Brother Yu, you are our idol!

The next day, Chen Yu arrived early at Dreamscape Junction.

"Hey, Yu Ge, hello, Yu Ge!"

"Uh, guys, I'm just a high school student, just call me Chen Yu."

"Yu Ge, you are our idol."

"Don't say that, please..."

Chen Yu felt a sense of sorrow welling up within him.

Could he truly say that he didn't want to be their idol?

"Alright, let's get serious. How did everyone familiarize themselves with the game yesterday? Jian Ge, please share."

Since they were taking a more serious path, Chen Yu decided to change the informal "Jian Ge" to the respectful "Jian Ge", abandoning the added meaning of "b*tch".

"Everyone's pretty smart. Even though it was their first time playing the game, they got the hang of it in just over ten minutes. And these guys are already addicted. If it weren't for me, they'd want to play all night."

"Hehe, you can't blame us. This game is just too much fun."

Chen Li laughed, "I feel like I'm in a dream. Can you really make money playing games?"

"Of course, you can make money. But don't think it's all fun and games. You might find it good in the beginning, but when you're grinding monsters and leveling up every day, don't complain about being tired later."

"No, no, how could that happen?"

Everyone waved their hands.

Getting tired from playing games?

That couldn't be possible.

"Alright, since everyone is so enthusiastic, starting today, we'll begin power leveling. Remember to take breaks; every two hours, you must take a 10-minute break."

While playing games wasn't physically demanding, sitting for extended periods was indeed unhealthy.

Continuing to sit like this for a long time, even if there were no issues now, could lead to various health problems in the future.

This was also why Chen Yu wasn't particularly keen on establishing a game studio.

But for now, he had to make some money.

"Sounds good."

Everyone nodded.

Chen Yu logged into his game account and sold two more Magic Shields in the public chat. However, the price of Magic Shields had dropped to 2,000 yuan each, indicating that someone had looted them from the Corpse King.

Chen Yu didn't mind; he still had plenty of Magic Shields. Even at 2,000 yuan each, he could make a good profit.

Of course, the money from these Magic Shields didn't belong to the studio; it belonged to Chen Yu and Zhang Jianming.

Although they had some other high-level skill books, they couldn't sell them because the players' levels weren't high enough yet.

Chen Yu wasn't in a hurry. Thinking of the computer he had ordered yesterday, he informed Zhang Jianming and headed downstairs.

As he descended, he still heard those neatly spoken words, "Yu Ge, take care."

Chen Yu was startled and hurriedly left.

...

"Mr. Xiao, is the computer ready?"

"It's ready. Take a look; it's a bit old on the outside, but the components inside are brand new. You can trust that."

"Alright."

Chen Yu nodded.

As for whether the components inside were new or not, he would check when he got back.

"I've wrapped it all up for you."

"Here, it's a bit heavy."

"But, um, little brother, do you want an old or a new monitor?"

"Of course, I want a new monitor."

"Hehe, I thought you might want an old one."

Mr. Xiao chuckled awkwardly and set aside the old-fashioned monitor he had prepared earlier, taking out a new Philips monitor.

Looking at the pristine monitor, Chen Yu grabbed some dust and smeared it all over the screen.

In just a moment, the previously brand-new monitor looked like a second-hand one, thanks to Chen Yu's touch.

"What are you doing, little brother?"

"It's nothing. The new one is too bright, and it hurts my eyes. I prefer it a bit older."

"I didn't expect you to have this hobby, little brother. Check if it's okay, and I'll help you deliver it to your home."

"It's fine. Here's the remaining money. Just check it off. But, Mr. Xiao, you don't need to deliver it. I'll take a motorcycle back."

He couldn't let Mr. Xiao deliver it since he had told his mom it was an old computer.

Chen Yu was willing to spend a few extra bucks on a taxi fare.

"Driver, take me to Garden Bay."

He hailed a motorcycle taxi and returned home with the newly purchased computer.

"Xiaoyu, what's this?"

"It's a computer."

"Oh, you brought it back so soon?"

