Super Rich: Starting the game by going back ten years to buy Bitcoin

When Li Yichen opened his eyes, it was already broad daylight.

Sunlight squeezed through the gaps in the curtains, cutting a dazzling strip of light across the floor, where tiny dust particles could be seen floating slowly in the beam of light.

He sat up and rubbed his temples. He had slept soundly last night and hadn't dreamed for the first time in two weeks.

I got out of bed, washed up, and changed my clothes. When I went downstairs, Uncle Zhou was already busy in the kitchen; the sizzling sound of fried dough sticks going into the pan could be heard through the wall.

"Good morning, Brother Li." Li Niannian came out of the room, holding Miaomiao's hand, who had already been tidied up.

"morning."

Li Yichen sat down at the dining table. Uncle Zhou brought over soy milk and fried dough sticks, along with two side dishes—one of pickled radish and the other of cucumber salad. He picked up a fried dough stick and took a bite; it was crispy and fragrant.

I had just taken my second bite when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

He took out his phone, and the screen lit up automatically, displaying a chibi-style image of Ling'er with pigtails.

"Brother, as of 7 a.m. this morning, the production line has been running stably for 18 hours, producing a total of 643 chips, with a yield rate of 82%."

Six hundred and forty-three. Li Yichen silently repeated the number in his mind, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Very good, Ling'er, keep it up."

"receive!"

He put his phone face down on the table, picked up his soy milk, and took a sip. It was hot, but just right.

After finishing the last bite of the fried dough stick, he wiped his mouth and stood up.

"I'm leaving."

"Be careful on the road," Li Niannian called out from behind.

Li Yichen waved his hand and pushed the door open to go out.

In the underground parking garage, the U8 lay quietly, its matte black body gleaming with a sophisticated quality under the lights. He opened the door, got in, and started the car; the motor hummed softly.

The car drove out of the residential area and merged into the morning rush hour traffic.

Mornings in Shanghai are always so congested. The taillights of the cars in front are a sea of ​​red, and the cars on the elevated highway are moving like snails. But Li Yichen is not in a hurry—he has handed the steering wheel and pedals over to Ling'er, leans back in his seat, and rests his fingers idly on the window.

Traffic jams don't have to be frustrating.

He took out his phone and opened Xiao Yuqing's chat page. After thinking for a moment, he typed a message.

"How are the store preparations going?"

The message was sent. Several minutes passed, but there was no reply.

They might be busy.

Twenty minutes later, in the underground parking garage of the Future Technology Building. The elevator went up, and Li Yichen pressed the button for the thirty-first floor.

The moment the door opened, that familiar mixed smell wafted out—ozone and special coolant mixed together, carrying a uniquely laboratory-like chill. He had grown accustomed to this smell, and even found it somewhat reassuring.

In front of the control panel, the three curved screens remained lit, with data streaming down like a waterfall. Twenty robots from Zhongqing worked methodically, their robotic arms picking up wafers, feeding them into the equipment, removing them, transferring them, and cutting them—the whole process was quiet, precise, and efficient, like a silent symphony.

Li Yichen walked over to the materials buffer area and took a look. One-third of the high-purity silicon ingots remained, and about a quarter of the special rare earth materials had been consumed. He mentally estimated that at the current rate of consumption, this batch of materials could last for another week.

It seems I need to have Yanran order more materials.

He returned to the control panel, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

"Ling'er".

"Brother!" The phone screen lit up, and a cute little character popped up with big, blinking eyes.

"How's the production progress?"

"Everything is normal!" Ling'er's voice was filled with excitement. "The yield rate is stable at around 82%, and about 42 chips are produced per hour. The equipment is running smoothly without any fault alarms."

Li Yichen nodded: "Keep it up."

"Okay, brother!"

He leaned back in his chair, watching the scrolling data on the screen, but his mind was elsewhere.

My phone vibrated.

Xiao Yuqing replied to the message.

"Little Li, I was busy and didn't see the message."

"The shop is basically all set up. The renovation was completed yesterday, the shelves will be installed today, and the jewelry samples will be delivered tomorrow."

"I've set the opening date for 9 a.m. the day after tomorrow."

"Can you come?"

Li Yichen looked at the screen, a slight smile unconsciously curving his lips. He typed a reply:

"able."

"Great!" Xiao Yuqing replied instantly, adding a spinning emoji. "Then you have to be there on time!"

"Um."

"By the way, I invited a few college classmates and some friends I met from my previous livestreaming days for the opening. There weren't many people, just about a dozen." A cautious emoji followed the message. "You...you don't mind, do you?"

Li Yichen smiled and typed: "I don't mind."

"That's good!" Xiao Yuqing sent another smiley face. "I'm going to get busy now. See you the day after tomorrow!"

See you the day after tomorrow.

He put down his phone, stood up, and walked around the workshop. Every piece of equipment was running stably, and the robots' movements were so fluid, as if they had been rehearsed countless times. This is the benefit of AI-powered coordination—zero error, zero latency.

