Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

With the business concluded and the group of people rarely able to gather together, the conversation naturally shifted to deepening their relationships.

Soon, room 201 was filled with smoke, clinking glasses, and a lively atmosphere that seemed ready to lift the roof off.

Zhao Jianjun was a lively person. Seeing that everyone at the table was going around toasting each other and had drunk quite a bit, he waved his hand and said, "Don't be so formal! Forget about this room or that room, open the doors, let's all visit each other, we'll all be friends from now on!"

And so, the group of college students who hadn't yet shed their bookish airs sitting in room 202 ended up completely mixed up with a group of internet cafe owners who had been working their way up in the streets of Harbin.

Before long, the scene became quite surreal.

The fifth brother, Liu Jing, was really drunk. He was currently hugging Liu Pangzi's neck, which was full of fat, and calling him "brother" over and over again. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the two were long-lost brothers.

"Brother Liu, from now on, your internet cafe will be my base! If anyone dares to cause trouble, just page me! I'll have my second brother give them a lecture on the law! Do you know the Criminal Law? My second brother knows it by heart! It'll scare them to death!"

Fatty Liu was flattered and grinned from ear to ear, his eyes narrowing into slits. He pounded his chest on the table, making a deafening noise: "Don't worry, brother! From now on, if anyone in the area dares to charge you for internet access, I'll eat their computer case!"

The scene across the street takes a sudden turn.

The eldest brother, Jiao Liwei, was holding hands tightly with Qian Jiangnan, who wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a sinister look on his face. Both of them held wine glasses in their other hands, clinking them together repeatedly. They didn't drink a drop, but they were just chatting, their spittle flying all over the wine glasses.

Originally, I thought that Master Qian was the most difficult to deal with, but who knew that the two of them were arguing heatedly about whether or not Hu Fei should have used his sword in "The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain".

"Crack my ass!" Jiao Liwei straightened his neck and clinked his cup against Qian Jiangnan's. "If it cracks, it's a tragedy; if it doesn't, it's a pity. That old man Jin Yong is wicked; he just loves to keep us in suspense."

Qian Jiangnan nodded deeply, clinked glasses with his, but didn't drink. His eyes behind his glasses shone with an alarming brilliance: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Brother Jiao, just for that 'regret' you mentioned, next time you come to my shop, I'll reserve the best private room for you! Have a blast!"

Bai Yuhang, holding a wine glass, moved through the crowd like a fish.

He wore a humble and polite smile, lit a cigarette for the bald Zhang Qi, and listened to Liu Bing complain about the difficulty in recruiting internet cafe managers. He agreed verbally, but his eyes remained clear.

He silently tallied up the accounts in his mind: Zhao Jianjun's three families, plus the five in this room, covered four of the main urban areas of Harbin: Daoli, Daowai, Nangang, and Xiangfang.

More than 1,100 machines.

These are over 1,100 tireless salespeople. As soon as they turn on their devices, they generate money, traffic, and future influence.

The commotion lasted until 9:30 PM before the "victory celebration banquet," a blend of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) and 学气 (shuxu, a term referring to the refined and scholarly atmosphere of the time), finally came to an end.

A group of people staggered out of the old chef's house. The cold wind of a Harbin night in March swept over them like a knife, instantly dispelling some of the smell of alcohol.

After seeing off the swaggering business owners, Zhao Jianjun stood beside Bai Yuhang. He wasn't tall, and with his arm around Bai Yuhang's neck, almost half his weight was on Bai Yuhang's shoulder. He struggled to stand, his face flushed and reeking of alcohol: "Brother! My eyesight was honed back in the army, I didn't misjudge you! These guys are local bullies. Take care of them, and you'll be set for life in Harbin! Lots of people will follow your lead, and you'll be famous!"

"That's because Brother Zhao has a lot of influence," Bai Yuhang replied with a smile, supporting him.

"What face are you talking about? It's all about profit!"

A black Santana pulled up beside them. Bai Yuhang opened the back door with his left hand, while Zhao Jianjun, slurring his words, waved his hand and, without saying a word, turned and climbed into the back seat.

The passenger window slowly rolled down, revealing Zheng Lan, her cheeks slightly flushed, clearly having had quite a bit to drink, yet she still waved briskly at everyone: "Alright, stop seeing me off, hurry back to school, don't catch a cold! Little Bai, bring your brothers over often when you have time!"

"Okay, sister-in-law!"

Just as Bai Yuhang was about to wave, he suddenly heard a clear female voice from the driver's seat: "Sis, that's enough. How drunk are you and your brother-in-law? Roll up the window so you don't get cold."

That voice sounds familiar?

Bai Yuhang subconsciously crouched down and peeked inside.

The driver was a young woman. In the dim light of the streetlamp, her profile was clearly visible, and she looked about seven or eight parts like Zheng Lan, except that her features were softer. She had her hair tied in a high ponytail and was wrinkling her nose with a look of disgust.

