C13 Driving

An exhilarated Zhang Yang launched the Excellent app, which presented a single, straightforward option: One-click optimization.

He tapped it, and his knockoff phone swiftly transitioned to an optimization screen. In just thirty seconds, the process was complete, and the device rebooted on its own.

As the startup chime sounded, Zhang Yang was taken aback. His bootleg phone typically took a full minute to boot up, but this time it was ready in a mere 15 seconds.

He tested the phone's performance, and all he could think was, "Damn!" Without exact figures, his background in computer science allowed him to confidently estimate that the phone's basic performance had doubled.

Previously, opening an app required a brief pause, but now they launched instantly, outpacing even the iPhone 8 and Samsung Galaxy S8.

Sleep was the last thing on Zhang Yang's mind now. As he explored further, he discovered he could access and rewrite the app's backend. However, the software's programming language was unfamiliar to him.

Eventually, Zhang Yang located an item in the company's exchange interface: the complete knowledge of the Dragon Language, available for 100 Achievement Points.

"This is it!" he thought, his heart pounding with excitement. This new language could be his ticket to becoming the next Bill Gates.

The following day, Zhang Yang, now jobless, pondered where to acquire the startup funds and Achievement Points needed to learn the Dragon Language and start his own company.

Earning Achievement Points was possible only through riding shared bicycles and completing random, unpredictable missions. Resolute, Zhang Yang decided to embrace the life of a cycling enthusiast, planning to cover the area around the provincial capital. At the rate of one Achievement Point per half-hour, he could amass the required 100 points in just a few days.

Then, a notification chimed in: "New mission discovered: The Spiritual Journey. Embark on a bicycle trip to Tibet and complete the redemption of your soul. Reward for completion: 1000 Achievement Points. Do you accept?"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Yang realized that with the 1000 Achievement Points, he wouldn't have to worry about a shortage any time soon. Plus, the round trip to Tibet on a shared bicycle would yield a similar number of points. In total, he could earn at least 2000 Achievement Points, equivalent to 200,000 yuan when considering the exchange rate of 100 Achievement Points for 10,000 yuan in red packets.

Zhang Yang didn't hesitate. Without telling anyone, he grabbed a shared bicycle and hit the road solo.

After tidying up, Bai Ling tried to reach Zhang Yang by phone, but to no avail. Despite calling over ten times, there was no response.

"Humph, what a miser! Still holding a grudge? I'll deal with you next time."

By now, Zhang Yang was deep into his cycling journey, his phone neglected as he pedaled out of the urban area, heading west.

Two months on, Zhang Yang neatly parked the shared bike, his attire now that of an outdoor adventurer, a large backpack slung over his shoulders as he returned to his dormitory. The place was deserted. The sight of his lone bed among the empty ones hit him hard – he had graduated.

He opened the app and saw his achievement balance: 3467 points. That should be enough to kickstart his entrepreneurial dreams.

But Zhang Yang realized that the true value of his journey wasn't the achievement points – though they were his initial motivation. The widespread enthusiasm for cycling had to have a deeper reason.

The two-month adventure had left Zhang Yang with a tanned, glowing complexion and a vitality that surpassed his former self. It was a testament to an uplifted spirit.

"Fatty, where are you?" he called his old dorm buddy, the one he'd battled through college with. Going into business meant he couldn't go it alone.

"Holy shit, Mr. Yang, you're actually back? I thought you'd been sucked into some pyramid scheme and couldn't escape!" Fatty exclaimed, startled by the call. Zhang Yang, not in the mood for chatter, cut to the chase, "It's getting dark. Meet me at our usual spot. Don't be late."

Their usual spot was Old Mo's Dishes, a haven during their cash-strapped college days – great food at great prices.

Zhang Yang arrived early at Old Mo's, nursing a bottle by himself until Sunn Pang arrived in a rush.

"Fatty, what's been keeping you? You're so slow," Zhang Yang chided, handing Fatty a bottle. Being late meant drinking a penalty cup.

"Man, don't even start. The boss at my new job is a total nightmare, bossing me around, dumping all the work on me. I'm seriously considering quitting."

After downing a bottle of wine, Sunn Pang started to vent his frustrations. He detailed the misery he'd endured over the past two months and the unfair treatment he'd faced.

"Alright, Fatty, do you trust me?"

"I do, Mr. Yang. Just tell me what to do!"

Sunn Pang slapped his chest, ready to follow through without hesitation.

"Quit your job tomorrow and come work with me. I've been scouting projects for the past two months. It's time for us to build something together."

Zhang Yang kept the details of the project to himself as a test for Sunn Pang. After all, appearances can be deceiving, and if Sunn Pang couldn't muster trust, Zhang Yang believed it would be unwise to go into business together. Sharing hardships is easy, but sharing wealth is a different story.

"I've been waiting for this! Mr. Yang, I'll be honest with you, I'm sick of that job. I can't stand another second. Hold on, I'm going to call my supervisor right now."

