Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

After hanging up Su Muqing's call, Bai Yuhang didn't rush to leave the phone booth.

Bai Yuhang fiddled with the IC card in his hand, looking at the Russian-style teaching building that was faintly visible in the fog outside, his mind racing.

There's no such thing as a free lunch; even if it did, it would be a metal disc that could easily kill someone.

I just finished dinner last night, and Sina Weibo posted it as their headline this morning. What a coincidence!

Who is Zhang Lei?

He's a ruthless figure who will later steer hundreds of billions of dollars in capital. Would he really do such a huge favor for free just because he values ​​talent?

This is clearly because he saw that Qihang is currently a small horse pulling a heavy cart. When he cracks the whip, the cart runs faster, but the horse is also easily exhausted, and the axle might even break.

Traffic is money, but it's also a burden.

Qihang is now completely broke, with its servers running at full capacity. If it can't handle this wave of nationwide exposure and collapses, then the higher it's lifted, the harder it will fall.

At that point, forget about valuation; even junk collectors will find it unlucky.

This is an open conspiracy.

They force you to comply, and then expect you to say thank you.

Bai Yuhang smirked, reinserted the card, and pressed the number on the China Entrepreneurship Network business card.

The phone rang twice before it connected.

"Up so early?" Zhang Lei's voice sounded rather lazy, as if he was eating breakfast, with the crisp sound of a porcelain spoon hitting a bowl in the background.

"Mr. Zhang slept soundly last night, but I was startled awake." Bai Yuhang leaned against the glass of the phone booth, his tone unreadable. "A headline from Sina Tech, that's quite a move. Should I kowtow to you?"

"No need for the formalities, consider this my gift to you." Zhang Lei laughed, his laughter revealing a calm confidence in controlling the situation. "I spoke with Zhidong on the phone last night about Sina's IPO roadshow. The Jewish financial groups on Wall Street have gotten tired of hearing about portal websites these past few years, so I casually mentioned you. Zhidong was very interested, and that's why he had the editor add more content to the article overnight."

"Then I really have to thank Mr. Wang and you. This fire has made my server glow red-hot."

"It's good to be famous; fame makes you more valuable." Zhang Lei's tone shifted, the smile fading and replaced by a businessman's shrewdness. "But Yu Hang, this gift is a bit of a hot potato. With such a massive influx of traffic, how long can your rented servers and the money your junior manage last? Three days? Or will we have to shut it down tonight?"

Sure enough, they were waiting here.

"Is Mr. Zhang testing me?" Bai Yuhang tapped the microphone lightly with his fingers. "The traffic is huge, but I don't have the money to expand the capacity. Once it crashes, this 'prototype of Chinese social networks' will become a joke. At that point, I'll be desperate, and you'll have to come out with the money to put out the fire. But then, I won't be able to set the price. Is this the script?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Zhang Lei's hearty laughter: "It's so much easier talking to smart people. How about it? Qihang's valuation has gone up, but that's all hype. To turn that hype into reality, you need bullets. And I have those bullets."

This isn't handing over bullets, it's handing you a gun, forcing you to walk into the trap.

Bai Yuhang wasn't swayed by the laughter. He switched the microphone to his other hand and watched the rising sun gradually dispel the fog. "President Zhang, this is a brilliant move. It helps Sina, puts Qihang in a difficult position, and allows you to buy at the bottom. But I'm a stubborn person and don't like being forced to do things my way."

"Oh? So you're just going to watch the website crash?"

"It won't collapse. I have my own methods, just like the Turing test last night." Bai Yuhang paused, his tone becoming extremely confident. "Besides, you've set off a fire too high, attracting other wolves as well. The people from IDG were calling non-stop just now. Although they were slow to realize what was happening, they certainly didn't skimp on the money."

Since we're going to play with ghost stories, let's see who's more like a ghost.

Zhang Lei wasn't annoyed on the other end of the phone; instead, his tone held a hint of admiration: "You little rascal, you still dare to bluff me at a time like this? Not bad, you've got guts."