He walked over to the ion beam etching machine and glanced inside through the observation window. Inside the chamber, the ion beam was etching circuit patterns onto the wafer surface with sub-nanometer precision. Nowhere else in the world, except on his production line, could this be done.

After watching for a while, he turned and left.

I took the elevator down to the 28th floor and pushed open the office door.

Ji Yanran was already inside. She was wearing a light gray business suit today, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, and she was working on some documents when she heard the door open and looked up.

Good morning, boss.

"morning."

Li Yichen walked to his desk and sat down. Ji Yanran put down the documents in her hand, walked over, and leaned against the desk.

"How's the chip situation?"

"Everything went smoothly, with a yield rate of 82%."

Ji Yanran's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but laugh: "That amazing?"

"Of course." Li Yichen leaned back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head, his tone languid. "Don't you even know who your boss is?"

Ji Yanran rolled her eyes.

Li Yichen turned on his computer, logged into the company's internal system, and checked his email to process several work emails—the progress of the battery factory, the construction progress of the chip factory, the progress of the cooperation with DaMi Company… After reviewing them one by one, there was nothing that required his personal approval. All departments were doing a good job.

He closed his email, leaned back in his chair, and suddenly asked, "What are we having for lunch?"

Ji Yanran was taken aback: "Boss, it's only ten o'clock."

"Think about it in advance."

"...The company cafeteria, I guess," Ji Yanran said. "As the company boss, you've probably never eaten in the company cafeteria, right?"

Li Yichen thought for a moment and realized that he had never eaten it before.

"Okay, let's eat in the cafeteria then."

He sat up straight again and began to look at the documents Ji Yanran had just placed on the table—the purchase contract, the construction agreement, and the supplementary terms for the technology authorization. He flipped through the pages one by one, made sure there were no problems, and signed his name.

Time slowly ticked down to 11:30.

Ji Yanran stood up: "Boss, shall we go eat?"

"Walk."

The two went downstairs together. The company cafeteria was on the second floor, and there were already quite a few employees queuing up at this time. Li Yichen and Ji Yanran walked over, and no one cut in line; they obediently followed behind.

After waiting in line for about five minutes, it was their turn.

At the food serving window, Chef Zhou saw Li Yichen and greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Li, you're here!"

"Master Zhou."

"The braised pork ribs smell especially delicious today, shall I give you some extra?"

"OK."

Chef Zhou scooped a full spoonful of ribs onto Li Yichen's plate, and added two vegetable dishes and a bowl of soup. Ji Yanran also ordered the same.

The two carried their trays and found a seat by the window. Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the white dining table.

Li Yichen picked up a piece of pork rib and took a bite. It was indeed delicious; the meat was stewed until tender and flavorful, and the sauce was rich. He ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, and as he chewed, he suddenly spoke up: "Oh, right."

Ji Yanran raised her head.

"Xiao Yuqing's jewelry store will open at nine o'clock the day after tomorrow."

"Oh," Ji Yanran replied, and continued eating.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What kind of help?"

"Spread the word within the industry." Li Yichen put down his chopsticks, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on the weather. "Just say that I own half of this jewelry store."

Ji Yanran paused, her chopsticks still.

She looked up, stared at Li Yichen for two seconds, and then slowly smiled.

"Boss."

"Um?"

"Although you're quite a womanizer—" Ji Yanran picked up a piece of green vegetable and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly with a smile on her lips, "I have to admit, you're really good to your little girlfriend."

Li Yichen didn't reply, but picked up the soup bowl and took a sip.

Ji Yanran continued, "You want to use your influence in Shanghai to support her business, right? After all, everyone in Shanghai knows your name, Li Yichen. If they knew you had shares in Xiao Yuqing's jewelry store, they'd be fighting tooth and nail to shop there."

Li Yichen picked up a piece of pork rib and stuffed it directly into Ji Yanran's mouth.

"Hurry up and eat your food," he said, his tone not harsh, but with a hint of unease at being caught out. "You've gotten bold, daring to joke about your boss now."

Ji Yanran had a spare rib stuffed in her mouth. She made two "mmm" sounds, finally managed to swallow it, and glared at Li Yichen: "I'm just stating the facts."

"Even food can't shut you up." Li Yichen picked up another piece of pork rib and handed it to him.

Ji Yanran quickly raised her hand to stop her, saying, "I won't eat anymore." She picked up the soup bowl, took a sip, and calmed herself down. "Alright, I'll spread the word in the industry in a bit. I guarantee that by tomorrow, everyone in Shanghai with any standing will know about this."

Li Yichen nodded: "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Ji Yanran waved her hand and smiled. "It was just something I did without asking."

Sunlight fell on the table between the two, and the ribs on the plate were still steaming slightly. Li Yichen kept his head down and continued eating, the slight smile on his lips never fading.