Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

Then someone laughed.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet exhibition hall.

Dave's face turned red.

He suddenly turned around and pointed at Lin Dong.

"Let's try again!" he said. "This time I'll choose the topic!"

Lin Dong looked at him.

"I'm willing to come as many times as I want."

Dave's lips moved.

He was about to speak—

A hand rested on his shoulder.

Dave paused for a moment, then turned his head.

Mark stood behind him.

Mark didn't look at him.

He looked at Lin Dong.

"That's enough," he said. "Stop embarrassing yourself."

Dave's face turned pale and then flushed.

The man in the blue shirt's face alternated between pale and flushed.

"Mark..."

"I've said enough."

The man in the blue shirt shut his mouth.

Mark took a step forward and stood in front of Lin Dong.

The surrounding crowd quieted down.

Mark looked at Lin Dong.

Then he spoke.

"Mark," he said, "Stanford Electrical Engineering Department, third-year PhD student. Undergraduate from Princeton, three first-author IEEE papers, two lab project leaders."

He paused.

"That person just now was from my lab."

Lin Dong looked at him.

"I know."

Mark nodded.

"What's your name?"

Lin Dong was silent for a second.

He asked for his name. He hadn't introduced himself before because it wasn't necessary; someone like Dave didn't deserve to know who he was. But this Mark... was different.

This man stood there, and without saying a word, just his eyes told you that he was truly something special.

He glanced around.

Several cameras, seven or eight students recording with their phones, and a few people wearing media signs were all crowding around.

When this scene gets out, it'll be accompanied by a headline like "Stanford PhD VS Shenzhen University prospective freshman"...

Lin Dong smiled to himself.

Before even enrolling in school, they've already started to criticize it.

He spoke.

"Lin Dong," he said, "Shenzhen University, prospective freshman."

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Then there was an uproar.

"Shenzhen University?"

"Never heard of it..."

"So you haven't enrolled yet?"

"How old is he? Eighteen? Nineteen?"

"Was that filter designed by a high school student?"

"Holy crap..."

Cheng Chuan was stunned.

He turned his head and looked at his brother.

He knew that Lin Dong had just graduated from high school.

Cheng Yu told him last night.

But that was just hearsay; this is something I saw with my own eyes.

A high school graduate took down Dave in two minutes.

Cheng Chuan suddenly didn't know what to say.

Cheng Yu didn't say anything.

Tina stood behind, her gaze fixed on Lin Dong.

She had heard Cheng Yu mention this person last night.

I just graduated from high school and came from Shenzhen to start a technology company.

She didn't take it seriously at the time. She had seen plenty of bosses from Shenzhen, and nine out of ten of them were there to poach people, while the remaining one was there to get a photo opportunity.

but now……

She looked at the young man leaning back in his chair.

She suddenly became curious about the "technology company" this person was talking about.

Mark was also taken aback for a moment.

He looked at Lin Dong, and for the first time, something else appeared in his eyes—a...complex scrutiny.

—Eighteen years old. Just graduated from high school.

He thought back to when he was eighteen.

As a freshman at Princeton, he had just entered the lab and didn't even know how to use an oscilloscope. At his first group meeting, his advisor asked him what his thoughts were. He hesitated for five minutes before saying, "Let me think about it some more."

And what's in front of me...

He glanced at the 99 points on the screen, then at Lin Dong.

Two minutes. A few mouse clicks.

It's not surprising that someone like Dave lost. But the question is, was this guy genuinely skilled, or did he just happen to run into trouble?

"Shenzhen University..." he repeated.

Lin Dong nodded.

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it."

Mark remained silent for a few seconds.

It's normal not to have heard of it; that's... pretty arrogant of you.

But he wasn't angry. On the contrary, something stirred within him.

He hadn't seen someone like this in a long time. During his years at Stanford, everyone around him treated him with utmost respect. Undergraduates called him "senior," his classmates called him Mark, and his advisor called him "the smartest person in our lab."

No one dared to speak to him like that.

He suddenly wondered how much more this person actually possessed.

Then he smiled.

"Interesting," he said. "Since you won just now, you choose the topic for the second round."

Lin Dong looked at him.

Are you sure?

"I'm sure," Mark said. "I won't bully the younger generation."

Lin Dong thought for a moment.

"Then let's go with radio frequency," he said, "what you're best at."

Mark's expression changed for a moment.

He thought Lin Dong would choose an unconventional, easy-to-exploit approach. Dave lost because he underestimated his opponent and wasn't prepared. He's different; he does this every day.

Is this person... too arrogant, or does he really have something going on?

The people next to them exchanged glances.

Dave stood in the crowd, his face still flushed. When he heard Lin Dong's words, he was stunned for a moment, then a cold smile slowly crept onto his lips.

—Choose RF? Choose what Mark excels at?

He glanced at Mark's back, then at Lin Dong.

This guy is doomed.

Mark glanced at Lin Dong for a few seconds.

Then he nodded.

"Okay," he said, "then radio frequency."

He turned around and raised his hand towards the crowd.

"Everyone, go home," he said. "You'll be here in twenty minutes."

The crowd slowly dispersed, but no one went far. Everyone was waiting to see what would happen next.

Mark turned back and looked at Lin Dong.

"Lin Dong." He repeated the name, as if trying to remember something.

Then he left.

The man in the blue shirt followed behind him, glancing back at Lin Dong before leaving. His eyes held a hint of resentment, and something else entirely—perhaps fear, perhaps confusion.

Cheng Chuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Cheng Yu patted him on the shoulder.

Tina walked over and stood next to Lin Dong.

She looked in the direction Mark had left and suddenly spoke.

"He's pretty good."

Lin Dong turned his head and looked at her.

Tina didn't look at him and continued, "Mark Chen is the most outstanding person in the field of radio frequency at Stanford in the past two years. Several projects in his lab have been targeted by Qualcomm and Apple."

She paused.

"The one you just beat was the worst in his lab."

Lin Dong nodded.

"I know."

Tina then turned her head and looked at him.

"So you still want to compete with him?"

Lin Dong did not answer.

He just stared in the direction Mark had disappeared.

Cheng Chuan walked over and stood next to him.

"Lin Dong," he said.

Lin Dong looked at him.

Cheng Chuan opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Finally, he said, "Thank you."

Lin Dong nodded.

Cheng Yu also came over.

He didn't say anything, he just stood next to Lin Dong.

Four people stood in a row.

In the distance, the crowd was still buzzing with discussion.

Anderson had somehow squeezed in and was standing at the edge of the crowd, holding a half-finished cup of coffee. Seeing Lin Dong looking in their direction, he gave a thumbs-up and mouthed, "Get him."

Lin Dong withdrew his gaze.

20 minutes preparation time.