Chapter 14: The Website Goes Live

That night, Su Ruochu sat in the study, flipping through her notebook filled with corrected mistakes.

In the kitchen outside, her mother was preparing dinner.

Suddenly, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed; a storm was approaching.

Su Ruochu abruptly remembered that Chen Fan was probably still at the computer school.

He likely hadn’t brought an umbrella.

Without hesitation, she grabbed her raincoat and umbrella and hurried out.

“Mom, I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be right back.”

Before her mother could respond, Su Ruochu closed the door and dashed away.

Breathless, she pedaled her bicycle to the computer school.

The lights were still on inside, and through the window she saw a familiar silhouette.

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she glanced down at the umbrella in her hand.

Suddenly, she hesitated.

She hadn’t thought twice when she decided to come, but now, standing at the door, she felt unsure.

For the past few days, Chen Fan had been engrossed in building websites at Honghai Computer School immediately after class.

He worked late every night, often skipping meals.

What he didn’t know was that Su Ruochu had secretly come here twice to watch him from outside, never entering, only stealing glances through the window.

There, she saw a completely different Chen Fan than the one at school.

He sat before the computer, ten slender fingers flying over a screen filled with interfaces she couldn’t understand.

Zhou Honghai occasionally stopped by to observe, and they sometimes had intense discussions, with Zhou invariably conceding.

In that moment, Su Ruochu felt as if Chen Fan was radiating with brilliance.

On the way home that day, his focused image replayed in her mind.

And Su Ruochu harbored a secret she’d told no one.

That night, she had dreamed of Chen Fan.

They both entered university together and became lovers.

They dated like any other college couple—eating out, strolling the streets, holding hands, even sharing kisses...

Upon waking, Su Ruochu shyly pulled the blanket over her face.

Yet, she couldn’t help but recall Chen Fan’s intense concentration.

“You must be crazy!” she scolded herself, cheeks flushed.

Now, standing at the computer school’s door, she was torn.

“I really must be crazy!” she muttered again.

Would he misunderstand her intentions?

Maybe she should just leave the umbrella at the door?

Just as she wavered, a shout interrupted her thoughts.

“Done!”

Chen Fan called out excitedly from inside.

“Finished?”

Zhou Honghai looked up sharply before rushing over.

“Completed?”

“Quick! Let me see.”

Zhou Honghai eagerly opened the website Chen Fan had created.

“DomainNet?”

“What kind of site is this?”

Surprised, Zhou didn’t understand why Chen Fan had chosen that name.

But soon, he was stunned by the website’s exquisite design.

At this stage, websites were still in their infancy, nowhere near visually appealing.

Yet Chen Fan’s DomainNet borrowed entirely from the successful experiences of future sites.

DomainNet was essentially a forum.

Users could register accounts, post threads, offer rewards, and trade.

Not only was the interface clean and beautiful, but it was divided into various distinctive sections.

“Trading Market,” “Auction Hall,” “Subscription Consultation,” “Collection Valuation,” and many other engaging boards.

“Simply…”

After browsing, Zhou Honghai couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Absolutely… incredible!”

“I’ve never seen such a beautiful website.”

“With skills like this, you could easily apply to those big internet companies.”

Chen Fan smiled.

This was just the beginning.

Due to time constraints, the forum was like a humble clay hut—very basic.

He still needed to add many new features to make it truly complete.

“Is your website for domain trading?”

Zhou Honghai, having heard of such things, asked curiously.

“Do you think domain trading has potential?”

Chen Fan chuckled, “Whether it has potential isn’t for me to decide. I’m just providing a platform for those who believe it does.”

Zhou Honghai looked at Chen Fan meaningfully.

“You’re not telling the whole truth.”

But then he excitedly shouted, “When will you launch this site? I can’t wait—I want to be your first customer.”

“Right now.”

Zhou Honghai was stunned.

“Now?”

“Shouldn’t you pick an auspicious day, bathe, dress properly before launching something so important?”

Chen Fan rolled his eyes.

“There’s no need for all that.”

“Besides, the college entrance exam is in three days—I don’t have time to waste.”

With that, Chen Fan uploaded and published DomainNet with a single click.

Zhou Honghai stared in disbelief.

“You really… don’t sweat the small stuff, huh?”

Chen Fan stretched lazily.

“Thanks for everything these past few days, Honghai.”

“Come on, we’re all friends now—no need for formalities.”

Zhou Honghai couldn’t help but ask, “After the exam, it’s summer vacation. You promised to come by when you have time.”

Chen Fan understood his intention.

Summer was prime recruitment season for computer schools, and Zhou wanted to leverage Chen Fan’s name for publicity.

Chen Fan didn’t mind this small selfishness, especially since Zhou had let him use the computer for free all this time.

“No problem.”

He slung on his backpack.

“I’m heading off.”

“The wind’s picking up, and it’s about to rain. Why not take a cab home?”

“No need. I’ll be home quickly by bike.”

Waving goodbye, Chen Fan stepped out, mounted his bicycle, and sped off.

Thunder rumbled overhead as rain suddenly began to pour.

“Damn!”

The rain was heavy.

Chen Fan cursed, about to pedal faster, but his gaze caught something to the side, and his expression froze.

Screech!

He slammed the brakes.

“Su… Ruochu?”

He couldn’t believe his eyes and hurriedly pushed his bike under the eaves of a roadside shop.

Su Ruochu stood there, seeking shelter, looking somewhat lost.

She had hesitated outside the door for a long time, planning to leave quietly.

Unexpectedly, Chen Fan had just come out.

“Why are you here?”

Chen Fan was surprised.

Su Ruochu wasn’t in her school uniform but wore a thin white dress.

On her feet were cute little sandals.

Her two snow-white legs were exposed.

The howling wind whipped her hair and billowed her dress, which she clutched tightly with both hands.

Nervously facing Chen Fan, she quickly offered him the umbrella.

“I… I saw it was raining and thought you might not have an umbrella, so…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence, cheeks burning red.

Looking down shyly, she handed him the umbrella.

“Here, you should take this umbrella home.”

Chen Fan’s eyes burned as he stared at the girl before him.

The wind tossed her hair wildly, and the skirt fluttered.

The heavy rain had already begun.

Raindrops pelted the sultry road, splashing mud in all directions, filling the air with the warm scent of wet earth.

The once humid and stifling weather instantly turned refreshing.

Because of the wind, the rain blew in.

Su Ruochu’s hair was soaked, and her dress clung wetly to her body.

She looked fragile, evoking a protective tenderness.

Noticing Chen Fan’s gaze, Su Ruochu’s heart quickened.

“Y-you don’t misunderstand. I just happen to live nearby and was passing by, so I thought I’d…”

Before she could finish, Chen Fan suddenly stepped forward.

He reached out, gently pulled her delicate frame close,

and held her tightly in his arms.

“Ah...”