Still Got to Eat Tomorrow

When Chen Zhi pushed open the door to dorm room 404, the atmosphere inside was eerily quiet.

Normally at this hour, Guo Yang would be exchanging insults about family trees with his teammates on the Rift, Li Zicong would be flirting over voice chat with some newly met senior girl, and even Zhang Tianyang would be wearing his headphones, watching American TV shows to practice his listening skills.

But right now, the three of them were sitting neatly on their chairs, computers off, six eyes staring straight at the door.

As soon as the door opened, three gazes locked onto him in unison.

Seeing it was Chen Zhi, the three of them visibly let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Holy shit, Lao Chen!"

Li Zicong leaped up like he was launched from a catapult, rushing over to grab Chen Zhi's hand. "You scared the crap out of me! I thought you weren't coming back tonight. If you didn't, I was about to call the cops and report you missing!"

Chen Zhi yanked his hand back in disgust. "Get lost."

He glanced at these three idiots.

Damn it, were they really that afraid he was going to a hotel to hook up?

Chen Zhi tossed his bag onto the desk. "Break it up, go do whatever you were doing."

Alert lifted.

Guo Yang immediately turned back and smacked the power button on his PC. "Come on, come on, log in, log in!"

Li Zicong also sat back down, cursing under his breath. "Damn it, I thought you weren't coming back tonight. I didn't even have the mood to reply to my messages."

Only Zhang Tianyang silently turned around and stared blankly at his computer screen.

Chen Zhi glanced over his shoulder as he walked by and was amused.

He was actually playing the League of Legends tutorial. Ashe the Frost Archer was clumsily last-hitting minions on Summoner's Rift.

Chen Zhi ignored them, took his phone to the balcony, and pulled the door shut behind him.

He dialed his official girlfriend's voice call.

"Beep—"

It only rang once before it was answered instantly.

"Chen Zhi~"

Lin Wanwan loved to act cute, her voice sweet and syrupy.

"Not asleep yet?" Chen Zhi leaned against the railing, his tone unconsciously softening as he listened to Lin Wanwan's voice.

"Not yet. I just finished body posture training, and my legs are about to break." Lin Wanwan whined on the other end. "That posture teacher is so strict. She insisted my walking posture didn't have enough presence and made me walk with a book on my head for two hours... boohoo, my heels are rubbed raw."

"That bad?" Chen Zhi chuckled. "Then how about I buy some Yunnan Baiyao and mail it to you later?"

"I don't want medicine, I want kisses." Lin Wanwan said righteously. "It won't hurt if you kiss it."

"Alright, put it on my tab. I'll pay you back with interest next time we meet."

"Hehe..."

Lin Wanwan was someone who couldn't keep things to herself. No matter how tired she was, the moment she got on the phone with Chen Zhi, it was as if she had been recharged, chattering away to share the trivia of her day.

From the cafeteria's green pepper and pork dish being entirely green peppers, to the senior in the next piano room playing like he was smashing iron, to her newly bought shampoo smelling really nice.

It was all trivial stuff.

But Chen Zhi listened very attentively.

He occasionally hummed in agreement or cracked a joke to tease her, but mostly he just listened quietly.

For Lin Wanwan, these trivial shares were her way of maintaining their relationship. She broke every slice of her life into little pieces and carefully offered them to Chen Zhi, trying to fill the void of them not being at the same university.

Before they knew it, half an hour had passed.

Lin Wanwan let out a big yawn, her voice growing groggy. "Ah... it's so late. You're still working on your startup, you must be exhausted, right? Am I keeping you from resting?"

This silly girl. She was clearly so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, yet she was still worrying about not bothering him.

"Alright, you go to sleep early too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight~ Mwah!"

Hanging up, Chen Zhi looked at the adorkable avatar on his screen and unconsciously smiled.

"Click."

The sound of a lighter came from behind him.

Li Zicong had slipped onto the balcony at some point. With a freshly lit Chunghwa cigarette dangling from his lips, his rich-kid face was written all over with envy, jealousy, and hate amidst the swirling smoke.

"Want a smoke?"

Li Zicong offered the cigarette box and shook it.

Chen Zhi waved his hand and pocketed his phone.

"No thanks."

"Why? Think the cigarettes aren't good enough?" Li Zicong paused.

"It's not about the cigarettes."

