Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

The process of allocating apartments was even more exciting than buying one.

Jiao Liwei stood in the middle of the corridor, dangling four keys in his hand like he was dealing playing cards.

"801, me and Lao Liu." Jiao Liwei was the first to group himself with Bai Yuhang. As the head steward, he had to keep an eye on the helmsman of this large ship at all times, lest Bai Yuhang come up with some shocking idea in the middle of the night without anyone to discuss it with, and also to make it convenient to report on the company's internal affairs at any time.

"802 is ours!" Zhang Jian snatched the keys with lightning speed, then put his arm around Wan Lianghao's neck. "Fourth brother, come with me. This room is closest to the low-voltage cable well. I just checked, it'll be convenient for us to run a dedicated line. We'll set up a temporary server room here tonight, and nobody can take it from me." Wan Lianghao pushed up his glasses and chuckled, clearly satisfied with the arrangement, but added, "Third brother, let's make it clear first, just focus on coding, don't flick your cigarette ash onto my pillow."

"Come on, let's not even talk about it. We live in separate rooms," Zhang Jian said with a laugh.

Room 701 was given to Yang Bo and Zhang Qingheng. One of them needed to study contract law, and the other needed to memorize English vocabulary. They were a "quiet mode" combination. Living together, neither of them would interfere with the other. They were recognized by everyone as model roommates.

The remaining key 702 lay forlornly in Jiao Liwei's palm, and Liu Jing's face instantly turned green.

"I won't do it!" Liu Jing clung to the doorframe, pointing at Jiang Shuo who was huddled in the corner, heartbroken over the tax invoice. His voice rose eight octaves. "Boss, you're sending a sheep into a wolf's mouth! Living with Lao Ba? He'll be outside the door timing my water bill even if I just go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I can't live like this!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuo tucked the account book under his arm and rolled his eyes to the heavens: "You think I want to live with you? Your feet stink so bad they could kill mosquitoes. If it weren't for keeping an eye on you to make sure you don't bring any shady people back and waste electricity, I'd rather sleep on the balcony."

"Protest denied." Bai Yuhang smiled and stuffed the last key into Liu Jing's arms. "Fifth Brother, this is the organization's trust in you. Eighth Brother manages the money, and you manage Eighth Brother. This is called mutual checks and balances. Besides, if you two fight, it'll save the downstairs some heating bills."

Amidst laughter, the bickering couple were assigned to the same apartment. Liu Jing, looking miserable, was dragged into room 702 by Jiang Shuo like a prisoner. As the four security doors closed one after another, a group of young people who were determined to turn Zhongguancun upside down officially moved into this newly handed-over residential building.

Su Muqing followed Jiao Liwei and Bai Yuhang into Room 801 for a visit.

Standing on the balcony of the eighth floor of Kechun Residential Complex, Su Muqing leaned on the railing with both hands, greedily breathing in the not-so-fresh air.

The early spring breeze still carried a chill, and the heating had ended, but the warmth emanating from the balcony of this apartment under the sunlight made the chill outside the window feel exceptionally refreshing.

"Congratulations, President Bai." Su Muqing turned her head, a few strands of her hair were ruffled by the wind. "Now Qihang has truly settled down in Beijing. Just now, I saw Jiang Shuo looking at himself like he wanted to sleep with the radiator, as if he was afraid that the house would disappear when he woke up."

Bai Yuhang held a cigarette in his hand, but didn't light it. His gaze swept past the bustling traffic below and landed on a large, overgrown vacant lot in the distance.

The area around the vacant lot is still filled with rows of low-rise bungalows and unattended wilderness. But in his memory, a few years later, the most expensive office building in Zhongguancun will stand in this wilderness, with rents per square meter that would deter countless startups.

"They may make a fuss, but they're quite capable when it comes to business. It's a good thing to have a startup team like that." Bai Yuhang pointed to the wasteland outside the window with his cigarette holder, his tone calm. "Mu Qing, believe it or not, this land under our feet won't be sold by the square meter in the future, it'll be sold by the second. What we're buying now is a ready-built house, and what we'll be holding in our hands is a ticket to the capital that others can only dream of. This 1.2 million yuan might be the most worthwhile investment we've ever made in our lives. However, someone like you, a native of Beijing, probably has a hard time understanding."

