"This question wasn't on the test the year before last, nor last year, but I have a strong feeling it will be this year. Twelve points are right here for the taking. Whether you want them or not, that's up to you!"
On the podium, the class teacher, Lao Qin, was spouting foam as he lectured on potential exam topics.
Only 18 days left until the college entrance exam!!!
On one side of the blackboard behind Lao Qin, the countdown to the exam, written in chalk, filled the classroom with a tense atmosphere.
The worn desks were etched with many embarrassing, adolescent declarations.
Reflected in the glass window beside him was a youthful face.
It was only at this moment that Fang Yi finally confirmed he had truly been reborn.
He had returned to June 20th, 2000.
The turn of the millennium. The era of wild, untamed growth had passed; he couldn't be one of those "pigs on the wind's current." Nor could he catch the internet boom; by now, giants like Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, and NetEase had already been established.
Yet, Fang Yi wasn't flustered in the slightest. From the perspective of a reborn individual, China was brimming with opportunities at this time.
For example, next year offered an excellent opportunity to make money. If he could seize it, he could quickly accumulate assets worth hundreds of millions, or even billions, in a very short time.
But the immediate problem was how to earn his first pot of gold. Capital operations require initial investment, and often the most challenging part is securing that first bit of capital.
To achieve primitive accumulation of capital, some were forced to become "disciples cast out of Qingyun Gate" (a tongue-in-cheek reference to those who left prestigious institutions to find their fortunes), some transformed into "Doctor Ma," some went into express delivery, and others, out of desperation, chose to resell crayfish…
So, what should he do?
Before his rebirth, many online clamored about how if they were reborn, they'd take money to Lakeside Garden in Hangzhou to find Jack Ma, or head south to Shenzhen and Guangzhou to find Pony Ma.
Fang Yi merely scoffed at such ideas.
Naive.
As if the two Mas would pay attention to you just because you're waving cash.
Let's talk about Pony first. He's a genuine rich second-generation. His father and Superman Li were from the same hometown and close friends. With that kind of network, would he be short a few hundred thousand or a million from you? Even when he considered selling QQ for 600,000 yuan, it was merely a case of a second-generation entrepreneur's venture not going smoothly, making him want to quit and rest for a while, rather than the "end of his rope" situation common people imagined. Indeed, Superman Li's son, Richard Li, later stepped in to help Pony through his difficulties.
As for Jack Ma, don't even think about it. When he first founded Alibaba, Jack Ma famously said: shareholders rank only third. How much did Yahoo and SoftBank lose in the Alipay split event? Yahoo was so furious they wanted to kick Jack Ma off the board, but in the end, Jack Ma kicked them out. The grudges there alone could fill a novel.
You, a small fry with no power or influence, go invest in Teacher Ma, and he'd sell you out and you'd happily help him count the money. He dared to swindle international giants like Yahoo and SoftBank, let alone you? The final outcome would simply be being forced to cash out early, earning only a small sum, never making it to the IPO day.
Besides, with this "golden finger" of rebirth, Fang Yi felt his future achievements wouldn't be lower than the two Mas', perhaps even higher!
Of course, in this second life, making money was only one aspect. Money is endless, but more importantly, he wanted to live without regrets.
Thinking this, Fang Yi couldn't help but look up at the back sitting in the second row of the classroom.
Her long, straight black hair fell naturally, and even the simple, slightly old-fashioned blue and white school uniform couldn't hide her graceful figure.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, the girl turned her head.
When her eyes met Fang Yi's, the girl paused slightly, then naturally turned back around.
Only the faint blush appearing on her delicate, small ears proved that her heart was anything but as calm as she outwardly appeared.
Fang Yi smiled radiantly. Ah, youth!
It was truly wonderful!
…
"Ding-a-ling-ling~"
When the familiar yet strange dismissal bell rang, Fang Yi still had no clue how to earn his first pot of gold.
"Brother Yi, let's go eat!"
A voice with a Sichuan-Chongqing accent sounded from behind him, followed by a fair, tender hand patting his shoulder.
Fang Yi turned his head. His eyes met a delicate, oval face.
Beneath her ear-length bob, a pair of clear eyes peered curiously at the paper in front of him.
Her lips were somewhat thin, with a hint of stubbornness at the corners.
But when she smiled, it was exceptionally radiant, like a blooming sunflower, bright and warm.
Zhao Wanqiu!
Seeing that face again, Fang Yi couldn't help but recall the last time he saw her in his previous life.
In the hospital room, suffering from late-stage lung cancer, she had clutched his hand, softly moaning in pain, "Brother Yi, I'm in so much discomfort!"
…
"What are you doing? What are these 'Pinduoduo,' 'Taobao,' 'Alipay,' 'Meituan' things?" While he was lost in thought, Zhao Wanqiu had already reached out and picked up the paper on his desk, her face utterly bewildered.
Snapping out of it, Fang Yi reached out and gently pinched her cheek, smiling faintly: "Brother Qiu, long time no see!"
"You…"
This sudden tenderness made Zhao Wanqiu freeze, a flicker of panic in her eyes.
She slapped Fang Yi's hand away, and blustered, "Don't you dare touch me!"
Hmm?
Seeing the faint red gradually spreading across her fair, delicate cheeks, Fang Yi raised an eyebrow, his expression peculiar. "Brother Qiu, you don't actually like me, do you? I treat you as a brother, and you actually want to sleep with me?!"
"Like you? My ass!"
Zhao Wanqiu seemed cornered, her Sichuan-Chongqing dialect slipping out.
"Really not?" Fang Yi eyed her suspiciously.
"No!"
"Not even a tiny bit of a crush?"
"I said no!"
Feeling a bit creeped out by his stare, Zhao Wanqiu was furious with embarrassment and wrapped her arm around Fang Yi's neck.
It was only because Fang Yi was sitting down at that moment; otherwise, with Zhao Wanqiu's 1.6-meter height, she wouldn't even reach Fang Yi's 1.8 meters.
Their intimate gestures didn't surprise their classmates; everyone was already used to it.
Some boys, however, looked on with envy.
Although Zhao Wanqiu had a wild personality and acted like a tomboy, her looks were certainly not bad. By later standards, she would easily be considered a 90-point goddess.
If my head were hugged by her, tsk tsk…
Boys at this age, with their hormones surging, had an instinctive yearning and imagination for the opposite sex.
With his entire head hugged, Fang Yi stopped teasing her. His voice muffled, he said, "Alright, I believe you!"
Hearing that, Zhao Wanqiu finally released her arm.
Rubbing his neck, Fang Yi put an arm around Zhao Wanqiu's shoulder and laughed, "Come on, let's get Haozi. Lunch is on me today, we'll eat out!"
Zhao Wanqiu acted completely natural being hugged by the shoulder. She had been used to it since childhood.
Growing up, Zhao Wanqiu loved playing with Fang Yi and his group of boys. Especially with Fang Yi; they lived in the same residential complex and had been classmates from elementary school all the way through high school, nearly ten years of friendship.
They were both close confidantes and sworn brothers.
As for Haozi, whom Fang Yi mentioned, his full name was Shen Hao, and he was also a childhood friend who had grown up playing with them, though he wasn't in their class.
As the two walked out of the classroom, they immediately spotted Shen Hao waiting at the stairwell.
"Let's go, time to eat!"
Fang Yi slipped an arm around each of them, one on each side, and strode towards the school gate.