Awakening Elementary School System in University

10:30 AM, Liu Zhuang Xin Yuan District, Building 4, Apartment 302.

In a room with the air conditioning blasting, Chen Lin, now showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes, felt like he had come back to life.

He sat on the sofa and first checked his system interface.

[Little Financial Planner (Enhanced): Your net worth increases by 20% each month! (Current Net Worth: 64,766.56) (Time until next net worth increase: 733:29:37)]

July’s wealth increase had already been settled yesterday at 11:59 PM.

Looking at the number, which was over ten thousand more than last month, Chen Lin nodded in satisfaction.

He picked up his fully charged phone from beside him, opened WeChat, found Peng Yifeng’s profile picture, and directly transferred some money.

[Transfer Amount: ¥8,000.00]

This money was for the first month’s rent and the cost of replacing all the furniture, which President Peng had Sun Yu front for him earlier.

The bill Sun Yu had sent him at the time totaled a little over 7,800.

Chen Lin transferred a round number to show his gratitude.

After the transfer, he didn’t hesitate for a second and immediately pressed the WeChat voice call button.

It rang twice before the call connected, and Peng Yifeng’s voice, tinged with a hearty laugh, came through the receiver.

"Chen Lin, what’s this for?"

Through the receiver, Peng Yifeng’s voice carried a perfectly measured tone of surprise. "Eight thousand. That’s not a small sum."

Chen Lin chuckled and explained frankly, "President Peng, even brothers should keep clear accounts. We’re about to officially partner up and start a company. You had Sun Yu pay for those things for me in Jinmen, so it’s better to settle it now to avoid any trouble later."

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds before a hearty laugh erupted.

"HAHAHA, good! ’Even brothers should keep clear accounts,’ indeed!" Peng Yifeng’s voice was full of admiration. "Chen Lin, I’m finding that... I really have to look at you with new eyes! It hasn’t been long at all, but the way you approach problems is so much more mature. Your rate of growth is so fast it puts me to shame."

Chen Lin felt a little embarrassed by the high praise and offered a few modest words before steering the conversation to the main topic.

"President Peng, besides paying you back, there’s actually something more important I wanted to discuss with you today."

"Oh? Go on."

"It’s like this," Chen Lin said, organizing his thoughts. "We agreed before that you would provide the funding to help me set up a tech consulting firm. I mentioned it to Principal Chang Kai at my school, and it turns out Principal Chang is also very interested in our project and said the school would like to invest as well."

After he finished, he said no more, quietly waiting for Peng Yifeng’s reaction.

He knew that what he did was akin to shoehorning a third party into their original agreement, which wasn’t exactly a proper way to do things.

Sure enough, the other end of the line fell into a brief silence.

A full five or six seconds passed before Peng Yifeng’s voice was heard again, but the purely hearty tone from before was gone, replaced by a hint of deeper meaning.

"...The school wants to invest, too?"

"Yes," Chen Lin replied, bracing himself.

"Not bad, kid," Peng Yifeng suddenly chuckled, his laugh tinged with amusement. "Playing Sun Tzu with me now? This is a surprise attack."

"I..."

Chen Lin was suddenly at a loss, unsure how to respond.

But before his awkwardness could fester, Peng Yifeng spoke again, his tone returning to its previous heartiness, as if that jest with its subtle pressure had just been Chen Lin’s imagination.

"HAHAHA, I’m just joking with you, don’t be so tense!"

Peng Yifeng’s laughter, coming through the receiver, sounded exceptionally sincere. "Actually, what you did was absolutely right! Really, I’m not angry at all. On the contrary, I’m very happy. Business partnerships are a game of strategy. Using all available resources and means to protect your legitimate interests—that’s the right way to do it!"

He paused, his tone shifting to that of a seasoned veteran offering advice. "The fact that you thought to bring the school in, on one hand, gives you more bargaining chips, and on the other, it adds a layer of official backing for the company’s future development. That was a beautiful move!"

Hearing Peng Yifeng’s heartfelt words, the weight that had been hanging in Chen Lin’s heart finally lifted.

He said sincerely, "Thank you for understanding, President Peng."

"What’s not to understand?" Peng Yifeng said nonchalantly. "Alright, I’ve got it. How about this: I’ll send you someone’s contact card in a bit. From now on, for all the preliminary work of setting up the company, including coordinating with the school, you can just talk to her directly. She’s the most professional person in our group for handling these matters."

"Okay, thank you so much, President Peng."

"Don’t thank me just yet." Peng Yifeng changed the subject. "We can discuss the investment framework slowly; there’s no rush. The priority right now is to get the company’s shell set up. Get the business license and all that sorted out first, so the company can become operational as soon as possible. That’s what’s most important."

Chen Lin immediately understood Peng Yifeng’s meaning and quickly nodded in agreement. "I understand. That’s what I was thinking, too."

"Mm," Peng Yifeng grunted, then asked, "Anything else? I have a meeting in ten minutes."

"Just one last thing," Chen Lin said quickly. "After my new company is established, I want to... I want to poach Sun Yu from you and have him come help me out."

On the other end of the line, Peng Yifeng heard this and once again burst into a hearty laugh.

"HAHAHA! I knew you were going to say that! Great minds think alike!"

His tone was full of approval. "To be honest, even if you hadn’t brought it up, I was planning to talk to you about this. That kid, Sun Yu, while his professional skills aren’t top-tier, he makes up for it by being a steady worker and quick-witted. Most importantly, he’s the person most familiar with your workflow right now. Having him be in charge of handling client requirements with you is absolutely the most suitable choice at the moment."

Chen Lin hadn’t expected that Peng Yifeng would not only agree but had even thought of the same thing. He was instantly overjoyed.

"That’s fantastic!"

"And not just Sun Yu," Peng Yifeng, apparently in a good mood, threw out another surprising proposal. "The person I mentioned I’d send you, her name is Huang Yiyi. Once the company is set up, you can have her join your new company directly. She’s very experienced in dealing with government departments, knows all the paperwork and procedures inside and out, and she can also handle the company’s administrative affairs. She’ll definitely save you a lot of trouble."

’President Peng’s support is really something else!’

A warm feeling washed over Chen Lin, and his voice filled with sincere gratitude. "President Peng, really... thank you so much!"

"Alright, no need to be so formal with me. If your company does well, it’s an even bigger benefit for me," Peng Yifeng said with a laugh. "That’s all for now. I’m off to my meeting. Contact me anytime if you need anything."

"Okay, I’ll let you get to it, President Peng."