Su Muqing looked at his profile.

This boy, who was half a year younger than me, always seemed to have a kind of confidence beyond his age in his eyes, as if the pulse of the entire era was beating in his deep eyes.

She didn't refute, but just chuckled lightly: "Fine, I believe you. Anyway, now that I'm on your pirate ship, I have no intention of getting off."

The group crossed the street together and returned to their office in the Hailong Building, where the atmosphere remained lively and enthusiastic.

Bai Yuhang didn't give everyone much time to reflect on life. He directly called Su Muqing to his office, closed the door, and shut out the noise from outside.

"Another business trip?" Su Muqing frowned slightly as she looked at the word "Guangzhou" that Bai Yuhang had written on the whiteboard. "You've just settled in, and there's a ton of stuff waiting for your signature here. Why are you heading south now?"

"Let's go find someone." Bai Yuhang circled a name on the map: "Zhang Xiaolong."

Su Muqing searched her memory for the name: "The one who made Foxmail? I heard he just sold the software to Boda Company and has over ten million yuan in cash. He's riding high right now. You want to poach him? He's a financially independent tycoon now. Do you think he'd even look at our fledgling little company?"

"It's precisely because he sold his child that he feels so empty inside now." Bai Yuhang capped his pen, his eyes sharp. "Foxmail may have a large user base, but it can only be defined as a tool. It has stickiness, but it doesn't make money. He's an extreme product manager, not a businessman. Right now, he's like a swordsman who's lost his soul. He has the sword manual, but nowhere to practice. I'm going to send him a 'dojo'."

"You want him to do the architecture restructuring of OICQ?" Su Muqing reacted quickly and instantly understood Bai Yuhang's intention.

"Not only that. I want him to redesign the email system and integrate the instant messaging and real-person social platforms." Bai Yuhang sat back in his chair. "Pony Ma has a good technical foundation, but Zhang Xiaolong is a god when it comes to product aesthetics and the ultimate user experience. I want to bring these two together. Mu Qing, help me draft an option agreement. He can name his terms. As long as he's willing to come, the position of technical partner will be reserved for him."

Su Muqing looked at the ambitious man in front of her, shook her head helplessly, but smiled: "Fine, you're the boss, you call the shots. But I have to personally oversee this agreement; I can't let you give away your entire fortune."

In the large office area outside, Jiang Shuo was staring blankly at his phone.

The text message notification on his phone showed the company's account balance. The number, which used to make his heart race, had shrunk to the point of causing him angina after a series of major financial losses, including the acquisition of Tencent, the purchase of a house, and the procurement of equipment.

He held a calculator in his hand, but didn't press any buttons. He just stared intently at the ever-decreasing balance, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

"Hey Lao Ba, what are you doing? Looking at your phone for fortune telling?" Jiao Liwei passed by on his way back from the bathroom and casually patted him on the shoulder.

Jiang Shuo didn't get angry as usual. Instead, he turned around with a frighteningly serious expression: "Boss, I need to go to China Entrepreneurship Network."

"What do you want? To ask Mr. Zhang for money?"

"It's not about the money, it's about learning how to save money." Jiang Shuo pushed up his glasses and pulled a thick book, "Complete Tax Law," from his drawer. "I just glanced at the bank statements for the past few days, and we've been spending money too recklessly. Just the VAT invoices for all the equipment in the office area alone could cost tens of thousands of yuan if not handled properly. I heard from Boss Zhang that his CFO came from PwC, so I need to audit some classes to learn how to legally avoid taxes and how to optimize financial processes. Before, I was just experimenting in my dorm room, but now every penny that flows out feels like it's cutting into my flesh."

Jiao Liwei was stunned for a moment. Looking at this young man who was usually only good at being stingy and keeping accounts, he suddenly felt that this kid had changed.

His transformation from "being afraid to spend money" to "wanting to make money and manage money well" has given him a more professional working-class vibe.