Chapter Twenty-Seven: WB

When Zhou Jingchen walked into the department head’s office with a file in his hand, the programmers exchanged glances.

“Wanna guess what the young boss is up to?” The speaker was a chubby young man named Jia Le, only a year out of college but already the department’s technical lead.

“No need to guess. Given the company’s situation, it can’t be anything good,” replied another, a lanky fellow named Zhu Fan. He and Jia Le had been close friends since university—the kind who even shared the same “wife” in online games.

“The boss is dead, the young boss isn’t even legal age yet. What good could possibly happen to this company?” Others chimed in as well.

“True enough. Let’s just get back to work. Whatever happens, for now you’re still getting paid, so don’t just take the money and slack off,” Jia Le waved them off. He dragged Zhu Fan over to the office door, ready to eavesdrop.

Just as they pressed their ears to the door, it swung open. Zhou Jingchen sat in the chair behind the department head, raising an eyebrow. “What are you two doing?”

He recognized them at a glance—future IT industry giants in his previous life, and now, to his surprise, working at his own company.

With these two, he felt his plan’s odds of success had just improved.

“Good timing, I was just about to call you in,” the department head beckoned them inside.

“Young Master Zhou, Chief,” the future giants, now just greenhorns fresh out of school, greeted obediently.

Zhou Jingchen tossed his proposal onto the coffee table. “Take a look. It’s the company’s new plan.”

As they picked up the proposal, they weren’t expecting much. The company’s old foxes in upper management hadn’t come up with anything good; what could a teenage boss possibly offer?

But reality has a way of surprising people.

Zhou Jingchen had mapped out everything: the design and development of WB, its promotion, and its future growth—nothing left out. The two read through it and realized that, on paper at least, this was a brilliant idea. If it succeeded, the company would finally be worthy of calling itself an internet company.

“It’s a great idea, but none of our department has ever really written programs from scratch. We mostly just maintain servers. If you want them to develop something themselves, it’s going to be tough.” Jia Le, after exchanging a glance with Zhu Fan, spoke honestly about their department’s shortcomings.

Zhou Jingchen smiled. “I know, I’ve already talked to Chief Jiang about your situation. Don’t worry, you only need to pick the right people and assign staff for game maintenance. When the time comes, I’ll work with you to build this app.”

When he said he’d work with them, Jia Le and Zhu Fan dug at their ears, wondering if they’d heard right.

He didn’t mind, and repeated with a smile that he’d be leading them in developing the app.

“Um, Young Master Zhou, your plan is great, but… well, programming isn’t exactly something you just pick up…” Jia Le struggled to find the right words.

Raising an eyebrow at their troubled faces, and seeing that Chief Jiang had no intention of stepping in—content to sit back and watch the show—Zhou Jingchen considered for a moment.

“Let’s go out and have a little contest. You two write a program and I’ll crack it, or I’ll write one and you two try to crack it. Your choice.”

Seeing he was serious and already heading out, both their faces flushed. What if the young boss lost and it crushed his confidence?

Chief Jiang smiled and said, “Never underestimate anyone.”

The two exchanged looks. Could the young boss actually be impressive?

Following him out, they finally said, “Young Master Zhou, why don’t you write a program and one of us will try to crack it?”

He tilted his head at them. “You can even work together if you like.”

With that, he sat down at Jia Le’s workstation and started typing. The rest of the department gathered around, sensing a good show.

Soon, it became clear—the program the young boss wrote was incredibly complex!

Good heavens, just fifteen years old and already a programming prodigy!

Jia Le and Zhu Fan had a bad feeling—they were the ones about to get their egos bruised.

Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.

Not just them—the entire department felt humbled. After all those years of study and work, they couldn’t even hold their own against a teenager. How embarrassing.

“So, do I have the qualifications to lead you now?” Zhou Jingchen grinned, propping his elbow on the table as he looked at Jia Le.

“Young Master Zhou—no, Boss, please lead us!”

“All right, the rest is up to you. Make the arrangements. On Monday we start developing the new software!”

Zhou Jingchen stood, patted their shoulders, straightened his clothes, and left. He couldn’t help but laugh as he went—he’d laughed more in this single day back than he had in an entire year of his previous life. Teasing programmers really was fun. Though, honestly, being only one-seventy tall at age fifteen was a bit of a pain.

With the first step of his plan completed, meanwhile, Yu Qian arrived safely at the hotel arranged by the event organizers.

To ensure all contestants had enough rest—and since everyone arrived at different times—the organizers scheduled the competition for two days later, giving everyone a proper break.

She called her parents to let them know she was safe, then set about unpacking.

It was Yu Qian and Teacher Zeng’s first time in Yunjing. Both had brought extra cash, hoping to buy souvenirs or try local delicacies.

Neither felt tired, so teacher and student set out to find something good to eat.

Before leaving, Yu Qian checked her phone wallet—plenty of space left for snacks.

Yunjing was the capital; every regional delicacy from across the country could be found here. Some might not be entirely authentic, but they were still delicious, and there were many unique local specialties as well.

Buy, buy, buy! Eat, eat, eat!

Armed with a map, the two set out. If they got lost, they could always hail a cab.

Peking duck was a must, and Yu Qian discreetly packed three portions to take away, avoiding her teacher’s notice.

They also tried sweet rice cakes, honey cakes, crispy pastries, fried stuffed dumplings… After a round of feasting, both were stuffed.

“Ah, so good! I’m satisfied!” Yu Qian sighed with delight. In her past life, she’d loved good food too, but rarely went out; she’d only tasted the cuisine of her native province, never anywhere else.

“I’m so full! Let’s walk it off a bit, or I’ll collapse when we get back,” Teacher Zeng agreed, just as content.

“All right!”

They wandered through specialty shops and malls, and by the time they emerged, both were loaded down with shopping bags. Teacher Zeng was somewhat restrained, concerned about running out of money. But Yu Qian had her own little savings as well as spending money from her mother, so she bought without worry—treating herself and picking gifts for every family member, including siblings studying far from home.

Seeing Yu Qian spend money so freely, Teacher Zeng was finally convinced her family must be truly well-off. Still, she marveled at how much trust her parents placed in her—giving so much cash to a ten-year-old girl.

She thought about saying something, but for some reason, she always felt Yu Qian didn’t seem like an ordinary ten-year-old. The girl’s words and actions made her feel as though she were dealing with a peer, and so, in the end, she kept quiet.

Back at the hotel, Yu Qian sent out red envelopes before catching up on messages in her two chat groups.

The Saints’ group was its usual lively, joking self, but the Six Realms group was oddly quiet. Even when people spoke, they were cryptic; Yu Qian had no idea what they were talking about.

After skimming the few messages, she still didn’t understand. No one was in a hurry to claim the red envelopes, either—some were still unclaimed.

Yu Qian had a nagging feeling that something major had happened, and that it was somehow related to her.