The rental apartment wasn't far from the college—about a seven-minute walk.
By the time Zhang Yichen arrived on campus, it was already two-thirty in the afternoon. Yesterday had been the last day of enrollment, and also the day he had officially graduated. The school had given him a house as a reward, and he had agreed with his counselor to pick it up today.
But the moment he stepped through the school gates, a commotion broke out.
Some students looked at him with admiration.
Some gazed at him with starry, infatuated eyes.
Others stared at him as if he were some kind of fool.
Yesterday, during registration, his name had already spread among the new juniors.
Zhang Yichen frowned. He needed to get out of here fast—otherwise, something troublesome was bound to happen again.
"Zhang-senior! Hello!"
Sure enough, the thing he dreaded came to pass.
Just as he was about to leave, the crowd of students surged toward him like a flood, surrounding him tightly.
"Senior, do you need help with anything?"
"Senior, do you need a girlfriend?"
"Senior, let me buy you dinner tonight!"
"..."
Absurd. Completely absurd.
It wasn't even dinnertime yet—lunch hadn't even digested!
Zhang Yichen ignored them, pushing aside a few people as he continued toward the administration building.
"Hey, senior! Don't go! If you don't need dinner, don't need help, and don't want a girlfriend… then you must be looking for a boyfriend! Look at me—I'm really strong!"
Zhang Yichen's steps faltered. He nearly tripped and face-planted.
No wonder people said Sichuan Vocational Institute was full of wild characters. Now he believed it.
Turning his head, he spotted the speaker: a burly boy earnestly flexing an arm as thick as an elephant's leg. The sight was downright comical.
"Thank you for the… offer." Zhang Yichen suppressed a laugh, speaking calmly but with a hint of helplessness. "But my orientation is perfectly normal."
Then his gaze swept over the boy, sharp and assessing. "And yes, you are strong—but you really should lose some weight."
"Hahahahaha—!"
The crowd erupted with laughter. The boy scratched his head, embarrassed, and quickly dropped his arm.
Seizing the chance, Zhang Yichen quickened his pace, slipping out of the circle and heading toward the administration building.
He was used to being the center of attention, but this kind of blind worship still left him uncomfortable.
"Hoo…"
Standing before the building, he drew in a deep breath, straightened his collar, and stepped inside.
His counselor's office was on the third floor. He found the stairs with practiced ease and quickly made his way up.
Knock, knock, knock.
At the sound of permission, he opened the door.
The first thing he saw was Counselor Li Yue, seated at her desk, organizing documents.
"Good afternoon, Teacher." Zhang Yichen greeted respectfully. When it came to respecting teachers, he was never lacking.
"You're here?" Li Yue put down her papers, her tone neither warm nor cold. "Here to pick up the house, right?"
This student puzzled her.
He was a gifted prodigy, someone who should be standing at the very peak, overlooking the masses. Yet he had chosen… Sichuan Vocational Institute.
Bluntly speaking, it was a dead end.
After graduation, what could he possibly do?
Work a factory job?
Drift aimlessly in society?
Maybe sing at bars?
His major was music. In her eyes, bar singing was already the best outcome for that path.
Perhaps it was fate between teacher and student, but toward Zhang Yichen she felt a lingering hate-that-iron-does-not-turn-to-steel.
Just yesterday, she had even considered pulling strings to get him into Shanghai Music Academy.
But he had refused—flatly and without hesitation.
For reward money?
A mere five million—she could've settled that in a heartbeat.
For the house?
She could have arranged a bigger one, with beautiful roommates included.
For the orphanage?
Also trivial—she had donated a plot of land for it herself.
Yet Zhang Yichen had taken the land but rejected all her suggestions without mercy.
"Teacher, may I ask you for a favor?" Zhang Yichen spoke suddenly, not addressing the house at all. He knew she was dissatisfied with him.
"Let's hear it." Her tone remained cool.
"Teacher…" He considered his words carefully. "I don't want the house anymore. Could you help me exchange it for the shop space that used to be a gym?"
That gym used to be the school's activity room.
Because it was close to the road, someone with strong connections had rented it to open a fitness center. Unfortunately, even with those connections, the business had gone bankrupt.
Originally, Zhang Yichen only intended to apply for the school's servers. As for his company office, he had planned to set it up in the house. But on the way here, he realized the gym was the perfect place for his startup.
"…?" Li Yue frowned. "What are you planning? Turning it into another orphanage? Didn't you already take that plot of land?"
She had given the land, Zhang Yichen had invested three million for construction, and she had even lined up the contractors. The contract was just waiting for signatures.
The location was near elementary, middle, and high schools—ideal for the children. She had already done more than enough for him.
She was a model teacher—students could search the world with lanterns and never find another like her.
If he reneged now, wouldn't that make her lose face?
"Teacher!" Seeing her about to erupt, Zhang Yichen quickly explained, "I want to start a business. That location is perfect for my company headquarters."
"Start a business? Do you even know what you're talking about?" Her frown deepened.
A music major student—what did he know about entrepreneurship?
"I do." Zhang Yichen's smile was calm, his eyes brimming with confidence.
"Teacher, this is my business plan."
Before she could explode, he opened his laptop and slid it across the desk.
ChenXi Online Media Co., Ltd.
The bold title filled her vision.
Abandon traditional publicity models.
Let artists debut through the power of the internet.
Build a video platform to launch the first wave of internet celebrities.
Good heavens—this was the idea of a genius.
Such a model… she had never even heard of it before.
In other words, Zhang Yichen had pioneered it.
And just moments ago, hadn't she been doubting him?
Li Yue's face stung from the slap of her own earlier words.
"Not bad. Not bad at all." Her voice grew increasingly bright. "Boss Zhang, do you need investment? Whether it's a few million or tens of millions—I'll back you."."
After finishing the plan, she changed her tune instantly, looping her arms tightly around his.
She had a hunch—this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to soar. And she absolutely couldn't let it slip away.
"Cough, cough…" Feeling the softness against his arm, Zhang Yichen's face flushed crimson. "Teacher… it's just a small venture. For now, I'm not accepting investment."
"How could you not need investment?" Li Yue pressed her chest closer, tightening her grip. "Building a platform costs money, doesn't it?"
"Teacher…" His face grew redder as he tugged at his arm, only to find it held too tightly. Resigned, he gave up. "The platform is already built. This is my product."
With his free hand, he pulled out his phone, opened Amuse, and handed it to her.
She swiped gently across the screen, her eyes gradually lighting up.
🎵 I want to have a home…
🎵 A place that doesn't need to be luxurious…
🎵 When I am weary…
🎵 That's the place I'll think of…
As the song played, Li Yue's breathing grew rapid. It was as if she had stumbled upon an incredible treasure.
"This… you made this app?" Her voice trembled with disbelief.
No—this opportunity, she would never let go.
Once again, Li Yue clung even tighter to his arm.