Reborn not to be a beast of burden, I set the rules.

"What a coincidence, we've both run personal websites." Zhang Yuan pushed up his glasses.

Li Yue picked up the conversation: "In my sophomore year, I created a QQ Space material site and uploaded QQ Space code."

When you enter QQ Space, the screen is filled with floating stars and snowflakes, and background music plays automatically. We wrote all those special effects code ourselves.

At the time, I followed the trend and did what Kailuoshi did, using overseas hosting and going live directly.

I used to run GG affiliate programs online, and I could earn some pocket money each month.

Zhang Yuan nodded: "Me too. I run a game resource download site, like Warcraft RPG maps, and there's a 'GG' tag at the bottom of the page."

Back then, generating traffic was easy. You could just post a few threads and attract traffic to forums, and you could get a decent number of visits a day.

However, these websites had low barriers to entry, so many people created them, and later the competition became too fierce, so they were no longer maintained.

He paused, then added, "Recently, there's been a lot of talk in the industry that Baidu is about to launch its own new product, I think it's called 'NetAffiliate Promotion'."

It's similar to other GG alliances, but I heard this time you can submit images and animated GGs, and it'll be launched in October.

Li Yue chimed in, "Yes, I've heard about it too. Baidu is making a big move this time, saying they're going to do something called 'omni-channel marketing,' covering a large number of websites."

I've used that "theme promotion" before; it mainly consists of text links placed on the side of the page, and the revenue wasn't very high.

I plan to try out this new product once it's launched. After all, there are many domestic gigolos, and payment is convenient; unlike overseas platforms where you have to figure out how to collect money.

Zhang Yuan pushed up his glasses and said in a serious tone, "I heard the application requirements are quite high; I was rejected several times back then."

Ye Ming listened intently, his pen never stopping as he jotted down keywords like "Qiandu Internet Alliance launches in October" and "image animation GG" in his notebook.

The ecosystem of individual website owners in 2009 slowly unfolded before his eyes.

In his previous life, when he was researching for his novel, he had seen that many grassroots website owners started their businesses in that year and made their first fortune by taking advantage of the traffic dividend.

Those who seized the platform's initial opportunities later became the backbone of the industry.

But at that time he was just an onlooker, watching others eat meat while he couldn't even get a sip of soup.

This life is different.

Qiandu Union will be launched in October.

If you can catch the first wave and get the channels for monetizing traffic working, things will be much easier afterwards.

He was writing down information about Baidu Alliance in his notebook when someone next to him suddenly spoke up: "Um... why are you writing this down?"

Looking up, I saw Chen Rui, the computer science student who said "liberal arts students can't learn programming".

Ye Ming didn't say anything.

Now you know to ask?

Chen Rui glanced at his notebook, which was filled with notes on front-end development, back-end development, and databases.

He paused, his tone much softer than before: "You...are you really learning?"

"Um."

Chen Rui paused for two seconds, then suddenly said, "Qiandu Alliance will launch in October. If you want to do it then, you'd better put your website up beforehand. Don't wait until it launches, or it will be too late."

Ye Ming was taken aback.

Has this person changed their ways?

He nodded. "Thanks."

Chen Rui didn't say anything more and turned back to his seat. But as he passed Zhang Yuan, he whispered, "That notebook has pretty complete notes."

Several senior students nearby, drawn by their conversation, leaned over and asked, "Li Yue, what are you talking about? Is this junior planning to start a personal website?"

Li Yue smiled and responded, then turned to Ye Ming.

"There's no time for maintenance now, but the technology is still there. I'll teach you how to set up a local development environment first, get the server and database running, and then upload it to the server. For the backend connection to the database, start with one method, and learn the other one later."

She turned around, opened her computer, and explained as she demonstrated: "Look, first download this integrated environment and install it with one click. After installation, the service will start running. Put your web page files in the designated folder, and you can access them by entering a local address in your browser."

Ye Ming gripped his pen, writing down every step in his notebook, afraid of missing a single word.

"The database is managed using a graphical interface, so there's no need to remember command lines," Li Yue demonstrated. "We create a database and then a table to store user information or event data. The backend program connects to it, writes the query statements, and retrieves the results, converting them into a common format."

She wrote a few lines of sample code and pointed to the screen: "This is the simplest CRUD operation. Go back and type it out yourself. Once you can get it working, then you can learn the next one."

Zhang Yuan chimed in from the side, "When it comes to code, reading it ten times is not as effective as typing it out once. If you make a mistake, just search online; there are tutorials everywhere."

Ye Ming nodded and wrote those words down in his notebook.

After setting up the environment, he clumsily typed out his first line of HTML code following the instructions.

Bonjour Monde

When this simple line of text popped up in the browser, Ye Ming's heart skipped a beat.

He stared at the line of white text on the screen, and his eyes suddenly felt a little hot.

Honestly, where's the ambition? Where's the composure of an official?

Those materials from my past life were revised countless times, and finally locked in a filing cabinet, never to be looked at again.

This line of code was written by him, belongs to him, and will always be here.

No one ordered him, no one urged him, and not many people even knew he was doing it.

But it's there.

It shines brightly and stubbornly on the screen.

The line of white text stood out against the black background, like a declaration.

"Hello World"

He silently repeated it in his mind.

Hello, 2009.

Hello, new self.

He finally managed to crack open this long-dormant technical door with his hard work and shamelessness.

It doesn't matter if you don't have a strong foundation, as long as you're willing to put in the hard work.

Seeing his serious expression, Zhang Yuan said, "You can come to the Computer Association anytime from now on, and we'll take turns mentoring you."

Li Yue nodded in agreement: "Don't bring fruit or melon seeds next time. It's not easy for students to save money."

Ye Ming nodded in agreement.

This sentiment should be given often and remain fresh.

It's a favor if someone helps you; it's their right not to.

A few oranges and a bag of sunflower seeds represent all the sincerity he can offer at this time.

The sun is setting in the west.

Ye Ming left the computer lab with his backpack, his mind still swirling with server configuration, database statements, the QQ Space material site Li Yue mentioned, Zhang Yuan's game resource site, and the Thousand Degrees Alliance that would be launched in October.

He walked back to his dormitory along the path.

Just as I reached the entrance of the dormitory building, a clear shout suddenly came from behind me.

"Ye Ming!"

Her voice carried a hint of suppressed sobs, and she was panting heavily from running.

Ye Ming suddenly turned around.

Xu Wei stood a few steps away, hands on her hips, eyes slightly red, with a hint of grievance and a hidden sense of smugness, as if she had finally caught her.

Sunlight fell on the tips of her hair.

She bit her lip and said, word by word:

"Where did you run off to!"

Ye Ming stood there, stunned.

He was about to speak, but the words got stuck in his throat.