Chapter 14: School Hegemony

Okay, Ethan admitted that there were many things he couldn't handle alone.

If it were a solo endeavor, Ethan believed that with time and effort, he could bring the game "Snake" into existence or find someone to develop it. But what about the copyright issues that would follow? That would require hiring a lawyer from a law firm.

While he believed that copyright registration for electronic games could be resolved with money, he was also firm in his belief that the lawyer hired with money couldn't possibly manipulate the law like Ms. Barbara Babcock.

As for the reason?

Ethan felt that a phrase he heard in his previous life could describe it.

"You'll never know how awesome your university professors are."

University is a place where dragons and tigers lie hidden, and top universities are even more prominent. They attract countless talents and control numerous resources, hence the eagerness of many to squeeze in.

Although Stanford in this era is not yet the world-renowned institution it would become, if one were to describe it, at the moment, they were just a century-old California school aspiring to impact the world. But Ethan was clear that this era of Stanford might be its most remarkable moment in history because they were steadfastly running on the road of the university-industry collaboration plan.

The so-called university-industry collaboration plan had two steps.

The first step was to attract outstanding external companies to set up factories, providing students with learning and employment opportunities.

The school would lease land that could not be sold to external companies at a low price. In return, during recruitment, these companies must prioritize hiring Stanford students. This plan attracted many high-tech companies, including Lockheed.

Well, to be honest, the discount on land rent alone wouldn't attract many companies to set up factories at Stanford. But the person who invited the companies at the time was none other than Stanford's Vice President, Frederick Terman.

Frederick Terman was one of the proud disciples of Vannevar Bush!

He was also the teacher of the founder of Hewlett-Packard!

With his strong connections, top-notch research institutions, and production companies gathered at Stanford in a short period. After solving the problems of student employment and school research, the second step encouraging students to start their own businesses emerged.

The school provided technical guidance to every student who wanted to start a business, offering them free access to the on-campus laboratories. When students had needs, the teachers guiding entrepreneurship would promptly assist and solve problems. In return, successful students would help the school as much as possible when their careers prospered.

One of the most famous success stories was Google.

When Google was just starting, they faced financial problems. They sought help from the school, and the school called SUN Microsystems on their behalf. The founder of SUN spent five minutes listening to Google's ideas and then wrote a check for a hundred thousand dollars, helping the younger students start their business. Later, Google soared in the tech field, and when SUN failed to challenge Microsoft, most of SUN's engineers, under Stanford's suggestion, moved directly to Google next door. Among them was Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt.

In reality, Stanford's rise was inevitable because they were playing the game of school hegemony.

And this kind of behavior in the school hegemony made those inside love it to death and those outside hate it to the bone.

But that doesn't matter, right?

Although Ethan didn't enter Stanford, having a family member there was enough!

Evelyn was his sister, after all!

You can't let such close resources go to waste; that would be a crime!

Seeing Ethan admit his mistake with a kneeling gesture, Evelyn was overjoyed.

"Hmm-hmm," she hummed, instructing her foolish brother to escort her from school at five in the afternoon.

Since they had driven together in the morning, Ethan readily agreed. But as he bid farewell to Evelyn, a perplexing question popped into his mind.

"Evelyn—" Ethan called from the driver's seat of the Chevrolet.

"Is something wrong?" Evelyn, who had taken only a few steps, turned back.

"Mm-hmm." Ethan nodded and asked with a furrowed brow, "If I remember correctly, you're graduating this year, right?"

"Yes, next month, I'll be getting my diploma. What's up?" Evelyn replied.

The affirmative answer only deepened Ethan's confusion. He gestured with his hands and asked, "You're getting your diploma next month? Then why do you still have classes now? Could it be that you haven't fulfilled the credits?"

Yes, that was the strange part that Ethan couldn't understand.

Evelyn was born in 1954, just a year older than Ethan. She applied for university a year early. Now, Ethan had been working for three years, meaning Evelyn had attended university for four years. In this situation, why did she still have classes?

Ethan couldn't comprehend.

The perplexed expression made Evelyn bend down with laughter, leaning on the car window.

"Oh, Ethan, you're really clueless."

Evelyn turned her head, laughing, "Didn't I tell you before? Our family doesn't need us to earn money temporarily. So, in my free time, I'm using it to improve myself! Under normal circumstances, I would graduate next month and re-enroll in September. But since I'm so familiar here, I've already chosen my teachers in advance, and they warmly welcome me to join the research group at any time. So..."

Evelyn shrugged, looking relaxed and cheerful.

"That's how it is?"

Ethan had never heard about Evelyn pursuing postgraduate studies.

Considering their cold war relationship before, Ethan thought it was normal that the previous owner of his body didn't know about it.

"Hmm-hmm, anything else?" Evelyn hummed and then pointed her thumb behind her, saying, "If there's nothing else, I'll go. I have an appointment with Professor Vint today. I initially wanted to choose him as my graduate advisor, but he told me he might not stay at Stanford for long. So, I need to seize the opportunity to ask him some questions."

"Oh, by the way, he's the teacher I mentioned to you last time who said, 'Knowledge is neutral.' Today, he's helping me arrange a meeting with Barbara."

"He's a really nice person. Okay, you go. Don't keep him waiting."

"Alright, see you in the afternoon?"

"See you in the afternoon."

Under Ethan's gaze, Evelyn entered the engineering college building. She first greeted a few students who looked like classmates, then stopped in front of a room on the third floor.

She knocked on the door, and a man in his thirties appeared in Ethan's line of sight.

The man was dressed in a suit with a tie. Perhaps because most of his hair had grown on his face, he had a Mediterranean look and a bit of stubble.

Seeing Evelyn, he warmly stepped aside to let her in.

With his movements, Ethan suddenly felt a flash of bright light.

A dazzling light made Ethan instinctively close his eyes.

When he opened them again, the classroom door had already closed.

"Is this Professor Vint? He looks too young, doesn't he?" Ethan muttered sitting in the car.

After learning that Evelyn's teacher today was the person who had helped him, Ethan wanted to know who this kind-hearted person was. And when he saw him...

Actually, he looked quite ordinary.

Average appearance, slender figure,

nothing remarkable.

This situation left Ethan somewhat disappointed.

He had thought that the person who could be friends with someone like Barbara must be some extraordinary individual!

If it were a recognized big shot, it would be good to embrace their thigh.

After all, the paths to success were limited – either have a good father or embrace a good thigh.

But...

"Ah! Too bad!"