Chapter 8: Extragalactic Nebula

Lu Yu successfully diverted the topic and asked Chen Xiaofei,
“By the way, you still haven’t told me—what exactly did you call me here for?”
Chen Xiaofei replied, “Isn’t it because Kexin wants more time to practice the piano? It’s really inconvenient at school—the music rooms are always booked—so we thought of renting an apartment nearby.”
Lu Yu looked at Chen Xiaofei, then at Zhang Kexin, and finally at the library next to them.
If a forty-minute drive could still be considered ‘nearby’, he’d accept it.
Chen Xiaofei saw Lu Yu’s expression and immediately understood what he was thinking.
“We thought, the more people, the more opinions, right?”
Lu Yu couldn’t be bothered to argue. Since he was already out, he’d just treat it as a way to relax before returning to optimize his algorithm.
Besides, once the algorithm was perfected, he’d have to sell it. It wouldn’t be suitable to keep doing things as an individual.
Otherwise, the personal income tax would be a killer. He’d have to rent an office again and register a company.
…
After sorting out his thoughts, Lu Yu nodded. “Let’s go, then. Maybe I’ll rent a place too.”
Chen Xiaofei was surprised. “Why do you need to rent a place?”
Lu Yu didn’t hide it. “For the company’s business address.”
Chen Xiaofei asked, “Your old company?”
Lu Yu replied, “Of course not! I’ll register a new one. The old one is just bad luck.”
Chen Xiaofei grinned, “Ah, as long as you have the will, the dream lives on. Just starting over, right?”
Lu Yu quipped, “Gracefully making an exit.”
Chen Xiaofei joked, “How about I invest a bit?”
Lu Yu laughed, “Next time. This time, I’m going big!”
Chen Xiaofei scoffed, “How big? Are you going to create a new Lancôme?”
A flash of inspiration struck Lu Yu. He stared at Chen Xiaofei, “What did you just say? Say it again!”
Chen Xiaofei was startled, nearly mistaking the gas for the brake. “I said, are you going to create a new Lancôme?”
…
What is Lancôme? It’s a cosmetics brand!
Among the world’s top ten cosmetics brands—France’s Lancôme, Dior, Chanel, Biotherm, L’Oréal; America’s Estée Lauder, Clinique, Elizabeth Arden; Japan’s Shiseido and SK-II—not a single one was from China.
China’s high-end market was monopolized by these foreign giants, who took away a fortune every year!
Suddenly recalling the biomedical technology data in his mind, how could Lu Yu not be tempted?
All those profits the giants took—they were his money!
…
Lu Yu slapped the car door. “Not bad, Chen Xiaofei! Today you’ve done me a great service. Tell me, how shall I reward you?”
Chen Xiaofei’s mouth twitched. “I want nothing but for you to go easy on my wife.”
Lu Yu’s face darkened. “Don’t slander me. I have no interest in Kexin!”
Chen Xiaofei’s mouth twitched even more. “I was talking about the car!”
Lu Yu shrugged, “Same difference. It’s your car either way.”
Zhang Kexin: “???”
(‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
She felt thoroughly offended.
From the back seat, Qianqian watched the two banter and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

