Reborn in 2000, starting from the university website

Let's go back to ten minutes before the start of the final.

Shi Hongchao specially invited provincial and municipal leaders who came to the stadium for inspection and tour, and amidst the adoration of the crowd, they made their way to the VIP room on the second floor of the stadium.

The VIP seats offer excellent views, overlooking the entire electrifying stadium.

Shi Hongchao stood ramrod straight, only sitting on half of the chair, his body slightly turned towards the provincial and municipal leaders beside him.

Li, the provincial vice-official in charge of the CPPCC, science, education, culture, health, and sports commissions, took off his reading glasses, looked at the group of college students waving glow sticks and shouting excitedly, and turned to Shi Hongchao with a smile: "Little Shi, I always thought your internet cafe business was shady and chaotic, but looking at you today, you're quite organized and disciplined. This is what you call... the vitality of the new economy, isn't it?"

Vice Mayor Zhang, who was also a high-ranking official, pointed to the sea of ​​people waving glow sticks below the stage and said, "You have strong organizational skills and the order on site is good. The development of youth culture in our provincial capital needs a leader like you who is knowledgeable and has the courage to take the lead."

Despite his young age, Shi Hongchao's face was already creased with smile lines as he nodded repeatedly, saying, "It was the leaders' foresight that gave us the opportunity to try."

Deputy Official Li picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said casually but with a profound meaning: "The next provincial CPPCC business sector is still short of a group leader. How can just being a member of the municipal CPPCC be enough? We need to bring this new atmosphere in and share our experience with everyone. I think your Blue Speed ​​Club is very well-organized and has great potential."

Upon hearing this, Shi Hongchao felt his heart pound in his chest. For a businessman like him who had returned from overseas and was outside the system, this was a genuine political honor.

He suppressed the urge to stand up and salute, his voice trembling slightly: "Thank you for your guidance, leader. I will definitely not let you down."

Taking advantage of the leaders' good mood, Shi Hongchao seized the opportunity: "Mayor Zhang, in order to regulate the industry, several of us leading internet cafes that organize activities have discussed establishing a 'Harbin Internet Cafe Industry Business Association' to organize the scattered operators, so as to unify management and eliminate the chaos of minors accessing the internet."

"This is great!" Vice Mayor Zhang immediately approved. "Since High-Ranking Official Li is here, our city will definitely support it and make special arrangements. Xiao Shi, you should get the framework set up as soon as possible. If you encounter any difficulties, come to the municipal administration to discuss them. With the guidance of senior leaders, we can communicate more. Alright, High-Ranking Official Li has other commitments, so it's inconvenient for us to attend the competition and awards ceremony."

Although the Blue Speed ​​Cup e-sports competition was registered with the municipal government, it was a corporate event. Shi Hongchao had to put in a lot of effort to get two high-ranking provincial and municipal officials, Li Gaoguan and Mayor Zhang, to come to the venue to show their support.

After seeing off the visiting leaders, taking advantage of the break before the finals were about to begin, Shi Hongchao led everyone back to the VIP lounge. His face was still flushed. He unbuttoned his suit jacket, plopped down on the sofa, and let out a long sigh.

Zhao Jianjun, Liu Qing, Qian Jiangnan, and the others sitting inside had been waiting eagerly.

"It's done." Shi Hongchao slapped his thigh. "The city has given its approval, and the association will be approved soon."

"Chairman..." Qian Jiangnan pushed up his glasses and asked tentatively.

"President Shi is more than capable!" Liu Qing, a boorish man with a loud voice, exclaimed, "Besides President Shi, who else has the connections to invite such a powerful figure in the city?"

Shi Hongchao didn't refuse and immediately settled the matter. When it came to the selection of the vice president, he glanced around the room and finally fixed his gaze on Zhao Jianjun, who was smoking with his head down.

"Old Zhao, you'll be the executive vice president." Shi Hongchao's tone left no room for doubt. "Your New Century team also contributed a lot to this competition. Blue Speed ​​and Qihang are an ironclad alliance. You'll have to take more care of the association's specific affairs in the future."

