Chapter 3 The Young Millionaire

en and began scribbling on the test paper.This time around, Su Cun handed in his exam rather late, nearly an hour and forty minutes into the exam. He turned in his paper right before the last twenty-m...The Third Chapter: A Young Millionaire

"Brother, am I seeing things The newly bought luxury magazine actually says that Su Can is a billionaire." With a loud smack, Tao Zhuhong flung the magazine onto the rosewood coffee table and jumped up from his seat.

Tao Cui had just finished steeping a cup of tea. He took a sip before walking over, picking up the magazine to take a look. His eyes gradually narrowed; if Su Can was merely someone with the same name, then the conclusion that he is a student at Nanda University would point directly to him. However, Tao Cui's cautious personality prevented him from jumping to conclusions immediately. He shook his head and said, "It’s unlikely it could be the same person."

"Who else could it be This kid is most adept at stirring up trouble; if not for him, I can’t even think of another Su Can at Nanda University who would pull off something like this! How come all these people named Su Can are so troublesome" Tao Zhuhong drank a large mouthful of tea in great displeasure.

Tao Zhang ran his fingers over the information he had. He thought back to Su Can’s almost abnormal behavior; if even a first-year student could analyze the loss-making situation at the aviation group and its financial operations’ flaws, compelling them to collaborate with Dage Construction in Rongcheng for mutual benefit, then whoever started such a network must be that man if they were at Nanda University. This was truly surprising.

Perhaps just this action alone would place this first-year youth on the same level as him, Tao Zhang, and Li Luo.

Tao Cui eventually turned to look at Tao Zhuhong and said, "You shouldn’t be feeling like this. If the report is true, Su Can indeed surpasses you in many ways; I hope you can learn from him. If you had such talent, Nanning Group would undoubtedly belong to you sooner or later, why would you still need to endure suspicion and criticism from so many people inside the group"

Tao Zhuhong was clearly intimidated by his authoritative older cousin and muttered, "I’m not saying I won’t learn from him; it’s just that I’m infuriated with this guy. If he is indeed the founder of Facebook, why doesn't he even have a decent car for me to smash! Wouldn’t my Ferrari be wasted on him!"

Tao Cui frowned tightly and Tao Zhuhong quickly ran away.

The image of dragging a large, heavy suitcase through the school campus along with an adult man, father, leaving behind the sound of the rolling suitcase on the ground, was something that Ran Siou’s mind often replayed when she thought about encountering Su Can at the start of term.

Because of this image, during winter break, while her father drove a Passat to take her shopping for new year clothes in the city, she held onto his hand and walked slowly through the mall. It was like how she used to drag her father’s hand tightly when she was still an innocent young girl, depending on him without letting go. Her father's hands were still thick but now visible with traces of wrinkles from age. Sometimes, she couldn't help feeling sad upon remembering this.

At times, she felt that the boy she met at the start of term, dragging a heavy suitcase across the ground like it foreshadowed the true arrival of university life, was an ordinary student who dragged his luggage comically past them and other light-footed students. At that time, there was only one sentence missing from everyone’s mouths: “It looks like a dog.”

They all naively thought he was just an extremely ordinary boy.

The result of this perception became a profound mistake in her university life.

Tang Wu came in with the sound of her door opening. Dressed in a shirt, sweater, and long-legged jeans, with her ponytail fluttering slightly as she entered any place seemingly glowing, yet Ran Siou felt an uneasiness in her heart. She could feel the silence of the other two girls in the dormitory, Cheng Congcong and Tong Tong, who also had this feeling when Tang Wu returned.

They were uneasy because they feared being ordinary; each believed that compared to others, they would be special.

Upon learning that this outstanding girl was Su Can’s girlfriend, who could avoid a pang of regret and confusion

At least when Tang Wu actively defended Su Can, Cheng Congcong had once displayed an expression of relief. Such a smile was beyond her temperament, appearance, figure, or even the fact that she had bigger breasts than Tang Wu; it signified that in at least one aspect, she surpassed Tang Wu: all the excellent boys who chased after her and were within the circle she interacted with were more outstanding than Su Can.

But reality mercilessly wiped out their last bit of pride, proving they were just as ordinary as everyone else.

