Chapter 664: The Future Paths of 8302! Celestial Craft A100 Enters the Tape-Out Stage

“Brother Sen!” Song Yang heard the sound and looked up to see Chen Yansen about to walk in. He quickly greeted him.

“Brother Sen!” Meng Xibo, Zhu Xiaopeng, and Wang Zhengqiang chimed in with the same greeting.

In their hearts, Chen Yansen was without a doubt the undisputed big brother of dorm 8302.

Meng Xibo, Zhu Xiaopeng, and Tang Zhenzhe were all his employees now.

And as for Song Yang and Wang Zhengqiang’s campus courier station, from its inception to its later stages of development, it had all been inseparable from Chen Yansen’s guidance and help.

“Not bad. You guys are all well-behaved. Didn’t even bring a single girl.”

Chen Yansen walked past Zhu Xiaopeng and Wang Zhengqiang and sat down between Song Yang and Meng Xibo.

As for Ah Zhe, the seat by the door was good enough for him.

“It’s a dorm reunion! Who would bring their girlfriend? Aren’t bros better than women? Hehe,” Meng Xibo said loudly.

But halfway through his sentence, he caught a glimpse of Zhu Xiaopeng’s phone screen out of the corner of his eye—it was on the recording interface.

He instantly got worked up and yelled at Zhu Xiaopeng, “Jokes are jokes, but what’s the deal with you recording this?”

“So I can send it to your girlfriend later.” Zhu Xiaopeng gave a sly smile and immediately stuffed the phone into his pocket, afraid Meng Xibo would delete the recording.

“Fuck! Xiaopeng, you’ve fucking gone bad.” Meng Xibo flipped him the bird and shot Zhu Xiaopeng a look.

He and his girlfriend were high school classmates and had been in a long-distance relationship for three years. They planned to go work in Luzhou together after the New Year.

Chen Yansen had just sat down when Tang Zhenzhe came in, followed by a waiter.

The waiter was carrying two cases of beer, breathing heavily. He came in and carefully set the beer down.

Tang Zhenzhe stood by his seat, not in a hurry to sit. Instead, he pulled out six bottles of beer from the case and handed one to each of them.

“Brother Zhe, can you get me a room-temperature one instead?” Song Yang said.

“What’s wrong? Are you on your period too?” Tang Zhenzhe took the cold beer, teasing him, but his hands didn’t stop moving. He quickly swapped it for another bottle for Song Yang.

“Screw you! My rhinitis is just acting up. Drinking something cold is awful,” Song Yang retorted with a laugh.

“Ah Qiang, what are your plans for next semester?” Chen Yansen asked, looking at Wang Zhengqiang.

“Brother Yang and I have already talked it over. Next semester, we’ll properly hand over the management of the courier station, and then I’ll prepare for the exams with my girlfriend. Brother Sen, you know, even though we in Zhou Lai aren’t as obsessed with taking the civil service exam as people in Qilu, what else is there in Zhou Lai besides coal mines? If you don’t become a civil servant, there’s practically no future.”

Wang Zhengqiang said helplessly.

“Brother Qiang, how much does a civil servant in Zhou Lai even make a month? If you really pass and get married and have kids, I’m afraid you won’t even have enough for baby formula,” Zhu Xiaopeng advised from the side.

The year 2013 was a period of rapid economic growth. Housing prices were rising, the cost of living was rising, and incomes were rising along with them.

Countless people made their first fortune in the internet wave, and the more capable ones achieved financial freedom before they were even thirty.

Taking the civil service exam?

That was a path only people with no ambition would choose!

It was a world of difference from the situation a dozen or so years later.

“My parents are getting old. It’ll be good to be closer so I can take care of them,” Wang Zhengqiang explained.

To put it bluntly, he was a person who sought stability at his core.

Even after working at the courier station with Song Yang for three years and making a good amount of money, his heart was always set on returning to his hometown.

“That’s great. Don’t listen to Xiaopeng’s nonsense,” Chen Yansen said with a smile.

In his opinion, there was nothing wrong with Wang Zhengqiang’s choice.

He’d have a car and a house in his hometown, and his parents both had stable jobs. Although the salary wasn’t high, the sense of happiness from that stability was definitely better than being a corporate drone in a big city.