Zhao Jianjun was taken aback for a moment, then grinned.

He knew that this wasn't out of respect for him, but out of respect for Bai Yuhang.

Qihang Technology Company is now a leading name in Harbin's internet industry, and as Bai Yuhang's earliest partner, he holds a secure position in this role.

The remaining members, Liu Qing, Zhang Qi, Qian Jiangnan, Liu Bing, and Zhang Haoyong, were also assigned the title of vice president.

These internet cafe owners, who usually disliked each other both inside and outside the industry, were all beaming with joy at this moment.

After all, they used to be individual "internet cafe owners" who dreamed of "dead competitors" and were involved in both the legal and illegal worlds. But now, when they go out and hand out business cards, they are "vice presidents of the city's industry association," and their status is completely different.

"Alright, the titles are just for show, the money is real." Shi Hongchao picked up a paper cup from the coffee table. "This competition made all thirty-odd of us a fortune. To be honest, without Brother Bai, we'd still be haggling with students over a few dollars for internet fees."

Everyone stood up and turned their gazes to Bai Yuhang, who had just slipped into the VIP section from backstage and was sitting silently in the corner.

Bai Yuhang had an unfathomable smile on his face, holding a paper cup filled with warm barley tea.

"Thank you all for your support." Bai Yuhang stood up and didn't stand on ceremony. "Everyone makes money, and Qihang gains publicity. It's a win-win situation. After the industry association is established, we'll need everyone to stabilize the Harbin market. If we make the pie bigger, everyone can get a piece of the pie."

"Brother, you're so generous!" Shi Hongchao and Zhao Jianjun led the way, and the group of people sitting in the VIP seats toasted each other with tea instead of wine in a very solemn manner, as if to celebrate the establishment of the Harbin Internet Cafe Industry Business Association in advance.

Just then, the sound outside suddenly exploded, like a bomb exploding in the center of the stadium, even making the glass in the lounge vibrate.

"The results are in!"

The group quickly walked out of the lounge and arrived at the VIP seats in front of the stage.

On the huge projection screen, the image of "Counter-Terrorists Win" was frozen.

As the aftershocks of the last flashbang faded, the sniper from the "Five-Star God of War" team defused the C4 bomb in the final moments, securing a narrow victory with a score of 3:2.

The audience went wild, with confetti and sequins flying everywhere.

Host Liu Jing shouted hoarsely, "Let's welcome Mr. Bai Yuhang, founder of Qihang Technology, and Mr. Shi Hongchao, general manager of Lansu Internet Cafe, to present the awards to the champion and runner-up!"

Bai Yuhang straightened his suit and stepped onto the stage.

The spotlight shone on my face, and it was a bit dazzling.

A volunteer from Harbin Institute of Technology walked up carrying a tray with two neatly stacked stacks of cash on it. The champion would receive a prize of 10,000 yuan, and the runner-up would receive 5,000 yuan. The brand-new red 100-yuan bills gleamed enticingly under the lights.

In an era where the average wage is only a few hundred yuan, the visual impact of 15,000 yuan is more substantial than any trophy.

The five young men on the champion team were so excited that they trembled all over. When they received the trophy from Bai Yuhang and the heavy cash from Shi Hongchao, the captain, who was the key player in winning the game and was called "Five-Star Sniper God", couldn't help but wipe away a tear.

"Well played." Bai Yuhang patted him on the shoulder, his voice carrying throughout the arena through the microphone. "Esports is also a sport. From now on, you'll be professional players."

The cheers from the audience once again drowned out the music of the awards ceremony.

Standing to the side, Shi Hongchao looked at Bai Yuhang's excessively young back and suddenly felt a strange sense of emotion.

After tonight, the internet cafe industry in Harbin will be transformed, and the driving force behind all of this is just an 18-year-old student owner.

That night, Qihang Technology, Lansu Internet Cafe, and the term "e-sports" became legendary in Harbin.