Chen Zhi straightened his collar and said seriously.

"I have to make out tomorrow."

He pointed to his lips, his tone incredibly punchable. "She doesn't like the smell of smoke. If she tastes it, she won't let me kiss her."

Li Zicong's hand holding the cigarette froze in mid-air.

The night wind howled past.

A full three seconds passed.

Li Zicong's eyes visibly reddened, as if he had suffered some ultimate humiliation.

He viciously raised a stiff middle finger at Chen Zhi's back.

"Fuck!"

...

The next day.

The entirety of dorm 404 woke up early, a rare occurrence.

It wasn't because they had suddenly become diligent and eager to learn, but because this morning they had a general education class called College Student Career Planning.

As everyone knew, this kind of university-wide elective blow-off class had boring content and chill professors, making it the perfect place to catch up on sleep or game together.

But the prerequisite was that you had to snatch a seat in the last three rows.

If you went late and were forced to sit in the first row staring awkwardly at the professor, the whole morning would be considered ruined.

The guys of dorm 404 woke up early and successfully occupied the prime real estate in the back row by the window.

"Awesome!" Guo Yang slumped in his chair, letting out a comfortable sigh.

The class bell rang.

The gray-haired old professor had just opened his PowerPoint and uttered the words, Hello, students.

Chen Zhi had already skillfully pulled out his phone and opened Teamfight Tactics.

"Damn, Lao Chen, aren't you a bit too efficient? You're already playing before your seat is even warm?" Li Zicong looked shocked.

Chen Zhi didn't even lift his head, his fingers rapidly tapping the refresh button on the screen. "Fun fact: a college class is 45 minutes, which is exactly enough time for a game of auto chess."

"And what if you get knocked out in eighth place?" Li Zicong leaned over to gloat. "Looking at this round, your card dealer seems like an undercover agent sent by the enemy."

"Eighth place?"

Chen Zhi scoffed, as if he had just heard the biggest joke in the world. "I've got a god-tier opening this game, starting with three Yordles. How could I possibly get eighth?"

"What if you actually do get eighth?"

"Then I'll accept the punishment," Chen Zhi swore a solemn oath. "If I get eighth this game, I won't play for the second half of the class. I'll go sit in the front row and earnestly listen to this old man brag for forty-five minutes."

"Deal!"

Thirty minutes later.

Looking at the grayed-out Eighth Place text on the screen, along with the Little Legend that was ruthlessly taunting him, Chen Zhi fell into a long silence.

Damn the card dealer.

Damn the competitors.

There were actually three other players running Yordles!

"Hahahaha! The heavens spare no one!" Li Zicong laughed wildly. "Go on! The throne in the front row is waiting for you!"

With a dark expression, under the gloating gazes of his roommates, Chen Zhi bit the bullet and packed up his things. Hunching over, he sneaked down the long aisle and actually sat down in that empty seat right in the middle of the first row.

On the podium, the gray-haired old professor pushed up his glasses and looked at this good student who had finally found his way back, revealing a gratified smile.

For the next fifteen minutes.

Chen Zhi was forced to listen to an earful about career anchors, SWOT analysis, and the value of life.

He finally managed to endure until the class bell rang.

Chen Zhi was the first to rush out of the classroom.

Lao Chen! Where are you going? We still have a class next period! Guo Yang shouted from behind.

I have business to attend to!

Chen Zhi waved his hand without looking back, his figure quickly disappearing around the corner of the teaching building.

Holy crap, he is skipping class?

Badass. Skipping filler classes right at the start of the semester, he has really got this college thing figured out.

Li Zicong looked at Chen Zhi's disappearing back and muttered sourly, He is definitely off to see some girl. What a scumbag!

...

Ten minutes later, on the basement floor of Science Building No. 1.

This place was originally the school's backup server room, but now a simple sign hung on the door: Deep Space Technology.

Pushing open the fire door, a blast of cold air hit his face, accompanied by the humming sound of running servers.

The server room, several hundred square meters in size, was spacious and bright. Several groups of black server racks were neatly arranged, and a precision air conditioning system maintained constant temperature and humidity.

Although it was not full yet, it was already beginning to take shape.

Dai Damai was squatting in front of a server rack, holding a cable manager and frowning at a pile of fiber optic cables.

Behind him stood a few unfamiliar faces.

