We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Ye Chen dragged his suitcase and climbed the terrazzo stairs to the fourth floor of Building 17 in the East District.

The corridor was filled with the sounds of washbasins clattering together, and various accents mingled together, creating a lively atmosphere.

The old oscillating fan creaked on the ceiling, unable to dispel the sweltering heat of Shanghai in September.

The door to dormitory 417 was ajar, and Ye Chen pushed it open with one hand.

The room had a standard bunk bed with a table underneath. The other three bunks already had mosquito nets hung up. He was the last one to arrive.

On the lower bunk by the door, a tall boy was shirtless, tidying his clothes.

This guy is over 1.85 meters tall and has a strong, muscular build. He turned his head immediately when he heard the noise.

"Brother, is this the last one?" The big guy had a loud voice. He strode over, took Ye Chen's suitcase, and pushed it to the bed next to number four.

"My name is Sun Haoyu, I'm from Northeast China. From now on, we're all brothers!"

Ye Chen greeted him with a smile: "Ye Chen, from Zhongyuan Province, thanks brother."

Having lived two lives, he understood all too well the logic of interpersonal relationships in university dormitories.

Sincerity, spontaneity, and genuineness are the fastest shortcuts to integrating into a small circle.

On the lower bunk by the window, a boy was wiping the desk with a rag.

He was wearing an old, faded short-sleeved shirt with the collar all loose from washing.

Hearing the noise, he stopped what he was doing, turned around and smiled shyly at Ye Chen.

"My name is Chen Zhiqiang, from Xishan Province." His voice was soft, with a heavy local accent, and he rubbed his hands together nervously on his trouser legs.

"Hello, nice to meet you in the future." Ye Chen nodded in response and casually placed his backpack on the table.

I glanced at Chen Zhiqiang's bed. It was an old cotton quilt that he had brought from home, and there was a jar of homemade pickled vegetables on the corner of the table.

Ye Chen knew that this was a farm boy with an inferiority complex, yet who longed to integrate into the community.

The boy in the opposite bed was leaning back in his chair, enjoying the cool air.

Wearing a trendy T-shirt from the current season, a Casio G-SHOCK on his wrist, and limited edition Nike sneakers on his feet.

He stood up, took out a pack of hard-pack Zhonghua cigarettes from the table, and handed one to Ye Chen.

"Lu Wenbo is a native of Shanghai."

He casually offered cigarettes to Sun Haoyu and Chen Zhiqiang as well.

Chen Zhiqiang waved his hand repeatedly in refusal, but Sun Haoyu took it without hesitation and tucked it behind his ear.

"We'll be living under the same roof for the next four years, so please take good care of me. My family lives in Xuhui District; my parents run a small building materials business."

"If you don't have any plans for the weekend, come to my house for a nice meal. My mom's Shanghainese cuisine is absolutely amazing."

Lu Wenbo spoke very quickly, his words revealing a sense of superiority typical of locals.

However, his frank attitude didn't annoy anyone.

Ye Chen waved the cigarette away, smiling brightly, "Thanks, but I don't smoke. I'll have to rely on President Lu to guide me and help me avoid pitfalls when buying computer hardware in the future."

This statement is full of emotional value.

Lu Wenbo found the words agreeable, put the cigarette back in the pack, and smiled even more broadly: "No problem, no problem, I know the Xuhui Bai Nao Hui area very well."

Lu Wenbo sat back in his chair and took out a side-sliding phone from his pocket.

Nokia N97.

He pushed the screen open with his finger, revealing a full keyboard, and casually tossed the phone onto the table.

"I just got a new computer, and my dad insists that it will get me a prize if I get into university."

In 2010, the smartphone market was at a turning point, with the old giving way to the new.

The N97, as the undisputed king of high-end smartphones, is priced exorbitantly and is definitely a status symbol among students.

Sun Haoyu leaned closer to take a look, his eyes gleaming with envy: "This thing must be really expensive, right? I saw it at a mobile phone store back home, and it cost several thousand yuan."

