Starting Closed-Door Cultivation

It was 8:30 PM, and Chen Hao was at a barbecue place called "Lost a Shoe."

Chen Hao found a seat first. Noticing his older brother hadn't arrived yet, he decided to order.

A few minutes later, his phone rang. "Come out, I need a hand." Chen Hao went outside and saw a young man standing by the road, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans – the standard attire for a tech geek. A large server sat beside him.

"Holy crap, how is it so big?"

"What did you expect? Let's get it inside!"

Duang

The server was placed on the ground. Lin Lang's face was flushed from the exertion, blood rushing to his head. "This damn thing, it's so heavy!"

Lin Lang handed Chen Hao a bag. "All the cables are in here. If you don't have a monitor, just find a used one."

He poured a beer, drank it down to wet his throat, and then sat on a chair, panting.

A small server was much heavier than a computer tower. He hadn't exerted himself like this in years, and it had worn him out.

"Where's Little Sister-in-law? Why didn't she come with you?" Chen Hao referred to Lin Lang's girlfriend as "Sister-in-law."

"We broke up~" Lin Lang said, chewing on edamame, his gaze lowered, sounding indifferent.

"Broke up? Weren't you guys fine before the New Year?"

"In my industry, you have to be on call 24/7, ready to go at a moment's notice. Constant overtime. Sometimes you get an alert call in the middle of the night about a server failure, and you have to rush out to fix it. Once or twice is fine, but arguing about it too often eventually leads to a breakup. I understand, though! After all, how many women can tolerate that kind of schedule? Plus, she works during the day too."

"Be grateful. Isn't this how it is in this line of work? At least the pay is good, and you can hone your skills. Foreign companies even offer overtime pay. In other places, overtime is voluntary, and who cares about overtime pay?"

"It's a case of wanting the best of both worlds." Lin Lang sighed and took another drink.

Chen Hao advised, "Women are just clothes, but brothers are like limbs. For a man, focusing on your career is the most important thing. If you achieve success, you won't lack a wife! Come on~ let's toast," Chen Hao raised his glass, clinked it with Lin Lang's, and they both drank it down.

A waiter brought over a large platter of grilled skewers and set it down.

Chicken gizzards, vegetable rolls, meat skewers, meat tendons, cicada pupae, and two skewers of large kidneys, all sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, sizzling with oil – it smelled amazing.

A little later, the side dishes – spicy shredded salad, smashed cucumber, and peanuts in old vinegar – were ready.

With food in their bellies, drinks flowing, the two ate and drank.

"Haozi, you seem a bit different?"

"Huh? No, it's still me!"

Lin Lang thought about how to describe the feeling. "How should I put it? The old you was like a child, always messing around. It feels like after the New Year, you've become much more mature. Your thinking and insights on issues are much more developed."

"Brother, I'm graduating soon. I can't stay childish forever. For a man, growth sometimes happens in an instant!" Chen Hao thought about his past and present life, feeling a touch of emotion.

Lin Lang gave his younger brother a strange look and raised his glass. "Looks like you've grown up too! What are your plans after graduation? Want to come work with me? I have a decent relationship with my boss, so arranging an internship shouldn't be a problem!"

After finishing his drink, Chen Hao shook his head. "My junior college isn't great, I don't want to trouble you. Actually, I've been thinking about something big lately – a Legend of Mir private server!"

Although Lin Lang didn't play games, he had heard of Legend of Mir. "I know Legend, but what's a private server? A server set up privately?"

Chen Hao gave him a thumbs-up. "Why else would they call you 'Old Brother'? You get it right away. I can set up a Legend of Mir game that's exactly the same, completely independent of the official one."

"So, like a pirated version?"

"Yeah, I spent 20,000 yuan to buy the source code. Once I optimize it, I'll launch it. It'll be very profitable! Very!" Chen Hao gestured grandly, full of passion.

"Won't there be problems, I mean, with the official company?" Lin Lang wasn't swayed by the grand vision, but he was a little worried about the risks involved.

Chen Hao peeled a clove of garlic and offered it to Lin Lang. "Don't worry. Right now, China turns a blind eye to pirated versions. As long as the public opinion doesn't blow up, it's fine. Private servers are just starting to emerge. I predict they'll be everywhere in the country within six months. The law doesn't punish the masses; they'll just catch a couple of examples to make a point. By then, I'll have already cashed out. That's the first reason."