"It's not a scam, it's business." Bai Yuhang glanced at his watch. "Mr. Zhang, you haven't gone to the airport yet, have you? I originally wanted to wait until after the finals to talk, but your 'forcing things' has almost set my little shop on fire. We need to meet again, right now, somewhere else, and renegotiate the price of this deal."

"Now?"

"Yes, right now. There's a teahouse called 'Tranquility Tea House' near the back gate of the school; it has a nice atmosphere. I'll treat you to tea and show you something even more interesting, guaranteed to be sexier than Sina's headlines."

"You're treating?" Zhang Lei chuckled. "Sure, looks like last night's meal wasn't a waste. See you in an hour."

After hanging up the phone, Bai Yuhang pulled out the IC card and tossed it in his hand twice.

The morning wind was still harsh, but it didn't hurt his face as much anymore. He tightened the collar of his military coat, left the phone booth, and went upstairs.

Since Zhang Lei wants to use the wave of capital to crush him on the beach, then he has to ride this wave and lead Qihang Company to the crest of the wave.

Jingxin Teahouse is located in a small alley near the south gate of the university. It has a small storefront but is quiet and peaceful.

Bai Yuhang skillfully washed and brewed the tea, then pushed the two white porcelain cups to the opposite side. Wisps of steam rose, blurring the view between the three of them.

"Mr. Zhang, you played your 'fueling the fire' move brilliantly." Bai Yuhang picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and his tone was neither praise nor criticism. "Once Sina Tech's headline hit, my little shop almost collapsed. I was just thinking of keeping quiet for a couple of days, but you, on the other hand, put Qihang on the edge of a volcano. But I have to admit, having an excellent investor like you as a backer certainly makes things much easier."

Zhang Lei leaned back in the rattan chair, his expression clearly showing that he was pleased with what he had said.

He didn't rush to drink his tea; his fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, and his eyes behind his glasses revealed a shrewdness.

"Even a volcano can be a crater for wind; pigs can fly, let alone Qihang, this future unicorn." Zhang Lei smiled, leaned forward, and lowered his voice, "Yuhang, since we've come this far, I won't beat around the bush. I witnessed last night's offensive and defensive battle, and I got the data this morning. Your system and team are even more robust than I imagined."

Sun Yanjun, who was standing next to him, took out a new letter of intent from his briefcase and pushed it in front of Bai Yuhang.

"Yesterday's four million RMB is void." Zhang Lei held up one finger and waved it in the air. "I've spoken with the company's limited partners (LPs), and China Venture Network has decided to lead the investment. One million US dollars."

Bai Yuhang paused for a moment while holding the teacup.

"One million US dollars?"

"Yes, at the current exchange rate, that's about 8.3 million RMB." Zhang Lei stared into Bai Yuhang's eyes, observing his micro-expressions. "We want 20% of the original shares. That means my current post-investment valuation for Qihang is 5 million US dollars, which is more than 40 million RMB."

The tea room was so quiet that only the occasional bicycle bells passing by outside the window could be heard.

A valuation of 40 million RMB and 8 million RMB in cash. In the year 2000, when an apartment in Harbin cost only tens of thousands of RMB, this was a figure that could make any college student's heart stop.

Last night I was worrying about server expansion costs of tens of thousands of yuan, and today someone slammed eight million yuan on the table. What a tragicomedy!

Bai Yuhang put down his teacup, but instead of showing the ecstasy Zhang Lei expected, he frowned slightly.

"Mr. Zhang, the price you offered is indeed tempting, so tempting that it's almost too hot to handle." Bai Yuhang leaned back. "When something seems too good to be true, it usually comes with a catch. A valuation of five million US dollars—you certainly don't just want that 20% stake, do you?"

"Smart." Zhang Lei snapped his fingers, his admiration deepening. "I'll pay you, I can even deposit it into your account immediately. But with such a high premium, I have to be responsible to my partners. We need to sign a 'performance-based agreement'."