They were probably the new employees hired over the past few days.

The boss is here.

Someone called out.

The newly arrived senior students immediately stood up straight, their eyes burning as they looked at the young figure at the door.

Although Chen Zhi looked even younger and more inexperienced than them, in this circle, technology and resources were the hard currency. Calling someone who could secure this level of laboratory and computing power boss was definitely not doing themselves a disservice.

Senior, how is the debugging going?

Chen Zhi did not waste any words, walking straight up behind Dai Damai.

The conditions here are way better than that crappy place before.

Dai Damai stood up and dusted off his hands. Moss's current operating status is very stable. We just ran a large-scale parameter fine-tuning session, and it did not overheat like it used to.

Speaking of this, Dai Damai remembered something else and asked, By the way, boss, when will that batch of A100s arrive?

Although their current computing power was stronger than before, for the money-guzzling beast they were trying to build, it was not even enough to fill the gaps between its teeth.

They are already on the way.

Chen Zhi glanced at the logistics information on his phone. They are already clearing customs. At the latest by the day after tomorrow, the first batch of a thousand cards will be moved into this server room.

Hearing the number a thousand, the breathing of the few people present grew noticeably heavier.

You have to understand that in the year 2021, snatching some A100s from the hands of tech giants like Microsoft and Google was no easy feat.

This was no longer just a matter of money; it meant there was likely a top-tier background or investor behind him.

Chen Zhi turned around and looked at the somewhat reserved new employees.

Since you are here, you are one of our own.

Chen Zhi took out a few printed contracts from his bag and tossed them casually onto the table.

Deep Space Technology does not do that empty pie-in-the-sky nonsense. I will give you two options, you choose for yourselves.

He held up one finger.

First option, take a fixed salary. It is based on the campus recruitment standards of ByteDance and Tencent, at the Special Offer level, with all the usual benefits. You get paid for the work you do, a guaranteed win with no risk.

The senior students' eyes lit up.

For students who had not even graduated yet, this was absolutely top-tier treatment.

Moreover, the workplace was right on campus, allowing them to balance their studies without worrying about food and housing.

The second option.

Chen Zhi held up a second finger, his voice dropping a little lower.

A living allowance of only six thousand yuan per month.

A murmur of commotion rippled through the group.

They were all master's and doctoral students from Peking University; taking such a meager salary could be considered an insult.

However,

Chen Zhi changed his tone. I will give you stock options. Each person gets 0.5 percent of the original shares.

Right now, these shares might be completely worthless. But if Moss really grows up, if Deep Space Technology really succeeds...

Chen Zhi smiled and did not finish his sentence.

But everyone present was smart.

If this company possessing thousands of A100 graphics cards, backed by Peking University's resources, and holding top-tier algorithms really succeeded, what would 0.5 percent mean?

It would mean financial freedom. It could achieve a leap in social class.

Take these next two days to think it over carefully.

Chen Zhi looked at the watch on his wrist, his brow furrowing slightly. I will leave the contracts here. Once you have made up your mind, you can find Boss Dai to sign at any time.

With that, he grabbed his backpack and prepared to leave.

Boss, you are leaving already?

One of the new senior students could not help but ask. Aren't we supposed to have an algorithm seminar this afternoon?

I can't make it.

Chen Zhi did not stop walking and pushed open the door. I have an urgent matter.

Watching Chen Zhi's back as he hurried away, the new employees looked at each other in dismay.

This boss seems to be really busy.

That senior student pushed up his glasses, a hint of awe in his tone. I have only seen him once over the past two days, and he left after barely saying two words. Is this the pace of a big shot?

Yeah.

Another senior student sighed. To be able to create something like Moss, he must have to deal with countless trade secrets and technical problems every day. It is normal for him to be busy. He is probably off to meet some investor.

Listening to this bunch of juniors romanticizing Chen Zhi's business empire and busy life.

Dai Damai's mouth twitched, and he finally could not hold it in anymore.

He rolled his eyes dramatically and let out a cold laugh.

Busy my ass!

Everyone froze and turned to look at the CTO.

Senior Dai, isn't the boss going to discuss business?

Discuss business, my ass!

Dai Damai pointed at the wall clock, looking utterly speechless as he said:

He is a college freshman! If he doesn't run faster, he is going to be late for his second period Maoism class!