“Brother Sen, I’m preparing for the graduate school entrance exams,” Zhu Xiaopeng spoke up.

‘I can’t be a customer service rep at Pinbei Mall for my whole life, right?’

In fact, among the six people in dorm 8302, Zhu Xiaopeng was the most hardworking student. He worked a part-time job while winning scholarships every year, so it was only normal that he wanted to go to grad school.

Meng Xibo sighed softly. He wanted to say something but ended up swallowing his words.

He and Zhu Xiaopeng had worked together for three years and were the closest of friends, so he had known about his plans for a long time.

“Then the task of furthering dorm 8302’s education falls to you,” Chen Yansen said with a nod.

“As for me, I’ll follow Brother Sen’s arrangements. I’m going to An Nan next month,” Tang Zhenzhe said with a grin.

“An Nan?” Song Yang asked in surprise.

“Orange Technology is expanding into the Southeast Asia market. Brother Sen praised my talent, said I’m a real prodigy, and that in less than three years, I’ll get promoted and a raise, become a general manager, marry a rich and beautiful girl…”

Tang Zhenzhe said shamelessly, spouting nonsense.

“Tch—! Who do you think you are, Wang Da Chui?!” Wang Zhengqiang laughed heartily.

Chen Yansen smiled faintly and chatted a bit more with Song Yang.

Ever since his last relationship ended, it was as if a shackle had been removed from him. He now changed girlfriends at a rate of about once every six months.

Song Yang said he wanted to go to Qin Island to open a guesthouse. After all, his family had resources in that area. It was always better to stick with what you know; whether it was a guesthouse or a hotel, it was a safer bet.

Compared to a year ago, Song Yang’s way of thinking had also matured a lot.

Chen Yansen held his drink, listening quietly most of the time and rarely voicing his own opinions.

The meal lasted from five to nine o’clock. The four cases of beer piled in the corner were now all empty.

Song Yang and Tang Zhenzhe were flushed red. Aside from slurring their words a little, they could still walk steadily.

Zhu Xiaopeng and Meng Xibo were leaning back in their chairs, mumbling nonsense.

Wang Zhengqiang was in the best shape. He spoke clearly and said to Chen Yansen, “Brother Sen, you can head back first. I’ll take Bo Bo and Xiaopeng back to the dorm.”

“Alright. Call me if you need anything.”

Chen Yansen agreed, then went downstairs, conveniently settling the bill as he passed the cashier.

The moment Lao Huang saw him walk out of the restaurant, he immediately jumped out of the driver’s seat of the Gusteau and opened the car door for him.

As for the Aston Martin Rapide, Huang Boxiang had already driven it back to the Science and Technology Park.

“Not going back to the Delta tonight,” Chen Yansen said to Lao Huang.

Huang Boxiang understood instantly and sped off in the direction of Ye Qiuping’s residential complex.

The car’s sound system was playing a few of Chen Yansen’s favorite songs on a loop.

♫ Nowadays, listening to songs alone always makes me feel lost

♫ I hallucinate you whispering in my ear

♫ The night is so gentle

♫ How much you love me…

Chen Yansen gazed out the window as the streetscape flew by. A hint of reminiscence appeared in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a knowing smile.

Before long, they arrived at their destination.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—!

Chen Yansen raised his hand and knocked on the door.

It was immediately followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Chen Yansen could ‘see’ very clearly that Ye Qiuping was doing aerobics.

The moment she heard the knock, she rushed to the door. After confirming it was Chen Yansen through the peephole, she unlocked it.

Ye Qiuping immediately squatted down and skillfully helped Chen Yansen take off his shoes and socks, then put a clean pair of slippers on his feet.

After she was done, she asked with a grin, “Have you had dinner?”

“Go get me a glass of lemonade.”

Chen Yansen nodded, his gaze unconsciously drifting downwards.

Master Ye was wearing a pair of yoga pants on her lower body, revealing the shape of her hips and legs in full.

“Should I add honey?” Ye Qiuping asked.

“No need,” Chen Yansen refused with a shake of his head.

“Have a seat. It’ll be ready in a moment.” Ye Qiuping turned and went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and started looking for the ingredients.

