Chapter 1: I Want to Lie Flat and Win, I Want to Pick Up Leaks

Since I've been reborn, why should I still grind?

Lin Yan stared at the ceiling, his mind filled with only one thought—

"I want to lie flat and win. I want to pick up leaks."

In his previous life, he had grinded for forty years.

He grinded through the college entrance exams, barely making it into an average university.

He grinded over choosing a major, picking Mechanical Engineering because everyone said it was "easy to find a job."

He grinded after graduation, entering a factory to tighten screws for a salary of 4,500.

He grinded to buy a house, emptying his family's savings and taking on a thirty-year mortgage.

He grinded to get married, going on dozens of blind dates before finally settling for someone.

And what was the result?

The day he died suddenly from overwork, he was lying on a hospital gurney in the hallway, without a single family member by his side.

His wife had long since run off with someone else, his parents couldn't make it from their hometown, and his colleagues were all busy working overtime.

When he died, he was still clutching his phone, with an unreplied work message on the screen.

He had grinded for forty years, only to die of exhaustion at his workstation.

In this life, he didn't want to grind anymore.

Let others grind; he would lie flat.

Let others scramble; he would pick up the scraps.

While others worked themselves to the bone, he would lie flat and win to the very end.

That was decided.

He turned over and saw his college entrance exam scores.

617 points.

With this score in his previous life, he had chosen Mechanical Engineering.

Why? Because his parents said it was easy to find a job, his relatives said it was stable, and his teachers said, "Mechanical engineering is a jack-of-all-trades major."

And what was the result?

After graduation, he went to a factory, worked three shifts, and earned 4,500 a month.

He worked overtime until the early hours and continued again at eight the next morning.

After working for ten years, his salary only rose to 8,000.

But what about those classmates who chose Computer Science?

They graduated and entered big tech companies with a starting salary of 15,000.

Five years later, their annual salary was 300,000, and ten years later, some had already achieved financial freedom.

It wasn't that he didn't work hard; he worked harder than anyone else.

But he chose the wrong direction.

If the direction is wrong, grinding yourself to death is useless.

In this life, he was going to take a different path.

Lin Yan climbed out of bed and opened the "College Entrance Exam Application Guide."

Finance, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Accounting—all popular majors with sixty or seventy students in a class, where graduation meant unemployment.

He kept flipping through, and his gaze stopped.

Microelectronics.

Doing chips.

He remembered news he had seen in his previous life—later, the country strongly supported the integrated circuit industry, chip talent was in short supply, and an annual salary of one million was not a dream.

Huawei, ZTE, Xiaomi—they were all fighting for talent.

But now? It was 2008, and few people knew what chips were.

He opened the "Admissions Major Directory"—

University A, a 985 university, had a cutoff score of 610 last year. With 617, he was safe.

He saw a line of small print: "Number of students enrolled in this major in 2007: 18."

18 people?

Computer Science had 120, Finance 150, Civil Engineering 80.

What did it mean to have 18 people in a major?

It meant there were more professors than students. It meant mentors would revolve around you. It meant resources would come to you on their own.

While hundreds of others fought for one opportunity, he had 18 people to share it with.

While others broke their heads grinding, he could lie back and take it.

Lin Yan smiled.

He opened his computer and logged into the application system.

First choice: University A, Microelectronics major.

Confirm, submit.

Just as he closed the computer, the door was pushed open.

His mother came in carrying mung bean soup, followed by his father.

"Did you finish your applications? What did you choose?"

"University A, Microelectronics."

"Microelectronics?" His father frowned. "Never heard of it."

"It's for making chips."

"Chips?" His father and mother exchanged a look. "Can you find a job with that? Look at Aunt Li's son next door; he chose Finance. How stable would it be to work in a bank later?"

Lin Yan continued drinking his mung bean soup.

At this moment, the sound of the door opening came from the living room; his Second Uncle, Second Aunt, aunt, and uncle all arrived.

"What did you choose?"

"Microelectronics."

"What the heck is that? Making chips? Never heard of it."

Second Aunt said, "Yan Yan, look at my Xiao Wei. He scored twenty points lower than you, but he chose Computer Science. He'll definitely make money in the future."