In that moment, it seemed Ran Siou suddenly understood why Tang Wu was so cold and aloof like a lotus, because she was exceptionally outstanding; men become outstanding due to loneliness, but women become lonely because they are outstanding.

They didn’t have Tang Wu’s eyesight to find the most dazzling diamond among countless pieces of sand that people looked down upon.

"You're back," Cheng Congcong said.

"Mm-hmm." Feeling something was off with the dormitory atmosphere, but not questioning it, Tang Wu nodded, placed her bag on the table, rinsed her cup clean at the water dispenser and drank two sips of water.

"You only have two classes to attend. You're coming back later than usual," Cheng Congcong looked at Tang Wu and said, but her tone was not friendly.

"Had something in between," replied Tang Wu.

"Oh." Cheng Congcong smiled strangely. "Was it a date"

Tang Wu frowned slightly and did not reply to Rui.

Cheng Congcong continued, "How does it feel dating a billionaire at school"

Tang Wu gently placed her water cup on the table. She raised her head and shot a glance towards Cheng Congcong, asking, "What do you mean by that

"

The media hype had already started from some unknown time, and it was escalating further. Everyone was acutely aware of the news value in this story: a domestic teenager becoming one of the founders of an American internet startup, with tens of millions of dollars in funding making it a hot communication method among Americans that surpassed emails in convenience and effectiveness. It had become wildly popular among high school and college students in America with its massive user base and exaggerated growth rate, which could no longer be concealed.

The US Internet industry was always an international trendsetter. All events happening in Silicon Valley would attract attention from all over the world. However, it was eye-opening that one of the two founders happened to be a Chinese-American. For many people both domestically and among overseas Chinese communities, this was undoubtedly uplifting.

The first instinct for media companies upon receiving such news was that the internet commercial era had given rise to new stars after馬雲 (Ma Yun) and李彥宏 (Li Yanhong), with fresh topics finally emerging. Moreover, the shock of this news lay in the fact that one of the founders of a savior during the dot-com bubble era - which gained popularity across all American campuses - was actually a Chinese youth. Such youths were often hailed as "prodigies" and the youngest billionaires.

As stated by the Chief Editor of China Internet Reports in an interview, “We have finally managed to break into the core of America’s internet industry.”

Su Cun was well aware of the term 'praise-to-kill,' which referred to those who praised someone excessively being responsible for their downfall. He had to admit that Jian Hua's vindictive actions were attempting to completely disrupt his carefree life at school, and this felt like a low form of revenge.

Nonetheless, it indeed caught Su Cun off guard. The number of people calling him to confirm the news had been overwhelming these days, making him exhausted. He finally hung up on one of his friends' calls, cursing Jian Hua's entire family repeatedly in his mind.

Su Cun was called by his counselor Su Yi to the disciplinary office; upon arrival, he saw a news vehicle leaving from outside the office.

Entering the room, Su Yi was at her desk. She put down her pen when she saw him and gestured for him to sit down.

Su Cun sat down as instructed by Su Yi, who personally got up to fetch a cup of water for him. Holding it, he felt rather uneasy sitting on the sofa.

As expected, Su Yi said bluntly, "Today I’ve already turned away two groups of media that wanted to interview you." Su Cun responded with an "Oh," and said apologetically, “Sorry.”

Su Yi sat back down, staring at him somewhat blankly. She then continued, "No matter what kind of achievements you have now, remember to keep your head clear and understand where you stand."

Feeling that her advice was weak, Su Yi added, "Actually, I'll let it be up to you. If you want to study, continue doing so; if not, take a leave of absence for your business. It’s entirely up to you."

Su Yi laughed at herself upon finishing this statement, as she had seen many senior students start businesses while in university and skip graduation exams altogether due to their achievements. But she had never encountered someone so young who could reach such heights like Su Cun did. Her advice now might be superfluous; perhaps it was best to let the student decide for himself.

Su Cun nodded in understanding.

Su Yi took out a cigarette, offering it to him. He declined with his hands, and she lit one herself, sitting on her desk with one leg dangling out, looking similar to how she had when she was still a student eight years ago. She took a deep breath and said, "But I suggest that if possible, you complete your education."

Pausing for a moment, Su Yi smiled and added, “I don’t want it to be the case that at our graduation ceremony, people only hear about you but never see you. If someone asks me whether Su Cun is one of my students, I wouldn’t have the face to say ‘yes’ if they knew he had only been a freshman.”

