Chapter 2

Translator: Atlas Studios

Editor: Atlas Studios

It took half a day to finally go through all the withdrawal procedures. And to Ren Hong’s surprise, the moment the procedures ended, Director Yu called to inform him of news about the vacant classroom. The school had decided to rent the vacant classroom to him, charging a monthly rent of 18,000 RMB, which was a very fair price. If one were to rent an office of this size in this location, 18,000 RMB was by no means possible. It was apparent that Ren Hong had Director Yu’s support, and the former was thankful for that.

Standing in front of the gates of Tsinghua University, Ren Hong scanned the campus, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, before opening them again.

“From today onwards, the world will change because of me!” he whispered to himself, his heart passionately pounding despite his calm gaze. After looking at the university for a while, he shifted his gaze away. The next thing he had to do was to go forward and register his company.

The country encouraged university students to start their own businesses, but Ren Hong wasn’t too interested in their supportive policies. He was confident about the profitability of his company, and the reason for carrying out his plan was that he noticed one of the supportive policies, which was a three-year tax exemption.

He prepared one million RMB as the initial registration capital for the company, which was tentatively named ‘XlouS’ (pronounced ‘Cyrus’), an internet technology company. The moment he walked out of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, a great technology giant was born. XlouS was the name that would accompany its founder, Ren Hong, in making their names around the world.

With excitement in his heart, Ren Hong returned to Tsinghua University, went to Building 003, went through the relevant formalities, and paid the first month’s rent. He took the key and entered classroom No. 317.

He was the only one around, standing at the front of this moderate-sized classroom. Although the surroundings were quiet, his heart wasn’t at peace at that moment. He looked around silently, closed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth subconsciously lifted into a smile.

“This is the place where my dreams set sail!” His voice wasn’t loud, but it clearly resounded in the quiet room.

All of a sudden, his phone rang and the ringing echoed throughout the classroom. Ren Hong widened his eyes and answered it after looking at the caller ID. In an instant, he heard an untrammeled voice: “What the hell, man! I just got back to the dorm room and found out that you’ve withdrawn from school. What’s going on? Why did you go without a word? Our bros are upset! Really upset! Extremely upset!”

“Put it aside for now, come to Room 317 of Building 003 of the western courtyard; I’m here.” Ren Hong said insightfully. The voice blaring from the phone’s speaker belonged to one of his few good friends, Zhang Han. Ren Hong didn’t participate in many social activities after entering Tsinghua University. In the eyes of his roommates, he was a top scholar. Not only was he in the Computer Science major, but he was also interested in other majors. Ren Hong spent most of his free time in the library, and if not for the fun and humor he displayed during occasional conversations with them, they would have thought that he was suffering from depression.

“What are you doing there?” The voice became confused.

“I rented a classroom,” Ren Hong said with a chuckle.

“What?! Wait for me, I’ll be there right now!” The voice exclaimed, and the call hung up immediately after.

After a few minutes, Zhang Han arrived at Room 317. Upon stepping into the classroom, he exchanged looks with Ren Hong.

“Step aside! What’s with that look!” Ren Hong felt a chill run down his spine upon witnessing the odd look in his friend’s eyes.

“Say, Bro, you suspended your studies and rented a classroom. Are you about to start your own business?” Zhang Han asked curiously. If this wasn’t starting a business, what could it be?

“That’s right! I’ve registered a company, XlouS.” Ren Hong nodded with a smile.

“Seriously? Are you really gonna start a business?” Zhang Han gaped at his buddy. “Man! Didn’t you hear that saying? Entrepreneurship equals death! Do you know how tough it’s gonna be? Although there are people who succeed, most of them fail miserably.”

“I’m sure I’ll be one of the ones who succeeds,” Ren Hong said, full of confidence.

“No matter what, I admire you, bro.” With a thumbs up, Zhang Han said.

“Oh, by the way,” Ren Hong replied.

“What?” Zhang Han responded, looking at the room aimlessly.

“Are you interested in joining my company?” Ren Hong looked at his close friend with anticipation.

