Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

He walked to the window and looked at the San Francisco sky outside.

I'm going back tomorrow.

He told himself that.

Chen Wei'an returned to the car and sat there for a full five minutes.

She did not start the engine.

The fingers on the steering wheel tightened slightly, then slowly loosened.

"Lin Dong," she murmured the name.

The word "Mr." is not used.

She looked at the closed glass door of the hotel, and a slight smile suddenly appeared on her lips.

"I'll make you fall in love with me sooner or later."

She started the car and drove out of the hotel.

In the rearview mirror, the Peninsula Hotel's golden sign grew smaller and smaller until it became a blurry dot of light.

She didn't turn around.

The next afternoon, at San Francisco International Airport.

Lin Dong changed his boarding pass and stood in front of the security checkpoint.

Chen Wei'an stood in front of him.

"Uncle Cai will keep you informed about the progress in Shenzhen."

She spoke naturally, "The service contract with the Rossi family will be finalized this week. Jamal's assistant from Gulf Capital said he will come to San Francisco next week, and I have scheduled a meeting with him."

Lin Dong nodded.

"Anderson will notify you as soon as they have new stock."

She continued, "I finished compiling the registration information for Oriental Trade this afternoon and sent it to Uncle Cai for filing."

Lin Dong nodded again.

"it is good."

Chen Wei settled in for a while.

"That……"

She looked at him and said, "Have a safe journey."

"Um."

Lin Dong picked up his backpack, turned around, and walked towards the security checkpoint.

His steps were steady.

Just as he was about to step into the security checkpoint—

"Forest!"

A familiar voice boomed from behind.

Lin Dong turned around.

Anderson was sprinting from the direction of the parking lot, his tie askew on his shoulder, waving two pieces of paper in his hand like a victory flag.

"Lin! Wait! Luckily we made it in time—"

He rushed to Lin Dong, bent over, panting heavily, his face flushed red.

"You...you haven't gone in yet...that's great..."

Lin Dong looked at him: "What is it?"

Anderson straightened up, patted his chest to catch his breath, and then slapped the two pieces of paper into Lin Dong's hand.

"Stanford!" His eyes shone brightly. "July 11th! There's a lecture at Stanford University!"

Lin Dong looked down at the two pieces of paper.

It was a printed event information page, with the Stanford University logo at the top and a brief description below—

[Stanford Entrepreneur Forum Summer Special Session]

时间：2005年7月11日上午10:00

Location: Stanford University Memorial Auditorium

Speaker: Steve Jobs

Theme: The Crossroads of Technology and Humanities

Lin Dong's gaze lingered on the name "Steve Jobs".

"I just got the tickets from a friend!"

Anderson spoke rapidly with excitement, "This was supposed to be his and his wife's weekend date, but he had to go on a business trip to Europe at the last minute, so the tickets are mine! Two tickets! Two tickets!"

He leaned closer to Lin Dong, lowered his voice but couldn't suppress his excitement: "Lin, you're a tech guy, you make phones, you know who this person is, right?"

Steve Jobs of Apple!

He had just undergone pancreatic cancer surgery at the beginning of the year, and this was his first public speech since his recovery!

It's said that the tickets sold out in three days, and they're already fetching up to $1,000 a ticket on the black market!

Lin Dong did not answer.

He looked at the event information page.

2005 7 Month 11 Day.

Stanford.

Steve Jobs.

He remembers that speech.

In his previous life, he only saw the transcript of this speech many years later.

By then, Steve Jobs had already passed away, and his motto "Stay hungry, stay foolish" was printed on countless entrepreneurs' T-shirts, pasted on office whiteboards, and engraved as an inscription next to their tombstones.

He didn't see it with his own eyes.

No chance.

"How is it?"

Anderson looked at him expectantly. "Want to come with me? It's only about 50 miles from San Francisco, a little over an hour's drive. After the lecture, I'll take you to the airport!"

He paused, then a "I understand you" look suddenly appeared on his face: "And—"

He lowered his voice and gestured towards a spot not far behind him.

Chen Wei'an was still standing in the same spot, looking in this direction.

"The atmosphere between you and Miss Vivian just now..."

Lin Dong glanced at him.

"You talk too much."

