Rebirth after the college entrance examination

Chapter 160 Cyclone Gathering Momentum
The North Atlantic Drift brings rain and fog, and coupled with the influence of European storms, Scotland experiences rainy winters and windy mountainous areas.

Edinburgh, in the countryside.

Johnny is dead. He shot himself, and there's half a cheeseburger lying in front of his body.

The gunshot rang out ten minutes earlier, when the elderly neighbor was cooking dinner and was startled.

In the afternoon, she also saw this usually taciturn fat man at the rural market.

The temperature has dropped sharply these past two days, and the fireplace in Johnny's house is still burning.

Police arrived at the scene quickly. A neighbor told the police that Johnny had been in a bad mood lately, and that his mother was worried about his love life and had introduced him to a girl from the next village.

"She was a very pretty girl with a few cute freckles on her face. She declined Johnny's invitation to go on a date. I saw Johnny talking to her at the market that afternoon."

The girl laughed at him, calling him a poor, disgusting fat man.

"God, I saw Johnny crying while hugging the new cheese I bought. I was planning to bring him some warm cheese tonight. That girl was so wrong..."

After the police saw the nagging old lady off, they discovered that the deceased's computer was still on.

The news webpage displayed a message from the other side of the Atlantic:

A Texas media report stated that HomeAway, which recently received $1.6 million in funding from IVP and Trident Capital, acquired VRBO for $3800 million, setting a new global benchmark for industry cases.

Before the funds officially arrived in Xia An's hotel management company account, the transaction had already been transmitted back to China from across the ocean via internet and telephone lines.

The news was first released in North America.

It is understood that the original owner of this domain name was a Chinese university student.

Xia An's name couldn't be hidden from those who were interested, especially since neither party to the transaction intended to conceal it. Thus, keywords like "domain name," "Binhai," and "student" became instantly popular in the domestic and international internet industry.

Since the so-called industry downturn began in 01, a new group of IT professionals has emerged to make money.

What was thought to be a thing of the past has once again become a legendary tale of wealth creation, adding fuel to the already booming online money-making machine.

On Friday, ten minutes before the transaction funds were officially received, at 2:50 PM, the Donghai Provincial Internet Development Office released a message stating:
The largest single non-physical foreign exchange transaction in the province has been completed.

[Exchange rate: 7.8745, Transaction amount: 299.23 million RMB]

It wasn't about buying large commodities or playing numbers games in the secondary market; the transaction between the two parties involved a virtual website worth nearly 300 million yuan.

Binhai University and two newly registered hotel management companies that do not yet have offices—that is, the president's office and Bai Nan's personal mobile phone—were bombarded with calls.

The latter is unreachable, while the former is busy.

This is no longer a matter of Xia An simply choosing not to appear in public. This transaction has an unparalleled positive significance in boosting the long-stagnant domestic internet landscape and in setting a benchmark for the success or failure of individual entrepreneurs.

Because Xia An is too young.

Being a college student is so appealing.

Speculators? No!
When multiple departments discovered that a person named Xia An held shares in several companies, this was no longer a simple case of making money online.

It is a great case study that serves as a model for college students' independent entrepreneurship!
Since the wave of internet entrepreneurship swept across this land in 92, international news outlets have been saying that we are merely imitating others and picking up scraps of their ideas, achieving nothing but plagiarism.

Why is it that others have Gates, Page, and in the last two years, Zuckerberg has emerged, while our schools can't cultivate this kind of talent?
Speculation? Ridiculous.

How did Xia An know to stockpile domain names in that field so early? How did he know to establish an internet company so early and combine the internet and physical businesses so early?

Opportunities only come to those who are prepared!

Xia An, who had already learned over the phone that she had been completely exposed in the shortest amount of time, was looking out the taxi window at the vast, clean expanse of white land.

Seeing that he was with Le Ning, Wang Yue decided not to disturb him meeting his mother-in-law and didn't go.

Le Ning wouldn't let Xia An drive and insisted that the two of them take a taxi to the city. Xia An didn't argue, since the car wasn't in his name and there was no point in showing it off.

"Why are you getting so many calls? Is something wrong?"

Le Ning poked Xia An, who was looking at the snow scene from the back row, and asked.

Xia An yawned, shook his head and smiled, holding her slightly cold little hand and said, "Tell me, if I tell your mom I'm a billionaire later, will she believe me?"

Le Ning smiled and said, "Aren't you a multi-millionaire?"

Xia An was somewhat speechless. He hadn't expected the authorities to act so quickly and make such a big fuss. His original plan was to issue two announcements next week through the school and the company, and at most give one or two interviews to official media outlets to solidify his identity as an aspiring young man, which would make things easier for him in the future.

Now look what's happened! The principal said he'd hold a press conference for him in the auditorium on Monday, clearly indicating that the higher-ups want to make him a role model. What am I going to do? It's embarrassing just thinking about it. Too much fame can put pressure on those around him, and he's not ready for that.