"What's the second?"

"Shanda will need time to react. Even if they realize the severity, they'll be helpless. They can't control it, and they can't manage it! Private servers are like leeks; you cut one crop, and another grows back. It's endless."

"Is it... a licensed product?" Lin Lang mused, thinking about some of the models he'd encountered in his work.

"It's licensed. Shanda only has the operating rights for Legend, not the modification rights. The developer of Legend is the South Korean company Wemade. They make a fortune every year just from the licensing fees. What do they care about domestic hacks and private servers?"

"I think this is feasible. Go ahead and do it. Just let me know if you need anything."

"Of course. Old Brother, let's have another drink."

Wiping his mouth with a paper napkin, Chen Hao changed the subject. "Brother, right now I only need one server, but if things develop well, I might need at least two new ones later. Whatever the cost, the cost."

"Okay, just let me know in advance. I can submit an internal request and purchase them with the first batch of projects. We can get an internal price."

"By the way, what kind of architecture are your current servers using?"

"Mostly cabinet server arrays, with a small number of rack servers."

"Have you seen many blade servers?"

"Oh, you know about blade servers? Those are less common. Why are you suddenly interested in them?" Lin Lang asked curiously.

Chen Hao suggested, "Brother, you should research blade servers more. They might be useful in the future!"

"These newly released servers, I'll pay attention to them even if you don't mention it. In our line of work, you have to keep learning until you're old. A moment's slack and you'll be eliminated by new technology!"

Chen Hao thought of something. "Oh, right. My internet cafe needs to buy twenty more computers. Standard configuration, 5,000 yuan each. I'll have my dad contact you then."

"No problem, leave it to me."

After eating and drinking their fill, Lin Lang paid the bill, and the two brothers walked out arm in arm.

A server's shout came from behind, "Hey, do you two still want these iron lumps? If not, I'm selling them for scrap iron~"

The brothers exchanged a look. "Damn!"

Half an hour later, after much effort, the two of them moved the servers into the apartment Chen Hao had rented, both panting heavily.

Chen Hao and Lin Lang collapsed onto the sofa, one on each side. Lin Lang pointed at Chen Hao, laughing and cursing, "Why did you rent a place on the seventh floor with no elevator, you brat? You wore me out."

"I wanted somewhere quieter, it's so noisy downstairs!"

I worked in software in my past life. Who knew servers would be so heavy at this time.

After resting for a bit, Lin Lang got up and walked around the room. "The place is okay. If I end up working late, I'll just stay here. I'm leaving now."

He saw Chen Hao get up, lock the door, and follow him out.

Lin Lang exclaimed in surprise, "No need to be so polite, you don't have to see me out!"

"Let's go together. I'll walk with you for a bit. I didn't bring any luggage or bedding, so I'm heading back to the dorm tonight."

"I knew you wouldn't be this nice just to see me off."

"Right, here's the key to the door. Take it!"

Taking the key, Lin Lang hailed a taxi by the roadside. It was always like this – he'd rush to pay, rush to hail a cab, always looking out for his little brother.

He remembered when he was only as tall as his older brother's chest as a child, and their paternal aunt would always tease him about being his brother's little shadow. In a flash, he was now the same height as his brother.

"Brother~"

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, just calling out!"

The next day at noon, Chen Hao treated his roommates to a meal and officially moved out of the dorm. Chen Hao was the third person in their room to move out.

During the meal, the roommates became quite emotional, reminiscing about the past with laughter and sighs, and talking about the future.

The oldest roommate said they should have one last gathering before graduation, and everyone present agreed.

In the afternoon, Chen Hao moved his luggage to his new place. He then lugged two boxes of instant noodles, a bundle of sausages, and a case of Happy Water up from the supermarket downstairs!

Chen Hao took out his phone and first called his parents, explaining that his internship would be quite busy lately. Then, he called Old Ban, Big Bird, and his older brother to discuss some matters. Finally, he turned off his phone and set it aside!

He stretched his limbs and sat down in front of the computer.

Start.

Seclusion!