Chapter 17: Going Viral!

“Uncle.”
“Uncle.”

From a distance, Li Ping’an and his sister Li Ya spotted their uncle, Zhu Guodong, pacing back and forth in the courtyard with his hands in his pockets.

Judging by his restless steps, it was clear he was worried they wouldn’t come and feared being stood up.

“They’re here!”

The moment he saw the two children, Zhu Guodong’s face immediately lit up with a relieved smile.

But when he caught sight of little Ya carrying something, his expression darkened at once, feigning a scolding tone: “Coming to your uncle’s for a meal and still bringing things along—what’s that about?”

“We’ll bring it back when we leave!”

Li Ping’an parked the car steadily and replied with a cheerful smile, “Uncle, don’t jump to conclusions. This isn’t for you; it’s for grandpa.”

That explanation left Zhu Guodong momentarily speechless, unable to argue.

Inside, the elderly grandfather, warming himself by the fire, heard the commotion and came out to greet them.

“Come in quickly and warm yourselves—you must be frozen!” His voice was loud and filled with joy.

The old man had one son and one daughter. Since the passing of Li Ping’an’s parents, he had especially doted on these grandchildren.

By the flickering firelight, Li Ping’an chatted casually with his grandfather, sharing amusing school stories from the past year.

When it was Li Ya’s turn, the conversation shifted to her grades.

Her face instantly fell, thinking about how she could never catch up to her brother academically. She kept these thoughts to herself, afraid to speak them aloud in front of her grandfather and uncle.

Usually, squabbling with her brother earned her nothing more than a stern look, but talking back to their uncle could really get her into trouble.

It was said that their brother had been disciplined by their uncle often as a child, so when it came to her, she was especially well-behaved in his presence.

Li Ping’an comfortably basked by the fire, chatting away, completely unaware that the download count of the Pet Spirit app was skyrocketing.

At the Huawei App Market Management Department, staff initially suspected the surge in downloads was fabricated traffic. However, after checking the backend, they realized that every ID downloading the app belonged to genuine active users.

Not daring to delay, they immediately reported this to their supervisor.

The supervisor, after examining the data, downloaded and tested the app himself. A veteran software developer well-versed in the field, he quickly discerned that the app integrated artificial intelligence technology.

He pondered quietly: Was this Pet Spirit merely adorned with an AI facade, or was AI truly empowering the Pet Spirit experience?

“This is a clever idea. Xiao Wang, give it a featured spot among the newly listed apps.”

After a moment’s thought, the supervisor instructed, “Contact the developer through the backend and ask if Pet Spirit can be adapted for the NEXT system version. If so, tell them we’ll allocate additional traffic and promotion resources.”

Xiao Wang nodded and promptly reached out to the developer via the platform.

After lunch, Li Ping’an and Li Ya lounged in the courtyard, soaking up the sun, when a call from roommate Zhao Peng shattered the quiet.

Seeing Zhao Peng’s name, Li Ping’an answered casually.

“Man, you’re on fire! No, it’s your Pet Spirit app that’s blowing up!”

Zhao Peng’s voice was full of excitement, shouting down the line, “I shared a video with you—you’ll see. A blogger with over a million followers is recommending Pet Spirit! If I didn’t know you, I’d suspect you hired paid promoters.”

Li Ping’an’s heart suddenly raced.

After hanging up, he hurriedly opened the video Zhao Peng had sent.

“Hey everyone, anyone knows about this? I stumbled upon an amazing app that helps kids with their homework—it’s actually my own kid who showed me…”

Watching the enthusiastic blogger on the screen, Li Ping’an was astonished. Did free advertising really fall from the sky these days?

Seeing the video’s over one hundred thousand likes, he swallowed nervously. If even a fraction of those likes converted to downloads, how many new users would that mean?

Lost in thought, his phone rang again. Zhao Peng was calling back.

“See that?”

Zhao Peng’s voice came through the receiver, tinged with barely concealed excitement and anticipation.

“I saw it. Quite surprising, indeed.”

Li Ping’an tried to keep his voice calm and steady, but inside, waves of emotion stirred.

“Come on, don’t pretend to be so cool with me!”

Zhao Peng had clearly seen through his disguise.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Peng’s tone turned serious and sincere:

“Old Fourth, if you listen to me, you should start preparing your paperwork and set up an internet company.

Think about it—we’re college students now, and that gives us a huge advantage. We get a lot of perks and support.

When school starts next year, apply to establish a university student startup base and aim for some office space.

Starting up on campus is way cheaper. In this prime city, you’d save a ton on rent and could even get all kinds of startup subsidies for students.

It’s a win-win. Don’t be a fool running off-campus.”

“But actually, that’s not even the best part. The most important thing is that your company will have a layer of invisible protection by being incubated on campus.”

“I’ve never seen any company dumb enough to pick a fight with Shuimu University.”

“That protection lets your company smoothly get through the rookie phase. When your company grows, you won’t have to worry so much about competitors targeting you.”

What Zhao Peng said echoed thoughts Li Ping’an had been quietly mulling over deep inside.

His carefully laid entrepreneurial blueprint perfectly matched Zhao Peng’s advice—it was uncanny.

In fact, Li Ping’an’s plan contained a subtle nuance Zhao Peng hadn’t considered: making full use of the university’s intern resources.

These interns not only had solid professional skills and could contribute greatly to the company, but their cost was also very attractive—offering excellent value.

For seniors planning on graduate school, completing internship requirements on campus without running around would be ideal.

Such opportunities were rare and precious.

After all, not every student had connections.

As for the exact amount of internship stipends, most students wouldn’t fuss too much.

You can’t find a worker for three thousand yuan easily, but university students at that pay are a dime a dozen!

If the company added some work benefits, students would feel like the company was their home.

It might sound exaggerated, but that’s just how the talent market is nowadays.

Nearby, Li Ya watched her brother grin foolishly at his phone and couldn’t bear it.

“Big brother, watch your image!”

“Huh?”

“Oh, oh, oh~”

“Lost in thought.”

Over the phone, Zhao Peng heard Li Ya’s voice and immediately changed his tone.

“Hey, isn’t that our little sister?”

“Alright, alright, gotta hang up now. Talk later.”

***

Thanks to readers Wushuwuwo, Zhutiwanjieshikongzhilin, and BookFan20241123200024523 for their generous support~~~