Chen Yansen walked over to the sofa and sat down. He saw Master Ye’s clothes strewn on the sofa, among which was an eye mask of a surprisingly large size—big enough to cover a pomelo.

A faint milky fragrance drifted through the air, and the wind chimes on the balcony tinkled crisply.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window stood a drying rack hung with all sorts of strange and wonderful uniforms: a chef’s uniform, a nurse’s outfit, a school uniform, and even Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Huluwa cosplay costumes.

Three minutes later, Ye Qiuping came over with the lemonade. She handed the water to Chen Yansen and said, “I’m going to take a shower. Want to join?”

Chen Yansen took the glass, drank half of it in one go, and then swept Ye Qiuping into his arms, saying, “I’ve never been a fan of wasting water.”

A short while later, the sound of splashing water came from the bathroom.

…

…

The next day, after waking up, Chen Yansen directly summoned his system panel. He synthesized 540,079 strands of Human Dao Fire into 54 strands of Immortal Dao Fire, then added them all to his Spirit.

The familiar feeling washed over him again. After just a few breaths, his Spirit value increased to 102.36.

His Divine Sense’s detection radius, the weight limit of his psychokinesis, as well as his memory and comprehension, were all slightly enhanced.

With the rapid expansion of projects like Deep Blue Technology, the Orange Phone Factory, Orange Car Industry, Kuai Pao, and Cloud Speed Express, Senlian Capital’s monthly labor costs were also increasing.

However, this was also a good thing for Chen Yansen.

It wasn’t until three in the afternoon that he left the residential complex and took a car back to the Delta.

Today was August 31st, the first day of registration for Xucheng Academy and also the release date for the 360 F1 Mini.

Early in the morning, Zhou Hongyi had reposted the pre-sale announcement from three days ago to remind users not to miss the launch time.

Compared to the Qingcheng D2 SE, the 360 F1 Mini’s hardware specs were slightly inferior. But with a price tag of 599 yuan, it was a rare ‘butcher’ in terms of value anywhere in the country.

In the eight hours since its launch, total online sales reached 193,000 units!

It was just one step away from breaking the 200,000-unit mark!

This sales pace made Lei Yijun’s brow furrow.

Although the two had previously agreed to a bet, it was dropped after Chen Yansen mediated.

But the secret competition between Xiaomi and 360 never stopped, with them trading barbs and jabs every few days.

The Hongmi 1 gave away a phone case, so the 360 F1 gave away a data cable.

In terms of sales, the Hongmi 1, being 100 yuan cheaper, always had the upper hand on the 360 F1.

Now that the 360 F1 Mini was launched, it was likely going to overtake Xiaomi in total sales.

But Lei Yijun wasn’t sitting idle. He had also secretly designed a 599-yuan smartphone model, internally named Hongmi 1A. It had some downgrades in memory, screen, and camera, and was mainly intended to compete in the budget phone market.

He had originally planned to launch it at the Spring Festival new product conference after the New Year. But faced with Zhou Hongyi’s provocation, Lei Yijun immediately decided to move the Hongmi 1A’s release date up to the fourth quarter.

「Meanwhile.」

Apple officially announced that the iPhone 5s would be released simultaneously online and in stores on September 10th.

The 16GB version was priced at 5,288 yuan, and the 32GB version was 6,088 yuan. There was an option to choose the high-spec version with a Deep Blue Battery for an extra 100 yuan.

At this point, Orange Technology’s new products had been on sale for half a year. The cumulative sales for the Yaocheng X1 and Yaocheng X1 SE had exceeded 4.597 million units, and the Orange C3S had sold 13.283 million units.

Combined, the Orange and Yaocheng series had nearly 18 million units in total domestic sales, only 3 million units short of Apple’s total shipments in Hua Country last year.

And Orange Technology had done it in just six months!

Everyone was anticipating Orange Technology’s new model and whether it could defeat the iPhone 5s head-on in the domestic market.

However, Chen Yansen’s attention was entirely on their self-developed chip.

It wasn’t until the new student registration at Xuyuan was over that Mike Keller formally reported that the development of the Celestial Craft A100 Chip was complete and it could now enter the tape-out stage.