I'm back in 1990

Chapter 524: Jubilee

Sure enough, Zhuang Yonghua arrived as soon as Huang Xiaochuan moved into his new office.

He looked around the newly renovated office and nodded repeatedly.

"Young people always have more ideas! Professor Huang, your office is really well decorated. It not only takes into account usability and functionality, but also has a lot of artistic conception."

In fact, Huang Xiaochuan borrowed some elements from private tea rooms of later generations to decorate this office. For example, he did not use plants such as orchids and cycads that people often grew at that time, but instead used Nandina domestica, Phyllostachys edulis and some unique bonsai as display decorations.

In addition, two sticks of natural agarwood are burned every day, which not only perfumes the room but also refreshes and cleanses the mind.

In addition, Huang Xiaochuan's well-known hobby is "drinking tea".

The office naturally also has a tea table and tea set, and of course, a small clay stove with a kettle on it that steams all day long.

Huang Xiaochuan couldn't immediately guess Zhuang Yonghua's intentions upon his sudden arrival.

"Dean, what's wrong?"

Zhuang Yonghua subtly suggested to Huang Xiaochuan, "Hehe! David Young promised to donate five million to our school, right? You're quite familiar with him, aren't you? Find a suitable time to ask him when the money will arrive. That way, we can prepare a donation ceremony in advance."

When Huang Xiaochuan heard about this, he couldn't help but want to drag David Young over and give him a good beating. After saying a few words, he went back to the United States. Since he said he wanted to donate money, he should hurry up and do it.

However, according to the donation agreement signed at the time, the money should have been transferred to the university's account within a month. Only a week has passed, and the university can't wait any longer?

Huang Xiaochuan agreed to the matter: "Alright, I'll contact him later and convey your message to him."

Zhuang Yonghua quickly waved his hand and said, "This is not my idea, it's the school's idea."

After seeing Zhuang Yonghua off, Huang Xiaochuan checked the time and estimated that it was four o'clock, which was midnight on the West Coast of the United States. Without saying a word, he made a phone call to David Young.

However, Huang Xiaochuan miscalculated. On the other side of the world, David Young was having a blast! He wasn't at home at all, but was partying in a nightclub frequented by the wealthy!

Seeing that it was Huang Xiaochuan calling, he took his phone, shook off the several almost naked sexy women who were clinging to him, and left the noisy environment to find a relatively quiet place to answer the call.

"Huang, why are you calling at this hour?"

Judging from the voice, it didn't sound like he was at home. Huang Xiaochuan realized he had called too early and should have waited until after dinner to call the guy.

However, following the straightforward manner of Westerners, he spoke directly to David Young: "David, my dean just left me. He came to see me because the five million dollar donation you promised has not yet arrived. His purpose in coming to me is to urge you to fulfill your promise as soon as possible."

This is also why he suggested to Huang Xiaochuan that he wanted to find a professional manager to replace him. It's just too damn tiring; it's much easier to just focus on research and technology.

He said into his phone, "I'm really sorry, I arranged this for tomorrow. I didn't expect it to affect you."

"That's all. Have fun and a wonderful evening." Huang Xiaochuan hung up the phone after saying that.

Having just seen Zhuang Yonghua off, Ma Yifeng, Jiao Zhiyong, and An Cheng arrived at Huang Xiaochuan's new office.

"Wow, a professor is a professor. We're crammed into one office, while Professor Huang has a huge suite. Who can we complain to?" Ma Yifeng started making a fuss as soon as he entered the room.

Huang Xiaochuan gave Ma Yifeng a pair of mothballs for free: "Old Ma, if you don't shut your mouth, don't expect me to give you the photos later."

Ma Yifeng immediately covered his mouth with his hand and winked at Huang Xiaochuan, meaning he should shut up.

Huang Xiaochuan then took a moment to speak with Jiao Zhiyong and An Cheng, saying, "You two are rare guests these days! What made you decide to come see me?"

Jiao Zhiyong also resigned. Now, he and An Cheng not only run a training institution together, but also open more than ten large internet cafes. You have to know that the internet cafe business at that time can only be described as booming. The two of them made the business very successful, allowing Huang Xiaochuan and Ma Yifeng to easily receive a large amount of dividends every year.

Needless to say, all of this must have come from Ma Yifeng's loose tongue, and Huang Xiaochuan couldn't help but glare at him again.