“Huh? I have no intention to suspend my studies. If my father learns about this, he would break my legs,” Zhang Han said, thinking that Ren Hong was trying to convince him to suspend his studies.

“No one asked you to suspend your studies. What I meant was to have you guys over to help me. I need your expertises. Even though you guys aren’t as good as me, you guys are still considered outstanding. I’ll definitely pay you guys a fair salary.” Ren Hong explained.

“Say, are you asking for my help or personally attacking me?! I admit that your skills are better than mine, but just a little better…” Zhang Han retorted with displeasure.

“Alright, alright! My bad. Great future technology engineer, I hereby officially invite you to join XlouS.” Ren Hong said with a smile.

“That’s more like it! It feels much better hearing that. In that case, I’ll reluctantly agree!” Zhang Han crossed his arms and showed a proud grin. After a moment, he casually said, “Oh, one more thing. You made a huge mistake.”

“Mistake?” Ren Hong looked at him in confusion.

“You start a company, so us, brothers, have the obligation to help you. Forget about paying us the salaries, you don’t even have much money at the start of the company.” Zhang Han said as though representing all of their close good friends!

“No! I will still pay you guys the salary. It’s a matter of principle, and your objection is invalid.” Ren Hong replied.

“Bullsh*t! I’m going to have to represent all of them now. Listen, us taking the money means giving up on our friendship. The few of us aren’t here for the pittance, so that’s also a matter of principle for us, isn’t it? Otherwise, you’re better off searching on the job market!” Zhang Han added, “Would you take my money if I started my own company?”

Ren Hong didn’t answer immediately. He took a deep breath and pondered. Zhang Han’s unperturbed tone was full of sincerity. In this world, it was precious and almost extinct, but he had it. It was apparent that Ren Hong’s company hadn’t seen such prospects yet, and Zhang Han’s words definitely didn’t contain other intentions. He was purely trying to help without expecting anything in return.

“I wouldn’t,” Ren Hong eventually said.

“That’s it then,” Zhang Han replied, before speaking with a leisurely tone all of a sudden. “These days, everyone has become a slave to money, giving up the best things in this world for profit. How many are truly happy in the end when they get it?” Zhang Han looked at Ren Hong and smiled. “I’m not bragging, nor am I pretending to be someone noble. A man has to be honest and straightforward with his true intentions. Everyone has their own choices and there is no right or wrong in the choice itself. It’s only the thing or matter you choose that is wrong.”

“The onlooker sees more of the game,” Ren Hong smiled. After founding the company, he immediately subbed himself into the role of a boss, making moves that were also that of one. He almost forgot that while this approach might work effectively on others, it would never work on his close buddies. What he did earlier was indeed a bad move.

Friendship was more precious than money.

Money could be found anywhere, but true friendship was too rare and often hidden too deep, where it was hard to tell what was real and what was not. Ren Hong thought he was lucky to have met a few people who cherished personal loyalty. Or rather, they were all fortunate people.

“It’s my treat tonight! Get all of them on board and let’s get the work started soon. I can’t wait,” Ren Hong said with a chuckle.

“Ha! If you weren’t the founder of this company, I would have given you a good bashing.”

The two close friends joked and teased, before leaving the building together.

It was apparent that the roommates were bewildered by Ren Hong’s sudden move to start a company. They never imagined that the star student, who had been soaking in the library all day, would pull such a big move. They didn’t even have time to react.

“Say, bros, what do you guys think?” Six young men sat around a table in the restaurant. Ren Hong was generous. He ordered a table full of food and drinks, treating them to as much as they liked.

“Think? What are you talking about? There’s no need to think! We’ll do it!” Chen Kai replied with a chicken drumstick in his mouth.

“Heh, I was still thinking of officially joining the company after it expanded!” Zhou Hui joked.

“Of course, you can!” Ren Hong said, smiling broadly.

“XlouS! Change the world!” Ren Hong raised the glass high and announced.

“Change the world!”

With the exception of Ren Hong himself, the rest didn’t know until later that this would actually become a reality.