Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

Friday afternoon was a rare treat as I had no classes.

Bai Yuhang was catching up on sleep on his dormitory bed when the Motorola pager next to his head suddenly started vibrating like a berserk beetle.

Upon picking it up, I saw a line of numbers flashing on the screen; it was the landline of the New Century Internet Cafe.

Is there a problem with the software?

Bai Yuhang rubbed his face to clear his head, then straightened up, nimbly rolled out of bed, put on his coat, grabbed the IC card from the table, and headed downstairs.

In Harbin in March, the wind still whistles, and half of the snow around the phone booths has melted, leaving behind a trail of dark, muddy water.

Insert the card and dial.

"Hello, Brother Bai?" Wang Jun's voice on the other end of the line was cautiously respectful, completely different from the dismissive tone he had shown in the internet cafe that day. "I'm Wang Jun."

"I know, how is it?" Bai Yuhang switched the receiver to his other hand, avoiding the wind.

"Amazing! It works incredibly well!" Wang Jun's voice suddenly rose. "Three stores, two hundred and twenty machines, all installed. I haven't slept for the past two days, just kept an eye on it. Only two computers had really old hardware and crashed with a blue screen once, the rest are as stable as a solid brick. And..."

A sudden commotion came from the other end of the phone, followed by a gruff voice grabbing the receiver: "Brother Bai! It's me, your Brother Zhao!"

Bai Yuhang moved the receiver an inch further away and chuckled, "Brother Zhao, judging from the noise, you seem to be in a good mood?"

"Absolutely! It's more than just good, it's absolutely fantastic!" Zhao Jianjun's laughter made the receiver buzz. "Qingqing was absolutely right to recommend you! My sales have increased by 20% these past two days compared to last week! You wouldn't believe it, those kids who used to play Red Alert and would yell 'stop' and smash their mice and keyboards all behaved themselves these past two days. The machines are running smoothly, they're having a blast, and they're happy to play for extended periods."

"Where are the accounts?"

"Clearly accurate! I was just about to say that when Wang Jun exported the reports for the past two days for me to see, not a single penny was missing. All those messy accounts and favors from before are gone now. Brother, your software is amazing! It's like you've hired an impartial accountant for me."

Bai Yuhang leaned against the glass of the phone booth, sighed, and looked at the students coming and going outside: "As long as it works, I will definitely take care of the after-sales service I promised you."

"After-sales service alone isn't enough! We absolutely have to celebrate!" Zhao Jianjun waved his hand. "Tomorrow night, Saturday, at Lao Chu Jia, the one near the Railway Bureau's residential compound on Wenzheng Street, just steps from the east gate of your university. It's our own place. I'll have your sister-in-law reserve the best private room; we absolutely have to have a couple of drinks. And also…"

Zhao Jianjun lowered his voice, a hint of smugness in it: "These past few days, several of my friends who run internet cafes have been incredibly envious of my system. They've been pestering me to let them know you. I figured, why let the good stuff go to outsiders? You should make some money too, right? I'll call them all over tomorrow night, and you can give them a good talk."

Bai Yuhang's heart skipped a beat; this was a golden opportunity. But he paused, then said, "Brother Zhao, tomorrow night might not be the right time. I promised some of my roommates I'd treat them to dinner tomorrow night."

"Hey! What's going on here?" Zhao Jianjun chuckled on the other end of the line. "Here's what we'll do: your dorm buddies are like family. Don't go anywhere else, I'll arrange it, bring them all over! We'll eat at Old Chef's place, I'll have your sister-in-law set up a separate table for them, with hearty dishes, and plenty of sweet and sour pork! We'll talk business next door, you can just shuttle between the two places. Eating on your own turf, that's much more comfortable!"

Having said all that, it would be pretentious to refuse any longer. Bai Yuhang replied, "Alright then, it's Brother Zhao who's gone to so much trouble."

"Don't be so polite with me, it's tomorrow night at six, remember? See you there!"

After hanging up the phone, Bai Yuhang didn't rush back to his dormitory. He straightened his coat and went to the electronic reading room on the first floor of the library.

He swiped his card to log in and skillfully opened the web-based counter management backend.

The data flashing on the screen was rudimentary, consisting of only a plain text counter, but in Bai Yuhang's eyes, it was more captivating than the dazzling visual reports of later generations.

PV (page views): 2103.

UV (unique visitors): 856.

It's only been three days.

In 2026, this amount of data won't even be enough to support a personal blog. But in 2000, when broadband wasn't widespread and dial-up internet access required counting down the seconds, behind each of those numbers was a real person staring at a screen.

Two hundred and twenty machines, like two hundred and twenty tireless salesmen, every time they are turned on, every time they are restarted, every time they are opened in a browser, they are announcing the existence of "Sailing" to the world.

This is the power of distribution channels.

Bai Yuhang took out a cigarette, but just as he put it in his mouth, the female internet cafe manager glared at him, so he had no choice but to sheepishly put it back in his pocket. He stared at the constantly changing numbers on the screen, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

The spark has already been ignited.

Next, taking advantage of Zhao Jianjun's momentum, they will spread this fire throughout Harbin.

On Saturday, dormitory 206 woke up very early. The eldest member, Jiao Liwei, was a restless fellow; he had set the tone before lights out the night before: "Everyone's on a training exercise; nobody's allowed to stay in bed."

