Qin Zixin had a mischievous streak; even after failing an exam, she always wanted to stir up trouble. She opened the ‘Touch+’ resource site maintenance group, which had only four members, including herself. Over the years, as she progressed from middle school to high school, the other three members had all graduated from college.
“Grand Master Hunyuan: I have a money-making idea @All Members”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: Let’s sell mugs! @All Members”
Qin Zixin kept messaging, tagging all members twice to annoy them, which immediately drew a response.
“Wood Child: I’ll supermark you, I’m casting a spell, supermarket, hear me?”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: Just say it if you’re useless”
“Wood Child: Supermarket you!”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: That’s how your life will be”
“Wood Child: I supermark you! Send me one, quick!”
Wood Child sent over a dozen emojis, pushing Qin Zixin’s messages out of sight. Qin Zixin, feeling defeated, responded with her own set of emojis.
Wood Child’s real name was Li Feifei, and he had graduated from his master’s program just two months prior. Like Fang Shicheng, he was from Lu Province’s Qindao, though he was a true city dweller, unlike Fang, whose family had only recently moved to the county. In middle school, Li Feifei followed his father to study in Nanling. He attended both his undergraduate and master’s programs at Nanling Polytechnic, which was close to Qin Zixin’s residence. Once, Qin Zixin had edited a horror clip into a feature film and shared it in the group, scaring Li Feifei so badly that he threatened to expose Grand Master Hunyuan’s true identity. Qin Zixin was too frightened to speak up in the group after that.
But now, things had calmed down, and Qin Zixin realized that Wood Child was all talk.
However, Qin Zixin didn’t know that Li Feifei’s younger sister was Li Jinjin, a high-achieving and beautiful student who had directly entered Nanling Experimental Middle School after middle school exams—Qin Zixin’s classmate.
Seeing Wood Child lose his cool in the group, Qin Zixin’s smirk widened. This little troublemaker was always coming up with new schemes, and the system had grown used to it, barely paying attention. After all, those who hung out with Qin Zixin weren’t exactly upstanding citizens.
‘[Don’t cause trouble, I’m in pain and can’t be bothered.]’
The system finished speaking and lost interest, unwilling to engage further. In its previous life, the system had been a responsible individual at Qin Zixin’s age. Even now, without any hardware, it could still charm young girls online with its smooth talk.
But now, its ethical granddaughter was only capable of barking online, causing chaos. The system understood; in its past life, it had a group of beloved companions, and its romantic history could fill a section of a certain forum’s harem genre fiction. Back then, everything was about imagination, and half a lifetime was spent hoping to meet someone willing to notice them. Even if they managed to find a barely acceptable match, after spending a fortune, there was no guarantee the child would be their own.
“Grand Master Hunyuan: Shut up, you fool, go play somewhere else”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: Come out! @Pickles”
“Pickles: What are you raving about?”
Wang Tianzhuo, tagged in the message, saw the annoying presence and immediately responded with a lack of civility.
“Grand Master Hunyuan: The resource site has a lot of traffic. We can place our own ads there”
Seeing the main player emerge, Qin Zixin continued typing. “Grand Master Hunyuan: Otakus are known for their loyalty. When they see purchase links on their favorite sites, they’ll be curious”
“Wood Child: Curious about what? I’m here for resources, not ads”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: Pin a post at the top of each discussion board, increase the font size by two, bold and underline it. Say it’s a limited offer, mention a popular anime, and claim it’s an authentic replica of a character, priced at 300 or more. Otakus are easy to fool; they lose their minds over physical merchandise”
“Wood Child: Why not use Xiao Huang? Why not use Xiao Huang? Why not use Xiao Huang?”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: Xiao Huang is too mainstream!”
Qin Zixin had no shame in her words. Online, everything is fake, and who knows who’s on the other side of the screen? Plus, it was Grand Master Hunyuan talking nonsense, not her. In reality, she was a stunningly beautiful supergirl, and no one would ever connect Grand Master Hunyuan to her.
“Pickles: Can this thing make money? The materials don’t seem cheap; even the base is expensive. I doubt I’ll have much left after buying the machine”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: It’s definitely profitable; this thing isn’t valuable”
“Wood Child: Forget it, I’ll just use brute force! If it doesn’t fit, I’ll use more force! @Pickles”
****
In Guangzhou, Shenzhen, a luxurious 400-square-meter apartment by the sea.
The new, high-end community offered stunning views of the Daya Bay coastline from the balcony. On clear days, you could even see the Three Door Island, a beautiful sight. Recently, someone bought the island, and Wang Tianzhuo occasionally saw small yachts docked at the makeshift pier.
The apartment’s interior was eclectic, with a mix of redwood and pearwood furniture. The redwood pieces were modern and minimalist, while the pearwood had a distinct southern Chinese aesthetic, appearing old-fashioned. In fact, they were antique pieces from the Guangxu era, purchased at a high price by Wang Tianzhuo’s father from Taining County, Fujian.
A Czech-imported Brno crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, but underneath it was an antique screen, its origin unknown. The floor was half parquet and half glass tile, giving the room a modern, minimalist feel, though it seemed out of place, with a glaring sense of discord. Outsiders might think the owner had questionable taste.
But this was Wang Tianzhuo’s favorite home, every detail chosen by him, ugly or not.
Despite its size, his private bedroom was small, barely ten square meters, with a low ceiling of only 2.5 meters. The room contained a standard 1.5-meter-wide single bed, two computer desks, a high-end computer chair, and a storage shelf, leaving little floor space.
