Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

The taxi came to a smooth stop in front of the old chef's house on Wenzheng Street. As soon as Bai Yuhang got out of the car, he immediately saw the proprietress, Zheng Lan, standing at the door directing the driver to park.

"Sister-in-law, business is booming!" Bai Yuhang greeted her with a smile.

Upon seeing Bai Yuhang, Zheng Lan exuded a cheerful and straightforward energy, walking over with a smile and a chatterbox, treating him like family: "Sixth Brother's here? Zhao Jianjun was just calling about you. And these two are...?"

"This is a distinguished guest from the capital, and also my senior brother," Bai Yuhang introduced, then casually took out his wallet and said to Zheng Lan in a low voice, "Sister-in-law, find me a quiet private room on the second floor. I'll order the food; this meal is on me. Don't always offer to pay for it for free."

Before he could finish speaking, a hand reached out from the side and gently pressed down on Bai Yuhang's wrist as he was taking out his money.

Zhang Lei looked at Bai Yuhang with a gentle expression typical of someone who had been in the world of fame and fortune, but his grip on Bai Yuhang remained firm: "Yuhang, once we get to Harbin, you're the host. You can lead the way and order food as you see fit. But when it comes to paying the bill, you'll have to wait a bit."

"Mr. Zhang, this is not in accordance with the rules..."

"What rule?" Zhang Lei interrupted him with a smile, a hint of teasing in his eyes. "Making a freshman who's just starting out in his business treat me. If word gets back to Beijing that I, Zhang Lei, am bullying people in the Northeast, how am I supposed to get along in this industry? Listen to me, put it away."

Bai Yuhang didn't stand on ceremony anymore, and put away his wallet. He smiled at Zheng Lan and said, "Sister-in-law, did you hear that? The big boss has spoken. We're going to pick the best today."

The private room was warmly heated, so after taking off our coats and drinking a few glasses of chilled Qiulin kvass, the atmosphere warmed up. Just as the sweet and sour pork was served, a pungent, sweet and sour vinegar smell wafted up as the waiter turned around, hitting us right in the head.

Zhang Lei picked up a piece, took a bite, and found it crispy and delicious. He nodded in satisfaction, then changed the subject: "Yu Hang, I only heard you talking about business models in the department earlier. This can't be done by just one person, right? Who are your other amazing helpers?"

"We're not gods, but everyone has their own role," Bai Yuhang said, swirling the glass in his hand and looking at the amber liquid. "You might have met Su Muqing, who's in Beijing contacting investors; Zhang Jian, the CTO, is a top student who practically lives on code. He'd be willing to live in the server room as long as he has ham and CS; Wan Lianghao, who's also in charge of technology, is a hard-working whiz who handles both front-end design and web design; Jiao Liwei is the head manager; Liu Jing is a sales expert; Zhang Qingheng is already in the industry and assists the tech team; Yang Bo is the legal counsel, who aspires to be a top lawyer and specializes in finding flaws in contracts; and then there's Jiang Shuo, who manages the money..."

At this point, Bai Yuhang couldn't help but laugh: "He's the kind of person who keeps track of even the price of a tea egg. Giving him your money is safer than depositing it in a Swiss bank."

Zhang Lei and Sun Yanjun exchanged a glance and smiled. This makeshift team might sound chaotic, but it was exactly what a startup team needed—complementary and pure.

As they were talking, Bai Yuhang's pager suddenly vibrated. He picked it up, glanced at it, apologized, and got up to go to the front desk to return the call.

The call was from Zhao Jianjun, his voice so loud you could hear it through the receiver: "Sixth Brother! Something's happened! Several groups of people just arrived, claiming to be internet cafe owners from Changchun and Shenyang. They took the train overnight, insisting on seeing you. They want to join our CS competition and set up a branch venue. These guys are making a huge fuss. Should I have someone turn them away?"

Bai Yuhang leaned against the front desk, his expression completely calm, his tone as indifferent as if he were discussing dinner: "What are you trying to stop? They're just money-grubbing gods. Brother Zhao, keep them calm and tell them that they can set up a branch competition area, but they have to follow our rules. The franchise fee is a must, no less, and they have to use our system and software. Arrange for them to stay overnight, and I'll go talk to them first thing tomorrow morning."

Sun Yanjun was just getting up to go to the restroom when he slowed down as he passed the front desk.

Sun Yanjun stood a short distance away, wiping his hands as he glanced at the young man's back as he made a phone call through the mirror, and nodded slightly. This didn't look like a college freshman at all; he was clearly a seasoned veteran. Then, he turned and went back to the private dining room.

Back at the table, after several dishes, Zhang Lei put down his chopsticks and suddenly asked out of the blue, "Yu Hang, if China Entrepreneurship Network doesn't invest in this project, I'd like to poach you. Name your salary, come back to Beijing with me, how about it?"

The air in the private room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Bai Yuhang, who had just returned, was visibly taken aback when he heard Zhang Lei's words. He then raised his kvass and clinked it against Zhang Lei's: "Mr. Zhang, you're flattering me too much. I'm used to being carefree, and besides..." He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, "I have a bunch of brothers on my ship. If the captain runs away as soon as the ship leaves the shore, is he even human? If that happens, let's meet at the summit someday."

Zhang Lei stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Not bad! Just for that, I'll be your friend! Old Sun, tell the waiter to change the liquor."

At the end of the meal, although no formal investment agreement was signed, Zhang Lei offered a promise: to leverage the media resources partnered with China Entrepreneurship Network to give Xiaonei.com a free nationwide promotion. In exchange, he would have priority investment rights at the same valuation.

After seeing the two investors off, Bai Yuhang walked back to his dormitory alone. The night wind in Harbin was as hard as a knife, stinging his face, but it also dissipated most of the smell of alcohol. He knew in his heart that the media resources Zhang Lei had provided were a double-edged sword; once his reputation spread, even more wolves would be eyeing this lucrative opportunity.

Back at school, I pushed open the door to room 206. The lights were off, and it was pitch black except for the faint white light emanating from the two computer screens.

The people who should have been sleeping were all awake. Hearing the door open, six pairs of eyes turned to look at them, their green eyes like those of hungry wolves.

Jiang Shuo sat on a small stool, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and stammered, "Old...Sixth Brother, how is it? Is...is someone going to give me money?"

Just as Bai Yuhang was about to speak, the dormitory door was suddenly kicked open with a "bang".

Zhang Jian burst in, drenched in sweat. His face was obscured by the shadows, but his voice was hoarse with anxiety: "Sixth Brother! Forget about the money! Something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong?" Bai Yuhang's heart tightened.

"The server traffic suddenly exploded! It wasn't users, it was an attack! A DDoS attack!" Zhang Jian went back to the cabinet to find a thick cotton-padded coat, stamping his feet anxiously as he picked it up. "Someone is frantically sending packets to clog our port, the traffic peak has been completely maxed out, they're trying to kill us! Our firewall is about to break down!"

Bai Yuhang's eyes instantly turned cold, and the last trace of alcohol completely dissipated.

It seems that cutthroat competition is coming faster and more ruthlessly than we imagined.