However, he patiently explained to Jiao Zhiyong and An Cheng, "This matter is actually not complicated at all. You know Zhang Gaolei, my classmate from university? Back then, he was studying in the United States and threw a party. It was because of him that I met David Yang. As for why he came to Shanghai, he was just bored. Rich people always have some quirks. He has this problem. When he's free, he likes to run around."

Huang Xiaochuan made up a plausible reason, half-truth and half-falsehood. Otherwise, what else could he say?

Reveal your secrets to these guys? Don't be ridiculous, it might scare them to death.

Jiao Zhiyong and An Cheng believed Huang Xiaochuan after hearing what he said.

Ma Yifeng, however, was somewhat skeptical. Based on what he had seen with his own eyes, the relationship between David Yang and Huang Xiaochuan was definitely not as simple as he described, but he couldn't find any concrete evidence for the time being.

To prevent them from dwelling on the issue any longer, Huang Xiaochuan took the initiative and asked, "Old Jiao, Old An, you two don't come here without a reason. You must have something to say to me. So, what are you two up to this time?"

Jiao Zhiyong and An Cheng immediately sat up straight.

"Old Jiao, you tell us!"

"You should say it; it was your idea."

Jiao Zhiyong and An Cheng kept deferring to each other.

Huang Xiaochuan couldn't stand it any longer: "Alright, alright, it doesn't matter who says it. Speak up, what new ideas do you have now?"

An Cheng then shared some of his thoughts with Huang Xiaochuan, mainly because Huang Xiaochuan was the largest shareholder among the four of them, and this matter required his opinion. Only if Huang Xiaochuan agreed could the matter be carried out, since it would involve a large amount of the company's working capital.

The situation wasn't complicated. While running the internet cafe, An Cheng discovered that users who came to the internet cafe were very interested in emerging online games. However, there weren't many online games available to play at the moment. Only a very few Korean online games, such as "King of Kings," "Ultima Online," and "Dark Light," had entered the domestic market.

The main games played in internet cafes are still single-player or LAN games such as Age of Empires, StarCraft, or Red Alert, with CS (Counter-Strike) being the most popular online game.

An Cheng astutely realized that online games would be the main source of profit for internet cafes in the future. He broke free from the constraints of internet cafe management and had a bolder idea: to go to the home base of South Korean online game companies, negotiate game distribution with them, and obtain domestic game distribution rights.

Anyway, the company is doing very well now, with plenty of cash in its accounts. It has all the right conditions, now it just depends on whether the major shareholder, Huang Xiaochuan, agrees.

Jiao Zhiyong and An Cheng originally thought that Huang Xiaochuan didn't know much about online games and wanted to give him a proper explanation, but it turned out to be completely useless.

After hearing An Cheng's idea, Huang Xiaochuan agreed without hesitation.

Therefore, having a few worry-free partners means you can earn money with less worry.

However, if things continue like this, the history of domestic online game companies will be rewritten.

However, when An Cheng and Jiao Zhiyong arrived in South Korea, they realized that they were like mice who had fallen into a rice jar and discovered a great treasure. They didn't expect that these game companies had no understanding of the domestic market at all. This was understandable, after all, the two countries had only recently normalized diplomatic relations and exchanges between the two places were not very frequent. In addition, South Koreans did not yet have a sensory concept of the vastness and abundance of China.

Therefore, the agency fees offered by these game companies were practically dirt cheap in the eyes of An Cheng and Jiao Zhiyong.

Yue Dongxue is Lu Jingyun's sister-in-law. On this day, Yue Dongxue brought up this matter specifically when she was having dinner at the home of her cousin Yue Mingyu, who is Lu Jingyun's husband.

Although Lü Jingyun had heard some things from others and Ma Yifeng, she didn't know as much as Yue Dongxue, who was Huang Xiaochuan's personal disciple. That evening, the group of them even had the opportunity to have dinner with David Yang along with Huang Xiaochuan.

Of course, it wouldn't be a boxed lunch. We were taken to a large hotel that had been open for six months. Apparently, the hotel was owned by Huang Xiaochuan's brother-in-law.

The hotel not only served authentic Shanghainese cuisine, but also hired a famous chef from Hangzhou and Ningbo to prepare braised seafood from the East China Sea. That seafood feast that night was a real eye-opener for David Young. He realized that real Chinese cuisine was not the sweet and sour stuff you find in Chinatown, America.

