In the bustling city, where everyone was rushing to work, Sun Dasheng stood at a street corner near Marumi’s headquarters, pondering his next move, how to meet his old classmate, now the CEO. That morning, when Lin Feng called, Sun Dasheng was so excited he nearly choked up, yet he pretended to be doing well, working at some big company, spouting a lot of nonsense. He thought Lin Feng would invite him out to meet, but after a few lackluster exchanges, the call ended abruptly.
In school, Sun Dasheng had acknowledged Lin Feng as his leader, but he never truly respected him. He used Lin Feng’s name to swagger around school for a while, not understanding why his previously unremarkable desk mate had suddenly become influential, yet chose to remain low-key, which irked him. If he had such power, he certainly wouldn’t waste his youth in school.
Who would have thought that when he still despised Lin Feng for being timid and not manly enough, this guy would shock everyone by suddenly making a name for himself, charging all the way to the capital, and transforming into the renowned CEO of Wanmei Corporation, a big boss worth billions. What a realm this is! After this news spread, the entire Yushan City was abuzz with excitement. Yushan High School, in particular, benefited from Lin Feng’s fame, becoming well-known nationwide overnight. Even an ordinary student from Yushan High School felt as if they were also enjoying the success of one of their own, walking with their backs straighter. Among them, the most envied was Class 5 of the third year, especially Sun Dasheng, who had once been Lin Feng’s lackey for so long. What everyone envied the most, however, was Lin Feng’s super hacker identity, which had been exaggerated to mythical proportions outside. Moreover, due to Lin Feng’s bold use of his hacking skills to create a storm of disruptive text messages while pursuing the school beauty Wang Xiaoyun, coupled with the fact that this once despised underachiever Lin Feng had now transformed into a phoenix, leaping over the dragon’s gate, becoming a wealthy young CEO worth billions, people firmly believed that Lin Feng was a once-in-a-century super hacker, a legendary figure transcending eras. Sun Dasheng, basking in the glory of being Lin Feng’s lackey and desk mate, also became momentarily famous, with juniors and seniors unable to seek Lin Feng’s guidance, all turning their attention to him. Sun Dasheng was also intoxicated by the feeling of being pursued by thousands, and when others came to him for advice on the so-called advanced hacking techniques, he, eager to show off, immediately agreed without thinking. After the college entrance exams and the arrival of summer, the troubles Sun Dasheng had brought upon himself with his loose tongue finally erupted. For four or five consecutive days, his home was constantly crowded with eager students, all coming to seek IT knowledge from this disciple of the young and wealthy CEO Lin. Moreover, somehow the news had leaked, and not only students from Yushan High School but also those from other schools, even from outside the area, came to his home to humbly seek his guidance. The power of an example is immense. In a small place like Yushan City where even losing two cents could make news, Lin Feng, the underachiever, had overnight become a golden icon, a beacon of success. People, eager to learn his skills, were going crazy at the slightest hint of an opportunity. Sun Dasheng, in his eagerness to impress, had agreed to teach others hacking techniques, but he himself was only semi-literate, mainly skilled in playing online games. When he admitted he didn’t know, no one believed him, thinking he was deliberately setting up obstacles, fearing for his own future job security. Thus, he found himself in big trouble. Not only was the normal rhythm of life at the Sun household completely disrupted, but rumors began to spread, saying that Sun Dasheng was planning to open a ‘Dark Academy’ where only those who paid high tuition fees could receive his true teachings. More bizarrely, it was said that Sun Dasheng took advantage of this opportunity to force himself on several pretty girls, some of whom had been with him multiple times, and some had even had abortions. Initially, no one took these rumors seriously, but the vivid descriptions made the rumors spread like wildfire. Eventually, Sun Dasheng’s identity changed overnight; he became known as a super rogue who, with his little skill, was out to swindle and scam for money. The Sun household turned into a den of debauchery, and due to these unsavory events, Sun Dasheng, who had never been far from home, was kicked out by his furious father. Carrying three thousand yuan secretly given by his mother, this seventeen or eighteen-year-old embarked on a journey to the capital. His mother instructed him to find his old classmate in the capital, to learn some real skills from him, so everything could return to normal upon his return. His mother thought it was simple; after all, her son had been Lin’s desk mate for three years, and with some effort, he could learn a trick or two to make all these troubles disappear. But how could she understand her son’s mindset, his embarrassment, and his helplessness? Upon reaching the capital, Sun Dasheng encountered the infamous scam artists and was swindled out of all his money, left to roam the streets, almost begging for a living. Eventually, he found his way to the Wanmei Corporation’s headquarters, seeing his former boss, now the owner of this magnificent building, he felt utterly ashamed and couldn’t bring himself to face his old classmate. The chance to receive a call from his old classmate this morning came after he met a kind-hearted girl working in the building, who, after confirming he was indeed Lin’s classmate, asked for his contact information. Sun Dasheng, with no contact details to give, quickly thought of a nearby public phone number. The girl, perhaps guessing the location of the number, smiled gently without exposing him. Grateful, Sun Dasheng asked for her identity, but she only said she was an employee under Lin and promised to pass the number to him, urging him not to miss the chance. She said nothing more.
If Sun Dasheng had known he would get that call from that bastard in the morning, he wouldn’t have boasted about how well he was doing. Karma strikes those who pretend; now, instead of being struck by lightning, he was facing hunger. “Oh, mom, I’m so miserable!” Thinking of his plight, Sun Dasheng suddenly let out a strange cry to the sky, startling passersby who thought he was a mad homeless man.
A few mischievous children, having somehow discovered such an interesting target, gathered small stones and pieces of tile to throw at him for fun. Sun Dasheng was in no mood to argue with these naughty kids, so he pretended to scold and threaten them a few times before letting it go. After letting out a few bizarre cries to the sky, his pent-up frustration eased a bit, and he continued to scratch his head, pondering his next move. Just then, there was a creaking sound as a black sedan pulled up right behind him on the curb. Thud~ Thud~ The car doors opened and closed, and two men got out. Initially, Sun Dasheng had no interest in paying attention to them, but their conversation caught his ear, and he couldn’t help but perk up. He quickly turned around and took a closer look, realizing that the two men looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before. His mind raced through his memories like a fast-forwarded movie, and in an instant, he remembered that these two had appeared on a news program on Yushan City TV, where they were described as two capable executives of the former Marumi Company president, Qin Jian, namely Ouyang Ce and Sun Chen.
