Chapter 054: The High School Student Network Administrator

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When Yang Tian spoke up, both Zhang Zhi and Li, along with the others, looked on in astonishment, all turning their gaze to this unremarkable high school student.

"And who might you be?" Li asked irritably, displeased that Yang Tian was about to ruin his deal.

"I'm the network administrator Zhang Zhi just hired. From now on, I'll be responsible for all the computers here," Yang Tian replied, glancing at Zhang Zhi before quickly stepping forward, lifting a computer, and heading into the internet café.

Li's expression darkened as he and his colleagues strode in after him.

Zhang Zhi was momentarily stunned. He knew he’d been taken for a ride, but hadn't expected Li to fleece him of five thousand yuan in one go. Though disgruntled, he didn't expose Yang Tian, since the latter was clearly helping him.

"Zhang Zhi, what's the meaning of this? Don't you trust your old pal Li?" Li’s tone grew anxious as he saw Yang Tian nimbly connecting cables and powering up the machine.

"Li, it's only proper that we check the computers before accepting them. After all, they aren't yours, and if they came out of the factory with problems, both you and I would be in the dark. It's better to be safe," Zhang Zhi replied with a conciliatory smile, though anger flickered in his eyes. Even if his family was well-off, losing five thousand yuan in one go was intolerable. Li was treating him like a fool!

"All these computers come with certificates of quality; how could there be any problem? Go ahead and check if you want. I've been in the computer business in Binhai for two or three years now—I wouldn't peddle fakes," Li, whose full name was Li Tang, retorted, feigning confidence. He didn’t believe a high schooler could find any fault.

Li Tang casually pulled out a cigarette and took a long drag, trying to appear unconcerned.

The operating system in 1997 was indos95. As the machine booted up, the classic indos startup screen appeared. Yang Tian skillfully opened the configuration manager to check the computer's specs.

"Two-gigabyte hard drive, eight megabytes of RAM. Hardly the latest model, is it?" Yang Tian remarked with a light laugh.

"This computer sells for seventy-five hundred now. I'm only cutting the price for Zhang Zhi because we're old friends! What more do you want?" Li Tang, unfazed by Yang Tian's knowledge, still maintained a show of righteousness.

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"A K5-133 CPU, 72-pin EDO RAM. This configuration won't be upgradable in four years. The motherboard is an MSI MS-5149 with an Intel 82430VX chipset. In a few years, these will run slower and slower. When games like King of Fighters '98 and Red Alert '98 become popular, these machines will be obsolete. Well? Want me to go on?" Yang Tian said sternly, opening the case with a clang and pointing at the motherboard.

Li Tang and his colleagues were dumbfounded—was this really a high schooler? Even Zhang Zhi was shocked.

"So, how much do you think these computers are worth?" Li Tang asked, now a little panicked. Inwardly, he cursed his luck at meeting such an obstacle—Zhang Zhi was no longer easy prey.

"Buying five at once counts as a small bulk order. You should offer a fair price—fifty-five hundred per machine. If you’re not willing to sell, you can take them back," Yang Tian said as he deftly shut down and unplugged the computer, naming a price that left even Zhang Zhi wide-eyed.

"Fifty-five hundred for a computer? These aren’t TVs, you know!" Li Tang bellowed, but he was losing his nerve. Everything the kid had said was spot-on—the company’s price was indeed fifty-five hundred. The extra amount was just his own markup.

Now it seemed the profit was slipping away, but he couldn't refuse to sell the computers, or he wouldn't be able to answer to his superiors.

"Li, if we can’t agree on the price, just take the computers back. My little internet café doesn’t really need that many machines for now, anyway," Zhang Zhi said, trying to keep his temper in check. He was angry at the underhanded dealings, but he still spoke civilly to Li Tang.

"Come on, Zhang Zhi, we’ve been friends for years—let’s not fall out over a trifle like this! All right, I’ll take a loss this time and cover the difference with the company. Fifty-five hundred apiece, these five machines stay. But you need to understand, the price cut is coming out of my pocket, not the company’s," Li Tang said, forcing a laugh and quickly changing his tone.

"Alright, thanks, Li," Zhang Zhi replied, handing over the money. His spirits lifted—a significant saving like this was a huge encouragement for someone just starting out.

Li Tang left in defeat, clutching the money. If it weren't for needing to report back to his company, he would never have swallowed his pride and made the sale—what a loss of face!

Yang Tian then proceeded to check the other four computers, making sure there were no issues. Fortunately, Li Tang had only tried to skim money on the price; the machines themselves were fine.

"What’s your name?" After Li Tang left, Zhang Zhi fetched two cans of Tsingtao beer, popped one open, and handed it to Yang Tian.

"Yang Tian—Yang as in poplar tree, Tian as in sky!" Yang Tian accepted without hesitation, taking a hearty swig. It was his first taste of beer since his rebirth, and it was good.

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"Yang Tian? That’s a good name. You seem to know a lot about computers," Zhang Zhi said with a hearty laugh. Thanks to Yang Tian, he’d saved over ten thousand yuan today.

"I know a bit," Yang Tian replied with a faint smile. In truth, he wasn’t especially knowledgeable about computers—anyone from the twenty-first century who returned to this era would know these things, since computers had already become commonplace by then.

"You want to work as my network admin? All right, but let me be upfront—the pay’s not great," Zhang Zhi said, already feeling they got along well. Yang Tian wasn’t at all the brat he’d imagined, but rather calm and steady.

"I can only come for a few hours in the evenings," Yang Tian replied, raising his beer can for a toast.

"Alright, four hundred a month. Is that acceptable?" Zhang Zhi considered for a moment and smiled. Given how much Yang Tian had saved him today, four hundred a month was more than fair.

"Deal!" Yang Tian agreed readily. Getting along with a colleague was what mattered most, and he found Zhang Zhi to be a decent person—no need to quibble over salary.

After a brief chat, Yang Tian and Zhang Zhi set about installing the five new computers and reorganizing the café’s wiring.

With Yang Tian’s help, Zhang Zhi thoroughly improved the environment of the internet café—installing extra lights to make it brighter, placing a few pots of flowers in the corners for comfort, and setting up a subwoofer on the counter to play popular songs daily.

"Heaven and earth are vast, passersby come and go, tides rise and fall, love and hate, life and death, who can truly see through it all? The mortal world surges on, love is deep and foolish, meetings and partings are inevitable; keep half your wits, half your dreams, for at least in dreams, you’re by my side…" Soon, Zhang Zhi played his favorite song, "Living Boldly Once More." The music echoed down nearly half the street—an immediate success!

PS: Recommending two new books: "God’s Armament" by Mingyi, book number 1275267; and "Secret Recipe," the new novel by Xu Qifeng, book number 1282130.