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Zhuo Rohan returned to her hometown—Xi'an. Although her father had gone bankrupt and the once-thriving electronic empire was no more, the family still possessed assets that an ordinary family could never hope to accumulate in a hundred years.
Just the five-story European-style office building in the heart of Xi'an was enough to make countless people strive for a lifetime. Yet, her family now had only this "little" place to call home.
Within the city walls of Xi'an—truly the center of Xi'an—high-rise buildings were prohibited due to the walls, meaning that most structures were limited to ten stories or fewer, with residential buildings not exceeding eight stories. It was indeed a case of land being worth its weight in gold.
Her father did not express much concern over her dropping out of Jinghua University; he merely shook his head and offered a wry smile. However, this was a significant shock for Zhuo Rohan.
Having dropped out, she certainly did not intend to idle away her time at home. Even though the remaining family wealth could support her carefree lifestyle, she did not want that.
After leaving Jinghua University, she gained little since she had withdrawn rather than graduated. However, her records indicated a voluntary withdrawal rather than expulsion, allowing her to easily enroll in any top university for related studies.
But that was not what she wanted either.
Jinghua University had not taught her much, but it did instill one thing: the importance of sticking to one's beliefs. The primary courses there focused on business management and managerial psychology, and with her inherent leadership skills, she was confident she could navigate any corporate management tier smoothly.
However, entering a company required connections; at present, she only held a high school diploma. Even if some companies were willing to hire her, they would not place her directly into management.
If no company would let her manage them, then why not start one herself? Zhuo Rohan thought.
She knew she could not single-handedly run a business; at least, that was what she believed.
With no one around, she needed to find people! The fields of managerial psychology and business management from Jinghua University had a broad audience; essentially, anything related to management would be covered. Thus, Zhuo Rohan was not worried about finding a diverse group of professional partners.
So she began reaching out to former friends—classmates from high school and middle school, even childhood buddies—but found that few were available for more than a brief conversation. Most were too busy and hung up quickly.
It suddenly dawned on Zhuo Rohan that her peers were likely in their fourth year of university by now. At this point, most would be interning outside, and it made sense they would be preoccupied during working hours.
In fact, this was also one of the reasons for the collapse of Hongqi Electronics, which her father had established. This change transformed her from a wealthy heiress into a more ordinary rich girl.
As she was mocking herself, her phone suddenly vibrated. A call came in from a number saved with just one character.
Zhuo Rohan took a deep breath and answered with a smile, "Haoran?"
Wu Haoran's voice was somewhat low. "Rohan? I heard you were looking for partners. I wonder what kind of company you are planning to start?"
Zhuo Rohan certainly did not expect someone to reach out to her, especially someone she had been quite close to in high school. She smiled and replied, "Hold on, aren't you also looking for partners? What are you working on?"
"We..." Wu Haoran said awkwardly, "Our team is also in the electronics industry."
This made Zhuo Rohan feel a bit embarrassed for a moment. Although she appeared fine, she had not fully moved on from the bankruptcy of Hongqi Electronics, especially with her father sitting idly in the living room.
"Rohan?" Wu Haoran thought he had upset her and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up, but..."
Zhuo Rohan forced a smile. "It's okay, I understand. Please continue."
Wu Haoran sighed and said slowly, "I know it might be inappropriate to bring this up now, but we really don't want to approach those large companies. After all, if we do succeed, the results would likely just benefit them."
"So you want me to invest?" Zhuo Rohan asked keenly. "What exactly are you working on?"
Wu Haoran spoke mysteriously. "Although many big companies are doing this, we have already made significant progress. We are working on touch connectivity and AR touch sensing technology."
Zhuo Rohan's eyes lit up immediately. "How much money do you need?"
"What?" Clearly, Wu Haoran was taken aback by Zhuo Rohan's quick agreement and was momentarily speechless.
"How much funding do you need?"
"For touch connections, it's relatively less, around three million. But for aR touch sensing, we would need large equipment, so let's just discuss the touch connections for now."
Zhuo Rohan glanced at her watch. "Where are you now? Shall we meet?"
"I'm of course in Xi'an! Have you returned to Xi'an too?"
Zhuo Rohan jumped off the bed, wedging her phone between her ear and shoulder as she picked out a jacket. "Alright, let's meet at eight-thirty tonight at the alley behind Muslim Street where they sell Roasted Red Willow Skewers."
"Ah?! Okay..."
After putting on her jacket, Zhuo Rohan dialed another number on her phone. Once it connected, she asked directly, "Is this the Provincial Bank? I want to make a withdrawal! Yes! A large withdrawal! Three million exactly. Okay! Okay! Yes."