In front of Zhang Yang, Sunn Pang grabbed his shoddy phone and made the call.

"Hello, is this Liao the Bald?"

"Who's this? You're the bald one, aren't you? Who else would I be talking about?"

"You're asking who I am? I'm your boss, Fatty Sunn Pang."

"I'm fed up and I'm quitting. I'm calling to tell you I'm done serving you. Go wherever you like. We're done here."

Sunn Pang hung up, took another swig of beer, and the two, mindful of the matters at hand, drank no more. They went back to the dorm, grabbed Zhang Yang's belongings, and moved everything to Sunn Pang's rented place.

"Fatty, this is our key business venture. Take a look."

Zhang Yang sent the Excellent app to Sunn Pang, who had learned the Draconic Language and spent time setting up an account and payment features for Excellent. This version was free for a month, with subsequent monthly charges.

Sunn Pang skeptically opened the app, and five minutes later exclaimed,

"Holy shit, Mr. Yang, how did you pull this off? This is incredible! With this, we could topple Crazy Love and become the new industry leaders!"

Sunn Pang watched in amazement as the app on the screen outperformed everything he knew. The Crazy Love system was their company's crown jewel, their ace in the hole, and now a generic knockoff phone was running this Excellent app, outpacing even the latest Crazy Love model in speed and smoothness.

"Cut the crap. I'll show you the source code of this app. You need to study it closely from now on."

"Come on, Mr. Yang, who do you think you're talking to? I study this stuff. Can't I understand code? It's all about the approach."

Sunn Pang nonchalantly took the notebook Zhang Yang offered him, but one look at the contents left him speechless.

"Holy smokes, Mr. Yang, are you aiming to revolutionize the world? What am I seeing? Is this a completely new language? What on earth are these characters?"

"Okay, this is a computer language I've developed myself. I call it Dragon Language, and you're the second person to lay eyes on it," Zhang Yang boasted. Dragon Language wasn't something you could just buy—it came with a hefty tutorial. Zhang Yang had spent two months cycling, traveling by day and studying by night. Now, he had mastered the basics.

And those basics were enough to establish his own legacy. The app was a mere 1MB. Zhang Yang had even tested compiling the hottest app on the market, achieving the same functionality with only one-tenth the memory usage. What did that mean?

It was as if the phone hadn't changed, but its memory had magically increased tenfold. That was the magic of Dragon Language.

"Mr. Yang, I need this. If you don't deliver today, I'm not letting you sleep," Sunn Pang said flirtatiously, batting his eyelashes at Zhang Yang, who couldn't help but shudder.

"Here, start with the basics. Learn this well. In the next few days, we'll get the company off the ground, using this app to make our mark."

Zhang Yang's strategy was to build a reputation first, then gradually roll out Dragon Language. Its superiority over languages like C and C++ was undeniable.

The following day, Zhang Yang cashed in 100,000 red packets and proceeded to establish Dingyang Technology Co., Ltd., with a registered capital of 100,000 yuan. He leased a cloud server and uploaded the updated "Excellent" app to various app stores and forums. Zhang Yang then let it be, understanding that these things take time to gain traction. On the internet, if a product is just average, its success often hinges on advertising. But if it's groundbreaking, it's like fine wine in a hidden alley—eventually, everyone will seek it out.

Bai Ling was listlessly channel-surfing after breakfast. Even though her sister, Bai Ya, no longer curtailed her freedom, she felt aimless without anyone to accompany her. "Ugh, that stingy Zhang Yang," she grumbled. "Was it just a quarrel? I called him hundreds of times, and he didn't answer once."

While she was still muttering to herself, her phone rang. It was usually Bai Ya who called her, so Bai Ling answered with a languid, "Hey, sis, what's up?"

Zhang Yang had been cycling, his mind free from worldly distractions, and had only just seen the barrage of missed calls from Bai Ling. After wrapping up his company affairs, he promptly reached out to her. "Uh, I'm not your sister, Ling. Have you had lunch?"

Bai Ling paused, taken aback. This was the voice that haunted her dreams. "Zhang Yang, you jerk, how could you ignore my calls? For two whole months, not a word from you. Do you even qualify as a man? So small-minded?"

Through the phone, Zhang Yang could almost feel the heat of Bai Ling's fury. He waited for her tirade to subside before tentatively offering, "Um, Ling, I didn't mean to ignore you. How about I make it up to you by treating you to dinner tonight?"

"Hmph, 'didn't mean to'? You ignored all my calls, didn't return a single one. How can you say it wasn't intentional? You're such a jerk. I don't even want to deal with you anymore."

Bai Ling ended the call in a huff. "This guy, getting on my nerves and thinking he can smooth everything over with just a meal? Not happening."

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, Bai Ling still hadn't received a call from Zhang Yang, and she started to panic. Could it be possible? Was Zhang Yang really being that petty? She thought about the numerous calls he had ignored, and yet, here she was, fretting over the one time she had hung up on him. Was he really upset about that?