Chapter 01: Class Reunion

Yesterday, I received a call from my former class monitor, who said that there would be a class reunion today at a certain five-star hotel near our alma mater, QH University. Unable to decline, I had no choice but to muster the courage to attend

WATER is aware of this ID. Three years ago, he had already reached a level in the hacker world that is not attainable by ordinary individuals. Although I also belong to the software academy, the level of programming, the algorithms for analyzing and solving problems, are truly beyond my reach. While I was lamenting the existence of both Yu and Liang, WATER, or rather Mo Shui, had already become the technical director of the HeK Alliance in the country.

"Hehe, personal interest, personal interest," Mo Shui said, touching his nose and grinning foolishly

Forget it. You just be "redundant," brother. I also need to go patch things up a bit, take care of yourself. " After saying this, he turned and walked away, but after taking a couple of steps, he turned back and said: "Remember, if you encounter any difficulties, just tell me, don't treat me as a stranger. " After saying this, he shook his head and left.

"Go, go, go. Young lady, I have no interest in that. I was just asking how your Mr. Mo Shui is doing?" Yang Bingbing retorted without hesitation

"Why not go up and chat with them? What is that person doing standing in the corner, grinning foolishly?" Yang Bingbing glanced around the large private room. As for Mo Shui teasing her by calling her 'Yang the Great Beauty,' she felt no discomfort at all. Over the four years of university, apart from him, if anyone else in the department had teased her like that, the only outcome would have been a roll of the eyes and a warning: if you call me that again, don’t say you know me. This exception was not due to any feelings she had for Mo Shui, but simply a matter of perception; when he teased her, his gaze was clear and his eyes were "straightforward." For this reason, over the past four years, he was the only one who had this unique distinction.

Ha, what does it matter? Isn't it quite easy not to have to socialize!

Hehe, indeed, indeed. Mo Shui could only agree and look at the books.

I have been wondering, how did you decide to pursue electronic engineering? As for your software programming skills, I am not sure if others are aware, but I certainly am. So, what made you choose to study electronic engineering? This question had been on Yang Bingbing's mind for a long time. The reason she knew about Mo Shui's skills was that the dean of the Software Engineering College was her father, and it was her father who recommended Mo Shui when he wanted to continue studying electronic engineering at the school. At that time, Mo Shui's programming skills were highly regarded by Dean Yang, and Yang Bingbing was quite aware of this. Indeed, she could only say she was quite aware of it. As for Mo Shui's true abilities, it seems that no one, apart from him, could truly understand them.

Come on, you have elderly parents above you and young children below you. Tell me, have you been trapped? Or have you been targeted by someone from BI?" Mo Shui asked with a look of disbelief

"I said, go ahead, brother, I am all ears, what is your purpose?" After Zhang Xuenian finished speaking, he exaggeratedly dug at his ears and leaned in to whisper, "How long has it been since you last logged into this ID, WATER?" This made Yang Bingbing chuckle to herself beside him

"Hello, Miss Yang, have you tricked our family's ink handsome?" At that moment, Zhang Xue-nian, who used to be Mo Shui's upper bunkmate, walked over, put his arm around Mo Shui's shoulder, and teased Yang Bingbing.

"Are you asking me? How does one become a quality inspector? Your level is not suited for that position, is it?" Yang Bingbing did not let this question go.

Hehe. Don't try to deceive me everywhere. There is indeed a bit of intention, but it's not as sordid as you say.

HeK, an abbreviation for hacker

Oh. Oh. Oh. It's nothing, nothing. Mo Shui did not wish to continue this topic with his old bunkmate and quickly changed the subject, responding.

Indeed, it feels somewhat unfamiliar. After all, in today's society, the competition is fierce. Mo Shui glanced at the contacts in his address book; one classmate was either a technical director at a software company or a software engineer at a certain network company. Looking at his own address book, he found himself listed as a quality inspector at an electronics company

Oh. It's nothing much, it's all revolutionary work, right! Haha, just joking, this job is transitional. You know that. Later, I went to study electronic engineering, and after graduating last year, I went into practice. But I will soon resign, as I initially signed a one-year contract. There's no way around it, so I had to accept it.

