3: Chapter 3 School Beauty Jiang Youyou

"Is it done?"

Zhao Lei and Lin Xiao lifted their heads at the same time.

"The initial prototype is ready."

Qin Mo turned the computer screen toward the two of them.

The screen displayed an interface that was simple to the extreme: a black background with white borders.

A video was playing automatically. In the footage, an orange cat was trying to crawl into a cardboard box; it got stuck halfway, its two hind legs kicking around outside.

The video ended there and played on a loop.

Zhao Lei subconsciously swiped with the mouse, and the screen smoothly switched to a new video.

He swiped down again, and it switched again.

"This interaction..." Zhao Lei's eyes lit up. "This is interesting."

"Duh, I made it."

Lin Xiao said from the side.

"I'm talking about the feel of this swiping transition; what do you know?"

"That's still my code."

Qin Mo ignored their bickering and clapped his hands.

"The prototype is here, but it's still empty; there's no content."

He looked at Zhao Lei.

"Your next task is to scour the internet for all the interesting Short Videos you can find—both domestic and international. As long as they're well-filmed, funny, or entertaining, download them all and categorize them."

"Then, register hundreds of accounts and use a program to batch-upload these videos."

Zhao Lei was stunned for a moment.

"Reposting other people's videos? This... won't there be copyright issues?"

"It's the fastest way to quickly fill the content in the early stages."

Qin Mo knew this was a last resort.

"Once the platform has its own content ecosystem, this part will be gradually phased out."

"But hundreds of accounts..." Zhao Lei said, somewhat worried.

"Use a program for batch registration; set up the IP pools and account pools. These are basic operations."

Qin Mo's tone was calm.

"I've already contacted the major app stores. Once approved, it will officially launch in three days."

Zhao Lei and Lin Xiao exchanged a look.

"We don't have much time. Before the launch, we need at least tens of thousands of videos on it."

"Starting today, everyone is working overtime."

No one objected.

Because they both saw two words in Qin Mo's eyes.

Serious.

...

The next morning.

The ginkgo trees on the Modu University campus had mostly turned yellow, and fallen leaves covered the ground, crunching underfoot.

The sunlight was just right, and a few boys were playing basketball on the court.

Qin Mo walked along the main campus thoroughfare, wearing a simple black hoodie and jeans, looking no different from the students passing by with their backpacks.

But soon, someone recognized him.

"Hey, isn't that Qin Mo?"

"Qin Mo? Which Qin Mo?"

"The one, the former big shot of the Computer Science department. When he graduated, over a dozen Fortune 500 companies were fighting over him."

"Oh, oh, oh! I remember! I heard he turned down all the offers to start his own business?"

"That's him. Tsk tsk, I heard he's doing pretty badly now; his company is about to go bankrupt."

"Really? He was so impressive back then..."

Qin Mo heard these discussions, but his expression didn't change at all.

He crossed the Ginkgo Avenue and turned into the path leading to the School of Arts.

Two stylishly dressed girls passed by him, one of whom lowered her voice to speak to her companion.

"You know, Senior Qin Mo was a real legend when he was in school. He won a gold medal in the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest Asia Regional, and his graduation project—an AI project—was even eyed by several venture capital firms. But he rejected them all; he was determined to start his own business."

"And now?"

"It doesn't seem to be going well. I heard his company can't even pay salaries. Senior Jiang Youyou helped him promote his software several times before, but they all flopped."

"Sigh, what a pity. He and Senior Jiang were such a perfect match back then, a match made in heaven. Everyone thought they would end up together."

"Who knows? Anyway, Senior Qin Mo never agreed, while Senior Jiang..."

The girl's voice suddenly stopped.

Because they saw Jiang Youyou walking out of the teaching building.

Jiang Youyou was wearing a light blue floral dress today, her long black hair loosely tied at the back of her head, with a few stray strands falling against her fair neck.

The October sunlight hit her face, making even the finest fuzz visible, yet not a single pore could be found.

Her features weren't the kind of intricately carved beauty; rather, it was a pure, crystal-clear clarity. She didn't need to draw her eyebrows or apply lipstick; standing there, she looked like an ink painting that hadn't yet dried.

Two rows of French plane trees were planted in front of the School of Arts building. She walked out, stepping on the fallen leaves, her skirt swaying gently.

Many people's gazes around her quietly landed on her.

But her eyes were only on one person.

"Senior!"

Jiang Youyou trotted over, unceremoniously took Qin Mo's arm, lifted her face, and smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

This action drew several envious sounds from those around them.

Qin Mo looked down at her.

"Let go."

"Not letting go."

Jiang Youyou held on even tighter, looking justified.

"I'm doing this to save your face, letting those people see that you haven't been abandoned by the whole world. At least you still have this beauty who won't leave you."

Qin Mo was too lazy to argue with her.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Duh, the moment you entered the school gate, a junior was tipping everyone off in the group chat. You're even more famous in school than I am now."

Jiang Youyou tilted her head to look at him and blinked.

"What? Did you finally come to your senses? Decided to accept my offer to support you?"

"I'm serious, Senior. My mom said that as long as I bring a boyfriend home before I graduate, she won't force me to work at her company. You play along with me for a year, and I'll pay you a salary. How about it?"

Qin Mo stopped walking and turned to look at her.

"I came to see you today for something important."

"What important matter?"

Jiang Youyou put away her playful expression, but she still didn't let go.

"I made a new piece of software, and it's launching in a couple of days."

Qin Mo briefly explained the situation with Douyin.

"Short Video?"

Jiang Youyou thought for a moment.

"Similar to those funny videos on Weibo?"

"Not exactly the same, but for now, you can understand it like that."

Qin Mo looked at her and said seriously.

"I need you to be one of the first creators to join Douyin, and help me find a group of good-looking people in school who know how to film videos. Regardless of gender, as long as they are willing to join, I'll pay them."

Jiang Youyou was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing because you've finally wised up."

Jiang Youyou blinked.

"You finally know to ask for my help? Before, when I offered to help promote you, you refused no matter what. I even had to help you secretly during my livestreams."

Qin Mo didn't speak.

He really hadn't wanted Jiang Youyou to get involved in his affairs before.

It wasn't for any other reason; he just didn't want to owe her any favors.

Jiang Youyou was one of the most popular streamers on Douyu, and her follower count had long exceeded ten million.

But now.

To promote Douyin, the traffic from a major streamer was crucial.

Since things like time travel had happened, some insignificant persistence was no longer necessary.

"So, are you going to help or not?"

"Of course I'll help."

Jiang Youyou said as if it were a matter of course.

"Of course I'll help with Senior's business. Besides, I'm the president of the student union now, and I basically know all the handsome guys and beautiful girls in school, from freshmen to seniors."

As she spoke, she took out her phone and opened a group chat.

"Look at this group. People from the School of Arts, the broadcasting station, the etiquette team—they're all in here, nearly two hundred people."

Qin Mo took a glance; the group avatars were all carefully edited selfies.

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you."

"But I have a condition."

Jiang Youyou put her phone away and looked up at him, chin tilted.

"After it's done, you have to treat me to a meal, a big meal."

"Sure, no matter how expensive."

"It's a deal!"

Jiang Youyou was so happy that her eyes curved into crescents, and then, as if she remembered something, she added another sentence.

"Also, this time you have to listen to me. Don't interfere with how I help you. Although I helped promote your previous software, to be honest, they were all too boring. People would forget them after using them twice."

"But this one is different."

"How is it different?"

Qin Mo thought for a moment.

"Because it will be addictive."