"This is just an unexpected event," Su Cun smiled and mentally raised his middle finger at Jian Hua. "Some well-meaning media must have disclosed some information, which has affected my current life; the four-year university period should still be cherished as美好的時期 (a beautiful time), so I hope to minimize its impact."

Su Yi nodded in agreement and finished her cigarette, concluding, “If you can join a Nan Da alumni club, do it. This is good for our school too.”

Su Cun could only agree inwardly knowing that the alumni association had likely already informed their department about this. Su Yi wouldn't have specifically mentioned it otherwise.

In one of the meeting halls in the Mathematics Building, this space was now being repurposed for special use.

Around the round table, Su Cen was sitting there, beside him were members of the Nan University Stitches Club, including Mo Xue, Liu Menghui, and Liang Qinghe, these three high-ranking officials from the club whom he had previously seen. There were also another seven or eight individuals who seemed to be important figures within this club, generally either in their senior year of university, graduate students, or even doctoral candidates.

This was basically all the high-level backbone members of the Nan University chapter of the Stitches Club within the campus. Not only did it include two committee members from the executive council, but there was also the current vice president managing the Nan University branch, Zhang Yaqi, who is in her senior year studying both bachelor's and master’s degrees concurrently.

The club management had three branches: one organizing activities within the Shanghai member range for the Nan University campus chapter; another organizing annual meetings and some representative conferences nationwide; and a third branch in North America responsible for connecting overseas Nan University alumni. Club leaders were all successful entrepreneurs with prestigious reputations domestically.

Su Cen's mobilization of these club members from within the university was already quite formidable.

When he was summoned over, Su Cen thought it was to be expected. As soon as he arrived, those club leaders who were usually very domineering at school shook hands with him enthusiastically.

Liang Qinghe, who still had some animosity towards Su Cen, did not forget to point out that exposing a person of his status might make the university seem overly commercial. His underlying meaning was that running this semi-commercial club model was fine, but doing it himself without joining wasn't acceptable.

But before Su Cen could refute him, several high-level club officials quickly changed the topic.

Taking advantage of this slight diversion, Liu Menghui turned to look at Su Cen and said, "You really co-founded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg When do you plan on transplanting it into a Chinese version"

Back during the Christmas party, Liu Menghui had been one of those extremely interested in this matter and also very impressed by the founder of Facebook. Now that he was face-to-face with Su Cen, he naturally felt rather silly about what he said to him previously; however, now he openly expressed his admiration for Su Cen.

Su Cen smiled and replied, "Next step."

"I'm extremely interested in this. May I join"

"Let's find a time to talk about your thoughts on it, okay" said Su Cen with a smile.

Liu Menghui gave him an expression that seemed to say "It’s you," and he made a sign of partnership with his hand. "Alright then, boss."

Moxue looked at Su Cen carefully, feeling that the reality was quite surprising. Initially inviting Tang Wu into the club, but when Tang Wu asked for Su Cen's inclusion as well, she had tried to persuade her brother Tang Hang; because there was a relationship between their families and she was required by elders to stay in college, she went through great lengths to get Tang Wu involved; whereas it seemed impossible concerning Su Cen, and she hoped that Tang Wu wouldn't give up on these things beneficial for her due to him.

But now, many high-level figures of the club gathered together with the sole purpose of persuading this young man in front of them to join their alumni association. After all, the forward-thinking leaders of the club had realized how much prestige and face it would bring them to have the founder of Facebook among them.

Su Cen didn't bother listening to the president's endless talk about the club’s long history and fine traditions; he simply nodded and said, "I agree. I'll join."

The crowd was clearly stunned. President Zhang Yaqi then said, "Are you really sure Joining is a voluntary and solemn matter. And last time when we had Mo Xue come over, you refused Lin—"

"Alright, last time was last time. Last time I hadn't been exposed by the Three Links Weekly yet; all of you just wanted me to join then, right I agree now. I have classes in the afternoon and need to leave first. We can talk about this later."

Su Cen looked at his watch and stood up to say goodbye.

The crowd stared blankly at him as he left; some of them, who had been twirling their pens, finally put them down on the paperboard. This was probably one of the most charismatic members in front of these alumni entrepreneurs from the club's leadership.

