Nostalgia

Lin Yun was left alone in the dimly lit room, surrounded by the soft hum of computers. He walked down the aisle, his fingers trailing along the smooth surfaces of the monitors.

He sat down, the chair creaking beneath him. The keyboard, with its clunky keys and faded lettering, felt alien to his fingertips, accustomed to the customized mechanical keyboards of his previous life.

Lin Yun powered on the computer, the familiar whirring of the fan filling the quiet room. The monitor flickered to life, revealing a desktop that looked strikingly similar to Windows 98.

The words "Megasoft Windows 2008" flashed across the screen, a nostalgic pang hitting him.

Lin Yun chuckled softly. "Megasoft, huh? Not quite Microsoft, but close enough."

He navigated the familiar interface, opening the web browser called "Internet Discoverer." He then discovered that the internet wasn't connected.

Lin Yun looked around the room and spotted a classic 56k modem connected through the telephone cable. He smiled and skillfully connected to the internet.

Beep-boop-bop-beep—eeeeekkkrrr-ding-dang-pshhh

The dial-up modem screeched to life, its high-pitched whine a nostalgic reminder of the early days of the internet.

"Classic," he muttered, a smile playing on his lips.

Finally, the browser loaded, revealing a homepage filled with pixelated images and flashing banners.

Lin Yun typed "Google" into the search bar, hitting enter. The search result could not be found. He touched his chin and tried several names — Doodle, Coocle, Tootle, and so on — but none of them were correct.

"Wait a minute," Lin Yun suddenly thought of something and typed "Booble" into the search bar.

The search results loaded slowly, each page taking several seconds to appear. Finally, the Booble homepage appeared, its colorful logo a stark contrast to the otherwise bland webpage.

"This... really?" Lin Yun was speechless as he looked at the sexy and colorful logo of "Booble."

He shook his head and spent the next hour browsing the web, familiarizing himself with the online landscape of this world.

Social media here was still in the form of BBS forums. Many other things were similar to the '90s era on Earth. The lack of innovation was clearly visible here.

Lin Yun's mind raced with possibilities. Even though the online landscape was extremely green, he still had no idea which product he should come up with to earn his first pot of gold. After all, the purchasing power in the current era wasn't that great.

"Accounting software?" he muttered and began to search for similar products on the market. However, he couldn't find anything. It turned out there was no professional accounting software here. He could start with that.

"But who should I sell to?" Lin Yun furrowed his brow. In this era, there were only a few people and organizations that could afford a personal computer. It was still considered a luxury item at the moment.

"Government?" Lin Yun suddenly thought of government units. In his past life, there were many people who engaged in this business, selling software to government units and earning a huge sum. Some of them had even become millionaires.

"But how should I contact them?" He was in a dilemma. He had never done business before, and his negotiation skills were limited to his company's customers back on Earth. He had no idea how he should contact them. It should be impossible to walk in and ask directly, right? Who would believe a high-school student?

Ding Dong!

As the bell signaling the end of the lunch break rang, Lin Yun reluctantly logged off the computer. He stretched his stiff muscles, a sense of excitement bubbling within him.

With an idea in his mind, Lin Yun strode out of the computer room.

The afternoon classes passed in a blur. Lin Yun's mind was abuzz with ideas, his fingers itching to start coding.

As soon as the final bell rang, he rushed out of the classroom, eager to get home and start working on his plan.

He ran furiously, the wind whipping past his face. The familiar sights and sounds of Sunshine City blurred past him as he focused on his destination.

Finally, he arrived home. Lin Yun greeted his parents briefly before rushing upstairs to his room.

Lin Yun sat down at his desk, the worn wood creaking beneath him. He opened his backpack, pulling out a stack of notebooks and textbooks.

He flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning the familiar formulas and equations.

A wave of nostalgia washed over him. These were the same textbooks he'd used in his past life, the same ones that had laid the foundation for his career in computer science.

Without thinking further, Lin Yun began to restudy. Since he was aiming for the top ranking, he must not be careless.

2 hours unknowingly passed by. It wasn't until Wang Chulan called him for a dinner did Lin Yun stop reading.

Lin Yun glanced at the clock and saw it was 7.30 PM. He stretched his body lazily and headed to the dining room on the first floor.

"Come. Wash your hands first." Wang Chulan smiled while putting a bowl of rice on the table.

Lin Yun washed his hands and returned to the table. Looking at the delicacies in front of him, he smiled and said. "Mom's cooking is the best."

Wang Chulan chuckled. "It's rare for you to flatter me. Let's eat."

Lin Yun picked up his chopsticks and began to dig in.

"Son, we want to buy you a computer but we don't understand it. Why don't you come with us later?" Lin Canghai spoke up.

Lin Yun was stunned. He quickly swallowed the rice and asked with concern. "Will this affect our business?"

Wang Chulan gave him a reassured smile. "Don't worry. We have enough savings for your study. And we don't need that much money for our store."

Lin Yun thought for a moment and said. "Thank you, Mom, Dad. How about we go now?"

As long as he got a computer, he had a way to earn back.

"This child," Wang Chulan smiled helplessly. "Finish the meal first."

Lin Yun didn't say anything further and quickly wolfed down his food.