"I told you yesterday, right? My classmate didn't need it, and I couldn't resist the temptation, so I brought it home."

"Did you talk to your classmate about the money for next month?"

"I did, Mom. Don't worry, my classmate is well-off."

"Well-off or not, you can't do this. Come on, be careful, this computer is expensive."

Helping move the computer downstairs, Chen Yu placed it in his own room.

"Xiaoyu, this computer seems a bit different."

"How is it different?"

"Look at the screen; it seems different from what we have on our television."

"Oh, the older models have screens like this. This is the new one."

"Didn't you say it was your classmate's old computer? Now it's new?"

"Uh..."

Chen Yu wiped his forehead.

It wasn't easy for him to buy a computer, and now he had spun this web of lies.

But he had no other choice.

If his mom found out that he spent nearly 10,000 yuan on a computer, she would probably insist on returning it.

No, that's not right. The computer was too expensive; she definitely wouldn't want to return it.

The more important issue was, they would ask, where did you get the money?

Stealing?

Robbing?

Chen Yu was just a student right now, so how could he explain that he was making money from playing games?

Even if it were true, he dared not say it.

Fortunately, Chen Yu was quick-witted and said, "Yes, this is my classmate's old computer. Mom, you don't know; technology advances so quickly in the world of computers nowadays. My teacher told me that electronic products are updated every two months. This computer my classmate bought two years ago, that's 24 months, which means it has gone through 12 generations of upgrades."

"Oh, I see."

Zhang Wenxiu didn't understand much about computers, but she thought Chen Yu made a valid point. "Computers are something your mother doesn't understand. You study it well. When the shop makes money this month, I'll give the money to your classmate."

"Mom, no need for that. Let me tell you, your son is quite smart. Once I learn about computers, I can start making software for people. Then I'll sell the software, and I'll have my own money. I won't need your money."

"Oh, you've become quite capable, even making software."

"Mom, this is nothing. In the future, your son will even open a software company."

"The more you say, the less serious it sounds. Alright, alright, if my son opens a software company, I'll enjoy the benefits with you..."

Zhang Wenxiu chuckled secretly.

Although she knew Chen Yu was just talking nonsense, she was still quite happy.

In the afternoon, Chen Yu installed some essential software from the provided CDs. He realized he hadn't set up an internet connection yet, so he left home and went to the telecommunications company.

At this time, the telecommunications company hadn't yet delegated its services to private businesses; you had to apply at the telecom office.

"Hello, I'd like to apply for a broadband connection."

However, while it was called broadband, it wasn't genuinely broadband; it was just internet access via the telephone line.

Of course, you couldn't use the phone line alone for internet access; you needed a modem, also known as a "cat".

In 2001, the technology for using phone lines as broadband was relatively mature, and it wasn't as slow as the speeds of a few kilobytes or tens of kilobytes from the '90s. According to news reports, the highest speed had reached 4 megabits. At the same time, in 2001, the country officially launched ADSL dial-up internet access nationwide, bringing broadband into millions of households.

"Do you have a landline?"

"Yes."

"How many megabits of broadband do you want?"

"The highest is 4 megabits."

"How much is the 4-megabit plan?"

"11,000 yuan per year."

"What...?"

Chen Yu almost choked.

A 4-megabit broadband plan cost a whopping 11,000 yuan per year.

When you think about the future, even a 100-megabit broadband plan only costs 600 yuan per year. Moreover, mobile and other providers offer even cheaper options, sometimes even included in package deals. And all of these modern broadband connections are fiber-optic.

But now, for a broadband connection, they were still using phone lines to dial up the internet, and it was still this expensive.

"What about the 2-megabit plan?"

"5,000 yuan per year."

"And the 1-megabit plan?"

"2,000 yuan."

"Then, give me the 1-megabit plan for now."

Although he wanted to get the 4-megabit plan, he had only earned a few thousand yuan so far. With the 8,500 yuan spent on the computer and adding a 4-megabit broadband plan, there wouldn't be much money left after he started making money from gaming.