Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

Bai Yuhang pictured Jiang Shuo's face, contemplating for ages over buying a domain name.

"I need to go back and discuss this. I'd like to send someone to manage the finances and someone to handle the legal aspects first. My roommate now keeps track of even the price of a steamed bun; he's a typical miser. I'm afraid he'd faint if he saw a check for a million dollars. Sending him to your company will broaden his horizons and let him see what real capital operations are like, so he won't be constantly watching the cafeteria's fried dough sticks price go up. Legal skills are also something we most need to update. We can't just study from books in our dorms; we need to see some real-world cases at your place."

Zhang Lei laughed loudly, "Alright, I'll train this housekeeper and legal counsel for you. As long as he's not afraid of being trained to tears by my subordinates, send him over. My CFO came from Deloitte and PwC, and he's not known for his good temper. My legal counsel has never caused the company any trouble."

"A strict teacher produces outstanding students." Bai Yuhang paused for a moment. "In addition, Su Muqing will also go there regularly. She is currently in Beijing helping me with liaison work with investors, but she is still a student after all and needs more systematic practical training."

Zhang Lei put down his teacup, a deeper look in his eyes. "Su Muqing? Oh, that sounds familiar. Isn't she the girl in Beijing who dared to leave IDG's investment manager hanging for a week? Fine, if she comes over, I'll personally escort her."

The heating in the teahouse was quite strong, causing the windows to fog up.

Zhang Lei unbuttoned his trench coat. Known for his steady and methodical approach, he wanted to discuss some short-term plans with Bai Yuhang. He turned and pointed to the pedestrians outside the window, bundled up like dumplings, and said with a touch of melancholy, "Harbin is a good place, but the soil here is too hard; it can't grow a giant internet company. If you want to establish a nationwide presence, you have to go to Beijing. I know the whole Zhongguancun area well. If you agree, I'll have someone find you the best office space."

"One month." Bai Yuhang didn't immediately accept this promise that would make countless entrepreneurs envious. He simply calmly poured the other party one last cup of tea.

"After the 'Blue Speed ​​Cup' finals are over, my brothers and I will work together to make this happen, to endorse the esports attributes of Renren.com. At that time, the Qihang flag will be planted in the most conspicuous place in Zhongguancun."

As I stepped out of the teahouse, the midday sun in Harbin was quite dazzling.

Bai Yuhang glanced at the street vendors selling candied hawthorns and suddenly felt that the spring of 2000 was warmer than any season in his previous life.

Bai Yu stood up at the airport, extended his hand in farewell, and said, "Mr. Zhang, it's been a pleasure doing business with you."

Zhang Lei grasped his hand and shook it vigorously: "It's been a pleasure working with you. However, if you lose in three years, I will not hesitate to kick you out of the game."

"You don't have that chance," Bai Yuhang replied with a smile.

"Then I'd be even happier. Yuhang, I hope your ship can sail even faster and not keep me waiting too long. I have a feeling that last night's sweet and sour pork might become the most valuable meal in the history of the Chinese Internet."

Bai Yuhang smiled and nodded.

He knew in his heart that from this moment on, the ship Qihang was truly equipped with an engine capable of long-distance voyages.

There was no champagne celebration, and no flashing lights.

In the back alley of Harbin Institute of Technology, at the entrance of a small teahouse where even half of the paint on the signboard had fallen off, two men clasped hands.

A verbal agreement involving millions of dollars, which could potentially unlock a market value of hundreds of billions in the future, was finalized at the entrance of this cold alley.

Just before getting into the car, Zhang Lei rolled down the window and gave Bai Yuhang a deep look: "Don't let me down. And of course, don't let yourself down either. I'll send you the agreement by fax later. The money will arrive in your account within three days. Keep an eye on your pager."

Watching the taillights disappear around the street corner, Bai Yuhang turned and slipped into a phone booth by the roadside.

The phone rang twice before being answered. Su Muqing's voice was hoarse with fatigue: "How did it go? Did it go smoothly? Did Zhang Lei try to lower the price?"

"We've finished our discussions. Now we need to sign an investment performance-based agreement." Bai Yuhang breathed into the microphone, "The valuation is five million US dollars, and the initial payment is one million US dollars."

There was a deathly silence on the other end of the line. After a good five or six seconds, Su Muqing's slightly trembling breath came through: "One million... US dollars? Bai Yuhang, you really did it."

"This time, I don't need to just order fried duck carcasses for you at Quanjude, right?"

"Why eat duck racks? I want the best, I'll eat you out of house and home!" Su Muqing laughed, her laughter tinged with emotion, a release of pride after days of tension and turning down countless calls from investors.

After hanging up the phone, Bai Yuhang walked briskly back to dormitory 206.

As I pushed open the door, the familiar aroma of braised beef noodles wafted out. Several people were gathered around the computer, watching a pirated copy of The Matrix. Hearing the door open, several pairs of bloodshot eyes turned to look at me.

"Sixth Brother, how's it going?" Jiao Liwei asked Bai Yuhang nervously. "Is President Zhang from Beijing just trying to fool us? If it's no good, we can just add a few less servers and make do."

Bai Yuhang didn't say anything, walked to the middle of the room, and held up one finger.

"Ten thousand?" Jiang Shuo pushed up his glasses, a little disappointed. "That's not even enough to buy a new hard drive."

"One million." Bai Yuhang paused, looked at his brothers who hadn't yet reacted, and smirked, "US dollars."

"Clatter".

The instant noodle bucket in Zhang Jian's hand overturned, and half a bucket of instant noodles, along with the soup, landed directly on his crotch.

"Ouch! It's so hot!" Zhang Jian jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, stammering as he pulled down his pants, "How...how much? We're millionaires now? In US dollars?"

"That's equivalent to 8.3 million RMB," Bai Yuhang stated a specific figure.

The dormitory suddenly became eerily quiet; even Zhang Jian forgot about the heat on his crotch.

Liu Jing opened his mouth wide in an "O" shape. Yang Bo, Wan Lianghao, and Zhang Qingheng stared in disbelief. Jiang Shuo, sitting on a small stool, suddenly clutched the ledger in his arms, his eyes wide and his lips trembling for a long time: "My God, eight million... three hundred thousand... how many servers would that buy? Could it cover all the electricity in Harbin?"

"You've got guts." Jiao Liwei slapped Jiang Shuo on the back of the head, but his own smile was more like a grimace. "Eighth Brother, can't we think of something else first? Like, how about treating us brothers to a good meal?"

Everyone burst into laughter. As they laughed, Wan Lianghao took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. The torment of working non-stop for so long without any benefits finally turned into real confidence in the face of this astonishing figure.

Just as everyone in the room was immersed in the ecstasy of "sudden wealth," Bai Yuhang walked to his bed and his eyes turned cold.

Once the news of the financing is released, hungry wolves that were still watching from the sidelines beforehand—Baidu, IDG, and even Ma Huateng, whom they haven't met yet—will pounce on it, drawn by the scent of blood.

Zhang Lei is right; a million dollars is both armor and bait.

At this moment, Bai Yuhang saw the cover of Popular Software magazine on Zhang Jian's bedside table.

Tencent's OICQ is embroiled in copyright infringement issues; AOL has issued a formal letter, and OICQ faces the risk of having to change its name.

A glint of light flashed in Bai Yuhang's eyes as he looked at the bolded headline.

Bai Yuhang's lips curled into a slight smile: "The opportunity has arrived."