His uncle said, "Little Yan, Finance and Computer Science are the way to go. With your score, choosing Finance to get into a bank would be so sweet."

The room was full of people talking over each other.

"What a waste of that score…"

"Choosing a major no one has heard of…"

"What will you do in the future…"

Lin Yan listened, wanting only to laugh.

In his previous life, he had been scared by these very words.

When his relatives said it wouldn't work, he got scared.

When his parents said it had no future, he changed it.

And what was the result? He chose the "easy to find a job" Mechanical Engineering and worked himself to death.

In this life, he wouldn't change it.

So, Lin Yan retorted, "Everything you say is right, which is why you've ended up like this."

His father's expression grew increasingly ugly, and he suddenly stood up, pointing at Lin Yan.

"The college entrance exam is such a big deal, and you didn't even consult the family! You think you're so smart, you think you're so capable!"

Lin Yan put down his bowl.

"Dad, this major is quite good."

"Good my foot!" His father slammed the table and grabbed the broom from behind the door. "I'll break your legs!"

His mother was startled and stood in front of Lin Yan. His Second Uncle, Second Aunt, and aunt and uncle all rushed to hold him back.

"Old Lin, don't be impulsive!"

"The kid has already submitted it; hitting him is useless!"

His father held up the broom, his face flushed with anger.

Lin Yan sat in his chair, unmoving.

He had experienced this scene in his previous life too; as soon as his father roared, he would get scared and change his application.

In this life, he wouldn't be scared.

He stood up and brushed off his clothes.

"Dad, please continue. I'm going to lie down first."

"The application has already been submitted, it can't be changed. Hitting me would be in vain."

He closed his bedroom door, lay back on the bed, and put on his headphones.

Outside the door came the sound of his father's roaring, his mother's attempts to mediate, and the sighs of his relatives.

In this life, he was going to lie flat and win.

September. Registration day.

Lin Yan dragged his suitcase and walked through the gates of University A.

The campus was packed with people. At the freshman registration area, every major had a queue.

The School of Computer Science had hundreds of people, with the line stretching outside the sports field.

Some were complaining, some were on the phone, and some looked irritable.

The School of Finance had hundreds of people, and the line wrapped around twice.

Some were squatting on the ground, some were leaning against trees.

Lin Yan searched around and finally found the sign for Microelectronics in a corner.

A small table with two teachers sitting behind it.

There was no line.

"Hello teachers, I'm from Microelectronics."

Both teachers looked up at the same time, their eyes lighting up.

"He's here! Come, sit, sit!"

One teacher handed him a bottle of water.

"What is your name?"

"Lin Yan."

"Student Lin Yan, welcome!" The teacher opened the roster. "You are the 5th freshman to register this year! You can choose your mentor now. Which direction would you like to follow? Chip design, semiconductor materials, integrated circuit testing…"

Lin Yan scanned the list.

"Chip design, I guess."

"Good!" The teacher immediately wrote it down. "Professor Zhang, chip design direction. It's settled! Professor Zhang is the head of the national key laboratory. You have a good eye!"

Lin Yan nodded.

"Then… can I go lie… leave now?"

"Of course!" The teacher stood up to see him off. "By the way, Professor Zhang said that after registration, you should go see him. He has a project he wants to discuss with you all."

A project?

Lin Yan's eyes lit up.

He walked out of the office building, passing the registration area for the School of Computer Science.

Hundreds of people were in line, and the queue was moving incredibly slowly. Some were complaining, some were wiping sweat, looking irritable.

Lin Yan glanced at them twice, then turned and left.

While hundreds of others fought for one registration spot, he had 18 people with two teachers catering to them.

Others waited in line for two hours; he finished registering in two minutes.

Others fought for mentors in their senior year; he had his settled on the first day of registration.

Others spent ages researching which direction to choose; he picked one at random, and it was with the head of a national key laboratory.

The mentor said there was a project?

A project is good.

One must participate in projects! If a project startup succeeds, just relying on dividends from shares is enough to lie flat and win for a lifetime!

Haha, the first step to lying flat and winning starts with picking up leaks.

This is a period novel, no system, no cheat codes, but all the plot points mentioned in the synopsis will unfold one after another.

Some plot points start late simply because I feel that at that specific time node, picking up the leak is the most satisfying.