Chapter 572: I Really Don

Zhen Zhen Rongrong carried a lunch box, her mind heavy, up the dormitory building and quietly returned to her room.

As soon as she stepped inside, she heard a weak voice.

"Zhen Rongrong, you're back? Why are you home half an hour early? Did the restaurant close early today?"

"No, some classmates from Beijing University came to see me—they drove me back."

Smiling as she answered, Zhen Zhen Rongrong skillfully pulled out an electric stove and a small pot to heat up the nutritious meal she'd brought back for her roommate.

The dormitory conditions at UC Berkeley were decent: two-person rooms, private bathrooms, no one checking electricity or inspecting rooms—but the annual rent was over $2,000, so using an electric stove secretly wasn't a big deal.

"They drove you back?"

Ruan Ruan Shujun poked her head out from under the covers, her eyes flickering as she asked: "Is your classmate working in the Lighthouse? What kind of car did they drive?"

Zhen Zhen Rongrong's movements paused slightly before she replied: "They're from the mainland on a business inspection—company car. I don't recognize the brand."

Ruan Ruan Shujun thought for a moment, then lay back down: "Zhen Rongrong, you've been in the Lighthouse for half a year already and still can't tell car logos apart? That won't do! When you go job hunting, people will think you're an uneducated country bumpkin."

Zhen Zhen Rongrong said nothing, spooned the warm nutritious meal into a container, and brought it to Ruan Ruan Shujun's bed.

"Be careful, it's hot. Eat slowly."

"Thank you, Zhen Rongrong. These days, I really couldn't have managed without you."

After taking the container, Ruan Ruan Shujun looked as if she wanted to cry from emotion.

Zhen Rongdong sniffed, as if catching a scent, but still comforted her: "Come on, eat up! You'll recover faster if you eat well. You haven't been to class in days—your studies must be falling behind."

"Mm-hmm, I need to get better fast, or I'll keep making you work at the restaurant for me—I feel terrible about it."

As Ruan Ruan Shujun ate, she thanked Zhen Zhen Rongrong, then suddenly asked: "By the way, Zhen Rongrong, did you go look for Kardil today?"

Zhen Zhen Rongrong was cleaning the dorm. Hearing the question, she shook her head: "I had class this afternoon. By the time I got to San Francisco, it was already past five—I didn't have time to ask about Kardil."

"Ah?"

Ruan Ruan Shujun was utterly disappointed; the nutritious meal suddenly lost its taste. Her eyes welled up as if she'd suffered a great injustice.

"You didn't go look for him? He always stays at one of the hotels near Union Square when he comes to San Francisco—either the Saint Francis or the Hilton. Just ask at the front desk—it wouldn't take long!"

Zhen Zhen Rongrong paused, then silently gathered the trash into the bag, only to notice several wrappers of Valrhona chocolate inside.

Only then did she recall: when she'd brought the meal to Ruan Ruan Shujun earlier, she'd smelled chocolate on her breath.

Valrhona chocolate wasn't luxury, but for students like Zhen Zhen Rongrong, it was expensive.

A sour feeling rose in Zhen Zhen Rongrong's chest. She blurted out: "Ruan Shujun, did you eat chocolate?"

Ruan Ruan Shujun, still eating, froze, then stammered: "Oh, a friend came to see me today—gave me two pieces of Valrhona… just two."

"Chocolate restores energy fast. That's good."

Zhen Zhen Rongrong quietly finished collecting the trash, returned to her bed, and took out her textbook to study a bit longer.

She still remembered what Li Ye had told her: "The state sent you abroad to study, not to work. Come back with knowledge to serve your country."

A few minutes later, Ruan Ruan Shujun called out with the empty container: "Zhen Rongrong, I'm done."

Zhen Zhen Rongrong took a breath, got up, and took the container to wash it.

But Ruan Ruan Shujun pleaded: "Zhen Rongrong, tomorrow you must ask about Kardil for me. I haven't heard from him in so long—I feel like my heart is breaking."

Zhen Zhen Rongrong's chest surged with emotion. Finally, she couldn't hold back: "Ruan Ruan Shujun, be realistic. Kardil isn't coming back."

Ruan Ruan Shujun froze. After a long silence, she whispered, wounded: "How could he not come back? He swore he'd love me forever!"

