Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

In the conference room of China Entrepreneurship Network at No. 26 Haidian South Road, the central air conditioning kept the temperature at the most comfortable 24 degrees Celsius.

Zhang Lei didn't sit in the boss's chair, but instead leaned casually against the edge of the conference table with a smile. Across from him, a few young men from dormitory 206 sat upright, their ergonomic Herman Miller chairs making them feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Don't be shy, we're all in this together from now on." Zhang Lei's gaze swept over everyone. "I just heard Yu Hang's introduction, and our team is quite interesting. There are tech people, accountants, salespeople, and even someone who's going to be involved in lawsuits later. It may be small, but it has all the essential parts."

"Mr. Zhang, you flatter me. We're just a makeshift team, all self-taught." Bai Yuhang chimed in, casually handing Zhang Lei a cigarette, his movements so practiced it was unbelievable for a college freshman.

Zhang Lei took the cigarette, but didn't light it, just toyed with it between his fingers: "The unorthodox methods are good. Zhongguancun is lacking this kind of wildness right now. However, we also need to learn the methods of the regular army. According to Yu Hang, Lao Ba... oh, Jiang Shuo, right? And Yang Bo, Su Muqing, the three of you will report to me tomorrow."

Jiang Shuo adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Zhang, I... I'm mainly afraid of messing up your accounts."

"It won't be a mess." Zhang Lei chuckled, pointing to the next room. "My CFO came from PwC. His temper is no better than mine when I'm angry. You'll work with him, and in less than a month, I'll teach you how to make sure every penny is spent wisely, instead of just thinking about how to save money. As for Yang Bo, he'll work with the legal department reviewing contracts and cases. We'll definitely be dealing with lawsuits involving companies big and small in the future, so he needs to gain experience and avoid being taken advantage of."

After arranging the personnel, Zhang Lei pressed the intercom on the table: "Zhang Jing, come in for a moment."

The door opened, and a young woman in a business suit and high heels walked in. She had short hair, looked capable, and carried a bunch of keys and several access cards.

"This is Zhang Jing, my secretary. For the next half day, follow her instructions." Zhang Lei clapped his hands. "Go check out your new battlefield. Don't worry about the distance; it's in Hailong."

After leaving the gate of China Entrepreneurship Network, Zhang Jing drove a Buick minivan, followed by a company car, and headed towards the core area of ​​Zhongguancun.

Outside the car window, the Fourth Ring Road under construction was shrouded in dust, with tower cranes and scaffolding everywhere. On the GG signs along the roadside, the large characters of "Lenovo," "Founder," and "Great Wall" gleamed in the sunlight.

"This place used to be called Zhongguanfen (Eunuch's Tomb)," Zhang Jing said, pointing to the bustling crowd outside the window as he turned the steering wheel. "During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was a place where eunuchs spent their retirement and died. 'Zhongguan' means eunuch. Later, it was renamed Zhongguancun (Middle Pass Village) for the sake of sounding better."

"Eunuch's grave?" Liu Jing shrank back, peering out the window. "No wonder this place feels so eerie; so we're starting a business on a graveyard?"

"Heavy Yin energy?" Zhang Jing glanced at Liu Jing in the rearview mirror, a professional fake smile playing on his lips. "This place is currently the most Yang-energy-rich area in all of China. What you're stepping on isn't bones, it's gold. The value of the electronic products and software flowing out of Zhongguancun every day is more than the money produced by the printing press."

The car turned a corner, and a colossal building covered with blue glass curtain walls stood prominently in front of us—the Hailong Building.

This building, which officially opened in the year 2000, now resembles a monster swallowing a massive influx of people. The cacophony of vendors' calls and haggling in the electronics markets on floors one through six seems almost audible through the glass. Everywhere you look, people are carrying motherboards, graphics cards, and monitor cases, hurrying along, their eyes brimming with desire.

The elevator goes straight up to the 16th floor.

With a crisp "ding," the elevator doors opened, and the world fell silent instantly.