"Yes, yes, I talk too much."

Anderson's attitude towards admitting guilt was extremely cooperative. "So, are you going or not? Are you going or not?"

Lin Dong looked down and glanced at the two tickets again.

Stanford.

Steve Jobs.

2005 7 Month 11 Day.

He certainly knew how famous the speech would later become.

He just...

In Shenzhen, the R&D team was just getting started. Zhang Mingyuan's hardware solutions were still on paper, and Zhou Chengyu's touch algorithm hadn't even run the first prototype.

What can I do if I go back?

The meetings continued, the plans continue to be refined, and the wait for that batch of aluminum materials to be shipped overseas continues.

Now, there is an opportunity for him to see the person who changed the world with his own eyes.

"Let's go." Lin Dong slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Anderson was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed: "Really?!"

Give me the ticket.

Anderson immediately shoved one of the tickets into Lin Dong's hand, his movements so swift it was as if he feared Lin Dong might change his mind at any moment.

"Let's go! The car's in the parking lot!"

The two walked towards the exit, one after the other.

Lin Dong paused when he reached Chen Wei'an's side.

"I'm rebooking my flight," he said. "I'm rebooking it until after the speech."

"You can drive the car back first."

"I'll go this way with Anderson."

Chen Wei'an looked at him.

"Okay." Her voice was steady.

Lin Dong nodded, said nothing more, and followed Anderson into the crowd.

Chen Wei'an stood still.

She watched that figure walk further and further away, disappearing into the midday light of San Francisco Airport.

Then she chuckled softly.

"Lin Dong," she whispered, "you blockhead."

She turned and walked in the opposite direction.

PARKING LOT.

Anderson started the car and glanced at Lin Dong in the rearview mirror.

Lin Dong leaned back in the back seat, watching the airport road signs rushing past the window.

"Forest."

"Um."

"I have a question."

"ask."

Anderson cleared his throat, a smile he tried to suppress but couldn't quite manage.

"Miss Vivian...is she very pretty, isn't she?"

Lin Dong didn't respond.

"And she's very capable," Anderson continued. "She's efficient and knows what to do with just a glance."

He paused.

"The most crucial thing is—"

He glanced at Lin Dong in the rearview mirror, his eyes gleaming mischievously: "She likes you."

Lin Dong continued to look out the window.

"How did you figure that out?"

"God."

Anderson shrugged. "I may have been divorced three times, but I'm not blind."

Lin Dong didn't say anything.

Anderson waited a few seconds, and when he didn't respond, he suddenly frowned.

"Forest."

"What's wrong now?"

"You…" Anderson's tone became cautious, tinged with a subtle hesitation, "You wouldn't…like men?"

The carriage was silent for a full three seconds.

Lin Dong turned his head and looked at Anderson expressionlessly.

Say it again.

Anderson felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze and immediately raised his hands: "I was just kidding! I was just kidding! Forget I asked—"

"You're the one who likes men." Lin Dong turned his gaze back to the window. "Your whole family likes men."

Anderson paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha—"

He was laughing so hard the steering wheel was shaking, and the car in front almost rear-ended him.

"Lin! You can swear now! I thought you were only good at negotiating contracts! Hahahaha—"

Lin Dong ignored him and continued looking out the window.

A slight upturn appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The car drove onto Highway 280 and headed south.

Outside the window, the cityscape of San Francisco gradually softened in the morning light.

In the distance, the Hoover Tower spire at Stanford is slowly rising above the horizon.

Lin Dong leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

I could hear Anderson's rambling voice, from Steve Jobs assembling the first-generation Apple in his garage when he was young, to which sandwich shop near Stanford had the best food.

He didn't listen.

He was thinking about something else.

2005 7 Month 11 Day.

He had read the transcript of this speech countless times in his previous life.

But words are just words.

He wanted to see it with his own eyes.

A person who has walked a tightrope from the Grim Reaper's blade, and who has just gotten up and returned to the podium.

He wanted to know—

What was in the eyes of the man who said "Stay hungry, stay foolish" in the Stanford auditorium at that moment?

The car continued south.

Ahead, Stanford's Palm Avenue is bathed in California's most generous July sunshine.