposal is approved." Zhang Jian typed while quickly taking screenshots and saving them.

After doing all this, he went to the front desk of the internet cafe and paged Bai Yuhang.

Less than five minutes later, Bai Yuhang called back. He had just woken up, his voice slightly hoarse and languid: "How did it go?"

"Sixth Brother, let me tell you something funny. Chen Yuan is selling graduation projects, claiming they guarantee a pass. I got all the details. He even said the director is his best friend, and the bank account number and name match up perfectly." Zhang Jian rubbed his hands excitedly. "Sixth Brother, what do you think we should do?"

The crisp "click" of a lighter came from the other end of the phone, followed by Bai Yuhang's nonchalant voice: "Transfer two hundred to him, I'll give it back to you later, consider it a deposit."

"Two hundred? That's not enough for anything."

"It's enough to confirm the card number's authenticity, and it's also enough for him to buy a hard-seat train ticket back to his hometown."

The next day, Saturday morning, the sun was shining brightly.

The department head, who was used to working on Saturdays, had just brewed a cup of Longjing tea and was in a good mood. Recently, the "Blue Speed ​​Cup" event had been registered in the city, and the department had also benefited from it. He was finding Bai Yuhang, this freshman, increasingly pleasing to the eye.

There was a knock on the door, and Bai Yuhang walked in carrying a brown paper bag.

"Director Wang, are you busy?" Bai Yuhang put the paper bag on the table, his face not showing his usual playful smile, but rather a hint of sorrow and hesitation.

"Yuhang, have a seat. How are the competition preparations going?" The department head smiled and pointed to the chair opposite him.

"The competition went smoothly, but..." Bai Yuhang sat down and sighed, pushing the paper bag over. "When we were maintaining the campus network environment, we discovered something. We didn't want to cause trouble for the department, but this is too much, and they're even using your name to swindle people outside. I felt we had to report it to you."

The department head frowned, put down his teacup, and pulled out an A4 sheet of paper.

The first page contains screenshots of OICQ chat logs, the second page contains IP address tracking reports, and the third page contains bank card account holder information.

The department head was initially calm, but his face darkened when he saw Chen Yuan's promises of "guaranteed pass for graduation project" and "code writing service." When he saw the lines "The department head and I are best friends, we often have tea together," and "Just a word and you can get an A," the old professor's hand trembled violently.

"Snapped!"

My favorite purple clay teacup was slammed heavily onto the table, spilling tea all over it and wetting a corner of the documents.

"Fine...very well!" The department head was so angry his beard was trembling, his face ashen. "I've been teaching and nurturing students for decades, and I have no idea when I became 'best friends' with a student who sells academic credentials! And even helped him commit academic fraud!"

This is not just cheating; it's a disgrace to the department head and a challenge to the university's academic standards.

"Go! Have your counselor call Chen Yuan here! Now! Right now!" The department head pointed to the door, his voice so loud it could be heard in the hallway.

Bai Yuhang stood up at the opportune moment, looking completely innocent: "Director, you go ahead with your work, I'll go back and deal with the competition. This matter... please calm down, getting angry will harm your health."

"Go back now. You did the right thing." The department head took a deep breath, trying to suppress his anger.

When Chen Yuan received the notification, he thought it was the department head wanting to talk to him about his graduation project, or that there had been a breakthrough regarding the competition. He straightened his collar and walked into the office with his head held high.

As soon as I entered, I saw the department head sitting behind his desk, his eyes looking like he wanted to devour me.

"Director, you wanted to see me?" Chen Yuan still had a reserved smile on his face.

"Chairman Chen, right? You're my best friend, right? You drink tea with me all the time, right?" The department head threw a stack of printing papers at Chen Yuan's head, the papers flying around like snowflakes and landing at his feet.

Chen Yuan was stunned. He looked down and saw familiar chat history and his bank card number. Instantly, a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

"Director, I... this is a misunderstanding, someone is framing me..." Chen Yuan's legs went weak and he almost knelt down.

"Framed? The card number is yours, isn't it? The IP address is yours, isn't it? Do I have to call the police to investigate?" The department head slammed his fist on the table, laughing angrily. "Look at what you've done! And you still want to spread rumors and cause trouble! Chen Yuan, you've really brought honor to our Computer Science department!"

There is absolutely no need for any inquiries or investigations.

At the university, academic red lines cannot be crossed, let alone such a malicious incident that even involved the department head.

Just one day.

A red-headed document bearing the school's bright red seal was posted on all the bulletin boards of the university's first campus.

Decision on expelling Chen Yuan, a student in the Department of Software Engineering, School of Computing.

The announcement was strongly worded, each word aimed at the heart of the matter: "Academic misconduct, buying and selling papers, defrauding classmates, egregious nature..."

The Geek Alliance Association's so-called "office" at the event center collapsed that very afternoon, with several core members leaving the group overnight, fearing they might be tainted by even the slightest bit of bad luck.

It was a cloudy day when Chen Yuan left.

He dragged his suitcase and slunk across the main road of the campus. As he passed the basketball court, he saw a group of excited freshmen gathered around the entrance, looking at the huge "Blue Speed ​​Cup" CS tournament poster on the wall.

On the poster, the logos of Blue Speed ​​Club, Qihang Technology, and Harbin Institute of Technology are displayed side by side, their bright red color glaringly visible in the wind.

Chen Yuan stopped and stared at the logo for a while before finally lowering his head, pulling up his collar to cover his face, and quickly disappearing into the bustling crowd at the school gate.

In dormitory 206, Zhang Jian watched Chen Yuan's departing figure outside the window, took a big bite of his roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and mumbled, "Serves him right! Let him show off! He got off easy with two hundred yuan for travel expenses!"

Jiang Shuo sat at his desk, holding a book in his hands, but his eyes were secretly looking past the spine of the book at Bai Yuhang, who was making the bed.

He used to think that Lao Liu was just lucky, but now he realized that although this person usually seemed lazy and carefree, if he really got serious, he could uproot someone completely and still get himself clean.

An unprecedented sense of awe took root in Jiang Shuo's heart.

After making his bed, Bai Yuhang prepared to go to an internet cafe for an all-nighter. He didn't feel much joy at the victory. To him, Chen Yuan was just a buzzing fly, easily swatted away, and not worth wasting too much emotion on.

"Alright, the flies are gone." Bai Yuhang turned around, clapped his hands, and said, "Our 'Qihang Campus Network' and 'City Esports League' should officially take off."