"Xiaoyu, Sister Zhao's calling…"
On the way to campus, the voice assistant from Xiaoyu's phone chimed. She answered quickly, then hung up after a brief exchange.
"What did Zhao Min want?" Chen Mo asked casually.
"She said the principal and your professors are waiting for you at the school gate," Xiaoyu replied.
"No way?"
Chen Mo chuckled. The principal and teachers coming out to welcome a student? That was overkill. So much for arriving quietly—no way he could ghost the school staff now.
"Why not?" Xiaoyu rolled her eyes. "You just donated 20 million to the school. Of course they're going to treat you like royalty."
Their car soon pulled up to the main entrance of Binhai University.
A crowd had already gathered—faculty, students, even a few student reporters with cameras in hand. And right at the center of it all stood the university's principal and several prominent professors.
"Looks like so much for staying low-profile," Chen Mo muttered, stepping out of the car with Xiaoyu.
Wearing simple, casual clothes, Chen Mo looked no different from any regular university student. Murmurs rippled through the crowd—everyone was trying to figure out who he was and why the university leadership had shown up in force.
"President Qiu, this is Chen Mo—the chairman of our company, and a student of your university," Li Lingfeng introduced.
"Chen Mo, welcome back!" said a distinguished-looking middle-aged man in glasses, offering a warm handshake. His name was Qiu Guofeng, the president of Binhai University.
For most students, President Qiu was practically a myth—seen only during opening ceremonies. Seeing him now in person, just for one returning student, was shocking.
Beside him stood other familiar faces: Dean Yang Xiaodong of the Physics Department, Chen Mo's advisor Professor Li Hong, and several vice principals and department heads.
"Principal, Dean, Teachers," Chen Mo greeted them politely, a bit awkward under all the attention.
"You're young and incredibly accomplished," President Qiu said, visibly pleased. "The school is proud to have a student like you."
"Thank you for your kind words, sir. I'm just doing my best," Chen Mo replied, forcing a modest smile.
"Teacher," Chen Mo turned to Professor Li Hong, his former advisor. It was under her guidance that he had applied for an entrepreneurial leave of absence.
"I never imagined you'd become a billionaire CEO so quickly," she said with genuine joy. "Back then, I thought you were just trying out a small business. Who would've thought the legendary Marching Ant Company was your doing?"
"I'll always be your student, no matter where I end up," Chen Mo replied.
"Let's not stay out here too long—too many people around," Dean Yang said, glancing at the crowd. "Let's go inside and talk."
As the group headed into campus, Binhai University's social media exploded with rumors and speculation.
Meanwhile, in the boys' dormitory…
"Hold up! Everyone stop playing for a sec," Pu Yuan shouted, eyes glued to his phone. "Look at this. This is Chen Mo, right?"
"Huh? No way!" said Fatty Zhu Gang, pausing mid-game. "Wait... yeah, that's him. Isn't that his girlfriend next to him?"
"Yep. Remember last semester? Chen Mo was running a computer repair booth in the food street, and his girlfriend used to bring him meals all the time. I saw them together more than once," Zhu Gang confirmed.
"Wait, I've seen her before too," chimed in Liu De. "She's the assistant to the president of Marching Ant Company. I saw her in an interview once."
"…Hold on," said Niu Lei, the muscular one in the group. "You mean Chen Mo's the chairman of the Marching Ant Company?"
Everyone in the room went silent.
"The Marching Ant chairman's name is Chen Mo," Pu Yuan said slowly. "And now our Chen Mo shows up in a luxury car, greeted by the principal himself. Too much coincidence, don't you think?"
The dorm erupted in gasps.
Of course, it didn't take long for the entire campus to connect the dots. Within hours, a post appeared on the university forum:
"Chen Mo, Chairman of the Marching Ant Company = Our Senior Chen Mo!"
The thread laid it out logically: same name, same girlfriend (identified as the assistant to the president), and a reception from the principal and top faculty. The clues were clear.
Only someone of that caliber—like the real chairman—would warrant such a welcome.
The thread exploded across the university's forums and social circles.
"I refuse to believe the chairman of Marching Ant is actually one of us. This has to be a joke!"
"Believe it. I worked part-time in the food street. I used to see Chen Mo at his repair stall. His girlfriend brought him meals all the time. They were super sweet. I got fed dog food on the daily."
"Legend feels way too close to home now."
"I'm one of his classmates. Our group chats are going insane right now."
"I'm Xiaoyu's classmate. She really is the president's assistant at Marching Ant."
"Screw it. I'll be his mistress."
Screenshots, theories, and photos flooded everyone's timelines.
And it wasn't just campus chatter anymore.
Soon, someone forwarded the post to Weibo, and the broader internet caught wind of it.
The Marching Ant Company had long been a tech giant in China, but its founder had never once made a public appearance. He was a ghost—no interviews, no press, just success after success. People had speculated endlessly.
Now, it looked like that ghost had a name. And a face.
And he was just a college senior.
In minutes, the news went viral.