"I sold some more stuff these past couple of days and made a small fortune." He looked at Le Ning's puzzled expression and sighed, "Never mind, I'll tell you about it separately tonight."

Le Ning laughed and said, "Don't talk to my mom about money. It'll make her overthink and worry. She's only a freshman, there's no rush."

Xia An nodded. He knew Zhou Ting well; he was somewhat snobbish, but fortunately, he wasn't a bad person.

Le Ning said, "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll ask Mom to treat us."

Thinking about the press conference, Xia An scratched Xiao Le Ning's palm and teased, "Cheeseburger."
-
Xu Wanying was a little confused.

What is the principal saying? What is the dean saying?
What happened to Xia An?
website?

what money?

Tens of millions of US dollars?
That costs so much...

What is a domain name?

"What does Xia An usually do? How is his performance at school, Ms. Xu?"

The principal received another phone call, laughing and saying some high-sounding words, while the dean asked Xu Wanying, who was sitting blankly on the sofa.

Tilting her head, Xu Wanying said woodenly, "Your performance... is quite good. You just became the class monitor, you care about your classmates, and you have strong work ability. You are rehearsing a new program in the small theater."

"What about schoolwork?"

"Homework..."

They hardly ever attend classes, so where does the homework come from... Xu Wanying deliberately avoided mentioning this.

"His classroom performance was also very good."

Seeing the dean nod and smile with satisfaction, Xu Wanying asked anxiously, "What happened to Xia An?"

The dean took a sip of mineral water and chuckled to himself, "Incredible, incredible. Who would have thought he would pull off such a big thing so quietly?"

The principal hung up the phone and laughed loudly, "It's all set. Monday afternoon at 1 PM. Representatives from the province and the city will be coming, and even several media outlets from Beijing will be there. Now, get the auditorium ready..."

The dean thought for a moment and said, "Xia An has his own little theater."

The principal clapped his hands and laughed, "That's right, we can mention starting a business on campus." Looking at the simple-minded Xu Wanying, he added, "Little Xu, let me tell you, on Monday..."
-
It's said that a mother-in-law's love for her son-in-law grows stronger with each passing year, but that only applies after he becomes her prospective son-in-law. Zhou Ting already finds Xia An quite annoying.

It's not that they dislike each other; it's just that their daughter has been in love with this guy since junior high, but he just ignores her.

Anyone with eyes can see my daughter's character, but you've made her sad and cry for so many years.

Over the years, Zhou Ting has accumulated a great deal of resentment.

But it's useless.

My daughter is so damn stubborn.

Carrying two large packages, Zhou Ting waited at KFC. Through the window, he saw his daughter clinging to the boy's arm, smiling sweetly and... flirtatiously. "Shameless!" For a moment, Zhou Ting tasted Chinese medicine in his cola.

Once inside, seeing that Le Ning hadn't let go of his hand, Zhou Ting gritted his teeth, glared at his daughter, and dragged her away, saying, "What kind of behavior is this?"

Xia Anle glanced at the package under the table with a smile, then turned and followed them out.

Seeing that he had left empty-handed, Zhou Ting was so angry that her guts were twisted. She stopped and turned to walk back.

Xia An asked in confusion, "Does Auntie need to use the restroom? This KFC doesn't have one; you have to go to the waiting hall."

Zhou Ting took a deep breath. "I forgot my bag."

Xia An exclaimed in surprise, "You should have said so earlier! I'll go, I'll go!" and ran back.

Le Ning watched his retreating figure, her lips pressed tightly together, wanting to laugh but feeling it wasn't appropriate.

Zhou Ting pinched her arm playfully and said, "Do you still think of me as your mother?"

Le Ning tilted her head and looked at her, smiling as she said, "Mom, I'm with him now."

Zhou Ting glanced at her sideways: "I know you've had your eye on him since you were little, but have you ever thought about why he didn't agree before, but agreed now that you're in college?"

Le Ning blinked but didn't say anything.

Surrounded by a constant flow of people, with passersby exhaling white breath, Zhou Ting pulled her daughter to the side, standing next to a large marble pillar.

Zhou Ting is in the clothing business and is good at dressing up. She doesn't dress old-fashioned, and with her regular skincare, she looks more than ten years younger and doesn't look like Le Ning's mother at all.

Zhou Ting stamped his boots, shaking off the snow, and asked in a low voice, "I only have one question for you: have you ever stayed away from home?"

Le Ning nodded almost without hesitation:

"I've already slept."

"..."

A mouthful of blood choked him, and Zhou Ting's narrow eyes narrowed, instantly turning red with anger.

She wanted to say something more, but the answer was not what she wanted. She bit her tongue hard, stopping herself from openly slapping her daughter. "You have no self-respect. I'm so disappointed in you..."

Le Ning smiled and shook her head: "Mom, isn't that how it is? I'm with the boy I like the most, isn't that good?"

