From Wage Slave to Tycoon

The two female university students looked very young, their faces still holding a touch of naivety and innocence. They seemed to be freshmen, not yet molded by the little society that is college.

Sure enough, the student holding the microphone began to introduce herself.

"Hi, senior. We’re freshmen from the journalism department. We’d like to ask you a few questions for a video we’re posting on Douyin. Would that be okay?"

After she spoke, both students looked at Su Chen with expectant eyes.

"Douyin?" Su Chen glanced at them, a little surprised. He hadn’t realized Douyin had already become so widespread among young people.

’But on second thought, it makes sense.’ He had overheard people in his advanced studies class talking, and he knew that Byte had become a hot commodity. It was all thanks to Douyin’s rapid spread among the youth and its user base of tens of millions.

Capital is always profit-driven. No one would invest so much if they didn’t see the potential for returns.

"Senior, do you have any concerns? If you’re not comfortable, we can blur your face!" the lead student asked quickly when she saw Su Chen remain silent.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Su Chen gave a calm wave of his hand. "It’s fine. I was just thinking about something else. Go ahead and ask whatever you want."

Hearing Su Chen’s words, the two students glanced at each other and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

They had both downloaded Douyin after the semester started, thanks to a roommate who passionately recommended it. They hadn’t realized how addictive it was—once they started scrolling, they couldn’t stop. Hours would fly by as they watched all the interesting things and beautiful scenery people shared.

They learned that the short-video app had amassed tens of millions of downloads in less than three months and that many people were using the platform to create their own content. As future journalists, they had a sharp sense that this app had serious moneymaking potential.

The two of them instantly agreed and decided to start a Douyin short-video channel.

But they were stumped on what kind of videos to make. After some discussion, they remembered they were journalism majors and decided to do an interview-style channel, which would also give them some experience for their future careers.

To that end, they researched numerous interview techniques and scoured the internet for topics.

Although both were very smart, this was their first attempt, and they were still a little nervous at the start.

They had been searching for a suitable interviewee for a long time, until Su Chen appeared...

The lead student then pulled a small notebook from her pocket. It was covered in densely packed questions. One glance, and Su Chen felt he might have been a bit too hasty in agreeing.

The student seemed to notice Su Chen’s odd look, and a blush instantly spread across her pretty face.

"Senior, have you had a girlfriend at school?"

Su Chen was taken aback. He had braced himself for some tricky questions, but he never expected this to be the opener.

"Not yet~"

When she heard Su Chen say no, a flash of delight crossed the student’s eyes, as if his answer was exactly what she had expected.

"You’ve been in college for a few years and haven’t found a girlfriend. Is that because you’re focused on your studies, or for some other reason?"

Su Chen stroked his chin, a hint of a smile in his eyes. He pretended to think for a moment before saying, "It’s probably because today is my first day at Peking University!"

"Huh?" Not just the interviewer, but the cameraperson beside her also stared at Su Chen in astonishment.

"Your first day? Don’t tell me... senior, you weren’t a student here before?"

Peking University had already been in session for several days. Besides, it was already the second semester. How could someone just transfer in? This wasn’t high school.

For a moment, both of them were completely confused.

Su Chen smiled and gestured with his chin toward a banner hanging nearby. "Look. Isn’t that it?"

The two followed his gaze and saw a banner hanging from a lamppost not far away. "Welcome the New Class of the Advanced Studies Program to Visit Peking University!"

"The advanced studies program?!" two gasps rang out, their eyes filled with disbelief.

They knew a little about this program. After all, Guanghua College had hosted it for many years, and quite a few famous people had emerged from it.

Everyone knew the participants were outstanding entrepreneurs handpicked from all over the country, but they were all uncles in their thirties and forties. How could there be a student as young as Su Chen?

They scanned Su Chen from head to toe and only then noticed that not only was he dressed impeccably, but the watch on his wrist was also clearly expensive.

A hint of apprehension crept into the way they looked at Su Chen.

Su Chen didn’t pay much mind to their expressions. He took the notebook full of questions from the lead student’s hand and lost interest after flipping through a few pages.

Most of the questions were about campus life, ideals, or life plans—all clichéd topics that had been done to death online. There was nothing eye-catching about them.

"Your starting point is good, but these questions are too unoriginal. No one will want to watch a video made from this." After speaking, he handed the notebook back to the student.

Just as Su Chen was about to turn and leave, the lead student quickly called out to stop him.

"Sir, could you give us some guidance?"

Hearing this, Su Chen, who had just started to walk away, stopped in his tracks. He glanced at the lead student with some surprise. ’She’s a smart one.’

"I wouldn’t call it guidance, but I might have a few simple ideas."