Zhang Jing walked ahead in her high heels, the sound of her shoes clicking on the marble floor echoing in the empty corridor.

She stopped in front of a huge glass door, swiped her card, and pushed the door open.

"arrive."

This is a 300-square-meter studio apartment that has already been renovated. The floor tiles and walls are in a beige, white, and gray color scheme, creating a modern and minimalist style that is suitable for a tech company.

The entire set of office furniture, still unpacked, has already been delivered.

The office area is well-lit, with afternoon sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall, and dust particles dancing in the beams of light.

"This is the office address that Chairman Zhang chose for you." Zhang Jing pulled a list from a folder and handed it to Jiang Shuo, who was in charge of the money. "The company has already prepaid six months' rent. Utilities and property management fees will be waived for these six months."

Jiang Shuo took the order, glanced at the numbers on it, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and he made a strange "clucking" sound in his throat.

"This...this is the rent?" Jiang Shuo's fingers were trembling. "Forty thousand a month? That's robbery! That money could buy two apartments in Harbin!"

"This is Zhongguancun, where every inch of land is incredibly valuable." Zhang Jing said calmly, "If Qihang can't afford this money in six months, they'll probably have to pack their bags and leave. Companies move into this building every day, and companies go bankrupt and move out every day. Chairman Zhang said that these six months are your 'newcomer protection period'."

Zhang Jian walked to the window and glanced down. The densely packed crowd looked like ants. "How's the internet speed? Hopefully, we won't even be able to play Counter-Strike."

"Fiber optic internet to your home, 100 Mbps dedicated speed." Zhang Jing raised an eyebrow. "As long as you can afford it, this is the fastest internet speed in all of Beijing."

The people in the room scattered, some touching the pillars, others stomping on the floor. The restraint they had shown in front of Zhang Lei was gone, replaced by an indescribable excitement and a little bit of fear about the future.

Bai Yuhang didn't move. He stood in the center of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at Zhongguancun Street below.

In the distance, the towers of Peking University and Tsinghua University are faintly visible; closer by, the Pacific Computer City and Silicon Valley Computer City are bustling with activity. This is the eye of the storm, the incubator of ambition.

Su Muqing walked to his side and asked softly, "Aren't you scared? If we can't pay the rent in six months, we'll have to slink back to Harbin."

Bai Yuhang took out a cigarette from his pocket, was about to light it, but glanced at Zhang Jing and put it back.

He turned around and looked at the group of guys who were still clicking their tongues at the rent bill.

"Old Eight, don't worry about the rent." Bai Yuhang pointed out the window, "Look at those people down there, running around with their computers, haggling over a few dozen yuan in profit. We're not here to save money."

He walked to the blank welcome wall at the entrance, placed his palm on the white wall, where the company name was displayed at the main entrance, and pondered for a moment.

"Six months." Bai Yuhang's voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the empty room. "Six months later, we not only need to be able to pay the rent, but we also need to rent this entire floor. From then on, whenever anyone in this building, or even anyone in the entire Zhongguancun, turns on their computer, the first thing that pops up is our launch page."

"We're going to plant our flag here so everyone knows that Qihang Technology has arrived."

Zhang Jian chuckled and plopped down on the dusty ground: "I need to get a good computer first, and this time it has to be an IBM."

"Buy them." Bai Yuhang waved his hand. "Go downstairs now, one for each person, the top-of-the-line model."

Jiang Shuo was about to habitually shout "Too expensive!", but his mouth opened halfway before he swallowed it back. Looking at the rent bill in his hand, he gritted his teeth: "Buy it! Buy it all! Damn it, we're already here, might as well stay!"

Zhang Jing stood at the door, watching the group of young people who suddenly seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, and closed the folder. She had seen too many people come to Zhongguancun to pursue their dreams.

"Then I won't bother you any longer." Zhang Jing nodded slightly. "The key is on the door. Good luck."

The moment the door closed, a long-suppressed cheer erupted in the empty office building, startling a few sparrows perched on the power lines outside the window.