Yu Shen leaned forward, his eyes bright with enthusiasm.
"...and if you look at the semiconductor sector, the signs are obvious. Supply chain disruptions will push prices up before the end of the year. Meanwhile, the consumer electronics market is oversaturated. Everyone's chasing the same trends, but the real opportunity lies in…"
Lin Feng sipped his coffee, nodding along.
This guy really doesn't stop once he gets started.
Yu Shen continued his analysis, jumping from one market to the next. The renewable energy sector. The pharmaceutical industry. Emerging fintech companies. His reasoning was sharp, and his logic sound.
Luckily, Lin Feng had certain advantages.
"What about the electric vehicle market?" Lin Feng interjected casually. "I think there might be a correction in the short term, but the long-term trajectory is still upward."
Yu Shen paused, considering this.
"You're right," he said slowly. "If we factor in policy changes and infrastructure development timelines..." He adjusted his earlier projection on the spot. "The correction could last two quarters before the rebound."
Lin Feng maintained his calm expression, but internally he was impressed.
He's actually spot on.
And more than that - Yu Shen was taking Lin Feng's predictions and refining them further. Connecting dots. Building upon ideas.
Lin Feng took another sip of his coffee.
I originally just wanted to get close to him because of his future potential. But now...
He watched Yu Shen sketch out a rough timeline on a napkin.
We might actually be able to make something real out of this.
"...and that's why I believe the domestic chip manufacturers will see significant growth within the next eighteen months. The timing is perfect for…"
Yu Shen suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
He blinked, as if waking from a trance.
"Ah." He scratched his head sheepishly. "I got carried away again, didn't I?"
Lin Feng just smiled. "No worries. It's all good."
"Hehehe..." Yu Shen scratched his head awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed. "So, uh, what did you want to talk about?"
Lin Feng set down his coffee cup.
His smile widened.
"The plan is..."
…
Lin Feng sat at the study desk, his mind elsewhere.
I secured Yu Shen.
He had told him to draft a plan. They would launch Tianji Capital together.
At first, Yu Shen seemed hesitant. Starting an actual company? That was different from just playing around with algorithms in his dorm room.
But Lin Feng knew exactly which buttons to push.
"Without a license, you can only ever invest for yourself and a few close friends. How will you reach the ordinary people you want to help?"
After just a few carefully chosen words and the right emotional triggers, the legendary corporate-hater agreed to become a corporation himself.
Ironic, really.
Of course, there were compromises. Yu Shen insisted on keeping their services accessible to common people, which meant the profit margins wouldn't look impressive on paper.
Not that it mattered to Lin Feng.
All he needed was Yu Shen himself.
While he had developed a bit more interest in investing than before, it was still just so-so. Whether Tianji Capital succeeded or failed wasn't his true concern.
His real target was the AI market.
That being said, he couldn't afford to be careless. He still needed to put in his full effort.
What if failure damages Yu Shen's confidence? What if he never enters the AI race because of it?
That would be his greatest loss.
"Lin Feng?"
Zhang Wei's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Ah, yes," he responded, returning to his senses.
"Are you even listening?" Zhang Wei asked, a hint of exasperation in his tone.
"Ah. My bad." Lin Feng scratched his head. "I got distracted for a second."
He glanced at the code on his screen, then turned to Li Jun sitting beside him.
"Why do you want to learn programming anyway?" Lin Feng asked.
Li Jun looked up from his laptop.
"I want to make games," he said simply.
Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.
"Ever since I fell in love with gaming, I've always wondered what it was like to be on the other side." Li Jun's eyes took on a distant look. "Playing games is fun, but creating them... bringing worlds to life for others to experience..."
He paused.
"I want to make games too."
Lin Feng observed him for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"That's a good dream."
Zhang Wei cleared his throat.
"Alright, let's continue."
The lesson went on for about an hour. Zhang Wei guided them through more advanced concepts - loops, functions, basic data structures. Lin Feng and Li Jun followed along, practicing on their laptops.
When the hour ended, Li Jun remained at the desk, still studying by himself. His fingers tapped away at the keyboard as he experimented with the code.
Lin Feng stood up and stretched.
"I need to head out," he said. "Teaching job."
Zhang Wei nodded. "See you later."
Lin Feng grabbed his bag and left the dorm.
…
Lin Feng walked through the streets, taking in the sights around him.
Several small shops near campus had already begun closing up. Shutters were being pulled down. "Closed for Holiday" signs appeared in windows one after another.
It seemed they were preparing for the long Golden Week break.
Well, this is good for us.
With the students stuck on campus and so few options available, even those who believed they were running some sort of MLM scheme would be bound to test the waters.
And when they did?
They would be hooked.
His group would supply them with goods throughout the entire eight-day holiday. The students would grow so accustomed to the convenience that quitting would feel almost impossible - even after things returned to normal.
He couldn't help but grin at the thought.
At that moment, his phone let out a sound.
A notification flashed before him:
[Personal account has been credited with ¥2000.00 from account ending in...]
Hmm? What's this?
He checked the account details and froze.
It was from his mom.
He remembered promising her that he would call more often. He checked the call logs and scrolled through them.
The last time he had called was almost a week ago.
"Cooked I am."