After a quick bite at the cafeteria, the group headed to the basketball court. Divided by major, the Software Engineering team had Jiao Liwei as their leader in the paint, Zhang Jian (a netizen addict) who was quick-witted but played guard, Liu Jing (a runner) who was energetic, and Bai Yuhang. The Computer Science and Technology team was equally impressive: Yang Bo (meticulous), Wan Lianghao (strong), Zhang Qingheng (strong from farm work), and Jiang Shuo (a top student who looked frail but had accurate shooting).

"Sixth brother, catch!" Third brother Zhang Jian made a bounce pass.

Bai Yuhang caught the ball, stopped abruptly, jumped, and flicked his wrist. The basketball drew a beautiful parabola in the air and swished cleanly into the net. When he landed, his knees were slightly bent, and instead of the soreness from his previous life's meniscus wear, they were filled with a spring-like resilience.

"Wow, Sixth Brother, you're amazing! That waist strength!" Fourth Brother Wan Lianghao, speaking with a heavy Liaoning accent, wiped the sweat from his forehead. "How come I never knew you could jump so well before?"

Bai Yuhang smiled but didn't reply, only clenching his fist tightly. The feeling of his heart pumping blood powerfully and his lungs greedily inhaling and exhaling cold air was simply too captivating. In his previous life, at forty-four, he couldn't even catch a subway ride during rush hour, let alone play a full game. Now, this body was like a brand-new car with a full tank of gas—he could do whatever he wanted with it.

After two hours, the eight young men looked as if they had just been pulled out of the water, and a lot of girls had gathered around to watch the spectacle, with some even pointing and cheering.

"Let's go! Head to the bathhouse!" the leader ordered. The eight men quickly put on their cotton-padded coats and ran off.

The school's large public bathhouse was filled with steam. Eight people stood naked, rubbing each other's backs.

"Third brother, your skin is too soft, it doesn't even get muddy," the fourth brother, Wan Lianghao, complained as he rubbed the skin.

"Gently! Do you think you're rubbing radishes?" Zhang Jian, the third brother, grinned.

Emerging from the bathhouse, everyone was radiant, feeling refreshed and invigorated, as if their bones had lightened considerably. Liu Jing, the fifth oldest, was quick on his feet and volunteered to carry everyone's washbasins back to the dormitory. The remaining seven hungry wolves headed straight for the canteen.

It was lunchtime, and the cafeteria was bustling with activity. Many people were queuing at the windows to get their food, but Zhang Qingheng, the seventh oldest, was tucked at the back. He glanced at the price list hanging at the window, swallowed hard, and finally walked to the noodle window: "Auntie, a bowl of clear soup noodles, please, extra broth, thank you."

Holding the bowl of white noodles with a few scallions and minced meat floating on top, Zhang Qingheng found a corner to sit down. Just as he was about to put the noodles in his mouth, seven people with large and small plates sat down next to him. Suddenly, four more stainless steel plates were slammed down in front of him with a "clatter".

Three Treasures of the Earth, Braised Pork Slices, Kung Pao Chicken, and Dried Tofu with Green Peppers.

The aroma wafted straight into my nose.

Zhang Qingheng looked up and saw Bai Yuhang breaking apart disposable chopsticks and handing them to Lao Wu, who had just returned.

"Sixth Brother, what's wrong with you...?" Zhang Qingheng said somewhat awkwardly, "Aren't we going to have a big meal tonight? I was thinking of saving my appetite for lunch."

"What are you saving up for? Look at your face, all sallow. Anyone who didn't know better would think we in 206 are abusing children." Bai Yuhang pushed the plate of braised pork slices towards the center, his tone casual. "Eat up, this is what the third brother insisted on ordering. He said he wouldn't have the energy to talk to me this afternoon if he didn't eat meat. I can't finish it all by myself, so everyone help share and don't waste any." As he spoke, he picked up two pieces of braised pork slices and put them into the noodle bowl of the seventh brother, Zhang Qingheng.

Zhang Jian, who was gnawing on diced chicken, looked completely bewildered. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Yang Bo, the second oldest, kicked his leg under the table, and he immediately changed his tune: "Ah...right! I ordered it! I was just happy because we won the game. Seventh brother, hurry up and eat, the meat will get tough if it gets cold."

The eldest brother, Jiao Liwei, glanced at Bai Yuhang but didn't say anything. He simply picked up a large piece of dried tofu with his chopsticks and put it in Zhang Qingheng's bowl: "Eat. Listen to the sixth brother."

Zhang Qingheng lowered his head, slurped up a mouthful of noodles, the steam making his eyes a little red, but he didn't refuse anymore and ate it heartily.

After the storm had passed, the group rubbed their stomachs and walked back.

"Don't go back to sleep when you get back to the dorm." Bai Yuhang lit a cigarette and walked at the back. "Close the door properly. Let's have a little internal meeting first. I have two dinner engagements tonight, both at Lao Chu's house. The private room next door is with some internet cafe owners. I might have to run between the two places. I'm afraid I'll forget the important things if I drink too much, so let's settle things first while we're still sober."

"So formal?" Liu Jing asked.

"It has to be official." Bai Yuhang exhaled a smoke ring, looking at the remaining snow on the university campus. "After all, starting today, our 206 will no longer be just a place to sleep."