Her father, sitting on the sofa in the top-floor lounge watching TV, immediately laughed upon hearing her words. "Rohan, you've saved over three million in personal assets all these years, and you're going to spend it all just because of a phone call?"
Zhuo Rohan leaned close to her father and said cutely, "Dad, you must have some secret stash too. Give me a little more!"
Father Zhu chuckled and took off a set of keys from his waist. Zhuo Rohan recognized them as the keys to their house and his car.
Zhuo Rohan playfully hit her father and stuck out her tongue. "Hmph! You won't even tell me. Even if I don't know, do you think I'm an idiot? If all you have left is this house and the car, how do we get food and drink? You make no sense at all."
Father Zhu shrugged with a smile and sighed lightly. "I'm getting old and don't want to struggle anymore. I just want to see you get married soon, so I still need to leave you some dowry."
He then looked at the five-story European-style office building and joked, "Once you get married, I'll sell this building and travel with your mother."
This building was originally intended for the board of Hongqi Electronics; however, it had just been renovated when Hongqi went bankrupt. As Father Zhu's only remaining personal asset, this building was also used as their home.
In such a prime location, the annual rent for this five-story European-style building would surely be in the eight-digit range if leased! Not to mention selling it!
Zhuo Rohan let out a light huff, her face adorably pouting as she dragged her suitcase out the door. "Don't tell my mom where I went, or she'll come charging over in the middle of dinner..."
Father Zhu chuckled and waved her off. "Dinner is about to be served. If you don't hurry, she'll be back before you know it."
Dragging her suitcase, Zhuo Rohan arrived at the Bank of China’s Provincial Bank and headed straight for the VIP Lounge. The guard at the entrance looked at her dragging such a large suitcase and couldn't help but feel concerned; wasn't she just asking for trouble?
Upon entering the VIP Lounge, she found the Bank Manager and two staff members waiting for her. On the glass table were four high-quality cash verification machines, and behind them was a stack of cash piled high.
"Ms. Zhuo, did you come alone?" The manager asked, noticing her solitary arrival with the suitcase, his concern evident. "Perhaps you should have someone accompany you; after all, this is quite a sum."
"Thank you," Zhuo Rohan replied politely with a smile, not agreeing with the manager's suggestion.
"Can we begin?" one of the bank tellers asked courteously.
Zhuo Rohan nodded and placed her suitcase down beside the two bank staff members, making it easier for them to pack everything inside once secured.
Bundles of cash were opened, placed into the verification machines, tied up, and then loaded into her suitcase. The two employees moved with fluid efficiency, quickly packing up one hundred and fifty bundles each.
As a customer, Zhuo Rohan watched them work but didn't bother to count the amount; she had no idea how many bundles had passed through their hands.
After all, the bank wouldn’t cheat her.
Three hundred bundles filled the suitcase to capacity. Zhuo Rohan struggled a bit to zip it up before dragging the heavy suitcase—now weighing about forty kilograms—toward the exit.
Li Xue glanced at her watch; it was only four-thirty. After some thought, she decided to head home since carrying so much cash felt quite unsafe.
Upon returning home, seeing the shoe rack at the entrance confirmed that Mom was already back. Zhuo Rohan quietly placed her suitcase by the stairs and tiptoed up, careful not to disturb her mother, who had already returned.
Sure enough, on the fourth-floor staircase, she could hear her mother chasing after Dad, asking why her precious daughter had disappeared again.
Dad was mumbling incoherently, and Zhuo Rohan silently cursed him in her mind.
She knew she couldn't go upstairs; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to make it to her appointment on time. However, there was nothing to eat elsewhere in the house. Zhuo Rohan had no choice but to return to the first floor, secretly hide her suitcase behind the sofa in the living room, and then sneak out to grab a bite.
Zhuo Rohan felt a bit happy because she could almost see the success of her company. Even if she didn't become wildly successful, at least she could contribute some income to the family. Although they could live comfortably without working, relying on others was not her style.
Or rather, relying on someone else's resources was not her style, even if that someone was her father.
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It was really difficult to write because it was hard to grasp. Zhuo Rohan, though proud and somewhat arrogant, represented her confidence—extreme confidence that was not without reason; she truly excelled.
This character is not an antagonist (I wouldn't dare write her as one; there hasn't been an antagonist in this story so far), so every paragraph I write requires deep thought about whether I should portray her this way. The difficulty is immense.
This is indeed my first genuine attempt at writing, so my words may seem a bit immature; I hope everyone can be forgiving.
Lastly, this volume's dream sequences revolve entirely around these five students. I apologize for any expectations regarding Chen Rui and Li Xue; this is indeed necessary for the plot. Chen Rui's story will unfold gradually, so it's better to first explore others' tales.
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