The car window slowly rolled up, and the Santana emitted a puff of white smoke before disappearing into the night.

Bai Yuhang withdrew his gaze, turned around, and almost burst out laughing at the sight behind him.

The third brother, Zhang Jian, was hugging a roadside utility pole, standing at attention and saluting with the seriousness of military training: "Reporting, sir! Enemy sniper spotted ahead... Requesting... requesting a grenade!"

The fourth brother, Wan Lianghao, sat by the flower bed, clutching a handful of withered grass, muttering, "I'm rich... I can code this too... I'll type it to death..."

Liu Jing, the fifth brother, squatted on the curb and dry heaved into the sewer, but nothing came out for a long time.

Yang Bo, the second brother, was frantically pulling and tugging at the three men, trying to keep them together and prevent them from running away. But these drunkards were like whack-a-mole; if he held one down, the others would escape.

The most remarkable one was the seventh brother, Zhang Qingheng. This honest kid had his head resting on the eldest brother Jiao Liwei's shoulder, his left hand tightly gripping the eldest brother's arm, probably afraid he wouldn't be able to find his way home, and also pretending he was already asleep. In his right hand, he tightly clutched a plastic bag containing a plate of sweet and sour pork and a roast chicken that his sister-in-law Zheng Lan had arranged for him to take with him when the party ended, protecting it like a precious treasure.

"These shameful bastards." The eldest brother, Jiao Liwei, rubbed his temples. Although his steps were a little unsteady, his eyes were still clear. "Sixth brother, get me a whole bottle of water. Drinking baijiu and asking for water, my throat is burning."

Bai Yuhang went to the nearby convenience store, bought a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed it, and handed it to him.

Jiao Liwei tilted his head back and gulped down several large mouthfuls of water, emptying the bottle instantly. The icy water sent a shiver down his throat.

He wiped his mouth, looked at him, and said, "Sixth Brother, those internet cafe owners, especially the one with glasses and the two in leather jackets, are no pushovers. Your 'freebies plus profit sharing' promise sounds impressive, but when it comes to actually delivering, do we have enough capital to cover the losses? Don't end up getting yourself into trouble."

Bai Yuhang lit two cigarettes, offering one to Jiao Liwei, the flame flickering in the cold wind. He exhaled a puff of white smoke, looked at the dim streetlights leading directly to the university campus in the distance, and smiled.

"Boss, do you think they're shrewd?"

"Isn't that enough? That Qian Jiangnan was trying to trick me into revealing information when we were talking about martial arts earlier, asking what we're planning to do in the future."

"They might be shrewd, but that's just petty cleverness. They're only after the small amount of internet fees in their pockets and the promised dividends." Bai Yuhang flicked his cigarette ash, his tone as calm as if stating a matter of course. "They have no idea what a traffic entry point is. Once our thousand machines are up and running, and the daily active users go up, internet companies will be lining up to offer us money. What they get? It's not even a drop in the ocean; it's charity."

Jiao Liwei stared at Bai Yuhang's profile for a few seconds, then sighed, crushed the empty bottle, lit a cigarette, and took a puff: "Alright, as long as you know what you're doing. Anyway, I'm on this sinking ship now, as long as these brothers don't end up losing everything."

"We can't afford to lose money, so we'll have to get new gold underwear from now on."

"Get lost!" Jiao Liwei laughed and cursed, then turned to kick Lao San's butt. "Zhang Jian! Stop bowing to those telephone poles! Go back to the dorm!"

The group helped each other, trudging towards the school with uneven steps.

The snow on the road was half-melted, making a crunching sound when you stepped on it.

Zhang Jian and Wan Lianghao were being supported by Yang Bo.

As Zhang Jian walked, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Slash the heads of the Japanese devils with your broadswords..."

Not to be outdone, Wan Lianghao, on Yang Bo's other side, shouted, "Goose Fugui, bark at each other, bark woof woof woof woof..."

Zhang Qingheng followed Jiao Liwei with small, careful steps, gently protecting the bag of food, muttering under his breath, "Such a big roast chicken, we can eat it all day tomorrow."

Bai Yuhang walked at the back with Liu Jing by his side. Listening to his brothers' off-key singing and nonsense, and stepping in their footprints, the sense of security in his heart was warmer than the wine he had just drunk.

One thousand one hundred units.

The spark has been ignited.

This fire needs to be kindled by the cold snap in Harbin in early spring.

Burn this black soil thoroughly, then spread the fire to the whole of China.

Spring came a little late in 2000, but it finally arrived.

"Sixth Brother! Hurry up! The dorm supervisor will lock the door soon!" Jiao Liwei's muffled shout came from ahead.

"They're here." Bai Yuhang stubbed out his cigarette, tightened his collar, grabbed Liu Jing, and strode after them.