Chapter 6. “I’m not a grade-schooler—I’m a college student now!”
Ma Tengyun was overwhelmed with excitement.
He had already given up hope…
Yet at the last moment, the greatest opportunity of his life had fallen into his lap.
In his euphoria, he even forgot the possibility that Li Mo might be bluffing.
Right now, his mind was consumed by one thought—
I got the investment!
“I need your mind sharp.”
“After all, as the lead of this instant messaging project,”
“You’re the one steering the ship.”
Ma Tengyun grew even more fired up.
Li Mo was dead serious.
“Once the project starts,”
“I won’t touch a drop of alcohol. The project will always come first.”
“Brother Li, let me celebrate today—just one straight from the bottle!”
With that, Ma Tengyun bit off the beer cap and chugged.
Normally introverted,
Today, his joy had unleashed a wilder side.
Watching Ma Tengyun’s enthusiasm, Li Mo couldn’t resist downing his own beer.
Su Qingyan pouted, clearly unhappy.
Li Mo instinctively patted her head—
In his heart, he still saw her as a kid.
“Brother, you shouldn’t drink. Alcohol is bad for men.”
“It harms health… and could affect having healthy babies later.”
After divorcing her sister, Su Qingyan hadn’t left.
Instead, she’d stuck around, nagging him .
“I’m a single man—what does ‘health’ matter?”
“I’d love kids, but who’d have them with me?”
“Don’t talk about babies in public.”
“After we get married, I’ll give you one.”
Seeing her earnest, flushed face, Li Mo finally took her seriously.
He’d assumed it was just youthful teasing.
After all, modern young people had different mindsets.
But when he first met Su Qingyan,
She’d been a sixth-grader—
A sweet, ponytailed girl who struck him as pure innocence.
Back then, he’d felt like she was his own little sister.
He’d always doted on her.
When she moved into his home for college, he’d cared for her meticulously.
Yet he’d never once seen her as a woman.
To him, she’d always been just… his little sister.
She seemed genuinely serious.
What was he supposed to do?
Ma Tengyun, having finished his first bottle, immediately cracked open a second.
“This calls for celebration—bottoms up!”
“I’ll finish this; you take your time!”
His face was red, but despite the rapid drinking, he showed no sign of slowing down.
Securing investment outweighed everything else.
By the seventh bottle, he finally paused.
“Brother Li, do you have ideas for monetizing instant messaging?”
He sensed Li Mo had a vision for the future.
“I do have some thoughts,” Li Mo admitted.
“But it’s too early to discuss them.”
He knew that to earn Ma Tengyun’s unwavering loyalty,
He had to impress him thoroughly, and now wasn’t the time to reveal everything.
“For now, just focus on building the platform.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Ma Tengyun nodded solemnly.
“I’ll make this project succeed!”
He realized Li Mo truly had a monetization strategy.
Amid the internet bubble burst, with valuations plummeting,
Li Mo’s confidence proved his foresight.
There really are masters beyond masters in this world.
“Brother Li, let’s exchange contacts.”
“I’ll need to reach you tomorrow.”
After swapping numbers, they talked late into the night.
Ma Tengyun reminisced about his past ventures and his time at RunXun, at times nearly moving to tears.
No one had ever understood him this deeply.
He grew more convinced, this investor was his true kindred spirit.
Over an hour later, a slightly drunk Ma Tengyun staggered out of the restaurant.
“Brother Li, I’ll call you tomorrow!”
“We’ll finalize the investment details!”
Li Mo clapped his shoulder.
“Sure. Be careful on your way home.”
Ma Tengyun waved him off.
“Don’t worry—I’m always careful.”
Once he was out of sight, Su Qingyan turned to Li Mo.
“Brother-in-law, are you really serious about investing in instant messaging?”
She wanted to stop him.
The internet industry was in a winter—even giants were struggling.
Starting a venture now seemed suicidal.
Yet Li Mo was determined.
But she knew better than to argue in public.
A good partner supports, not undermines.
“Yes. Even if I lose everything, I’m doing this.”
Hearing his resolve, Su Qingyan dropped the subject.
If this was his dream, she’d stand by him.
So what if he loses it all? I can work. I’ll take care of him!
Then she circled back.
“Brother-in-law, let’s get married soon.”
“Stop joking around, kid.”
In his mind, she was still that little girl obsessed with dolls.
Yet here she was—a legal adult—asking to marry him.
The dissonance was absurd.
Su Qingyan huffed, then spun in front of him, arms outstretched.
“I’m not a kid—I’m in college now!”
“Look at me! I’ve grown up!”
“No girl in my class compares to me!”
“Li Mo, stop judging me by your memories.”
“Tell me, am I not beautiful?”
As Li Mo took in her delicate features and slender figure,
It hit him—she was a woman now.
And not just any woman…
(Note: Some setting details, like marriage laws and stock market rules, differ in this parallel world—no further explanations will be given.)