Chen Zhiqiang stood to the side, glanced down at his cheap knock-off phone with its buttons almost worn down, and silently returned to his original position.

A cell phone costing several thousand yuan is equivalent to two years of his living expenses.

Ye Chen was putting his backpack into the cabinet when he suddenly felt a vibration in his pocket.

He took it out and saw that it was a work report sent by the financial director, Su Ya.

"Mr. Ye, the overseas funding channels have been confirmed with the law firm, and we can initiate the foreign exchange settlement at any time. The review results for 'Temple Run' are expected to be released tomorrow morning."

Ye Chen held the black iPhone 4 in one hand.

The glass back panel reflects a cold, hard luster under the dim lights of the dormitory, and the metal right-angle frame has an excellent texture.

The retina display lights up, with delicate and sharp colors.

He swiped his thumb to unlock the device and rapidly typed on the touchscreen to reply to the message: "Proceed as planned, go live immediately after approval."

After finishing his work, Ye Chen dialed his mother's number: "Hey Mom, I'm at the dorm. This is my new number in Shanghai. Save it. Take good care of yourself. Buy whatever you want to eat. Okay, I'll hang up now."

After giving a brief instruction and hanging up, Ye Chen switched to the QQ app and sent messages to Shen Anran, his best friend Zhao Peng, and the company's management group, informing them that he had changed his number and that they could contact him anytime if needed.

Lu Wenbo, with his sharp eyes, caught a glimpse of what Ye Chen was holding and his eyes immediately widened.

He ignored the N97 on the table, jumped up, and walked a few steps to Ye Chen's side.

"Holy crap! Ye Chen, what you're holding is... an iPhone 4?!"

Sun Haoyu also turned his head to look over, his face full of curiosity.

Lu Wenbo stared at the glass back panel, his voice rising eight octaves: "This thing isn't even available in China! Scalpers are selling it for over ten thousand yuan a unit, and you can't find one even with money in hand. Where did you get it?"

Sun Haoyu gasped in shock: "Over ten thousand? Just for a phone?!"

Chen Zhiqiang was secretly alarmed, and gripped the rag in his hand tightly.

For him, more than 10,000 yuan was a huge blow.

After sending the last message on QQ, Ye Chen casually locked his phone.

"Just someone brought me a grey market phone," he replied casually, putting his phone back in his pocket.

Lu Wenbo swallowed hard, and the way he looked at Ye Chen completely changed.

Wearing an ordinary white T-shirt and carrying an old backpack, he casually pulled out a top-of-the-line mobile phone worth over ten thousand yuan, which is extremely rare and hard to find.

This stark contrast made Lu Wenbo completely abandon any sense of superiority he had just felt as a local.

He grew up in the business world, and his ability to read people and cater to their tastes was innate.

Truly wealthy tycoons are often those who keep a low profile and don't flaunt their wealth.

Ye Chen's label in his mind instantly upgraded from "out-of-town classmate" to "low-key tycoon".

"Awesome." Lu Wenbo gave a thumbs up, his tone now filled with genuine respect.

Sun Haoyu clapped his hands, breaking the brief silence in the dormitory.

"Alright, today marks the official reunion of our 417 class! It's the first day of school, we absolutely have to go out for a meal to celebrate!"

Lu Wenbo immediately chimed in, patting his chest and guaranteeing it.

"Being in Shanghai means you're on my turf! Tonight's on me! There's a authentic barbecue place on the back street of the school, it's on me, nobody can take it from me!"

Ye Chen closed the cabinet door and smiled amiably: "It's great that someone's cooking for us, let's go."

Chen Zhiqiang stood to the side, hesitant, nervously rubbing his hands without saying a word, clearly afraid he couldn't afford to reciprocate.

Ye Chen immediately saw through his embarrassment, walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go eat like royalty! Old Lu is going all out today, we have to order a lot of hearty dishes."

With a single sentence, Chen Zhiqiang's embarrassment was cleverly resolved, and his roommate's self-esteem was preserved without being noticed.