Zhou Ting said in a low voice, "Men don't have anything else on their minds before they turn thirty. Le Ning, just you wait, you'll regret this."

Le Ning smiled and said, "Mom, I definitely won't regret it."

Zhou Ting looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. He was too late after all!

She originally planned to open a shop outside Binhai University and have a poor relative come to keep things quiet, just to prevent her daughter from being ruined by that shameless Xia An…

But little did she know that just two months into the new school term, her daughter would be tricked into bed.

Heaven have mercy! I, Zhou Ting, am so wise and intelligent, yet I have given birth to such a stupid and stubborn daughter!

Le Ning tugged at her arm, "Mom, Xia An and I are hungry, why don't you treat us to something delicious?"

"Let's go eat poop!"

……

Zhou Ting didn't look for a fancy hotel, and there weren't any particularly good restaurants around the train station.

In a small private room of a casual restaurant, Zhou Ting ordered several hearty dishes, all of which were her daughter's favorites.

Parents always have such a heart, and since things have already come to this, she couldn't show it too much in public, no matter how much she disliked Xia An.

But seeing her daughter constantly serving food to Xia An like a submissive wife, Zhou Ting was still furious. She had traveled from Yanjing to Binhai by hard sleeper train and was also hungry, but she really couldn't eat.

Given Le Ning's past aloofness, she has never been this affectionate with herself or Le Yuqun at home!

Xia An, on the other hand, was neither humble nor arrogant, nor did he act in a particularly pretentious manner, which was somewhat unexpected by Zhou Ting.

"How are your parents doing?" Zhou Ting held the glass in both hands; the hot tea was more comforting than her daughter.

"It's alright. I opened a small supermarket last month, so I'm a bit busier than before."

Zhou Ting didn't take it to heart at all. What was so great about a small shop?
"I haven't attended many parent-teacher conferences, but I do remember meeting your father once. I heard your parents work at the same company?"

"Yes, in a factory. My dad was a worker, and my mom was a cashier."

Zhou Ting nodded, raised her hand and turned the table, "If you can't reach it, just turn it yourself. Ningning, you eat too, the beef ribs will get hard when they get cold."

He then asked Xia An, "What do you plan to do after graduation? University is different from junior high and high school. It's only four years. You can't waste it playing around. It's important to plan your future career path as soon as possible. Times have changed. College graduates aren't as valuable now, and it's hard to find a job."

Xia An said, "Yes, we are still exploring, and we don't have a specific direction yet."

Le Ning picked up a chicken wing, took a small bite, and put it into Xia An's bowl. "Mom, he's starting a business."

Zhou Ting's eyebrows twitched, but before he could speak, Le Ning said again, "They opened a convenience store at the school, called Lemon Convenience Store."

It's a convenience store again...

Zhou Ting was speechless. "Don't mess around at school. Studying your major is the right thing to do. You're studying photography, right? You can become a reporter in the future, which is not bad. Ningning's dad is quite familiar with the newspaper group. If your family can't help you, you should say so sooner rather than later."

Xia An understood what Le Ning was planning just from hearing her talk about the convenience store.

Good grief, he actually embarrassed his own mother?

The little girl is quite rebellious.

Xia An didn't feel annoyed by Zhou Ting's words. A mother would never have a bad heart. Besides, ignorance is no excuse.

He smiled and shook his head: "I am not optimistic about the future of print media, and I have no plans to go into journalism."

Zhou Ting was not satisfied with Xia An's pretentious mature attitude: "You're young, don't talk big, let's eat first." She said to Le Ning, "Take me to see the area around your school later. I don't live in the city, so don't go back to your dorm tonight."

Le Ning secretly raised her eyebrows at Xia An, as if to say: Don't forget tonight... next door.

Xia An smiled and finished the remaining half bowl of rice. He put down his chopsticks and gave Zhou Ting a cute little smile: "Auntie, I'll see you and Ningning to your car. You two go back first. I have some things to take care of. I'll treat you to hot pot tonight. It's cold, so have something warm."

Zhou Ting glanced at him but said nothing.

On the way back, Zhou Ting scoffed at Xia An's words, "I'm going to take care of something."

Tell Le Ning: "You're just putting on an act."

Le Ning winked playfully and said, "Mom, what if he's really, really amazing and incredibly capable?"

With a disdainful snort, Zhou Ting said, "No matter how capable he is, he's not going to live with me. It's none of my business. You're the one clinging to him; I can't control you."

……

Binhai Plaza, Hongyun Building, 36A.

Fruit Basket Technology Company.

Xia An looked at the thirty-five employees whose faces were flushed, their hearts were pounding, and they were suppressing their excitement. He said calmly, "The 'Mouthpiece' project will be renamed Weibo Campus Edition at midnight tonight and will be launched on the 1st. The Campus Edition server is currently still in the provincial capital, while the expansion server for the wide area version will be located in Binhai. With cross-management, your task is arduous."

(End of this chapter)