From Wage Slave to Tycoon

Su Chen waited until 9:10 AM before he heard several voices coming from outside the classroom.

"I didn’t expect to run into President Li at this workshop. After the opening ceremony ends, let’s grab a bite to eat. I’ll make the arrangements for this evening."

"Sounds good, President Chen. We’ll let you treat us today. I believe the last time we saw each other was two years ago. I can’t believe how fast time flies!"

"You can say that again. I heard your company landed some major projects this year, President Li. Don’t forget about us when the time comes!"

"Don’t worry. If any needs in that area arise, I definitely won’t forget you guys."

As they spoke, three figures walked in. They all appeared to be in their forties, sharply dressed in suits. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought they were heading to a cocktail party.

President Li, walking at the front, noticed Su Chen sitting in the back row, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face. They hadn’t expected anyone else to be in the classroom.

The two men following him also saw Su Chen and muttered in low voices, "Is that a staff member from the university?"

"Probably. He looks so young. You have to understand, everyone attending this workshop is a successful entrepreneur worth tens or even hundreds of millions. This young man doesn’t quite fit the description!"

The three of them paid him no mind; after all, Su Chen was just too young. They quickly looked away and walked to the second row to take their seats.

They had heard some rumors about this workshop—that some major business tycoons would be attending to burnish their reputations—so they all deliberately left the front row empty.

After that, people continued to trickle in. Most were in their forties; there were hardly any in their thirties.

Everyone who entered showed a hint of surprise upon seeing Su Chen, but they quickly lost interest, assuming he was a staff member assigned by the university.

The classroom grew lively. People gathered in small groups, chatting away. Some used the opportunity to network with the many successful individuals present, turning the event into a veritable social gala.

"Have you guys heard? They’ve supposedly invited several major entrepreneurial tycoons to lecture for this workshop. I wonder if there’s any chance to make a connection with them."

"That’s what we’re all here for, plus networking with some like-minded people. Otherwise, who would spend a few hundred thousand just to sit in a lecture?"

"If I could just get on the radar of one of these tycoons, my company’s market value would at least double this year."

"Even the crumbs that fall from those tycoons’ tables would be enough for us to make a fortune."

Listening to their idle chatter, Su Chen finally understood what this workshop was really about. He’d thought it was just a place to burnish one’s academic credentials, but it turned out everyone was here for the networking and the chance to meet business magnates.

’Tsk, tsk. No wonder everyone fights tooth and nail to get into a top university. If you get into a place like Tsinghua or Peking, the alumni and classmate network alone, if you leverage it properly, can put you several rungs above everyone else right from the start.’

’Of course... the prerequisite is that you have to be exceptional enough to get noticed. If you’re a lost cause, who’s going to bother giving you a hand up?’

The time quickly reached 9:55, only five minutes before the opening ceremony was scheduled to begin. Just then, a group of four or five more people swarmed in through the doorway.

When this new group entered, everyone who had been sitting and chatting immediately rose to their feet to welcome them.

Through the crowd, Su Chen spotted a familiar figure among the people who had just entered.

’Huh? Didn’t he graduate from Nankai? What’s he doing here at Peking University? And since when did he become so high-profile that he can be a lecturer for a Peking University workshop?’ Although Su Chen was full of questions, he didn’t call out to Zhang Yiming.

That’s right... the acquaintance Su Chen had seen was none other than Zhang Yiming.

Soon, Su Chen’s questions were answered.

"The one walking at the very front is Zhang Yiming, the CEO of Byte Group. I hear he’s the darling of the top domestic investment firms right now."

"They say Byte’s valuation among top investment firms has been skyrocketing. From 100 million USD last October, to 500 million USD by the end of the year, one billion in January, and then it hit five billion USD by March."

"It’s terrifying just thinking about it. A lot of top investment firms wanted to get in on a funding round, but he turned most of them down. Only Sequoia Capital managed to invest a few hundred million USD!"

"Who could have predicted the Byte Group’s market cap would explode so terrifyingly? If I had even one percent of the shares, I’d be set for life!"

Hearing these whispers, a look of astonishment appeared on Su Chen’s face. It had only been three or four months since he’d last seen Zhang Yiming, yet Byte Group had undergone such a world-shaking transformation. Even Su Chen had trouble processing it for a moment.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yiming was looking incredibly proud and successful. He had come to lecture at this Peking University workshop partly as an outlet to express his feelings.

After all, successful people enjoy sharing their stories, letting others feel just how difficult it was to build their company up, step by step. The hardship and effort involved were things that simply had to be put on display.

This was why figures like Xiaoma, Old Wang, and others all loved to give seminars and hold public classes at major universities. To put it bluntly, they were there to show off.

It’s often said, "Those who resemble me will thrive; those who copy me will perish." The success of these individuals is impossible to replicate. At most, one can only grasp that their success was anything but simple.

Just as Zhang Yiming and the others sat down on the stage, he spotted Su Chen sitting in the very back row. He never imagined he would see Su Chen in a place like this.