,

There were two hundred people in this large lecture class, but the main lecturer seemed to be struggling as there were countless people densely packed into his classroom.

The surrounding students kept pointing at Su Cen, which he could generally handle calmly.

In Room 602, Xu Xiao sat with three other roommates lined up in a row. Xu Xiao was on the outermost side of them; across from him were many girls who had been chatting eagerly just now. In fact, Xu Xiao was poked by a girl behind him and turned his head to notice these girls looking at him. Instantly, Xu Xiao felt his heart racing with excitement and smiled broadly; however, when one of the girls stepped forward as their representative, she firmly asked Xu Xiao: "Do you know Su Cen"

Xu Xiao felt like he'd been doused in half a basin of cold water. But still smiling professionally, though somewhat stiffly, and with pride, he replied, "Yes, I do. He's my friend."

Su Cen felt a poke on his waist. Turning around, Xiao Xiu across from Zhang Xiaqiao poked him and then passed him a note.

Su Cen opened the note, which read, "Are you Su Cen"

Following Xiao Xiu's indication, he nodded at the source of those girls.

The girls exchanged giggles as another piece of paper was passed over. This time, everyone from Room 602 leaned in to see it.

"We really like that website and we believe in you! Keep up the good work."

Most people from Room 602 looked at Su Cen with a "tsk tsk" expression. All Su Cen could do was turn around once again and nod.

This was just the tip of the iceberg.

The incident led to a big celebration between Tang Wu's dormitory and Room 602, but Su Cen couldn't understand why there was anything to celebrate. Plus, he had to explain that Facebook wasn't profitable yet and required investment. Nevertheless, he spent quite a bit of money treating everyone to dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

It took some effort to assuage people's anger.

The group got drunk. At one point, Xiao Xiu raised his glass with red eyes and said to Su Cen, "I'm just a kid from the countryside. I used to think that after graduating from this university, if I worked hard for ten years, I could marry a Shanghai girl, raise a chubby son, and be on the same level as you city kids when we drink coffee together. But now there's no way in hell I can do it."

Su Cen patted his head and said, "You're talking nonsense. You can have coffee with us anytime."

That night many people got drunk. Cheng Congcong drank a lot and pointed at Su Cen to her fiancé Ren Weiming: "When will you catch up to where Su Cen is"

This made the situation somewhat awkward.

The crowd staggered back to campus that night.

However, under a long bench in the dormitory area at night, Tang Wu and Su Cen didn't return to their dorms but sat down for a rest instead.

Tang Wu said, "You went to America during your holiday to raise funds from Peter Thiel" She only learned recently through Cheng Congcong that Facebook was in the news and its founder had been exposed as a billionaire.

The dorm continued pestering them for a treat, but Tang Wu felt her dorm mates were deeply impressed by this news. Their spirits seemed elevated.

"Yes," Su Cen smiled. "I said I wouldn't hide anything from you regarding the magazine article. When I came back from America on winter break, I just mentioned it briefly. Facebook is worth a lot of money indeed, but don't believe that I'm already a billionaire because of what the media says. In fact, at this moment, I haven't received any profit or benefits yet and even need to continue investing in it. The sum will be astronomical for its expansion. And I'll still have to work hard for it."

"Is that a lot of money"

"Yes," Su Cen nodded.

"I believe I can help you." Tang Wu paused and said resolutely, "I can persuade my father too." She added in the moonlight, her lips slightly pale as she continued softly, "I don't blame you for not telling me. It's just that I thought about what you've told me before—our lives will change no matter how it happens. Whatever our future looks like, I'll be by your side."

Su Cen felt his heart move slightly as he stared at Tang Wu under the night sky with dim lights. Students were walking to and fro around a small shop and a phone booth nearby. In this midnight when he was exposed as a billionaire, everything remained calm, life flowed slowly.

"No," Tang Wu sensed something but couldn't resist as Su Cen embraced her waist. She felt his hot breath and the smell of alcohol on him, and her body and heart softened to let him take whatever he wanted.

The final two chapters have finally arrived! It's late at night; I feel relieved now. Salute to those who got up early to read today and stayed up waiting for updates!speak to an unknown boy in this mannerHow could that be I feel like simply appearing before you goes against my previous promise. Now, it seems better; it should be more special. Small. Without carryi...