The director was more than happy to agree. After all, in her eyes, nothing mattered more than the children from the orphanage supporting one another.
After Jin Xia and the director chatted a little longer, Jin Xia left the hospital.
To her surprise, when she added Bai Qiao as a contact, he accepted almost instantly.
He sent her a message: "Xia?"
"There's something I'd like to ask you about."
Jin Xia was in no mood to make small talk with Bai Qiao.
She was eager to confirm one thing: had Sound Rhythm Jump not been founded yet?
Jin Xia could find no information about the company online. Her memories were a little hazy, and she could not quite remember whether Douyin had launched in 2015 or 2016.
"What is it?"
As always, Bai Qiao maintained the terse style of a science-and-engineering guy.
"Have you heard of Sound Rhythm Jump?"
Holding her phone, Jin Xia typed out the question with a heavy heart.
After all, ten years later, Sound Rhythm Jump could be counted among the leading conglomerates with a grip on AI.
It was supposed to launch within the next two years. There was no reason there should be no news of it at all.
"No."
After sending that reply, Bai Qiao followed up with another question: "Have you run into some scam company? If I remember correctly, you're just starting university this year. It shouldn't be time for an internship yet, right?"
"I was just asking."
Jin Xia turned off her phone screen.
Her mind raced the whole way home.
As things stood, she was only making small sums of a few million. There were far too many people she wanted to help, and this little money was just a drop in the bucket.
To make serious money, she would naturally have to follow a path others had already taken.
Bai Qiao was her only connection in the internet technology industry. She absolutely had to hold on to him.
Jin Xia looked up the process for registering a company online, considering roughly how much investment Sound Rhythm Jump had needed to get off the ground.
At least fifty million to start with...
If the technical development team was not up to the task, fifty million might not even cover the cost of developing the software.
But if this step succeeded, money would come pouring in like a river in the future!
For the next few days, Jin Xia shut herself away in the old Western-style house. During the day, she studied rival platform Slowhand's traffic distribution and the costs of software development. At night, when Song Ming had some free time, she watched the market.
Ever since Song Ming learned that what Jin Xia had given her was not a demo account, he had never again shown the same boldness he had that afternoon.
He insisted that Jin Xia must not give him more than a hundred thousand to work with.
His stated reason was...
Anything over a hundred thousand would make his hands shake!
Even so, before the semester began, Song Ming still made her nearly seven million more in profit.
Tomorrow was registration day for the new semester.
Jin Xia lay in bed, still showing no intention of getting up. She glanced at the message from Hästens. The mattress had already been installed in her dorm room, and all that remained was for her to try sleeping on it after she arrived at school. Any issues could then be adjusted.
She did not have much luggage to pack, either. A cramped university dorm room would not even have enough space for her to hang a few coats and jackets.
Early the next morning, Jin Xia gathered a few skincare products, her laptop, and a few other things, stuffing them all into her canvas bag.
She had barely stepped out of the house when she saw An He driving toward the old Western-style house.
An He was always punctual, even down to the minute!
Jin Xia appreciated people like that.
"Xia, can cars drive onto your campus? I'll drop you outside your dorm and help carry your luggage inside."
As An He spoke, she looked in the rearview mirror and saw only a single canvas bag beside Jin Xia. She had pared things down to the absolute minimum!
Jin Xia shook her head and said casually, "Just drop me outside the university."
Her car was understated enough. From the outside, it was just a minivan.
Probably no one at the university would notice her.
Unfortunately, Jin Xia had still underestimated just how much university students loved gossip.
When the Alphard pulled into the parking area outside campus, countless people turned to stare at it.
"What kind of car is that? It's all black."
"You don't know? Celebrities all ride around in vans like that! Could there be a celebrity at our Haida University too?"
"Look! Someone's even arriving for freshman registration in a celebrity van!"
"..."
Hearing them talking about her, Jin Xia could not help frowning slightly.
Were university students in 2015 already this trendy?
Shouldn't they be paying attention to luxury cars instead?
With her canvas bag over her shoulder, Jin Xia had just reached the university gates when a male student hurried over and stopped her.
Smiling, he reached to take the bag from her hand. "Hey, freshman, are you here to register? Shall I take you to your dorm? My name's Zhou You."
"No, thanks."
Jin Xia glanced at him and froze.
Zhou You?
If she remembered correctly, during her time at university in her previous life, Academician Wang had had little contact with the other students. Zhou You was the exception. He had once helped Academician Wang conduct a survey on social activities.
"It's fine. I'm your senior, so there's no need to stand on ceremony!"
As Zhou You spoke, he tried once more to pick up Jin Xia's canvas bag.
Jin Xia instinctively stepped back and gave him a polite smile. "My bag isn't heavy. I can carry it myself."
Zhou You scratched his head awkwardly, losing some of his earlier enthusiasm, but he still walked beside Jin Xia.
As they walked, Zhou You introduced the campus to Jin Xia like a tour guide.
In truth, Jin Xia really wanted to tell him that she was already very familiar with Haida University and needed no introduction.
But she wanted to get some information about Academician Wang out of him, so she had to grit her teeth and keep listening.
"Is the second-year coursework easy?"
Jin Xia turned to look at Zhou You.
Zhou You smiled, then sighed. "It's all right, but... let me warn you first. There's one teacher at our university whose classes you must never skip. When he gets angry, it's like the sky is falling. It doesn't matter who pleads for you!"
"Really?"
A trace of amusement flashed in Jin Xia's eyes as she pressed on. "Which teacher? I'll make sure to be careful."
"Wang Jian, Academician Wang!"
After saying this, Zhou You suddenly stopped. "But if you do get on his bad side, contact me. I'll help you figure something out!"
Jin Xia clearly remembered that Academician Wang had not taught at the university for long. Why did Zhou You sound as though they knew each other well?
"You know Academician Wang?"
Following his lead, Jin Xia kept asking questions.
Zhou You stepped closer with a secretive air and leaned toward her ear. "He's my aunt's husband-my mom's sister. But don't tell anyone. He says I'm a terrible student and never lets me tell people we're related."
That made everything fit together.
No wonder Zhou You had helped Academician Wang complete that survey on social activities in her previous life.
"I see."
Jin Xia nodded with a knowing smile.
Zhou You took out his phone and leaned closer. "Then let's exchange contact details! You still haven't told me your name!"
"What does her name have to do with you?"
A cold female voice rang out nearby.
Jin Xia and Zhou You both looked ahead at the same time.
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