Zhen Zhen Rongrong clenched her teeth and said harshly: "Ruan Shujun, when you were in the hospital getting drained, he never showed up. How could a man like that love you forever? You've been fooled."

"You're lying! You're lying!!"

Ruan Ruan Shujun shouted angrily: "Kardil just didn't know I was in the hospital! If he knew how I am now, he'd come and take me away! You just don't want to help me!"

"I really don't want to help you anymore."

Zhen Zhen Rongrong's chest rose and fell rapidly, but her voice was calm: "I have my own things to do. I have neither the time nor the obligation to search for some Kardil. Handle your own problems."

Ruan Ruan Shujun was stunned. She stared at Zhen Zhen Rongrong, bewildered—why had she suddenly changed so much?

Ruan Ruan Shujun began to sob.

Her situation was different from Zhen Zhen Rongrong's: Zhen Zhen Rongrong was a government-sponsored student, but she had self-funded her studies abroad.

Though those who could afford to study abroad on their own weren't ordinary back in the mainland, mainland incomes were completely disconnected from those in the Lighthouse—even the children of factory managers had to work to pay tuition.

UC Berkeley was public, but tuition in 1986 was several hundred dollars, annual fees around $2,000, plus $2,000+ for dorms—you couldn't survive on less than $6,000 a year.

"Alright, alright, I'll cover for you a few more days. Just recover quickly!"

"Thank you, Zhen Rongrong, thank you—you're my best friend."

After arguing with Ruan Ruan Shujun, Zhen Zhen Rongrong's mood was unsettled. She couldn't focus on studying and went to bed early.

But as she pulled the blanket over herself, a thought crossed her mind: "Tomorrow I'll buy a few pieces of Valrhona chocolate—I've been in the Lighthouse this long and never even tried it!"

………………

The next morning, after eating breakfast, Li Ye received a call from Jeff.

He had arrived in San Francisco shortly after Li Ye and had already contacted several assistants, ready to quickly set up the venture capital firm.

Though Li Ye understood global trends, he humbly accepted Jeff's advice on building the firm, for venture capital had its own unique operational methods—not something you could build by sheer manpower.

In the venture industry, the Lighthouse was the world's leader.

For example, Kleiner Perkins: a famous Silicon Valley venture firm that invested in Intel, Amazon, Apple, and many other wildly successful companies—some even called it the world's top venture capital firm.

But how many people did it have? Just over twenty: nine partners, four or five assistants, a few secretaries, and a handful of underlings—that was all.

"Mr. Li, this is my classmate Gary. He's worked in Silicon Valley for years and understands industry trends and developments. I plan to hire him as my assistant."

After arriving, Jeff introduced Li Ye to a junior, for he'd left Silicon Valley for many years and needed sharper insight on details.

"Hello, Mr. Gary."

"Hello, Mr. Li."

Li Ye shook Gary's hand; Gary's gaze toward him was clearly surprised.

Not just because of Li Ye's age, but also his skin color.

Li Ye noticed Gary's look and asked calmly: "Mr. Gary, do you have any questions?"

"Yes, sir," Gary said bluntly: "Jeff told me the company's funding comes from Hong Kong. May I ask if our investors are also from Hong Kong?"

"Not entirely."

"No, no, I'm just curious," Gary smiled and shook his head. "The Lighthouse is a free country; its investment market upholds absolute freedom. Anyone who can bear the risk of failure can chase their dream."

"Risk of failure?"

Li Ye looked at Gary thoughtfully: "Mr. Gary, did your last company fail?"

Gary glanced awkwardly at Li Ye, then nodded helplessly: "Yes, in Silicon Valley… failure is also a kind of credential and experience."

Li Ye chuckled.

This Gary was interesting.

Silicon Valley had countless startups, and the investment risk was extremely high.

People usually only heard about the successes, because failed companies vanished, forgotten by the world.

In fact, over ninety percent of venture investments in Silicon Valley failed.

But any successful investment returned hundreds or even thousands of times the cost—precisely because of this high risk and high reward that global venture firms flocked here like crocodiles hunting for prey.

In his past life, Li Ye had heard that along Highway 280 near Stanford University, there was a place called 3000 Sand Hill Road, where a few small buildings housed half of the Lighthouse's venture capital firms.

Today, Li Ye intended to add one of his own to that list.