However, that's not the point. The point is that Yue Dongxue is very curious about her teacher. She really wants to know how her teacher knows so many amazing people.

Needless to say, his own advisor was a recognized expert in the field of economics.

My mentor's senior, Zhang Gaolei, is the founder of a well-known American internet company. He has now returned to China and invested in a wafer production line, reportedly worth at least a billion dollars, all in US dollars.

There was also a small-eyed Uncle Ding, who was said to be very powerful. He once single-handedly swept through the stock markets of Shanghai and Hong Kong. Although he has temporarily retired from the business world, his legend still lives on.

Moreover, he has now transitioned from an athlete to a referee.

I won't even mention Uncle Wu and Uncle Chen, but why is the teacher so familiar with internet founders like Zhang Xiangguang and David Young?

When Yue Dongxue posed this question to her cousin-in-law Lü Jingyun, Lü Jingyun thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution.

She knows less than Yue Dongxue!

Thinking back to the time I shared an office with Huang Xiaochuan, I realized that this guy definitely had something different about him. At first, I even planned to introduce him to someone, but it was all for nothing. However, when I attended Huang Xiaochuan's wedding, I was truly amazed and broadened my horizons. That's when I discovered how strong Huang Xiaochuan's network of connections was. But how did he manage to do it? I really didn't know.

Yue Mingyu then slowly and deliberately expressed his opinion: "You two are really bored. Who is Professor Huang? How many people have you seen who became associate professors before they were even thirty? Professor Huang earned his position through his own abilities, and your sister-in-law agrees with that, right, Jingyun?"

Lu Jingyun nodded. She was convinced that Huang Xiaochuan had been promoted to associate professor. Huang Xiaochuan published more than a dozen papers a year, and each one was published in top domestic and foreign journals. How many teachers and professors in the whole school could do the same?

Yue Mingyu continued, "There's a saying, 'Birds of a feather flock together.' Capable people naturally possess personal charm, attracting others who are just as outstanding to gather together. Do you think what I'm saying makes sense?"

Little sister, think about it again. How have your teachers treated you? In my opinion, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they've done you a tremendous favor. Not only have they taught you academic subjects step by step, but they've also funded the registration of a company for you to manage. What is that called? That's called teaching by example. They're not only teaching you knowledge from books but also knowledge about society.

Yue Dongxue certainly agreed with her cousin's words. Indeed, as he said, which graduate student in the same school didn't envy them? Every year, the number of people applying to take the teacher's graduate entrance exam was like a swarm of locusts crossing a river. However, apart from the first year when he accepted six people, including himself, he only accepted three students a year after that.

As the teacher said, quality is more important than quantity, and these junior brothers and sisters are now being mentored by six people, including himself.

In the cold winter of that year, 1999 became a thing of the past, and 2000 arrived as scheduled.

Although 2001 was technically the true millennium, the world celebrated this new era with grand celebrations. Sydney spent a fortune on a spectacular fireworks display, London officially launched the London Eye, and 100,000 people sang "Auld Lang Syne" together.

Millions gathered in Times Square, New York, to watch the countdown to the crystal ball. When the clock struck midnight, fireworks lit up the sky, a scene captured in historical footage and becoming a classic image of the new millennium.

Meanwhile, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was transformed into the "Millennium Torch," with 20,000 flashlights simulating flames, and over 800,000 people took to the streets for a giant street party.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong also held a grand fireworks display in Victoria Harbour, and the lights of buildings in Central formed a giant "2000". Most Hong Kong citizens spontaneously held various activities to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium.

The year 2000 is followed by the annual Spring Festival of the Chinese people. Traditional Chinese people don't have much of a feeling about the year 2000, but they attach great importance to the Spring Festival, which comes once a year, especially the Zeng and Huang families this year.

Because Zhang Yun is taking the twins back to China, the Zeng family will hold a grand adoption ceremony at Huyin Garden during the Spring Festival to formally include Ya Wen in the Zeng family genealogy.

However, Yu Xiang had already discussed it with Huang Xiaochuan beforehand, which was that she would spend the Spring Festival at her parents' home with Huang Zeji and Huang Ruiying this year. Huang Xiaochuan also understood her decision, since Yu Xiang could not accept living under the same roof as Zhang Yun and those two children.

Therefore, Huang Xiaochuan decided to respect Yu Xiang's decision in this matter, since no one could face such a situation with equanimity.