In fact, he knows that in this day and age, navigating the underworld without a quiet place to cultivate one's mind and body is truly not easy

The class reunion came to a close amidst the bustling yet mundane atmosphere, leaving Mo Shui with just one feeling: tonight was a rare indulgence.

In fact, this statement is the truth

This is called being low-key, do you understand?" Mo Shui said with a smile

WATER, this ID belongs to Mo Shui on a well-known hacker forum in the country. It was discovered one night when Zhang Xuenian woke up to use the bathroom and noticed something about his lower bunk. Subsequently, Zhang Xuenian realized that his lower bunk mate was no ordinary person. Mo Shui had also warned not to tell anyone else besides him.

"What’s going on, brother? What happened to the ID WATER? Where has the former glory gone? Have you encountered some problems that you can’t solve? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you online; have your skills deteriorated?" Zhang Xuenian kept asking. Zhang Xuenian himself is also an old hand on the internet, so he pays close attention to this once "prominent figure."

Indeed. Uncle Mo Shui, how do you always manage to get by? How did you end up as a quality inspector? Tell me, do you have some ulterior motive? Are you interested in the daughter of the company’s president? Or something else? Come on, come on.

"Hi, Mo Shui, what are you smiling about?" A gentle and melodious greeting interrupted Mo Shui's memories. Mo Shui, this is the elegant name of the character, as these two characters are so similar.

Who says that software produced by hackers is free of charge? Do you think hackers are all volunteers? What do they eat and drink?

Hehe, it has been a long time since I last logged onto the platform. Is there any problem?" Mo Shui replied softly, raising his head: "I say, brother, don't be like XBI, what are you checking on me for?"

The contact list was just registered tonight, indicating that the students are quite efficient in their work

At the beginning of last year, the new compression software produced by 0 & 1 has already brought Mo Shui over one million yuan in revenue. Just think about it: a 1GB file, after being compressed by the 0 & 1 compression software, reduces to only 100KB, and not a single byte is lost upon restoration; even the images have not lost a single pixel. This software caused a strong sensation in the industry immediately after its launch, and naturally, the revenue from the paid software has allowed Mo Shui to ascend to the middle tier of the social pyramid.

"Alright, I won't engage with you men any longer. My old friend is calling me, so I will be on my way." Yang Bingbing said this after seeing her old friend wave, and then she turned to leave

"Hehe, it's nothing, how about you? Why don't you chat with them? With your stunning beauty making an appearance, everyone must be eager to support you." Mo Shui also glanced at the private room, touched his nose, and smiled as he spoke.

"Come on, it's not as exaggerated as you say. It's tough out here in society, isn't it? The longer you mix in, the deeper the feelings you have, right? You, how long have you been in this? Of course, you don't have the depth I do." Zhang Xuenian sighed and rolled his eyes as he spoke.

Although he graduated from the School of Software Engineering at QH University like his classmates, he never enjoyed the same carefree life. After graduation, he stayed at the university to pursue his passion for electronic engineering. However, he did not expect that this course would take him a full two years to complete

It has been three years since graduation, and time has passed so quickly. This is Mo Shui's sentiment at this moment

"Hehe, still so low-key. Just take a look around; how many classmates do you see coming over to share a drink with you in this state?" Zhang Xuenian glanced at the classmates around him and noticed their gazes directed his way. Upon realizing he was being noticed, they merely nodded in acknowledgment.

0 & 1, quite a strange name, I haven't been online much lately, so I'm not aware of this person. How is it? Impressive?" Mo Shui also asked in a tone similar to that of a bookstore.