This was Wang Tianzhuo’s personal space. As a child, he often struggled with sleep, hearing that smaller rooms could ‘hold energy’ while larger ones let it dissipate. After moving to a smaller room, his sleep improved. Now, he only slept in the large master bedroom when someone was with him.
Wang Tianzhuo lay on his bed, fidgeting with a waterproof tablet. The bed was a mess, with a large body pillow on the floor. The pillow was dirty, stained with oil. He had only been out of the police station for five hours, and after sharing his experiences on ‘Touch Home,’ he discovered that Grand Master Hunyuan had seen an opportunity for profit.
Since graduating, Wang Tianzhuo had been living off his parents, never working a day. But he knew his nature; working would be torture. In the group, Grand Master Hunyuan was spouting nonsense, and Wood Child was arguing with everything.
Wherever Grand Master Hunyuan was, there was sure to be trouble. Wang Tianzhuo watched, feeling tired. He yawned and reached into the desk drawer for his ‘wife,’ unsure if it was clean. He sniffed it; a strong silicone and pungent perfume scent. He used it to wipe off the oil stains, then tossed it back in the drawer.
Suddenly, he remembered that three years ago, he was pure.
No, he had always been pure, even in high school, acting like a na”ve fool, always paying for others at the school store.
Eating losses is a blessing. Wang Tianzhuo felt a wave of emptiness and decided to get off the bed and turn on his computer.
What would his past self think of him now? Wang Tianzhuo had never had grand ambitions. His past self might envy his current comfortable life. Grand Master Hunyuan’s talk about otakus didn’t bother him, even though he considered himself one.
But he had to admit, Grand Master Hunyuan’s idea had potential. In 2013, e-commerce was just taking off, and opportunities were everywhere. The cost of materials and storage might be around fifty yuan, and selling for 300 was an exaggeration. Setting a price around 200 would be reasonable, especially since advertising would be free.
Posting ads on the Touch+ forum only required a bit of time, making it almost pure profit after costs. Wang Tianzhuo had known Grand Master Hunyuan for nearly three years, back when he was still in university and had plenty of free time.
They first met on a forum, where Grand Master Hunyuan was famous for finding the highest quality torrents. Impressed, Wang Tianzhuo added Qin Zixin’s QQ. With the system’s memory, Qin Zixin’s endless chatter left a deep impression on Wang Tianzhuo.
They often talked for hours, covering every topic imaginable. Wang Tianzhuo was amazed by Qin Zixin’s vast knowledge. She suggested creating a resource site for everyone, with tags for each video, allowing quick searches by sequence number, name, or tag. She also proposed a user level system, where registered users could upload content once they reached a certain level, ensuring the site’s diversity with both a proper resource section and a free discussion board.
Wang Tianzhuo had money and time, so he eagerly agreed to work with Grand Master Hunyuan, renting a server. With Wood Child’s programming expertise and another like-minded friend, Han Hong, they built the site in just a week, naming it ‘Touch+’.
The name was straightforward, almost too much so, hinting at its less-than-reputable content. In 2010, tentacle themes were incredibly popular, with small studios producing them en masse, turning a once-terrifying element into something humorous. Through forums, BBS, and resource groups, ‘Touch+’ grew into a comprehensive forum with over 8,000 daily active users, peaking at 30,000 during holidays.
Beyond the explicit content, the forum hosted discussions on series numbers, games, life struggles, politics, and personal experiences, all with substantial traffic. Grand Master Hunyuan’s mug idea intrigued Wang Tianzhuo.
As a second-generation rich kid, Wang Tianzhuo’s only contribution to his father’s business was staying out of it. He knew his limits and preferred a life of leisure over starting a business. Eating, drinking, and playing wouldn’t break the bank, but starting a business could lead to financial ruin. Wang Tianzhuo was content being a parasite, not interfering with his father’s work.
But now, Wang Tianzhuo felt capable. ‘Touch+’ had cost nearly 50,000 yuan so far, a drop in the bucket for him. The site’s maintainers were volunteers, driven by the ‘light of benefits.’ Wang Tianzhuo had considered paying them, even offering 20,000 yuan a month to each of the three, which was nothing to him, as he spent more on women monthly.
But a barely profitable website would need years of advertising revenue to cover those salaries, making the ‘extra income’ seem like a rich man’s toy. Wang Tianzhuo didn’t want that pressure.
However, he had invested a lot in the site and didn’t want to see it falter due to a lack of funds, especially when Han Hong had recently complained about his long-term girlfriend leaving him due to poverty.
Wang Tianzhuo knew Grand Master Hunyuan was all talk, but he considered trying the mug idea. Even a small profit would be good, at least as a living allowance for the maintainers. If it failed, he could sell the second-hand machine or melt the products for scrap, recovering some costs.
“Pickles: I’ll contact the factory. How about the specifications? @Grand Master Hunyuan”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: What the hell? Are you serious?”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: I was just kidding”
“Pickles: It won’t cost much. I’ve thought about it; even if we can’t sell them, we can sell the materials”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: Don’t drag me into this; I’m a good person, not doing this stuff. Old Fang can handle it; he’s a pro with software and studies materials, perfect for this”
“Wood Child: Know nothing? Why are you alive? Want to reincarnate? I’ll let you play underwater escape, how about that?”
“Grand Master Hunyuan: Supermarket you, wait till I bury you alive”
Wang Tianzhuo didn’t continue reading the group chat and went to find Fang Shicheng instead.
He was familiar with Fang. Though always argumentative, Fang was a high achiever and a jerk, even recording a fight that morning.
If Wang Tianzhuo were in that situation, he would have recorded a clear video with his flagship phone, not blurred like Fang’s.