Volume 3: My days in a college fraternity Chapter 103 Only Fireflies Are Not Threatening
"If people from the Order of the Phoenix or the White Robes see me getting into your car, they'll definitely think something is wrong, Stephen. If I remember correctly, not long ago you took a bunch of idiots from the Order of the Phoenix and used money to kidnap a girl called...what's her name? The one with an innocent-looking face and a body that could make her look hot at any time? The one who was pursued by my good brother Ted, and then kidnapped by you. And now you actually dare to ask me out for a chat?" Tommy asked, sitting in the passenger seat of Stephen Bean's fiery red Ferrari sports car, with a cigarette in his mouth.
Stephen held the steering wheel with both hands and said proudly, "Ruth, right? You are talking about Ruth, the beautiful girl that you SSD originally planned to use to compete for SSD International Sweetheart, right?"
"Yes, that's her." Tommy nodded and said to Stephen affirmatively: "Her face is as pure as Judy Garland when she was young."
"She is now a strong candidate for VSA's American lover." Stephen laughed and said, "It feels so good to snatch a woman from the idiots of the White Robe Society."
SSD's International Sweetheart and VSA's American Lover are both beauty pageants. Every year, these fraternities will select the most perfect girl from the girlfriends of their members recommended by each branch based on appearance, personality, character, achievements and other conditions to serve as their fraternity's International Sweetheart or American Lover. Although there is no substantial reward, it will be printed in the fraternity's own magazine and announced to all branches, making countless brothers envy that boy, which is enough for that girl's boyfriend to brag about for a lifetime. So every time the screening period begins, the handsome guys from each fraternity will pursue the beautiful girls on campus, wanting to see if it is possible to challenge for this honor.
Ted from SSD hooked up with a beautiful girl named Ruth, but after only a few days of dating, she was snatched away by Stephen from the Order of the Phoenix using his money.
Tommy threw the cigarette butt out. "I guess you didn't ask me out to show off your new car and new girlfriend."
"Of course not, I'm going to have a very formal talk with you, brother." Stephen said as he drove.
"If I don't take my medicine now, I probably won't have the energy to accompany you to those formal events you mentioned, Stephen. In addition to studying this week, I have already missed the SSD weekend activities. All my energy is busy investigating an old case with very scarce information. I bet that the legal aid center of Stanford Law School must be much worse than those of Harvard and Yale, because the lady named Sophia who provided me with help has not found the information I want yet." Tommy leaned his head against the back of the chair and said weakly:
"So, if you want to take me to see a leisure activity like alcohol and beauties, it's better to wait for some time."
"You are indeed a country bastard. Do you think I am so superficial that I can only take you out to visit prostitutes?" Stephen glared at Tommy with dissatisfaction.
Tommy nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry, Stephen. I'm a poor bastard, so I can't imagine the life of rich people. It's just that from what I understand, there are only seven days in a week, and four of them you left a message on my fucking pager asking if I want to go to the city with you to visit a whore."
"Rich people have fulfilling lives, okay? I have plenty of time every day to keep my brain thinking," Stephen argued.
Tommy didn't even look at Stephen and asked directly, "So, what are you thinking about?"
Stephen laughed. "Thinking about which one to go, to be honest, gambling and drugs are nothing compared to this entertainment activity. Whenever you feel down, you can call a dozen or twenty pretty girls in bikinis to have a pool party with you, and the world will be full of colors again. This kind of party is a great way to relieve stress for college students who are under great academic pressure."
"Acquiring knowledge and expelling tadpoles at the same time, this is such a fulfilling college life." Tommy closed his eyes and cursed with a smile.
Stephen honked the horn hard, stimulating Tommy to open his eyes and said dissatisfiedly, "You didn't tell me you were running a company recently, Tommy. If I hadn't kidnapped Ruth and she told me about the situation of several people in SSD, I would know nothing about you."
"You'd better not tell me that you want to invest the money." Tommy looked at Stephen: "Because I haven't talked to you about this, it means it's not a good idea."
"I was just about to do that. You idiot should have told me earlier. How could I not invest in a company? We are the CS gang, remember? You actually applied for Stanford's 50,000 yuan startup fund like a beggar?" Stephen took out a cigarette box and threw it to Tommy. "If the other CS knew, they would definitely laugh at me for being stingy and not willing to spend a penny. Most importantly, I don't even have a fucking investment vision."
Tommy took out two cigarettes and lit them up. He gave one to Stephen who was driving, and then said, "I don't need investment. No, I need investment, but I don't need your investment now. Do you understand?"
"I don't understand. A simple sentence coming out of your mouth is as complicated as that of a philosophy professor. Listen, I have confidence in you. I think you can definitely make money. I can lend it to you or invest in you. In short, you can take two million. You know this amount of money has no effect on me." Stephen took a puff of cigarette and said with certainty.
Tommy closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then said, "If I can guarantee that I can make money without any risk, I will definitely come to you. You know I won't be polite, but it's different now. What I need now is not only money, but also some support beyond money. If I only get your investment, my company will definitely close down. So, wait until I get through the most difficult moment, brother, wait until I appear in front of you and say to you: Stupid Stephen, take out 20 million to invest , your dear father Tommy is going to help you make some pocket money to go to whores! Then you can take out the money obediently."
"I thought you were just embarrassed to show up in front of me because you joined a different fraternity than me, so I drove out here to have a serious talk with you. Are you sure? That's two million fucking dollars, and I've never spent that much money myself." Stephen exhaled smoke and asked Tommy.
Because he and Tommy were in different majors, they seldom met. He would call Tommy out for entertainment every now and then, but this guy never showed up. In the end, he found out that this guy had started a business without telling him because he robbed the girlfriend of a guy from SSD. He wanted to give Tommy some help, and he also believed that Tommy would definitely make money.
Because this guy once made the producer of Nickelodeon look like an idiot, and he had seen Tommy's strength.
But now, Tommy actually seriously rejected his proposal, on the grounds that he needed some support other than cash.
"I don't understand, what kind of support can't be solved by cash?" Stephen asked Tommy.
"Industry support. Your money is not from this industry. Investing in it won't even cause a ripple. You can only keep taking out money to help my small company survive. The result is that a lot of your money will be burned, and there will be nothing left. We are brothers. I understand your good intentions. That's why I refuse. You must let this company survive the darkest moment independently. If others find out that I actually got investment, then it will really close down. Before turning the tide, it must remain weak." Tommy sat up straight and looked at Stephen:
"From the day , it has been just a glowing firefly, lighting itself up in the dark forest to guide hunters. This is the whole meaning of its existence, so it cannot grow bigger. To the creatures in this forest, only fireflies are not a threat."