After Mo Shui successfully produced the 0 & 1 compression software, his research direction shifted towards high-density compression inductive algorithms at the hardware level, as well as communication and control at the physical layer. The 0 & 1 compression software is based on inductive compression algorithms at the software level. To pursue this topic, Mo Shui took a three-month leave, plus an additional two months during the summer vacation, to study under a master in the region of China where the culture of the I Ching is most concentrated. Reflecting on those five months of 'dark and sunless' days, he cannot help but feel a sense of nostalgia. However, it was also during those five months of apprenticeship that Mo Shui found a completely new research direction. The solid theoretical foundation in algorithms has led to a qualitative breakthrough in his research in both software engineering and electronic engineering.

The AA system gatherings are not cheap, costing 1,000 yuan per person

Hehe, I am just transitioning, it's tough to get by in this day and age, isn't it?! Mo Shui has started to entertain the thought of teasing his old roommate.

Hello, Yang Bingbing, the beautiful Yang! How are you! Mo Shui turned back to take a look, and it turned out to be the famous ice beauty in the class

After coming out, knowing how difficult it was to find a job, he went to a computer motherboard manufacturing company to apply for the position of quality inspector. Reflecting on the application process for this position, Mo Shui couldn't help but smile. When he first visited the talent exchange market, he had already targeted companies related to electronic engineering, as he had many immature theories that needed validation, and companies related to electronic engineering, especially those in computer hardware, were exactly what he needed. At that time, when he saw the recruitment booth of the company he currently worked for and noticed they were hiring motherboard quality inspectors, he felt a level of excitement that now seemed amusing. He remembered that the educational requirement for this position was just a vocational school diploma. When Mo Shui approached with a photocopy of his electronic engineering diploma from QH University, the recruiter, whom he later learned was named Zhou Tao, the HR manager of the company, stared at him wide-eyed, his mouth agape enough to fit two eggs. That guy stared at him for a full three minutes and asked one question: "Why?" He recalled that he pretended to be profound, pointed to his head, and said, "This is necessary." Thus, he was hired on the spot.

Today, Mo Shui was dressed in ordinary casual attire, inexpensive goods. Looking around at the classmates, none of them were not dressed splendidly, their faces glowing with health.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" At this moment, Yang Bingbing noticed them acting secretively and couldn't help but ask.

Perhaps he is lamenting the fall of yet another master of the underworld. In today's society, there are very few who can truly survive in the shadows; they either end up in prison or are ensnared by the powerful forces of the state. Those who can genuinely laugh with their fingers pointed to the sky are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

I said, "Mo Shui, what's the matter with you? If you're facing difficulties, just tell your brother. I can still help you a bit. After all, my unit is doing quite well, and I'm managing okay. Looking at your outfit, tsk tsk, those who don't know you might think you're the bottom of the social pyramid." Zhang Xuenian glanced at Mo Shui's attire and spoke with reluctance.

In fact, everyone knows that graduates from the School of Software are, without a doubt, high-level talents. Who would believe that they would end up as quality inspectors?

Indeed, recently there has been an ID called 0 & 1 that has overshadowed you. This 0 & 1 is truly impressive, isn't it?" Zhang Xuenian said somewhat exaggeratedly

In fact, apart from Mo Shui himself, who else could know about this 0 & 1? Who would have thought that WATER would relinquish its own brilliant ID and choose to retreat from the world? Perhaps this is what they mean by the new generation replacing the old, with the Yangtze River's waves pushing the previous ones forward, while the former waves perish on the beach. In Mo Shui's view, the ID WATER has already perished among the former waves, having died since he shifted his research direction.

Indeed, it is true that in this day and age, after graduation, with elderly parents to care for and young children to raise, there is little mental space left to delve into technical studies. Moreover, the pace of technological advancement is exceedingly rapid, making it difficult to keep up. It is truly challenging to navigate this environment, very challenging indeed! Zhang Xue-nian expressed his sentiments deeply.

Sigh, it has been three years since graduation, and it feels a bit unfamiliar. How about you? How is the work going? Are there any difficulties?" Yang Bingbing raised the copied classmate contact list as she asked.