…

After a stop-and-go drive, they arrived at the gates of Shu Yin University. They found a parking spot, got out, and started searching the area for a real estate agency.
By coincidence, right across from the campus entrance stood a newly built three-story building.
The first floor was a supermarket, the second a dance studio, and the third had previously been an internet café, now closed and vacant.
Lu Yu took one look and was sold. Without hesitation, he pressed the elevator button to go upstairs, with Chen Xiaofei and the others following.
Through the windows, they could see all the computers were gone, leaving the space empty. The total area was about three hundred square meters.
The décor was tasteful—just a bit of tidying up and it could be used immediately, no need for a full renovation.
The more Lu Yu looked, the more satisfied he was. He immediately dialed the number posted on the door.
The owner happened to be nearby and promised to come over in ten minutes.
…
Chen Xiaofei could tell Lu Yu had made up his mind. “Aren’t you going to look at more places?”
Lu Yu shook his head. “No need. This place is just right. I like it. In fact, I might even buy it later.”
Chen Xiaofei asked, “Why would you buy it?”
Lu Yu explained, “To live in, of course! Just imagine—this area here could be a big bar counter, a wine cabinet; that corner could be a little sandy beach; over there, a few bedrooms; and the center, all living room.”
“You know that type of glass floor that cracks in a pattern when you step on it? I’d use that for the flooring—step and watch the ripples. Underneath, I’d keep ornamental fish and place loads of big potted plants everywhere.”
“How does that sound? Can you picture it?”
Listening all along, Zhang Kexin immediately chimed in, “Can you make room for an extra piano studio?”
Lu Yu laughed heartily. “Of course—the piano studio won’t take up much space.”
As they chatted, the owner arrived. After a brief conversation, Lu Yu asked if he was willing to sell.
The owner thought about it and said he’d consider selling if the price was right.
Lu Yu and the owner discussed it further and decided to sign a one-year lease first.
The rent, paid in full up front, came to thirty thousand a month—a good deal. If Lu Yu bought the place within the year, the remaining rent would be deducted from the purchase price.
Once the contract was confirmed and signed, Lu Yu transferred the money via mobile banking, and the owner handed him the keys.
From today, for at least a year, this place belonged to Lu Yu.
Originally, they’d come out to find a place for Zhang Kexin and Qianqian, but Lu Yu ended up renting the property himself.
After hearing Lu Yu’s renovation plans, Zhang Kexin and Qianqian decided not to look elsewhere—they’d just wait for Lu Yu to finish and use his piano room.
Chen Xiaofei had no words for this, but after some discussion, he agreed.
…
The group went to a restaurant for a hearty meal. Lu Yu left first, needing to take the lease contract to register his company.
Fortunately, with the government’s streamlined services, everything could be done at the business bureau in just a few steps.
After about three hours, Lu Yu’s sole proprietorship was officially registered.
“Extragalactic Nebula Ltd.” made its debut on March 1, 2017, in the Blue Star calendar.
Looking at the long list of business scopes on his license, only he knew what industries he’d eventually touch.
Imagining his vast future business empire, Lu Yu couldn’t help but feel a surge of ambition.
But he quickly calmed himself, reminding himself to be prudent and not get carried away.
Steady growth was the only way!
…
Back home, Lu Yu soaked in a hot bath, easing his fatigue.
After a short rest, he took out his laptop and continued writing code, working on the real-time feature algorithm optimization he hadn’t finished that morning.
For two days straight, Lu Yu barely left the house—ordering takeout when hungry, sleeping when tired, and coding whenever he was awake.
By noon on the third day, he had finally completed the algorithm.

Staring at the program’s results on the screen, Lu Yu felt as if countless bills were waving at him.
He took screenshots of the algorithm’s output and drafted an email, signing it as Extragalactic Nebula Ltd., and sent it to Ali’s business cooperation address.
In the email, he introduced the algorithm, described its potential effects, and attached some screenshots.
Once sent, Lu Yu took a shower, ate, and prepared for a long, deep sleep.
…
He had no idea that, as Ali staff reviewed the business proposals, his email was escalated layer by layer.
After executives had the technical department and the Damo Academy review it, 90% of the tech staff believed the algorithm was genuine.
With its application, Ali’s facial recognition system could achieve instant identification.
Even more, the algorithm’s principles could enhance other systems, pushing Ali’s facial recognition to world-leading levels.
Eventually, the news reached Ali’s management, and an emergency video meeting was held. A vice president was ordered to contact Extragalactic Nebula Ltd. directly.
The VP checked the email—there was no phone number. He couldn’t help but complain about how careless this was.
He replied to the email, hoping to arrange a face-to-face meeting, but still felt uneasy. He tried to use his contacts to find the company’s details and a phone number.
No one knew whether this company had sent the same thing to Baidu.
After all, Baidu had always competed with Ali in facial recognition, and their technical strengths were neck and neck.
Not to mention foreign competitors—if this company had emailed them too, the outcome would be unpredictable.
Little did he know that Lu Yu had only sent the email to Ali.
He simply didn’t like Baidu.
Obsessed with paid rankings, every search led to ads—sometimes a whole page of them.
For such a shameless company, Lu Yu had every reason to dislike it.
And he was certain that, given the chance, he’d take it down.
As for foreign companies, sorry—Lu Yu believed this technology was best kept at home.
…
He slept until he woke naturally.
After washing up, Lu Yu found over a dozen unread emails—all from Ali, hoping to meet in person.
After some thought, he replied to one with his phone number.
Barely two minutes later, his phone rang. Ali must be eager, he thought, making it easier for him to raise his price. He smiled and answered.
“Hello, Mr. Lu?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“This is Wang Haibo, Executive Vice President of Ali.”
“Oh, hello. Is there a problem with the email I sent your company?”
“Yes—just a small issue. Mr. Lu, could we arrange a time to meet in detail?”
“Sure, I’m in Shudu. Call me when you arrive.”
“All right, I’ll book a ticket right away. As for time and place?”
“You decide. Anywhere within the Second Ring of Shudu is fine.”
“Great. I’ll text you the details once it’s arranged.”
“Okay.”
“Excellent, I’ll hang up now, Mr. Lu.”
“All right, Mr. Wang.”
Lu Yu hung up. About ten minutes later, he received a text—Wang Haibo had set their meeting for tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the lounge of the Shangri-La Hotel.